Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Pellet Cladding Interaction And Creep Of U3si2 Fuel For Use In Light Water Reactors, Kathryn E. Metzger

Theses and Dissertations

Following the accident at the Fukushima plant, enhancing the accident tolerance of the light water reactor (LWR) fleet became a topic of serious discussion. Under the direction of congress, the DOE office of Nuclear Energy added accident tolerant fuel development as a primary component to the existing Advanced Fuels Program. The DOE defines accident tolerant fuels as fuels that “in comparison with the standard UO2- Zircaloy system currently used by the nuclear industry, can tolerate loss of active cooling in the reactor core for a considerably longer time period (depending on the LWR system and accident scenario) while maintaining or …

Dosimetry, Activation, And Robotic Instrumentation Damage Modeling Of The Holtec Hi-Storm 100 Spent Nuclear Fuel System, C. Ryan Priest

Theses and Dissertations

The Holtec HI-STORM 100 spent fuel storage system is an intermediate storage mechanism for SNF assemblies. Long term licensing and storage requires consideration of material degradation of the stainless steel multi-purpose canister holding the spent fuel. This material degradation is predicted to take the form of environmentally assisted cracking on weld interfaces of the stainless steel cylinder. Several of these spent fuel storage arrays are located in coastal environments. These sites include both the Hope Creek and Diablo Canyon nuclear power stations. A multi-sensory robotic package is being designed for non-destructive assay of the cask annular environment. It will be …

Deformation Induced Martensitic Transformation In 304 Stainless Steels, Junliang Liu

Theses and Dissertations

304 stainless steel is an austenitic steel widely used for various applications due to a good combination of strength and ductility and relative low cost. It is known to be metastable as the austenite phase can transform into martensite under stress. In this work, a new method (in-situ tensile TEM) and the traditional method (ex-situ tensile tests and TEM, XRD characterization) were used to investigate the mechanisms of deformation-induced martensitic transformation in 304SS samples at different temperatures.

The ex-situ tensile tests were conducted under a strain rate of 10-3 s-1 until rupture. After the tensile tests, the fractured area was …

Measurement Of Rare Earth And Uranium Elements Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (Libs) In An Aerosol System For Nuclear Safeguards Applications, Ammon N. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to develop an applied technology and provide an assessment for remotely measuring and analyzing the real time or near real time concentrations of used nuclear fuel (UNF) elements in electrorefiners (ER). Here, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in UNF pyroprocessing facilities was investigated. LIBS is an elemental analysis method, which is based on the emission from plasma generated by focusing a laser beam into the medium. This technology has been reported to be applicable in solids, liquids (includes molten metals), and gases for detecting elements of special nuclear materials. The advantages of applying the …

Thorium-Based Mixed Oxide Fuel In A Pressurized Water Reactor: A Feasibility Analysis With Mcnp, Lucas Powelson Tucker

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation investigates techniques for spent fuel monitoring, and assesses the feasibility of using a thorium-based mixed oxide fuel in a conventional pressurized water reactor for plutonium disposition. Both non-paralyzing and paralyzing dead-time calculations were performed for the Portable Spectroscopic Fast Neutron Probe (N-Probe), which can be used for spent fuel interrogation. Also, a Canberra ³He neutron detector's dead-time was estimated using a combination of subcritical assembly measurements and MCNP simulations. Next, a multitude of fission products were identified as candidates for burnup and spent fuel analysis of irradiated mixed oxide fuel. The best isotopes for these applications were …

Evaluating Of Scale-Up Methodologies Of Gas-Solid Spouted Beds For Coating Triso Nuclear Fuel Particles Using Advanced Measurement Techniques, Neven Y. Ali

Doctoral Dissertations

"The work focuses on implementing for the first time advanced non-invasive measurement techniques to evaluate the scale-up methodology of gas-solid spouted beds for hydrodynamics similarity that has been reported in the literature based on matching dimensionless groups and the new mechanistic scale up methodology that has been developed in our laboratory based on matching the radial profile of gas holdup since the gas dynamics dictate the hydrodynamics of the gas-solid spouted beds. These techniques are gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) to measure the cross-sectional distribution of the phases' holdups and their radial profiles along the bed height and radioactive particle tracking …

Study Of Heat Transfer Phenomenon During Natural Convection, Muhammad Yousaf

Doctoral Dissertations

"The purpose of the present study was to numerically investigate the effects of the roughness elements on the heat transfer during natural convection. A computational algorithm was developed based on the Lattice Boltzmann method to conduct numerical study in two-dimensional rectangular cavities and Rayleigh-Bénard cell. A single relaxation time Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook model of Lattice Boltzmann method was used to solve the coupled momentum and energy equations in two-dimensional lattices. Computational model was validated against previous benchmark solutions, and a good agreement was found to exist. A Newtonian fluid of Prandtl (Pr) number 1.0 was considered for this numerical study. The range …

Proactive Strategies In Personal Dose Monitoring, Prevention And Mitigation, Manish Kumar Sharma

Doctoral Dissertations

"At certain threshold, nuclear radiation (like x-rays and gamma-rays) may adversely impact the health of living tissues. The exposure to these radiations in nuclear facilities is measured by devices called dosimeters. The devices are generally worn on the torso and are monitored by health physics division to report the radiation dose received by the personnel. However, this approach is not proactive--since the dosimeters reflect the dose that has already been absorbed in the body of the wearer.

This work presents a scheme to proactively avoid large dose acquisition at radiation-prone facilities. The work was divided into three major segments: (i) …

Convective Cooling In A Pool-Type Research Reactor, Susan Sipaun, Shoaib Usman

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

A reactor produces heat arising from fission reactions in the nuclear core. In the Missouri University of Science and Technology research reactor (MSTR), this heat is removed by natural convection where the coolant/moderator is demineralised water. Heat energy is transferred from the core into the coolant, and the heated water eventually evaporates from the open pool surface. A secondary cooling system was installed to actively remove excess heat arising from prolonged reactor operations. The nuclear core consists of uranium silicide aluminium dispersion fuel (U₃Si₂Al) in the form of rectangular plates. Gaps between the plates allow coolant …

Analysis Of The Developing States In The Mena Region Seeking Civilian Nuclear Energy, With A Primary Focus On The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia (Ksa) And The United Arab Emirates (Uae), Thaqal Alhuzaymi, Ayodeji Babatunde Alajo

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The comprehensive analysis presented here attempts to ana­lyze “newcomer” states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), primarily the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Unit­ed Arab Emirates (UAE), seeking to implement civilian nuclear energy according to their political and economic situations. By investigating their motivations and funding resources for fu­ture nuclear projects, this analysis provides guidance for these states in terms of their nuclear infrastructure and nonprolifera­tion. The overall approach of this analysis relies on the factors for the success of civilian nuclear energy programs identified in experiential studies conducted since the Atoms for Peace speech in 1953.This …

Electrochemical Studies Of Cerium And Uranium In Licl-Kcl Eutectic For Fundamentals Of Pyroprocessing Technology, Dalsung Yoon

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the characteristics of special nuclear materials in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt is extremely important in terms of effective system operation and material accountability for safeguarding pyroprocessing technology. By considering that uranium (U) is the most abundant and important element in the used nuclear fuel, measurements and analyses of U properties were performed in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt. Therefore, the electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), open circuit potential (OCP), Tafel, linear polarization (LP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were conducted under different experimental conditions to explore the electrochemical, thermodynamic, and kinetic properties of U in LiCl-KCl eutectic. The ultimate goal …

Thermal Characterization Of Phase Change Materials For Thermal Energy Storage, Rami Mohammad Reda Saeed

Masters Theses

"The study provides a valuable and useful database for Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for Thermal Energy Storage (TES) applications. Only a few existing studies have provided an overall investigation of thermophysical properties of PCMs in this detailed manner. Several organic PCMs, namely Myristic acid, Capric Acid, Lauryl Alcohol, Palmitic acid and Lauric acid, have been characterized after being carefully selected to cover wide range of TES applications. Insights and information gained from this work will be applied toward the design and modelling of many low temperature thermal energy storage applications. The study experimentally investigated uncertainty of thermal characterization of PCMs …

A Feasibility Study Of A Nuclear Power Plant With No Moving Parts, Jonathan Mark Schattke

Masters Theses

"In a nuclear reactor design, every moving part in a system is considered a failure point. In this study, a proposal is made for designing a nuclear reactor that has no moving parts by coupling an accelerator driven core (removing control system moving parts) to a magnetohydrodynamic generator (removing power generation moving parts) using mercury coolant (removing pumping system moving parts). Further safety is realized by using a subcritical core, where the core is never able to sustain a chain reaction on its own, obviating many safety systems. The design is verified with a Monte Carlo simulation "--Abstract, page iii.

Attenuation Properties Of Cement Composites: Experimental Measurements And Monte Carlo Calculations, Raul Florez

Masters Theses

"Developing new cement based materials with excellent mechanical and attenuation properties is critically important for both medical and nuclear power industries. Concrete continues to be the primary choice material for the shielding of gamma and neutron radiation in facilities such as nuclear reactors, nuclear waste repositories, spent nuclear fuel pools, heavy particle radiotherapy rooms, particles accelerators, among others. The purpose of this research was to manufacture cement pastes modified with magnetite and samarium oxide and evaluate the feasibility of utilizing them for shielding of gamma and neutron radiation. Two different experiments were conducted to accomplish these goals. In the first …

Deterministic Simulation Of Thermal Neutron Radiography And Tomography, Rajarshi Pal Chowdhury

Masters Theses

"In recent years, thermal neutron radiography and tomography have gained much attention as one of the nondestructive testing methods. However, the application of thermal neutron radiography and tomography hindered by their technical complexity, radiation shielding, and time-consuming data collection processes. Monte Carlo simulations have been developed in the past to improve the neutron imaging facility's ability. In this present work, a new deterministic simulation approach has been proposed and demonstrated to simulate neutron radiographs numerically using a ray tracing algorithm. This approach has made the simulation of neutron radiographs much faster than by previously used stochastic methods (i.e Monte Carlo …

Intercode Advanced Fuels And Cladding Comparison Using Bison, Frapcon, And Femaxi Fuel Performance Codes, Aaren Rice

Theses and Dissertations

The high density uranium-based fuels are regaining popularity as the current fleet of LWR’s are showing interest in uprating plants to increase accident tolerance and performance. Fuels such as U3Si2, UN, and UC all contain a higher uranium loading and thermal conductivity than that of UO2 making them attractive in combination with an advanced cladding type such as the ceramic SiC cladding. In addition to adding more mass uranium to the core without surpassing current enrichment limits, these advanced fuels and claddings are designed with increased accident tolerance performance in a LOCA type scenario in mind. One of the possible …

Plasma Membrane Temperature Gradients And Multiple Cell Permeabilization Induced By Low Peak Power Density Femtosecond Lasers, Allen L. Garner, Bogdan Neculaes, Maxim Deminsky, Dmitry V. Dylov, Chulmin Joo, Evelina R. Loghin, Siavash Yazdanfar, Kenneth R. Conway

School of Nuclear Engineering Faculty Publications

Calculations indicate that selectively heating the extracellular media induces membrane temperature gradients that combine with electric fields and a temperature-induced reduction in the electro- permeabilization threshold to potentially facilitate exogenous molecular delivery. Experiments by a wide-field, pulsed femtosecond laser with peak power density far below typical single cell optical de- livery systems confirmed this hypothesis. Operating this laser in continuous wave mode at the same average power permeabilized many fewer cells, suggesting that bulk heating alone is insufficient and temperature gradients are crucial for permeabilization. This work suggests promising opportunities for a high throughput, low cost, contactless method for laser …

Effect Of Nano-Oxide Particle Size On Radiation Resistance Of Ironechromium Alloys, Weizong Xu, Lulu Li, James A. Valdez, Mostafa Saber, Yuntian Zhu, Carl C. Koch, Ronald O. Scattergood

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Radiation resistance of Fe-14Cr alloys under 200 keV He irradiation at 500 ­*C was systematically investigated with varying sizes of nano oxide Zr, Hf and Cr particles. It is found that these nano oxide particles acted as effective sites for He bubble formation. By statistically analyzing 700-1500 He bubbles at the depth of about 150-700 nm from a series of HRTEM images for each sample, we established the variation of average He bubble size, He bubble density, and swelling percentage along the depth, and found them to be consistent with the He concentration profile calculated from the SIRM program. Oxide …

Multidimensional Analysis Of Nuclear Detonations, Robert C. Slaughter

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research is to develop the methods for 3-dimensional reconstructions and temperature distributions of early time nuclear fireballs. Initial developments have resulted in the first 2-dimensional temperature distribution of a nuclear fireball using digitized film. This same process was then extended to perform the first limb darkening calculations of nuclear fireballs. Limb darkening coefficients were then used to derive a temperature profile of the nuclear fireball as a function of optical path length. A 3-dimensional reconstruction was performed using a variation of a structure from illuminance technique in combination with limb darkening coefficients to produce structure using …

Cold Atmospheric Plasma: An Inside Look Through Optical Diagnostics For Biomedical Applications, Liesl Krause, Ahmed Hassanein, Prasoon Diwakar

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

An emerging technology for medical applications is cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). CAP is generated using various gasses in a “pen” to create room temperature plasma and then carry the effluents and species. Success has been shown when cold atmospheric plasma is applied to oncology treatments, accelerated wound healing, pathogen disinfection, and various material-changing effects. However, the mechanisms behind these effects are still speculative. This study uses multiple diagnostic techniques including fast photography, two wavelength emission spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy to characterize the plasma properties and eventually further test the plasma’s interaction with biological samples. The plume dynamics are observed …