Modeling Aerosol Deposition Mechanisms in Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Casks Using MATLAB and Simulink

JAMES HENRY, Ren Garity, Andrew Metcalf, John Saylor, Clemson University

     Abstract Number: 290
     Working Group: Aerosol Physics

Abstract
Concerns regarding the safety and integrity of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) dry storage casks (DSCs) influence the need for further investigation of the various aerosol deposition mechanisms that lead to corrosion or other potential cask degradations. Some atmospheric aerosols, especially sea salt aerosols, can deposit along weld seams or other areas of surface irregularity, leading to an increased risk for stress corrosion cracking (SCC). Thus, the need for accurate models to predict expected deposition zones and corresponding areas of degradation is imperative.

Aerosol deposition depends on several factors, including ambient temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and particle size. In the case of SNF DSCs, convection-driven airflow within specific design geometries dictates where aerosol deposition is likely to occur. In this work, we develop a user-friendly aerosol deposition model that considers specific environmental conditions and air duct geometry.

The Mathworks® suite of products offers opportunities to model these various aerosol deposition mechanisms, specifically the MATLAB and Simulink programs. Through the use of empirically derived aerosol physics calculations, we have developed a MATLAB- and Simulink-based aerosol modeling application, Aerosol Calculator Application for Theoretical Modeling (AeroCATm), to understand the deposition behavior in SNF DSCs. The application can also be used for more general applications to model aerosol deposition for a given set of environmental conditions and in various flow geometries.