Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Neutron Physics: Reactor Fundamentals

In course

ME-464: Introduction to nuclear engineering

This course is intended to understand the engineering design of nuclear power plants using the basic principles of reactor physics, fluid flow and heat transfer. This course includes the following: Reactor designs, Thermal analysis of nuclear fuel, Nuclear ...

Description

This lecture covers the fundamental concepts of neutron physics in nuclear reactors, including the four-factor formula for criticality, conversion ratio, and nuclear fuel cycles. It also discusses the characteristics of fissile and fertile nuclides, the criticality condition for reactors, and the neutron balance equation. The lecture delves into topics such as neutron slowing down, angular and scalar fluxes, Laplacian operators, and the diffusion equation. Additionally, it explores the behavior of neutrons in different reactor geometries, such as spherical and slab reactors, and the importance of moderators in neutron slowing down processes.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Instructors (3)

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Energy engineering

Nuclear power: Topics in nuclear power

Related concepts (32)

Nuclear reactor physics

Nuclear reactor physics is the field of physics that studies and deals with the applied study and engineering applications of chain reaction to induce a controlled rate of fission in a nuclear reactor for the production of energy. Most nuclear reactors use a chain reaction to induce a controlled rate of nuclear fission in fissile material, releasing both energy and free neutrons.

Nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid (water or gas), which in turn runs through steam turbines. These either drive a ship's propellers or turn electrical generators' shafts. Nuclear generated steam in principle can be used for industrial process heat or for district heating.

Fast-neutron reactor

A fast-neutron reactor (FNR) or fast-spectrum reactor or simply a fast reactor is a category of nuclear reactor in which the fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons (carrying energies above 1 MeV or greater, on average), as opposed to slow thermal neutrons used in thermal-neutron reactors. Such a fast reactor needs no neutron moderator, but requires fuel that is relatively rich in fissile material when compared to that required for a thermal-neutron reactor.

Neutron temperature

The neutron detection temperature, also called the neutron energy, indicates a free neutron's kinetic energy, usually given in electron volts. The term temperature is used, since hot, thermal and cold neutrons are moderated in a medium with a certain temperature. The neutron energy distribution is then adapted to the Maxwell distribution known for thermal motion. Qualitatively, the higher the temperature, the higher the kinetic energy of the free neutrons. The momentum and wavelength of the neutron are related through the de Broglie relation.

Neutron moderator

In nuclear engineering, a neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the speed of fast neutrons, ideally without capturing any, leaving them as thermal neutrons with only minimal (thermal) kinetic energy. These thermal neutrons are immensely more susceptible than fast neutrons to propagate a nuclear chain reaction of uranium-235 or other fissile isotope by colliding with their atomic nucleus. Water (sometimes called "light water" in this context) is the most commonly used moderator (roughly 75% of the world's reactors).

Related lectures (34)

Neutron chain-reacting systems

Explores chain reactions, multiplication factor, fuel cycles, reactor design, and types of nuclear reactors, ending with a summary of key concepts.

Reactor Technology: Reactivity Variations and Control

Explores reactivity variations in reactor technology, covering short-term, medium-term, and long-term effects, means of control, and consequences.

Physics of Nuclear Reactors: Fundamentals and Advanced Concepts

Explores the fundamentals and challenges of nuclear reactors, covering neutron diffusion, fission, breeding, transmutation, and advanced technologies.

The Diffusion of Neutrons

Covers the transport of neutrons, scalar neutron flux, neutron currents, and more, along with fuel cycles and types of nuclear reactors.

Introduction and Review of Nuclear Physics