Pyrophoricity and ignition of bulk uranium metal

Spent N-Reactor fuel will be moved from wet pool storage to dry containerized storage. As part of the safety requirements, it is necessary to understand the ignition characteristics of this fuel to insure safety during processing and storage. A model has therefore been created that calculates the ignition temperature of bulk uranium metal in response to both surface reactions of the uranium metal and associated high energy transients such as burning metal hydrides or hydrogen gas at the surface. This model will be applied to process and storage conditions to predict the ignition temperatures.