Contemporary issues in crit safety?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the current state of criticality safety within nuclear engineering, highlighting a perceived stagnation in new developments. The Ohio State University (OSU) has received a grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to create new courses, including one focused on criticality safety, in response to an anticipated increase in licensing applications over the next 15 years. Tools such as SCALE, Sliderule, and MCNPX will be utilized in the coursework. Additionally, the design of new reactors, particularly Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), presents ongoing research opportunities in this field.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of nuclear engineering principles
  • Familiarity with criticality safety concepts
  • Knowledge of SCALE and MCNPX software tools
  • Awareness of regulatory frameworks from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the latest advancements in criticality safety methodologies
  • Explore the functionalities of SCALE and MCNPX for criticality safety analysis
  • Investigate the implications of new reactor designs, specifically Molten Salt Reactors (MSR)
  • Study the NRC's regulatory changes and their impact on licensing processes
USEFUL FOR

Nuclear engineering students, professionals in criticality safety, and researchers interested in the regulatory and technological advancements in nuclear reactor design.

tehfrr
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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?
 
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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.
 

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