[en] The Nuclear Nonproliferation Programs Design Authority is in the design stage of the Waste Solidification Building (WSB) for the treatment and solidification of the radioactive liquid waste streams generated by the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF) and Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). The waste streams will be mixed with a cementitious dry mix in a 55-gallon waste container. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been performing the testing and evaluations to support technical decisions for the WSB. Engineering Modeling and Simulation Group was requested to evaluate the thermal performance of the 55-gallon drum containing hydration heat source associated with the current baseline cement waste form. A transient axi-symmetric heat transfer model for the drum partially filled with waste form cement has been developed and heat transfer calculations performed for the baseline design configurations. For this case, 65 percent of the drum volume was assumed to be filled with the waste form, which has transient hydration heat source, as one of the baseline conditions. A series of modeling calculations has been performed using a computational heat transfer approach. The baseline modeling results show that the time to reach the maximum temperature of the 65 percent filled drum is about 32 hours when a 43 C initial cement temperature is assumed to be cooled by natural convection with 27 C external air. In addition, the results computed by the present model were compared with analytical solutions. The modeling results will be benchmarked against the prototypic test results. The verified model will be used for the evaluation of the thermal performance for the WSB drum

[en] Thin-film technology using polycrystalline semiconductors has been widely applied to active-matrix-addressed liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) where thin-film transistors act as digital pixel switches. Research and development is in progress to integrate the driver circuits around the peripheral of the display, resulting in significant cost reduction of connections between rows and columns and the peripheral circuitry. For this latter application, where for instance it is important to control the greyscale voltage level delivered to the pixel, an understanding of device behaviour is required so that models can be developed for analogue circuit simulation. For this purpose, various analytical models have been developed based on that of Seto who considered the effect of monoenergetic trap states and grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials but not the contribution of the grains to the electrical properties. The principal aim of this thesis is to describe the use of a numerical device simulator (ATLAS) as a tool to investigate the physics of the trapping process involved in the device operation, which additionally takes into account the effect of multienergetic trapping levels and the contribution of the grain into the modelling. A study of the conventional analytical models is presented, and an alternative approach is introduced which takes into account the grain regions to enhance the accuracy of the analytical modelling. A physically-based discrete-grain-boundary model and characterisation method are introduced to study the effects of the multienergetic trap states on the electrical characteristics of poly-TFTs using CdSe devices as the experimental example, and the electrical parameters such as the density distribution of the trapping states are extracted. The results show excellent agreement between the simulation and experimental data. The limitations of this proposed physical model are also studied and discussed. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Recent probabilistic risk assessment studies indicate that potential accidents initiated by large earthquakes are among the major contributors to public risk from nuclear power plants. During a severe earthquake, the symptoms presented to operators may be unreliable and may endanger the validity of actions in emergency response guidelines (ERGs). The objective of the present study is to improve the operator capability of responding to seismic damage through the use of ERGS. The methods used are to deterministically identify the possible weakness of ERGs, given a severe earthquake, and to probabilistically evaluate those identified weaknesses. Several cases are postulated. Each of them contains system failures with or without indicator failures and leads the core to meltdown conditions if the operator follows the ERGs strictly without any deviation. The likelihood of each case is estimated. A LISP program is developed to estimate the plant seismic risk with which the relative risk contribution of each postulated case is estimated. As a result, ten cases are postulated and possible remedies for each case are discussed. The likelihood of each case is estimated to be not negligible. The identified indicator failures should be considered in future refinement of the ERGS. The development of an expert system to provide remedial procedures should be considered after a more thorough study in which many more cases are postulated

[en] Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods have been used to estimate the flow patterns mainly driven by temperature gradients inside vapor space in a large-scaled Saltstone vault facility at Savannah River site (SRS). The purpose of this work is to examine the gas motions inside the vapor space under the current vault configurations by taking a three-dimensional transient momentum-energy coupled approach for the vapor space domain of the vault. The modeling calculations were based on prototypic vault geometry and expected normal operating conditions as defined by Waste Solidification Engineering. The modeling analysis was focused on the air flow patterns near the ventilated corner zones of the vapor space inside the Saltstone vault. The turbulence behavior and natural convection mechanism used in the present model were benchmarked against the literature information and theoretical results. The verified model was applied to the Saltstone vault geometry for the transient assessment of the air flow patterns inside the vapor space of the vault region using the potential operating conditions. The baseline model considered two cases for the estimations of the flow patterns within the vapor space. One is the reference nominal case. The other is for the negative temperature gradient between the roof inner and top grout surface temperatures intended for the potential bounding condition. The flow patterns of the vapor space calculated by the CFD model demonstrate that the ambient air comes into the vapor space of the vault through the lower-end ventilation hole, and it gets heated up by the Benard-cell type circulation before leaving the vault via the higher-end ventilation hole. The calculated results are consistent with the literature information. Detailed results and the cases considered in the calculations will be discussed here

[en] In support of a small column ion exchange (SCIX) process for the Savannah River Site waste processing program, transient and steady state two-dimensional heat transfer models have been constructed for columns loaded with cesium-saturated crystalline silicotitanate (CST) or spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde (RF) beads and 6 molar sodium tank waste supernate. Radiolytic decay of sorbed cesium results in heat generation within the columns. The models consider conductive heat transfer only with no convective cooling and no process flow within the columns (assumed column geometry: 27.375 in ID with a 6.625 in OD center-line cooling pipe). Heat transfer at the column walls was assumed to occur by natural convection cooling with 35 C air. A number of modeling calculations were performed using this computational heat transfer approach. Minimal additional calculations were also conducted to predict temperature increases expected for salt solution processed through columns of various heights at the slowest expected operational flow rate of 5 gpm. Results for the bounding model with no process flow and no active cooling indicate that the time required to reach the boiling point of ∼130 C for a CST-salt solution mixture containing 257 Ci/liter of Cs-137 heat source (maximum expected loading for SCIX applications) at 35 C initial temperature is about 6 days. Modeling results for a column actively cooled with external wall jackets and the internal coolant pipe (inlet coolant water temperature: 25 C) indicate that the CST column can be maintained non-boiling under these conditions indefinitely. The results also show that the maximum temperature of an RF-salt solution column containing 133 Ci/liter of Cs-137 (maximum expected loading) will never reach boiling under any conditions (maximum predicted temperature without cooling: 88 C). The results indicate that a 6-in cooling pipe at the center of the column provides the most effective cooling mechanism for reducing the maximum temperature with either ion exchange material. Sensitivity calculations for the RF resin porosity, the ambient external column temperature, and the cooling system configuration were performed under the baseline conditions to assess the impact of these parameters on the maximum temperatures. It is noted that the cooling mechanism at the column boundary (forced versus natural convection) and the cooling system configuration significantly impact the maximum temperatures. The analysis results provide quantitative information associated with process temperature control requirements and management of the SCIX column

[en] Scoping calculations to address the mixing behavior of benzene in the vapor space of Tank 48 and estimate maximum benzene concentrations have been completed. The analysis was focused on determining whether a detailed assessment using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the Tank 48 vapor space could support Safety Class calculations. The calculations included nominal boundary conditions for air inlet and exhaust flows, as well as benzene evolution from the tank liquid surface. Additional calculations included a reduced benzene evolution rate, reduced air inlet and exhaust flows, and a modified air inlet location. The calculations were based on prototypic tank geometry and nominal operating conditions as defined by the Closure Business Unit. The results showed that the vapor space was fairly well mixed and that benzene concentrations were relatively low for typical operating conditions. All the calculations addressing sensitivity issues such as differencing options, mesh density, and transient performance in the model demonstrated that the scoping model could capture the necessary phenomena without introducing nonphysical behavior because of the numerical discretization. Therefore, refining and upgrading the present scoping model is feasible for support of safety class calculations

[en] In support of the HB-Line Engineering agitator mixing project, flow pattern calculations have been made for a 90^o apart and helical pitch agitator submerged in a flat tank containing dissolver baskets. The work is intended to determine maximum agitator speed to keep the dissolver baskets from contacting the agitator for the nominal tank liquid level. The analysis model was based on one dissolver basket located on the bottom surface of the flat tank for a conservative estimate. The modeling results will help determine acceptable agitator speeds and tank liquid levels to ensure that the dissolver basket is kept from contacting the agitator blade during HB-Line dissolver tank operations. The numerical modeling and calculations have been performed using a computational fluid dynamics approach. Three-dimensional steady-state momentum and continuity equations were used as the basic equations to estimate fluid motion driven by an agitator with four 90^o pitched blades or three flat blades. Hydraulic conditions were fully turbulent (Reynolds number about 1 x 10⁵). A standard two-equation turbulence model (κ,(var_epsilon)), was used to capture turbulent eddy motion. The commercial finite volume code, Fluent [5], was used to create a prototypic geometry file with a non-orthogonal mesh. Hybrid meshing was used to fill the computational region between the round-edged tank bottom and agitator regions. The nominal calculations and a series of sensitivity runs were made to investigate the impact of flow patterns on the lifting behavior of the dissolver basket. At high rotational speeds and low tank levels, local turbulent flow reaches the critical condition for the dissolver basket to be picked up from the tank floor and to touch the agitator blades during the tank mixing operations. This is not desirable in terms of mixing performance. The modeling results demonstrate that the flow patterns driven by the agitators considered here are not strong enough to lift up the dissolver basket for the agitator speeds up to 2500 rpm. The results also show that local velocity magnitudes for the three-blade flat plate agitator are at maximum three times smaller than the helical fourblade one. Table 5 and Table 6 summarize the results

[en] The Nuclear Nonproliferation Programs Design Authority is in the design stage of the Waste Solidification Building (WSB) for the treatment and solidification of the radioactive liquid waste streams generated by the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF) and Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). The waste streams will be mixed with a cementitious dry mix in a 55-gallon waste container. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been performing the testing and evaluations to support technical decisions for the WSB. Engineering Modeling and Simulation Group was requested to evaluate the thermal performance of the 55-gallon drum containing hydration heat source associated with the current baseline cement waste form. A transient axi-symmetric heat transfer model for the drum partially filled with waste form cement has been developed and heat transfer calculations performed for the baseline design configurations. For this case, 65 percent of the drum volume was assumed to be filled with the waste form, which has transient hydration heat source, as one of the baseline conditions. A series of modeling calculations has been performed using a computational heat transfer approach. The baseline modeling results show that the time to reach the maximum temperature of the 65 percent filled drum is about 32 hours when a 43 C initial cement temperature is assumed to be cooled by natural convection with 27 C external air. In addition, the results computed by the present model were compared with analytical solutions. The modeling results will be benchmarked against the prototypic test results. The verified model will be used for the evaluation of the thermal performance for the WSB drum. Detailed results and the cases considered in the calculations will be discussed here.

[en] The process of recovering the waste in storage tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS) typically requires mixing the contents of the tank to ensure uniformity of the discharge stream. Mixing is accomplished with one to four slurry pumps located within the tank liquid. The slurry pump may be fixed in position or they may rotate depending on the specific mixing requirements. The high-level waste in Tank 48 contains insoluble solids in the form of potassium tetraphenyl borate compounds (KTPB), monosodium titanate (MST), and sludge. Tank 48 is equipped with 4 slurry pumps, which are intended to suspend the insoluble solids prior to transfer of the waste to the Fluidized Bed Steam Reformer (FBSR) process. The FBSR process is being designed for a normal feed of 3.05 wt% insoluble solids. A chemical characterization study has shown the insoluble solids concentration is approximately 3.05 wt% when well-mixed. The project is requesting a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) mixing study from SRNL to determine the solids behavior with 2, 3, and 4 slurry pumps in operation and an estimate of the insoluble solids concentration at the suction of the transfer pump to the FBSR process. The impact of cooling coils is not considered in the current work. The work consists of two principal objectives by taking a CFD approach: (1) To estimate insoluble solids concentration transferred from Tank 48 to the Waste Feed Tank in the FBSR process and (2) To assess the impact of different combinations of four slurry pumps on insoluble solids suspension and mixing in Tank 48. For this work, several different combinations of a maximum of four pumps are considered to determine the resulting flow patterns and local flow velocities which are thought to be associated with sludge particle mixing. Two different elevations of pump nozzles are used for an assessment of the flow patterns on the tank mixing. Pump design and operating parameters used for the analysis are summarized in Table 1. The baseline pump orientations are chosen by the previous work (Lee et. al, 2008) and the initial engineering judgement for the conservative flow estimate since the modeling results for the other pump orientations are compared with the baseline results. As shown in Table 1, the present study assumes that each slurry pump has 900 gpm flowrate for the tank mixing analysis, although the Standard Operating Procedure for Tank 48 currently limits the actual pump speed and flowrate to a value less than 900 gpm for a 29 inch liquid level. Table 2 shows material properties and weight distributions for the solids to be modeled for the mixing analysis in Tank 48.