A Source Term Methodology for Spent Fuel Cask Containment Evaluations

A cask containment system can generally be designed from two perspectives; either the cask and its associated hardware alone are assumed to provide containment, or the contents of the cask, in this case the spent fuel, are also considered part of the containment system. In the latter approach, known as a source-term methodology, some credit is derived for those contents based on their material, physical, or chemical properties that tend to limit or inhibit radionuclide \"release.\" The former apl?roach in which no such credit is taken is generally called a \"leak tight\" design basts.