Researcher

Evans Kitcher

Spent Fuel Analyst

Research Areas:
Modeling and Simulation; Molten salt reactors; Monte Carlo Simulations; Nuclear; Nuclear Engineering; Nuclear fuel cycle; Nuclear Fuel Performance, Management and Disposition; Nuclear Fuels; Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning

Biography:

Dr. Evans Kitcher is a spent fuel analyst in the Used Fuel Management Department. Dr. Kitcher is engaged on several projects relating to management and storage of advanced reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF), aluminum clad SNF and other radioactive materials. These activities include identification of packaging, transportation, and storage options for advanced reactor SNF, performing criticality safety and radiation shielding analysis of these configurations and development of instrumentation to monitor aluminum clad SNF during storage.

Prior to joining INL, Dr. Kitcher worked as a research engineer at the Nuclear Security Science and Policy institute at Texas A&M University. There, Dr. Kitcher performed sponsored research and other activities in the areas of nuclear security system design, nuclear safeguards, nuclear forensics, and nuclear nonproliferation. Dr. Kitcher has a B.S. in physics from the University of Papua New Guinea, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M University.

Digital Profiles:

OrcID

Education:

Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering – Texas A&M University.

M.S. in Nuclear Engineering Texas A&M University

B.S. in Physics – University of Papua New Guinea

Publications:

Kitcher, E. D., Osborn, J. M., and Chirayath S. S., “Characterization of Plutonium for Nuclear Forensics Using Machine Learning Techniques" (submitted to Nucl. Eng. Tech. Sept. 2020)

Setiawan, Y. A., Kitcher E. D., and Chirayath S. S. “MAPPS: A Stochastic Computational Tool for Multi-path Analysis of Physical Protection Systems". Ann. Nucl. Energy 137 (Mar. 2020). See this article.

Minamigawa Y., Kitcher E. D., and Chirayath S. S. “A Method to Estimate Fission Product Concentration Uncertainty in a Multi-Time-Step MCNP6 Code Nuclear Fuel Burnup Calculation". Nucl. Technol. 206 (1) pp. 73-81 (Jan. 2020). See this article.

Kitcher, E. D., Osborn, J. M., and Chirayath S. S., “Sensitivity Studies on a Novel Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Characterization of Separated Weapons Grade Plutonium". Nucl. Eng. Tech. 51 (5) pp. 1355-1364 (Aug. 2019). See this article.

Glennon, K. J., Osborn, J. M., Burns, J. D., Kitcher, E. D., Chirayath, S. S., Folden, C. M. III. “Measuring key Sm isotope ratios in irradiated UO2 for use in plutonium discrimination nuclear forensics" J. Rad. Nucl. Chem. 320(2), pp. 405-414 (Apr. 2019). See this article.

Osborn, J. M., Kitcher, E. D., Glennon, K. J., Burns, J. D., Folden, C. M. III, and Chirayath S. S. “Experimental Validation of a Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Source Reactor-Type Discrimination of Chemically Separated Plutonium". Nucl. Eng. Tech. 51 (2) pp. 384-393(Apr. 2019). See this article.

Osborn, J. M., Glennon, K. J., Kitcher, E. D., Burns, J. D., Folden, C. M. III, and Chirayath S. S. “Computational and Experimental Forensics Characterization of Weapons-grade Plutonium Produced in a Thermal Neutron Environment" Nucl. Eng. Tech. 50 (6) pp. 820-828(Aug. 2018). See this article.

Kitcher, E. D., and Burns J. D., “Criticality concerns of a group actinide co-crystallization separations approach to used nuclear fuel recycling". Ann. Nucl. Energy 115 pp. 387-392 (May 2018). See this article.

Osborn, J. M., Kitcher, E. D., Burns, J. D., Folden, C. M. III, and Chirayath S. S., “Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Reactor-Type Attribution of Chemically Separated Plutonium". Nucl. Technol. 201(1) pp. 1-10 (Dec. 2017). See this article.

Kitcher E.D and Chirayath S. S., “A neutron transport and thermal hydraulics coupling scheme to study xenon induced power oscillations in a nuclear reactor". Ann. Nucl. Energy, 106 pp. 64-70 (Mar. 2017). See this article.

Kitcher E. D. and Chirayath S. S., “Neutronics and thermal hydraulics analysis of a small modular reactor". Ann. Nucl. Energy. 97 pp. 232-245 (Jul. 2016). See this article.

Kelly, R., Tsvetkov, P., Chirayath, S., Poston, J., & Kitcher, E. D. “Uncertainty Quantification of Concrete Utilized in Dry Cask Storage". Nucl. Technol. 190(1) pp. 72-87 (2015). See this article.

Research Interests:

Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Advanced Reactor Design
Multi-Physics Simulations
Nuclear Forensics
Nuclear Security
Nuclear Safeguards

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