Virginia Tech® home

DC Area Research

As Virginia Tech expands its offerings into the Washington, D.C., metro area, both research and academics continue to expand as well. 


Virginia Tech Transport Theory Group (VT3G)

The Virginia Tech Transport Theory Group (VT3G), led by Dr. Alireza Haghighat, is engaged in the development of hybrid, 3-D, multi-scale, parallel particle transport algorithms and codes, and their applications to nuclear energy, nuclear security and non-proliferation and radiation therapy.


Multi-phase Flow and Thermal-hydraulics Lab (MFTL)

The laboratory, led by Dr. Yang Liu performs experimental and computational studies on various multiphase flow and reactor thermal-hydraulics topics. In the first area, we study the full spectrum of two-phase flow regimes that are of practical interest, ranging from bubble nucleation to film and droplet dynamics. Research activities include advanced instrumentation development, experimental studies, and model development for both 1-D system codes and 3-D CFD codes. In the area of reactor thermal-hydraulics, the focus is on reactor safety related issues. Specific topics include air entrainment in the Emergency Core Cooling System, flow structure development in rod bundles, flow induced vibration on piping elements, passive safety systems, and spent fuel pool safety.


Nuclear Materials and Fuel Cycle Center (NMFC)

The Nuclear Materials and Fuel Cycle Center (NMFC) is one of the key research laboratories of the Nuclear Engineering Program at Virginia Tech. The center is led by Dr. Jinsuo Zhang, an professor of the nuclear engineering program. Prof. Zhang joined the university in January, 2017, with the specific task of initiating research and education focusing on nuclear materials and fuel cycle technologies. Before Prof. Zhang joined the universtiy, he had been involved in material degradation studies and coolant technology for nuclear reactor systems and advanced nuclear fuel cycle technologies including pyroprocessing at Los Alamos National Laboratory since 2001.


Heat Transfer and Safety Lab (HEATS)

HEATS Lab, led by Dr. Duarte, focus on two-phase flow heat transfer, subchannel analysis, boiling, condensation, and safety analysis of nuclear facilities.