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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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College students help develop waste-measuring device at Hanford
A partnership between Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) and Washington State University has resulted in the development of a device to measure radioactive and chemical tank waste at the Hanford Site. WRPS is the contractor at Hanford for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
Corey Trujillo, Mustafa Hadj-Nacer, Miles Greiner (Univ of Nevada, Reno)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 917-924
In this paper, the effect of rarefaction on the fuel cladding temperature is investigated. To do this, we apply a temperature-jump thermal-resistance to ANSYS/Fluent CFD simulations of a vacuum drying operation in geometrically-accurate two and three-dimensional models of a loaded nuclear fuel canister. The numerical model represents a vertical canister and basket loaded with 24 Westinghouse 15 × 15 PWR fuel assemblies. The model includes distinct regions for the fuel pellets, cladding and gas regions within each basket opening. Symmetry boundary conditions are employed so that only one-eighth of the package cross section is included. The canister is assumed to be filled with helium. A uniform temperature of 101.7°C is employed on the canister outer surfaces to conservatively model canister surrounded with boiling water.
Steady-state simulations are performed for different fuel heat generation rates and helium pressures, ranging from atmospheric pressure to 100 Pa. These simulations include conduction within solid and gas regions, and surface-to-surface radiation across all gas regions. Constant thermal accommodation coefficients, which characterize the effect of the temperature-jump thermal-resistance at the gas-surface interface are employed. The peak cladding temperature and its radial and axial locations are reported. The maximum allowable heat generation that brings the cladding temperatures to the normal radial hydride formation limit (TRH = 400°C) is also reported. The results of the three-dimensional model simulations are compared to two-dimensional model simulations for the same heat generation rate and pressures.
The results show that the rarefaction condition causes the temperature of the rods to significantly increase compared to the continuum condition (atmospheric pressure). This causes the maximum allowable heat generation for rarefied condition to decrease. The three-dimensional model predicts temperature that are ~15 to 35°C lower than the two-dimensional model.