DEVELOPMENT OF A HI-STORM OVERPACK AND MPC-32 THERMAL-HYDRAULIC MODEL WITH THE MOOSE FRAMEWORK

Sinan Okyay, Elia Merzari, David Alan Reger, Guillaume Giudicelli, Victor Coppo Leite, Alexander Lindsay

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Nuclear power is a significant source of electricity in the United States, but the average U.S. nuclear power plant is around 40 years old. Safe management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is a key aspect of the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, and SNF dry storage systems are increasing in popularity as they represent an effective solution in this area given the absence of a final disposal system. In particular, the spent fuel cask system (dry cask method) provides a feasible solution for maintaining SNF (∼60 years) prior to the final disposal. The HI-STORM overpack and MPC-32 canister are the primary components of the HI-STORM 100 dry cask storage system. They remove heat from the system via natural circulation with no human intervention required. This characteristic provides passive heat removal while requiring little maintinence in dry cask storage systems. This project aims to validate and improve the capabilities of a thermal model of the MPC-32 canister and HI-STORM overpack, using the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) based on the previous study of the author. MOOSE is an open-source framework developed by Idaho National Laboratory for multiscale, multiphysics simulations. This study will improve the capabilities of the thermal-hydraulic model of the HI-STORM dry cask storage system. The dry cask storage system often uses the chimney model to model the natural circulation of the air in the overpack storage systems. This study offers a new reliable and inclusive strategy for resolving issues pertaining to dry cask storage. The solution strategy eliminates the assumptions of Bernoulli equation in the chimney model. In this study, we investigate and demonstrate MOOSE's thermal-hydraulics modeling capabilities on a dry cask problem, including the modeling of natural circulation, heat transfer, and porous flow. Additionally, we will demonstrate a validation case with the thermal model to evaluate the overall performance of the model.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering "Nuclear, Thermal, and Renewables
Subtitle of host publicationUnited to Provide Carbon Neutral Power", ICONE 2023
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
ISBN (Print)9784888982566
StatePublished - 2023
Event30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, ICONE 2023 - Kyoto, Japan
Duration: May 21 2023May 26 2023

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Nuclear Engineering, Proceedings, ICONE
Volume2023-May

Conference

Conference30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, ICONE 2023
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityKyoto
Period5/21/235/26/23

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering

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