Nuclear Science and Engineering / Volume 200 / Number 3 / March 2026 / Pages 696-706
Research Article / dx.doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2025.2494186
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The safe storage and transportation of spent nuclear fuel is a critical aspect of nuclear power plant operations. This article delves into the estimation of radiation dose rates around the TN-24 cask, which is designed to hold 24 spent fuel assemblies from VVER-1200 reactors that have been stored for 10 years as a minimal decay time in temporary storage. The ORIGEN-ARP code was used to determine the spectrums of the delayed neutrons and photons associated with their intensities after 10 years of decay time after transfer from the reactor core. The resulting dose rates were calculated using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP6.1) code and compared with the regulatory limits set by 10 CFR 71 and 10 CFR 72, ensuring that the cask design meets the safety standards for both storage and transportation scenarios.