USU Engineering Faculty Wins Grant to Study Effects of Extreme Temps
Ryan Berke and fellow engineering researchers are using specialized cameras to view materials at extreme temperatures.
A team of engineering researchers at Utah State University is working to better understand what happens to materials at extremely high temperatures.
The group, led by assistant professor of mechanical engineering Ryan Berke, received a $220,664 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Engineering University Program to build an advanced multi-camera system. The specialized cameras will give Berke and his team a better view of what happens when materials heat up to very high temperatures.
“When objects are heated to extreme temperatures, they emit glowing light that can interfere with conventional camera sensors,” said Berke. “The new camera system uses a combination of ultraviolet and infrared cameras to account for that glow.”
The UV cameras used by the system are better able to filter out the emitted light, thus extending the temperature range in which deformation can be observed by the cameras. Meanwhile, the IR cameras harness the light to measure temperature, allowing them to detect changes in temperature across the surface of the object.
Once operational, the system will be capable of performing some of the highest-temperature measurements of its kind, at lengths ranging from the structural level all the way down to the micro-scale.
One of the most common applications of Berke’s research is in nuclear energy. Many of the components used to harness nuclear energy run at very high temperatures to allow for higher operating efficiencies. The new camera system will be used not only to characterize the structural response of candidate materials for reactors currently in development, but to also identify materials capable of withstanding even higher temperatures for future reactor designs.
Berke is uniquely qualified to carry out the project, having served as the primary developer and sole user of a similar system prior to joining USU in January 2015. His co-investigators are Heng Ban, Thomas Fronk, Nick Roberts and Ling Liu, all faculty in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
Berke says USU is great location for his study. The camera system and upcoming research work will take place in his Mechanics at Extreme Temperatures Lab.
“One of the things that drew me to USU was its close relationship to Idaho National Lab, where they are developing the Very High Temperature Reactor, or VHTR,” he added. “Initial plans for the VHTR had the reactor operating at much higher temperatures, but had to be scaled back due to the limited understanding of materials that could survive high enough temperatures for the lifetime of the reactor.”
Contact: Ryan Berke, 435-797-8184, ryan.berke@usu.edu
Writer: Matt Jensen, 435-797-8170, matthew.jensen@usu.edu
"Mechanical engineering senior Ethan Nickerson is working with engineering faculty on a new project using specialized cameras to visualize materials at extreme temperatures."
A specimen is heated inside a Gleeble to 1,000 degrees Celsius. Ryan Berke will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to study the effects of extreme temperatures on materials."
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