Machine Learning of LWR Spent Nuclear Fuel Assembly Decay Heat Measurements

Abstract While establishment of appropriate policies and securing key technologies on spent nuclear fuels are state-of-the-arts in the world due to saturation of fuel pools and/or temporary facilities, the details of transportation, storage and repository are different depending on the situation in each country. Thereby, accurate integrity assessment of specific transportation casks and contained fuel assemblies as well as their breakdown effects on the public and environment are becoming more important. The purpose of this study is to carry out parametric stress analyses of spent nuclear fuel assembly in a prototypal dual purpose cask under development. As the representative postulated accident conditions, four scenarios were selected such as vertical, horizontal, corner and oblique drop from 9 m height on the ground. Then, taking into account computational cost, a simple model that considers only the equivalent mass of the fuel assembly was made for preliminary finite element analyses to determine the most dangerous drop condition and critical location. Subsequently, a detailed model that considers the acceleration of fuel assembly was made based on the preliminary analysis results and finite element analyses were carried out to calculate engineering parameters. Resulting membrane and bending stress intensities were compared with allowable design limits, of which findings will be used as technical background for development of transportation cask and management of the spent nuclear fuel integrity.

Download Full-text

The solid angle subtended by a collimated detector and a nuclear fuel assembly

Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection ◽

10.2298/ntrp1702136n ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 136-139

Author(s):

Georgios Nicolaou

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Fuel Assembly ◽

Nuclear Fuel ◽

Gamma Rays ◽

Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽

Gamma Ray ◽

Solid Angle ◽

Gamma Spectroscopy ◽

Monte Carlo Procedure ◽

Nuclear Fuel Assembly

A Monte Carlo procedure is presented to calculate the solid angle subtended between a HPGe collimated detector and a PWR 17 x 17 fuel assembly. Self-shielding within the assembly is assessed in the case of gamma rays encountered in gamma spectroscopy of spent nuclear fuel. Self-shielding renders a non-uniform 3-D distribution of the radioactivity within the assembly whose extend depends on gamma ray energies of interest. Hence, the solid angle is reduced to an effective one for each of the different energies of interest.

Download Full-text

Optimization of Fuel Rod Insertion Variables for Nuclear Fuel Assembly Using Spent Nuclear Fuel FE Modeling Method and Design of Experiments

Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A ◽

10.3795/ksme-a.2021.45.10.915 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (10) ◽

pp. 915-944

Author(s):

Jae Jun Lee ◽

Je Won Lee ◽

Se Ick Son ◽

Seong Ki Lee ◽

Jae Hoon Kim

Keyword(s):

Design Of Experiments ◽

Fuel Assembly ◽

Nuclear Fuel ◽

Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽

Modeling Method ◽

Fe Modeling ◽

Fuel Rod ◽

Nuclear Fuel Assembly

Download Full-text