2024 Faculty Courses School of Materials and Chemical Technology Department of Chemical Science and Engineering Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Reactor Physics, Radiation Measurement and Nuclear Security Special 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.N608
- Number of credits
- 002
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 17, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
To assist the education of laboratory experiment related to basic nuclear engineering for graduate students. The experiment consists of nuclear reactor physics, radiation measurement, and nuclear security laboratory. To assist the preparation, improvement and enforcement of the experimental education including lectures.
Course description and aims
Students have the ability of assisting the following experimental education for graduate students:
(1) Nuclear-reactor physics: Principle and methods in reactor physics experiments using nuclear reactor
(2) Radiation‐measurement: Operating principles of ionizing radiation detectors and gamma-ray spectrometry
(3) Nuclear security laboratory: Operating principles of uranium enrichment measurement by gamma-ray spectrometry and its application for nuclear security and safeguards
Keywords
Reactor physics, Criticality approach, criticality calculation, reactor kinetics, 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
To assist the preparation, improvement and enforcement of the experimental education
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 1. Criticality approach experiment 2. Period method and compensation method 3. Rod drop method 4. Nuclear reactor operation 5. Gamma-ray measurement using a scintillation detector 6. Gamma-ray measurement using a germanium semiconductor detector 7. Uranium enrichment measurement using gamma-ray measurement | 1. Students must be able to explain about the fundamental theory in critical approach experiment and perform criticality calculation, be able to estimate criticality mass by the inverse multiplication in criticality approach experiment, and be able to judge of criticality of nuclear reactor. 2. Student must be able to calculate control rod worth from the result of experiments by period method and compensation method. 3. Student must be able to calculate control rod worth from the result of experiments by rod drop method. 4. Student must be able to explain about the fundamentals of nuclear reactor operation 5. Students must be able to perform absolute measurement of radioactivity using scintillation gamma-ray detectors 6. Students must be able to perform identification of radionuclides by gamma-ray spectroscopy using germanium semiconductor detectors 7. Students must be able to perform nondestructive assay of uranium enrichment important in nuclear security and safeguards |
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 textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Tsuyosi Misawa, Hironobu Unesaki, Cheolho Pyen, ”Nuclear Reactor Physics Experiments”, Kyoto University Press (2010).
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
Participation to experiments (50%) and reports (50%)
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. 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.