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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.
Tai-Ping Lung and Lawrence Ruby
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 59 | Number 4 | April 1976 | Pages 436-440
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE76-A26844
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A generalization of Pacilio's method has been developed for utilizing two detectors to investigate reactor noise. The method requires only the measurement of the polarity of the detector output-current as compared with its average value, and therefore is of use in reactor systems with appreciable subcritical power. The modification extends the theory to the case in which the covariance can exceed unity. A unique bivariate negative binomial distribution is proposed for describing the correlated detectors, and a formula for the covariance-to-mean ratio is developed in terms of the polarity correlations between the detectors. From the ratio, the subcritical reactivity of the system can be determined.