NUCE 625 Advanced Core Physics for Light Water Reactors
This course is focused on learning advanced computational methods for analyzing light water reactors. The course presents detailed description of the computations performed on both the fuel assembly- and full core-level of a nuclear reactor. Nuclear cross section libraries, resonance treatment of cross sections, assembly homogenization techniques, cross section functionalization approaches, and pin-power reconstruction techniques are discussed. On the core level, this course presents advanced nodal methods for the numerical solution of the neutron diffusion equation. Modern nodal methods, based on transverse integration procedure including Nodal Expansion Method (NEM) and Analytical Nodal Methods (ANM), are discussed. This course combines theory and practice by studying the application of state-of-the-art, engineering-grade codes to the neutronic design, analysis, and modeling of nuclear fuel assembly and core. The computational paradigm is based on the traditional divide-and-conquer approach where fuel assembly characteristics are obtained using 2-D transport codes; then, a 2-group diffusion code is used to model the 3-D nuclear reactor core. The students will be instructed in the use of a 2-D lattice physics transport code for assembly design and analysis and a 3-D full-core diffusion code for power distribution.
Offered
Fall