Nuclear Reactor Physics, Radiation Measurement and Nuclear Security Laboratory

Academic unit or major

Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering

Instructor(s)

Toru Obara / Tatsuya Katabuchi / Hiroshi Sagara / Koichiro Takao / Jun Hasegawa / Chikako Ishizuka

Class Format

Experiment (Face-to-face)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

5-8 Thu

Class

-

Course Code

NCL.N410

Number of credits

002

Course offered

2024

Offered quarter

2Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 14, 2025

Language

English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

The reactor physics experiments will be performed using a reactor simulator.
The radiation measurement laboratory offers an opportunity to learn technologies of radiation detectors and related equipment.

This class aims to deepen the understanding of them by the experiments.
The radiation measurement laboratory mainly aims at the understanding of operating principles and practical techniques of gamma-ray spectrometry.
The nuclear security laboratory mainly aims at the understanding of operating principles of uranium enrichment measurement by gamma-ray spectrometry and its application to nuclear security and safeguards

Course description and aims

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Explain the fundamental characteristics of nuclear reactors
2. Explain operating principles of ionizing radiation detectors based on radiation-matter interaction
3. Explain the principle of radiation spectrometry based on multichannel pulse height analyzer systems
4. Perform absolute measurement of radioactivity using scintillation gamma-ray detectors
5. Perform identification of radionuclides by gamma-ray spectroscopy using germanium semiconductor detectors
6. Students must be able to perform nondestructive assay of uranium enrichment important in nuclear security and safeguards

Keywords

Reactor physics,
Radiation-matter interaction, Scintillation detector, Germanium semiconductor detector, Multichannel pulse-height analyzer, Energy spectrum, uranium enrichment measurement, nuclear security, nuclear safeguards

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

The lectures are provided before the experiments for the well understanding of it. Students are requested to perform the experiments using a simulator and to submit the reports.
For radiation measurement experiments, instead of a lab report, a written exam is required.
For nuclear security experiments, students are requested to submit the reports after the experiment.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 50 minutes preparing for class and another 50 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to course material.

Textbook(s)

None specified. Course materials are available at T2SCHOLA.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

John R. Lamarsh, “Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Theory”, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. (1965).
James J. Duderstadt, Louis J. Hamilton, “Nuclear Reactor Analysis”, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1976).
George I. Bell, Samuel Glasstone, “Nuclear Reactor Theory”, Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co., Inc. (1970).
Samuel Glasstone, Alexander Sesonske, "Nuclear Reactor Engineering", Chapman & Hall, Inc. (1994).
Weston M. Stacey, “Nuclear Reactor Physics”, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA (2004).
Raymond L. Murray and Keith E. Holbert, "Nuclear Energy: An Introduction to The Concepts, Systems and Application of Nuclear Processes Seventh Edition", Elsevier Ltd. (2013).
E.E. Lewis, “Fundamentals of Nuclear Reactor Physics”, Academic Press (2008). (PDF file of the book can be downloaded from Tokyo Tech library.
Glenn F. Knoll, "Radiation Detection and Measurement", Wiley, ISBN-13:978-0470131480 (2010).
IAEA, Safeguards techniques and equipment 2011 edition.
Doug Reilly, Norbert Ensslin and Hastings Smith, Passive nondestructive assay of nuclear materials including 2007 addendum, Los Alamos National Laboratory (2007).

Evaluation methods and criteria

Students are assessed by the understanding of fundamentals of neutron transport theory and nuclear reactor theory.
Experiment report: 1/3.
Grade of radiation measurement laboratory is evaluated from the students’ understanding of the principles and practical techniques of radiation measurement, based on lab participation (1/6) and a final written exam (1/6).
Grade of nuclear security laboratory is evaluated from the students’ understanding of the principles and practical techniques of uranium enrichment measurement and relating knowledge of nuclear security& safeguards, based on lab participation (1/6) and an experiment report (1/6).

Related courses

• NCL.N402 ： Nuclear Reactor Theory I
• NCL.N406 ： Nuclear Reactor Theory II
• NCL.N401 ： Basic Nuclear Physics
• NCL.O401 ： Nuclear Non-proliferation and Security

Prerequisites

It is needed to have fundamental knowledge of Nuclear Reactor Theory I and Nuclear Reactor Theory II.
For radiation measurement Laboratory, it is desirable that students have some initial background knowledge on atomic physics.
For nuclear security Laboratory, it is desirable that students have fundamental knowledge of nuclear non-proliferation and security.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

buchi[at]zc.iir.titech.ac.jp (Prof. Katabuchi, Radiation Measurement Laboratory)
tobara[at]zc.iir.titech.ac.jp (Prof. Obara, Reactor Physics Laboratory)
sagara[at]zc.iir.titech.ac.jp (Prof. Sagara, Nuclear Security Laboratory)

Office hours

Prior appointment by e-mail is necessary.