22.312 | Fall 2015 | Graduate

Engineering of Nuclear Reactors

Readings and Assignments

Textbook: [T&K] = Todreas, Neil E., and Mujid S. Kazimi. Nuclear Systems Volume 1: Thermal Hydraulic Fundamentals. 2nd ed. CRC Press, 2011. ISBN: 9781439808870. [Preview with Google Books] (Revised Printing. CRC Press, July 2015.) 

Additional useful references are listed below the table.

LEC # TOPICS READINGS & RESOURCES PROBLEMS PROBLEMS DUE
1

  • Course introduction
  • Reactor types

1.1 Lec 4
2 Reactor heat generation [T&K] Chapter 2.3 and Chapter 3.1–3.5 and 3.9–3.10. 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.4, 3.5 and 3.7 Lec 4
3

  • Thermal design principles
  • Conservation equations

[T&K] Chapter 2.1–2.2 and 2.4–2.6, Chapter 4.3.2 and 4.5.1–4.5.3. 2.6, 4.8 (except part 3) and 4.9 Lec 4
4

  • Incompressible fluid, ideal gas and pure substance models
  • Thermodynamic analysis of nuclear plants: Power cycle examples

[T&K] Chapter 6.3–6.7.

Constitutive Relationships for Solids, Incompressible Fluids, Ideal Gases and Pure Substances (PDF)

2.5, 4.5 (only parts 1 and 2), 4.7, 6.4, 6.5, 6.7 and 6.12 Lec 6
5 Thermodynamic analysis of nuclear plants: Containment [T&K] Chapter 7. 7.1 and 7.2 Lec 8
6 Thermodynamic analysis of nuclear plants: Containment (cont.) [T&K] Chapter 7 (cont.) 7.6 and 7.7 Lec 8
7 Thermodynamic analysis of nuclear plants: Other examples [T&K] Chapter 7 (cont.) 7.9 and 7.14 Lec 9
8 Thermal analysis of fuel elements: Temperature distributions [T&K] Chapter 8.1–8.3, 8.5 and 8.7. 8.4 and 8.5 Lec 9
9 Thermal analysis of fuel elements: Burnup effects and maximum temperature in the core [T&K] Chapter 8.6 and Chapter 14.5.1. 8.8, 8.10, 14.8 and 14.10 Lec 11
10 Quiz 1: In class, open book, all material from Lecture 7      
11 Single phase thermal-hydraulics: Introduction [T&K] Chapter 9.1–9.4 and Chapter 10.1–10.2. 9.1 and 9.2 Lec 13
12 Single phase thermal-hydraulics: Fluid dynamics and heat transfer

[T&K] Chapter 9.5–9.6 and Chapter 10.5.

Methodologies to Select Friction Factor and Convective Heat Transfer Correlations for Single-phase Fluids (PDF)

9.5, 10.9, 10.10 and 14.9 Lec 15
13 Single phase thermal-hydraulics: Loop analysis, turbulence

[T&K] Chapter 4.6 and Chapter 10.3–10.4.

Todreas, N., and M. Kazimi. “Flow Loops: Introduction.” Chapter 3.1 in Nuclear Systems Vol. II: Elements Of Thermal Design. CRC Press, 1990. ISBN: 9781560320791.

9.4, 9.8N (PDF) and 10.6 Lec 15
14 Two phase flow: Basic parameters and models

[T&K] Chapter 5.4–5.5 and Chapter 11.1–11.5.

Videos of two-phase flow regimes     
From Hewitt, Geoffrey F. “Gas-Liquid Flow.” Thermopedia.

5.1, 5.3, 11.5 and 11.7 Lec 18
15 Two phase flow: Pressure drop and instabilities [T&K] Chapter 11.6 and 11.8. 11.8, 11.9, 11.10 and 11.11 Lec 18
16 Two phase flow: Critical flow [T&K] Chapter 11.7. 11.12, 11.13N (PDF) Lec 18
17 Two phase heat transfer: Pool boiling [T&K] Chapter 12.1–12.6. 12.1, 12.3, 12.4 and 12.6 Lec 20
  Quiz 2: Take-home, open book, all material from Lectures 8–13     Due at 12:00pm one day after Lec 17
18 Two phase heat transfer: Flow boiling

[T&K] Chapter 13.1–13.3.

Groeneveld, D. C., et al. “The 2006 CHF Look-up Table.” Nuclear Engineering and Design 237, no. 15–17 (2007): 1909–22.

Groeneveld CHF Look-up Table (TXT)

Groeneveld CHF Look-up Table for MATLAB{{< sup \“®\” >}} (M)

13.2 and 13.3 Lec 20
19 Two phase heat transfer: Boiling crises and post-boiling-crisis heat transfer

[T&K] Chapter 13.4.

Videos

13.4, 13.6, 13.7 and 14.7 Lec 22
20 Two phase flow and heat transfer: Condensation [T&K] Chapter 12.7. 12.7 Lec 22
21 Two phase flow and heat transfer: In-class demonstrations of flow regimes, instabilities, boiling, natural circulation      
22 Structural mechanics: Elasticity fundamentals and thin-shell theory

Note L.4: Introduction to Structural Mechanics (PDF - 1.1MB)

Note L.6: Behavior of Solids In Simple Mechanical Tests (PDF)

Structural mechanics problems S.1, S.2 (PDF) optional
23 Structural mechanics: Stress categorization and ASME Codes

Synoptic Guide to ASME Codes (PDF) (Courtesy of Anna Erickson. Used with permission.)

ASME Vessel Design Limits (PDF) (Courtesy of Anna Erickson. Used with permission.)

Structural mechanics problems S.3, S.4, S.5 (PDF) optional
24 Structural mechanics: Creep, fatigue Excerpt from ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, 2007: Subsections NB-3213 “Terms Relating to Stress Analysis” through NB-3229 “Design Stress Values,” pp. 45–65. None None

Final exam: 3 hours, open book, covers entire course with specific attention to material of Lectures 13–25

Useful References

General Nuclear Engineering

Knief, R. A. Nuclear Engineering: Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power. Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, 1992. ISBN: 9781560320890. [Preview with Google Books

Thermal-Hydraulics

Conservation equations     
Bird, R. B., W. E. Stewart, and E. N. Lightfoot. Transport Phenomena. John Wiley and Sons, 1960. ISBN: 9780471073925.

Single-phase fluid dynamics and heat transfer     
Incropera, F. P., and D. P. DeWitt. Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer. John Wiley and Sons, 1990. ISBN: 9780471517290.

Boiling & two-phase flow     
Carey, V. P. Liquid-Vapor Phase-Change Phenomena. 2nd ed. CRC Press, 2007. ISBN: 9781591690351.

PWR thermal design     
Tong, L. S., and J. Weisman. Thermal Analysis of Pressurized Water Reactors. 3rd ed. Amer Nuclear Society, 1996. ISBN: 9780894480386.

BWR thermal design     
Jr. Lahey, T. R., and F. J. Moody. The Thermal-Hydraulics of a Boiling Water Nuclear Reactor. 2nd ed. American Nuclear Society, 1993. ISBN: 9780894480379.

Thermal-hydraulic design methodologies     
Todreas, N. E., and M. S. Kazimi. Nuclear Systems II: Elements of Thermal Hydraulic Design. CRC Press, 1990. ISBN: 9781560320791. [Preview with Google Books]

Structural Mechanics

Harvey, J. F. Theory and Design of Pressure Vessels. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1985. ISBN: 9780442232481.

"ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, An International Code." (PDF) Section II and Section III (Subsections NB and NH), 2007.

Course Info

As Taught In
Fall 2015
Level
Learning Resource Types
Exams with Solutions
Problem Sets