Fuel is operated for at a specific power of

PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Thermal, Statistical & Complex Systems · Nuclear Physics · Temperature, heat and the macroscopic behaviour of matter

Energy from Physics, Ch Running a reactor: kinetics, heat removal, feedback, burn-up and the fuel cycle

Problem

Fuel is operated for

t_{\rm op} = 900\,\mathrm{days}

at a specific power of

P_0 = 30\,\mathrm{MW\,t^{-1}}

, then discharged. Its decay heat follows the Way-Wigner form

\frac{P_{\rm d}(t)}{P_0} = 0.0622\left[t^{-0.2} - (t+t_{\rm op})^{-0.2}\right],

with

t

and

t_{\rm op}

in seconds after shutdown and after start of operation respectively. ((a)) Find the decay heat per tonne of fuel

t = 180\,\mathrm{days}

after shutdown. ((b)) A spent-fuel pool holds one discharge of

25\,\mathrm{t}

of this fuel, all cooled for

180\,\mathrm{days}

. Find the total heat that its cooling system must remove.

Related theory

Nuclear Physics

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