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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.
Thomas K. Larson, Keith G. Condie, Steven T. Polkinghorne, Brent J. Buescher
Nuclear Technology | Volume 93 | Number 2 | February 1991 | Pages 174-194
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34504
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An unheated, integral thermal-hydraulic facility scaled to the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was designed, constructed, and operated to gather simulated large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) data for use in assessing codes used in ATR analysis. Eighteen experiments were performed in the facility to establish a data base consisting of qualitative and quantitative information for assessment purposes. The effects of initial liquid temperature, break location, and use of safety injection are examined. The results obtained offer significant insights about thermal-hydraulic processes in a complex loop during subatmospheric pressure operating conditions similar to those expected during a hypothetical LOCA in the ATR.