Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Physics

INTRODUCTION TO NUCLEAR REACTOR PHYSICS is the most comprehensive, modern and readable textbook for this course/module. It explains reactors, fuel cycles, radioisotopes, radioactive materials, design, and operation. Chain reaction and fission reactor concepts are presented, plus advanced coverage including neutron diffusion theory. The diffusion equation, Fisk’s Law, and steady state/time-dependent reactor behavior. Numerical and analytical solutions are also covered. The text has full color illustrations throughout, and a wide range of student learning features.

Robert E. Masterson (1950-2020) held MS and PhD degrees in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he worked for Westinghouse Nuclear Energy Systems. He was an Affiliate Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dr. Masterson published extensively in the journals of the ANS and had over 20 years of experience in the field of nuclear science and engineering. He had an extensive background in the fields of reactor safety, reactor design and analysis, reactor thermal hydraulics, numerical analysis, reactor physics, reactor dynamics, nuclear medicine, and nuclear particle transport. He was a member of the American Nuclear Society. His first textbook with CRC Press, Nuclear Engineering Fundamentals: A Practical Perspective, was published in 2017.