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DOE selects first companies for nuclear launch pad
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and the National Reactor Innovation Center have announced their first selections for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad: three companies developing microreactors and one developing fuel supply.
The four companies—Deployable Energy, General Matter, NuCube Energy, and Radiant Industries—were selected from the initial pool of Reactor Pilot Program and Fuel Line Pilot Program applicants, the two precursor programs to the launch pad.
You-Jin Jung, Jaesik Hwang, Jei-Won Yeon, Bong Hyun Boo, Kyuseok Song
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 172 | Number 2 | October 2012 | Pages 202-207
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE11-98
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The dispersion properties of boron carbide (B4C) microparticles in aqueous media were investigated by measuring the particle size distribution, the dispersibility, and the zeta potential as these properties relate to their application as neutron absorbers in fuel-storage pool water. The B4C powder is composed of particles with a narrow size distribution, with a d50 (mean diameter) of 0.65 m. The amount of B4C particles dispersed decreased exponentially with increasing dispersion time. The dispersibility of B4C particles increased with an increase in the loading of B4C particles and reached a maximum value at 12.91 wt%. The zeta potential of the B4C suspension was measured as a function of pH and temperature. The B4C suspension has a negative zeta potential value in the pH range between 2 and 12. The dispersion of B4C particles was not greatly influenced by the addition of boric acid (H3BO3). The absolute value of the zeta potential decreased with increasing temperature.