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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Junsu Kang, Andrew M. Ward, Ugur Mertyurek, Thomas J. Downar
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 200 | Number 1 | March 2026 | Pages S611-S624
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2025.2494184
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Material composition interpolation was investigated for the rapid generation of macroscopic cross-section libraries for core design, specifically focusing on pressurized water reactor fuel assemblies containing high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel pins. Rapid cross-section-library generation can accelerate the deployment of high-enriched fuels in commercial light water reactors. A Gaussian process interpolation method was used with adaptive sampling in order to minimize the number of required lattice physics calculations. The interpolation method was applied to a two-dimensional parameter space defined by fuel enrichment and Gd2O3 concentration. The accuracy of the interpolated cross-section libraries was assessed by directly comparing them with those generated by lattice physics calculations at the interpolated material compositions. A high-quality approximate cross-section library with an error of less than 0.1% was generated using 15 sample points. The reactivity uncertainty propagation was estimated to have a standard deviation of less than 23 pcm, with the actual maximum reactivity error observed in PARCS depletion calculations reaching 53 pcm.