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Argonne updates: Fuel research and materials lab
Over the past two weeks, Argonne National Laboratory has announced numerous significant advancements being made by its staff to push forward nuclear fuels and materials research. Those announcements include the opening of the new Activated Materials Lab, the development of a new measurement technique, and the application of new artificial intelligence tools.
V. C. A. Vaughen, W. T. McDuffee, E. Lamb, R. A. Robinson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 6 | Number 6 | June 1969 | Pages 549-558
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT69-A28284
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
SNAP-11 is an isotope-fueled thermoelectric generator, fueled with 7.5 g of 242Cm, which was obtained from 241Am irradiated to ∼1.2 × 1021 n/cm2. The irradiated material was dissolved in hydrochloric acid 15 to 30 days after discharge from the reactor and processed through two cycles of solvent extraction to remove ionic and radioactive contaminants. The curium and americium were converted to the sesquioxide, pelletized, and encapsulated into the isotopic heat source. The heat source was installed in a thermoelectric converter package to complete the SNAP-11 system, which was then tested for 90 days in a lunar environment simulator at a pressure of 10−7 Torr and temperatures from −235 to +235°F. It successfully met all performance specifications.