Effects of Stabilizers on the Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Nuclear Waste Canister

摘要

This report summarizes the feasibility and the effectiveness of using stabilizers (internal metal structural components) to augment the heat transfer characteristics of a nuclear waste canister. The problem was modeled as a transient two-dimensional heat transfer in two physical domains - the stabilizer and the wedge (a 30-degree-angle canister segment), which includes the heat-producing spent-fuel rods. This problem is solved by a simultaneous and interrelated numerical investigation of the two domains in cartesian and polar coordinate systems. The numerical investigations were performed for three cases. In the first case, conduction was assumed to be the dominant mechanism for heat transfer. The second case assumed that radiation was the dominant mechanism, and in the third case both radiation and conduction were considered as mechanisms of heat transfer. The results show that for typical conditions in a waste package design, the stabilizers are quite effective in reducing the overall temperature in a waste canister. Furthermore, the results show that increasing the stabilizer thickness over the thickness specified in the present design has a negligible effect on the temperature distribution in the canister. Finally, the presence of the stabilizers was found to shift the location of the peak temperature areas in the waste canister. (ERA citation 11:050042)