Understanding and Managing Ageing of Material in Spent Fuel Storage Facilities

This report results from a Coordinated Research Project on “Ageing of Materials in Spent Fuel Storage Facilities”. It includes sections on the status of the understanding of the ageing of selected materials and on management of ageing. The management of ageing is of key importance in many countries for the owners and operators of a variety of facilities, including power reactors. There is a large measure of agreement on the general approach, which is summarized in this report. The report also includes a brief section on specific approaches in the context of fuel storage facilities, and some specific recommendations. Moreover, the content has been broadened to try to appeal to those who may be in the early stages of setting up ageing management programmes. The report also differentiates between the ageing of fuel materials from research reactors and that from civil reactors.