
Dale Lancaster
Adjunct Professor
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ph.D., ’81
Georgia Institute of Technology
MS, Nuclear Engineering, ’74
Cornell University
BS, Chemical Engineering, ’73
Research Interests
- Nuclear Criticality Safety
- Reactor Physics
- Nuclear Fuel Cycle
- Waste Management
Professional Service
2000–ongoing NuclearConsultants.com – Consultant (founder)
Criticality analysis for SFP, transport casks, enrichment, and fabrication.
Customers: EPRI, NETCO, Dominion, Duke, MHI, GE, Nextera, KHNP, CNPE, KONES, Entergy, Exelon, Holtec, TN, NAC, URENCO, Westinghouse, NRC, GNB, and GA.
1995–2000 Yucca Mountain Project (TRW), Burnup Credit Manager,
1993–1994 Penn State University, Visiting Faculty, Nuclear Engineering Department
1988–1992 Georgia Tech, Assistant Professor, Nuclear Engineering Program
1974–1977 and 1981–1987 Westinghouse Electric, CRBR (fast reactor) then PWR Core Design
Select Publications and Presentations
1. Dale Lancaster, Charles T. Rombough, Fred H. Smith, “Impact of Increased Enrichment on Nuclear Analysis Accuracy Due to Cross-Section Uncertainties,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 122, (2020).
2. D. Lancaster, C. T. Rombough, F. Smith, “Criticality Issues With the 30B Canister with Enrichments Greater Than 5 wt% U-235,” Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials, PATRAM 2019, August4-9, 2019, New Orleans, LA, USA, Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Mount Laurel, NJ, USA.
3. Charles T. Rombough, Dale B. Lancaster, Matt C. Harris, “Application of Peaking Factor Credit in Spent Fuel Pool Criticality Analysis,” 2017 Nuclear Criticality Safety Division Topical Meeting, September 10-15, 2017, Pecos River Village Conference Center, Carlsbad, NM, USA, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL, USA.
4. D. Lancaster and C. Rombough, “Criticality Convergence Confusion,” 2018 SCALE Users’ Group Workshop, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA, August 28, 2018, https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/1_DaleLancaster.pdf.
5. Dale B. Lancaster, Charles T. Rombough, “Impact of Grid Growth on PWR Spent Fuel Pool Criticality Analysis,” 2017 Nuclear Criticality Safety Division Topical Meeting, September 10-15, 2017, Pecos River Village Conference Center, Carlsbad, NM, USA, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL, USA.
6. D. LANCASTER, B. HALL, C. ROMBOUGH, “New Approach to Eccentric Positioning of Fuel Assemblies in a Spent Fuel Pool,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 114, 466-8 (2016).
7. D. LANCASTER, B. HALL, C. ROMBOUGH, M. HARRIS, “Fission Gases in Spent Fuel Pool Criticality Analysis,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 114, 469-71 (2016).
8. Giuseppe Palmiotti, J. Blair Briggs, Teruhiko Kugo, Edward (Fitz) Trumble, Albert C. (Skip) Kahler & Dale Lancaster (2014) Applications of Integral Benchmark Data, Nuclear Science and Engineering, 178:3, 295-310.
9. D. Lancaster, “Sensitivity Analyses for Spent Fuel Pool Criticality—Revision 1” EPRI Technical Report Number: 3002008197, November 2017, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA.
10. D. Lancaster, “Utilization of the EPRI Depletion Benchmarks for Burnup Credit Validation” EPRI Technical Report Number: 1025203, April 2012, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA. Available on the US NRC Adams System, accession number: ML12165A456.
11. D. Hill, G. Van Tuyle, D. Beller, B. Bishop, T. Cotton, P. Finck, W. Halsey, J. Herzceg, J.S. Herring, D. Lancaster, J. March-Leuba, H. Ludewig, T.Sanders, B. Savage, E. Schweitzer, C. Smith, L. Stewart, M. Todosow, and C.Walter, “A Roadmap for Developing ATW Technology: Systems Scenarios &Integration”, ANL-99/16, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA.
12. K. S. Smith, T. Bahadir, R. Ferrer, D. B. Lancaster & A. J. Machiels (2014) Depletion Reactivity Benchmarks—I: Experimental Benchmarks for Quantifying PWR Fuel Reactivity Depletion Uncertainty, Nuclear Technology, 185:1, 39-56.
13. D. B. Lancaster, K. S. Smith & A. J. Machiels (2014) Depletion Reactivity Benchmarks—II: Utilization in PWR Spent-Fuel Pool Criticality Analysis, Nuclear Technology, 185:1, 57-70.
14. D. Lancaster, A. Machiels, “Benefits of the Delta K of Depletion Benchmarks for Burnup Credit Validation,” PHYSOR 2012: Conference on Advances in Reactor Physics, Knoxville, TN, April 15-20, 2012, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL, USA.
15. Dale Lancaster, Charles Rombough, Francis Alcorn, Thomas P McLaughlin, “Criticality Safety Issues Associated with Uranium Enriched Up to Ten Weight Percent,” Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management IV (ANFM IV), April 12-15, 2009, Hilton Head Island, SC, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA.
16. Dale Lancaster, Alan Zimmer, Junaid, “Burnup Credit For the GA-4 Cask Using 2005 Methodologies,” Nuclear Criticality Safety Division: Integrating Criticality Safety into the Resurgence of Nuclear Power (NCSD 2005), Sept 18-22, 2005, Knoxville, TN, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA.
17. Dale Lancaster, “2005 Status and Future of Burnup Credit in the USA,” Proceedings of the International Symposium NUCEF 2005, JAERI-Conf-2005-007, Feb. 9-10, 2005, Tokai-Mura, Japan, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute.
18. Dale Lancaster, “Burnup Credit for Criticality Safety Analysis of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel,” Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineering Training Module 16, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program, US Department of Energy. Website for Program: https://ncsp.llnl.gov/training.php Module website: https://ncsp.llnl.gov/docs/training/ncset/Burnup_Credit_Module_Final_110309.pdf.
19. D. LANCASTER, “Development of the Burnup Credit Standard, ANS/ANSI-8.27,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 91, 637-8 (2004).
20. D. Lancaster, “Practical issues with implementation of burnup credit in the USA for storage and transportation,” Practices and developments in spent fuel burnup credit applications, Proceedings of an Technical Committee meeting held in Madrid, 22–26 April 2002, IAEA-TECDOC-1378, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, October 2003.
21. DALE B. LANCASTER, “Effect of Additional Chemical Assay Data on Actinide-Only Burnup Credit,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 88, 524-6 (2003).
22. G. Van Tuyle; D. Beller; D. Hill; P. Finck; W. Bishop; J. Herezeg; E. Schweitzer; L. Stewart; T. Cotton; W. Halsey; C. Smith; C. Walter; J. S. Herring; D. Lancaster; J. March-Leuba; H. Ludewig; M. Todosow; T. Sanders; B. Savage (2001) A roadmap for developing ATW technology: System scenarios & integration, Progress in Nuclear Energy, 38:1, 3-23.
23. Dale Lancaster, “Details on an Actinide-Only Burnup Credit Application in the USA,” Implementation of Burnup Credit in Spent Fuel Management Systems, Proceedings of a Technical Committee meeting held in Vienna, July 10-14, 2000, IAEA-TECDOC-1241, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, August 2001.
24. G. Van Tuyle, D. Beller, D. Hill, P. Finck, W. Bishop, J. Herczeg, E. Scweitzer, L. Stewart, T. Cotton, W. Halsey, C. Smith, C. Walter, J. S. Herring, D. Lancaster, J. March-Leuba, H. Ludewig, T. Sanders, M. Todosow, B. Savage, “A Roadmap For Developing ATW Technology: System Scenarios & Integration,” WM’00, February 27- March 2, 2000, Tucson, AZ, USA, Waste Management Symposia, Inc., Tempe, AZ, USA. Website: https://wmsym.org/archives/2000/pdf/09/9-1.pdf.
25. Dale B. Lancaster, Hans Ludewig, and Michael Todosow, “Technology Options For Accelerator Transmutation Of Waste,” 3rd International Meeting on Nuclear Applications of Accelerator Technology (AccApp99), November 14-18, 1999, Long Beach, California, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA.
26. CHARLES T. ROMBOUGH, DALE B. LANCASTER, RUDOLF DIERSCH, HARRY SPILKER “Reactivity Effect of Burnable Absorbers in Burnup Credit for the CASTOR X/32S Storage and Transport Cask,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 84 p. 293-294, (2001).
27. Dale B. Lancaster, William Lake, and Albert Machiels, “Burnup Credit For Spent Fuel Transport,” Proceedings of the 27th Water Reactor Safety Information Meeting, NUREG/CP-0169, pp. 437-446, October 25-27, 1999, Bethesda, MD.
28. Dale B. Lancaster, Emilio Fuentes, Chi H. Kang & Meraj Rahimi (1999) Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel—I: Methodology Overview, Nuclear Technology, 125:3, 255-270.
29. Emilio Fuentes, Dale B. Lancaster & Meraj Rahimi (1999) Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel–II: Validation, Nuclear Technology, 125:3, 271-291.
30. Chi H. Kang & Dale B. Lancaster (1999) Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel–III: Bounding Treatment of Spatial Burnup Distributions, Nuclear Technology, 125:3, 292-304.
31. E. Fuentes, D. Lancaster, C. Kang & W. Lake (1998) Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Spent Fuel Transport, International Journal of Radioactive Materials Transport, 9:4, 249-255, DOI: 10.1179/rmt.1998.9.4.249.
32. R. D. Mosteller, C.E. Apperson, Jr, P.H. Gavin, R.A. Hall, D.B. Lancaster, S.T. Robertson, and E.H. Young, “Development of a Standard for Calculation and Measurement of the Moderator Temperature Coefficient for Reactivity in Water-Moderated Power Reactors,” Proceedings of the International Conference on the Physics of Nuclear Science and Technology, October 5-8, 1998, Long Island, New York, p. 1087-1093, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA.
33. MERAJ RAHIMI, DALE LANCASTER, BERNIE HOEFFER, MARCUS NICHOL, “Isotopic Biases for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 76, p. 53-54, (1997).
34. Meraj Rahimi, Emilio Fuentes and Dale Lancaster, “Isotopic and Criticality Validation for PWR Actinide-Only Burnup Credit,” DOE/RW-0497, U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, May 1997.
35. Chi Kang, Marc Nichol, Dale Lancaster, Keith Waldrop, and Jim Thornton, “Horizontal Burnup Gradient Datafile for PWR Assemblies,” DOE/RW-0496, U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, May 1997.
36. Chi Kang and Dale Lancaster, “Depletion and Package Modeling Assumptions for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit,” DOE/RW-0495, U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, May 1997.
37. D.B. Lancaster, E. Fuentes, C. Kong, M. Rahimi, “Actinide-only burnup credit methodology for PWR spent nuclear fuel,” Implementation of Burnup Credit In Spent Fuel Management Systems, Proceedings of an Advisory Group meeting held in Vienna, 20-24 October 1997, IAEA-TECDOC-1013, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, April 1998.
38. James W. Malo and Dale B. Lancaster, “Accounting for Deficiencies in the Diffusion Coefficient and Flux Approximation in Nodal Diffusion Theory,” Proceedings of the 1994 Topical Meeting on Advances in Reactor Physics, Knoxville, Tennessee, April 11-15, 1994, p. I-117-126, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA..
39. D. B. Lancaster, “Actinide Burning in a Standard Pressurized Water Reactor,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Future Nuclear Systems: Emerging Fuel Cycles and Waste Disposal Options, Global ’93, Seattle, Washington, September 12-17, 1993, p. 609-614, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA.
40. M. C. Stone and D. B. Lancaster, “Uniform Analysis of Recycling Self Generated Actinides in a PWR, LMR, and MHTGR,” Proceedings of the 1992 Topical Meeting on Advances in Reactors Physics, Charleston, SC, March, 1992, p. 1-327-1-338, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL, USA..
41. J. W. MALO, D. B. LANCASTER, “Flux Discontinuity Factor Expansion for Non-Infinite Lattice Situations,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 71, p. 505-6, (1994).
42. JAMES W. MALO, D. B. LANCASTER, “Determining Homogenized Parameter Correlation Coefficients for Nodal Codes,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 68, p. 480 (1993)
43. HOLGER J. PFEIFER, D. B. LANCASTER, “Nonlinear Economic Optimization of PWR Cores,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 68, p. 412-413 (1993).
44. D. B. LANCASTER, “Minor Actinide Removal Using PWRs,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 68, p. 449-450 (1993).
45. D. B. LANCASTER, H. PFEIFER, “Partial Optimization of the Fuel Pin Diameter for a Passive PWR,” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 63, p. 438-439 (1991).
46. D. B. LANCASTER, B. S. NEWELL, “Should Boron Free PWRs be Our Objective?” Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 61, p. 268-269 (1990).
47. Dale B. Lancaster, Robert L. Marsh, Daniel B. Bullen, Holger Pfeifer, C. Steve Erwin & Alan E. Levin (1992) A Technique for the Selection of the Fuel Pin Diameter for a Uranium/Zirconium Alloy-Fueled Pressurized Water Reactor, Nuclear Technology, 97:1, 16-26
48. B. A. Guthrie, T. W. Nguyen, and D. B. Lancaster, “Cross Section Methods for Evaluation of Clustered Burnable Absorbers for the Combustion Engineering Fuel Lattice Type”, Proceedings of the International Meeting on Advances in Nuclear Engineering Computational Methods, April 9-11, 1985, ISBN: 0-89448-117-7, p. 857-868.
49. D. B. LANCASTER, M. J. DRISCOLL, “Evaluation of Heterogeneous Cores for Gas Cooled Fast Reactors”, Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 38, p. 691 (1981).
50. M. J. DRISCOLL, D. W. MEDEIRS, D. B. LANCASTER, B. ATEFI, “Comparative Breeding Potential of Th-232 and U-238 in LMFBR Blankets”, Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 30, p. 719 (1978).