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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.
Hiromasa Iida, Yuichi Ishizaka, Yeong-Chan Kim, Chouichi Yamaguchi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 107 | Number 1 | July 1994 | Pages 38-48
Technical Paper | Special on ANP ’92 Conference / Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34996
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The deep-sea reactor X (DRX) is a small nuclear plant designed to provide undersea power sources. It has the full advantages of nuclear reactors and can provide large power capacity and does not require oxygen for power production. An application conceivable in the near future is that for a submersible. The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is conducting a design study of a 150-kW(electric) DRX plant for a deep-sea research vessel. It has a so-called “integrated pressurized water reactor,” having a steam generator inside the reactor vessel. A pressure shell includes a turbine and a generator as well as a reactor vessel, resulting in a very compact electricity producing plant. It should be easy to operate and have high passive safety characteristics; namely, a short startup time, good reactor response to power demand changes, and passive core flooding and decay heat removal in case of an accident. Transient analyses including those for load follow-up, reactor startup, and accidents have been conducted. The results show that the DRX has excellent inherent characteristics satisfying those requirements.