Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

Formula Sae Intake System, Esa Mahmood, Arman Sarwar, Michael R. Smith

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The Formula SAE Intake System is intended to optimize the airflow into a restricted 600cc engine. The intake system is designed, fabricated, and installed in accordance with the FSAE rule book with a focus on maximizing the vehicle’s acceleration. It is directly responsible for determining the drivability of the car and how much horsepower the flow restricted engine produces.

Design of the intake was conceptualized based on researching a number of factors including venturi diffusion angles, plenum volumes, and runner lengths. Initial tests were performed utilizing computational fluid dynamics for a total of 367 flow simulations and 261 running hours …

Design And Prototype Of Next Generation Nascar Brake Caliper, Jesse Crowder, John Knighton, Lenny Ports, Miranda Snyder

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Efficient braking is pivotal to the success of a NASCAR team. Braking occurs when the brake pedal is depressed, causing hydraulic pressure within the caliper housing and on the pistons, which forces the pistons to push the brake pads against the rotors reducing the vehicle’s speed due to the high friction between the pads and rotors. High performance brake calipers are arguably one of the most crucial components of a race car braking system. Short track brake calipers were designed to efficiently decelerate vehicles traveling upwards of one-hundred twenty miles per hour. This is an essential function of vehicles on …

Enhanced Dynamometer For Conducting Long-Term Brake Wear Testing, Grant Adams, Andres Alvarez Del Piño, Casey Greenstreet, Matthew Wall

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of this project is to develop an automated control system for two constant torque dynamometers Krauss Friction Tester Type RWS60A – Serial no. 080 built in Orangeburg, West Germany recently obtained by FDP Friction Science. This control system will be efficient, effective, safer, and meet the standards of modern day technologies. Currently, the machines are outdated, obsolete, and unable to operate. Therefore, to bring the dynamometers back into full operation and be competitive in today’s industry a new control system that meets industry expectations must be implemented. For this reason, a programmable logic controller from Automationdirect named ClickPLC …

Alternative Method For Posterior Lumbar Discectomy And Development Of Associated Bench Top Test, Alfred Levinson, Parth Patel, Rahul Peddi, Sarah Peters, Jon Willard

Capstone Design Expo Posters

A discectomy is a common surgical procedure performed to remove the fibrous disc material between adjacent vertebrae in the spine, known as vertebral disc. Current methods and tools used in discectomies are time consuming and potentially dangerous, with opportunity for human error. There is a need for a new method of disc removal that can improve clinical results by reducing surgical times, preventing damage to surrounding anatomy, and more thoroughly removing the vertebral disc. A reduction in surgery times and increase of effective disc removal will help to increase success, recovery, and spinal fusion rates. This project aims to provide …

C.V. - Wojciech Budzianowski, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Renewable Energy And Sustainable Development (Resd) Group, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Automated Din Rail Cut And Punch Machine, Youssif Alkheder, Gaston Charreun, Derrian Flemings, Jonathan Liss

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Our project’s main goal is to optimize the process of punching and cutting DIN rail in a manufacturing setting. The current method for cutting and punching DIN rails is tedious and simply too time consuming. An operator is needed to manually load the DIN rail into the cutter, measure the required length and activate the cutter. While this simple process may not take too long at first glance, companies, like Weidmuller, must be able to produce large-quantity orders to successfully meet the demands of their customers. By turning to automation, we are effectively reducing the amount of time it takes …

Mars Atmospheric And Climatic Survey System, Mounika Kari, Vu Nguyen, Surjan S. Singh, Sneha J. Vakani

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Before Mars can be explored by humans, its extreme climate and environment must be investigated. This can be achieved through the deployment of weather station probes capable of measuring Martian air temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed. The Mars Atmospheric and Climatic Survey System (MACSS) aims to collect this data, allowing predictive models of global climate patterns on Mars to be developed. These models will aid NASA in providing the needed knowledge to prepare for long-term exposure to the conditions on Mars.

The probes are compact and lightweight; they have been designed to withstand Mars’ harsh environment: extreme …

Ergonomic Immobilization Frame For Radiotherapy, Raheel Ahmed, Travis Alford, Talal Almutairi, Kaleem Farooq

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The primary purpose of this project is to demonstrate that patients can be safely immobilized using air in the general torso area so that radiation can be administered to that region. The primary target will be to treat tumors in the lungs and liver. By immobilizing patients during treatment it allows for the radiation to be consistent in targeting the desired region of the body, which would not be the case if the patient was moving. Air was chosen as the desired medium to immobilize the patient because of comfort and it provides an easy medium for radiation to travel …

Automated Source-Detector Positioner For Radiation Detection, Andre Patterson, Morgan Davis, Joel Person, Allan Roberts

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The Nuclear Engineering Department at Virginia Commonwealth University has an unmet need for an automated source detector positioner for radiation detection experiments that are carried out in lab work. During radiation data collection in radiation detection systems it is of the utmost importance that radioactive samples are positioned and moved with the highest degree of precision possible. This high degree of precision allows for more meaningful data to be collected. The current methods employed by the Nuclear Engineering Department are not as accurate as they can be due to the fact the the current detection systems are manual. Furthermore they …

Transformer Support-Base:Design & Analysis, Tamrat Abebe, Hiba Aldar, Charles Wold

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Engineering design is vitally important and is the backbone of any industrial organization. The innovative approach to engineering design requires extensive calculations, estimations, workability and economic considerations to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction. Our project, for the ABB Group, was to design a structural frame-base for their transformers, and develop a set of design-standards to accommodate a range of transformer sizes. A transformer is used to step-up or step-down the voltage as needed to satisfy the electrical power needs of a facility. Industrial size transformers are an extremely heavy, sensitive and precise electrical devices that require a reliable …

Thermal Insulation Coating For Pipe Applications, Ismail Alaithan, Alhawraa Husain, Wejdan Reda, Katiana Slaton

Capstone Design Expo Posters

NNSB tasked the Capstone team with testing the anti-condensation abilities of the Thermal Insulation Coating (TIC) Aerolon®, an aerogel-based insulation manufactured by Tnemec, using Federal test specifications for Coating Compound, Paint Antisweat. The main goal was to observe the anti-condensation abilities of the insulation and to initiate an analysis and comparison of the spray-applied aerogel insulation versus the hand-applied thick foam insulation that is currently used on ship pipes and ventilation. The plan includes creating a computer simulation of the thermal properties of the insulated cylinders as well as a physical experimental setup.

The Capstone team built an acrylic test …

Nasa Mars Weather Station, M. Cole Hendricks, J. E. West Redington, S. Sahir Shehzad, Byron M. Watts

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of this project is to design an economical ground based weather station, with the overall goal of using these stations to gather meteorological data on the planet Mars. This data will then be used to create a working meteorological model for the planet, which in turn will be used to better coordinate the necessary resources to plan and carry out a manned mission to Mars. These weather stations will function by taking various meteorological measurements, such as air and ground temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, UV radiation levels, and air pressure, and then transmit this data to one …

Rolatube Deployment System, Zachary Allin, Zachary Ratliff, Nathaniel Trepatschko, Jeffrey Wilson

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The team has been tasked with designing a compact mechanism capable of deploying and retracting the Rolatube horizontally and vertically at a controlled rate in confined spaces (i.e. tank housing structures). Because workers are confined to tight quarters, a mechanism to aid in common activities is at times required. The mechanism will allow for tool deployment with attachments for easily sending tools and utilizing cameras. It will also be used to assist workers in stringing lights, keeping wires organized, and delivering hoses and tubes. This design will allow workers at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) to save time and energy while …

Developments In Capture- Γ Libraries For Nonproliferation Applications, A. M. Hurst, R. B. Firestone, B. W. Sleaford, D. L. Bleuel, M. S. Basunia, F. Becvar, T. Belgya, L. A. Bernstein, J. J. Carroll, B. Detwiler, J. E. Escher, C. Genreith, B. L. Goldblum, M. Krticka, A. G. Lerch, David A. Matters, John W. Mcclory, Stephen R. Mchale, Zs. Revay, L. Szentmiklosi, D. Turkoglu, A. Ureche, J. Vulic

Faculty Publications

The neutron-capture reaction is fundamental for identifying and analyzing the γ-ray spectrum from an unknown assembly because it provides unambiguous information on the neutron-absorbing isotopes. Nondestructive-assay applications may exploit this phenomenon passively, for example, in the presence of spontaneous-fission neutrons, or actively where an external neutron source is used as a probe. There are known gaps in the Evaluated Nuclear Data File libraries corresponding to neutron-capture γ-ray data that otherwise limit transport-modeling applications. In this work, we describe how new thermal neutron-capture data are being used to improve information in the neutron-data libraries for isotopes relevant to nonproliferation applications. We …

Cfd Validation And Scaling Of Condensation Heat Transfer, Varun Kalra

Masters Theses

"A CFD study was performed using STAR-CCM+ to validate the software for its competence in the prediction and scaling of condensation heat transfer in the presence of air acting as a non-condensable gas. Three vertical concentric tube heat exchanger geometries with different diameters were studied in the CFD analysis. It was seen that the steam bulk temperatures predicted by STAR-CCM+ closely matched the experimental data. However, the temperatures of outer wall of the steel condenser tubes showed a deviation of 2% to 11% from the experimental values. The error in adiabatic water wall temperatures were found to range from 18% …

Analysis And Implementation Of Accident Tolerant Nuclear Fuels, Benjamin Joseph Prewitt

Masters Theses

"To improve the reliability and robustness of LWR, accident tolerant nuclear fuels and cladding materials are being developed to possibly replace the current UO₂/zirconium system. This research highlights UN and U₃Si₂, two of the most favorable accident tolerant fuels being developed. To evaluate the commercial feasiblilty of these fuels, two areas of research were conducted. Chemical fabrication routes for both fuels were investigated in detail, considering UO₂ and UF₆ as potential starting materials. Potential pathways for industrial scale fabrication using these methods were discussed.

Neutronic performance of 70%UN-30%U₃Si₂ composite …

A Study Of High Temperature Heat Pipes And The Impact Of Magnetic Field On The Flow Of Liquid Metal, Udit Sharma

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A study of high temperature heat pipe was conducted to understand its characteristics. A review of working fluid, temperature, wick structure, problems, operational limit and applications was done. Alkali metal were concluded as the most viable candidate for the working fluid.

The impact of three parameters namely magnetic field, heat flux and temperature was analyzed on the performance of HTHP (High Temperature Heat Pipe). The presence of magnetic field had the most considerable impact on reducing the pumping limit of the heat pipe while the temperature had almost negligible effect. Magnetic field results in the pressure drop and adversely affect …

Comparative Studies Of Diffusion Models And Artificial Neural Intelligence On Electrochemical Process Of U And Zr Dissolutions In Licl-Kcl Eutectic Salts, Samaneh Rakhshan Pouri

Theses and Dissertations

The electrorefiner (ER) is the heart of pyroprocessing technology operating at a high-temperature (723 K – 773 K) to separate uranium from Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) used metallic fuel. One of the most common electroanalytical methods for determining the thermodynamic and electrochemical behavior of elemental species in the eutectic molten salt LiCl-KCl inside ER is cyclic voltammetry (CV). Information from CV can possibly be used to estimate diffusion coefficients, apparent standard potentials, transfer coefficients, and numbers of electron transferred. Therefore, predicting the trace of each species from the CV method in an absence of experimental data is important for safeguarding …

การประเมินความสามารถในการทำนายของโปรแกรม Relap/Scdapsim Mod 3.4 อ้างอิงกับการทดลอง Pbf Sfd 1-4, ณัฐวรา บาริศรี

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ในอดีตที่ผ่านมาได้เกิดอุบัติเหตุทางนิวเคลียร์ที่สร้างความเสียหายร้ายแรงและส่งผลกระทบต่อผู้คนและสิ่งแวดล้อม ยกตัวอย่างเช่น อุบัติเหตุที่เกิดขึ้นในโรงไฟฟ้านิวเคลียร์ทรีไมล์ไอส์แลนด์ โรงไฟฟ้านิวเคลียร์เชอร์โนบิลและโรงไฟฟ้านิวเคลียร์ฟุกุชิมะ ด้วยเหตุนี้ปัญหาด้านความปลอดภัยของโรงไฟฟ้านิวเคลียร์จึงกลายเป็นประเด็นสำคัญและมีการริเริ่มดำเนินงานวิจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องกับความปลอดภัยในโรงไฟฟ้านิวเคลียร์ การวิจัยครั้งนี้จึงได้เลือกศึกษาประเด็นของการใช้โปรแกรมคอมพิวเตอร์เพื่อทำนายพฤติกรรมที่อาจจะเกิดขึ้นในแกนปฏิกรณ์ เนื่องจากโปรแกรมสามารถจำลองเหตุการณ์ ประเมินการเกิดอุบัติเหตุที่อาจจะเกิดขึ้นได้ และได้เลือกใช้โปรแกรม RELAP/SCDAPSIM MOD3.4 ซึ่งสามารถทำนายพฤติกรรมของเชื้อเพลิงและระบบต่างๆของเครื่องปฏิกรณ์ในช่วงที่เกิดอุบัติเหตุระดับรุนแรงในโรงไฟฟ้านิวเคลียร์ได้ เช่น สามารถจำลองพฤติกรรมของระบบหล่อเย็น การปล่อยผลผลิตฟิชชัน อัตราการสร้างไฮโดรเจนภายใต้สภาวะชั่วคราว ความร้อน ความดัน อัตราการไหล การออกซิเดชันของแท่งเชื้อเพลิง การหลอมละลายของมัดเชื้อเพลิง ความเสียหายที่เกิดขึ้นกับโครงสร้างซึ่งเกิดจากการทรุดตัวและความไม่เสถียรในเครื่องปฏิกรณ์นิวเคลียร์ โดยได้ทำการประเมินความสามารถในการทำนายของโปรแกรม RELAP/SCDAPSIM MOD 3.4 อ้างอิงกับการทดลอง PBF SFD 1-4 (Power Burst Facility Severe Fuel Damage Test 1-4) และใช้เงื่อนไขจากการทดลองในการวิเคราะห์พร้อมทั้งเปรียบเทียบผลการคำนวณ ซึ่งได้แก่ ระดับน้ำในแกนปฏิกรณ์ อุณหภูมิของเชื้อเพลิง ปลอกเชื้อเพลิง และโครงห่อหุ้มแกนปฏิกรณ์ (shroud) และอัตราการเกิดก๊าซไฮโดรเจน จากผลการคำนวณพบว่าโปรแกรม RELAP/SCDAPSIM MOD 3.4 สามารถทำนายผลการทดลองได้ใกล้เคียงกับผลการทดลองจริงและมีความแม่นยำในการคำนวณผล อย่างไรก็ตามยังมีบางช่วงที่ไม่สอดคล้องกับผลการทดลองซึ่งอาจเป็นผลมาจากวิธีการป้อนข้อมูลในไฟล์ข้อมูลนำเข้าหรือโมเดลบางส่วนที่จำเป็นต้องได้รับการพัฒนาต่อไป