NERS researchers Professor Brendan Kochunas and Dr. Yuxuan Liu have created a free online learning resource for those wanting to learn how to do engineering analysis for a nuclear reactor fuel element with ANSYS.
Research
Case Study: Conjugate Heat Transfer Simulation for a Fuel Element of an Experimental Nuclear Reactor
Land use matters as communities cut carbon emissions
Communities will have varied tolerances for the acreage occupied by renewables. A new study quantifies the land needed for different options.
First light at the most powerful laser in the US
The ZEUS laser at the University of Michigan has begun its commissioning experiments
$5.1M to advance nuclear energy awarded to U-M
The Department of Energy will support research into better heat exchangers as well as improved predictions for neutron physics and radiation damage.
Solar Powered, Point-of-Use Plasma Disinfection Tool for Clean Water on Demand
John Foster’s group is developing a plasma-device for disinfecting water on-demand that will be solar- or human-powered.
Honoring the past and sizing up nuclear’s future at the Phoenix rededication
The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project, conceived as a war memorial following World War II, remains relevant in the face of climate change and international conflict.
Ionizing radiation induces a negative nonlinear absorption coefficient in quartz glass
NERS PhD Student Bryan Morgan’s research on non-linear absorption in quartz glass published in Optical Materials Express.
Nuclear “shadow corrosion” reproduced in the lab, paving way to longer fuel life
Now that it’s understood, researchers are on their way to preventing this type of degradation in nuclear power plants.
Nuclear nonproliferation: $1.9M to improve detection of weapons-grade material
Untangling the signatures of smuggled nuclear materials from the radiation background created by shooting neutrons at suspected cargo is the task of U-M research team.
Augmented reality for testing nuclear components
A new machine learning platform detects and quantifies radiation-induced defects instantaneously and could be extended to interpret other microscopy data.
Most powerful laser in the U.S. to begin operations soon, supported by $18.5M from the NSF
With first light anticipated in 2022, the NSF will provide five years of operations funding, ramping up as the ZEUS user facility progresses to full capacity.
Strong magnetic fields change how friction works in plasma
Rather than just slowing down a charged particle moving through a plasma, friction can also push from the side in a strong magnetic field.
Fluid motion induced by plasma interaction with water with self-organization
NERS PhD Student Zimu Yang writes Featured Article in the Journal of Applied Physics.
NERS researchers aim to understand the behavior of high entropy alloys under extreme conditions
The research is part of a greater project to find an optimized radiation-tolerant material.
Antineutrino detectors as nuclear security tools for monitoring reactors from a distance
NERS Ph.D. student Felicia Sutanto’s antineutrino detector research published in Physical Review C.
Nuclear nonproliferation: gamma-ray vision for ports and border crossings
The low-energy nuclear reaction could see through heavy containers hiding materials that could be turned into nuclear weapons.
