Storage of spent fuel is increasingly a problem at nuclear power plants around the world. The inability to reprocess fuel, lack of interim storage at site, and degradation of the absorber materials in existing storage racks drive the spent fuel storage concern. Plants utilizing high-enriched uranium or mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels have additional concerns regarding spent fuel storage. In response to these issues, many plants are conducting a thorough review of the spent fuel pool (SFP) facility's capabilities and examining options for upgrading them.


Krsko, Slovenia: The NEK operating company is replacing its spent fuel pool storage unit. The first step is installation of nine compact racks.

Broad Experience in Backfitting
Companies like the Framatome subsidiary, ATEA and Siemens developed backfitting solutions for overstocked spent-nuclear-fuel (SNF) pools. These market leaders also have planned better solutions for plants under construction, so they will not encounter problems as readily in the future.
       Combined, ATEA and Siemens have engineered and installed more than 70 rack and re-rack projects around the world. These teams are now working together as Framatome ANP.
       The two companies have developed differing solutions to the spent-fuel problem and both have experience in all market areas - PWRs, BWRs, and VVERs.
       ATEA developed two strategies for PWR owners. One is Cadminox, a rack using cadmium as the neutron absorber, the other is borated stainless steel (BSS), both manufactured by ATEA. The Cadminox racks' structural stainless steel cells are wrapped with thin cadmium sheet material. These racks were mainly designed to accommodate fresh fuel. ATEA also provides repair and replacement of degraded racks. The company has extended its experience worldwide in places as diverse as Taiwan, US, France, Japan, and China. Each of these sites required wet-storage technology.
       Siemens offers the proven borated stainless steel (BSS) technology as a neutron absorber for PWR, BWR and VVER fuel assemblies. BSS has excellent corrosion resistance in pure or borated water and provides great stability under irradiation, thus avoiding in-service inspections. Siemens has installed this product at four sites in Germany and six sites in Spain, as well as Brazil, Hungary, South Africa, Finland, and Korea.


Ginna, US: ATEA and Framatome replaced three old racks in the SFP with seven new compact racks at the Ginna nuclear power plant in the US.

More Customer Benefits
After years of cooperation on numerous projects such as steam generator replacement, Framatome and Siemens now will be able to combine their strengths in the re-racking of SNF under the joint venture. The combination has already won two contracts in wet storage: A SFP backfit at the Neckar power station in Germany and replacement of SFP storage unit at Krsko in Slovenia. Under both contracts, ATEA will manufacture the racks to Siemens designs and Framatome ANP will install them on site.
       As a result of the merger of the nuclear activities of Framatome and Siemens into Framatome ANP, customers for re-racking services now will be able to choose between different neutron absorbers (Cadminox and BSS), and take advantage of the company's wide market knowledge and extensive engineering, fabrication and on-site services.