Technology for Polarization Measurement

Nuclear Fuel Evaluation (TRISO Nuclear fuel)

The form factor for nuclear fuel has long been a tricky problem for the industry. The design of the fuel has not changed appreciably in 60 years since Admiral Hyman Rickover designed an early nuclear reactor to power naval submarines. This fuel element design is safe under normal circumstances, but it becomes a problem when accidents occur like the recent event in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear facility in Japan in March of 2011.

Oak Ridge National Labs has designed a new, safe fuel called TRISO (tristructural isotropic fuel). It is made up of microspheres of fuel coated with layers of carbon and silicon carbide. Hinds Instruments has worked with ORNL scientists to produce the 2-MGEM Optical Anisotropy Factor Measurement System, a reflective polarimeter for evaluating the integrity of the layers surrounding the microspheres of TRISO nuclear fuel. In 2008, Hinds won an R&D 100 Award and was a finalist for the SPIE Prism Award, both for the 2-MGEM instrument.

SUGGESTED PRODUCT:

2-MGEM Optical Anisotropy Factor Measurement System
 

FURTHER READING:

J. Pearce, “Rethinking nuclear fuel design”, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review, 46, 1, 18-19 (2013).

 
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