Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

Validation Of Athlet With Purdue University Multi-Dimensional Integral Test Assembly (Puma) Test, Emin Fatih Ozdem

Masters Theses

"Following the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) disaster, the development of a diagnostic system for emergency situations in a nuclear power plant was identified as an essential research area to strengthen the safety of nuclear power plants. A real-time estimation system of vital safety parameters on the main side of a PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) facility was investigated since precise post-event scenario estimations are thought to be a crucial component of the diagnostic system. The alarm system of the plant can detect an SB-LOCA (Small Break Loss-Of-Coolant-Accident), but there were a couple of potential long-term transient occurrences. The accident …

Preparation Of The Ej301d, A Deuterated Liquid Organic Scintillation Detector, For Spectroscopy Of Fast And High Energy Neutrons, Albert Du

Masters Theses

The focus of this research is on the preparation of a deuterated organic scintillation detector for fast and high energy neutron spectroscopy. The underlying physics of organic scintillation detectors, the process in which a neutron undergoes interaction with the detector material, as well as the readout and data processing procedure is introduced.

For methodology, a comprehensive setup of an EJ301-D deuterated organic scin- tillation detector is detailed. This includes algorithmic development for three distinct purposes. Firstly, it involves the creation of iterative unfolding algorithms, specif- ically the GRAVEL and Maximum Likelihood Expectation-Maximization (MLEM)

algorithm. The second development is conformal binning …

Uncertainty Quantification Framework For Design Optimization, Austin Ryan Williams

Masters Theses

Difficulty to obtain neutron sources of interest have driven the need for optimization
techniques to tailor a neutron generator as a replacement. A proposed solution uses
off-the-shelf neutron sources coupled with an energy-tuning assembly to mimic the
source of interest (i.e. AmLi, AmBe, thermonuclear fission spectra, etc.). These
energy-tuning assemblies have been designed with complex optimization algorithms
coupled with Monte Carlo simulations. These new system surrogate designs often
do not have an experimental counterpart for validation and comparison, and lack
non-statistical uncertainties. This work aims to improve confidence in the predictions
by providing a tool for fast uncertainty quantification to …

Antineutrino Monitoring Studies Using Nuscale As A Case Study, Emma C. Houston

Masters Theses

The proposed growth of nuclear technology presents challenges to the current safeguard regimes [51]. Non-invasive, non-intrusive, and remote monitoring is desired to safeguard the new fleet of advanced reactors. Decades of antineutrino detector research has shown the ability for this technology to monitor nuclear reactors from significant standoff distances [64]. Antineutrino detectors can provide a Continuity of Knowledge, unique to the current safeguards framework [20]. In this study, we propose the use of an antineutrino detector, ”outside of the fence”, for safeguard applications at a mutli-core SMR site. Ideally, smaller and shallower antineutrino detectors could be used to reduce operational …

Use Of Automatic Metaheuristic Optimizations For Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, Christopher Busch

Masters Theses

Boron Neutron Capture therapy (BNCT) is a cancer treatment method investigated to reach malignant tumors that have added complications due to shape, size, or location. The unique property of BNCT is that it can deposit an immense dose gradient between the tumor cells and normal cells. This is done by selectively concentrating boron compounds in tumor cells and then irradiating the cells with an epithermal neutron beam. Due to complex nature of neutron interactions, a high fidelity neutronic model is needed to design and predict the outcomes of a BNCT experiment. This work aims to introduce a high level autonomous …

Uranium Holdup Mass Quantification By Hybrid Gamma Imaging, Blake R. Montz

Masters Theses

Accurate quantification of uranium holdup is crucial in the efficient operation of many processing facilities involved with special nuclear material (SNM). The varying shapes and sizes of holdup deposits can make accurate quantification a challenge. The most common approach is the Generalized Geometry Holdup (GGH) method which simplifies the shape of the deposit to a point, line, or area source. Although the GGH method is quick and easy to implement, the oversimplifying assumptions can lead to systematic uncertainties as high as 50%. The research presented here is exploring gamma-ray imaging as a more accurate method of quantifying deposits. A PHDs …

Component Monitoring Strategies For Ipwr Plant Systems During Operational Transients, Matthew S. Scott

Masters Theses

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are currently at the forefront of the nuclear industry as potential next stage in nuclear energy production. Implementing a new reactor technology in a commercial setting contains many challenges in terms of maintaining safety and regulatory standards since all of the regulatory framework is based on the traditional PWR design. One benefit of the SMR design is the increased ability to load-follow to meet the constant changes in grid demand. This type of operational strategy introduces changes into the system that impacts the operational lifespan of system components due to increased degradation. Since there are no …

Development Of A Low-Dose Radiation Therapy Device For Acute Respritory Distress Syndrome, Thomas Heath Davis

Masters Theses

This research focuses on the development of a low dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) device for treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a respiratory illness that affects millions of people a year. The use of orthovoltage (200 – 500 keV) X-ray energy provides many advantages over traditional radiotherapy delivery with linear accelerators, such as low cost and greater accessibility. In addition, X-ray tubes have been shown throughout history to provide good treatment outcomes for pneumonia, and research has shown LD-RT to be just as effective with ARDS. This proposal summarizes my efforts in determining the dosimetric properties of a LD-RT system …

Modeling The Reactor Time-Dependent Delayed Particle Tail With Monte Carlo N-Particle (Mcnp) Version 6.2, Eli James Boland

Masters Theses

"Energy is deposited into experiment packages due to post-shutdown decay heat created from delayed particles. Modeling these delayed particles in a reactor assists researchers in quantifying the expected energy deposition sources to an experiment package before irradiation. This paper focuses on modeling the delayed particles in a reactor in MCNP6.2 by capturing a reactor as a source, converting this source capture to a source definition, applying appropriate physics such as activation and photonuclear interactions, and finally using proper tallies to create the expected delayed particle tail of a reactor.

To capture the source distribution, the FMESH capability within MCNP was …

Fire Simulation And Analysis Of A Switchgear Cabinet Fire And Its Effects On Cable Trays, Yalcin Meraki

Masters Theses

Switchgear rooms are crucial in containing essential equipment such as cabinets and cable trays in case of a possible fire. There are three fire model classes which are algebraic models, zone model, and computation fluid dynamics model (CFD). PyroSim software, a visual user interface for the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was used for simulation by using the CFD. Two different 464 kW and 1002 kW heat release rate (HRR) values were used under the same conditions for the fire scenario. By considering a fire scenario, the fire ignited due to …

Development Of Codoped Cesium Iodide Scintillators For Medical Imaging Applications, Everett M. Cavanaugh

Masters Theses

Cesium iodide has a rich history of use as a scintillating material. CsI finds use in a variety of fields, but it is primarily used in radiography, tomography, and geological exploration. Of the three common variants of CsI, thallium doped CsI is by far the most widely used among these applications. It possesses favorable physical characteristics like a high density and high effective Z and exhibits high light output at room temperature. Despite how great CsI scintillators may be on paper, they have an Achilles heel: afterglow. CsI:Tl has significant afterglow which leads to imaging artifacts that can be difficult …

Validation Of Relap5-3d For Transient Simulation Of Lead-Lithium Systems For Fusion Applications, Nicholas Akira Meehan

Masters Theses

With increasing development in fusion technology including the construction and subsequently planned experimental campaign of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), validation must be performed for simulation tools used in the design, development, and licensing of future commercial fusion systems. This thesis contains several validation studies for transient simulation of lead-lithium eutectic (PbLi) systems using the RELAP5-3D code. This validation analysis is performed initially using models of systems without the influence of a magnetic field to inspect heat transfer and pressure drop phenomena. The validation study then uses models of systems under the influence of a magnetic field to inspect …

Meta-Heuristic Optimization Techniques For The Production Of Medical Isotopes Through Special Target Design, Cameron Ian Salyer

Masters Theses

Medical isotopes are used for a variety of different diagnostic and therapeutic purposes Ruth (2008). Due to recent newly discovered applications, their production has become rapidly more scarce than ever before Charlton (2019). Therefore, more efficient and less time consuming methods are of interest for not only the industry’s demand, but for the individuals who require radio-isotope procedures. Currently, the primary source of most medical isotopes used today are provided by reactor and cyclotron irradiation techniques, followed by supplemental radio-chemical separations Ruth (2008). Up until this point, target designs have been optimized by experience, back of the envelope calculations, and …

Enigma - Ongoing Development Towards Novel Beta-Decay Spectroscopy Station At Isolde, Philipp Wagenknecht

Masters Theses

Beta decay and collinear laser spectroscopy are proven efficient tools to study nuclear structure far from stability. Two areas of significance are investigations into nuclear deformation and shape coexistence, as well as delayed neutron emissions used in nuclear energy applications. This contribution presents the ongoing development towards a novel beta-decay spectroscopy station for the VITO experiment at CERN’s radioactive ion beam facility ISOLDE. The setup will utilize both collinear laser spectroscopy and beta-decay spectroscopy to measure the energy and spin-parities of the ground and excited states of radioactive beams. Initial designs of the support structure, magnetic field, and detector array …

Design And Evaluation Of A Unique Weighted-Sum-Based Anger Camera, Matthew W. Seals

Masters Theses

Anger camera imaging technology has become widely popular for neutron diffraction imaging due to recent shortages in Helium-3 (He-3). Research into neutron diffraction optimized Anger camera by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) detectors group has provided an alternative to He-3 Tube-based detectors with a high-resolution Anger camera. However, the cost of these high-resolution Anger camera technology can make it less attractive than He-3 tubes when a large Field of View (FOV) is desired. Currently, there is a need for a lower-cost alternative to this high-resolution anger camera. Further applications for Anger camera have become of interest with the advent …

Particle Swarm Optimization For Critical Experiment Design, Cole Michael Kostelac

Masters Theses

“Critical experiments are used by nuclear data evaluators and criticality safety engineers to validate nuclear data and computational methods. Many of these experiments are designed to maximize the sensitivity to a certain nuclide-reaction pair in an energy range of interest. Traditionally, a parameter sweep is conducted over a set of experimental variables to find a configuration that is critical and maximally sensitive. As additional variables are added, the total number of configurations increases exponentially and quickly becomes prohibitively computationally expensive to calculate, especially using Monte Carlo methods.

This work presents the development of a particle swarm optimization algorithm to design …

Characterization Of Cermet Fuel For Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (Ntp), James Floyd Mudd

Masters Theses

“A manned flight to Mars is met with many technical challenges, not the least of which is the development of propulsion technology capable of moving a transit vehicle from Earth orbit to Mars orbit. NASA is investigating Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) as a way of reducing flight time and providing the option for a mid-mission abort. NTP, which uses a high temperature nuclear reactor to heat a propellant, requires advanced fuel materials capable of withstanding temperatures well in excess of 2000 K. Among the fuel options are ceramic metal (cermet) composites composed of refractory metals and Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs). …

Validation Of Athlet-Cd With Cora-28 Test, Murat Tuter

Masters Theses

“Following the incidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, severe accidents at nuclear power plants (NPP) have become a global concern. These accidents generally occur because of a failure in the reactor cooling system (RCS) and result in the melting of the reactor core and fission product release. This event is mostly caused by a LOCA, loss of flow accident, station blackout or loss of heat sink. During a severe accident, generation of hydrogen as a result of steam-zircaloy fuel cladding is a significant safety concern. To better understand and prevent the hydrogen generation issue, safety related experiments and safety related codes …

Feasibility Of A Critical Experiment Utilizing Uranium Dioxide-Beryllium Oxide With Neutron Spectrum Shifting Capabilities, Ashley Rachel Raster

Masters Theses

“The goal of this project is to determine the feasibility of utilizing Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) fuel in core design with Sandia Pulse Reactor Facility’s (SPRF) Seven Percent Critical Experiment (7uPCX) fuel rods as driver fuel for a critical experiment facility to support future critical and benchmark experiments for the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) handbook. This is part of the Critical Experiment Design (CED) process for future criticality experiments. These criticality experiment designs have the main goal of being performed in the same facility at different neutron energy ranges. To test the feasibility of this experiment …

Decomposition Approach To Parametric Nonconvex Regression; Nuclear Resonance Analysis, Jordan L. Armstrong

Masters Theses

Parameterized nonconvex regression is a difficult problem for any optimization solver packages, often resulting in approximations and linearizations of the problem in order to be able to arrive a solution, if the problem is even solvable at all. These changes to the initial problem are largely dependent upon having appropriate domain knowledge and still often times result in a sizable gap between the achieved solution and the best true solution. We propose a novel method of decomposing the global problem into small, overlapping windows. Thus, the independent windows are now solvable. Subsequently, we offer a novel, sequential method of parameter …

Radiation Effects On Lithium Indium Diselenide Semiconductors As Neutron Imaging Detectors, Robert M. Golduber

Masters Theses

The studies presented in this work aim to improve upon the knowledge base of lithium indium diselenide (LISe) semiconductors to understand how the material behaves in high radiation environments and refine the process of turning it into a neutron detector. LISe has great potential as neutron imaging detector because of the high neutron absorption efficiency of its enriched ⁶Li component and its ability to discriminate between gamma-rays and neutrons. Its ability to remain functional after being irradiated with large amounts of neutron fluence has been tested and the change in its electro-optical properties with relation to fluence has been …

Assessment Of Component Level Tritium Transport For Fission And Fusion Systems, Miles Landon Oneal

Masters Theses

Tritium transport behavior in component-level models of fission and fusion systems was simulated and assessed using the hydrogen transport code in the BISON fuel performance code. Models of different conditions which were of an ITER heat exchanger, LWR cladding, and FHR heat exchanger were conducted. Comparable results between reported values and BISON predictions demonstrated the ability of the models to predict tritium transport behavior through different steel materials for three different model conditions. Next, a method for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis was implemented to calibrate the models as well as demonstrate the ability to apply this approach in multiphysics models …

The Application Of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy To Molten Salt Corrosion, William S. Ponder

Masters Theses

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) have a plethora of advantages over light water reactors. The operate at more favorable conditions for power generation and accident conditions. These conditions lead to problems with corrosion. Monitoring of this corrosion will be required for a MSR when built. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an excellent tool for this application, as it can be done with minimal sample preparation and without having to complete the more complex sample preparation required for EDS. This work will demonstrate the utility of LIBS in showing similar features as EDS such that an understanding of the corrosion seen …

Unmanned Aerial System For Radioactive Source Search, William J. Lynch

Masters Theses

A novel system of airborne radiation survey and source localization is built and tested. In the United States the National Nuclear Security Administration is currently using a two tier approach that uses a manned fixed wing airplane and manned helicopter to survey nuclear disaster zones. The novel system proposed takes the operators out of harm's way and allows for higher resolution radiation surveys at a cheaper cost. This proposed system also allows the operators to locate a source rapidly in the event that a source is stolen or lost. This proposed system is configurable for most radiation detectors that are …

Development Of Complex Lattice Cell In Benchmark Model Of Particle Bed Critical System, Elijah Chamberlain Lutz

Masters Theses

“Criticality safety benchmark evaluations require the creation of models that most accurately represent the experiment being evaluated. In some cases this can be relatively trivial with experiments containing rather simple or standard geometry. In others, such as packed bed systems, this becomes unique and a more difficult process. The importance of accurate modeling of packed bed systems for the use of criticality safety benchmark evaluations was looked at. Four models were created of various complexities and accuracy. First the multi-particle bed, consisting of a fuel particle (UC_1.7 kernel with C shell) and two filler particles (Zircaloy-4 and C + …

Linking Theory Of Disruptive Technology With Nuclear Security: Uas As An Emerging And Disruptive Technology, Jason J. Karcz

Masters Theses

Technology used in nuclear security allows for many practical applications for securing material while simultaneously providing malicious opportunities for adversaries to potentially steal or misuse the material. Fixed sites and various modes of transport for nuclear and other radioactive material all can benefit from the use of new technology in mitigating against these threats. One emerging technology in nuclear security that is rapidly growing is the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). UASs provide a different dimension of security compared to methods that are traditionally used because of the added aerial characteristics of these devices. These devices offer new detection, …

Empirical Modeling Of Used Nuclear Fuel Radiation Emissions For Safeguards Purposes, Amanda M. Bachmann

Masters Theses

For nuclear nonproliferation safeguards, the ability to characterize used nuclear fuel (UNF) is a vital process. Fuel characterization ^allows for independent verification by inspectors of operator declarations of the special nuclear material flow and nuclear related activities within a facility, and an estimation of fissile material remaining in a fuel assembly. Current methods to verify this information rely heavily on non-destructive assay techniques, such as gamma spectroscopy and neutron detection measurements. While these measurements are effective tools for estimating a specific characteristic of the fuel, such as burnup or cooling time, they often require an accurate estimation of a select …

Determining The Feasibility Of Cyclic Voltammetry For Pyroprocessing Safeguards, Jonathan T. Mitchell

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Energy Economy In Muon Catalyzed Fusion Considering External X-Ray Reactivation, Nishant Raghav Pillai

Masters Theses

"An analysis of the energy economy of a theoretical muon-catalyzed nuclear fusion system has been made by invoking the use of point kinetic equations, Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, and from a review of existing literature on muon-catalyzed fusion. An external X-ray reactivation source is proposed as a novel way to increase the number of fusions per muon and thereby overcome the so-called alpha sticking problem that has long been considered the primary impediment to breakeven muon-catalyzed fusion power. Free electron lasers, synchrotrons and Wakefield accelerators are discussed as possible bright X-ray photon sources. The addition of an intense external …

Fuel Burnup Simulation And Analysis Of The Missouri S&T Reactor, Joshua Hinkle Rhodes

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this work is to simulate the fuel burnup of the Missouri S&T Reactor. This work was accomplished using the Monte Carlo software MCNP. The primary core configurations of MSTR were modeled and the power history was used to determine the input parameters for the burnup simulation. These simulations were run to determine the burnup for each fuel element used in the core of MSTR.

With these simulations, the new predicted isotopic compositions were added into the model. New core configurations were determined, and the burnup corrected model was used to predict the excess reactivity and control rod …