Sandia Prototype for Robotic Consolidation of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel

The repackaging of spent fuel rods into modern casks has high initial costs and presents workforce risk due to radiation hazards. To lower the costs and reduce risk to operators, Sandia National Laboratories prototyped a robotic system to automate the repackaging of spent nuclear fuel rods. This prototype simulates the process in a laboratory setting using half-sized mock fuel rods. A potential final design would be deployed in a spent nuclear fuel pool. SAND2024 03149V

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