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Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Public Report (2006) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix E: Glossary
Pages 108-114

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From page 108...
... Bare-fuel cask: See Cask. Beta particle: A charged particle consisting of a positron or electron emitted from certain radioactive isotopes when they undergo radioactive decay.
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From page 109...
... Design basis phenomena:Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and other events that a nuclear facility must be designed and built to withstand without loss of systems, structures, and components necessary to ensure public health and safety. Design basis threat: In the context of this study, hypothetical ground assault threat against a commercial nuclear power plant.
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From page 110...
... Please use the 110 E Drywell: The containment structure enclosing a boiling water nuclear reactor vessel. The drywell is connected to a pressure suppression system and provides a barrier to the release of radioactive material to the environment under accident conditions.
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From page 111...
... MELCOR: A computer code developed by Sandia National Laboratories for use in analyzing severe reactor core accidents. The code has been adapted to model fluid flow, heat transfer, fuel cladding oxidation kinetics, and fission product release phenomena associated with spent fuel assemblies in spent fuel pools in loss-of-pool-coolant events.
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From page 112...
... Safety: In the context of spent fuel storage, measures that protect storage facilities against failure, damage, human error, or other accidents that would disperse radioactivity in the environment Safeguards: As used in the regulation of domestic nuclear facilities and materials, the use of material control and accounting programs to verify that all nuclear material is properly controlled and accounted for, and also the use of physical protection equipment and security forces to protect such material. Safeguards information: Information not otherwise classified as National Security Information or Restricted Data that specifically identifies a U.S.
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From page 113...
... Vital area: A zone located within the protected area of a commercial nuclear power plant site that contains the reactor control room, the reactor core, support buildings, and the spent fuel pool. It is the most carefully controlled and guarded part of the plant site.
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From page 114...
... Zirconium alloy used as cladding for uranium oxide fuel pellets in reactor fuel assemblies. Zirconium cladding fire: A self-sustaining, exothermic reaction caused by rapid oxidation of zirconium fuel cladding (zircaloy)
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Key Terms

  • nuclear fuel
  • nuclear reactor
  • power plant
  • spent nuclear
  • fuel storage

  • fuel assemblies
  • commercial nuclear
  • reactor core
  • nuclear regulatory
  • fuel pool

  • radioactive decay
  • radioactive isotopes
  • undergo radioactive
  • regulatory commission
  • water nuclear

  • fuel pools
  • metric tons
  • boiling water
  • physical protection
  • plant site

  • water coolant
  • storing spent
  • oxide fuel
  • independent spent
  • nuclear material

  • fuel elements
  • protect storage
  • water reactor
  • radioactive material
  • pressurized water


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