Abstract
'The objective of this research program is to understand the fluid physics when corroded spent nuclear fuel (SNF) elements are passivated by injecting treatment gases into a storage canister. By developing a reliable predictive technique for the energy, mass, and momentum transfer in the presence of surface reactions, transfer and storage systems can be efficiently and safely designed. The objective will be reached by using innovative flow visualization techniques and experimental measurements of the flow field to support computational models. This report summarizes work completed after eight months of a three-year, collaborative project. A generic idealization of a combined drying and passivation approach has been defined, which represents a section of a vertical canister with baskets of SNF elements. This simulation includes flow phenomena that occur in canisters for high- and/or low-enrichment fuels. A steady flow of the passivation fluid is introduced at the bottom of the canister via a central tube from the top. Fluid flows through an array of holes in the perforated basket support plate then around the simulated elements and out the top. Dimensions and flow rates for the idealized situation correspond to those for typical drying canisters. Approximate calculations have identified the ranges of valuesmore » of flow parameters needed to determine the flow regimes occurring in practice.'« less