NE 250 - Nuclear Reactor Theory

Spring 2008
Instructor: Dr. Ren-Tai Chiang

TuTh 4:00-6:00 pm, 1106 Etcheverry Hall)

Office Hour: Tuesdays 3-4 pm, Location: TBD

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Grading:        Homework                          20%                                  Final Exam      30%                     
                      Midterm Exam                    25%
                      Term Paper Writing             20%
                      Term Paper Presentation      5%
Lecture date Topic NOTES
1 Jan 22
 Introduction. Review of Historical Development.
Notes 1
Slides 1
2 Jan 24 Nuclear Energy: Beyond 2001. Review of the current status in NE in the world. Review of the current status in NE in the USA. The USA National Energy Policy. Energy Crisis in California. Notes 2
3 Jan 29 How does reactor work? Review of reactor designs.  General description of nuclear fission reactor systems and current status and trend in nuclear power plant development
 Notes 3
4 Jan 31
 Basic concepts of atomic and nuclear physics. Atomic models. Excitation and deexcitation. Nuclear models. Binding energy. Basic concepts of neutron physics: Decay modes and decay chains. Notes 4
 

5 Feb 5
 Basic nuclear reactions; Neutron cross sections; Formation of compound nucleus; Resonances- Brigh-Wigner formula. Doppler broadening. Potential scattering; Kinematics of elastic scattering; Maxwellian spectrum; 1/v absorption cross sections. Neutron attenuation. Mean free path. Collision frquency. Neutron activation. Notes 5
6 Feb 7
Fission reaction, fissile, fissionable, fertile nuclides, prompt and delayed neutrons, fission yields, nubar; Fission spectrum. Neutron sources. 		 Notes 6
7 Feb 12
 Differential scattering cross section, double differential cross section, neutron number densities, reaction rate densities. Angular dependence representation. 
Differential cross section for elastic scattering. Characterization of neutron population distribution. Angular flux density, scalar flux. Examples.Angular current density, vector and scalar current, net current, partial currents.		 Notes 7
8 Feb 14
  
Reaction rates and reaction probabilities. Rate equations for nuclear transformations. Examples. Criticality. The neutron multiplication coefficient. Six- and four-factor formula		 Notes 8
9 Feb 19 Derivation of neutron transport equation
Initial and boundary conditions. Simplified forms of neutron transport equation. PN equations, P1 approximation, and analytic solution to source-free infinite medium one-speed transport equation. Examples.
Notes 9
10 Feb 21
 Discrete ordinates SN method, collision probability method, method of characteristics, and Monte Carlo method in reactor calculations.
11 Feb 26 Introduction to MCNP
On-Line MCNP Manual
Running MCNP on DECF Clusters
12 Feb 28 Diffusion approximation of neutron transport equation, derivation of Fick's law with transport correction and neutron diffusion equation (NDE).
Solutions of 1D forms of NDE. Examples of the 1D solutions.
13 March 2
 One-speed diffusion equation in non-multiplying media. Examples.
One-speed diffusion equation in multiplying media. Criticality condition. Examples.
Reflected 1D geometries. Criticality conditions. Reflector savings.  Review and examples.
14 March 6
 Multi-group neutron diffusion theory. Multigroup diffusion equations. Two group diffusion equations. One group diffusion equation. One group modified diffusion equation.
15 March 11
 Numerical Solution of Diffusion Equation. Classical nodal method and modern nodal methods (analytic method, Green’s function nodal method, and nodal expansion method)
16 March 13
Review
17 March 18
MIDTERM I
  
18 March 20
 Neutron Slowing Down.  Elastic scattering mechanics, energy loss, average logarithmic energy decrement, effect of inelastic scattering, collision and slowing down densities, and resonance absorption evaluation.
- March 25 SPRING BREAK -
- March 27 SPRING BREAK  -
19 March 29
 Slowing-down equations. Fast spectrum calculation. Resonance integrals. Thermal Spectrum calculations.  Thermal Spectrum calculations.
20 March 31
Lattice Physics and Core Physics Methods. Fuel cell fine-group thermal spectrum calculation, fast and resonance fine-group spectrum calculations, energy condensation for few-group cross section generation.
21 April 1
 Lattice Physics and Core Physics Methods. Fuel lattice few-group spectrum calculation, lattice-homogenized cross section generation, and effective one group neutron diffusion theory method for core simulation
22 April 3
 Adjoint Equation and Perturbation Theory
Derivation of adjoint equation, physical meaning of adjoint flux, and estimate of reactivity change using first-order perturbation theory
23 April 8
 Adjoint Equation and Perturbation Theory
Derivation of adjoint equation, physical meaning of adjoint flux, and estimate of reactivity change using first-order perturbation theory
24 April 10 Reactor Kinetics.
Space-time reactor kinetics, λ-mode reactor kinetics, ω-mode reactor kinetics.

25 April 22
 Reactor Kinetics. Point reactor kinetics equation. In-Hour Equation. Six delayed-neutron groups.
 Review + Examples
26 April 24 Xenon transient, reactor operation transient such as control rod move, core flow change, and pump trip.
27 April 29 Reactivity Control. Movable control rods, soluble poison, burnable poison. Burnup analysis. Coefficients of Reactivity. Feedback.
28 May 1
 Fuel Depletion, Radiological Source, and Decay Heat
Fuel depletion evaluation, exposure-dependent fission products, actinides, and activation products activity and decay heat evaluation
29 May 6
 Alternative energy sources, or nuclear alternative. Generation IV reactors.
30 May 8
  Term Paper Presentations
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