Development of Systems Engineering Model for UREX Process
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
11-15-2003
Publication Title
ASME 2003 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
First page number:
197
Last page number:
201
Abstract
The mission of the Transmutation Research Program (TRP) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is to establish a national nuclear technology research capability, a nuclear engineering test bed that can carry out effective transmutation and advanced reactor research and development effort. The main task of the Chemical Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratories (ANL) is to design, model, and demonstrate countercurrent uranium solvent-extraction process. The division has developed MS Excel macros interface, called Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction (AMUSE), to calculate flowsheets for treating high-level liquid waste. The AMUSE code forms all computational basis for flowsheet design and process development. The extraction process, including U, Tc, Pu/Np, Cs/Sr, and Am/Cm separations, is complicate and requires further system optimization for robust performance. A systems engineering model is proposed by the Nevada Center for Advanced Computational Methods (NCACM) at UNLV that provides process optimization through the adjustment on feed compositions, stages, number of sections and flow rates. The NCACM is designing and developing a MS Visual Basic graphical user interface (GUI) that provides multiple-run results and data reporting and presentation. All calculations are made by the interaction with the MS Excel macros, defined in ANL AMUSE codes. An optimization model, developed with the GUI, interconnects with MatLab’s optimization toolbox, commercial software from MathWorks. Due to the nature of the AMUSE code, all the computational results are generated from the existing AMUSE macros. The model also examines measure effects of process deviations, caused by operational upsets or product diversion.
Keywords
Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction (AMUSE); Computer programming; Separation (Technology); Software engineering; Transuranium elements – Separation; Uranium Recovery by Extraction (UREX)
Controlled Subject
Computer programming; Separation (Technology); Software engineering
Disciplines
Mechanical Engineering | Nuclear | Nuclear Engineering | Oil, Gas, and Energy
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited
Rights
COPYRIGHT UNDETERMINED. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Publisher Citation
Royyuru H, Sun L, Chen Y, et al. Development of Systems Engineering Model for UREX Process. 2003;():197-201. doi:10.1115/IMECE2003-42043.
Repository Citation
Royyuru, H.,
Sun, L.,
Chen, Y.,
Hsieh, H.,
Clarksean, R.,
Pepper, D.,
Vandegrift, G.,
Copple, J.,
Laidler, J.
(2003).
Development of Systems Engineering Model for UREX Process.
ASME 2003 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
197-201.
Available at: