Monte Carlo simulations of criticality safety assessments of transuranic element storage in a pyroprocess facility

Abstract

In this study, criticality safety assessments of the potential for storing transuranic element (TRU) ingots via a pyroprocess were evaluated to determine the appropriate TRU storage design parameters, in this case the ratio of the TRU ingot height to the radius and the number of TRU ingot canisters stacked within a container. Various accident situations were modeled over a modeling period of 5 years for a cumulative inventory of TRU ingots with various water densities in submerged containers and with various pitches between the containers in the facility. Under these combinations, we calculated the threshold of TRU height and radius ratio depending on the number of canisters in a container to keep the stored TRU in a subcritical state. The ratio of the TRU ingot height to radius should not exceed 4.5, 1.1, 0.5, 0.3, and 0.2 for two, three, four, five, and six levels of stacked canisters in a container, respectively. Keywords: Criticality safety, Monte Carlo simulation, Pyroprocess, Transuranic element storage