HI-TRAC

(USNRC Certificate of Compliance No. 1014 for Storage)

The HI-STORM 100 System utilizes the HI-TRAC Transfer Cask for transporting the MPC from the spent fuel pool and for inter-cask MPC transfer required for on-site storage and off-site transport. A transfer cask is indispensable for implementing an ISFSI MPC loading in a HI-STORM 100 System and for future off-site shipment.

The HI-TRAC System, engineered to be fully compatible with the HI-STORM 100 and HI-STAR 100 overpacks, fulfills several key operational needs, including:

  • Smallest possible cross-sectional area to permit placement in tight-cask spaces in many pools.
  • Flexibility in the design, such that sites which do not have more than 100-ton lifting capacity can be defueled using HI-TRAC.
  • Maximum protection against contamination of the MPC鈥檚 external surface.

To deal with crane lifting capacity limitations, which exist at numerous plants, HI-TRAC has been licensed in two anatomically similar designs, which we refer to as HI-TRAC 100 and HI-TRAC 125, respectively. The annexes 100 and 125 imply the maximum weight of the loaded HI-TRAC in tons during its lifting and handling operations.

HI-TRAC 100 and HI-TRAC 125 are physically identical except that the latter, due to its greater mass, provides more shielding. HI-TRAC 100 and HI-TRAC 125 both accommodate the standard MPC (containing up to 24 PWR or up to 68 BWR spent fuel assemblies). The HI-TRAC transfer cask provides optimal shielding of the fuel housed in the MPC to minimize personnel exposure during handling and MPC closure operations.

The HI-TRAC transfer cask is designed and fabricated to allow vertical handling of the loaded HI-TRAC while meeting the heavy-lifting requirements of NUREG-0612 and ANSI N14.6. The HI-TRAC is designed to interface with either the HI-STORM storage module or with the HI-STAR dual purpose overpack. The HI-TRAC system is designed to transfer the loaded MPC within the fuel storage building or at the storage pad. This assures that canister transfers for off-site transport can be completed without requiring reactor handling facilities (therefore, returning to the reactor building is not required).

Patents

TitleYearPatent No.Status
A Cask for Inter-Overpack Transfer of a Canister Containing Used Nuclear Fuel or Non-Fuel Waste202463/573,038Provisional
Ventilated Transfer Cask with a High Integrity Lifting Feature and an Integral Impact Limiter2016US 9,466,400 B2Granted
Method of Removing Radioactive Materials from Submerged State and/or Preparing Spent Nuclear Fuel for Dry Storage2011US 8,067,659 B2Granted
Method and Apparatus for Transporting and/or Storing Radioactive Materials having a Jacket Adapted to Facilitate Thermosiphon Fluid Flow2011US 7,994,380 B2Granted
Method and Apparatus for Maximizing Radiation Shielding During Cask Transfer Procedures2008US 7,330,525 B2, US 6,587,536 B1Granted