Contemporary issues in crit safety?

[tehfrr]

After a brief venture over into the medical/RHP side of things, I find myself drawn back into nuclear engineering. Glad it happened before I got too deep into something else! I've just started working on my MS, and I am trying to find some sort of direction for myself. Anyways, one subset of nuclear engineering that really captures my interest is criticality safety. I am somewhat under the impression that there isn't a whole lot of new things happening in this area, and its all pretty well known. Is this assumption correct? Or are there still interesting challenges facing the crit safety community?

 

[daveb]

OSU just received a grant from the NRC to develop new classes for the NRC in anticipation of the projected increase in applications for new licenses over the next 15 years or so. One of the classes being offered next quarter is criticality safety. We'll be using SCALE and Sliderule (and possibly MCNPX) for the class. As for new things happening, I'm sure the new reactors being designed are in need of research. One of my classes right now is looking at the MSR. Since there aren't a lot of students in the class, we've pretty much skipped over I&C.

 

[raining Pete]

It's great to hear that you've found your way back to nuclear engineering! I can definitely understand the appeal of criticality safety - it's such a crucial aspect of the field. In terms of new developments, I think there's always room for improvement and innovation in any area, including criticality safety. While the fundamentals may be well-known, there's always the potential for new challenges and scenarios that require creative solutions. Plus, with the increasing use of nuclear energy and the potential for new technologies, there will always be a need for criticality safety experts. So I wouldn't worry about there not being enough new things happening - there's always something to learn and contribute in this field! Best of luck with your MS program and your future in nuclear engineering.