Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been named to lead the Northwest Regional Manufacturing Center as part of the national Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute.
A dozen clean energy technologies that enable everything from lightweight, fuel-sipping cars to the expansion of renewable energy and cleaner fossil fuel use are getting a boost at PNNL, thanks to $4.4 million from DOE's Technology Commercialization Fund.
In fast-neutron reactors, fuel is sealed in ~7 millimeter diameter steel tubes called cladding. When a high-energy "fast" neutron strikes an atom in the steel, it can knock the atom out of place, like a cue ball striking another billiard ball. This leaves two types of damage in the metal: an empty spot where the atom was, and the displaced atom wedged between other atoms. Over time, these defects typically drive undesirable rearrangement of the microstructure, potentially reducing the life of the cladding.
Nanorods created by PNNL researchers have an unusual property – spontaneously emitting water. After further development, the nanorods could be used for water harvesting and purification, or sweat-gathering fabric.
Researchers are investigating a new material that might help in nuclear fuel recycling and waste reduction by capturing certain gases released during reprocessing more efficiently than today's technology.
