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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Ab-Initio And Empirical Simulations Of Aluminum And Copper Metal, William Wolfs Dec 2021

Ab-Initio And Empirical Simulations Of Aluminum And Copper Metal, William Wolfs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this work, I perform detailed calculations on the bulk and electronic properties of aluminum and copper metal. Originally, I was motivated by experimental work on the solidsolid phase changes in pure aluminum. These phase changes were well predicted by density functional theory(DFT) but difficult or impossible to predict using embedded atom method potentials(EAM). EAM potentials are in wide use to describe many properties of bulk materials, and it seemed worrying that something so basic as a phase change could not be predicted. I began running high precision calculations with DFT and compared the results to EAM potentials which had …


Effects Of Gamma-Radiation On The Evolution Of Copper Corrosion Dynamics In Deep Geological Repository Solution Environments, Lindsay J. Grandy Nov 2021

Effects Of Gamma-Radiation On The Evolution Of Copper Corrosion Dynamics In Deep Geological Repository Solution Environments, Lindsay J. Grandy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Canadian plan for permanent disposal of used nuclear fuel involves a used fuel container (UFC), a carbon steel vessel with a copper coating to provide the corrosion protection. The corrosion conditions for the copper layer of the UFC are expected to involve small, stagnant water volumes, pH values between 6 and 9, and a continuous flux of γ-radiation emitted from the radionuclides trapped in the fuel matrix. While γ-radiation does not affect the copper metal directly, humid air and water will radiolytically decompose into redox-active and acidic species which will be produced at constant concentrations and can alter the …


Copper Corrosion Dynamics Under Deep Geologic Repository Conditions, Masoumeh Naghizadeh Jun 2021

Copper Corrosion Dynamics Under Deep Geologic Repository Conditions, Masoumeh Naghizadeh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Canada’s plan for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel involves a multiple-barrier system contained within a deep geologic repository (DGR). The key engineered barrier is the used fuel container (UFC), which is a copper-coated carbon steel vessel. The environments to which the copper coating will be exposed in the DGR are very different from those commonly encountered in copper corrosion studies. The copper (Cu) will be in contact with thin stagnant layers of water, and the corrosion system will be exposed to a continuous flux of γ-radiation. In the presence of γ-radiation, water and humid air decompose to redox-active …


Analysis And Differentiation Of Uniform And Localized Corrosion Of Cu, Roshan J. Daljeet Jun 2021

Analysis And Differentiation Of Uniform And Localized Corrosion Of Cu, Roshan J. Daljeet

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current plan for disposal of used nuclear fuel in Canada involves sealing the waste in steel containers coated with 3 mm of copper and burying them in a deep geologic repository (DGR). The purpose of the copper coating is to provide corrosion resistance. To achieve long term containment, it is necessary that the copper layer corrodes slowly and predictably via active dissolution rather than passivating due to film formation. Film formation could allow pitting corrosion to occur in early phase repository conditions when groundwater ions such as Cl– , SO4 2– and HCO3 – play a dominant role in …


Galvanic Corrosion Of Carbon Steel Coupled To Copper In Used Nuclear Fuel Containers, Lindsay J. Braithwaite Mar 2021

Galvanic Corrosion Of Carbon Steel Coupled To Copper In Used Nuclear Fuel Containers, Lindsay J. Braithwaite

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Deep geological containment of used nuclear fuel will rely on multiple engineered and natural barriers, two of which are the copper-coated used fuel containers and the compacted bentonite clay buffer boxes in which the containers will rest. This work focused on possible galvanic interactions between the copper coating and the steel substrate of the container, which may occur at a hypothetical through-coating defect. In the presence of various amounts of chloride, bentonite, and oxygen, corrosion of the copper/carbon steel couple was studied using electrochemical tests complemented by surface characterization and 3D X-ray imaging. We investigated the effects of copper-to-steel area …


Development And Implementation Of A Pressure-Temperature Control System For The Physical Vapor Deposition Of Copper And Niobium From A Molybdenum Filament In The Development Of Superconducting 3d Printed Rf Cavity Particle Accelerators, Chandler J. Fleuette Jan 2021

Development And Implementation Of A Pressure-Temperature Control System For The Physical Vapor Deposition Of Copper And Niobium From A Molybdenum Filament In The Development Of Superconducting 3d Printed Rf Cavity Particle Accelerators, Chandler J. Fleuette

Honors Theses and Capstones

This report covers the development of the pressure-temperature control system used in the production of small superconducting RF cavities for particle accelerators. To test the validity of the created program, a model for the process was created and tested. The model was used to fine tune the control system before integrating it into the lab. The end goal of the control system is to measure the pressure inside of a deposition vacuum chamber, convert that pressure to a temperature, and use that temperature in tandem with a PID controller to control the current passing though a molybdenum filament which is …