Short Bio:
Dany Mulyana is currently a senior research engineer working with NSSPI. He earned his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M in August of 2021. He worked with Dr. Sunil Chirayath on a project to evaluate the proliferation risk of the Pebble Bed reactor (PBR). Through his research, Mulyana developed a new methodology to evaluate the proliferation resistance of a reactor system accommodating the characteristics of both PBRs and LWRs, which could also be used to evaluate other reactor types. He adapted the proliferation resistance analysis and evaluation tool for observed risk (PRAETOR) code, developed by NSSPI, to be more applicable to the unique fuel of the PBR. Mulyana’s evaluation found that the LWR system has a higher proliferation resistance compared to the PBR. This implies that the PBR introduces a higher proliferation risk. A single pass refueling–or, moreover, a multi-pass refueling–on the PBR might decrease the material attractiveness by exposing the fuel to different locations in the core with respect to irradiation time. However, online refueling introduces complexities to the safeguards approach needed to deal with the semi-bulk nuclear material in the PBR system. Mulyana proved this through an exhaustive reactor physics modeling and simulation using Monte Carlo method on high fidelity models of the reactors. Mulyana also developed a safeguards approach for the online refueling of the PBR system by implementing a simple gamma spectrometry non-destructive assay on the fuel pebble. The concept was validated using data generated computationally using Monte Carlo simulation.
Prior to joining NSSPI, Mulyana was a nuclear system and risk management engineer in the Indonesian Nuclear Energy Agency for 13 years, working with a broad spectrum of nuclear technology development in Indonesia, from food to energy sectors. His interest is in transforming science and engineering to policy decision making and vice versa. He graduated with a B.S. in Physics from Padjadjaran University of Indonesia in 2003 and with an M.S. in Physics from the University of Indonesia in 2007. He earned a non-degree graduate certificate in Nuclear Security from Texas A&M in 2014 as part of a NSSPI program sponsored by the US Department of State.
NSSPI Publications:
- D. Mulyana, and S. Chirayath, "Proliferation resistance of light water reactor versus pebble bed reactor", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 188 (2023).
- K.H. Ragusa, S.S. Chirayath, C.M. Marianno, F. Naqvi, S. Hecker, D. Mulyana, "Roadmap for a Sustainable Professional Pipeline: The Nuclear Security Education Program at the Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives (NSSPI) at Texas A&M University", INMM/ESARDA Joint Annual Meeting, 22-26 May 2023, Vienna, Austria.
- D. Mulyana and S.S. Chirayath, "Proliferation resistance assessment of a typical pebble bed reactor fuel", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 165 (2022).
- D. Mulyana and S.S. Chirayath, "The Impact of Refueling Schemes on the Proliferation Resistance of a Pebble Bed Reactor", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 170 (2022).
- D. Mulyana S. Chirayath, "Fuel Pebbles Theft Analysis For Physical Protection System Development", INMM and ESARDA Joint Annual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, August 23 - September 1, 2021.
- D. Mulyana, "Proliferation Risk Assessment of a Pebble-Bed Reactor", Ph.D. Dissertation, Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2021).
- D. Mulyana, S.S. Chirayath, "Investigation of Nuclear Safeguards Attributes Through Neutronics Simulation of Pebble Bed Reactor Core", 2019 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, Washington, D.C., 17 - 21 November 2019.
- M.M. Mendoza, A.A. Sagadevan, J.N. Wagner, S.S. Chirayath, E.D. Kitcher, H. Rysz, L. Anuar, A. Perry, A. Maldonado, M. Ramirez, D. Mulyana, A. Edwin, S. Martinson, "Advanced Reactor Safeguards Workshop at Texas A&M University", Poster. 60th Annual Meeting of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), Palm Desert, California, 14-18 July 2019.
- D. Mulyana S.S. Chirayath, "Nonproliferation Challenges within High Temperature Gas Reactor Fuel Cycles", presented at 59th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Baltimore, Maryland, July 22-26, 2018.