NAC Spent Fuel Academy Provides In-Depth Look at Effective Used Fuel Storage and Transportation

Three days of comprehensive training on spent fuel storage were held April 26-28 in Atlanta at the NAC Spent Fuel Academy.

Led by the experts of NAC International, the first two days of the seminar provided instruction on the science and technology underlying the dry storage and transportation of spent nuclear fuel – from the manufacturing of the casks through licensing and operation as well as transportation. The third day covered QA program considerations and performance-based manufacturing oversight of dry cask storage systems. 

And the agenda is not limited to NAC International products. “We do strive to provide unbiased options throughout the seminar,” said course moderator Xavier Morales. “At the end of the day, the crowd is aware of all the options available for storage and transport of spent nuclear fuel and waste, so we try to provide materials to better help answer and address questions. Slides will often times include pictures of competitor casks to show the differences in design and analysis to better educate the audience.”

That universal level of depth could be why 24 professionals with varied backgrounds attended at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast. “Other training offerings are often held internal to the company,” said Morales, “but NAC’s Spent Fuel Academy invites attendance by anyone in the nuclear industry.” The course welcomed professionals from national labs and the commercial nuclear sector in positions from PhDs to engineers and to the executive level.

This combines well with generous interaction throughout the seminar, “During the kick-off to the event, we go around the room after introductions and ask the crowd for anything that they want to learn or ‘take away’ from the seminar, and the attendees were free to bring up any question or topic at any time during the event,” said Morales. There are also opportunities to speak directly with the presenters and staff at welcoming events and dinner.”

In this way the current and future role of dry storage could be put in context of delegates concerns. “Presenters at times prepare the crowd with a history lesson of what has happened in the past, what is currently happening in the industry now, and the possible outcomes in the future,” said Morales. Ongoing matters such as proposals for interim storage and the DOE’s Request For Information were discussed, as was the use of dry storage casks for Greater Than Class C low-level waste.

The next NAC Spent Fuel Academy is scheduled for January 31- February 2, 2023. Click here for information on the full range of NAC’s training and consulting capabilities and here for our Global Network of Consultants.

For further information contact Dave Culp, Vice President of Consulting at NAC International at +1 980-253-3591 or .