• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1978.09a
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• pp.29-40
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• 1978

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.1893-1908
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• 2021

In light of the importance of helium production in influencing the behaviour of fast reactor fuels, in this work we present a burn-up module with the objective to calculate the production of helium in both in-pile and out-of-pile conditions tracking the evolution of 23 alpha-decaying actinides. This burn-up module relies on average microscopic cross-section look-up tables generated via SERPENT high-fidelity calculations and involves the solution of the system of Bateman equations for the selected set of actinide nuclides. The results of the burn-up module are verified in terms of evolution of actinide and helium concentrations by comparing them with the high-fidelity ones from SERPENT, considering two representative test cases of (U,Pu)O₂ fuel in fast reactor conditions. In addition, a code-to-code comparison is made with the independent state-of-the-art module TUBRNP (implemented in the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code) for the same test cases. The herein presented burn-up module is available in the SCIANTIX code, designed for coupling with fuel performance codes.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1980.09a
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• pp.9-16
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• 1980

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.139-140
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• 2003

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1993.09a
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• pp.195-205
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• 1993

• Wind and Structures
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.41-54
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• 2004

An analysis refinement of the Messina Strait suspension bridge project has been recently required, concerning mainly the yaw angle effects on the multi-box deck section aerodynamics and the vortex shedding at low reduced velocities $V^*$. In particular the possible interaction of the axial flow with the large cross beams has been investigated. An original test rig has been designed at this purpose allowing for both forced motion and free motion aero elastic tests, varying the average angle of attack ${\alpha}$ and the deck yaw angle ${\beta}$. The hydraulic driven test rig allowed for both dynamic and stationary tests so that both the stationary coefficients and the flutter derivatives have been evaluated for each yaw angle. Specific free motion tests, taking advantage from the aeroelastic features of the section model, allowed also the study of the vortex shedding induced phenomena.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.562-571
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• 2021

In this work, we propose a new mechanistic model for the treatment of helium behaviour which includes the description of helium solubility in oxide fuel. The proposed model has been implemented in SCIANTIX and validated against annealing helium release experiments performed on small doped fuel samples. The overall agreement of the new model with the experimental data is satisfactory, and given the mechanistic formulation of the proposed model, it can be continuously and easily improved by directly including additional phenomena as related experimental data become available.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.3071-3079
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• 2023

Helium production in the nuclear fuel matrix during irradiation plays a critical role in the design and performance of Gen-IV reactor fuel, as it represents a life-limiting factor for the operation of fuel pins. In this work, a surrogate model for the helium production rate in fast reactor MOX fuels is developed, targeting its inclusion in engineering tools such as fuel performance codes. This surrogate model is based on synthetic datasets obtained via the SCIANTIX burnup module. Such datasets are generated using Latin hypercube sampling to cover the range of input parameters (e.g., fuel initial composition, fission rate density, and irradiation time) and exploiting the low computation requirement of the burnup module itself. The surrogate model is verified against the SCIANTIX burnup module results for helium production with satisfactory performance.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.2356-2365
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• 2023

Characterization, dismantling and pre-disposal management of irradiated graphite (i-graphite) have an important role in safe decommissioning of several nuclear facilities which used this material as moderator and reflector. In addition to common radiation protection issues, easily volatizing long-lived radionuclides and stored Wigner energy could be released during imprudent retrieval and processing of i-graphite. With this regard, among all cutting technologies, abrasive waterjet (AWJ) can successfully achieve all of the thermo-mechanical and radiation protection objectives. In this work, factorial experiments were designed and systematically conducted to characterize the AWJ processing parameters and the machining capability. Moreover, the limitation of dust production and secondary waste generation has been addressed since they are important aspects for radiation protection and radioactive waste management. The promising results obtained on non-irradiated nuclear graphite blocks demonstrate the applicability of AWJ as a valid technology for optimizing the retrieval, storage, and disposal of such radioactive waste. These activities would benefit from the points of view of safety, management, and costs.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.69-85
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• 2013

With the sustainability movement, vegetated building envelopes are gaining more popularity. This requires special wind effect investigations, both from sustainability and resiliency perspectives. The current paper focuses on wind load estimation on small- and full-scale trees used as part of green roofs and balconies. Small-scale wind load assessment was carried out using a wind tunnel testing in a global-effect study to understand the interference effects from surrounding structures. Full-scale trees were investigated at a large open-jet facility in a local-effect study to account for the wind-tree interaction. The effect of Reynolds number combined with shape change on the overall loads measured at the base of the trees (near the roots) has been investigated by testing at different model-scales and wind speeds. In addition, high-speed tests were conducted to examine the security of the trees in soil and to assess the effectiveness of a proposed structural mitigation system. Results of the current research show that at relatively high wind speeds the load coefficients tend to be reduced, limiting the wind loads on trees. No resonance or vortex shedding was visually observed.