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Playing the “bad guy” to enhance next-generation safety
Sometimes, cops and robbers is more than just a kid’s game. At the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, researchers are channeling their inner saboteurs to discover vulnerabilities in next-generation nuclear reactors, making sure that they’re as safe as possible before they’re even constructed.
Christopher E. Hamilton, Diana Honnell, Brian M. Patterson, Derek W. Schmidt, Kimberly A. Defriend Obrey
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 59 | Number 1 | January 2011 | Pages 194-198
Technical Paper | Nineteenth Target Fabrication Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST59-194
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Low-density materials containing tracer elements are an important component of target platforms for high-energy density physics experiments. High-Z elements can be dispersed homogeneously by changing chemistry of the matrix or by simple physical mixing; alternately, tracers can be introduced heterogeneously in the form of ultrathin foils or particles. We have recently focused on how best to manufacture and embed tracer elements into silica aerogels and polystyrene-divinylbenzene (CH) foams. The ability to control dopant concentration and distribution is critical to final shot success. We have produced low-density CH foams doped with chlorine at levels up to 2 at. %. In addition, we have placed metal particles and foils precisely within silica aerogel monoliths.