Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 3 No. 4 Winter 2018 | Page 15

and in the design of more efficient solar and
nuclear power plants.
The NMFC lab focuses on studies of ad-
vanced structural and coolant materials and
their compatibility, and materials corrosion
and coolant chemistry in high temperature
applications such as nuclear reactors. Ongoing
research activities in the center include: Nuclear
Materials compatibility (materials corrosion,
degradation and characterization, metallic
nuclear fuel); Nuclear fuel cycle technology;
Electrochemical separation and technology
development; and Advanced coolant (liquid
sodium and molten salt) chemistry, corrosion
and corrosion control.
The lab has been operational Since January,
2017, and currently houses eight graduate
and one postdoctoral student, and a research
scientist. The lab includes space in
both the CRC and Goodwin Hall,
combining for about 4,000 square
feet of space allowing for a variety
of instrumentation including a
high-temperature water, molten
salt, and stress-corrosion-cracking,
and very high temperature steam
corrosion loops; and a variety of
high-temperature/pressure auto-
claves, electrochemical cells, ma-
chines for molten salt, liquid metal
and more.
“The lab makes Virginia Tech one
of only a very few places where such
a wide array of specialized capabil-
ities can be found for research to
improve materials compatibility for
energy systems,” Zhang said.
MOMENTUM
FALL 2018
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