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INL reports findings on unusual quantum behavior of plutonium
Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered that plutonium hexaboride (PuB6) displays a type of unusual quantum property called a topological Kondo insulating state. Materials with this property are neither typical electricity conductors nor regular insulators. Rather, they have exterior surfaces that strongly conduct electricity and interiors that block electricity.
R. C. Wang, Chin Pan, Chuen-Horng Tsai
Nuclear Technology | Volume 94 | Number 1 | April 1991 | Pages 1-14
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A16217
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An autoclave and a water treatment and monitoring system simulating the secondary side of a steam generator are used to investigate the hideout phenomena of sodium chloride in a tube-support-plate crevice. The primary-side heating tube is simulated by an internal heater. The experiments are performed at 1 atm pressure. The effects of heat flux, bulk concentration, crevice width, and the presence of a porous medium are investigated. It is found that the solute concentrates heavily near the upper end of the crevice. This concentration distribution in the axial direction is confirmed by a model developed in a parallel study. The hideout rate increases with increasing heat flux and bulk concentration. The concentration level in the crevice at a given time increases with increasing heat flux and bulk concentration and with decreasing crevice width. The presence of a porous medium in the crevice significantly enhances the concentration effect.