Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry

Laurinat, James E.; Hensel, Steve J.

doi:10.1115/1.4041688

Title: Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry

Abstract

A resin slurry venting analysis was conducted to address safety issues associated with over-pressurization of ion exchange columns used in the plutonium uranium redox extraction (PUREX) process at the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Savannah River Site (SRS). If flow to these columns were inadvertently interrupted, an exothermic runaway reaction could occur between the ion exchange resin and the nitric acid used in the feed stream. The nitric acid-resin reaction generates significant quantities of noncondensable gases, which would pressurize the column. To prevent the column from rupturing during such events, rupture disks are installed on the column vent lines. The venting analysis models accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) tests and data from tests that were performed in a vented test vessel with a rupture disk. The tests showed that the pressure inside the test vessel continued to increase after the rupture disk opened, though at a slower rate than prior to the rupture. The increase in the vessel pressure is modeled as a transient phenomenon associated with expansion of the resin slurry/gas mixture upon rupture of the disk. It is postulated that the maximum pressure at the end of this expansion is limited by energy minimization to approximately 1.5 timesmore »« less

Authors:

Laurinat, James E. ^[1]; Hensel, Steve J. ^[2]

Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC, Aiken, SC (United States)

Publication Date:: Mon Nov 12 00:00:00 EST 2018

Research Org.:: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1487369

Report Number(s):: SRNL-STI-2018-00014
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-9930

Grant/Contract Number:: AC09-08SR22470

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 140; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-9930

Publisher:: ASME

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 42 ENGINEERING

Citation Formats


                    Laurinat, James E., and Hensel, Steve J. Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
Web.  doi:10.1115/1.4041688.

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                    Laurinat, James E., & Hensel, Steve J. Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4041688

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                    Laurinat, James E., and Hensel, Steve J. Mon .  
"Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4041688.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1487369.

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@article{osti_1487369,

  title        = {Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry},

  author       = {Laurinat, James E. and Hensel, Steve J.},

  abstractNote = {A resin slurry venting analysis was conducted to address safety issues associated with over-pressurization of ion exchange columns used in the plutonium uranium redox extraction (PUREX) process at the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Savannah River Site (SRS). If flow to these columns were inadvertently interrupted, an exothermic runaway reaction could occur between the ion exchange resin and the nitric acid used in the feed stream. The nitric acid-resin reaction generates significant quantities of noncondensable gases, which would pressurize the column. To prevent the column from rupturing during such events, rupture disks are installed on the column vent lines. The venting analysis models accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) tests and data from tests that were performed in a vented test vessel with a rupture disk. The tests showed that the pressure inside the test vessel continued to increase after the rupture disk opened, though at a slower rate than prior to the rupture. The increase in the vessel pressure is modeled as a transient phenomenon associated with expansion of the resin slurry/gas mixture upon rupture of the disk. It is postulated that the maximum pressure at the end of this expansion is limited by energy minimization to approximately 1.5 times the rupture disk burst pressure. The magnitude of this pressure increase is consistent with the measured pressure transients. The results of this analysis demonstrate the need to allow for a margin between the design pressure and the rupture disk burst pressure in similar applications.},

  doi          = {10.1115/1.4041688},

  journal      = {Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology},

  number       = 6,

  volume       = 140,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Mon Nov 12 00:00:00 EST 2018},

  month        = {Mon Nov 12 00:00:00 EST 2018}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

The Two-Phase Critical Flow of One-Component Mixtures in Nozzles, Orifices, and Short Tubes
journal, May 1971

Henry, Robert E.; Fauske, Hans K.
Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 93, Issue 2
DOI: 10.1115/1.3449782

Effect of solids on homogeneous–heterogeneous flow regime transition in bubble columns
journal, November 2005

Mena, P. C.; Ruzicka, M. C.; Rocha, F. A.
Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 60, Issue 22
DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2005.04.020

Maximum Flow Rate of a Single Component, Two-Phase Mixture
journal, February 1965

Moody, F. J.
Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 87, Issue 1
DOI: 10.1115/1.3689029

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Title: Analysis of Venting of a Resin Slurry

Abstract

Citation Formats

The Two-Phase Critical Flow of One-Component Mixtures in Nozzles, Orifices, and Short Tubes journal, May 1971

Effect of solids on homogeneous–heterogeneous flow regime transition in bubble columns journal, November 2005

Maximum Flow Rate of a Single Component, Two-Phase Mixture journal, February 1965

The Two-Phase Critical Flow of One-Component Mixtures in Nozzles, Orifices, and Short Tubes
journal, May 1971

Effect of solids on homogeneous–heterogeneous flow regime transition in bubble columns
journal, November 2005

Maximum Flow Rate of a Single Component, Two-Phase Mixture
journal, February 1965