Use of a commercial heat transfer code to predict horizontally oriented spent fuel rod surface temperatures [report]

S.D. Wix, J.A. Koski
1993 unpublished
A comparison between numerical calculations using commercial thermal analysis software packages and experimental data simulating a horizontally oriented spent fuel rod array was performed. Twelve cases were analyzed using air and helium for the fill gas, with three different heat dissipation levels. The numerically predicted temperatures are higher than the experimental , data for ali levels of heat dissipation with air as the fill gas. The temperature differences are 4°C and 23°C for the low
more » ... at dissipation and high heat dissipation, respectively. The temperature predictions using helium as a fill gas are lower for the low and medium heat dissipation levels, but higher at the high heat dissipation. The temperature differences are I°C and 6°C for the low and medium heat dissipation, respectively. For the high heat dissipation level, the temperature predictions are 16°C higher than the experimental data. Differences between the predicted and experimental temperatures can be attributed to several factors. These factors include experimental uncertainty in the temperature and heat dissipation measurements, actual convection effects not included in the model, and axial heat flow in the experimental data.
doi:10.2172/10175662 fatcat:y2doqv4pevcrxe2uu6gff6wgai