A novel method that incorporates uncertainty quantification (UQ) into numerical simulations of heat transfer for a 9 × 9 square array of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies in a boiling water reactor (BWR) is presented in this paper. The results predict the maximum mean temperature at the center of the 9 × 9 BWR fuel assembly to be 462 K using a range of fuel burn-up power. Current related modeling techniques used to predict the heat transfer and the maximum temperature inside SNF assemblies rely on commercial codes and address the uncertainty in the input parameters by running separate simulations for different input parameters. The utility of leveraging polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) to develop a surrogate model that permits the efficient evaluation of the distribution of temperature and heat transfer while accounting for all uncertain input parameters to the model is explored and validated for a complex case of heat transfer that could be substituted with other problems of intricacy. UQ computational methods generated results that are encompassing continuous ranges of variable parameters that also served to conduct sensitivity analysis on heat transfer simulations of SNF assemblies with respect to physically relevant parameters. A two-dimensional (2D) model is used to describe the physical processes within the fuel assembly, and a second-order PCE is used to characterize the dependence of center temperature on ten input parameters.
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Heat Transfer Modeling of Spent Nuclear Fuel Using Uncertainty Quantification and Polynomial Chaos Expansion
Imane Khalil,
Imane Khalil
Shiley-Marcos Department of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
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Quinn Pratt,
Quinn Pratt
Shiley-Marcos Department of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
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Harrison Schmachtenberger,
Harrison Schmachtenberger
Shiley-Marcos Department of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Search for other works by this author on:
Roger Ghanem
Roger Ghanem
Sonny Astani Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering,
3610 S. Vermont Street,
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, CA 90089
and Environmental Engineering,
3610 S. Vermont Street,
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Search for other works by this author on:
Imane Khalil
Shiley-Marcos Department of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Quinn Pratt
Shiley-Marcos Department of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Harrison Schmachtenberger
Shiley-Marcos Department of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Mechanical Engineering,
University of San Diego,
5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110
Roger Ghanem
Sonny Astani Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering,
3610 S. Vermont Street,
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, CA 90089
and Environmental Engineering,
3610 S. Vermont Street,
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received March 27, 2017; final manuscript received June 7, 2017; published online September 6, 2017. Editor: Portonovo S. Ayyaswamy.
J. Heat Transfer. Feb 2018, 140(2): 022001 (9 pages)
Published Online: September 6, 2017
Article history
Received:
March 27, 2017
Revised:
June 7, 2017
Citation
Khalil, I., Pratt, Q., Schmachtenberger, H., and Ghanem, R. (September 6, 2017). "Heat Transfer Modeling of Spent Nuclear Fuel Using Uncertainty Quantification and Polynomial Chaos Expansion." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. February 2018; 140(2): 022001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4037501
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