Month: May 2017

by Dan Hughes

I started an attempt to write some about neutrons at Camp NRTS. I’ll be working without a net again as Neutrons are far afield of my areas of experience. I do molecules, don’t do Neutrons. After all, nobody actually understands Quantum Mechanics.

I decided that I should check to see what The Google could find on the subject. Google came back with this list of really old reports all associated with Camp NRTS back in the days; ca. late 1950s, early 1960s. Over 360 hits are listed.

The reports are associated with the early machines built at Camp NRTS and design and experiments and analysis of these.

Not knowing anything about neutrons I just started checking names of the authors of the reports. I vaguely recall hearing many of the following, and limited interaction with most. Maybe you’ll know these and others given at the Google results.

C.M. Slansky, Fred Tingey, ‎D.R. DeBoisblanc, M.S. Moore, Bernice E. Paige, J.G. Crocker, S.G. Forbes, F.L. Bentzen, G.O. Bright, ‎J.E. Grund, R.L. Heath, R.S. Marsden, T.R. Wilson, G.E. Putnam, Warren E. Nyer, J.L. Teague, J. Dugone, ‎E. Feinauer

by Dan Hughes

The subjects of this post are well outside my areas of interests and experience. So, I’ll be working without a net. All corrections to incorrectos, and amplification of all aspects by providing additional information will be greatly appreciated.

Continue reading “Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), WASH-3, WASH-740, WASH-1400, &etc.”

by Dan Hughes

The URLs below will lead you to reports and papers written by the indicated person. This list is comprised of all (or at least almost all) of the people you worked on the Idaho Nuclear Code Automation (INCA) system of Safety Analysis Computer Codes (SACCs). Let’s say that this is the Presently Reconstructed Canonical List, and that it is subject to change. Aren’t all Canonical Lists built from Chronologically Mature memory after 45+ years subject to change? The personnel have been mentioned in this post.

Continue reading “More Summer Reading Options”

by Dan Hughes

Check out what was being reported back in the day.

Continue reading “Looking for a Good Summer Read to take to the Beach?”

by Dan Hughes

The URL links below will lead you to Google Scholar search results for the respective phrases / words. Some of the hits have online copies of the complete reports and papers. Sometimes you can get lost in this old literature, in both the content of a given URL and in bouncing around from URL to URL.

Continue reading “Early Machines, Experiments, and Analysis at Camp NRTS”

by Dan Hughes

This document:

C. W. Solbrig, L. J. Ybarrondo, and R. J. Wagner, IDAHO NUCLEAR CODE AUTOMATION: A Standardized and Modularized Code Structure, Nuclear Safety Development Branch, Idaho Nuclear Corporation, March 1971.

which appears to be prepared for presentation at a Conference, lays out the Big Picture of the Grand Scheme of Things for the Idaho Nuclear Code Automation (INCA) system of Safety Analysis Computer Codes (SACCs).

Continue reading “The Big Picture ca. 1971”

by Dan Hughes
Larry Ybarrondo suggested that we offer some personal information about how we got to Camp NRTS. Larry and Don Curet have jumped in. Some of my background follows.

I have probably included way too much information here. Scrolling past is easy, however.

Continue reading “Dan Hughes: Background, to Camp NRTS, and Beyond”

by Dan Hughes
The Lewis Report, Report to the American Physical Society by the study group on light-water reactor safety by the American Physical Society, published in 1975, presented a good summary of the status and prospects of water reactor safety studies at that time. The Abstract says:

The issue of light-water reactor (LWR) safety has been the subject of a part-time, year-long study sponsored by the American Physical Society. The goal of the study was the assessment of some of the technical aspects of the safety of large light-water nuclear power reactors typical of present commercial practice in the Unted States. The report examines issues related to safe operation of LWRs; the research and development program responsible for establishing and enhancing safety; and the consequences of accidents for public health and welfare. The report in no way deals with the need for nuclear power or its benefits, and should not be considered as a net assessment of the risks versus the benefits of nuclear reactors. Since the risks of ecological impacts of other energy technologies are not addressed, no recommendations are made concerning the specific reactor program which should be followed in the immediate future. Among the areas covered in the report are primary pressure-vessel integrity; quality assurance; accident initiation from operator error, transients, and sabotage; the adequacy of present emergency core-cooling system designs; the calculation of long-term consequences to health of one particular low-probability accidental release of radioactivity; and the experimental and calculational (computer-code-development) aspects of the present reactor safety research program. A number of recommendations are contained with the report, mainly addressed to ways in which the safety of the present LWRs can be improved or better understood.

Way near the end are these photos of the LOFT test assembly.

by Dan Hughes
Ken Moore sends this list of people who worked on the LOFT experiment and associated activities: like RELAP, Models, Methods, and Software development, and management, and etc.