Research Projects

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I. Nuclear Fuel Technology
a. Design and analysis of nuclear fuel storage facilities
b. Thermophysical properties and swelling behavior of nitride and carbide fuels
c. Coated particle fuel compact (CPFC) for use in radioisotope heater units (RHUs) and general purpose heat sources (GPHSs)
  
d. Compatibility of hydrogen with carbide and structural materials at high temperatures

II. Nuclear Reactor Safety
a. Analysis of core meltdown accidents and molten fuel-coolant interaction phenomena
b. Nuclear fuel swelling and irradiation behavior during normal operation and severe accidents
c. Debris bed coolability with application to post-accident heat removal

III. Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics
a. Flow visualization and modeling of transition from mixed convection to buoyancy-induced turbulence in vertical annuli
b. Pool boiling and critical heat flux from underside of flat and curved surfaces with application to reactor vessel cooling in severe accidents
  
c. Critical heat flux at low flow and low pressure
d. Natural and mixed convection of water in multi-rod bundles and vertical annuli

IV. Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Systems
a. Design, optimization, modeling, and analysis of space power systems
     i. SP-100
  
     ii. TOPAZ-II
  
     iii. Pellet Bed Reactor (PeBR) for thermal and electric propulsion missions
  
     iv. Bimodal systems for electric power and thermal propulsion
  
     v. Heat Pipes - Segmented Thermoelectric Module Converters (HP-STMCs) space reactor power system
                   
     vi. Scalable AMTEC Integrated Reactor Space Power System (SAIRS)
b. Design and analysis of SP-100 thermoelectric space power system
c. Studies of void formation during the freezing of alkali metal coolants
d. Design and analysis of TOPAZ-II thermionic space power systems
e. Design and analysis of radiation shield and nuclear reactors for space missions and surface power
f. Reactor design with high burnup capabilities
g. Design of heat pipes-cooled fast spectrum reactors
 
    
h. Design of heat pipes radiator for space reactor power systems
          
i. Materials studies for use in space nuclear power systems
  
     i. Refractory metals
     ii. Mechanically Alloyed-Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steels
  

V. Planetary Surface Power Systems - Manned Rover and Surface Outpost

VI. Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems (ARPSs)
a. Coated particle fuel compact (CPFC) for use in radioisotope heater units (RHUs) and general purpose heat sources (GPHSs)
  
b. Vapor anode, multitube AMTEC cells for ARPSs
  
c. SiGe/Skutterudites cascaded thermoelectrics for ARPSs
          
d. Energy conversion options for ARPSs

VII. Terrestrial Nuclear Power
a. Nuclear power plant concepts with dynamic and static combined energy conversion

VIII. Alkali-Metal Thermal-to-Electric Conversion (AMTEC)
a. Design, analysis and testing of multi-tube AMTEC cells for space and terrestrial energy applications
  
b. Design and performance of high-power AMTEC units for space reactor power systems
  

IX. Thermoelectric Converters
a. High temperature Skutterudites thermoelectrics
b. Segmented thermoelectrics
c. SiGe/Skutterudites cascaded thermoelectrics for ARPSs
          
d. Performance tests of Skutterudite and Segmented thermoelectric converters
          

X. Thermionic Converters
a. Development of grooved thermionic electrodes for high power density
  
b . Experimental testing and modeling of the operation of low pressure Cs-Ba tacitron with application to temperature and nuclear radiation power conditioning
  

XI. Heat Pipe Technology and Thermosyphons
a. Experimental and modeling of the transient operation of heat pipes including the start-up from a frozen state
  
b. Design, performance and operation limits of heat pipes, including the start-up from frozen state
c. Design and testing of low temperature heat pipes
  
d. Design, performance and operation limits of thermosyphons
     

XII. Boiling Heat Transfer
a. Boiling heat transfer experiments and correlations
b. Microlayer evaporation and its effect on nucleate boiling heat transfer
c. Flow visualization and high-speed bubble motion studies near critical heat flux
d. Effect of material properties and curvature on pool boiling from downward-facing curved surfaces in saturated and subcooled water
  
e. Boiling of dielectric fluids for electronic microchips cooling
  

XIII. Convective Heat Transfer
a. Convection heat transfer experiments and correlations
b. Natural convection and application to electronics cooling
  
c. Marangoni convection and phase-change in microgravity
d. Heat transfer in porous media and thermal energy storage modules
e. Application of laser interferometry to flow visualization and heat transfer in natural convection of air
f. Enhanced cooling using impinging and swirl air jets
g. Natural convection of air at high temperatures

XIV. Radioactive and Mixed Waste Treatment
a. Interaction of colloids with gas/liquid interface
  
b. Chemical reversibility of chemical reaction between colloids and contaminants
c. Effect of pH and ionic strength on colloids stability
d. Plasma hearth process and application to the treatment of mixed, chemical and radioactive waste
e. Irreversibility of reactions between colloids and actinides at different cations concentrations
f. Effect of subsurface colloids on hydraulic characteristics of porous media
g. Applicability of filtration theory and correlations to shallow subsurface transport of colloids
h. Attachment kinetics of colloids to gas bubbles in subsurface environment
i. RF plasma for decontamination of transuranic elements