Showing 34 results for Author: Elena Tajuelo Rodriguez
Apr, 2026
Journal
Irradiation can cause prominent damage to reactor concrete aggregates leading to amorphization, strength and modulus decrease, radiation induced volume expansion (RIVE) and micro-cracking, which limits their long-term performance. To develop an improved understanding of irradiation effects in concrete, three mineral analogues of concrete aggregates (limestone, marble and q…
Feb, 2026
Journal
Critical minerals (CM) such as rare earth elements (REE+) and Lithium (Li) are essential to technological innovation, energy transitions, global economic and defense security, necessitating the search for unconventional resources and efficient recovery methods to avert supply chain disruptions. This study evaluates coal-associated sediments (underclay and roof rock) and wa…
Feb, 2026
Journal
While many U.S. nuclear power plants have submitted Subsequent License Renewal Application to operate beyond 60 years, others are already considering Operations Beyond Eighty years. In such cases, concrete biological shields are exposed to neutron and gamma radiation exceeding prescribed thresholds. Radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE), extensively studied in sing…
Nov, 2025
Journal
Magnesium oxide (MgO) is considered as a potential sorbent for direct air capture of carbon dioxide in a looping process. Previous research on mineral looping for carbon capture from flue gas using MgO has shown deactivation of the sorbent with repeated cycles but repeated cycling for carbonation at ambient conditions has not been yet investigated. Here, we tested three cy…
Dec, 2024
Journal
MgO (periclase) is a promising material for direct air capture of CO2 using a mineral looping process, but it is unknown how impurities in the environment will affect the CO2 uptake and hence process economics. Here, we investigated the effects of dissolved iron on the extents of MgO hydroxylation and subsequent carbonation reactions to determine if this has a beneficial o…
Sep, 2024
Journal
Nuclear power plants are aging around the world, and a precise assessment of irradiation damage in their components is needed. One key component, concrete, and specifically the silicates in its aggregates, can undergo significant expansion upon neutron radiation, which can lead to cracking and, ultimately, structural failure. However, assessing and predicting the extent of…
Mar, 2024
Conference Paper
The structural integrity of the concrete biological shield (CBS) in light water reactors (LWRs) exposed to long-term radiation raises the question of the effects of fast-neutron and gamma irradiation on the bond properties of embedded carbon-steel reinforcement in concrete, which is critical to the transfer of in-service and accidental loads. The design and execution of a…
Nov, 2023
Journal
This study investigates the alteration of felsic sandstone-type rock, which is used as a coarse aggregate in concrete, subject to the effects of gamma-ray and neutron irradiation. The effects of three gamma-ray doses (27, 55, and 108 MGy) and four neutron fluence levels (1.22, 2.19, 6.99, and 14.30 × 1019 n/cm2, E ≥ 0.01 MeV) were investigated. Quartz and albite were found…