Homework 15 Solutions

Due: Monday 3/1

A Stirling cycle engine using a radioactive isotope for space power applications operates at a hot
end temperature of 650 C and rejects heat through a radiator to the vacuum of space with a cold
end temperature at 120 C. Calculate its ideal Stirling cycle efficiency.
Ideal Sterling cycle efficiencies can be estimated by Carnot cycle efficiencies.

Sterling = Carnot = 1

Tr
(120 + 273) = 57.42%
= 1
Ta
(650 + 273)

Homework 16 Solutions
Due: Wednesday 3/3
Construct a table comparing the PWR and the BWR designs in terms of:
1. Their Engineered Safety features. ESFs.
2. Their technical specification and operational characteristics.

Engineered Safety Features

Pressurized Water Reactor
1. Control rods
2. Containment vessel with steam suppression
spray
3. Accumulator tanks with coolant under
nitrogen pressure
4. Residual heat removal system
5. High Pressure Coolant Injection system
6. Low Pressure Coolant Injection system
7. Boron injection tank
8. Extra coolant in refueling storage tank

Boiling Water Reactor

1. Control rods
2. Containment vessel with steam suppression
spray
3. Pressure suppression pool to quench steam
4. Residual heat removal system
5. High Pressure Coolant Injection system
6. Low Pressure Coolant Injection system
7. Boron injection tank
8. Extra coolant in refueling storage tank
9. An internal core spray system

The technical specifications for PWRs are given in Table 1 on page 6 of Chapter IV.2
Pressurized Water Reactors. The same characteristics for a BWR are given in Table 1 on page 6
of Chapter IV.3 Boiling Water Reactors.

Homework 17 Solutions
Due: Wednesday 3/10
An executive at an electrical utility company needs to order natural uranium fuel from a mine.
The utility operates a single 1,000 MWe power plant of the CANDU type using natural uranium,
and operating at an overall thermal efficiency of 33.33 percent. What is the yearly amount in
metric tons of:
a. U235 burned up by the reactor?
b. U235 consumed by the reactor?
c. Natural uranium metal that the executive has to contract with the mine per year as feed to his
nuclear unit?
Since the burnup and consumption rate equations deal with thermal power, we need to convert
the power output of the reactor using the given thermal efficiency
Pth =

Pe 1000MWe
=
= 3000.3MWth
MWe
th .3333 MWth

a. Annual burnup rate:

1
1
BR = (1.112
)P dayg = (1.112 MWth
)( 3000.3MW th ) 365 dayyr
MWth

BR = 1.22 10 6 yrg
BR = 1.22 ton
yr
b. Annual consumption rate:

1
1
CR = (1.299 MWth
) P dayg = (1.112 MWth
)(3000.3MW th ) 365 dayyr

CR = 1.42 10 6 yrg
CR = 1.42 ton
yr

c. Amount of natural uranium required annually:

Since a CANDU plant uses natural uranium, we do not need to factor mass balances for
an enrichment plant. As a result, the amount of uranium needed from a mine is simply

the amount of uranium needed at the power plant.

Mp =

CR 1.42 ton
yr
=
= 198.58 ton
yr
x p 0.72%

Homework 18 Solutions
Due: Friday 3/12
An executive at another electrical utility company needs to order uranium fuel from a mine. This
utility operates a single 1,000 MWe PWR power plant operating at an overall thermal efficiency
of 33.33 percent. The fuel needs to be enriched to the 5 w/o in U235. Consider that the
enrichment plant generates tailings at the 0.2 w/o in U235 level. Calculate the yearly amount of
natural uranium metal that the executive has to contract with the mine as feed to his nuclear unit.
Compare the natural uranium fuel needs in the case of the PWR design to the CANDU design.
First we need to convert the power output of the plant to thermal power.
Pth =

Pe 1000MWe
=
= 3000.3MWth
MWe
th .3333 MWth

Since the power output of this plant is the same as the CANDU plant we looked at previously,
the burnup and consumption rates should be the same.

1
1
BR = (1.112 MWth
)P dayg = (1.112 MWth
)( 3000.3MW th ) 365 dayyr

BR = 1.22 10 6 yrg
BR = 1.22 ton
yr
1
1
CR = (1.299 MWth
) P dayg = (1.299 MWth
)(3000.3MW th ) 365 dayyr

CR = 1.42 10 6 yrg
CR = 1.42 ton
yr

The difference comes when we look at the mass of uranium needed for the power plant since the
enrichment for this PWR plant is different. However, since this plant requires enriched uranium,
we
need to take that mass balance into account as well.
Mf =

(x
(x

xt )

xt )

Mp =

(x
(x

x t ) CR

xt ) x p

(5% 0.2%)

1.42 ton
yr

(0.72% 0.2%)

5%

M f = 262.15 ton
yr

While the mass of uranium-235 (Mp) required annually by a PWR is considerably less when
ton
compared to a CANDU reactor ( 28.4 ton
yr versus 198.58 yr ), the required mass of uranium

contracted from the mine (Mf) is larger for a PWR as opposed to a CANDU.

Homework 19 Solutions
Due: Wednesday 3/17
For 2,200 m/sec or thermal neutrons, calculate the following quantities:
1. Uranium
a. Number Density
g
g
M = (0.0055%)(234 ) + (0.72%)(235) + (99.27%)(238) = 237.967 mol
238 mol

g
23 nuclei
Av 18.9 cm 3 (6.02 10 mol )
N=
=
= 4.78 10 22 nuclei
g
cm 3
M
238 mol

b. Total Macroscopic cross section

= N = N 234 234 + N 235 235 + N 238 238

(
= ( 4.78 10

nuc
= 4.78 10 22 cm
3
22 nuc
cm 3

)[(0.0055%)(119.2 ) + (0.72%)(698.2 ) + (99.27%)(12.09 )](10

)(17.04 )(10 )
b
nuc

b
nuc

b
nuc

24 cm 2
b

= 0.814 cm1
c. Total mean free path
1
1
= =
= 1.23cm
0.814 cm1

2. Beryllium
a. Number Density
g
23 nuc

Av 1.848 cm 3 (6.02 10 mol )

nuc
N=
=
= 1.24 10 23 cm
3
g
M
9 mol

b.Total Macroscopic cross section

24
nuc
b
= N = 1.24 10 23 cm
3 (6.159 nuc ) 10

cm 2
b

) = 0.761

1
cm

c. Total mean free path

1
1
= =
= 1.31cm
0.761 cm1

3. Graphite
a. Number Density
g
g

M = (98.89%)(12) + (1.11%)(13) = 12.01 mol

12 mol

2.03 cmg 3 (6.02 10 23 nuclei

Av
mol )
N=
=
= 1.02 10 23 nuclei
g
cm 3
M
12 mol

b. Total Macroscopic cross section (C13 cross sections are negligible at thermal E)
24 cm 2
nuc
b
= N = 1.02 10 23 cm
= 0.484 cm1
3 ( 4.75 nuc ) 10
b

c. Total mean free path

1
1
= =
= 2.07cm
0.484 cm1

b
nuc

24 cm 2
b

Homework 20 Solutions
Due: Friday 4/2
Prove that the divergence of the gradient leads to the Laplacian operator in the leakage term of
the neutron diffusion equation for a constant diffusion coefficient D:
(D ) = D 2
Since it is stated that the diffusion coefficient is constant, it can be pulled outside of the
divergence that leaves:
(D ) = D = D 2
Therefore, what needs to be proved is = 2 . Cartesian coordinates are used to simplify the
proof, but the proof may be applied in any coordinate system.

= i +
j + k i +
j + k
y
z x
y
z
x
2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

= 2 i i +
i j+
ik+
ji + 2 j j +
jk+
ki +
k j + 2 k k
xy
xz
yx
y
yz
zx
zy
z
x

2
2
= 2 i i + 2 j j + 2 k k
y
z
x

2
2 2
= 2 + 2 + 2
y z
x

= 2

i i = 1
This is true since j j = 1 and all other dot products are zero due to orthogonality of unit vectors.
k k = 1

Homework 21 Solutions
Due: Friday 4/2
Using the exponential attenuation law, ignoring the buildup factor, calculate the thickness of a
shield made out of graphite that would attenuate a beam of neutrons by a factor of:
a) One million times (10-6)
b) One billion times (10-9)
The exponential attenuation law states that the intensity within a non-multiplying medium is
given by: I ( x ) = I0et x
Since were interested in the inverse problem and want to find the thickness required, we simply
solve the equation for x and use the given attenuation factors to find the required shielding

thickness.
I ( x ) = I0et x
I ( x ) t x
=e
I0
I( x )
ln
= t x
I0
1 I( x )
x = ln

t I0

24
nuc
b
From homework 19, t = N = 1.02 10 23 cm
3 ( 4.75 nuc ) 10

1 I( x )
1
x = ln
ln(106 ) = 28.54cm
=
1
a.
0.484 cm
t I0
1 I( x )
1
x = ln
ln(109 ) = 42.82cm
=
1
b.
t I0
0.484 cm

cm 2
b

) = 0.484

1
cm

Homework 22 Solutions
Due: Friday 4/2
Estimate the fluxes and the currents in the following situations, in a vacuum:
1. At the center of a line of length L with two sources of strength S at each end.
2. An equilateral triangle of side length L at the center and at the midpoint of one side, where
neutron sources of strengths S [neutrons/second] are placed at each one of the vertices.
S
and is added as a scalar
4 r 2

S
In a vacuum, current is given by the expression: J =
e and is added as a vector
4 r 2

In a vacuum, flux is given by the expression: =

1.

In this case, the detector is placed at the center of the line, so:
S S 2S
=
mid = 2
= 2
4 r 2 4 ( L2 ) 2 L2

S
S
J mid =
i+
i = 0
2
L
L 2
4 ( 2 )
4 ( 2 )

( )

2.

In the first case, the detector is placed at the center of the triangle, so:

S
S 9S
center = 3
=
=3
4 r 2 4 L 2 4 L2

J center = 0 through symmetry

( )

In the second case, the detector is placed at the midpoint of one side (base for simplicity)

S
S

2S + S = 7S
+
mid = 2 base + top = 2
2=
2
2
2
L 2
4 ( 2 ) 4 23L L 3L 3L
S

S
S
S
+
+
J mid = J base + J top =
i

i
j =
j
2
2
2
2
L
L
3L
3

L
4 ( 2 )
4 ( 2 )
4 2

( )

( )

( )

( )

( )