The research and teaching activities of the reactor physics department focus on fundamental reactor physics calculation and measurement methods in the context of ensuring and assessing the safety of existing and new types of nuclear reactors. Within this framework, the training nuclear reactor AKR-2 is used as a measurement platform for the validation of calculation methods and the development of measurement procedures. These research and development efforts contribute to the improvement of the safety characteristics of nuclear reactors, to developing methods for minimizing highly radioactive waste, and to proliferation security.

The focus is on the following topics:

Stability analysis of existing and future nuclear reactor systems (e.g., molten salt reactors or dual-fluid reactors).
Contributions to the development of nuclear monitoring systems and the application of noise diagnostic methods to experimentally determined and simulated quantities describing the reactor's state.
Development and application of methods for nuclear material monitoring and verification to enhance proliferation security.
Investigations on neutron flux fluctuation patterns.
Development of experimental methods in the context of new nuclear reactor systems that enable further processing of highly radioactive waste.
Application of modern mathematical methods in investigations of the safety characteristics of reactor systems, such as using model order reduction methods and nonlinear dynamics methods, like bifurcation analysis, for stability analyses.
Establishing a benchmarking platform at AKR-2 to validate reactor physics methods and software tools and prepare for broader use of AKR-2 in research and teaching

Junior Research Group NAUTILUS

The junior research group NAUTILUS deals with the further treatment of highly radioactive waste and reactor safety and aims to develop experimental methods at the training nuclear reactor AKR-2.

Neutron Imaging

Neutron radiography enables non-destructive, qualitative, and quantitative imaging using neutrons.

Further information can be found here.

Student research projects

Current tasks of the Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy can be found here.

Projects

03/2023 - 02/2028	NAUTILUS - Development of Experimental Methods for Investigating Innovative Approaches to Nuclear Waste Management and to Nuclear Safety
01/2021 - 06/2025	DeepCore - Entwicklung einer quantitativen Methode zur Kernmaterialverifikation
03/2019 - 02/2024	NEUS - Investigations on the Origin of Measured Neutron Flux Fluctuation Patterns in Pressurized Water Reactors
11/2020 - 10/2023	GREaT-PIONEeR: Graduate education alliance for teaching the physics and safety of nuclear reactors
11/2021 - 08/2023	DFR-Stability
09/2017 - 08/2021	CORTEX - CORe monitoring Techniques and EXperimental validation and demonstration
07/2016 - 06/2019	MORSE - Reaktordynamische Aspekte der Modellordnungsreduktion dynamischer Systeme
03/2015 - 02/2019	DURATEA - DWR-Neutronenflussschwankungen mit erhöhter Amplitude
01/2010 - 12/2014	VGB-Schwerpunktförderung: Erhöhung der Zuverlässigkeit von SWR Stabilitätsanalysen
01/2011 - 12/2013	Auslegung einer 4-Kanal-Versuchsanlage zur Simulation hydraulischer 2-Phasen-Strömungszustände und des gekoppelten neutronenkinetischen/thermohydraulischen Stabilitätsverhaltens
01/2009 - 12/2009	Stabilitätsanalysen zum Kernkraftwerk Brunsbüttel Zyklus 18
01/2008 - 07/2008	Comparison of the results of TOBI and the thermalhydraulics model of the TUD-ROM
09/2004 - 03/2008	In depth stability analysis of boiling water reactors

Publications

108 Entries

2026

Monte Carlo modelling of the AKR-2 training and research reactorRodriguez, J. J. G., Knospe, A., Viebach, M., Hübner, S., Saalfeld, T., Melzer, V., Weichel, S. & 3 others, 17 Feb 2026, In: Annals of nuclear energy. 231, 112217Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to journal > Research article
A Catalogue of Requirements for the Monitoring of Intakes of Radionuclides in Radiological EmergenciesFroning, M., Ebert, S., Gehre, D., Hartmann, S., Holz, A., Hill, P., Kratzel, U. & 7 others, Feb 2026, In: Health physics : the radiation safety journal. 130, 2, p. 202-207, 6 p.Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to journal > Research article

2025

The revised German guideline on the monitoring for intakes of radionuclidesMeisenberg, O., Löscher, S., van Appeldorn, T., Breustedt, B., Froning, M., Gehre, D., Giussani, A. & 6 others, 18 Dec 2025, In: Radiation and environmental biophysicsElectronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to journal > Review article
Reactivity induced transients with JEFF3.3 and JEFF4.0 at a zero-power reactor with SerpentGómez Rodriguez, J. J., Knospe, A., Weichel, S., Viebach, M., Hurtado Gutierrez, A. & Lange, C., 20 Nov 2025Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to conferences > Presentation slides
A Novel Measurement Setup for the Data Acquisition and Evaluation for Hydrogen-Filled Proportional Detectors and Stilbene Scintillation DetectorsMelzer, V., Weichel, S., Reisdorf, R., Viebach, M., Lange, C. & Hurtado Gutierrez, A., 6 Nov 2025, ANIMMA 2025 – Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications . EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences, Vol. 338. 8 p., 10013Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to book/conference proceedings/anthology/report > Conference contribution
Application of Unfolding Methods on Thermal Neutron Data Measured with a Single-Chopper Time-of-Flight SetupMelzer, V., Knospe, A., Stein, L., Viebach, M., Lange, C. & Hurtado Gutierrez, A., 6 Nov 2025, ANIMMA 2025 – Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications . EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences, Vol. 338. 7 p., 04031Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to book/conference proceedings/anthology/report > Conference contribution
Development of the pile oscillation method for the determination of integral cross section data at the AKR-2 training and research reactorKnospe, A., Gómez Rodriguez, J. J., Viebach, M., Lange, C. & Hurtado Gutierrez, A., 6 Nov 2025, ANIMMA 2025 – Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications. EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences, Vol. 338. 5 p., 04030Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to book/conference proceedings/anthology/report > Conference contribution
Neutron transmission experiment with PTFE at AKR-2Košťál, M., Zmeškal, M., Czakoj, T., Rodriguez, J. J. G., Viebach, M., Knospe, A., Melzer, V. & 11 others, 16 Jul 2025, In: Annals of nuclear energy. 224, 111741Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to journal > Research article
The Euratom NPHyCo project: Conceptualization, technical work plan and current statusDiaz-Pescador, E., Viebach, M., Lippmann, W., Gamaleja, F., Hurtado, A., Mazurok, O., Herrero-Moriana, C. & 8 others, Jul 2025, In: Progress in Nuclear Energy. 185, 105731Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to journal > Research article
Measurement of the neutron and gamma spectra at the training and research reactor AKR-2Zmeškal, M., Koštál, M., Viebach, M., Lange, C. & Matěj, Z., May 2025, In: Annals of Nuclear Energy. 214, 111194Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Contribution to journal > Research article

Cooperation partners of the research area "AKR-2" and "Reactor Physics"

Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Das Jülicher Zentrum für Forschung mit Neutronen (JCNS), 52425 JÜLICH
JCNS

Framatome GmbH
Framatome GmbH

Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Schwertnergasse 1, 50667 Köln
GRS

Paul-Scherrer Institut, Neutron Optics and Scientific Computing Group, at Laboratory for Scientific Developments and Novel Materials , CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland
PSI

Czech International Centre of Research Reactors
Czech International Centre of Research Reactors

Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University
Masaryk University, Faculty of Informatics

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
HZDR – Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

VKTA – Strahlenschutz, Analytik & Entsorgung Rossendorf e. V.
VKTA

University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool