Document Type

Grant

Publication Date

4-30-2001

First page number:

1

Last page number:

9

Abstract

UNLV investigators will evaluate and select a process for the melt casting of metallic fuel pins that contain volatile actinides. This work will be performed with the guidance of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) engineers to insure that their knowledge and experience benefits the project. The research to be conducted during year one will center on selecting, evaluating, and modeling potential alternatives to the traditional injection casting process used at ANL. Processing conditions will be analyzed, basic models utilized, and detailed heat and mass transfer models will be developed to analyze the most promising processes. The goal of the first year of phase I is to select a casting technology.

Candidate design concepts will be evaluated for their potential to successfully cast alloys containing volatile actinides. The selection of design concepts will be conducted in close cooperation with ANL staff. The research will center on the development of advanced numerical 2 models to assess conditions that significantly impact the transport of volatile actinides during the melt casting process. The work will include the collection and documentation of volatile actinide properties, development of several conceptual designs for melt casting furnaces, modeling and analysis of these concepts, development of sophisticated numerical models to assess furnace operations, and analysis of these operations to determine which furnace concept has the greatest potential of success. UNLV is uniquely qualified to perform this work because of resident expertise in the analysis of engineering systems. Research efforts will focus on the development of complex heat transfer, mass transfer, and inductive heating models.

Keywords

Actinide alloys; Actinide elements; Metal castings; Nuclear fuel rods

Controlled Subject

Alloys; Metal castings; Nuclear engineering

Disciplines

Nuclear | Nuclear Engineering

File Format

pdf

File Size

84 KB

Language

English

Comments

Includes acceptance letter from the Argonne National Laboratory-West.


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