Mysterious competition on uranium in the world
Researchers are particularly interested in how uranium works. Meltdowns occur when the cooling system around a reactor fails and the heat fuel generated by the reactor core separation reaction melts. It happened during the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, resulting in a radioactive eruption called "elephant's foot".
In November 2014, Paris and colleagues at the Argonne National Lab and other organizations published a research paper in the journal Science that, for the first time, mitigated the internal workings of uranium dioxide, a key component of nuclear fuel. Uranium dioxide does not dissolve until the temperature reaches a maximum of 5,432 F (3,000 C), so it is difficult to measure what happens when the material becomes liquid, Paris told Live Science - there is no solid enough container.
"The solution is to heat a ball of uranium dioxide from the top with a carbon dioxide laser and the ball is lifted into a stream of gas," Paris said. "You have the element of levitation in the flow of this gas, so you don't need a container."
The researchers then beam the X-rays with uranium dioxide bubbles and measure the scattering of those X-rays with a detector. The scattered angle reveals the inner atomic structure of uranium dioxide.
The researchers found that atoms in solid uranium dioxide were arranged in a grid-like pattern with empty spaces frequently as cubes, with each uranium atom having eight oxygen around it. Oxygen becomes "insane" as the ingredients reach the melting point, argon National Laboratory National Laboratory Laurie Skinner said in a video about the results. Oxygen atoms begin to move around, fill in the blanks, and move from one uranium atom to the other.
Finally, when the elements are melted, the structure resembles Salvador Dali's figure because the cubes turn into chaotic polyhydro. There are six oxygen around and some have seven, making an average of 7.7 (oxygen per uranium).
Knowing this number makes it possible to model how uranium dioxide will work at these high temperatures, Paris said. The next step is to add more complexity. Nuclear cores are not just uranium dioxide, he said. These include materials such as zirconium and what is used to give the interior of the furnace. The research team is now planning to add these to see how these substances will change.
The vast majority of uranium is used for electricity, usually in controlled nuclear reactions. Surplus waste, depleted uranium, other types of energy such as solar energy can be recycled for use. Scientists at the Logo Alamos National Laboratory have discussed the use of uranium depleted from nuclear reactions to create a 2017 patented solar cell by Igor Usov and Milan Sicora. , Can be optimized for use as solar cells by controlling crystals and doping.
Uranium dioxide is a great semiconductor, according to a 2000 journal by Thomas Mayek at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and may be an improvement for specific uses of traditional uses of silicon, germanium or gallium arsenide. At room temperature, uranium oxide gives the most possible solar-cell efficiency compared to traditional trace elements and mixtures for the same use.
Above all, we should make good use of uranium. It is not at all desirable to use uranium to make destructive bombs.
0 Comments