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Title: Development of Plasmonically Cloaked Nanoparticles

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1253944· OSTI ID:1253944
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID (United States)
  2. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
  3. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

An advanced in-pile multi-parameter reactor monitoring system is being proposed in this funding opportunity. The proposed effort brings cutting edge, high-fidelity optical measurement systems into the reactor environment in an unprecedented fashion, including in-core, in-cladding and in-fuel pellet itself. Unlike instrumented leads, the proposed system provides a unique solution to a multi-parameter monitoring need in core while being minimally intrusive in the reactor core. Detector designs proposed herein can monitor fuel compression and expansion in both the radial and axial dimensions as well as monitor linear power profiles and fission rates during the operation of the reactor. In addition to pressure, stress, strain, compression, neutron flux, neutron spectra, and temperature can be observed inside the fuel bundle and fuel rod using the proposed system. The proposed research aims at developing radiation-hard, harsh-environment multi-parameter systems for insertion into the reactor environment. The proposed research holds the potential to drastically increase the fidelity and precision of in-core instrumentation with little or no impact in the neutron economy in the reactor environment while providing a measurement system capable of operation for entire operating cycles. Significant work has been done over the last few years on the use of nanoparticle-based scintillators. Through the use of metamaterials, the PIs aim to develop planar neutron detectors and large-volume neutron detectors. These detectors will have high efficiencies for neutron detection and will have a high gamma discrimination capability.

Research Organization:
Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1253944
Report Number(s):
DOE/NEUP-11-3248; 11-3248; TRN: US1601395
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English