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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.
Se-Woo Cheon, Han-Gon Kim, Wan-Joo Kim, Bok-Ki Min, Soon-Heung Chang, Hak-Yeong Chung
Nuclear Technology | Volume 97 | Number 1 | January 1992 | Pages 1-15
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34621
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A prototype expert system, the NSSS-DS, is described. It is used for the diagnosis of three main systems—the rod control system, the reactor coolant pumps (RCPs), and the pressurizer—in the primary system of the Kori-2 nuclear power plant. This system diagnoses system malfunctions quickly and offers appropriate guidance to operators. The method of inference applied to this system is rule-based deduction with certainty factor operation. The diagnostic symptoms include alarms, indication lamps, parameter values, and valve lineup that can be acquired at the main control room. The application of this system to the rod control system, mainly consisting of electrical components, and the RCPs, mainly consisting of mechanical components, is described from the point of view of diagnostic strategies.