NUCL520 — Foundations of Nuclear Reactor Physics
NUCL 520 - Foundations of Nuclear Reactor Physics NUCL 520 - Foundations of Nuclear Reactor Physics 3 credits (Hrs: 3 Lec.) This course provides graduate students with a rigorous introduction to the physical principles underlying nuclear reactor design and operation. Topics include neutron-induced fission, cross-section theory, and the neutron transport and diffusion equations as the central framework for reactor analysis. Students examine criticality, reactivity, and multiplication factors, and apply multigroup diffusion methods to the analysis of reactor core configurations. Reactor kinetics, delayed neutron physics, and feedback mechanisms including Doppler broadening and moderator temperature coefficients are treated in the context of reactor stability and safe operation. The course concludes with an introduction to fuel burnup, isotopic evolution, and the neutronics of the nuclear fuel cycle. Upon completion, students will be able to analyze reactor neutronics problems analytically and computationally, interpret reactor design parameters in the context of safety and performance, and engage confidently with the advanced reactor physics literature.