NUCE 309Analytical Techniques for Nuclear Concept

3 credits · Nuclear Engineering · Penn State

This course is structured to provide students with the necessary analytical techniques and terminology for radiation science, nuclear reactor design, and power system simulation. Students will be taught the basic mathematical methods needed for such topics as simplified reactor physics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, control theory, shielding, radiation detection, fission product decay, and risk assessment. The course will cover four general mathematical areas: partial differential equations, linear algebra, systems of ordinary differential equations, and probability and statistics. Linear ordinary differential equations are solved using Reduction to Separable Form, Superposition of Solutions, Laplace Transforms, and Numerical Methods. Linear partial differential equations are solved using Separation of Variables. Linear algebra is used to solve sets of linear equations, Least Squares Fit, and Finite Difference Methods. Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors found for a matrix are used to rotate a function to principle coordinates and to solve systems of ordinary differential equations. Probability and statistics includes sampling, permutations and combinations, binomial, Poisson, hypergeometric, and normal distributions. These statistical methods are then applied to radiation counting statistics.