skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Thermal Analysis of ZPPR High Pu Content Stored Fuel

Journal Article · · International Journal of Nuclear Energy
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/402351· OSTI ID:1198547
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83404, USA
+ Show Author Affiliations

The Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) operated from April 18, 1969, until 1990. ZPPR operated at low power for testing nuclear reactor designs. This paper examines the temperature of Pu content ZPPR fuel while it is in storage. Heat is generated in the fuel due to Pu and Am decay and is a concern for possible cladding damage. Damage to the cladding could lead to fuel hydriding and oxidizing. A series of computer simulations were made to determine the range of temperatures potentially occuring in the ZPPR fuel. The maximum calculated fuel temperature is 292°C (558°F). Conservative assumptions in the model intentionally overestimate temperatures. The stored fuel temperatures are dependent on the distribution of fuel in the surrounding storage compartments, the heat generation rate of the fuel, and the orientation of fuel. Direct fuel temperatures could not be measured but storage bin doors, storage sleeve doors, and storage canister temperatures were measured. Comparison of these three temperatures to the calculations indicates that the temperatures calculated with conservative assumptions are, as expected, higher than the actual temperatures. The maximum calculated fuel temperature with the most conservative assumptions is significantly below the fuel failure criterion of 600°C (1,112°F).

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1198547
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1179103
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-14-30991; PII: 402351; 402351
Journal Information:
International Journal of Nuclear Energy, Journal Name: International Journal of Nuclear Energy Vol. 2014; ISSN 2356-7066
Publisher:
Hindawi Publishing CorporationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Egypt
Language:
English

References (10)

Heat transfer by free convection across a closed cavity between vertical boundaries at different temperatures journal January 1954
The intergral fast reactor-an overview journal January 1997
Natural convection in an air layer enclosed between two vertical plates with different temperatures journal March 1961
Natural convection in an air layer enclosed within rectangular cavities journal March 1978
Natural convective heat transfer coefficient – a review journal March 2001
Evaluation of Thermal Contact Resistance at the Interface of Dissimilar Materials journal March 2013
Natural convective heat transfer coefficient – a review journal March 2001
Heat Transfer in Air Enclosures of Aspect Ratio Less than One journal November 1981
Laminar free Convection in Vertical Air-Filled Cavities with Mixed Boundary Conditions journal January 1980
Minimization of the effect of errors in approximate radiation view factors journal September 1994

Similar Records

ZPPR FUEL ELEMENT THERMAL STRESS-STRAIN ANALYSIS
Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology · OSTI ID:1198547
Stress and Diffusion in Stored Pu ZPPR Fuel from Alpha Generation
Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · OSTI ID:1198547
Corrosion and pyrophoricity of ZPPR fuel plates: Implications for basin storage
Conference · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1997 · OSTI ID:1198547
+1 more

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
thermal analysis
ZPPR