Fundamentals of Nuclear Reactor Physics

Fundamentals of Nuclear Reactor Physics

This new streamlined text offers a one-semester treatment of the essentials of how the fission nuclear reactor works, the various approaches to the design of reactors, and their safe and efficient operation. The book includes numerous worked-out examples and end-of-chapter questions to help reinforce the knowledge presented. This textbook offers an engineering-oriented introduction to nuclear physics, with a particular focus on how those physics are put to work in the service of generating nuclear-based power, particularly the importance of neutron reactions and neutron behavior. Engineering students will find this applications-oriented approach, with many worked-out examples, more accessible and more meaningful as they aspire to become future nuclear engineers. · A clear, general overview of atomic physics from the standpoint of reactor functionality and design, including the sequence of fission reactions and their energy release · In-depth discussion of neutron reactions, including neutron kinetics and the neutron energy spectrum, as well as neutron spatial distribution · Ample worked-out examples and over 100 end-of-chapter problems A first of its kind text on the essential nuclear physics employed in the design and operation of nuclear reactors.