Coupled thermo-mechanical modeling of spent nuclear fuel containers for long-term nuclear waste management

自1968年以来，加拿大的核电厂已经辐照了大约235万个核燃料束，重量超过5万公吨。这些经过辐照的“乏”燃料棒束目前储存在加拿大各地反应堆场址的临时安全壳系统中。2002年，加拿大政府颁布了《核燃料废物法》。该法案成立了核废料管理组织（NWMO），该公司的任务是就加拿大乏核燃料的长期管理方案向政府提供建议。2005年，西北气象组织推荐了一项名为自适应分阶段管理（APM）的技术计划，该计划设想将乏燃料集中容纳和隔离在合适岩层的深层地质储存库（DGR）中。DGR的一个关键组成部分是被称为用过的燃料容器（UFC）的工程安全壳屏障。UFC由压力容器级钢制成，并涂有一层完整的纯铜粘合层，设计用于承受数千年来储存库的瞬时温度，辐射和外部压力负荷。该Engage赠款的目的是在理论上使用有限元法和实验上使用受控条件下新设计系统的加速机械测试来准确预测辐照UFC材料在长时间范围内的长期行为。我们的工业赞助商高度致力于这项研究，并将为其成功做出重大贡献。

Canada's nuclear power plants have irradiated approximately 2.35 million nuclear fuel bundles weighing over 50,000 metric ton since 1968. These irradiated 'spent' fuel bundles are currently stored above ground in temporary containment systems at reactor sites across Canada. In 2002, the Canadian Government enacted the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act. The Act created the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), a company mandated to advise the government on options for the long-term management of Canada's spent nuclear fuel. In 2005, NWMO recommended a technical program called Adaptive Phased Management (APM), which envisions centralized containment and isolation of the spent fuel in a Deep Geological Repository (DGR) in a suitable rock formation. A key component of the DGR is the engineered containment barrier known as the Used Fuel Container (UFC). Constructed of pressure vessel grade steel and coated with an integrally bonded layer of pure copper, the UFC is designed to withstand the transient temperatures, radiation, and external pressure loadings of the repository for thousands of years. It is the objective of this Engage grant to accurately predict the long term behavior of the irradiated UFC materials over long time frame both theoretically using the finite element method and experimentally using accelerated mechanical tests of the newly designed system under controlled conditions. Our industrial sponsor is highly committed to this study and will contribute significantly to its success.