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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!
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Nuclear Dirigo
On April 22, 1959, Rear Admiral George J. King, superintendent of the Maine Maritime Academy, announced that following the completion of the 1960 training cruise, cadets would begin the study of nuclear engineering. Courses at that time included radiation physics, reactor control and instrumentation, reactor theory and engineering, thermodynamics, shielding, core design, reactor maintenance, and nuclear aspects.
J. A. Gomez, P. E. Koehler, T. E. Cutler, A. DeYoung, J. T. Goorley, J. D. Hutchinson, G. McKenzie, G. L. Morgan, S. M. Mosby, W. L. Myers, R. S. Rundberg, V. W. Yuan
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 193 | Number 5 | May 2019 | Pages 537-548
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2018.1545956
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Neutron diagnosed subcritical experiments (NDSEs) aim to measure the fission chain decay of subcritical test objects initiated by neutrons from an external source. The ultimate goal of future NDSEs is to make such measurements on dynamic subcritical objects as they are imploded. As a step toward that goal, we made measurements on three static subcritical assemblies containing highly enriched uranium. Specifically, we measured the die-off of both fission gamma rays and neutrons, with nanosecond resolution over several hundred microseconds, relative to the emission time of neutrons from a source in close proximity to the subcritical objects. As simulations are expected to play a key role in interpreting future NDSEs, we compared our data to detailed MCNP® calculations. There was good agreement between the data and MCNP over die-off times expected to be most important to future NDSEs, but there were significant differences at both earlier and later times. We attempted to reconcile these differences by several changes to the simulations. In particular, we found that reducing the 235U(n,n’) cross section to 80% of the current ENDF7.1 evaluation resulted in much better agreement.