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Title: Unsteady-state material balance model for a continuous rotary dissolver

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/707337· OSTI ID:707337

The unsteady-state continuous rotary dissolver material balance code (USSCRD) is a useful tool with which to study the performance of the rotary dissolver under a wide variety of operating conditions. The code does stepwise continuous material balance calculations around each dissolver stage and the digester tanks. Output from the code consists of plots and tabular information on the stagewise concentration profiles of UO{sub 2}, PuO{sub 2}, fission products, Pu(NO{sub 3}){sub 4}, UO{sub 2}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}, fission product nitrates, HNO{sub 3}, H{sub 2}O, stainless steel, total particulate, and total fuel in pins. Other information about material transfers, stagewise liquid volume, material inventory, and dissolution performance is also provided. This report describes the development of the code, its limitations, key operating parameters, usage procedures, and the results of the analysis of several sets of operating conditions. Of primary importance in this work was the estimation of the steady-state heavy metal inventory in a 0.5-t/d dissolver drum. Values ranging from {similar_to}12 to >150 kg of U + Pu were obtained for a variety of operating conditions. Realistically, inventories are expected to be near the lower end of this range. Study of the variation of operating parameters showed significant effects on dissolver product composition from intermittent solids feed. Other observations indicated that the cycle times for the digesters and shear feed should be closely coupled in order to avoid potential problems with off-specification product. 19 references, 14 tables.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
707337
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-9019; ON: TI85026168
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Sep 1984
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English