Evans Kitcher

Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

Evans Kitcher

Evans_Kitcher_profile_picture

NSSPI Graduate
Nuclear Engineering

M.S., 2012
Ph.D., 2016

Short Bio:

Dr. Evans Kitcher was an assistant research engineer for NSSPI and a lecturer for the Texas A&M University College of Engineering. Kitcher received his Ph.D. degree in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M University in August 2016. He worked with Dr. Sunil Chirayath to develop a generic design for Small Modular Reactors, which he then analyzed with respect to xenon-induced power oscillations. Kitcher earned a B.S. in physics at the University of Papua New Guinea before coming to Texas A&M University in August 2010. Under the tutelage of Dr. Chirayath, Kitcher earned a M.S. in nuclear engineering in December 2012 focusing on small modular reactor design and continued in the same field for his dissertation work. While pursuing his graduate degrees at Texas A&M, Kitcher worked on multiple research projects, including spent fuel cask analyses for Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant and a neutron camera imaging project with the Texas A&M Nuclear Science Center. He also served as a graduate mentor for undergraduate research as part of the AggiE Challenge Program and interned with NuScale Power LLC in Corvallis, Oregon. Kitcher was also a Texas A&M Graduate Teaching Fellow with the College of Engineering and a lecturer for the College of Engineering. He is now a researchers at Idaho National Laboratory.

NSSPI Publications:

  1. E.D. Kitcher, J.M. Osbourn, S.S. Chirayath, "Characterization of Plutonium for Nuclear Forensics Using Machine Learning Techniques", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 170 (2022).

  2. Y. Minamigawa, E.D. Kitcher, S.S. Chirayath, "A Method to Estimate Fission Product Concentration Uncertainty in a Multi-Time-Step MCNP6 Code Nuclear Fuel Burnup Calculation", Nuclear Technology, 206, 1 (2020).

  3. Y.A. Setiawan, S.S. Chirayath, E.D. Kitcher, "MAPPS: A stochastic computational tool for multi-path analysis of physical protection systems", Annals of Nuclear Energy, available online 5 October 2019.

  4. 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.

  5. E.D. Kitcher, J.M. Osborn, S.S. Chirayath, "Sensitivity Studies on a Novel Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Source Reactor-type Discrimination of Separated Weapons Grade Plutonium", Nuclear Engineering Technology, 51, 5 (2019).

  6. K.J. Glennon, J.M. Osborn, J.D. Burns, E.D. Kitcher, S.S. Chirayath, C.M. Folden III, "Measuring Key Sm Isotope Ratios in Irradiated UO2 for use in Plutonium Discrimination Nuclear Forensics", Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 320, 2 (2019).

  7. J.M. Osborn, K.J. Glennon, E.D. Kitcher, J.D. Burns, C.M. Folden III, S.S. Chirayath, "Experimental Validation of a Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Source Reactor-Type Discrimination of Chemically Separated Plutonium", Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 51, 2 (2019).

  8. R. Schafer, E. Kitcher, S. Chirayath, "Uncertainty Analysis of Fission Product Concentrations in MCNP Depletion Calculations", ANS Topical on Advances in Nuclear Nonproliferation Technology & Policy Conference (ANTPC), September 23-27, (2018).

  9. Y. Minamigawa, E. Kitcher, S. Chirayath, "Statistical Analysis of Fission Product Concentration Uncertainties from MCNP6 Multi-Time Step Depletion Calculation", ANS Topical on Advances in Nuclear Nonproliferation Technology & Policy Conference (ANTPC), September 23-27, (2018).

  10. J. Osborn, K. Glennon, E. Kitcher, J. Burns, C. Folden, I. III, and S.S. Chirayath, "Computational and Experimental Forensics Characterization of Weapons-grade Plutonium Produced in a Thermal Neutron Environment", Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 50, 6 (2018).

  11. E. Kitcher, J. Osborn , M. Marciniak, G. Garcia, B. Batista, S. Chirayath, "Application of Safeguards to a Molten Salt Reactor", presented at 59th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Baltimore, Maryland, July 22-26, 2018.

  12. J. Osborn, K. Glennon, E. Kitcher, J. Burns, C. III, S. Chirayath, "Experimental Validation of a Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Source Reactor-Type Discrimination of Chemically Separated Plutonium", presented at 59th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Baltimore, Maryland, July 22-26, 2018.

  13. E. Kitcher, J. Burns, "Criticality concerns of a group actinide co-crystallization separations approach to used nuclear fuel recycling", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 115 (2018).

  14. J. Osborn, E. Kitcher, J. Burns, C.M. Folden, S. Chirayath, "Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Reactor-Type Attribution of Chemically Separated Plutonium", Nuclear Technology, 201, 1 (2018).

  15. E.D. Kitcher and S.S. Chirayath, "Improving Multi-Physics Coupling Scheme for the Analysis of Xenon-Induced Power Oscillations", Transactions of American Nuclear Society, 2017 ANS Winter Meeting, October 29-November 2, (2017).

  16. E. Kitcher S.S. Chirayath, "A neutron transport and thermal hydraulics coupling scheme to study xenon induced power oscillations in a nuclear reactor", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 106 (2017).

  17. E.D. Kitcher S.S. Chirayath, "Neutronics and thermal hydraulics analysis of a small modular reactor", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 97 (2016).

  18. E. Kitcher, "Introduction to Small Modular Reactors", Invited lecture to the IAEA Group Fellowship Training hosted by the Nuclear Power Institute, College Station, TX, 13 October 2016.

  19. E. Kitcher, "Xenon-Induced Power Oscillations in a Generic Small Modular Reactor", Ph.D. Dissertation, Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2016).

  20. E. Kitcher and S.S. Chirayath, "Analysis of a Generic Small Modular Integral Pressurized Water Reactor: Burnable Absorber Rod Materials", 2015 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting, Washington, DC, November 8-12, 2015.

  21. R. Kelly, P. Tsvetkov, S.S. Chirayath, J. Poston, and E. Kitcher, "Uncertainty Quantification of Concrete Utilized in Dry Cask Storage", Nuclear Technology, 190, 1 (2015).

  22. J.W. Poston, S.S. Chirayath, P.V. Tsvetkov, C.M. Marianno, R.P. Kelly, and E.D. Kitcher, "Radiation Shield Design and Dose Rate Analysis of the Independent Spent Fuel Dry Cask Storage Installation at Commanche Peak Power Plant", Health Physics Society 58th Annual Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 7-11, July 2013.

  23. E. Kitcher, S.S. Chirayath, "Neutronics Performance Analysis of a Small Modular Integral Pressurized Water Reactor", 2013 American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, June 16-20, 2013.

  24. E. Kitcher, "Performance and Safety Analysis of a Generic Small Modular Reactor", M.S. Thesis, Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2012).