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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.
Allen L. Pitner, Brent C. Gneiting, Ronald B. Baker, Samuel L. Hecht
Nuclear Technology | Volume 105 | Number 3 | March 1994 | Pages 355-365
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34936
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Four prototype irradiation tests were conducted in the Fast Flux Test Facility to investigate the performance of a 2-yr mixed-oxide fuel system using titaniumstabilized stainless steel cladding and duct material for application in a commercial-scale liquid-metal reactor plant. Three of the tests were irradiated to the point of cladding breach to establish the lifetime capability of this fuel design. Details of the fuel element design, irradiation conditions and exposures, and postirradiation measurements are presented. Comparisons between measured and calculated behavior showed basically good agreement. A conservative failure analysis of the 676-fuel-pin data set from the four test assemblies indicated a 99.9% reliability for a peak burnup capability of 90 MW .d/kg metal.