Remote Handling and Storage of Irradiated Fuel

Abstract

Due to limited space in underwater storage facilities for irradiated fuel in some existing CANDU nuclear generating stations, a method of increasing the storage density of fuel was devised which avoids the cost of constructing additional storage bays on site until future off-site permanent storage facilities are developed. This paper describes the remotely controlled and operated system developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, (AECL), CANDU Operations, to transfer irradiated fuel underwater from the original storage containers to high density storage modules.