At the Texas A&M Universityfour young researchers are making significant strides in human research nuclear materialsaiming to develop more advanced and safe reactors. The team, composed of doctoral students Rijul Chauhan, Kenneth Cooper, Zhihan Hu and researcher Benjamin Mejia Diaz, obtained federal funds through the program Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) to explore innovative materials suitable for nuclear reactors.
Four students for one common goal
Each of these researchers started a unique projectwith a common goal: improve the resistance of materials inside the reactors. Mejia Diaz focuses on a two-step irradiation method to more precisely replicate neutron damage in reactor materials, a crucial element in predicting and preventing structural wear. Chauhaninstead, is working on an approach that allows samples of different thicknesses to be evaluated simultaneously, increasing testing efficiency and accelerating validation processes.
Cooper is dedicated to studying corrosion caused by fluorinated salts in molten salt reactors, aiming to understand how radiation affects materials such as stainless steel and Hastelloy Hufinally, it focuses its research on HT9, an alloy capable of resisting high temperatures, identifying the conditions that lead to the formation of solid carbides at temperatures between 450°C and 550°C. Each project has the potential to significantly expand knowledge of nuclear materials and improve reactor safety.
Il program RTEfunded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, supports academic and national projects aimed at transforming the study of nuclear materials. The professor Lin Shaoa professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M, oversees these projects and emphasizes the value ofinnovative approach of young researchers. Shao is also said grateful for the support of the NSUF program, which allows students to serve as principal investigators, furthering their training and professional growth.
An increasingly secure future for nuclear power
Meanwhile, on the front of nuclear fusiona Californian company is developing a promising technology, based on pulsed magnetic fusion. This system uses pulses of current to generate magnetic fields that compress and heat nuclear fuel. The approach derives from the concepts of inertial fusion tested in national laboratories in the United States, with the aim of making the energy process more practical and sustainable.
