Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods

A voloxidizer with a double reactor capable of processing several tens of kilograms of HM/batch of nuclear spent fuel has been developed for the decladding and voloxidation of rod-cuts into hulls and pellets through the conversion of UO2 pellets to U3O8 powder. In this study, we optimized the engine...

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Main Authors: Young-Hwan Kim, Yung-Zun Cho, Jae-Won Lee, Ju-Hoo Lee, Sang-Chae Jeon, Do-Hee Ahn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-01-01
Series:Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/9854830
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author Young-Hwan Kim
Yung-Zun Cho
Jae-Won Lee
Ju-Hoo Lee
Sang-Chae Jeon
Do-Hee Ahn
author_facet Young-Hwan Kim
Yung-Zun Cho
Jae-Won Lee
Ju-Hoo Lee
Sang-Chae Jeon
Do-Hee Ahn
author_sort Young-Hwan Kim
collection DOAJ
description A voloxidizer with a double reactor capable of processing several tens of kilograms of HM/batch of nuclear spent fuel has been developed for the decladding and voloxidation of rod-cuts into hulls and pellets through the conversion of UO2 pellets to U3O8 powder. In this study, we optimized the engineering design of this voloxidizer to improve its hull-recovery ratio. First, we tested the oxidation performance of the device prototype and evaluated the effectiveness of various mechanical and chemical voloxidizing methods. On the basis of the results, we selected the screw-and-rotation method for the double rotary drum. Next, we derived a theoretical equation for calculating the optimal reactor volume for various rod-cut weights and lengths and then validated the equation using centimeter-scale acryl reactors and hulls. Subsequently, we modularized the main components such as the heater, utility, motor, reactor, valve, and structure. The double reactor was subject to preliminary separation tests of hulls and powder. Moreover, the hull-separation performance of the voloxidizer reactor was tested at a loading of 50 kg HM/batch. Finally, the remote assembling and disassembling possibility of the modules were experimentally optimized.
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series Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
spelling doaj-art-6c99baf41e9c4b24a52c0f44b1d3bcd12025-08-20T03:34:09ZengWileyScience and Technology of Nuclear Installations1687-60751687-60832017-01-01201710.1155/2017/98548309854830Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel RodsYoung-Hwan Kim0Yung-Zun Cho1Jae-Won Lee2Ju-Hoo Lee3Sang-Chae Jeon4Do-Hee Ahn5Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353, Republic of KoreaKorea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353, Republic of KoreaKorea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353, Republic of KoreaKorea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353, Republic of KoreaKorea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353, Republic of KoreaKorea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353, Republic of KoreaA voloxidizer with a double reactor capable of processing several tens of kilograms of HM/batch of nuclear spent fuel has been developed for the decladding and voloxidation of rod-cuts into hulls and pellets through the conversion of UO2 pellets to U3O8 powder. In this study, we optimized the engineering design of this voloxidizer to improve its hull-recovery ratio. First, we tested the oxidation performance of the device prototype and evaluated the effectiveness of various mechanical and chemical voloxidizing methods. On the basis of the results, we selected the screw-and-rotation method for the double rotary drum. Next, we derived a theoretical equation for calculating the optimal reactor volume for various rod-cut weights and lengths and then validated the equation using centimeter-scale acryl reactors and hulls. Subsequently, we modularized the main components such as the heater, utility, motor, reactor, valve, and structure. The double reactor was subject to preliminary separation tests of hulls and powder. Moreover, the hull-separation performance of the voloxidizer reactor was tested at a loading of 50 kg HM/batch. Finally, the remote assembling and disassembling possibility of the modules were experimentally optimized.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/9854830
spellingShingle Young-Hwan Kim
Yung-Zun Cho
Jae-Won Lee
Ju-Hoo Lee
Sang-Chae Jeon
Do-Hee Ahn
Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
title Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
title_full Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
title_fullStr Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
title_full_unstemmed Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
title_short Engineering Design of a Voloxidizer with a Double Reactor for the Hull Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
title_sort engineering design of a voloxidizer with a double reactor for the hull separation of spent nuclear fuel rods
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/9854830
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