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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.
Akira Inoue, Masanobu Futakuchi, Makoto Yagi, Toru Mitsutake, Shin-Ichi Morooka
Nuclear Technology | Volume 112 | Number 3 | December 1995 | Pages 388-400
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35165
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Void fraction measurement tests for boiling water reactor (BWR) simulated nuclear fuel assemblies have been conducted using an X-ray computed tomography scanner. There are two types of fuel assemblies concerning water rods. One fuel assembly has two water rods; the other has one large water rod. The effects of the water rods on radial void fraction distributions are measured within the fuel assemblies. The results show that the water rod effect does not make a large difference in void fraction distribution. The subchannel analysis codes COBRA/BWR and THERMIT-2 were compared with subchannel-averaged void fractions. The prediction accuracy of COBRA/BWR and THERMIT-2 for the subchannel-averaged void fraction was Δα = —3.6%, σ = 4.8% and Δ α = —4.1%, σ = 4.5%, respectively, where Δ α is the average of the difference between measured and calculated values. The subchannel analysis codes are highly applicable for the prediction of a two-phase flow distribution within BWR fuel assemblies.