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High Temperature Heat Exchanger Project: Quarterly Progress Report January 1, 2006 Through March 31, 2006, Anthony Hechanova

Publications (NSTD)

Quarterly Collaboration Meeting. The UNLVRF HTHX Project quarterly meeting was held in Albuquerque, NM, March 16 and 17, 2006. The purpose of the meeting was to promote collaboration and communication among the UNLV Research Foundation partners. A tour of Sandia National Laboratory was also provided that included a visit to their sulfuric acid decomposition test apparatus. There were 24 attendees from universities, national laboratories, and private industry. Collaborators discussed their research progress. The next meeting will be in July in Salt Lake City, UT.

Immobilization Of Fission Iodine By Reaction With A Fullerene Containing Carbon Compound And Insoluble Natural Organic Matrix: Quaterly Report January-March 2006, Spencer M. Steinberg

Separations Campaign (TRP)

Project Highlights:

• Established that iodide can be oxidized by MnO₂ to I₂ at pHs of 4-8 and moderate temperature.

• Demonstrated that p-hydroxybenzoic acid can be iodinated by MnO₂ and KI at pHs of 2-8.

• Established that humic acids can be iodinated by MnO₂ and iodide at room temperature in pH range of 4-8.

Design Concepts And Process Analysis For Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing: Quarterly Progress Report #6, Kamalakar Alluri, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

Project Milestones

• Completed a systematic study seeking to arrive at an optimized plant configuration, using value engineering techniques in January 2006.

• Vision-based robot serving and automated plant safety monitoring is currently in progress.

Effect Of Silicon Content On The Corrosion Resistance And Radiation-Induced Embrittlement Of Materials For Advanced Heavy Liquid Metal Nuclear Systems: Quarterly Progress Report (November 2005 – January 2006), Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

This task is intended to study the effect of Si content not only on the corrosion resistance but also on the radiation-induced embrittlement of martensitic stainless steels. The susceptibility of these alloys with different Si content to stress corrosion cracking, general corrosion and localized corrosion will be evaluated in the molten LBE and aqueous environments of different pH values using state-of-the-art testing techniques. Testing in the aqueous media is intended to develop baseline data for comparison purpose. Radiation-induced embrittlement of these alloys will initially be studied by irradiating the test specimens with bremmstrahlung gamma radiation from 20-40 MeV electron beams …

Unlv Magazine, Carol C. Harter, Joe Cockrell, Tony Allen, Regina Bacolas, Lori Bachand, Jennifer Lawson, Bret C. Birdsong, Steve Parker, Erin O'Donnell, Jennifer Robison

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Theoretical Modeling Of Protective Oxide Layer Growth In Non-Isothermal Lead-Alloys Coolant Systems: Quarterly Progress Report (01/01/06- 03/31/06), Yitung Chen

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Research highlights:

• A cellular automaton model using method of global restructuring on the growth and corrosion during the formation of the passive layer has been developed.

• A stochastic model, which combines the surface growth and internal oxidation, has been developed to explain the oxidation mechanism of steels in liquid lead alloys.

• Two conference papers have been accepted and will be presented in 2006 International Congress on the Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP '06).

Development Of Integrated Process Simulation System Model For Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (Sftf) Design: Quarterly Progress Report January 1-March 31, 2006, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The UNLV developed TRPSEMPro software package can access engineering modeling software, ASPEN Plus through its own interface. The new interface eliminates the user interaction with the complex ASPEN Plus package and also provides input and output results for analysis purpose. The current interface will keep improving on collecting multiple scenario runs and database population.

Two separation processes, acid and plutonium separations, are near completion. The unit operations were finished while some sensitive chemical data for certain species are unknown. Graduate student, Matthew Hodges, continues on finishing those processes using dummy values for those restricted variables. Once the processes complete, researchers …

Neutron Multiplicity Measurements For The Afci Program Final Quarterly Progress Report January-March 2006, Denis Beller

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

This project was developed to test a Russian-built Neutron Multiplicity Detector System (NMDS) for measuring neutrons generated in a central target by a variety of accelerators. To assist in experiment design and evaluation, we use the most advanced high-energy radiation transport code, MCNPX, to model experiments. Experimental results are compared to computational predictions and discrepancies are investigated. Initial plans were to conduct experiments using a 70-MeV proton cyclotron at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at the University of California at Davis and/or a 20 to 40 MeV electron linac (linear accelerator) at the Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC) at Idaho State University …

The Electrochemical Separation Of Curium And Americium: Quaterly Report January - March, 2006, David W. Hatchett, Kenneth Czerwinski

Separations Campaign (TRP)

This research report outlines the current status and progress associated with the electrochemical separation of Curium and Americium. For two and a half years, research has been actively performed on this project, and is currently on schedule for the proposed timelines.

Progress:

• The electrochemical characterization of Ce and Eu complexed with EDTA, NTA, and Citrate has been completed.

• Synthesis of the polymer substrate and the chelating ligand is underway. Approximately 50 grams of disulfide has been produced to produce the chelating thiol group required for the last set of studies.

• Gold substrates have been prepared to perform …

Dissolution, Reactor, And Environmental Behavior Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuel Matrix: Quarterly Report, January 2006 To March 2006, Kiel Steven Holliday, Thomas Hartmann, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

This project will examine inert matrix fuels containing ZrO₂ and MgO as the inert matrix, with the relative amount of MgO varied from 30% to 70% in ZrO₂. Reactor physics calculations will be used to examine suitable quantities of burnable poisons from the candidate elements Gd, Er, or Hf with reactor grade Pu providing the fissile component, with up to 10% of ²³⁹Pu. Ceramics will be synthesized and characterized based on the reactor physics results. The solubility of the fuel ceramics, in reactor conditions, reprocessing conditions, and repository conditions, will be investigated in a manner to …

Crystal Structure And Nano Structure Of Oxide-And Nitride Transmutation Fuel – Refinement Of Transmutation Fuel Processing For Surrogate And Radioactive Fuel Systems: Quarterly Report, January 2006 To March 2006, Chinthaka Silva

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

Transmutation-related research work at the National Laboratories, e.g. Los Alamos National Laboratory, is focused on mono-nitride ceramic fuel forms, and consists of closely coordinated “hot” actinide and “cold” inert and surrogate fuels work. Matrix and surrogate materials work involves three major components: (1) fuel matrix synthesis and fabrication, (2) fuel performance, and (3) fuel materials modeling. The synthesis and fabrication component supports basic material studies, as well as actinide fuel fabrication work through fuel fabrication process development.

This project, task 28, supports the TRP program by delivering structural data on surrogate and radioactive fuels. Crystal structure and nanostructures of the …

High Temperature Heat Exchanger Project: Quarterly Progress Report October 1, 2005 Through December 31, 2005, Anthony Hechanova

Publications (NSTD)

• Liquid Salt Technical Working Group Meeting. The first meeting of the Liquid Salt Technical Working Group was held on October 28, 2005 at the Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne facility in Canoga Park, CA. 20 experts from academia, industry, and national laboratories participated to discuss current state of knowledge and research needs for high temperature liquid salt applications.
• Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative Semi-annual Review. Several participants from the UNLVRF University Consortium gave technical presentations at the NHI Semi-annual Review meeting in Rockville, MD, November 9-10, 2005.
• Quarterly Collaboration Meeting. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas hosted a UNLVRF HTHX Project quarterly meeting December …

Uncertainty, Climate Change And Nuclear Power, David M. Hassenzahl

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Long time-horizon environmental risks with potential for global impacts have increased in visibility over the past several decades. Such issues as climate change, the nuclear fuel cycle, persistent synthetic chemicals, and stratospheric ozone depletion share some characteristics, including intergenerational impacts, strongly decoupled incidence of risks and benefits, substantial decision stakes and extreme uncertainty. What is not well understood are the similarities and differences among sources and implications of uncertainty among these global environmental threats, especially those associate with current and future human behavior. This describes the uncertainties associated with managing two global concerns: the nuclear (fission) fuel cycle and anthropogenic …

Dissolution, Reactor, And Environmental Behavior Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuel Matrix: Neutronic Evaluation Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuels, E. Fridman, A. Galperin, E. Shwageraus

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

Various fuel cycle concepts for plutonium incineration in existing PWR loaded with Inert Matrix Fuel (IMF), in which uranium is replaced by neutron-transparent inert matrix material, are currently under investigation at BGU. Some of the studied designs include ZrO₂-based IMF with annular fuel geometry and ZrO₂-MgO based IMF with the relative amount of MgO varied from 30v/o to 70v/o. These concepts are analyzed via detailed three-dimensional full core simulation of existing PWR including thermal-hydraulic feedback. The whole core simulations are carried out with the SILWER code. The SILWER code, which is a part of the ELCOS …

Decoupling And Disturbance Rejection Control For Target Circulation Loop, Xiuju Tan

Reactor Campaign (TRP)

The primary objective is to modify the existing control algorithm of the pilot target circuit (TC-1) loop to achieve precise temperature control. Safety concerns, the alarm system, and a user-friendly design are the secondary objectives.

The decoupling and active disturbance rejection controls are the effective control scheme in this special multivariable control process to TC-1 loop.

The research objectives are:

• To identify the interacting terms between heater inputs and target temperature outputs in each zone experimentally,

• To design of decoupling and active disturbance rejection control (ADRC),

• To monitor system through internet based remote monitoring, automatic alarming and …

Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation Of Electromagnetic Pump In Tc-1, Lillian J. Ratliff

Reactor Campaign (TRP)

The pilot molten lead-bismuth target circuit (TC-1) in university of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) was designed for beam power of 1 MW accelerator driven system (ADS). The TC-1 is a liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) circulation loop. Circulation of the liquid alloy is driven by an annular linear induction pump (ALIP). Experimental measurements of system parameters have yielded a surprisingly low pump efficiency of less than 1%. A numerical study of the pump efficiency is being conducted to determine which operational parameters are responsible for this low efficiency and to give insight into future EM pump design. The numerical study will …

Developing A Sensing System For The Measurement Of Oxygen Concentration In Liquid Pb-Bi Eutectic, Yingtao Jiang, Bingmei Fu

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The research objectives of this project were as follows:

• To generate calibration curves of voltage versus oxygen concentration for the YSZ oxygen sensor system under various temperatures in liquid LBE.
• To determine the sensor characteristics of the YSZ sensor system.
• To determine oxygen dissolving rates in LBE under different temperatures in vitro.
• To study the effects of unwanted electrical conductivity, contributed by the mobility of the electrons at high temperatures, for more accurate oxygen measurement.
• To study alternative and promising oxygen measuring methods.

Corrosion Mechanisms And Kinetics Of Steels In Lead-Bismuth Eutectic: Quaterly Report, Allen L. Johnson, John Farley

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

A large number of studies of corroded samples were conducted using SEM, XPS, probe, and the TEM. Samples from the DELTA loop at LANL and from other sources were examined. Also, the investigation of 316 class stainless steel in LBE is continuing.

Corroded samples of D-9 steel have been in the process of being studies, which is a variant of 316 stainless steel that is optimized for resistance to swelling. The D-9 samples are notable for the process in which a localized failure of the protective oxide layer becomes widespread corrosion. The research group is examining the D-9 samples using …

Effect Of Silicon Content On The Corrosion Resistance And Radiation- Induced Embrittlement Of Materials For Advanced Heavy Liquid Metal Nuclear Systems, Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

This task is primarily focused on the evaluation of the effect of Si content on the susceptibility of modified 9Cr-1Mo-0.24V steel to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and localized cracking in both molten lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) and an aqueous solution of acidic pH.

Further, significant efforts are in progress to characterize the deformation mechanism of modified T91 grade steel as a function of temperature and strain rate. Simultaneously, surface analyses of the tested materials are ongoing using state-of-the-art techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Corrosion Barrier Development For Lbe Corrosion Resistance: Quarterly Report (April 2006), Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

As reported in the last quarterly report, synthesis of Cr nanowires was found to be problematic in terms of uniform coverage. Hence Ni was identified as the alternative metal to form the nanowires. The purpose of the metal nanowires is to provide structural integrity to the nanoporous alumina, as well as a second defense mechanism against corrosion by oxidizing in case the top alumina layer is compromised. Nickel was selected due to its established electrochemical synthesis procedure. While Ni can provide very good structural integrity to the porous alumina, one potential problem is its higher dissolution rate in LBE. However, …

Development Of Nanostructure Based Corrosion-Barrier Coatings On Steel For Transmutation Applications, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Advanced transmutation systems require structural materials that are able to withstand high neutron fluxes, high thermal cycling, and high resistance to chemical corrosion. The current candidate materials for such structures are ferritic and ferritic-martensitic steels due to their strong resistance to swelling, good microstructural stability under irradiation, and the retention of adequate ductility at typical reactor operating temperatures.

In parallel, lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) has emerged as a potential spallation target material for efficient production of neutrons, as well as a coolant in the accelerator system. While LBE has excellent properties as a nuclear coolant, it is also highly corrosive …

Neutron Multiplicity Measurements Of Target/Blanket Materials, Denis Beller

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

The U.S. Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) is a program to develop economic and environmental methods to reduce the impact of waste from commercial nuclear fuel cycles. One concept for near-complete destruction of waste isotopes from used nuclear fuel is accelerator-driven transmutation. High-power accelerators would be used to produce high-energy charged particles, which then collide with heavy metal targets to create a cascade of neutrons. These neutrons then cause nuclear reactions in subcritical systems.

To design these systems, complex reactor physics computer codes and highly detailed data libraries are used to compute the reactivity of systems, reaction rates, destruction rates, …

Immobilization Of Fission Iodine By Reaction With A Fullerene Containing Carbon Compound And Insoluble Natural Matrix, Spencer M. Steinberg, Gary Cerefice, David W. Emerson

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The recovery of iodine released during the processing of used nuclear fuel poses a significant challenge to the transmutation of nuclear waste. Iodine-129, a long-lived fission product formed by both commercial nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons production, is released when reprocessing nuclear fuel. Since iodine can be concentrated in the human thyroid, any uncontrolled release of iodine may result in an increased rate of thyroid cancer in the exposed population. For this reason, recovery of iodine is important for implementing any nuclear transmutation strategy.

The stability of the association of iodine with FCC and NOM products are studied. Product …

Evaluation Of Fluorapatite As A Waste-Form Material, Dennis W. Lindle, Oliver Hemmers, Dale L. Perry

Separations Campaign (TRP)

Argonne National Laboratory has proposed a new extraction procedure to handle TRISO-coated fuels, the Fluoride Extraction Process, or FLEX. The FLEX process is designed to separate the uranium in the fuel from the actinides and most fission products by taking advantage of the unique properties of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆). In the FLEX process, the used TRISO fuel is reacted with zirconium fluoride salt, forming UF₆ and the fluoride salts of the actinides and fission products. At process temperatures, the UF₆ volatizes into a gas, and is released from the molten salt mixture. This leaves behind the …

Development Of Integrated Process Simulation System Model For Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (Sftf) Design, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The overall goal of this project is the creation of a framework that combines all the strengths of AMUSE’s complicated calculations, well-established commercial system process packages, and TRPSEMPro’s flexible parameter optimization modules. Development of the process simulation code can be done using the solvent extraction process at Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the UNLV Nevada Center for Advanced Computational Methods.

The major objectives are the following:

• Develop a framework for simulating the Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (SFTF) process using AMUSE code, commercial process package, such as ASPEN-PLUS, and system engineering model.
• Develop a middleware package that can communicate between …

Electrochemical Separation Of Curium And Americium, David W. Hatchett, Kenneth Czerwinski

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The objective of this project is to use electrochemical techniques to develop a thermodynamic understanding of actinide and lanthanide species in aqueous solution and use this data to effectively separate species with very similar chemical properties. In consultation with a national laboratory collaborators, electrochemical methods and materials will be evaluated and used to exploit the thermodynamic differences between similar chemical species enhancing the ability to selectively target and sequester individual species from mixtures. This project is in its third year and has successfully completed Phases 1 and 2.

The following were specific goals for this year:

• To develop a fundamental …

Fundamental Chemistry Of U And Pu In The Tbp-Dodecane-Nitric Acid System, Kenneth Czerwinski, Byron Bennett

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The research objectives of this project are as follows:

• To determine the influence of nitrate on the speciation of U and Pu in the TBP-dodecane-nitric acid system. The aqueous and organic speciation of U and Pu are examined as a function of the nitric acid concentration, nitrate concentration (by the addition of NaNO₃), actinide ion concentration, temperature, and time.
• To determine the speciation of U and Pu with AHA in the presence and absence of TBP-dodecane organic phase. The aqueous and organic speciation of U and Pu are evaluated as a function of AHA concentration, metal ion concentration, …

Interaction Between Metal Fission Products And Triso Coating Materials: A Study Of Chemical Bonding And Interdiffusion: 1st Quarterly Report, 2006, Clemens Heske

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

This project is devoted to an in-depth study of the chemical and electronic impact of metal fission products on the coating layers in TRISO nuclear fuel. In particular, there is a focus on the investigation of Pd, Cs, and Ag and their interface formation with SiC and carbon-based substrates. A variety of surface and near-surface bulk sensitive probes that investigate the occupied and unoccupied electronic states of the substrate and the metal overlayer have been utilized. By a controlled and stepwise deposition of the metal overlayer, it is possible to gain substantial insight into the formation of interfaces and their …

Interaction Between Metal Fission Products And Triso Coating Materials, Clemens Heske

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

In this project the chemical bonding and interface formation of metal fission products with the coating materials used in TRISO fuel particles is investigated. The interface formation of Pd, Cs, and Ag with SiC and pyrolytic carbon is studied in detail. Using the SiC single crystals and TRISO coating materials as substrates, interfaces are prepared under controlled conditions in an ultra-high vacuum environment and are studied with a photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, Inverse Photoemission, X-ray emission spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Recent additions to the experimental approach include microscopic techniques (Transmission Electron Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy) …

Design Concepts And Process Analysis For Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The safe and effective manufacturing of actinide-bearing fuels for any transmutation strategy requires that the entire manufacturing process be contained within a shielded hot cell environment. To ensure that the fabrication process is feasible, the entire process must be designed for remote operation. The equipment must be reliable enough to perform over several decades, and also easy to maintain or repair remotely. The facility must also be designed to facilitate its own decontamination and decommissioning. In addition to these design factors, the potential viability of any fuel fabrication process will also be impacted by a number of variables, such as …