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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.
Maria Pusa, Jaakko Leppänen
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 164 | Number 2 | February 2010 | Pages 140-150
Technical Paper | dx.doi.org/10.13182/NSE09-14
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The topic of this paper is the computation of the matrix exponential in the context of burnup equations. The established matrix exponential methods are introduced briefly. The eigenvalues of the burnup matrix are important in choosing the matrix exponential method, and their characterization is considered. Based on the characteristics of the burnup matrix, the Chebyshev rational approximation method (CRAM) and its interpretation as a numeric contour integral are discussed in detail. The introduced matrix exponential methods are applied to two test cases representing an infinite pressurized water reactor pin-cell lattice, and the numerical results are presented. The results suggest that CRAM is capable of providing a robust and accurate solution to the burnup equations with a very short computation time.
