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
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
Powering the future: How the DOE is fueling nuclear fuel cycle research and development
As global interest in nuclear energy surges, the United States must remain at the forefront of research and development to ensure national energy security, advance nuclear technologies, and promote international cooperation on safety and nonproliferation. A crucial step in achieving this is analyzing how funding and resources are allocated to better understand how to direct future research and development. The Department of Energy has spearheaded this effort by funding hundreds of research projects across the country through the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). This initiative has empowered dozens of universities to collaborate toward a nuclear-friendly future.
N. Toomarian, E. Wacholder, S. Kaizerman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 99 | Number 1 | May 1988 | Pages 53-81
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE88-A23545
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The mathematical derivation and application of two deterministic sensitivity analysis methods, the direct approach of sensitivity (DAS) and the adjoint sensitivity method (ASM), are presented for two-phase flow problems. The physical problems investigated are formulated by the transient onedimensional two-phase flow diffusion model, which consists of a system of four coupled quasi-linear first-order partial differential equations. The DAS method provides the sensitivity coefficients of all primary dependent variables at each time and space location with respect to a single input parameter. On the other hand, the ASM provides the sensitivity coefficients of a single response function at a specified time and space location with respect to all input parameters. The systems of governing equations of both sensitivity methods developed possess the same characteristic directions as those of the original physical model. Therefore, the same numerical methods for the solution of these equations have been selected as for the solution of the physical problem, i.e., Turner scheme and modified Turner (NAIAD) scheme. Special techniques to incorporate the boundary conditions of the ASM governing equations for each numerical scheme have been developed. The sensitivity coefficients computed by both methods have been verified against results from standard parametric studies. Two sample problems are thoroughly investigated. The first problem considers the transient fluid behavior in a uniformly heated channel subjected to an inlet flow decay. The second problem considers the transient fluid response within the same channel when a pressure step change at the channel inlet is imposed. Both methods predict satisfactorily the sensitivity coefficient behavior in space and time in comparison with parametric studies, even when a moving boiling boundary exists within the flow field. Certain coefficients in the thermodynamic correlations of the liquid density and the liquid saturation enthalpy, as well as the boundary conditions of the problems, were found to be the most “sensitive” input parameters in both problems investigated. Some input parameters of minor significance in the steady-state conditions were found to be very “influential” during the transient and vice versa. The behavior of most of the sensitivity coefficients, in space and time, cannot be estimated without a systematic sensitivity analysis method.