Holtec Offers to Share Its Patented Cask Drying Technology with ISFSI Owners

Holtec International, Marlton, 
New Jersey, Monday, July 7, 2014

Protecting used fuel fromdamage during periods of operations involving high thermal or mechanicalloadings is a key challenge in devising dry storage and transport systems.

Maintaining the fuel in an undamaged state is important to assuring that, inthe future, it can be retrieved from storage, if need be, by normal means. Asis well known to dry storage specialists, the greatest risk of damage to usedfuel occurs during its transition from the wet to the dry state when it isoften subjected to intense heat to extract its moisture. As reactor operatorshave, in recent years, gained improved power generating efficiencies by drivingfuel to higher burnups – meaning that it is subject to the effects ofbombardment by a greater number of neutrons – increased attention has beenplaced on the challenge of maintaining fuel integrity after it leaves thereactor.

To minimize the risk to used fuel, the USNRC has established a stringent set ofcriteria for drying that has been instrumental in mitigating fuel failureswhile drying fuel. The classical method for drying the canister/cask - vacuumdrying - has been in use for well over three decades.

Seeking to provide a method to further minimize the possibility of used fueldamage during drying, Holtec International dedicated focused research todevelop a new drying technology that would subject the fuel to significantlylower stresses during the drying process. The USNRC approved this new technologyin 2002 as a part of the certification to store high burnup fuel in Holtec'sstorage systems. Since then, all high burnup fuel placed in Holtec systems hasbeen dried using the new technology. This new technology, known as ForcedHelium Dehydration (FHD), is commercially protected by an array of patentsowned by Holtec International – thus making it unavailable to users ofnon-Holtec storage systems.

In light of the growing attention now being placed on high burnup used fuel,Holtec International hereby announces that the Company will share its dryingtechnology under an appropriate license with any dry storage facility ownerinterested in using the technology. Technical advice to adapt the Owner'scanister/cask to use the (low-stress-producing) Forced Helium Dehydration (FHD)technology will also be provided.

“As the challenges of long-term used fuel management continue to grow, it isimportant that we help our industry deal with this important technical issue inthe best manner possible. Therefore, we offer to share our patented technologywith all reactor operators who need to place high burnup fuel in dry storageunder an appropriate licensing agreement. Our HI-STORM customers, in the U.S.and abroad, have already, by and large, made the transition to FHD”, saysHoltec's CNO Pierre Oneid.