Wind influence on the spent nuclear fuel safety in dry cask storage

Abstract

This article examines the effect of wind load on the safety of spent fuel storage in a naturally ventilated building. To assess the influence of wind influences characteristic of the Akkuyu NPP site on the temperature of fuel rod cladding, a CFD model of the spent fuel storage building was developed. Reynolds-averaged governing equations of motion (RANS model) with a k-ε turbulence model were used. Computational grid included about 17 million cells. The CFD model allowed us to study different directions and intensities of wind loads, estimate the temperature around the containers and identify stagnant zones. Based on the modeling results, the dependences of the influence of wind load on the thermal fields in the building were obtained. These dependencies allowed for design decisions to be made that guaranteed safety and ensured the continuation of construction of the building.