Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : The 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE30)
Date : May 21, 2023 - May 26, 2023
Successful applications of the instrumentation and control (I&C) system are ubiquitous in nuclear power plants (NPPs), contributing to the safe, reliable, and sustainable operation of the current and future fleet of NPPs. However, it is not seen as much in use for the temporary or long-term storage, nonetheless the transportation, of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). With the saturation of wet storage capacity in NPPs and the growing demand for SNF reprocessing, the need for safe maintenance and transportation (M&T) of SNF is bound to increase significantly. The M&T process involves many factors, including the operation and refueling schedule of the NPP, the acceptance capacity and waste reprocessing capabilities of the waste disposal plants, the availability of transportation containers, vehicles, and its crew, etc. Considering the number of factors to be coordinated, this complex process is prone to human error.
This paper describes an integrated management platform for spent nuclear fuel storage and transportation capable of removing human error altogether in the M&T process of SNF. The platform encompasses categorized temporary storage, in-plant transshipment, and out-of-plant long-distance transportation of SNF from the currently operating NPPs. Real-time monitoring of the SNF and dispatch of the shipping crew and emergency response team is made possible based on accurate positioning, tracking data, and instant communication made possible by modern information technology featuring the Internet of Things (IoT). This is of great significance for the safe transportation of spent fuel and for avoiding excessive radioactive contamination and radiation exposure.
This platform also features an embedded decisionmaking module for spent fuel transportation, which can automatically coordinate the generation and reprocessing speeds of SNF at the NPPs and the waste disposal facilities, respectively. The decision-making module also considers resource information, including transportation containers, vehicles, crew, etc., optimizes resource allocation, formulates transportation plans, and outputs resource requirements and capacity building gaps for the next year, ensuring safe, orderly, and efficient transportation of spent fuel. The platform and its related technologies described in this paper can be extended to the storage and transportation of other radioactive waste or critical substances besides spent nuclear fuel.
