Professor and Director of Nuclear Engineering Programs | Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Richmond, VA, UNITED STATES
(804) 827-2278 sphongikaroon@vcu.edu
Professor Phongikaroon's research focuses on pedagogy and experimental studies in used nuclear fuel reprocessing.
Awarded by the Center for Advanced Energy Studies.
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering
2001
B.S., Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering
1997
Nuclear News print
2017-01-01
VCU’s nuclear engineering program is advancing a strong research agenda. Highlights include Tepper’s study of uranyl soil extraction and fluorescence enhancement by silica gel, which resulted in a new method to allow fast and sensitive measurement of uranium in soil. Bilbao y León’s research on branding the nuclear fuel cycle offers a comprehensive approach to communicating with the public about nuclear energy and building a better understanding of the nuclear fuel cycle. This year, Supathorn Phongikaroon, associate professor of nuclear engineering, and his team developed a method to measure and produce near real-time measurements of the elemental concentration of salts in nuclear electro-refiners using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. This process helps ensure material accountability and safeguards of special nuclear materials.
Phys.org online
2013-08-27
Today, the process to analyze isotopes is time-intensive—typically taking days to transport, process and analyze a sample. For international safeguards, this process takes even longer, since the samples must be sent to a different facility, often in another country. At the CAES Radiochemistry Laboratory, researchers are working to prove a method that would reduce that time to a matter of minutes. 'This is vital in improving material accountability in nuclear reprocessing,' said Supathorn Phongikaroon, a University of Idaho/CAES researcher and the project's principal investigator...
view moreRiyadh Motny, PHD Candidate
The study focuses on assessment on the RSC and its usage in capturing certain elements (fission products or radioactive materials) within its structure and development of a detection method for radioactive elements captured in ceramic materials.
Michael Woods, PHD Student
The study focuses on fundamental electrochemical properties of alkali/alkaline earth fission products and possible actinide elements in LiCl-KCl molten salts with liquid metal electrodes in a controlled glovebox environment, for possible improvement on reprocessing technology applications.
Hunter Andrews, PHD Student
The study focuses on determining the material compositions and characteristics of unknown materials by creating a database of information using measurements from a quasi-simultaneous system utilizing different voltammetric methods (e.g., cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronopotentiometry (CP), etc.) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).
Dimitris Killinger, PHD Student
A study done on uranium morphology during pyroprocessing is necessary and beneficial in determining the sources and causes of the impurities stated above. In doing so, methods and technologies can be developed in order to produce higher purity products with pyroprocessing achievable, increasing the efficiency of the nuclear fuel cycle. This increase in efficiency will cause a decrease in purchase costs of natural uranium and avoidance of disposal costs for large volume of spent fuel, which supports the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) mission’s research objective to develop sustainable fuel cycle.
Reginald Jones, Undergraduate Intern
This study focuses on different techniques for measuring physical properties of molten salt such as density and viscosity.
Idaho National Laboratory $140,000
Duration: December 2016 – December 2018
Idaho National Laboratory $160,000
Duration: December 2016 – December 2018
Nuclear Energy University Program—U.S. Department of Energy $240,000
Duration: September 2015 – September 2018 Subcontract distribution from the Pennsylvania State University
Nuclear Energy University Program—U.S. Department of Energy $244,992
Duration: September 2014 – December 2017 Subcontract distribution from University of Utah
Nuclear Energy University Program—U.S. Department of Energy $300,000
Duration: September 2013 – October 2017 Subcontract distribution from the Ohio State University
Nuclear Energy University Program—U.S. Department of Energy $820,000
Duration: September 2012 – August 2016
This course is designed to give the graduate students an overview on the Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) technology focusing on the following topics: (1) breeding and the role of fast breeder reactors – basic physics, strategy analysis and uranium resources; (2) FBR design consideration – brief aspect in to the mechanical and thermal systems including core materials; (3) economic analysis of nuclear reactors; (4) nuclear design through multi-group diffusion theory; (5) reactor kinetics; and (6) fuel burnup.
This course introduces the fundamental properties of the neutron, the reactions induced by neutrons, nuclear fission, the slowing down of neutrons in infinite and finite media, diffusion theory, the 1-group or 2-group approximation, point kinetics, and fission-product effects. Provides students with the nuclear reactor theory foundation necessary for reactor design and reactor engineering problems.
This course will explore the political and technological issues involved with nuclear safeguards, security, and nonproliferation. Topics studied will include the history of nuclear weapons development, description and effects of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear material safeguards, protection of nuclear materials, proliferation resistance and pathways in the nuclear fuel cycle, international and domestic safeguards, nuclear terrorism, and safeguards measurement techniques for material accountancy programs and physical protection mechanisms.
Fundamentals of engineering economic analysis are applied to energy supply, demand, prices and production with specific emphasis on nuclear energy, the capital cost of nuclear power plants, the nuclear fuel cycle and associated energy technologies.
This course is intended to provide the introductory first-year graduate students with comprehensive overview of nuclear energy, nuclear engineering and its many facets; topics, themes and issues may include the following: atomic and fission physics, radiation and radioactive decay, nuclear reactor physics, nuclear reactor kinetics and control, reactor energy removal, nuclear fuel cycle, reactors systems (reactor types, similarities and differences, nuclear plant components, conventional and advanced next generation nuclear reactors, and etc.), reactor materials, radiation exposure and shielding, reactor accidents, safety and analyses.
ANNALS OF NUCLEAR ENERGY Volume: 111 Pages: 242-254 (2018)
Pouri, Samaneh Rakhshan; Manic, Milos, Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2017.09.002
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY Volume: 71 Issue: 10 Pages: 2302-2312 (2017)
Williams, Ammon; Bryce, Keith; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1177/0003702817709298
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY Volume: 164 Issue: 9 Pages: E217-E225 (2017)
Yoon, Dalsung; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI:10.1149/2.0411709jes
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY Volume: 71 Issue: 4 Pages: 744-749 (2017)
Williams, Ammon N.; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1177/0003702816648965
NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY Volume: 197 Issue: 3 Pages: 308-319 (2017)
Pouri, Samaneh Rakhshan; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1080/00295450.2016.1273730
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA Volume: 227 Pages: 170-179 (2017)
Yoon, Dalsung; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.01.011
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY Volume: 70 Issue: 10 Pages: 1700-1708 (2016)
Williams, Ammon N.; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1177/0003702816648327
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS Volume: 476 Pages: 179-187 (2016)
Hoover, Robert O.; Yoon, Dalsung; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2016.04.037
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY Volume: 163 Issue: 3 Pages: E97-E103 (2016)
Yoon, Dalsung; Phongikaroon, Supathorn; Zhang, Jinsuo
DOI: 10.1149/2.0101605jes
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Volume: 47 Issue: 7 Pages: 867-874 (2015)
Williams, Ammon N.; Pack, Michael; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2015.08.006
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA Volume: 164 Pages: 218-226 (2015)
Park, Jaeyeong; Choi, Sungyeol; Hoover, Robert; et al.
DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2015.02.160
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY Volume: 162 Issue: 10 Pages: E237-E243 (2015)
Yoon, D.; Phongikaroon, S.
DOI: 10.1149/2.0401510jes
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS Volume: 452 Issue: 1-3 Pages: 389-396 (2014)
Hoover, Robert O.; Shaltry, Michael R.; Martin, Sean; Sridharan, K; Phongikaroon, S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.05.057
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH Volume: 53 Issue: 34 Pages: 13550-13556 (2014)
Shaltry, Michael; Phongikaroon, Supathorn
DOI: 10.1021/ie502608v
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART B-ATOMIC SPECTROSCOPY Volume: 97 Pages: 79-85 (2014)
Hanson, Cynthia; Phongikaroon, Supathorn; Scott, Jill R
DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2014.04.012
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Pages: 395-406 (2014)
Versey, Joshua R.; Phongikaroon, Supathorn; Simpson, Michael F.
DOI: 10.5516/NET.06.2013.082
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN Volume: 91 Issue: 3 Pages: 418-425 (2013)
Phongikaroon, Supathorn; Bezzant, Ryan W.; Simpson, Michael F.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2012.09.010
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