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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.
Wei-Wu Chao, Jay F. Kunze, Weimin Dai, Sudarshan K. Loyalka
Nuclear Technology | Volume 105 | Number 2 | February 1994 | Pages 261-270
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34927
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Research reactors present a different set of operating conditions than do light water (power) reactors (LWRs). Thermal-hydraulic transient/safety codes, such as the Reactor Loss of Coolant Analysis Program (RELAP), have been verified against experimental data from several test facilities designed for the operating conditions of LWRs. However, the operating pressures, temperatures, fuel type, and flow direction are quite different in most high-power research reactors. Furthermore, the coolant (water) in these reactors generally is not degasified and hence contains dissolved air. Results are given of benchmark experiments compared with RELAP predictions for the conditions encountered during a loss-of-coolant accident for a typical research reactor.