Thermal Performance Investigation of Hexagonal Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facilities

Abstract

A new type of dry storage system is designed by Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI), which can efficiently remove the decay heat of the hexagonal spent fuel assemblies such as VVER fuel assemblies. The dry storage system includes a Ventilated Concrete Cask (VCC) and a Multi-assembly sealed basket (MSB). Decay heat is removed by natural circulation with helium and air, heat conduction and thermal radiation heat transfer. Thermal performance of the dry storage system has been investigated by two different numerically methods, i.e., the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method and the lumped parameter method. The CFD method is utilized based on the commercial software STAR-CCM+, and fuel assemblies are modeled as a porous medium characterized by effective conductivity and the permeability and inertial resistance factor, while other geometry including the lids, base plates, inner and outer shell are modeled explicitly with necessary simplifications. The lumped parameter method is utilized based on the system code GOTHIC, the geometry and the fuel assemblies are divided and represented by 44 volumes. The flow of the air and helium are modeled by flow path which connects the related volumes, and the heat transfer between fluid and solid structures are modeled by thermal conductor models. Heat transfer by convection, conduction and thermal radiation is modeled in both of the two methods. The maximum temperature of spent fuel assembly can be obtained by both of the two methods, which can be a design basis for investigations attempting to improve the performance of the dry storage system. It is found that the simulation results calculated by the lumped parameter method are more conservative than those calculated by the CFD method. Both methods indicate that after the storage of 7.5 years, the dry storage system is able to remove the decay heat from the hexagonal spent fuel assemblies, keeping maximum cladding temperature below the design limit. Besides, detailed flow characteristic are obtained by CFD simulation. Furthermore, effects of MSB normal operating pressure and the ambient temperature are studied.