The Darlington Retube Waste Container System - A Full Life Cycle Design Solution

Abstract

The Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (DNGS) supplies approximately 20 percent of Ontario's electricity needs. The Darlington Refurbishment Project will extend the operating lives of the Darlington reactors by 25-30 years. A key activity of the Refurbishment Project is 'retubing' - the replacement of the reactor fuel channel components. The removed components will be radioactive and must be safely managed. The Darlington Retube Waste Container system has been developed for this purpose. It provides a full waste management life cycle solution. The System has been designed to address the challenges of containing and shielding the retube waste during on-site handling, interim on-site storage, off-site transportation, and transfer and emplacement in the final repository.