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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.
Fumio Kasahara, Hiroshi Endo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 99 | Number 3 | September 1992 | Pages 301-308
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34714
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simple analytical code, QUASAR, has been developed to analyze the phenomena related to severe subassembly accidents, such as a total instantaneous blockage event for a subassembly inlet. The code models failed and neighboring subassemblies, focusing mainly on the thermal consequences and the propagation potential of the accidents. The prediction has been successful for the initial stages of the accidents, according to a comparison with experimental results, and useful information about accident event sequences has been obtained by the analyses for typical liquid-metal fast reeder reactors.