M.Phil. (Energy Studies) / SAFARI-1 is a 20 MW research reactor, which is over 45 years old, and is expected to reach the end of its operating life between 2020 and 2030. The aim of this work is to investigate various alternative conceptual core layouts of the SAFARI-1 reactor in order to facilitate more e ective utilization of the reactor, while potentially expanding its operating lifetime. The spatial and energy neutron distribution is one of the most signi cant parameters in the characterization of such an alternative core layout. This neutron distribution is a result of basic physics processes such as particle matter interactions, nuclear reactions, material properties, e ects of temperature and the time evolution of the system. This study focuses on the steady-state neutron distribution within the highly heterogeneous and complex geometry of the reactor core for the various alternative core layouts. This work has searched for and found a di erent inhomogeneous neutron distribution within the core, arising from a di erent core layout, which can nonetheless still achieve e ciency in the operation for various design purposes, but with a lower power output. Via numerical analysis with the OSCAR-4 code system, the safety and utilization requirements for the SAFARI-1 reactor are evaluated and quantied in terms of its steady-state neutron ux distribution. A SAFARI-1 reference core, obtained via an equilibrium cycle calculation, was used to generate a set of safety and utilization targets against which alternative designs may be measured. Alternative core layouts were developed by using a parametric study to scope the size and power level of potential candidate conceptual cores with the aim of minimizing the power level while adhering to the safety requirements. Utilization parameters of interest include isotope production capability, thermal ux levels in beam tubes and production levels in the silicon doping facility...

Radiation portal monitors are being deployed at border crossings throughout the world to prevent the smuggling of nuclear and radiological materials; however, a tension exists between security and the free-flow of commerce. Delays at ports-of-entry have major economic implications, so it is imperative to minimize portal monitor screening time. We have developed an algorithm to locate a radioactive source using a distributed array of detectors, specifically for use at border crossings. To locate the source, we formulated an optimization problem where the objective function describes the least-squares difference between the actual and predicted detector measurements. The predicted measurements are calculated by solving the 3-D deterministic neutron transport equation given an estimated source position. The source position is updated using the steepest descent method, where the gradient of the objective function with respect to the source position is calculated using adjoint transport calculations. If the objective function is smaller than a predetermined convergence criterion, then the source position has been identified. To test the algorithm, we first verified that the 3-D forward transport solver was working correctly by comparing to the code PARTISN (Parallel Time-Dependent SN). Then, we developed a baseline scenario to represent a typical border crossing. Test cases were run for various source positions within each vehicle and convergence criteria, which showed that the algorithm performed well in situations where we have perfect knowledge of parameters such as the material properties of the vehicles. We also ran a sensitivity analysis to determine how uncertainty in various parameters-the optical thickness of the vehicles, the fill level in the gas tank, the physical size of the vehicles, and the detector efficiencies-affects the results. We found that algorithm is most sensitive to the optical thickness of the vehicles. Finally, we tested the simplifying assumption of one energy group by using measurements obtained from MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended). These results showed that the one-energy-group assumption will not be sufficient if the code is deployed in a real-world scenario. While this work describes the application of the algorithm to a land border crossing, it has potential for use in a wide array of nuclear security problems.

Not available

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1984.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 1960. / "Physics & Mathematics, UC-34" -t.p. "TID-4500 (15th Ed.)" -t.p. Includes bibliographical references.