Spent nuclear fuels are received from reactor sites around the world and are being stored in the
L-Basin at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina. The predominant fuel types are
research reactor fuel with aluminum-alloy cladding and aluminum-based fuel. Other fuel materials
include stainless steel and Zircaloy cladding with uranium oxide fuel. Chemistry control and
corrosion surveillance programs have been established and upgraded since the early 1990’s to
minimize corrosion degradation of the aluminum cladding materials, so as to maintain fuel integrity
and minimize personnel exposure from radioactivity in the basin water. Recent activities have been
initiated to support additional decades of wet storage which include fuel inspection and corrosion
testing to evaluate the effects of specific water impurity species on corrosion attack.