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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.
Hugh K. Clark
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 54 | Number 1 | May 1974 | Pages 55-71
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE74-A23393
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The approximation inherent in using cell-averaged homogenized cross sections in computations for heterogeneous reactors is investigated for slab reactors by discrete integral transport (DIT) theory. Small, but significant, differences in reactivity and anisotropies in migration area are found. The DIT technique is extended to include an exact asymptotic reactor boundary condition and a separable transverse flux. Approximate solutions are investigated in which a reactor is subdivided into a number of zones with the coupling between zones expressed in terms of the directional currents at the interfaces. The sticking probabilities for these currents are derived from Taylor expansions of the source through linear terms. Generally good results are obtained when the zones correspond with the cells in a reactor.