Record Details
Design of an Optical Medium for the Simulation of Neutron Transport in Reactor Component Materials
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Design of an Optical Medium for the Simulation of Neutron Transport in Reactor Component Materials |
| Names |
Konyndyk, David M.
(creator) Palmer, Todd (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2015-05-08 (iso8601) |
| Note | 2015 |
| Abstract | The scattering of optical rays by small spherical particles bears a strong resemblance to the diffusion of fission neutrons in solid materials. This work explores the feasibility of exploiting similarities between these two systems for the purposes of reactor component analysis, education, and outreach. After a brief overview of reactor-environment neutronics, an easily-producible optical scattering medium is proposed and examined for its ability to faithfully simulate scattered neutron distributions and energy deposition patterns in three dimensions. Individual scattering particles (3M Spherical Glass Microshells) are probed for their ray-scattering properties, and a random-walk simulation reveals how an iterated scattering process could be used to imitate scattering angle probability distributions for given materials. In the optical system, iterated angular probability distributions are shown to evolve in similar fashion to neutron scattering angle distributions with respect to atomic mass number, and further quantitative relationships are established between the disparate systems. Stopping short of a final optical test for correlation with accepted benchmark simulations, thorough groundwork is laid for future experiments. Methods and materials are discussed in detail, and possible end-use applications are considered. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | physics |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/55907 |
