Used Fuel Management System Architecture and Interface Analyses

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Nutt ◽  
Robert Howard ◽  
Ingrid Busch ◽  
Joe Carter ◽  
Alexcia Delley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Thermal Analyses ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
System Level ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Dry Storage ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Geologic Media

Preliminary system-level analyses of the interfaces between at-reactor used fuel management, consolidated storage facilities, and disposal facilities, along with the development of supporting logistics simulation tools, have been initiated to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders with information regarding the various alternatives for managing used nuclear fuel (UNF) generated by the current fleet of light water reactors operating in the United States. An important UNF management system interface consideration is the need for ultimate disposal of UNF assemblies contained in waste packages that are sized to be compatible with different geologic media. Thermal analyses indicate that waste package sizes for the geologic media under consideration by the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign may be significantly smaller than the canisters being used for on-site dry storage by the nuclear utilities. Therefore, at some point along the UNF disposition pathway, there could be a need to repackage fuel assemblies already loaded and being loaded into the dry storage canisters currently in use. The implications of where and when the packaging or repackaging of commercial UNF will occur are key questions being addressed in this evaluation. The analysis demonstrated that thermal considerations will have a major impact on the operation of the system and that acceptance priority, rates, and facility start dates have significant system implications.

scholarly journals Macro-System Model for Hydrogen Energy Systems Analysis in Transportation

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Diakov ◽  
Mark Ruth ◽  
Michael E. Goldsby ◽  
Timothy J. Sa
Keyword(s):  
Systems Analysis ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Demand Curve ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
System Model ◽  
System Level ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Hydrogen Energy ◽  
Cross Model

The introduction of hydrogen as an energy carrier for light-duty vehicles involves concomitant technological development of an array of infrastructure elements, such as production, delivery, and dispensing, all associated with energy consumption and emission levels. To analyze these at a system level, the suite of corresponding models developed by the United States Department of Energy and involving several national laboratories is combined in one macro-system model (MSM). The MSM uses a federated simulation framework for consistent data transfer between the component models. The framework is built to suit cross-model as well as cross-platform data exchange and involves features of “over-the-net” computation. While the MSM can address numerous hydrogen systems analysis aspects, of particular interest is the optimal deployment scenario. Depending on user-defined geographic location and hydrogen demand curve parameters, the cost-optimal succession of production/delivery/dispensing pathways undergo significant changes (the most important of these being the transition between distributed and central H2 production with delivery). Some ‘tipping’ (break-even) points are identified.

Hydrogen Diffusion in FeCrAl Alloys for Light Water Reactors Cladding Applications

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul B. Rebak ◽  
Young-Jin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Diffusion ◽  
Zirconium Alloys ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Alumina Layer ◽  
Fecral Alloys ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Tritium Permeation ◽  
Storage Pools

There is a worldwide effort to develop nuclear fuels that are resistant to accidents such as loss of coolant in the reactor and the storage pools. In the United States, the Department of Energy is teaming with fuel vendors to develop accident tolerant fuels (ATF), which will resist the lack of cooling for longer periods of times than the current zirconium alloy - uranium dioxide system. General Electric (GE) and its partners is proposing to replace zirconium alloys cladding with an Iron-Chromium-Aluminum (FeCrAl) alloy such as APMT, since they are highly resistant to attack by steam up to the melting point of the alloy. FeCrAl alloys do not react with hydrogen to form stable hydrides as zirconium alloys do. Therefore, it is possible that more tritium may be released to the coolant with the use of FeCrAl cladding. This work discusses the formation of an alumina layer on the surface of APMT cladding as an effective barrier for tritium permeation from the fuel to the coolant across the cladding wall.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of an Experimental Thermal-Stratification Flow Case Using ABAQUS/CFD

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Franken ◽  
Subhasish Mohanty
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stratification ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
The United States ◽  
System Level ◽  
Dynamics Modeling ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Line Pipe ◽  
Surge Line ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Abaqus Code

Abstract As the fleet of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) in the United States begin to reach the end of their original lifespan many of them are undergoing assessment to extend their use. In order to investigate the potential for extending the life of the plant, a system level analysis of components needs to be performed in order to ensure that age and degradation of the system will not lead to a potential safety hazard. An area in which this system level investigation is particularly important is in the surge line of the pressurizer. One possible concern is that over the life of the reactor, the surge line pipe will experience thermal stratification many times. Thermal stratification can lead to significant stresses induced on the piping and over time may result in a less than ideal safety standard. Commercially available code Abaqus CFD was used to model the thermal stratification in a pipe. The corresponding experimental results, available in literature were compared. We found there is a good correlation between the experimental and computational results. However, the results discussed in this paper are based on our preliminary effort to study the capability of ABAQUS code for CFD simulation. A detailed parametric study is one of our future work.

Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Integrity During Long-Term Dry Storage

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leroy Stewart ◽  
Mikal A. McKinnon
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Fuel Rods ◽  
Dry Storage ◽  
Environmental Laboratory ◽  
Cooperative Project

Abstract The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management conducted spent nuclear fuel integrity and cask performance tests from 1984–1996 at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Between 1994 and 1998, DOE also initiated a Spent Fuel Behavior Project that involved enhanced surveillance, monitoring, and gas-sampling activities for intact fuel in a GNS CASTOR V/21 cask and for consolidated fuel in a Sierra Nuclear VSC-17 cask. The results of these series of tests are reported in this paper. Presently, DOE is involved in a cooperative project to perform destructive evaluations of fuel rods that have been stored in the CASTOR V/21 cask. The results of those evaluations are presented elsewhere in these proceedings in a paper entitled “Examination of Spent PWR Fuel Rods after 15 years in Dry Storage”.

Scientific Basis for Storage Criteria for Interim Dry Storage of Aluminum-clad Fuels

1995 ◽  
Vol 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Sindelar ◽  
H. B. Peacock ◽  
P. S. Lam ◽  
N. C. Iyer ◽  
M. R. Louthan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Reactor ◽  
Storage Temperature ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Dry Storage ◽  
Fuel Storage

AbstractAn engineered system for dry storage of aluminum-clad foreign and domestic research reactor spent fuel owned by the United States Department of Energy is being considered to store the fuel up to a nominal period of 40 years prior to ultimate disposition. Scientifically-based criteria for environmental limits to drying and storing the fuels for this system are being developed to avoid excessive degradation in sealed and non-sealed (open to air) dry storage systems. These limits are based on consideration of degradation modes that can cause loss of net section of the cladding, embrittlement of the cladding, distortion of the fuel, or release of fuel and fission products from the fuel/clad system. Potential degradation mechanisms include corrosion mechanisms from exposure to air and/or sources of humidity, hydrogen blistering of the aluminum cladding, distortion of the fuel due to creep, and interdiffusion of the fuel and fission products with the cladding.The aluminum-clad research reactor fuels are predominantly highly-enriched aluminumuranium alloy fuel which is clad with aluminum alloys similar to 1100, 5052, and 6061 aluminum. In the absence of corrodant species, degradation due to creep and diffusion mechanisms limit the maximum fuel storage temperature to 200°C. The results of laboratoryscale corrosion tests indicate that this fuel could be stored under air up to 200°C at low relative humidity levels (< 20%) to limit corrosion of the cladding and fuel (exposed to the storage environment through assumed pre-existing pits in the cladding). Excessive degradation of fuels with uranium metal up to 200°C can be avoided if the fuel is sufficiently dried and contained in a sealed system; open storage can be achieved if the temperature is controlled to avoid excessive corrosion even in dry air.

Recent Progress in Thermoelectric Power Generation Systems for Commercial Applications

2011 ◽  
Vol 1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. LaGrandeur ◽  
Lon E. Bell ◽  
Douglas T. Crane
Keyword(s):  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ford Motor Company ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
System Level ◽  
Peltier Effect ◽  
United States Department

ABSTRACTThermoelectric (TE) devices are solid state heat engines that directly convert thermal to electrical power (Seebeck Effect) and the reverse, electrical to thermal power (Peltier Effect). The phenomena were first discovered over 150 years ago and until recently have been more of a scientific curiosity than a practical technology of commercial interest. However, as governments impose regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and as the long-term availability of fossil fuels is questioned, alternative technologies, including thermoelectrics, are being explored to meet the challenges that arise from these new conditions.Amerigon, the parent of BSST, is the largest supplier of thermoelectric (TE) devices to the automotive market. Over the last ten years BSST has been developing TE technology for the transportation market. Recent advancements at the system level made by BSST and improvements in TE materials made by several organizations indicate a path to improved performance and economic feasibility. This report discusses development of TE Generator (TEG) technology and of a TEG system installed in the power train of internal combustion engines for the purpose of converting waste heat to electric power. Our work has been made possible, in part, through sponsorship by the United States Department of Energy Office of Vehicle Technologies. The BMW Group, Ford Motor Company and Faurecia are partners in the BSST-led program.

Coastal monitoring and data management for restoration in Louisiana

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 92-101
Author(s):  
Richard Raynie ◽  
Syed Khalil ◽  
Charles Villarrubia ◽  
Ed Haywood
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Document Retrieval ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
System Level ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Coastal Louisiana

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) of Louisiana was created after the devastating hurricanes of 2005 (Katrina and Rita) and is responsible for planning and implementing projects that will either reduce storm-induced losses (protection) or restore coastal ecosystems that have been lost or are in danger of being lost (restoration). The first task of the CPRA board was to develop Louisiana’s first Coastal Master Plan (CPRA 2007), which formally integrates and guides the protection and restoration of Louisiana’s coast. The System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) was subsequently developed as a long-term monitoring program to ensure that a comprehensive network of coastal data collection activities is in place to support the planning, development, implementation, and adaptive management of the protection and restoration program and projects within coastal Louisiana. SWAMP includes both natural-system and human-system components and also incorporates the previously-developed Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS), the Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program, and fisheries data collected by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in addition to other aspects of system dynamics, including offshore and inland water-body boundary conditions, water quality, risk status, and protection performance, which have historically not been the subject of CPRA-coordinated monitoring. This program further facilitates the integration of project-specific data needs into a larger, system-level design framework. Monitoring and operation of restoration and protection projects will be nested within a larger hydrologic basin-wide and coast-wide SWAMP framework and will allow informed decisions to be made with an understanding of system conditions and dynamics at multiple scales. This paper also provides an update on the implementation of various components of SWAMP in Coastal Louisiana, which began as a Barataria Basin pilot implementation program in 2015. During 2017, the second phase of SWAMP was initiated in the areas east of the Mississippi River. In 2019, development of SWAMP design was completed for the remaining basins in coastal Louisiana west of Bayou Lafourche (Figure 1). Data collection is important to inform decisions, however if the data are not properly managed or are not discoverable, they are of limited use. CPRA is committed to ensuring that information is organized and publicly available to help all coastal stakeholders make informed, science-based decisions. As a part of this effort, CPRA has re-engineered its data management system to include spatial viewers, tabular download web pages, and a library/document retrieval system along with a suite of public-facing web services providing programmatic access. This system is collectively called the Coastal Information Management System (CIMS). CPRA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are also developing a proposal to create an interface for CIMS data to be exported to a neutral template that could then be ingested into NOAA’s Data Integration Visualization, Exploration and Reporting (DIVER) repository, and vice versa. DIVER is the repository that the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) program is using to manage NRDA-funded project data throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Linking CIMS and DIVER will make it easier to aggregate data across Gulf states and look at larger, ecosystem-level changes.

Advanced First Core Design for the Westinghouse AP1000

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Fetterman
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Loading Pattern ◽  
The Core ◽  
Low Leakage ◽  
Fuel Assemblies ◽  
Cycle Loading ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Under Construction

As the nuclear renaissance is now upon us and new plants are either under construction or being ordered, a considerable amount of attention has also turned to the design of the first fuel cycle. Requirements for core designs originate in the Utilities Requirements Document (URD) for the United States and the European Utilities Requirements (EUR) for Europe. First core designs created during the development of these documents were based on core design technology dating back to the 1970’s, where the first cycle core loading pattern placed the highest enrichment fuel on the core periphery and two other lower enrichments in the core interior. While this sort of core design provided acceptable performance, it underutilized the higher enriched fuel assemblies and tended to make transition to the first reload cycle challenging, especially considering that reload core designs are now almost entirely of the Low Leakage Loading Pattern (LLLP) design. The demands placed on today’s existing fleet of pressurized water reactors for improved fuel performance and economy are also desired for the upcoming Generation III+ fleet of plants. As a result of these demands, Westinghouse has developed an Advanced First Core (AFCPP) design for the initial cycle loading pattern. This loading pattern design simulates the reactivity distribution of an 18 month low leakage reload cycle design by placing the higher enriched assemblies in the core interior which results in improved uranium utilization for those fuel assemblies carried through the first and second reload cycles. Another feature of the advanced first core design is radial zoning of the high enriched assemblies, which allows these assemblies to be located in the core interior while still maintaining margin to peaking factor limits throughout the cycle. Finally, the advanced first core loading pattern also employs a variety of burnable absorber designs and lengths to yield radial and axial power distributions very similar to those found in typical low leakage reload cycle designs. This paper will describe each of these key features and demonstrate the operating margins of the AFC design and the ability of the AFC design to allow easy transition into 18 month low leakage reload cycles. The fuel economics of the AFC design will also be compared to those of a more traditional first core loading pattern.

scholarly journals The Need for Integrating the Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle in the United States of America

MRS Advances ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (19) ◽  
pp. 991-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evaristo J. Bonano ◽  
Elena A. Kalinina ◽  
Peter N. Swift
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Dry Storage ◽  
The Us

ABSTRACTCurrent practice for commercial spent nuclear fuel management in the United States of America (US) includes storage of spent fuel in both pools and dry storage cask systems at nuclear power plants. Most storage pools are filled to their operational capacity, and management of the approximately 2,200 metric tons of spent fuel newly discharged each year requires transferring older and cooler fuel from pools into dry storage. In the absence of a repository that can accept spent fuel for permanent disposal, projections indicate that the US will have approximately 134,000 metric tons of spent fuel in dry storage by mid-century when the last plants in the current reactor fleet are decommissioned. Current designs for storage systems rely on large dual-purpose (storage and transportation) canisters that are not optimized for disposal. Various options exist in the US for improving integration of management practices across the entire back end of the nuclear fuel cycle.

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