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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Smaeil M. Aceil, Doyle R. Edwards
Nuclear Technology | Volume 93 | Number 2 | February 1991 | Pages 123-130
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34498
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A model correlating the minimum critical power ratio (MCPR) of standardized boiling water reactors (BWRs) to a set of thermal-hydraulic variables in parameter space is developed. A statistical approach with fractional factorial sampling along with response surface methodology and orthogonal central composite design are employed. The COBRA-II computer code, after modifications to include MCPR calculation, is used to simulate the thermal hydraulics of the BWR/6. The sensitivity is obtained by differentiating a quadratic equation that represents the state of the system with respect to its constituent variables. Taking this correlation as a joint multivariable probability distribution function and using crude Monte Carlo integration techniques, the probability of boiling transition during normal operation in a standardized BWR/6 is estimated. The result agrees very well with data available in open literature.