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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
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Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
N. D. Viza, M. H. Romanofsky, M. J. Moynihan, D. R. Harding
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 219-225
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-216
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A T-junction microfluidic device consists of one microchannel connected to a second microchannel at 90 deg. The size of the emulsions that form at the junction depends on the dimensions of the channel and the properties of the immiscible fluids flowing through them. Micron-sized emulsions are easily formed in small channels where interfacial tension forces dominate, but it is more difficult to form larger emulsions that could be used to produce inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. The concept and feasibility of using this method to mass-produce millimeter-sized ICF targets are presented.
The experimental data presented here will demonstrate the competing contribution of the fluids’ surface tension and fluid velocity to forming and controlling the volume of millimeter-sized oil-in-water emulsions. The oil-in-water emulsion is the first step in the process of making resorcinol-formaldehyde foam targets (1 to 4 mm in diameter). Adding a surfactant to the aqueous phase lowered the aqueous-solid surface energy, which allowed for greater flexibility in manufacturing T-junctions. Equally important, although it also lowered the interfacial surface tension, the emulsions remained encapsulated by adjusting the flow velocities. The effect of the surfactant on the completing shear, viscous, and surface energy forces involved in the microencapsulation mechanism is described. Oil-in-water emulsions, 1.32 to 8.32 mm in diameter, and water-in-oil emulsions, 1.10 to 3.2 mm diameter, were formed. A protocol is presented for tuning the droplet diameter to a desired value based on the capillary number and the relative fluid velocities ratio (which must be below 0.5). A linear regression showed the relationship between the fluid velocities and desired droplet diameter. Control of the outer diameter was demonstrated over a 1.75- to 4.14-mm-diameter range with a 426- to 900-μm wall thickness.