Finite Element Analysis of Heat Transferbetween Spent CANDU Fuel Bundles in Spent Fuel Pools

摘要

Under a beyond design basis accident, loss of cooling to the spent fuel pool could result in the exposure of fuel bundles to an air environment. As uncovered fuel begins to heat up, the fuel sheath can experience an accelerated rate of oxidation which has the potential to jeopardize bundle integrity. The development of a tool to help better understand the thermal response of spent fuel during prolonged air exposure would be useful for predicting short term integrity.This work examines how selective bundle arrangements can influence the transfer of heat between neighboring fuel tray bundles with varying decay powers. Bundle powers of 2.8kW, 2.5kW, 1kW and 0.5kW were chosen to represent high power discharged bundles placed into the irradiated fuel bay. A 3-D radiative heat transfer model is developed to determine the amount of heat exchanged between nearby bundles and the induced temperature change they would receive.