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James P. Blanchard
Professor
| Engineering Physics : Faculty : | |
| James P. Blanchard |
| James P. Blanchard Professor
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| 143 Engineering Research Building 1500 Engineering Drive Madison, WI 53706 |
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Tel: 608/263-0391 Fax: 608/263-7451 E-mail: blanchard@engr.wisc.edu |
Professor Blanchard's research interests include radiation damage in fission and fusion environments, fusion reactor design, laser-induced stresses, and nuclear microbatteries.
If fusion is to be a viable commercial industry, reactor designs must provide adequate component lifetimes. This requires an understanding of various radiation damage mechanisms and their effects on the properties of materials involved. Blanchard conducts theoretical research on the impact of radiation damage to the structural behavior of in-reactor components. He estimates component lifetimes and identifies critical areas where further experimental work is required.
Blanchard is also interested in extending the plant life of fission reactors. Many U.S. reactors must be relicensed in order to operate into the next century. A key to this effort is the reactor vessel integrity, given the radiation damage produced over the previous 30 years. Blanchard and his students estimate the damage produced in existing reactor vessels and assess their ability to withstand further damage. This requires detailed neutron transport calculations, coupled with predictions of property changes in the steel vessels, particularly in the vicinity of welds.
A third area of interest is laser-induced stresses. When a high power laser pulse strikes a material, it creates thermal stresses, thermal waves, and elastic waves. I am developing analytical and numerical models of these phenomena to help understand the power one can deliver to a material without producing damage.
Blanchard's final interest area is the invention of nuclear microbatteries. He and his collaboratorrs are using the decay of radioisotopes to create power sources for MEMS devices. We use silicon diodes to capture the particles produced by the decay and this results in an electric potential which can be tapped to provide electricity to a MEMS component. One interesting application is the development of a nuclear powered RF transmitter that will allow these devices to communicate with each other wirelessly.
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Copyright 2008 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Date last modified: 14-Dec-2008 Content by: blanchard@engr.wisc.edu Accessibility Web services |