Abstract
A practical scale mechanical decladder that can slit spent nuclear fuel rod-cuts (hulls + pellets) of several tens of kg HM/batch is being developed to supply UO2 pellets to a voloxidation process. The mechanical decladder is an apparatus for separating and recovering fuel material and cladding tubes by horizontally slitting the cladding tube of a fuel rod and a defective irradiated fuel rod. In this study, we address the engineering design of the mechanical decladder for the pretesting of rod-cut slitting. To obtain the requirements of the mechanical decladder, we first manufactured a slitter for testing based on the decladding and shearing conditions of hulls and pellets. The performance test of the testing device for decladding was carried out using a 2-CUT blade module and a 3-CUT blade module. We evaluated the decladding methods for the mechanical decladder and selected the 3-CUT blade module based on the results. A buckling measurement instrument was used to perform a buckling verification test according to the length of a rod-cut and to determine decladder dimensions. The optimum decladding rod-cut length for buckling prevention was calculated. Furthermore, we analyzed the decladding mechanism for various slitting methods. Design/fabrication and preliminary tests of the practical scale mechanical decladder were also performed. For this purpose, we constructed the main mechanism by utilizing the SolidWorks modeling and analysis program and fabricated a new mechanical decladder. Based on the derived requirements, a mechanical decladder with three main modules was designed and fabricated for testing. Simulated rod-cuts of zircaloy were also manufactured to test the basic performance of the decladder, and a data acquisition system was constructed using RSC 232 to measure decladding force and velocity. In the basic test, the rod-cut was completely sectioned into three evenly spaced locations by the new mechanical decladder.
Highlights
Spent fuel, which is the essential by-product of electricity generation by nuclear power reactors, is a highly radioactive waste
As the cumulative amount of spent fuel is increasing in Korea, the development of methods for the reliable and effective management of this spent fuel has become an important mission for the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)
A mechanical decladding device for rod-cuts is necessary for the oxidation processing of spent fuel in the head-end process [3, 4]. e recovery of fuel materials in cladding tubes is extremely important for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel
Summary
Spent fuel, which is the essential by-product of electricity generation by nuclear power reactors, is a highly radioactive waste. A mechanical decladding device for rod-cuts is necessary for the oxidation processing of spent fuel in the head-end process [3, 4]. At the KAERI, a slitting technology for mechanical decladding methods is used for recovering fuel materials in the form of fuel particles by slitting cladding tubes. E KAERI has developed a longitudinal slitter concept for preliminary testing and a Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations mechanical decladder that can handle several tens of kg HM/ batch to supply UO2 fragments to a voloxidation process [7, 8]. E mechanical decladder works as follows: a cutting rod of spent nuclear fuel is placed at the entrance of a module, and subsequently, it is inserted into the center of the module by an extrusion pin. The simulated rod-cuts of zircaloy are used for the performance evaluation of the mechanical decladder. e design data of the new mechanical decladder will be utilized in the design of a more efficient decladder in the future
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
