Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics at OSU: Small Programs, Significant Impact A Presentation at Nuclear Engineering in Poland - Education and Research September 25th 2014 Kathryn Higley, PhD, CHP Professor and Head Objectives of this Presentation • Highlight OSU’s NERHP / RC – Organizational structure – Student numbers – Research areas • Facilitate – Engagement & information exchange – Industrial advice / insight – Student/graduate opportunities – Collaboration OSU’s Nuclear History • Nuclear Engineering at OSU for > 50 years • TRIGA reactor at OSU for > 40 years • Research spans multiple areas: • Fundamental nuclear science • Nuclear reactor design • Radiation safety • Radiochemistry • Medical applications • Environmental protection • National security and defense Department (NERHP) and the Radiation Center (RC) • NERHP and RC are separate organizations in OSU • RC provides: • Specialized facilities for research • Instructional faculty • Grant and contract research • NERHP • Academic organization • Grant and contract research • Complementary but distinct missions and objectives • Both organizations are active in commercialization of research concepts NERHP Academic Degrees Discipline & Degrees Offered Nuclear Engineeringa Radiation Health Physicsa Medical Physicsa Radiochemistry (specialization within NE, RHP, or Chemistry) B.S.   M.S. Ph.D.         aPrograms professionally accredited through independent licensing organization • Research and instruction are within the broadly defined areas of nuclear science and engineering Enrollment, Academic Years 2000 - 2014 200 180 160 NE Undergrad +5%) 140 RHP Undergrad (-5%) Med Phys (=67%) NE Grad (-11%) 120 RHP Grad (+4%) eRHP Grad (+10%) 100 19 NE PhDs 80 60 40 20 0 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 Thematic & Research Areas Discipline Research Areas Nuclear Engineering (7 tenure track faculty) Reactor design Computational physics Thermal hydraulics Computational fluid dynamics Medical Physics (1 TT faculty) Therapeutic radiologic physics Brachytherapy Diagnostic imaging Health Physics (3 TT faculty) Nuclear instrumentation Radioecology Risk assessment Radiochemistry (1 TT faculty) Nuclear fuel cycle Environmental radiochemistry Nuclear forensics Production and separation of radionuclides (Radiation Center) Reactor Applications Isotope production Special nuclear materials determination Neutron tomography Idealized Path to PhD (OSU NERHP) Year 0 • Fall – apply to graduate program • Spring acceptance Year 1 • Start Fall (mid September) • Assemble committee & have program meeting (winter term) • Take classes, study for qualifying exams Year 2 • Fall – take qualifying exams • Spring –preliminary oral examination (research proposal) • Take classes Year 3 • Conduct research • Hold final doctoral defense Major Core Courses For All NE Students NE 553 Advanced Reactor Physics NE 535 Radiation Shielding and External Dosimetry NE 568 Nuclear Reactor Safety NE 536 Advanced Instrumentation NE 507 Seminar (three terms required) Additional Requirements for Students w/o an NE Background NE 515 Nuclear Rules and Regulations NE 531 Radiophysics NE 551 Neutronics Analysis I NE 552 Neutronics Analysis II NE 567 Reactor Thermal Hydraulics NE 573 Nuclear Reactor Systems Analysis NE 557 Advanced Nuclear Reactor Lab Research Highlights: Areas, Funding, Facilities • $6M in research funding last fiscal year (NERHP & RC) • Major areas: – Construction & operation of test facilities related to thermal hydraulics of reactor systems – Development of novel radiation detection systems for defense, personal protection, surveillance – Production of medical isotopes • Commercialization of research Radiation Center • User Facilities: – – – – 1.1 MW TRIGA Reactor Spectroscopy laboratories Radiochemistry laboratories Irradiators • Instruction – Reactor operator training • Activities: – Neutron activation analysis – Geological age dating – Neutron radiography – Isotope production Steve Reese NERHP Research Facilities • Built with research funding • Integral Test Facilities –APEX (AP1000) scaled model –ATHRL (NuScale Prototype) –ANSEL • High temperature gas reactor test facility • Hydro-mechanical Fuel Test Facility • LIFT – Laser Imaging of Fluids & Thermal • Transuranic radiochemistry labs • Radioecology facilities Hydro Mechanical Test Facility (HMTF) • Hydraulically test fuel and in-reactor components – Design Support Testing – Testing to Failure – Confirmatory Testing • NQA-1 2008, 09a Compliant Program Laser Imaging of Fluids and Thermal (LIFT) Laboratory Natural Circulation & Advanced Fluids Imaging CCD Camera Heat Exchang er Pool Heater Rods Laser High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) Small Modular Reactor Research Radiation Measurements Group • Detection systems for nuclear weapon test monitoring (NNSA) • Low-cost, wireless, and compact gamma spectrometer for smart phones • Direction-sensitive detector for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (US patent pending) Computational radiation transport research • Methods/software development – Development of subcritical multiplication simulation capability – Advanced variance reduction techniques for nonproliferation source/detector problems – Advanced mesh-based methodology for stochastic mixture radiation transport • Research involving application of radiation transport – Development of a MOOSE/RattleSNake model for transient neutronic simulations of TREAT – Modification of MOOSE/RattleSNake for simulation of photon transport Detection/Interrogation • • • • Photon-induced fission for nuclear safeguards Long-range sensing of fissile material Radiation Detection using Nanomaterials Long-term Dry Cask Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel Radiochemistry • Fundamental and applied aspects of nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry, including: – Nuclear fuel cycle • ALSEP one step SEparation Process for Actinides, Lanthanides and fission Products – Nuclear forensics – Environmental radiochemistry – Radioisotope production Alena Paulenova Radioecological Research • Fukushima-nuclides in marine environment – Albacore, food web studies • Dosimetric models for biota – Crab, trout, snail, earthworm, bee, hive, pine tree, rabbit, kangaroo • Classical uptake / transport studies – Remediation – C-14 – H-3 • Decontamination studies • International collaboration CSU AECL/Chalk River COMET IAEA PICES BIOPR OTA NCORE IUR ANSTO OSU’s Small, but Significant Nuclear program • • • • Well regarded program Nuclear power, but much, much more Research of national, and international significance Globally engaged faculty – – Give NERHP students a competitive edge • Effective in commercializing research concepts – NuScale Power– 200 employees, Oregon based – Northwest Medical Isotopes – addressing an international shortage of medical isotopes – Detection systems – keeping us, and the nation safer Points of contact • Kathryn Higley, Head, Nuclear Engineering & Radiation Health Physics [email protected] +1 541 737 0675 http://ne.oregonstate.edu/ • Steve Reese, Director, Radiation Center [email protected] +1 541 737 2344 http://radiationcenter.oregonstate.edu/ • Please feel free to contact any NERHP faculty members directly: http://ne.oregonstate.edu/faculty-and-staff