Entry requirements

120 credits in science and technology. Computer Programming I. Participation in Nuclear Physics or Energy Physics I. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• explain, in detail, the nuclear physics processes happening in a nuclear reactor, and the characteristics of neutron spectra observed in different nuclear reactor types and the underlying physical reasons causing those differences.
• model and calculate the time evolution and spatial distribution of neutron flux in a reactor under various conditions and geometries, along with other significant reactor physics phenomena, either algebraically or numerically.
• conduct a scientific discussion on nuclear energy, emphasizing the role of current and future reactor technologies in achieving a sustainable energy system.

Content

This course is an introduction to nuclear fission reactors with a focus on the underlying physical principles. It covers the fundamentals of the nuclear fission process and its aplicability to energy production: neutron-nucleus interaction cross sections; the four- and five-factor formulae; criticality; neutron spectra in a reactor, reactor kinetics and dynamics with reactivity feedback; neutron diffusion for different geometries; two-group diffusion in reflectors; the concept of critical mass; different reactor types and Generation IV. The course also includes a computer simulation laboratory on reactor control.

Instruction

Lectures, hand-in exercises, seminars, computer lab, project work.

Assessment

Oral exam. Hand-in exercises. Active participation in seminars. Oral presentation of project work. Written report of computer lab.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.