Multiscale models of nuclear waste reprocessing : from the mesoscale to the plant-scale.

Nuclear waste reprocessing and nonproliferation models are needed to support the renaissance in nuclear energy. This report summarizes an LDRD project to develop predictive capabilities to aid the next-generation nuclear fuel reprocessing, in SIERRA Mechanics, Sandia’s high performance computing multiphysics code suite and Cantera, an open source software product for thermodynamics and kinetic modeling. Much of the focus of the project has been to develop a moving conformal decomposition finite element method (CDFEM) method applicable to mass transport at the water/oil droplet interface that occurs in the turbulent emulsion of droplets within the contactor. Contactor-scale models were developed using SIERRA Mechanics turbulence modeling capability. Unit operations occur at the column-scale where many contactors are connected in series. Population balance models

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