ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2026
Nuclear Technology
July 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
M. L. Williams, B. L. Broadhead, C. V. Parks
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 138 | Number 2 | June 2001 | Pages 177-191
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE00-56
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method is presented to compute sensitivity coefficients for the eigenvalue of a critical assembly, including implicit effects associated with changes in resonance-shielded multigroup cross sections. Two alternative approaches, based on a forward and an adjoint solution, respectively, are developed to determine the effect of perturbations on the weight function used in group averaging of resonance cross sections. The forward method uses an automated methodology to compute the flux derivative with respect to various cross-section processing parameters. The adjoint method introduces adjoint equations for a multigroup cross-section functional and presents adjoint slowing-down equations for two common methods of resonance self-shielding. Expressions are presented for sensitivity coefficients of self-shielded group cross sections. These sensitivity coefficients are combined with conventional eigenvalue sensitivity coefficients to obtain a general perturbation expression for the multiplication factor. An example application determines the sensitivity of the critical eigenvalue to hydrogen density changes in a homogeneous sphere containing low-enriched uranium. It is shown that changes in 238U-shielded cross sections caused by perturbations in hydrogen concentrations are important components in the overall eigenvalue sensitivity coefficient, which is predicted well by the developed method.