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

自1968年以来，加拿大的核电站已经辐射了大约235万束重达50,000公吨以上的核燃料。这些受辐射的乏燃料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的地面上。2002年，加拿大政府颁布了《核燃料废物法》。该法案创建了核废料管理组织(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，NWMO推荐了一项名为自适应分阶段管理(APM)的技术计划，该计划设想在合适的岩层中集中控制和隔离深层地质储存库(DGR)中的乏燃料。DGR的一个关键部件是被称为旧燃料容器(UFC)的工程安全壳。UFC由压力容器级钢建造，并涂有一层完整的纯铜粘结层，其设计能够承受数千年来储存库的瞬时温度、辐射和外部压力负载。使用有限元方法从理论上和实验上使用新设计的系统在受控条件下的加速力学测试，都能准确地预测辐照UFC材料在长时间内的长期行为，这是这项接合赠款的目标。我们的行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.