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UN0802 - Reactor Physics (2004 version)
(This course is similar, but not identical, to EP6D03)
Home url: www.unene.ca
  Announcements
  • The 2005 offering was given 2005.11.12 - 2005.12.17.
  • Lectures for the fall term of 2003 began on Thursday, 2003.10.16 at 1:00 pm at Ontario Power Generation, PLC, on Montgomery Park Road, Pickering, Ontario.
  • Sessions times and locations are given below.
  • How to get to Pickering location: Map (pdf 411kb).
    • PLC floor plan (pdf 167kb) [password protected]. The lectures will be held in room1127 or room 412, depending on class size. Computer exercises will be held in computer Room 1430/1431.
    • Pickering ESSB-1 (E1-E2) directions: From 401 take Brock Road south. Come to Sandy Beach Road (Montgomery Park Road?). Brock Road ends here and there is a signal light. Make a right turn on this light and go about 200 yard. On the left you will see Plant sign. Make a left turn into the plant property. You will see a guard house in front of you and a parking lot on the left side with two building. Do not enter the guard house gates. Make a turn into the parking lot and park anywhere. Both buildings in the parking lot are ESSB Pickering -A and Pickering - B) but you are interested in the building which is farthest from you when you enter the parking lot (Pickering -B).
  • How to get to the McMaster University location. The John Hodgins Engineering building is building 16 in zone 3 of the campus. The lectures at McMaster will be in room JHE A317. The computer lab is across the hall in A320.

Course Description:

Introduction to nuclear energy; nuclear physics and chain reactions; reactor statics and kinetics; multigroup analysis; core thermalhydraulics; reactor design.

Format: Nominally, two modules consisting of all day sessions for about 3 days each, separated by about one month.
Prerequisite: Registration in the UNENE Master's degree program or its equivalent.
Lecturer: Bill Garland, McMaster University, 905-525-9140 ext. 24925, Dave Jackson,McMaster University, 905-525-9140 ext. 24651, Ben Rouben, AECL, 905-823-9060, ext. 4550.

Preparing for the course:

  • If you were a regular senior undergraduate or graduate student in Engineering at McMaster, then no special preparation would be necessary for taking this course. Any accredited undergraduate engineering program contains sufficient mathematics and physics for this course. The nuclear content needed is all in the course notes. It should not be necessary to look elsewhere for special background information. So relax on that point.
  • However, there is a fair bit of mathematics (first and second order ordinary and partial differential equations) and some numerical methods to contend with. If it has been a while since you have been in university and your mathematics has become a bit foggy, then you might want to first look over the course notes on this site to get a feel for what deficiencies you might have and then to dig out your old university texts to brush up. But don't panic, in the first half of the course you will not be overly taxed on the math side of things and you will have the period between the two course segments to hone in on the weak areas.
  • If you really insist on easing your anxiety by studying ahead, read the course notes supplied below. If math is a particular concern, look at the notes associated with session 6, 10 and 16.
  • You will need to print off the notes given below so you can follow along in the lectures.

Course Administration:

  • Course Outline (pdf 112kb as of 2003.09.21)
  • Dave Jackson's material is not on the web. You will need to purchase it from him. Dave J's portion of the course will use the McMaster 3D3 Courseware for the fundamental basis ($19.95), the book “Unlocking the Atom” for the nuclear background material ($40) and a chart of the isotopes ($1.50).The total package for Dave Jackson's section costs $61.45 plus GST =$65.75. Please indicate in advance of the course whether you wish to buy this package on the first Thursday of the course Oct. 16 and Dave J will bring the appropriate number of packages. Those who want to buy them then should bring $65.75 in cash and Dave will give you a package with a receipt. Otherwise you can purchase these materials through the McMaster University bookstore.
  • Ben Rouben's stuff is available free of charge as pdf files below and he will handout some more stuff.
  • Bill Garland's portion of the course is available free of charge as pdf files below so you do not need to purchase anything for his portion. Just print from the website.

Course notes

  • MODULE 1
    • THURSDAY, 2003.10.16, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM - held at the Pickering Learning Center
      • Session 1 (DJ, WG, BR) - Admin logistics (DJ)
      • Session 2 (DJ) - The nucleus, mass-energy, binding energies, fission, energy levels
        • Session Outline (pdf 86 kb as of 2003.09.21)
        • [Harms, Chapter 2, pp. 15-22] [Chart of the Isotopes]
        • [Harms, Chapter 2, pp. 22-27] [Unlocking, Appendix A, pp. 257-260]
    • FRIDAY, 2003.10.17, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM - held at the Pickering Learning Center
      • Session 3 (DJ) - Decay, emissions, Q
        • Session Outline (pdf 74 kb as of 2003.09.21)
        • [Harms, Chapter 2, pp. 27-30] [Harms, Chapter 3, pp. 34-47, Appendix B] [Unlocking, Appendix A, pp. 260-266]
      • Session 4 (BR) - Exercises: Q values, decay, relationship between atom & weight % for D2O, UO2
        • Atomic Masses (pdf 1.4Mb) - The table comes from "Introduction to Nuclear Concepts for Engineers", by Robert M. Mayo, and is password protected. The password will be made available to students registered in the course.
        • In-class exercise and solution (pdf 89kb) [password protected]
      • Session 5 (DJ) Reaction rates, micro and macro cross sections, energy spectra, delayed neutrons, shielding, inverse square law, cross sections exercises
        • Session Outline (pdf 80 kb as of 2003.10.01)
        • [Harms, Chapter 4, section 4.2, pp. 51-55] [Harms, Chapter 5, pp. 72-82] [Harms, Chapter 5, pp. 82-89] [Harms, Chapter 4, pp. 55-68]
      • Session 6 (WG) Fick's Law, boundary conditions, initial conditions
    • SATURDAY, 2003.10.18, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM - held at McMaster University
    • SUNDAY, 2003.10.19, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM - held at McMaster University
      • Session 11 (WG) Diffusion Theory continued; (BR) POWDERPUFFS-V, important parameters, sensitivities
      • Session 12 PPV exer (BR)
      • Computer time / Tutorial (BR) - on problem set #2 (12:00->1:00)
  • INTER-MODULE ACTIVITIES
    • Tutorial (WG) for Problem Set #3 (numerical methods) - SUNDAY, 2003.11.02, 9:00 am -> 11:00 am in JHE/A101 at McMaster
  • MODULE 2 - Note: due to the schedule changes, the sequence of the following lectures has been revised. It is still tentative. Last revised 2003.11.13.
    • SUNDAY, 2003.11.23, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM - held at Pickering ESSB-1 (E1-E2)
      • Session 13 (All) - Recap, questions, project review, exercise review, essay review, theory review, field questions
        • no handouts
      • Session 16 (WG) Numerical exercises - slab reactor, etc., diffusion code, outer loop k calc.
      • Session 15 (WG) Multigroup Theory
    • SATURDAY, 2003.11.29, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM - held at McMaster University
    • SUNDAY, 2003.11.30, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM - held at McMaster University
      • Session 24 (DJ) Multiple Choice Test
      • Session 22 (WG) - point kinetics continued, exercise
      • Session 20 (WG) - Intro to thermalhydraulics, heat transfer, T distr in fuel & in coolant, CHF, CPR
      • Session 21 (BR) Real CANDU LOCA calcs
  • POST-MODULE ACTIVITIES
  • Visit course EP4D3 for many sample solved problems and sample exam questions
  • Additional information:
      • Mathematics (pdf 139 kb) - There is not much here yet.

Assignments and Tests

Interesting and Informative Links

 

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