TITLE:
Modeling Operational Parameters for Uranium Dioxide Production Reactor through Uranium Trioxide Reaction Using Hydrogen
AUTHORS:
Pedro Orrego, José Hernández, Jorge Manríquez
KEYWORDS:
Uranium Trioxide, Uranium Dioxide, Conversion, Modeling
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology,
Vol.6 No.3,
July
9,
2016
ABSTRACT: This article shows the modeling of a uranium dioxide production reactor
using COMSOL Multiphysics software program in its 4.3b version. The model was
made using 3 kinds of studies: momentum, heat and mass transport, in order to
determine the influence of the most important operational parameters: UO3 reaction rate, composition and flow
of the reduction gas, the initial temperature reactor and the reducing
gas. The operational parameters evaluated were the followings: constant gas
flow of2.5 L/min,
initial hydrogen concentration of 0.25, 0.50 and0.75 M, and initial
temperature of 400°C. The obtained results allow to conclude that under these
working conditions, uranium dioxide is obtained virtually instantaneous and,
with concentrations close to 0.5 M H2 in the reducing gas, the
process can operate continuously and autogenously, without applying additional
energy and temperatures around 600°C.