Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

Innovative Fuel Design To Improve Proliferation Management, Taylor C. Britt

Theses and Dissertations

This research uses an existing innovative fuel design (IFD) that has intrinsic safety features and enhanced economics over the current uranium dioxide (UO₂) light water fuel design and evaluates promising methods to improve the waste management and proliferation resistance of the IFD by doping the fresh fuel with select actinides.The most robust approach for proliferation resistance is to denature these materials by adding a uranium or plutonium isotope that hampers the usability of the materials in weapons. The proposed modifications to the IFD use this approach through elevated fractions of ²³⁸Pu. ²³⁸Pu generates large quantities of …

Computational Design And Numerical Analyses Of Thermal-Hydraulics In A Pwr-Type Small Modular Nuclear Reactor, Vivek Murlidhar Rao

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on computational design of a PWR-type small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), and analysis of coolant thermal-hydraulics during steady-state operation. Physical design of the SMR is based on the existing AP-1000 and Small Modular Reactor designs by Westinghouse Nuclear.

The first paper discusses a two-stage simulation of turbulent flow in the lower plenum of the RPV. In the first stage, four time-dependent Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based turbulence models were used to simulate turbulent flow, compare predictions and identify an appropriate turbulence model. In the second stage, the selected turbulence model was once again used to simulate flow on …

การผลิตไบโอดีเซลจากน้ำมันพืชใช้แล้วโดยใช้เครื่องไดอิเล็คทริคแบร์ริเออร์ดิสชาร์ตพลาสมาแบบหัวฉีดละออง, กุลนันทน์ ภูประสิทธิ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ได้ศึกษาผลิตไบโอดีเซลจากน้ำมันพืชใช้แล้วโดยใช้เครื่องปฏิกรณ์ไดอิเล็คทริคแบร์ริเออร์ดิสชาร์ตพลาสมาแบบหัวฉีดละออง โดยทำการแบ่งการศึกษาออกเป็นสองส่วน ส่วนแรกเป็นการสร้างระบบจ่ายไฟเพื่อก่อให้เกิดพลาสมา โดยสามารถจ่ายแรงดันไฟฟ้าได้สูงถึง 15 kV จ่ายกระแสไฟฟ้าได้สูงถึง 100 mA และปรับความถี่ได้ในช่วง 20 - 20,000 Hz โดยระบบประกอบด้วยเครื่องกำเนิดสัญญาณ (Signal generator), เครื่องขยายสัญญาณ (Signal amplifier), หม้อแปลงขึ้น (Step-up transformer) และหม้อแปลงนีออนไลท์ (Neon sign transformer) 5 ตัวต่อขนานกัน ซึ่งระบบจ่ายไฟที่สร้างขึ้นนี้จะสามารถก่อให้เกิดพลาสมาที่ความดันบรรยากาศ และส่วนที่สองเป็นการศึกษาการนำระบบจ่ายไฟที่สร้างขึ้นเพื่อก่อให้เกิดพลาสมาแบบไดอิเล็คทริค โดยนำมาทำปฏิกิริยาทรานส์เอสเทอริฟิเคชัน (Transesterification) โดยปรับอัตราส่วน เมทานอล:น้ำมันพืช ให้อยู่ในช่วง 3:1 - 10:1 โดยโมล ใช้น้ำมันพืช 100 ml ที่อุณหภูมิห้อง ทำการหมุนเวียนระบบด้วยปั๊มรีดท่อ (Peristaltic pump) ระยะห่างระหว่างขั้วแคโทด (Cathode) และแอโนด (Anode) 3 มิลลิเมตร และฉีดพ่นสารผสมโดยใช้หัวฉีดละออง (Atomizing nozzle) เป็นเวลา 2 ชั่วโมงพบว่าค่าผลผลิตไบโอดีเซล (Biodiesel yield) น้อยกว่า 1 % ของทั้ง 3 อัตราส่วน คืออัตราส่วน 3:1, 6:1 และ 10:1 ต่อโมล อีกทั้งไม่เกิดกลีเซอรอลในระบบ เนื่องจากสารผสมเมื่อสัมผัสกับแผ่นขนานระหว่างขั้วจะประพฤติตัวเป็นฉนวนทำให้พลาสมาที่เกิดขึ้นมีปริมาณน้อยลงจึงทำให้ปฏิกิริยาเกิดขึ้นได้น้อย แต่ระบบจ่ายไฟที่สร้างขึ้นนี้สามารถก่อให้เกิดพลาสมาได้จริง

Modulated Photothermal Radiometry: Detector Sensitivity Study And Experimental Setup, Jessica Nicole Seals

Masters Theses

"This thesis outlines the development of a system used for determining the surface thermal diffusivity of both non-irradiated and irradiated materials. The motivation for this work is to establish a modulated photothermal radiometry (PTR) system on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology. One of the main efforts described in this thesis is the design and construction of the physical apparatus. Along the way, it was necessary to perform a detailed sensitivity analysis of the system to determine whether the expected signal emitted from the sample falls within the bounds of detectivity for the HgCdTe (MCT) detector used …

The Rhetoric Of Science Education And Technology, Iwasan D. Kejawa

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Nearly thousands of science experiments are performed both on humans and animals every year in the United States (Gregory, 1999). Does Science enormously play a role in the well-beings of individual in the society? Research has found that science education is through motivation and satisfying the needs of humans. The scientific world is part of an elongated human development. This can be substantiated with the use and evolution of TECHNOLOGY and SCIENCE (Minton, 2004). Education of the entities that comprise the need to achieve the goal of TECHNOLOGY and SCIENCE which are important issues of today. Research has shown that …

Customized Multi-Group Cross Section Generation With Njoy For Discrete Ordinates Computed Tomography And Radiography Simulation, Steven Michael Wagstaff

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this work was to explore the creation of photoatomic multi-group cross section libraries to be used with a software package DOCTORS (Discrete Ordinates Computed TOmography and Radiography Simulator). This software solves the linear Boltzmann equation using the discrete ordinates method [1]. To create these libraries, NJOY2016 was used, creating both fine and broad energy multi-group cross section files. The cross section's accuracy was tested against an equivalent Monte Carlo simulation using MCNP6.

Two simulation geometries were used. The first, a cylindrical water phantom with a single source projection placed in front, simulating an X-ray radiography. The second …

An Investigation Into The Effects Of Ion Tracks On Α-Quartz, Bryant Alan Kanies

Masters Theses

"The passage of a swift heavy ion through a material can cause columnar, amorphous nano-structures known as ion tracks. Swift heavy ions are present in a number of applications ranging from nuclear reactors to nuclear waste storage and onboard spacecraft. The study of ion tracks has been ongoing since the late 1950s and has led to several technological advancements. In fact, ion beams have been used to enhance material properties and aid in the production of electrical components. Ion beams, and their resultant ion tracks, can therefore be seen as a method to purposefully alter material properties such as thermal …

Development And Monte Carlo Validation Of A Finite Element Reactor Analysis Framework, Wayne J. Brewster

Masters Theses

"This study presents the development and Monte Carlo validation of a continuous Galerkin finite element reactor analysis framework. In its current state, the framework acts as an interface between the mesh preparation software GMSH and the sparse linear solvers in MATLAB, for the discretization and approximation of 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D linear partial differential equations. Validity of the framework is assessed from the following two benchmarking activities: the 2-D IAEA PWR benchmark; and the 2-D Missouri Science and Technology Reactor benchmark proposed within this study. The 2-D IAEA PWR multi-group diffusion benchmark is conducted with the following discretization schemes: linear, …

Investigation Of The Hydrodynamics And Scale-Up Of Advanced Triso Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Using Sophisticated Measurement Techniques, Thaar M. Aljuwaya

Doctoral Dissertations

"The successful performance and safety of the Very-High-Temperature Nuclear Reactors (VHTR) extremely depend on the quality of the TRISO nuclear fuel coated particles. However, the coating of the TRISO particles is delicate process and impacted by the hydrodynamics of spouted beds. Therefore, in this work, we applied advanced non-invasive measurement techniques which are gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) and radioactive particle tracking (RPT), to investigate foremost the local parameters to advance the fundamental understanding of the hydrodynamics and scale-up of gas-solid spouted beds. The CT technique has been applied to study the effects of particle density, particle size, bed size, and …

Advancement In Thermal Energy Storage Using Phase Change Materials, Rami Mohammad Reda Saeed

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation is intended to study the fundamental physical behavior of phase change materials (PCMs) and provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in their design and applications for thermal energy storage. Standard, predictive and thermodynamic models were presented to develop new PCM eutectic mixtures in a more scientific design approach. As new eutectic PCMs were developed, further research efforts were initiated to develop functionalized PCMs with enhanced thermal and physical properties to create the next generation of PCMs. Further efforts have been expanded to review several high-temperature PCM candidates with phase transition temperatures in the range …

The Effects Of Frequent Atmospheric Events And Hydrologic Infrastructure On Flow Characterization In Tims Branch And Its Major Tributary, Sc, Mohammed Albassam

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydrological models are powerful tools used to predict water systems behavior such as flow and water level characteristics for rivers and streams. In this research, a fully dynamic 1-D model was developed using the MIKE 11 model for a specific stream called A-014, this stream is in the Savannah River Site (SRS), SC.

A field study was conducted in order to collect data needed as inputs for the model development. Data like water velocity and cross-section measurement played a major role in understanding the behavior of the A-014 and the validation of our model.

Results showed a correlation capable to …

Experimental Evaluation Of Uranyl Transport Into Mesoporous Silica Gel Using Fluorescence, Brandon M. Dodd

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated parameters that can affect the use of nanoporous silica gel as a media for accumulating a detectable amount of uranium. The unique fluorescence of the Uranyl (UO₂²⁺) ion was used to evaluate the transport kinetics and accumulation within silica gel in a static fluid and under pressure driven flow. The addition of fluid flow decreased the time constant from on the order of an hour to approximately 2s with a very low fluid velocity of 0.36cm/s. The 0.36cm/s fluid velocity was found to be the critical velocity above which there was no gain in …

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Impasse: Transportation Implications, Robin M. Rotman, Michael F. Mcbride

Faculty Publications

For several years there has been an impasse, in the political branches, over how to make progress on dealing with the intractable problem of nuclear waste disposal in the United States. Currently, over 120 sites, spread across 39 states, host commercial spent fuel—many of these sites are former reactors that have become de facto interim nuclear waste storage sites, pending a permanent solution. Transportation considerations are central in this discussion. With the potential for Congress to make progress on this issue following the 2018 midterm elections, this article reviews the potential paths forward and considers possible implications for the transportation …

การพัฒนาเทคนิคเอกซเรย์คอมพิวเตดโทโมกราฟีโดยการบันทึกภาพบนฉากเรืองรังสีด้วยกล้องดิจิตอล, พณพณ สาวิโรจน์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีจุดประสงค์ในการพัฒนาระบบถ่ายภาพด้วยรังสีเอกซ์โดยใช้ฉากเรืองรังสีและพัฒนาเทคนิคการสร้างภาพโทโมกราฟีของชิ้นงาน ระบบบันทึกภาพประกอบด้วยฉากเรืองรังสี กล้องถ่ายภาพดิจิตอล และแท่นวางชิ้นงานที่หมุนได้ การหมุนของแท่นวางชิ้นงานถูกควบคุมโดยสเตปปิงมอเตอร์และซอฟต์แวร์ที่เขียนด้วย Visual basic 6.0 ในขณะที่การตั้งค่าและการถ่ายภาพของกล้องถ่ายภาพดิจิตอลถูกควบคุมด้วยคอมพิวเตอร์ผ่านทางสายยูเอสบี ได้ทำการศึกษาผลของการตั้งค่าต่างๆ ของกล้องถ่ายภาพและของเครื่องกำเนิดรังสีเอกซ์ที่มีต่อคุณภาพของภาพที่ได้ จากนั้นได้ทดสอบชิ้นงาน 6 ชิ้นที่มีองค์ประกอบและลักษณะต่างกัน โดยทำการถ่ายภาพแต่ละชิ้นงานทุกๆ 1.8 องศา รวมทั้งหมด 100 ภาพ เมื่อนำไปสร้างภาพซีทีแล้วพบว่ามีคุณภาพน่าพอใจมาก เวลาที่ใช้ในการถ่ายภาพ และสร้างภาพแต่ละตัวอย่างรวมทั้งสิ้นประมาณ 7 นาที อย่างไรก็ตามสำหรับตัวอย่างที่มีความหนามากและมีความหนาแน่นสูงอาจต้องปรับเปลี่ยนไปขึ้นอยู่กับการตั้งค่าของกล้องถ่ายภาพและของเครื่องกำเนิดรังสีเอกซ์ รวมทั้งชนิดของฉากเรืองรังสี งานวิจัยนี้ชี้ให้เห็นการนำระบบและเทคนิคที่พัฒนาขึ้นไปใช้งานในการตรวจสอบชิ้นงานในอนาคต

Synthesis Of High Efficiency Amidoxime Polymer Adsorbents For Uranium Extraction From Seawater By Radiation-Induced Polymerization, Wijittra Wongjaikham

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study synthesized amidoxime polymer gel for uranium extraction from seawater through a polymerization process with gamma ray or UV-C radiation. The synthesis started with a mixture of acrylonitrile (AN) and methacrylic acid (MAA) monomers together with methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker and hydrogen peroxide in the case of UV radiation. The mixture was irradiated with gamma ray at various doses or UV-C for various durations. The resulting polymer gel was ground into fine particles and immersed in a hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution for 90 minutes in order to convert the chemical functional group from the cyano group into the amidoxime …

Design And Development Of A Compact X-Ray Tube For Stationary Ct Architecture, Ashish Vighnahar Avachat

Doctoral Dissertations

"Multisource architectures enable sweeping one or more x-ray beams across the imaging field-of-view faster than physically moving a single x-ray source and/or a detector. Hence, these architectures are attractive for the applications in which temporal resolution plays an important role, for example, cardiac computed tomography (CT) or real-time CT. One of the recent developments in multisource architectures for CT imaging is stationary CT architecture, whereby two separate stationary arrays -- one for x-ray sources and one for detectors -- are utilized to sweep one or more x-ray beams along the gantry and acquire 360 degree projections. To have a stationary …

Correlation Between Delay Time And Measured Concentration And Concentration Uncertainty By Neutron Activation Analysis, James Thomas Seman

Doctoral Dissertations

"For the last several decades, it has been apparent that new methods of identifying explosives can help investigators trace their origins. One way to identify an explosive is through the use of taggants: materials added to a product that encodes information about the product such as when it was manufactured.

This research investigates the survivability of a new identification taggant called the Nuclear Barcode that overcomes some of the downfalls that have been identified in prior taggants. The Nuclear Barcode encodes information as a unique combination of concentrations of rare earths (Ho, Eu, Sm, Lu, and Dy) and precious metals …

The Significance Of Grouping And Missed Bubbles On Interfacial Area Concentration And Void Fraction, Chandller Stephen-Leslie Mills

Doctoral Dissertations

"The two-fluid model is used in nuclear reactor safety codes. Two of the important constitutive relations will be discussed in this study, the interfacial area concentration and void fraction. The Interfacial area concentration is directly affected by the number of bubbles and how these bubbles are categorized into groups. In this study, a new algorithm was implemented to account for trailing bubbles, bubbles with short response times, and the categorization of bubbles based upon diameter for all group 1 bubbles. The optical and conductivity probes were used to determine the void fraction and interfacial area concentration in a bubble column. …

Design And Characterization Of Multi-Spectral Underwater Beam-Port For Pool-Type Research Reactors, Meshari Mesfer Alqahtani

Doctoral Dissertations

“The beam-port is a cardinal facility at research reactors necessary for dry irradiation, testing and measurement experiments. The Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR) is one such reactor with a beam-port. Installation of additional beam-port in such reactor facilities can be prohibitive. A novel remedy to this is an underwater beam-port for pool-type reactors. The design and characterization of a conceptual underwater multi-spectral beam-port for neutron and gamma fluxes were completed for the MSTR. The neutron spectra from the MSTR were simulated using the Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP). The determined neutron spectra were experimentally validated using SAND-II. The …

Fuel Burnup Simulation And Analysis Of The Missouri S&T Reactor, Joshua Hinkle Rhodes

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this work is to simulate the fuel burnup of the Missouri S&T Reactor. This work was accomplished using the Monte Carlo software MCNP. The primary core configurations of MSTR were modeled and the power history was used to determine the input parameters for the burnup simulation. These simulations were run to determine the burnup for each fuel element used in the core of MSTR.

With these simulations, the new predicted isotopic compositions were added into the model. New core configurations were determined, and the burnup corrected model was used to predict the excess reactivity and control rod …