Radiation and Reactor Physics

Enrolment for the course.
Successful completion of the examination on practical exercises is a precondition for the examination on the theoretical part.

Nuclear reactions with neutrons, activation and fission, typical characteristics of the cross sections for the most important nuclides. Prompt and delayed neutrons, fission products. Chain reaction and multiplication factor. Boltzman transport equation for neutron transport in matter. Diffusion approximation and its validity. Time-independent problems, non-multiplying and multiplying media. Neutron slowing-dawn in moderators, resonance absorption, thermalisation. Solution of the steady state transport and diffusion equation, derivation of the point-kinetics equations. Linear kinetics of the reactor and control of the chain reaction. Feedback effects on reactivity and non-linear kinetics.

Hamilton, Duderstadt, Nuclear reactor analysis. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Klimov, Nuclear physics and nuclear reactors. Mir publishers, Moscow.
Barjon, Physique des reacteurs nucleaires. Institut des sciences nucleaires, Grenoble.
Emendoerfer, Hoecker, Theorie der Kernreaktoren I, II. Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim.
A. F. Henry, Nuclear Reactor Analysis, The MIT Press,

Gain basic and practical knowledge that is necessary for the understanding of the processes in a fission nuclear reactor.

Knowledge and understanding
Understanding of the physical processes that take place in a nuclear reactor during operation; ability to use the knowledge on the use of physical models and analytical methods to determine the key parameters of a nuclear reactor (multiplication factor, kinetics constants, fission density distribution).

Usage
Direct use of the knowledge gained on nuclear reactors, basis for gaining additional knowledge on reactor kinetics and fuel management in nuclear installations.

Reflection
The use of theoretical mathematical approach for solving specific physical problems in the planning and operation of a nuclear reactor.

Transferable skills – not limited to a single subject
Thorough knowledge of nuclear reactions of fission and capture, the use of analytical methods for the solution of elliptical differential equations, knowledge of numerical methods for the solution of second-order differential equations.

Lectures, exercises, seminars, consultations, practical exercises on the TRIGA reactor.

Exam from the exercises and at least one seminar are the precondition for the exam on the theory
Exam on the theory
grading: 5 (fail), 6-10 (pass) (according to the Statute of UL)

TRKOV, Andrej, CAPOTE, R., SOUKHOVITSKII, E., LEAL, L.C., SIN, M., KODELI,
Ivan Aleksander, MUIR, D.W.đ. Covariances of evaluated nuclear cross section
data for [sup]232Th, [sup]180,[sup]182,[sup]183,[sup]184,[sup]186W and
[sup]55Mn. Nucl. data sheets (N.Y. N.Y.), 2011, iss. 12, vol. 112, str. 3098-3119.
[COBISS-SI-ID 25341479], [JCR, WoS do 21. 8. 2013: št. citatov (TC): 3, čistih
citatov (CI): 2, normirano št. čistih citatov (NC): 1]
TRKOV, Andrej, ŽEROVNIK, Gašper, SNOJ, Luka, RAVNIK, Matjaž. On the selfshielding
factors in neutron activation analysis. Nucl. instrum, methods phys
res., Sect. A, Accel.. [Print ed.], 2009, issue 2, vol. 610, str. 553-565, doi:
10.1016/j.nima.2009.08.079. [COBISS-SI-ID 22898215], [JCR, WoS do 13. 8.
2013: št. citatov (TC): 13, čistih citatov (CI): 9, normirano št. čistih citatov (NC):
11, Scopus do 10. 9. 2013: št. citatov (TC): 12, čistih citatov (CI): 10, normirano
št. čistih citatov (NC): 12]
HERMAN, M., CAPOTE, R., CARLSON, B.V., OBLOŽINSKÝ, P., SIN, M., TRKOV,
Andrej, WIENKE, H., ZERKIN, V. EMPIRE : Nuclear reaction model code system
for data evaluation. Nucl. data sheets (N.Y. N.Y.), 2007, vol. 108, str. 2655-
2715. [COBISS-SI-ID 21366311], [JCR, WoS do 2. 9. 2013: št. citatov (TC): 135,
čistih citatov (CI): 130, normirano št. čistih citatov (NC): 58, Scopus do 9. 9.
2013: št. citatov (TC): 173, čistih citatov (CI): 169, normirano št. čistih citatov
(NC): 75]
182
TRKOV, Andrej. Status and perspective of nuclear data production, evaluation
and validation. Nucl. Eng. and Technol., 2005, vol. 37, str. 11-24. [COBISS-SI-ID
19836711]
TRKOV, Andrej, MOLNÁR, Gábor L., RÉVAY, Zs., MUGHABGHAB, S.F.,
FIRESTONE, R.B., PRONYAEV, V.G., NICHOLS, A.L., MOXON, M.C. Revisiting the
[sup]238U thermal capture cross section and gamma-ray emission
probabilities from [sup]239Np decay. Nucl. sci. eng., 2005, vol. 150, str. 336-
348. [COBISS-SI-ID 19835943], [JCR, WoS do 15. 4. 2013: št. citatov (TC): 9,
čistih citatov (CI): 9, normirano št. čistih citatov (NC): 14]