Thermal hydraulic numerical analysis and experimental validation of GY-20A cobalt source transportation cask

Abstract

Radioactive materials produced by the nuclear industry need to be properly post-processed to avoid radiation damage to people and the environment. Radioactive materials are usually transported and temporarily stored in dedicated spent fuel transportation casks. Therefore, the cask designed for transporting these radioactive materials must meet rigorous acceptance criteria and regulatory standards. The GY-20A cobalt source transportation cask is a special type cask designed for radioactive ⁶⁰Co sources transportation, with a maximum loading capacity of 200,000 Ci. In this paper, the thermal test of the transportation cask prototype is carried out, and the thermal analysis under normal conditions is analyzed based on the finite volume method code ANSYS Fluent. The predicted axial and radial temperature values are obtained. The numerical calculation results are in good agreement with the test results. The cask has complete inclusiveness under normal condition. The test and calculation results are directly used for the cask design license application.