Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Bataller, assistant professor of nuclear engineering at NC State University, recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Research and Development Award, under Licensing and Safety. Project collaborators include Ammon Williams at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Aslak Stubsgaard at Copenhagen Atomics. The research project is entitled, “An Integrated Elemental and Isotopic Detector for Real-Time Molten Salt Monitoring”.
It will advance a new technique that has recently undergone proof-of-concept feasibility studies, the results of which demonstrate the potential for isotopic discrimination of actinides as evidenced by the extremely narrow spectral linewidths (<40 pm). The proposed detectors feature a coaxial architecture that contains both plasma creation and optical readout within the same subassembly, thus reducing the design complexity and potential failure points. The complex line emission acquired over the entire visible spectrum for “real” salts will be analyzed using chemometric methods, which identify principal components for generating calibration models. First, the detector’s robustness will be tested by long duration studies in uranium chloride salts (Longevity). Second, the detector sensitivity and discrimination (Limits) will be tested on complex salts from pyroprocessing equipment used to process irradiated MOX and LWR fuels. Third, the detector responsiveness (Latency) will be demonstrated in an evolving, flowing, thorium fluoride salt. The desired outcome of the proposal is to advance the PBS online salt monitoring platform to an engineering scale, where eventual industrial deployment would enable safeguards and enhance processing.
Dr. Bataller’s research group specializes in the application of ultrafast laser techniques for probing matter in extreme environments with a particular focus on molten salts for advanced nuclear energy applications. Molten salt research topics include thermophysical property characterization and their microscopic origins, photochemistry of solvated electrons, interfacial corrosion dynamics of metals, and plasma engineering for nuclear material accountancy.
The U.S. DOE awarded more than $41.2 million through the Nuclear Engineering University Program (NEUP) to support 43 university-led nuclear energy research and development projects in 22 states. NC State Nuclear Engineering received two of these awards. NEUP seeks to maintain U.S. leadership in nuclear research across the country by providing top science and engineering faculty and their students with opportunities to develop innovative technologies and solutions for civil nuclear capabilities.