The metal casks in the HI-STAR family serve the dual-purposes of onsite storage and offsite transport of spent nuclear fuel and other forms of non-fuel waste. Holtec offers the most vetted metal cask systems available, for all fuel types and all site-specific user needs.

Holtec’s metal cask systems are designed to contain either a Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) or a bare fuel basket (no canister). The MPC is a welded, stainless steel canister fitted with a fuel basket designed for the client’s fuel. HI-STAR casks of the MPC-based genre are loaded with the welded MPC and contained fuel. Alternatively, the bare fuel basket genres of the HI-STAR are fitted directly with a fuel basket (no canister). In both cases, the HI-STAR metal cask is the primary structural barrier that protects the spent fuel in normal and accident conditions. In addition, the HI-STAR metal casks provide excellent dose attenuation and heat dissipation, surpassing the most stringent requirements of the U.S. NRC and IAEA for both storage and transport.

The complete family of HI-STAR metal casks is summarized in the table below.

The HI-STAR casks can be stored on an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) or alternative storage facility. In transport, the HI-STAR packages also include Holtec’s AL-STAR Impact Limiter to mitigate the impact force on the cask during postulated accident events. The AL-STAR impact limiter is designed and tested to 10CFR71 requirements.

The dual-purpose HI-STAR 100 metal cask stored on Dresden's ISFSI
The design, material acquisition, fabrication, assembly, and testing of Holtec’s metal casks is performed in accordance with Holtec International’s U.S. NRC certified Quality Assurance (QA) program. The HI-STAR packages comply with all of the requirements of IAEA and 10CFR71 for a Type B(U) radioactive package. The HI-STAR casks are made from materials that have been exhaustively tested and determined capable of withstanding their operating environments without degradation in their capability to render their intended function. Analyses and testing to demonstrate compliance with the local regulatory requirements are an integral part of the packages’ safety evaluations.

HI-STAR Transportation Package with AL-STAR Impact Limiters Loaded on a Rail Car for Transport
HI-STAR 100 has been tested extensively by Holtec, the U.S. NRC, and the Sandia National Laboratory to ensure extreme ruggedness against Design Basis Threats, such as impact from projectiles and resistance to fire. Extensive testing against Beyond Design Basis Treats has also been performed by Holtec and independently by the U.S. NRC. For example, in November 2002 the NRC presented its findings to the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) that HI-STAR 100 transport package could withstand even the most severe tunnel fire without any radiological release. In addition, Holtec has performed analysis to demonstrate that the loaded HI-STAR can withstand direct impact from the engine of a Boeing 767 jet engine traveling at 500 mph (804.7km/hr). HI-STAR 100 offers clients the security and protection required for spent fuel management in the post September 11th era. Building on the HI-STAR 100, Holtec’s HI-STAR 180 and 190 are even more robust against terrorist threats of this genre.

Holtec also has extensive experience designing and licensing metal casks on a client-specific basis. Please contact our sales team for further details. More information about our current systems is provided on the sidebar links.

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