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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
D. Saphier
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 47 | Number 3 | March 1972 | Pages 275-289
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE72-A22414
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new hybrid method was developed for the solution of the one-dimensional time-dependent diffusion equation in four energy and four delayed-neutron groups. Using this method it is possible to reduce the cost per problem solved by an order of magnitude compared with commonly used digital methods. The solution is based on discretizing the multigroup diffusion equation with respect to the spatial variable while leaving the time variable continuous. The simple coupled time-dependent differential equations so obtained are integrated continuously and in parallel for each of the reactor regions. The regional boundary values are updated from iteration to iteration until convergence is obtained. Two examples are presented in which the hybrid and digital solutions are compared for a fast plutonium oxide fueled reactor. The agreement between the hybrid and digital solution is fairly good.