Engineering Commons^™

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle: Quaterly Report, William Culbreth, Pang Tao

Separations Campaign (TRP)

During the first quarter of the work, the tasks included training students in the use of Monte Carlo codes used in radiation transport studies and the assessment of neutron multiplication factors for specific problems outlined by ANL-East through Drs. Laidler and Vandegrift.

The proposal also included objectives for the first year of work on this project, as listed below. The work conducted in the first quarter of the project was in partial completion of these objectives.

• Train UNLV students in the use of SCALE and/or MCNP for the assessment of nuclear criticality.

• Assess neutron multiplication factor, k_{eff …}

Institutsdagen At The Royal Institute Of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3, 2000, Otto Vogl, Ann Christine Albertsson

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Environment-Induced Degradation And Crack-Growth Studies Of Candidate Target Materials: Aaa Task-4 Quarterly (September 1 – November 30, 2001) Report, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The primary objective of this task is to evaluate the effect of hydrogen on environment-assisted cracking of candidate materials for applications in spallation-neutron-target (SNT) systems such as accelerator production of tritium (APT) and accelerator transmutation of waste (ATW). The materials selected for evaluation and characterization are martensitic stainless steels including HT- 9, EP 823 and 422. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of these alloys will be evaluated in environments of interest using tensile specimens under constant load and slow-strain-rate (SSR) conditions. The extent and morphology of cracking of these alloys will further be evaluated …

Analysis Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lead Bismuth Eutectic, John Farley, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

We examined stainless samples that were exposed to LBE in experiments conducted by the Russians, under contract to Los Alamos. We examined both corroded and uncorroded samples using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDAX) Spectroscopy, and the X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS). We found that the surface of the corroded sample is covered by oxygen-containing compounds, presumably mostly iron oxide. In samples exposed for shorter times or lower temperatures, we found that some areas were covered by an oxide layer, and some areas was uncovered. We found that the level of Cr in the uncovered area is …

Modeling Corrosion In Oxygen Controlled Lbe Systems With Coupling Of Chemical Kinetics And Hydrodynamics: Quarterly Progress Report August 16,2001- November 15, 2001, Samir Moujaes, Yitung Chen

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The Lead-Bismuth eutectic (LBE) has been determined from previous experimental studies by the Russians and the European scientific community to be a potential material that can be used as a spallation target and coolant for the AAA proposed application.

Properly controlling the oxygen content in LBE can drastically reduce the LBE corrosion to structural steels. However, existing knowledge of material corrosion performance was obtained from point-wise testing with very limited density. The transport of oxygen and corrosion products, their interaction and variation of corrosion/precipitation along the flow are not well understood.

The first subtask of this project involves using a …

Poly Millennial 2000 Hilton Waikoloa Villages, Hawaii, December 9-13, 2000, Otto Vogl, William Daly

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

A Dipolar Coupling Based Strategy For Simultaneous Resonance Assignment And Structure Determination Of Protein Backbones, Fang Tian, Homayoun Valafar, James H. Prestegard

Faculty Publications

A new approach for simultaneous protein backbone resonance assignment and structure determination by NMR is introduced. This approach relies on recent advances in high-resolution NMR spectroscopy that allow observation of anisotropic interactions, such as dipolar couplings, from proteins partially aligned in field ordered media. Residual dipolar couplings are used for both geometric information and a filter in the assembly of residues in a sequential manner. Experimental data were collected in less than one week on a small redox protein, rubredoxin, that was 15N enriched but not enriched above 1% natural abundance in 13C. Given the acceleration possible with partial 13C …

Highly Plasma Etch-Resistant Photoresist Composition Containing A Photosensitive Polymeric Titania Precursor, Tony D. Flaim, Douglas J. Guerrero, Michelle R. Fowler, William Joseph James, Vladimir Petrovsky, Harlan U. Anderson

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A composition is derived from an addition polymerizable organotitanium polymer which upon exposure to an oxygen plasma or baking in air, is converted to titanium dioxide (titania) or is converted to a mixed, titanium-containing metal oxide. The metal oxide formed in situ imparts etch- resistant action to a patterned photoresist layer. The composition may also be directly deposited and patterned into permanent metal oxide device features by a photolithographic process.

Analysis Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lead Bismuth Eutectic, John Farley, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The goal is to achieve a basic understanding of the corrosion of stainless steel by Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE), which has been proposed for use in the transmuter as both a coolant and as a sputtering target.

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle, William Culbreth, Pang Tao

Separations Campaign (TRP)

To mitigate the waste created by conventional fission reactors, spent nuclear fuel must be mechanically separated from its cladding. For the development of fuel processing technology to support the Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) Program, aqueous and pyrochemical processes will be used to further separate technetium and iodine, uranium and the higher actinides (see Figure 1 for an example of the process layout)1. The higher actinides, including plutonium, americium, curium, and neptunium will be separated from the waste to facilitate their fabrication into new fuel for placement in a transmuter. High-energy neutrons generated by spallation in the transmuter break down these …

Development Of A Systems Engineering Model Of The Chemical Separations Process, Yitung Chen, Darrell Pepper, Randy Clarksean

Separations Campaign (TRP)

Two activities are proposed: the development of a Systems Engineering model and the refinement of the Argonne code AMUSE (Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction). The detailed systems engineering model will be the start of an integrated approach to the analysis of the materials separations associated with the national AAA program. A second portion of the project will streamline and improve an integral part of the overall systems model, which is the software package AMUSE. AMUSE analyzes the UREX process and other related solvent extraction processes and defines many of the process streams that are integral to the systems engineering …

Modeling Corrosion In Oxygen Controlled Lbe Systems With Coupling Of Chemical Kinetics And Hydrodynamics, Samir Moujaes, Yitung Chen

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The proposed work will combine chemical kinetics and hydrodynamics in target and test-loop lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) systems to model system corrosion effects. This approach will result in a predicative tool that can be validated with corrosion test data, used to systematically design tests and interpret the results, and provide guidance for optimization in LBE system designs. The task includes of two subtasks. The first subtask is to try to develop the necessary predictive tools to be able to predict the levels of oxygen and corrosion products close to the boundary layer through the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling. …

Hydrogen-Induced Embrittlement Of Candidate Target Materials For Applications In Spallation-Neutron-Target Systems, Brendan O'Toole, Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effect of hydrogen on cracking of candidate target materials for applications in spallation-neutron-target (SNT) systems such as accelerator production of tritium (APT) and accelerator transmutation of waste (ATW). The test materials will undergo appropriate thermal treatments prior to being hydrogen-charged by potentiostatic cathodic polarization technique in a simulated aqueous environment at different temperatures of interest. The specimens, upon completion of testing, will be metallographically examined. Further, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) will be used to determine the extent and nature of cracking in the specimens tested. The thrust of the proposed …

4. Bengt Rånby (1920-2000), Otto Vogl, Gerald S. Kirshenbaum

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Xenon Excimer Emission From Pulsed Microhollow Cathode Discharges, M. Moselhy, R. H. Stark, K. H. Schoenbach, U. Kogelschatz

Bioelectrics Publications

By applying electrical pulses of 20 ns duration to xenon microplasmas, generated by direct current microhollow cathode discharges, we were able to increase the xenon excimer emission by more than an order of magnitude over direct current discharge excimer emission. For pulsed voltages in excess of 500 V, the optical power at 172 nm was found to increase exponentially with voltage. Largest values obtained were 2.75 W of vacuum-ultraviolet optical power emitted from a single microhollow cathode discharge in 400 Torr xenon with a 750 V pulse applied to a discharge. Highest radiative emittance was 15.2 W/cm². The …

Dynamics Of Poly(Vinyl Acetate)-D₃ On Silica, Robert D. O'Connor, Frank D. Blum, Gu Xu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) is an important polymer in applications because of both its bulk and surface characteristics. Its chain architecture gives it a low Tg and, generally, good qualities for processing and applications, which include paints, adhesives, thin films and surface coatings. In this study, we investigate the surface dynamics of PVAc absorbed onto silica with deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance (2H NMR). For dynamics studies, 2H NMR is an excellent technique because it uses an innocuous probe that can report on correlation times (τc) from approximately 10-8 s to 10 s. We report the use of two-dimensional exchange NMR (2D-X) …

Dynamics Of Polyacrylates In Concentrated Chloroform Solutions, Frank D. Blum, Raj B. Durairaj

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The dynamics of polymers in polymer solutions have not been probed in great enough detail to provide a coherent picture of the behavior of these polymers, especially in more concentrated solutions. To help understand this behavior further, we have prepared a series of backbone-labeled polymers including poly(n-butyl acrylate)-d1 (PNBA). These provide a basis for comparison of the behavior among a group of related polymers. The dynamics have been probed by using deuterium relaxation times. Since the relaxation times are relatively fast and the quadrupolar relaxation mechanism is well understood, data from this technique provide a convenient means for comparison of …

Glass Transition Behavior Of Pmma Thin Films, Moses T. Kabomo, Frank D. Blum

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the last decade there has been an increased interest in the study of the properties of supported thin polymer films. This has been prompted by the incorporation of thin films into device applications and many other technologies. Although not without controversy, a large body of experimental work indicates departures from bulk behavior by thin films. Strong evidence from both theoretical and experimental work shows that the interaction of polymer with a substrate alters the polymer conformation and mobility. A variety of techniques has been employed to probe the mobility of thin supported polymer films. Some of these techniques indirectly …

Graduated Segmental Mobility In Polymer Layers On Silica, Frank D. Blum, Crystal E. Porter, Wuu-Yung Lin

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The behavior of thin polymer layers on oxide substrates has gotten a great deal of attention as the size of materials, and hence polymer films, has gotten smaller. Indeed, the properties of adsorbed polymers are such that they can be different from those of bulk polymers, especially when the films are very thin. A wide variety of studies have been made on adsorbed polymers and sometimes the results seem contradictory. One of the properties often measured in thin films is the apparent glasstransition temperature, Tg. In principle, many techniques are sensitive to phenomenological changes occurring around Tg and, therefore, can …

Thermal Analysis Of Ultrathin Ps-R-Pmma Copolymer Films On Silica, Bing Zhang, Frank D. Blum

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Composite materials represent a major part of man-made materials that are used in many applications. The interaction of polymers with surfaces plays a crucial role in the final properties of these materials and, by understanding the surface processes and adsorption mechanisms, better systems can be designed. Therefore, the behavior of polymer molecules at interfaces has been the topic of many studies in recent years and a rough picture has been obtained. Keddie et al. Obtained experimental results showing the dependence of the glass transition temperature (Tg) on the thickness of supported polystyrene films using ellipsometry. Later, they also investigated supported …

Stm And Electrochemical Investigation Of Homoepitaxial Boron-Doped Cvd Diamond Films, John B. Cooper, Jason A. Moulton, Sacharia Albin, Bing Xiao

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Homoepitaxial growth of boron-doped CVD diamond films was carried out on (100) and (111) oriented substrates. Atomic resolution images were obtained for both (100) and (111) surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy. STM images reveal the presence of a 2x1-monohydride reconstruction for the untreated (100) surface and a lxl reconstruction for the untreated (111) surface. No other atomically resolved reconstructions were observed under a wide range of growth conditions. Non-aqueous electrochemical investigations were carried out on the films exhibiting atomically resolved reconstructions. Evidence for potential-induced surface-reconstruction and surface chemical modification of the (100) 2xl-monohydride surface has been observed.

Resonant Energy Transfer From Argon Dimers To Atomic Oxygen In Microhollow Cathode Discharges, M. Moselhy, R. H. Stark, K. H. Schoenbach, U. Kogelschatz

Bioelectrics Publications

The emission of atomic oxygen lines at 130.2 and 130.5 nm from a microhollow cathode discharge in argon with oxygen added indicates resonant energy transfer from argon dimers to oxygen atoms. The internal efficiency of the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) radiation was measured as 0.7% for a discharge in 1100 Torr argon with 0.1% oxygen added. The direct current VUV point source operates at voltages below 300 V and at current levels of milliamperes.

Boron-Doped Homoepitaxial Diamond (100) Film Investigated By Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Bing Xiao, Weihai Fu, Sacharia Albin, Jason Moulton, John Cooper

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Conducting epitaxial diamond films of high quality are essential for many diamond studies and diamond electronic device fabrication. We have grown boron-doped epitaxial diamond films on type Ila natural diamond (100) substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. A gas mixture of H₂/CH₄ was used. Boron doping was done by placing solid sources of pure boron in the microwave plasma. Homoepitaxial films with atomic smoothness were achieved under the following growth conditions: substrate temperature 900 °C, gas pressure 40 Torr, and gas flow rates of H₂/CH₄ = 900/7.2 seem. The growth rate was 0.87 …