Multi-Purpose Canisters
The Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) was originally conceived by the U.S. Department of Energy as a single, versatile package capable of supporting on-site storage, transportation, and eventual disposal in a future repository. Holtec International transformed this concept into a practical design in 1992.
The MPC is a stainless-steel, seal-welded confinement system composed of a cylindrical shell, baseplate, lid, port covers, and closure ring. Inside, the fuel basket is built from stainless-steel composite cell structures arranged in a rectilinear honeycomb pattern. This design provides exceptional structural strength and uninterrupted, edge-to-edge pathways for heat conduction, allowing the MPC to effectively reject heat.
All standard MPCs share identical outer diameters and heights, ensuring complete interchangeability. Each canister is compatible with the HI-STAR 100, HI-STORM 100, and HI-TRAC transfer casks. The number of fuel assemblies each MPC can store depends on the characteristics of the fuel.
Once spent nuclear fuel is loaded into an MPC, it becomes its permanent confinement; the assemblies never need to be repackaged for future handling, storage, transport, or disposal.
Key Features
An all-stainless fuel basket structure and confinement boundary
A honeycomb geometry to maximize strength in anticipation of accident events
Fully edge-to-edge interconnected storage cells to maximize heat rejection
Top plenum, bottom plenum, and downcomers to maximize helium circulation
Evenly distributed metal mass to maximize shielding effectiveness
Identical external dimensions making them completely interchangeable
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