Argonne National Laboratory
Nuclear Engineering Division
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 Nuclear Engineering is a Division of Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC

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HIgh efficiency nuclear fuel too hot to handleNuclear super-fuel gets too hot to handle
New high-efficiency nuclear fuel meant to burn longer and stronger may prove unstable in an emergency and hard to dispose of, according  to NE's scientist Michael Billone and his team. They say that fuels with a burn-up above 45 GWd/tU cause previously unforeseen safety problems, and would break existing NRC safety rules unless changes are made to the way fuel is packed.
For related articles visit:
:: Irradiation Performance Section

Mark Peters participates in panel on expanding the use of nuclear energyArgonne scientist participates in panel on expanding the use of nuclear energy
Argonne scientist Mark Peters (ESE) participated in a panel discussion on the possibility of expanding the use of nuclear energy hosted by the Heritage Foundation. Topics included the safety of geologic storage, how recycling spent nuclear fuel could affect Yucca Mountain’s long-term viability and the politics of nuclear power. Peters laid out challenges with the waste management of nuclear materials, as well as different approaches to spent fuel management

CNN reports on Passive millimeter-wave spectroscopy (PmmWS)CNN reports on Passive millimeter-wave spectroscopy (PmmWS)
CNN's "Situation Room" recently focused on Argonne technologies with anti-terrorism applications. Passive millimeter-wave spectroscopy is one of the technologies featured in the report.
The video clip is available on the CNN website:

Sami GopalsamiGopalsami interviewed on security technology
Sami Gopalsami (NE) was interviewed on WDCB radio about passive millimeter-wave spectroscopy, an award-winning invention that covertly detects chemical plumes at great distances and may help thwart future chemical or nuclear-based terrorist attacks.

R&D 100 AwardsNE researchers win two R&D 100 Awards
NE researchers devised two of the world's top 100 scientific and technological innovations during 2006, as judged by R&D magazine.

William J. ShackWilliam J. Shack elected Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) has elected William J. Shack as Chairman.
The ACRS advises the Commission independently from the NRC staff on the safety and safeguards aspects of nuclear facilities and the adequacy of safety standards.

Macrophotograph comparing commercial nickel-based Alloy 600 (top) and Argonne's new alloy after 5,700 hours of exposure to the same metal-dusting environment at 593°CAward-winning alloys could reduce costs for chemical and petrochemical industries
Materials developed by scientists (NE's Ken Natesan and Zuotao Zeng) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory could provide large cost and energy savings to the chemical and petrochemical industries.

Hussein KhalilNE's Hussein Khalil named co-director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles
NE's director Hussein Khalil has been named co-director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles (CANF).
The CANF, is an initiative centered at Argonne to bring together nuclear engineering faculty, scientists and students from Big 10 universities, The University of Chicago and Argonne to perform research into key nuclear fuel-cycle issues and technologies.

NE in the NewsNE's Claude Reed  in "Modern Marvels" program
Argonne's Laser Applications Lab and researcher Claude Reed (NE) appeared in the History Channel program "Modern Marvels: Drilling" (May 10, 2006).
"Modern Marvels" relates the ingenuity, invention and imagination behind everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders.

As part of the advanced fuel development program for RERTR, fuel samples are being tested in Department of Energy's Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National LaboratoryReduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors
Argonne National Laboratory provides overall technical integration for the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) program (initiated in 1978), managed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to convert research and test reactors across the globe to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel – a material that cannot be diverted for direct use in nuclear weapons. The program's primary objective is to develop the technology to minimize and, to the extent possible, eventually eliminate the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian nuclear applications worldwide.

Non-destructive examination technologies
Argonne researchers have developed many non-destructive evaluation tools that enable engineers to detect flaws or damage before use in items such as pistons and valves for low-emission diesel engines and turbine blades and combustors for gas turbines. Flawed or damaged components can cause severe damage to engines if the components fail.

Nondestructive evaluation technologies
In modern healthcare, doctors use imaging tools – such as X-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasound – to see beneath the patient's skin without making an incision. Researchers in NE are adapting these and other technologies to evaluate critical components of modern energy systems that push the limits to achieve maximum efficiency.

NE researcher honored by UofC
Michael Billone (Irradiation Performance Section) received a 2005 Distinguished Performance Award from the University of Chicago. Billone was recognized for his many contributions in fusion and fission reactor development.

Oxygen sensorNE researcher wins R&D100 Award
Researchers at Argonne (among them NE's Dileep Singh) in collaboration with Ohio State have developed a compact sensor to monitor combustion processes in coal-fire power plants, petrochemical plants, blast furnaces, glass processing equipment, and even inside internal combustion engines. The high-temperature potentiometer oxygen sensor can withstand the heat inside combustion chambers, allowing monitoring at the source in real time.

Export control helps prevent WMD proliferation
A reference booklet developed by the NSNP Program is helping customs inspectors around the world stop illicit trafficking of materials and equipment needed for weapons of mass destruction.

NE helps prepare shuttle for return flight
When the space shuttle Discovery rocketed into orbit in the late spring of 2004, NE engineers had done their part to ensure a safe return to flight. A team led by Bill Ellingson used a locally designed and built high-resolution CAT scanner to characterize the damage caused when chunks of insulating foam impact space shuttle wing surfaces in test situations.

Hwang wins ANS award for resonance theory
NE’s Richard Hwang has been honored by his selection as the 2004 Eugene P. Wigner Award winner. The award is the American Nuclear Society's highest honor for a reactor physicist. The award recognizes Hwang's work on neutron resonance theory, a body of theory that helps nuclear engineers build computer models to predict the complicated behavior of neutron-induced reactions inside a nuclear reactor.

NASA honors NE's Ellingson
Bill Ellingson was honored in 2004 by NASA for his work on ceramic composite components. Ellingson and colleagues from the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory were the recipients of NASA's Turning Goals Into Reality Award. The award celebrates the year's most significant accomplishments that add to the NASA legacy and honors recipients for their contributions to the advancement of aviation and space technology.

Space Shuttle Safety
NE is collaborating with NASA to develop a nondestructive analysis method for inspecting the leading edge thermal protection system on the space shuttle wings. This work is part of NASA’s effort to examine the cause of the Columbia accident.

"Ice Slurry" Heart Treatment
A promising new approach to saving cardiac arrest victims – injecting them with an ice slurry – is being expanded under a new grant from the National Institutes of Health. In collaboration with the University of Chicago's Emergency Resuscitation Research Center, we will develop ways to use the high-fluidity ice particle mixture for rapid cooling of the blood to sustain the heart and brain cells after cardiac arrests.

NUCLEAR DETECTOR -- This small wafer could become the key component in small, portable detectors for finding concealed nuclear weapons and materials.Tiny device can detect hidden nuclear weapons, materials
A small, portable detector for finding concealed nuclear weapons and materials has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. When fully developed, the device could assist international inspectors charged with preventing smuggling and unauthorized use of nuclear weapons and materials.

Nondestructive evaluation tool for improved gas turbines
NE scientists have developed sophisticated, nondestructive evaluation techniques based on thermal imaging. These techniques have application in assuring the reliable operation of natural-gas-fired turbines—the nation’s fasting growing producer of electric power.


ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY, Nuclear Engineering Division
9700 South Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439-4814
A U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC
 

Last modified on April 25, 2008 20:17 +0200