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Division members promote the advancement of mathematical and computational methods for solving problems arising in all disciplines encompassed by the Society. They place particular emphasis on numerical techniques for efficient computer applications to aid in the dissemination, integration, and proper use of computer codes, including preparation of computational benchmark and development of standards for computing practices, and to encourage the development on new computer codes and broaden their use.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
Patrick F. O’Rourke, Anil K. Prinja
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 197 | Number 3 | March 2023 | Pages 463-471
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2106728
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We explore two methods for determining the probability that a neutron, upon leaking, will transfer from one spherical assembly to another, namely, the view factor method (VFM) and the sphere point picking method (SPPM). The VFM is an approximate analytical method that assumes the neutron is leaking from a point source, and therefore, has applicability limitations. The SPPM is a purely Monte Carlo method that samples a location on the surface of a sphere as well as a trajectory leading away from said system to then determine if the neutron streams into another assembly. Numerical results from the two methods are contrasted, and the relative merits of each method discussed.
