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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.
Won-Jin Cho, Jae-Owan Lee, Pil-Soo Hahn, Kwan-Sik Chun
Nuclear Technology | Volume 116 | Number 1 | October 1996 | Pages 115-126
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35316
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Radionuclide release from an engineered barrier in a low- and intermediate-level waste repository is evaluated. The results of experimental studies conducted to determine the radionuclide diffusion coefficients and the hydraulic conductivities of calcium bentonite and crushed granite mixtures are presented. The hydraulic conductivity of the mixture is relatively low even at low dry density and clay content, and the principal mechanism of radionuclide migration through the mixture is diffusion. The measured values of apparent diffusion coefficients in calcium bentonite with a dry density of 1.4 Mg/m3 are of the order of 10-13 to 10-12 m2/s for cations and 10-11 m2/s for iodine. These values are similar to those in sodium bentonite. The radionuclide release rates from the engineered barrier composed of the concrete structure and the clay-based backfill were calculated. Carbon-14 and 99Tc are the important nuclides; however, their maximum release rates are <10-5 GBq/yr. To quantify the effect of uncertainties of input parameters on the radionuclide release rates, Latin Hypercube sampling was used, and the ranges of release rates were estimated statistically with a confidence level of 95%. The uncertainties of the assessment results of the radionuclide release rate are larger in the case of the sorbing nuclides such as 137Cs. Finally, the sensitivity of the input parameter to release rate is also evaluated.