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Predicted liquid atomization from a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing pressurization event

Brown, Alexander B.; Gelbard, Fred G.; Louie, David; Bixler, Nathan E.

Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing may involve some hazardous liquids that may explode under accident conditions. Explosive accidents may result in energetic dispersion of the liquid. The atomized liquid represents a major hazard of this class of event. The magnitude of the aerosol source term is difficult to predict, and historically has been estimated from correlations based on marginally relevant data. A technique employing a coupled finite element structural dynamics and control volume computational fluid dynamics has been demonstrated previously for a similar class of problems. The technique was subsequently evaluated for detonation events. Key to the calculations is the use of a Taylor Analogy Break-up (TAB) based model for predicting the aerodynamic break-up of the liquid drops in the air environment, and a dimensionless parameter for defining the chronology of the mass and momentum coupling. This paper presents results of liquid aerosolization from an explosive event.