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WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
Hongdong Zhen, Songtao Yin, Lei Zhang, Ningning Wang, Bo Xu, Haijun Wang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 1 | January 2021 | Pages 54-61
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1739994
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper aims to revise the critical flow criterion and flashing inception of the analytical critical flow model and to further explore the effect of upstream conditions on critical mass fluxes. The flashing inception of the model is considered to be affected by the Reynolds number and the Jakob number. Model predictions show strong similarities with test results compared with other models, with average errors of less than 10.1% for simulated slits and 15.8% for natural cracks. Upstream parameters of the liquid, such as the stagnation pressure, subcooling, and aspect ratio, directly influence the rate of depressurization, the thermodynamic nonequilibrium constant, and the friction pressure drop, respectively, which determine the critical mass flux. This research provides the theoretical basis for accurate assessment of critical crack, providing safeguards for monitoring nuclear reactor leaks.