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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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NC State celebrates 70 years of nuclear engineering education
An early picture of the research reactor building on the North Carolina State University campus. The Department of Nuclear Engineering is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its nuclear engineering curriculum in 2020–2021. Photo: North Carolina State University
The Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University has spent the 2020–2021 academic year celebrating the 70th anniversary of its becoming the first U.S. university to establish a nuclear engineering curriculum. It started in 1950, when Clifford Beck, then of Oak Ridge, Tenn., obtained support from NC State’s dean of engineering, Harold Lampe, to build the nation’s first university nuclear reactor and, in conjunction, establish an educational curriculum dedicated to nuclear engineering.
The department, host to the 2021 ANS Virtual Student Conference, scheduled for April 8–10, now features 23 tenure/tenure-track faculty and three research faculty members. “What a journey for the first nuclear engineering curriculum in the nation,” said Kostadin Ivanov, professor and department head.
J. Zhang, R. Kapernick, T. F. Marcille
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 160 | Number 1 | September 2008 | Pages 75-97
Technical Paper | dx.doi.org/10.13182/NSE160-75
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Corrosion of the primary coolant structural materials in a nuclear power system is a potential concern when liquid metal is used as the coolant. For the current space reactor design, liquid sodium-potassium eutectic (NaK) has been selected as a candidate for the primary coolant and stainless steel as the structural material, so whether or not corrosion is a problem for this system must be determined. This paper documents a first step to understanding the extent of corrosion in the selected candidate design. Data available in the literature have been compiled and are analyzed, factors affecting corrosion are assessed, and a theoretical basis of the corrosion mechanisms by liquid metals is presented. This study provides some useful information for the design of NaK coolant systems and some recommendations for what additional experimental and theoretical work is needed to understand the corrosion mechanisms and limitations of using NaK as a primary coolant.
