I-Corps: Using waste heat generated by spent nuclear fuel (SNF) to dry wastewater sludge

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种利用乏核燃料（SNF）产生的余热来干燥废水处理副产品生物固体的系统。这项技术可能创造一种良性循环，将目前存在的两种废物来源——乏核燃料和生物固体——结合起来，创造一种有价值的产品——可持续的生物质。与使用天然气的替代干燥系统相比，每台核燃料/生物固体干燥机估计每年可节省18万美元和4,000公吨二氧化碳。美国市场总共有90个乏燃料（SNF）储存地点和14,748个污水处理厂，是一个潜在的市场，因为目前的SNF没有回收利用。初步分析显示，26个SNF储存地点位于污水处理厂10英里范围内。SNF储存地点和废水处理厂的邻近将大大降低生物固体的运输成本。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种利用乏核燃料（SNF）产生的余热来干燥废水处理副产品生物固体的系统。该系统收集储存在混凝土干桶中的核燃料的衰变热，将现有的核废料储存技术与现有的废水污泥干燥技术相结合。在现有的干桶中，核燃料被密封在钢罐中，然后放置在混凝土包中。气罐通过自然对流冷却。空气从底部进入木桶，将热量从罐中吸出，并从桶的顶部排出。被加热的空气被系统收集并引导到生物固体干燥器中。这种方法避免了与核废料储存相关的两个主要问题：设计、许可和建造全新的核废料储存解决方案，以及运输核废料。这种方法还为废水处理厂提供了急需的全年生物固体处理服务，并从生物固体中产生可持续的生物质。此外，该系统是灵活的，可用于其他需要低等级加热的应用，如垃圾填埋场渗滤液处理，碳捕获系统等。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a system that uses waste heat generated by spent nuclear fuel (SNF) to dry biosolids, a byproduct of wastewater treatment. The technology may create a virtuous cycle whereby two currently existing sources of waste – spent nuclear fuel and biosolids – are associated to create a valuable product – a sustainable biomass. An estimated $180,000 and 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide may be saved yearly per nuclear fuel/biosolids dryer compared to the alternative drying system which uses natural gas. The United States market, which has a total of 90 spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage sites and 14,748 wastewater plants is a potential market since current SNF is not recycled. An initial analysis revealed 26 SNF storage sites situated within 10 miles of wastewater treatment plants. The proximity of the SNF storage sites and wastewater treatment plants will significantly reduce the transportation costs of the biosolids.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a system that uses waste heat generated by spent nuclear fuel (SNF) to dry biosolids, a byproduct of wastewater treatment. The system collects decay heat from nuclear fuel stored in concrete dry casks and connects existing nuclear waste storage technology with existing wastewater sludge drying technology. In existing dry casks, the nuclear fuel is sealed within steel canisters, which are then placed in a concrete overpack. The canisters are cooled by natural convection. Air enters the casks from the bottom, pulls heat from the canister, and exits from the top of the cask. The heated air is collected by the system and directed into a biosolid dryer. This approach avoids two main problems associated with the storage of nuclear waste: designing, licensing, and constructing completely new nuclear waste storage solutions, and transporting nuclear waste. This approach also provides a much-needed, year-round biosolid disposal service to wastewater treatment plants and creates a sustainable biomass from the biosolids. Additionally, this system is flexible and could be used in other applications requiring low-grade heating, such as landfill leachate treatment, carbon capture systems, and more.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.