Improved accuracy of thermal source terms for thermal load predictions
- TRW Environmental Safety Systems Inc., Vienna, VA (United States)
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) instantaneous heat output is a function of three potentially independent variables: age (time since discharge), burnup, and initial enrichment. In practice, burnup and enrichment are strongly correlated because of operational economics. SNF heat output is an important variable for all elements of the Department of Energy`s Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS). The most obvious impact is on thermal management at the repository. This paper examines the method of computing total heat output from a collection of SNF in waste packages with the goal of improving thermal source term representation in repository thermal modeling. SNF characteristics, and therefore heat outputs, are highly variable. In both near-field, near term and far-field, long term thermal calculations, average characteristics are typically used to represent populations of waste packages with diverse individual characteristic. This approach has been a practical necessity but may no longer be necessary. This paper discusses the CRWMS Management and Operating Contractor Systems Analysis capabilities involving the Waste Stream Model and post-processing tools that allow explicit computation of heat output contributions from each discrete package.
- OSTI ID:
- 127166
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9504179--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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