ANS 2022 Winter Meeting

Phoenix, AZ, November 13-17, 2022

Program Description

Critical and Subcritical Experiments: I
Organizer: Jesson D. Hutchinson
Chair: Kelsey Amundson (LANL)
Alternate Chair: Elijah C. Lutz

The 2022 Editions of the ICSBEP and IRPhEP Handbooks
John D. Bess (J Foster & Assoc.), Tatiana Ivanova (OECD NEA), Julie-Fiona Martin (OECD NEA), Ian Hill (OECD NEA), Lori Scott (INL)

Design Optimization for EUROPA Critical Experiment
Peter Brain (LANL), Cole Kostelac (LANL), Alexander McSpaden (LANL), Nicholas Thompson (LANL), Travis Smith (LANL)

Towards a Benchmark with the Compact Nuclear Power Source
Jack W. Fletcher (LANL), Alexis Maldonado (LANL), Nicholas W. Thompson (LANL)

Progress Update on the MUSIC Critical Benchmark
Alexander McSpaden (LANL), George McKenzie (LANL), Rene Sanchez (LANL)

Why Lady Godiva Should be Replaced as the Default Validation Experiment for U-235 Nuclear Data
J. Hutchinson (LANL), J. Goda (LANL), D. Hayes (LANL), R. Sanchez (LANL), T. Smith (LANL), A. McSpaden (LANL)

Virtual Training: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Organizer: Deborah A. Hill (UK National Nuclear Laboratory), William J. Marshall (ORNL)
Chair: Deborah A. Hill (UK National Nuclear Laboratory)
Alternate Chair: Michael A. Fendler

One of the challenges associated with COVID-19 work restrictions has been the transition of training, qualification, and mentoring activities from live, in-person exchanges to virtual/hybrid platforms. This panel session highlights both positive aspects of these changes as well as challenges associated with them. Viewpoints of both trainers and trainees will be presented. Attendees will gain insight on how to optimize their virtual/hybrid training and learning experience. We invite the audience to join the conversation to share best practices and lessons learned for code training, hands-on experiences, on-site process familiarization, and mentoring in these environments

Critical and Subcritical Experiments: II
Organizer: Benjamin Martin
Chair: Theresa E. Cutler
Alternate Chair: Jesse D. Norris

Comparison of Approach-to-Critical Results in Current and Pulse Mode for Systems with High Starter Neutron Rates
J. Hutchinson (LANL), T. Cutler (LANL), J. Goda (LANL), T. Grove (LANL), D. Hayes (LANL), G. McKenzie (LANL), R. Sanchez (LANL), N. Thompson (LANL)

Estimating List-Mode Data Sensitivities to Nuclear Data with MCNP6
Juliann R. Lamproe (Univ. Michigan), Theresa E. Cutler (LANL), Michael Y. Hua (Univ. Michigan), Jesson D. Hutchinson (LANL), Sara A. Pozzi (Univ. Michigan)

Neutron Leakage Spectra Sensitivities for ICSBEP Benchmarks
Nicholas Thompson (LANL), Jesson Hutchinson (LANL), Jennifer Alwin (LANL), Alexander Clark (LANL), Theresa Cutler (LANL), Michael Grosskopf (LANL), Wim Haeck (LANL), Michal Herman (LANL), Noah Kleedtke (LANL), Juliann Lamproe (LANL), Robert (Bob) C. Little (LANL), Isaac Michaud (LANL), Denise Neudecker (LANL), Michael Rising (LANL), Travis Smith (LANL), Scott Vander Wiel (LANL)

The Prompt Fission Uranium Neutron Spectrum (PFUNS) Critical Experiment
Theresa Cutler (LANL), Jesson Hutchinson (LANL), Rene Sanchez (LANL), Robert Weldon (LANL), Nicholas Whitman (LANL)

High-Fidelity Measurements for Flattop-HEU Benchmark Reevaluation
Kristin Stolte (LANL), Theresa Cutler (LANL), Charlie Kiehne (LANL), Kelsey Amundson (LANL), Dave Hayes (LANL)

Recent Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Technical Accomplishments
Organizer: Douglas G. Bowen
Chair: Angela Chambers
Alternate Chair: Marsha Henley

Preliminary Chlorine Worth Study Benchmark Evaluation
Jeffrey A. Favorite (LANL), Theresa Cutler (LANL), Travis Grove (LANL)

ORNL Neutron Cross Section Measurements of 90Zr
Klaus Guber (ORNL), Jesse Brown (ORNL), Carlos Paradela (EC-JRC Geel), Stefan Kopecky (EC-JRC Geel), Jan Heyse (EC-JRC Geel), Peter Schillebeeckx (EC-JRC Geel)

Four New Plutonium Thermal Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) Critical Configurations Optimized to Test Thermal Scattering Laws
C.M. Percher (LLNL), M.A. Lee (C.S. Engineering), R.G. Sanchez (LANL), T.J. Grove (LANL), J.M. Goda (LANL)
Presented by Jesse Norris (LLNL)

TEX-HEU: Baseline Assemblies Benchmark and Results, HEU-MET-MIXED-021
Jesse Norris (LLNL), David Heinrichs (LLNL), Catherine Percher (LLNL)

Design of Critical Experiments Targeting Epithermal Cross Sections of Tantalum
David E. Ames (Sandia), Gary A. Harms (Sandia), Elijah Lutz (Sandia)

ANS 8 Standards Forum
Organizer: Douglas G. Bowen
Chair: Douglas G. Bowen
Alternate Chair: Kevin H. Reynolds

Subcommittee ANS-8, Operations with Fissile Material Outside Reactors, meets to discuss various technical and administrative aspects of the approximately 20 national consensus standards under its purview. In addition to status and progress updates by representatives of individual working groups, formal presentations on the technical bases of numerical values such as subcritical limits and experiences with applications of particular standards are solicited. Agenda topics such as new and expanded standards are also encouraged.

Critical and Subcritical Experiments: III
Organizer: Theresa E. Cutler
Chair: Kristan Wessels
Alternate Chair: David G. Erickson

Generating Models of the Flattop Critical Assembly for Benchmark Experiments with Python
A. Hauck (LANL), K. Stolte (LANL), T. Grove (LANL), N. Whitman (LANL), T. Cutler (LANL), R. Sanchez (LANL), J. Lamproe (LANL), D. Hayes (LANL)

Modeling Approach to Critical in the Upcoming CERBERUS Experiment
Zachariah Lemke (LANL), Kelsey Amundson (LANL), Theresa Cutler (LANL), Nicholas Whitman (LANL)

Hybrid Particle Swarm-Interpolation Algorithm for Improved Critical Experiment Design
Cole Kostelac (Missouri Univ. Science and Technology), Nicholas Thompson (LANL), Ayodeji Alajo (Missouri Univ. Science and Technology), Noah Kleedtke (LANL), Rene Sanchez (LANL)

Rossi-Alpha Analysis of Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments Optimized for Polyethylene Thermal Neutron Scattering
Caiser A. Bravo (LANL), Jesson D. Hutchinson (LANL), George E. McKenzie (LANL), Theresa E. Cutler (LANL), Travis J. Grove (LANL), Alex McSpaden (LANL), Rene G. Sanchez (LANL)

Prompt Neutron Decay Constant Measurements at the Inherently Safe Subcritical Assembly
Daniel Siefman (LLNL), W. Zywiec (LLNL), S. Varghese (LLNL), O. Pakari (Univ. Michigan), David Heinrichs (LLNL)
Presented by Ruby Araj (LLNL)

Data, Analysis, and Operations in Criticality Safety: I
Organizer: Benjamin Martin
Chair: James C. Bunsen
Alternate Chair: Leah Berman

Genetic Algorithm Optimization of Experiment Design for Targeted Uncertainty Reduction on the 35Cl (n,p) Cross Section
Alexander Amedeo DePillis (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Vladimir Sobes (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Sandra Bogetic (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), J. Wesley Hines (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville)

Maximizing the Loading of the H-Canyon Used Nuclear Fuel Dissolvers
Hannah Hyslop (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Nathan Devine (Savannah River Nuclear Solutions), Joshua Butler (Y-12 Nat'l Security Complex), Tracy Stover (GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy)

Fraction Critical and k-effective
Robert D. Busch (Univ. New Mexico)

Data, Analysis, and Operations in Criticality Safety: II
Organizer: Benjamin Martin
Chair: Benjamin Martin
Alternate Chair: Marsha Henley

DOE-EM NCS Needs Program History and Current Efforts
Alexander Lang (ORNL), Douglas G. Bowen (ORNL), Robert Wilson (U.S. Dept. of Energy)

Current Progress of the Final Design of a Subcritical Assembly at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Mathieu N. Dupont (ORNL), Alex Lang (ORNL), Doug Bowen (ORNL)

Data, Analysis, and Operations in Criticality Safety: III
Organizer: Benjamin Martin
Chair: Larry Wetzel (BWX Technologies)
Alternate Chair: William M. Cook

Calculated Critical Concentrations of Uranium and Plutonium in Advanced Solvents
Andrew Taylor (NCSU), Tracy Stover (Savannah River Nuclear Solutions)

Comparison of FISPACT-II Predicted and Measured Values of Activation Foils in a Godiva IV Burst
Nicholas H. Whitman (LANL), Joetta M. Goda (LANL), Theresa E. Cutler (LANL), Jesson D. Hutchinson (LANL), Robert A. Weldon Jr. (LANL), Matthew E. Gooden (LANL), Rene G. Sanchez (LANL)

Generalized Bayesian Framework for Evaluation of Integral Benchmark Experiments
Jesse M. Brown (ORNL), Goran Arbanas (ORNL), Hany Abdel-Khalik (Purdue), Ugur Mertyurek (ORNL), William B. Marshall (ORNL), William A. Wieselquist (ORNL)

An Analysis of Pebble Bed Spent Fuel Cask Criticality and Safety
Jonathan F. Wing (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), G. Ivan Maldonado (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville)

Criticality Analysis of Fuel Debris Falling in Water Considering Water Surface Oscillation
Toru Obara (Tokyo Institute of Technology), Taro Fumimoto (Tokyo Institute of Technology), Takeshi Muramoto (Tokyo Institute of Technology), Jun Nishiyama (Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Leadership and Oversight of Nuclear Criticality Safety Programs
Organizer: Kermit A. Bunde, John A. Miller
Chair: James Cole (Sandia)
Alternate Chair: Benjamin Martin (Y-12 Nat'l Security Complex)

This panel session is for sharing tools, lessons learned, challenges and associated with the management of and regulatory oversight for NCS programs. This panel builds on the discussions in previous sessions of lesson learned and training and qualification. However, it looks to share the perspective from more of a programmatic aspect as compared to a floor application level. The session will touch on oversight practices, conduct, and reporting. Panelists from industry and regulatory bodies will present.