Experimental assessment of the thermal performance of storage canister/holding fixture configurations for the Los Alamos Nuclear Materials Storage Facility
This report presents experimental results on the thermal performance of various nested canister configurations and canister holding fixtures to be used in the Los Alamos Nuclear Materials Storage Facility. The experiment consisted of placing a heated aluminum billet (to represent heat-generating nuclear material) inside curved- and flat-bottom canisters with and without holding plate fixtures and/or extended fin surfaces. Surface temperatures were measured at several locations on the aluminum billet, inner and outer canisters, and the holding plate fixture to assess the effectiveness of the various configurations in removing and distributing the heat from the aluminum billet. Results indicated that the curved-bottom canisters, with or without holding fixtures, were extremely ineffective in extracting heat from the aluminum billet. The larger thermal contact area provided by the flat-bottom canisters compared with the curved-bottom design, greatly enhanced the heat removal process and lowered the temperature of the aluminum billet considerably. The addition of the fixture plates to the flat-bottom canister geometry greatly enhances the heat removal rates and lowers the canister operating temperatures considerably. The addition of the fixture plates to the flat-bottom canister geometry greatly enhances the heat removal rates and lowers the canister operating temperatures considerably. Finally, the addition of extended fin surfaces to the outer flat-bottom canister positioned on a fixture plate, reduced the canister temperatures still further.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 569046
- Report Number(s):
- LA--13376-MS; ON: DE98003071
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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