TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS MODELING FOR THE SPENT FUEL HANDLING AND PACKAGING PROGRAM.

In support of the Department of Energy's Spent Fuel Handling and Packaging Program, two logistics models have been developed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). These models have been used to provide information on current and future transportation system requirements for spent nuclear fuel shipments, to assist in spent fuel facility siting and design, and to ensure efficient use or disposal of the fuel. The first model, a transportation logistics model (Variable Site Model), computes a time-phased schedule of shipments of spent fuel elements from light water nuclear reactors to away-from-reactor storage basins and/or spent fuel handling and packaging facilities located at various alternative sites within the United States. The second model is a Facility Simulation Model which permits the analysis of various parameters associated with the design and operation of a spent fuel handling and packaging facility at a given site.