Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

Measurement Of Impact Forces On Teeth And Jaw When Wearing Sports Mouth Guards, Alghamdi Abdullah, Alnaser Mobarak, Quiroz Ingrid, Serrate Ciro Alcoba, Veizaga Rodrigo

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The objective of this project is to accurately measure the forces the teeth and jaw experience when subjected to impact. For this purpose piezoelectric technology (PVDF), which converts voltage to force and vice versa can be used to measure forces applied to teeth. A PVDF cable is calibrated and used for measuring force along with a control measuring device (PCB Piezotronics). The method involves wrapping the PVDF cable around a 3D home-printed, customized denture. The cable was chosen due to the fact that it allows for adequate fit between mouth guard and denture. Two masses, a baseball and 2 lbs …

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 …

In Defense Of Science—What Would John Do?, Mohamed Gad-El-Hak

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Recent onslaughts on the importance of pure research to our collective well-being are trending. In this essay, I discuss the issues involved and offer a rebuttal. The thoughts are inspired by my mentor, academic sibling, and idol John Leask Lumley.

Venus Lander Design, Garon Morgan, Brian Rodrigues, Dhruv Sachani, Jason Scott

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The students designed an Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) system for a lander to reach the surface of Venus. The students used a combination of 3D modelling and programming to design the EDL within given constraints under specific tolerances. An EDL takes into consideration entry flight dynamics, aeroheating, and landing systems. The EDL was divided into three stages (see below). The separation of stages was designed to address unique challenges found at different points throughout the EDL. The primary objective of the first stage was to minimize the heat associated with the entry velocity to the payload. The second stage …

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 …

Effects Of Roughness On Droplet Apparent Contact Angles On A Fiber, M. M. Amrei, M. Davoudi, G. G. Chase, H. Vahedi Tafreshi

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

This paper reports on our investigation of the effects of surface roughness on the equilibrium shape and apparent contact angles of a droplet deposited on a fiber. In particular, the shape of a droplet on a roughened fiber is studied via the energy minimization method implemented in the surface evolver finite element code. Sinusoidal roughness varying in both the longitudinal and radial directions is considered in the simulations to study the effects of surface roughness on the most stable shape of a droplet on a fiber (corresponding a global minimum energy state). It is found that surface roughness delays droplet …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Development Of Innovative High-Energy Neutron And Gamma-Ray Shielding Material Based On High Density Cement And Crumb Rubber, Pawitra Aim-O

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The incorporation of carbon and hydrogen-rich material into radiation shielding material can improve its shielding performance. High-density cement mixed with crumb rubber was studied to be a gamma ray and neutron shielding material. Shielding materials were designed using high-density cement mixed with 5 - 25 vol% of crumb rubber. Monte Carlo N-Particle code was employed to simulate radiation shielding performances of the composed materials. The utilized neutron and photon sources were Am-241/Be and Co-60, respectively. These shielding designs were fabricated and experimentally evaluated on the radiation shielding properties. The cracking mechanism of high-density cement mixed with lead (HDCRL) was also …

Mechanical Characterization And Non-Destructive Evaluation Of Sicf-Sicm Composite Tubing With The Impulse Excitation Technique, Nathaniel Truesdale

Theses and Dissertations

With growing interest on ceramic fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMC) for accident tolerant fuel, the need for mechanical characterization of ceramic composite arises. It has been of particular interest to non-destructively evaluate the mechanical performance of these composites. Impulse excitation (IE) is a well-established method for non-destructive mechanical characterization of homogeneous isotropic material of well-defined shapes. In this thesis, impulse excitation technique was applied for non-destructive characterization of composite tube for the first time as far as we know. CMC, when stressed beyond its damage threshold, will experience various forms of structural damage, such as matrix micro-cracking, fiber-matrix debonding, …

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 …

การพัฒนาเทคนิคการถ่ายภาพด้วยรังสีเอกซ์ที่บันทึกภาพโดยใช้กล้องดิจิทัลสำหรับคัดกรองของเหลว, นพรัตน์ แก้วใหม่

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษาวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาเทคนิคการถ่ายภาพด้วยรังสีเอกซ์โดยใช้กล้องถ่ายภาพดิจิทัลสำหรับคัดกรองของเหลวติดไฟจากการหาค่าสัมประสิทธิ์การลดทอนรังสี ระบบถ่ายภาพด้วยรังสีประกอบด้วยกล้องถ่ายภาพดิจิทัลร่วมด้วยแผ่นเรืองรังสีเป็นฉากรับภาพถ่ายรังสีและควบคุมกล้องด้วยโปรแกรมคอมพิวเตอร์ผ่าน USB ภาพถ่ายด้วยรังสีของของเหลวชนิดต่าง ๆ ที่บรรจุในขวดพลาสติกบางทรงเหลี่ยมความกว้าง 6 เซนติเมตร โดยใช้ค่าความต่างศักย์ของเครื่องกำเนิดรังสีเอกซ์ระหว่าง 90 -160 กิโลโวลต์ ภาพถ่ายด้วยรังสีถูกวิเคราะห์ด้วยซอฟต์แวร์คอมพิวเตอร์ที่พัฒนาขึ้นมา ซึ่งใช้เทคนิคการคำนวณหาค่าและเปรียบเทียบค่าสัมประสิทธิ์การลดทอนรังสีของของเหลวใด ๆ เทียบกับของน้ำที่ถูกถ่ายภาพด้วยปริมาณรังสีเอ็กซ์ด้วยเงื่อนไขเดียวกัน จากผลการทดลองพบว่า เทคนิคการถ่ายภาพและซอฟต์แวร์ที่พัฒนาขึ้นสามารถใช้คัดแยกของเหลวชนิดติดไฟและของเหลวชนิดที่ไม่ติดไฟได้เป็นอย่างดี ซึ่งสามารถนำเทคนิคนี้ไปพัฒนาต่อยอดในงานด้านรักษาความมั่นคงปลอดภัยให้เกิดความรวดเร็วมากยิ่งขึ้นได้

Development Of Data Acquisition Technique For Computed Tomography Of Simplified Distillation Column Model As Used In Petroleum And Petrochemical Plants, Dhanaj Saengchantr

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This dissertation propose the development of data acquisition technique for computed tomography of simplified distillation column model as used in petroleum and petrochemical industries. The aim of this dissertation is to apply the computed tomography technique to inspect the internal structure of distillation column regardless of complex system to move radiation detectors and source. The developed data acquisition technique allows the operator to move radiation detectors and radiation source by follow designed algorithm. The scanning data are reconstructed using filtered back projection algorithm to evaluate internal structure at the region of interest from cross sectional reconstructed image. In this dissertation, …

Development Of Technique For Screening Liquids In Unopened Bottle Using Low Energy X-Ray Transmission, Parkphum Orachorn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Since August 2006 after the discovery of terrorists' attempts to explode airplanes with liquid explosives in United Kingdom, each airline passenger is allowed to carry only a maximum of 100 ml liquid in each container and a total of not more than 1,000 ml in carry-on luggage. This measure was adopted to prevent bringing sufficient amount of fuel oil, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or other flammable and explosive liquids into the aircraft. In this research, X-ray transmission technique was experimentally investigated using low energy X-rays between 13.6 - 43.5 keV emitted from 238Pu radioisotopic source and linear attenuation coefficient of liquids …

การพัฒนารถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบสำหรับระบุตำแหน่งต้นกำเนิดรังสีแกมมา, ตะวัน กลิ่นผกา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ปัจจุบันได้มีการใช้งานสารกัมมันตรังสีอย่างแพร่หลาย เป็นเหตุให้มีโอกาสเกิดอุบัติเหตุทางรังสีหรือการปนเปื้อนทางรังสีขึ้นได้ ดังนั้นผู้ปฏิบัติงานทางด้านรังสีจำเป็นที่จะต้องเข้าไปตรวจหาตำแหน่งต้นกำเนิดรังสี เพื่อทำการเก็บกู้ต้นกำเนิดรังสีในภายหลัง ทำให้ผู้ปฏิบัติงานทางด้านรังสีได้รับรังสีจากการปฏิบัติหน้าที่ ดังนั้นเพื่อให้เกิดความปลอดภัยและหลีกเลี่ยงการได้รับรังสีโดยไม่จำเป็นของผู้ปฏิบัติงานทางด้านรังสี ผู้วิจัยจึงมีแนวคิดที่จะทำการพัฒนารถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบสำหรับระบุตำแหน่งต้นกำเนิดรังสีแกมมาขึ้น เพื่อช่วยให้ผู้ปฏิบัติงานทางด้านรังสีสามารถอยู่ห่างจากแหล่งกำเนิดรังสีขณะตรวจหาตำแหน่งต้นกำเนิดรังสีแกมมา ซึ่งรถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบที่ออกแบบและพัฒนาขึ้นนี้ใช้หลักการทำงานของล้อแบบแมคานุม (Mecanum wheel) ทำให้รถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบสามารถเคลื่อนที่ได้หลายทิศทาง (Omni directional) โดยไม่ต้องใช้การควบคุมบังคับเลี้ยวล้อเหมือนรถทั่วๆ ไป การทำงานของรถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบมีโหมดควบคุมการทำงาน 2 โหมดคือ โหมดควบคุมด้วยคนผ่านทางจอยสติก และโหมดควบคุมอัตโนมัติ ซึ่งทั้ง 2 โหมดจะทำงานผ่านทางอุปกรณ์รับส่งคลื่นวิทยุย่านความถี่ 2.4 กิกะเฮิรตซ์ การทำงานในขั้นแรกจะทำงานในโหมดควบคุมด้วยคนผ่านทางจอยสติก โดยรถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบจะถูกควบคุมให้เคลื่อนที่เข้าไปยังพื้นที่ที่ต้องการ หลังจากนั้นผู้ควบคุมจะเปลี่ยนโหมดการทำงานไปเป็นโหมดควบคุมอัตโนมัติ ซึ่งในโหมดนี้จะเป็นการทำงานร่วมกันระหว่างไมโครคอนโทรลเลอร์กับระบบวัดรังสีแกมมา เพื่อให้รถหุ่นยนต์ตรวจหาตำแหน่งต้นกำเนิดรังสีแกมมา ผลจากการทดสอบปรากฏว่ารถหุ่นยนต์ต้นแบบมีรัศมีควบคุมได้ไกล 60 เมตร โดยไม่มีสิ่งกีดขวาง สามารถเคลื่อนที่บนพื้นราบด้วยความเร็วสูงสุด 2.12 กม./ชั่วโมง ระยะเวลาทำงานประมาณ 15 นาที เคลื่อนที่ได้ระยะทางทั้งหมดประมาณ 530 เมตร ความแม่นยำในการตรวจหาทิศทางที่มีความแรงรังสีสูงสุดอยู่ในช่วง ±10 องศา โดยอยู่ห่างจากต้นกำเนิดรังสีแกมมาที่ระยะประมาณ 30 เซนติเมตร