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The deadline arrives: Checking in on the Reactor Pilot Program
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14301, “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the DOE,” which instructed the Department of Energy to create a Reactor Pilot Program (RPP)—a new system in which companies could pursue DOE authorization to build and test their first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies. EO 14301 set an ambitious goal for that program: three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026.
Pierre Benoist
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 77 | Number 1 | January 1981 | Pages 1-12
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE81-A21334
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In an earlier work, the author presented a theory of the diffusion coefficient in a reactor lattice, leading to expressions valid in full generality. However, for practical purposes it was necessary to admit simplifying assumptions. But now, with the help of modern computers, weaker approximations appear possible. Assuming only two hypotheses, (a) zero-order approximation in , and (b) cylindricalization of the cell, a diffusion coefficient calculation can be transformed into a one-dimensional problem, the solution of which is practically as simple as the calculation of the classical fine structure. The difficulty concerning the reflection of neutrons from the boundary is overcome here; moreover, handling of angular fluxes is avoided, without any approximation. Formulas for the calculation of the diffusion coefficients in the framework of integral transport theory are presented.