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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.
B. K. Kamboj, S. M. Ghiaasiaan, and, S. I. Abdel-Khalik
Nuclear Technology | Volume 100 | Number 3 | December 1992 | Pages 347-360
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34730
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A phenomenological model is developed for the thermal-hydraulic processes on the secondary side of a once-through steam generator during auxiliary feedwater injection. Based on experimental observations, the flow of auxiliary feedwater in the secondary side is modeled as a turbulent falling film on the tubes, in direct contact with a countercurrent flow of steam, that receives heat from the primary side. Conservation equations for the falling film and steam on the secondary side, and for the primary-side coolant, are derived. Boiling in the falling film, evaporation and/or condensation at the falling film-gas interphase, and countercurrent flow limitation in the tube support plate passages are modeled. Numerical solution of the conservation equations provide the axial variation of flow rates and temperatures in the primary and secondary sides. Model predictions are successfully compared with the available experimental data.