Recent content by middlephysics

Any good chapters/sources to learn about the design, fluid/thermodynamics etc of these systems pertaining to nuclear reactors? So far I've been jumping around wiki..

Pu from spent fuels can't be used for weapons?? Is this true?? I've always heard that Pu from spent fuel was a major major concern! "The high spontaneous fission rate of 240Pu acts as a kind of poison in the core of nuclear bombs. More than about 7% 240Pu and the likelihood that the warhead...

The low plasma parameter is due to the small debye length for ICF?

If the NRC would magically allow for any small (modular) reactor would you push for a gas, molton salt, liquid metal reactor or which type if any? Also does modular imply small?

ah yes I just heard about the megatons to megawatts treaty on NPR recently, seems it just recently ended

Wait a second- it's safer to transport used nuclear fuel from all over the country (by trucks?) than to have each facility have their own storage site? Really? This is a great thread sad to see it not continuing

this is exactly what I was looking for, thanks Astronuc!

lol apologies I replied via email. You know, originally I wanted middle physics as a way to rid myself of all my stupid question history. Looks like I still have very stupid questions. I think the neutrons exit the cladding of one rod pass through the moderator and enter the cladding of another...

How do control rods get in there!? This is a bit annoying for me, hopefully someone can help. You have fuel pellets in rods. They are en capsuled by cladding to make sure fission fragments cannot escape into the moderator. Do the fission neutrons pass through this cladding into the open...

This fall I'll receive my B.S. in Physics. I have a 3.46 gpa and have done research at my home university and an REU. I know I am competing with actual Nuclear Engineering majors. How screwed am I and what small universities that have a nuclear engineering program may I have a shot at?

I've figured it out, thank you

Ok from what you wrote I've solved for $$V^2=(mv-mv')^2/(Am)^2$$. Now I then plugged that V^2 into my $$E'/E= (v'2 + AV^2)/(v^2)$$ I am left with something like $$(v'(A-1)+v^2-2vv')/(Av^2)$$ so far so good?

Homework Statement Could someone help me get from these two equations to E'/E=[(A-1)/(A+1)]2 http://postimg.org/image/m5zi9ha19/ Homework Equations E = v^2=E' = v'2 + AV^2 p=v=p' = v' + AV = v from conservation of energy, momentum E'/E= (v'2 + AV^2)/(v^2) The Attempt at...

Hey, I am a physics major who just found out he needs to stay another year before graduating. Have people done more than one REU?

Interesting. I saw this and posted it to reddit's /r/nuclear this may be a better link: http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/12/doe-funding-half-of-nuscale-45-mwe.html these were the comments there: http://www.reddit.com/r/nuclear/comments/1ssvsu/how_far_along_is_nuscale_or_for_that_matter_smr/