ISF-2 Hot Tests: First Spent Fuel Assemblies Loaded for 100-Year Storage

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Interim storage facility (ISF) No. 2 in the exclusion zone received 120 ChNPP spent fuel assemblies. They were transported from ISF-1 during 18-19 November in the presence of SNRIU, SAUEZM, Holtec International experts and IAEA inspectors.

The algorithm for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management at ISF-2 provides:

1) transport SNF from ISF-1 to ISF-2, where each spent fuel assembly is divided into two fuel bundles at the facility for preparing spent fuel for storage;

2) Install a fuel bundle in a special fuel cartridge.

3) Install 186 fuel cartridges with fuel bundles in a double-walled sealed container of borated stainless steel (DWC).

4) Dehydrate a DWC filled with fuel cartridges with fuel bundles at a special installation for gas drying and DWC filling with helium inert gas.

5) Check tightness of DWC filled with spent nuclear fuel and transport it to the storage area.

6) Install a DWC filled with spent nuclear fuel in a concrete storage module and store it for 100 years.

This technology was developed by the Holtec International (USA).

Deputy Head of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management Maxym Shevchuk announced successful course tests during an inspection visit to the Chornobyl NPP.

“We are passing the equator of hot tests at ISF-2. We will complete them in about a month”, Shevchuk said.

The Chornobyl NPP is conducting hot tests at ISF-2 since 10 September 2020 in accordance with the ISF-2 Commissioning Program. The tests are performed in accordance with the conditions of Individual SNRIU Permit No. EO 001002/1/15 of 25 August 2020 to commission a nuclear installation: interim spent fuel storage facility.

It should be recalled that ISF-1 (commissioned in 1986) is a wet storage facility, which is not designed for long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel. Its lifetime expires at the end of 2025. Therefore, to ensure long-term safe storage of spent nuclear fuel located at ISF-1, dry storage facility ISF-2 was constructed at the ChNPP site.

According to the SNRIU, ChNPP, Ukrinform