Investigating hull dryer unit performance: Experiments and modeling of drying time.
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| Title: | Investigating hull dryer unit performance: Experiments and modeling of drying time. |
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| Authors: | Bhowmick, Sandip1 (AUTHOR), Badiwal, Ankit1 (AUTHOR) abadiwal@barc.gov.in, Chakrabarti, C. K1 (AUTHOR), Shenoy, K. T.2,3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Drying Technology. 2025, Vol. 43 Issue 3, p609-621. 13p. |
| Subjects: | Fuel cycle, Fast reactors, Humidity, Nuclear fuels, Air flow |
| Abstract: | Hull compaction is an important waste management practice for volume reduction of hollow metallic hull waste generated in the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The hull waste should be totally dried of wash solution before high pressure compaction to avoid radiolysis and corrosion phenomena.[1] In the present work, the influence of various operating parameters (volumetric air flow rate, inlet air temperature, and quantity of hull waste) on the performance of a hull dryer unit has been investigated experimentally. It was observed that drying time exhibited an inverse relationship with both air flow rate and temperature. Furthermore, an increase in the mass of hull waste within the batching can led to improved dry air utilization efficiency. To enable a more comprehensive understanding of the drying process and accurate prediction of drying times, a mathematical model was formulated. A new methodology for estimating the specific surface area of randomly packed hull pieces has been presented. A comprehensive comparison of simulated data with measured exhaust air properties (mass absolute humidity, exit air temperature) and drying times was performed. The close agreement between model predictions and experimental results, with mean absolute percentage error ranging from 2.39923 to 25.21 established strong validation of the model, confirming its predictive capability. This validated model provides a robust foundation for designing future hull dryer units by enabling the calculation of optimal process parameters for various drying time requirements. The study shows that the direct contact hot air heating is a promising technique for drying of hull waste and can be accepted in fast reactor fuel cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Hull compaction is an important waste management practice for volume reduction of hollow metallic hull waste generated in the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The hull waste should be totally dried of wash solution before high pressure compaction to avoid radiolysis and corrosion phenomena.[1] In the present work, the influence of various operating parameters (volumetric air flow rate, inlet air temperature, and quantity of hull waste) on the performance of a hull dryer unit has been investigated experimentally. It was observed that drying time exhibited an inverse relationship with both air flow rate and temperature. Furthermore, an increase in the mass of hull waste within the batching can led to improved dry air utilization efficiency. To enable a more comprehensive understanding of the drying process and accurate prediction of drying times, a mathematical model was formulated. A new methodology for estimating the specific surface area of randomly packed hull pieces has been presented. A comprehensive comparison of simulated data with measured exhaust air properties (mass absolute humidity, exit air temperature) and drying times was performed. The close agreement between model predictions and experimental results, with mean absolute percentage error ranging from 2.39923 to 25.21 established strong validation of the model, confirming its predictive capability. This validated model provides a robust foundation for designing future hull dryer units by enabling the calculation of optimal process parameters for various drying time requirements. The study shows that the direct contact hot air heating is a promising technique for drying of hull waste and can be accepted in fast reactor fuel cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07373937 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/07373937.2024.2442488 |
