Dominik Fritz

Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering

About

In 2018, Dr. Dominik Fritz earned his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from RPI. From there, he entered into the Ph.D. program at RPI, where he worked to design and commission a cold neutron moderator system and performed various thermal/sub-thermal total neutron cross section measurements of moderating materials. Dominik defended his Ph.D. in August of 2022, beginning his career as a Senior Nuclear Engineer at NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes. He returned to RPI as a faculty member in Fall 2024. 

Dominik's research focuses on the Gaerttner LINAC facility, a high-power and high-energy electron linear accelerator. 

Specific research interests include, but are not limited to:

  • Nuclear Data
  • Thermal Neutron Scattering
  • High Energy Photon Interactions
  • Medical Radioisotopes
  • High Heat-Flux Target Design

In order to further his research interests, he focuses on:

  • Design and commissioning of equipment for radiation environments
  • Design and execution of experiments
  • Multiphysics radiation transport modeling and method development
  • Validation of nuclear data

Student positions are currently available. 

 

Education & Training

Ph.D. in Nuclear Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (2022)

B.S. in Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (2018)

Teaching

Current Courses

MANE-4470 Radiological Engineering

Publications

Doctoral Thesis

  • D. Fritz, “Design of a cold moderator for total cross section measurements of moderator materials at sub-thermal energies,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Dept. of Mech., Aero., Nucl. Eng., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA, 2022. 

Journal Publications

  • D. Fritz et al., “Total thermal neutron cross section measurements of hydrogen dense polymers from 0.0005 – 20 eV”, Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 183, Apr. 2023.
  • D. Fritz et al., “Total thermal neutron cross section measurements of yttrium hydride from 0.0005 – 3 eV”, Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 181, Feb. 2023.
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, E. Liu, “Enhancement of sub-thermal neutron flux through cold polyethylene”, Journal of Neutron Research, vol. 23, no. 2-3, pp. 179-184, Sep. 2021. 
  • A. Ney, Y. Danon, M.L. Zerkle, P. Brain, D. Fritz, G. Siemers, S. Singh, “A detection system for accurate (,n) neutron counting measurements of low-rate (,n) neutron sources”, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Dec. 2022, Art. no. 167930.

Conference Proceedings

  • K. Cook, Y. Danon, A. Lewis, D. Barry, M. Rapp, A. Daskalakis, P. Brain, D. Fritz, A. Goals, A. Ney, G. Siemers, S. Singh, B. Wang, “Measuring and Simulating Capture y-Ray Spectra using the RPI y-Multiplicity Detector”, in 17th International Symposium on Capture Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy and Related Topics (CSG17), Jul. 2023
  • Y. Danon, P. Brain, K. Cook, D. Fritz, A. Goals, G. Siemers, S. Singh, B. Wang, A. Lewis, A. Daskalakis, M. Rapp, D. Barry, “Recent Nuclear Data Activity at the RPI Gaerttner LINAC Center”, WONDER 2023: 6th International Workshop on Nuclear Data Evaluation for Reactor Applications, June 2023.
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, B. Marshall, L. Daemen, D. Abernathy, A. Kolesnikov, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, D. Siefman, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Advancements in Validation of TSLs through Inelastic Neutron Scattering and Transmission Measurements”, WONDER 2023: 6th International Workshop on Nuclear Data Evaluation for Reactor Applications, June 2023.
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, L. Daemen, D. Abernathy, A. Kolesnikov, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Development of Transmission Capability at VISION Spectrometer”, Tri-Lab Chemistry Workshop, June 2023. 
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, B. Marshall, L. Daemen, D. Abernathy, A. Kolesnikov, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, D. Siefman, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “ORNL’s Continuing Efforts in Evaluating and Validating TSLs”, WPEC SG48, May 2023.
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, B. Marshall, L. Daemen, D. Abernathy, A. Kolesnikov, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, D. Siefman, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “On Integral Benchmarks for Resolving TSL Conflicts for ENDF/B-VIII.1 Release”, Mini-CSEWG Meeting, April 2023.
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, A. Kolesnikov, M. Stone, L. Daemen, D. Abernathy, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Applying Methodology for Evaluating and Validating TSLs to Materials of Interest to NCSP”, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Technical Program Review, Feb. 2023.
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, L. Daemen, K. H. Guber, D. Bowen, D. Abernathy, A. Kolesnikov, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, D. Siefman, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Status of ORNL TSL evaluations”, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Technical Program Review, Feb. 2023.
  • C. Chapman, K. Ramic, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, A. Kolesnikov, M. Stone, L. Daemen, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Proposed Methodology for Evaluating and Validating TSLs”, CSEWG, Nov. 2022.
  • K. Ramic, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, D. Abernathy, A. Kolesnikov, L. Daemen, Y. Cheng, A. Cuesta, G. Granroth, D. Siefman, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Status of ORNL TSL evaluations”, CSEWG, Nov. 2022.
  • C. Chapman, K. Ramic, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, A. Kolesnikov, M. Stone, L. Daemen, Y. Cheng, A.R. Cuesta, Y. Danon, D. Fritz, “Proposed methodology for evaluating and validating TSLs”, in Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSWEG) 2022, Nov. 2022.
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, M. Rapp, T. Trumbull, M. Zerkle, J. Holmes, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, J. Brown, K. Ramic, X. Hu, A. Ney, P. Brain, S. Singh, K. Cook, B. Wang, “Thermal cross section measurements at the RPI LINAC”, in 15th International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND2022), Jul. 2022.
  • K. Cook, E. Blain, A. Lewis, D. Barry, M. Rapp, A. Daskalakis, P. Brain, D. Fritz, A. Ney, S. Singh, B. Wang, Y. Danon, “New Capabilities of the RPI y-Multiplicity Detector to Measure y-Production”, in 15th International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND2022), Jul. 2022.
  • Y. Danon, D. Fritz, B. Wang, K. Cook, S. Singh, A. Ney, P. Brain, E. Blain, M. Rapp, A. Daskalakis, D. Barry, T. Trumbull, C. Chapman, G. Arbanas, “Experimental validation of thermal scattering evaluations”, in 15th International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND2022), Jul. 2022.
  • S. Singh, Y. Danon, A. Ney, K. Cook, D. Fritz, B. Wang, P. Brain, A. Daskalakis, M. Rapp, “Neutron capture and transmission measurements of 54Fe at the RPI LINAC”, in 15th International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND2022), Jul. 2022.
  • B. Wang, Y. Danon, E. Blain, J. Holmes, D. Fritz, “Validation of  thermal neutron scattering libraries using pulsed-neutron die-away experiments”, in 15th International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND2022), Jul. 2022.
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “A Cold Moderator for sub-thermal neutron flux enhancement at the RPI LINAC”, in American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting, vol. 123, no. 1, pp. 140-143, Nov. 2020.
  • E. Colvin, J. Rhodes, G. Marcantel, T. Kajihara, J. Gates, J. Kuczek, L. Beveridge, A. Nagarajan, D. Fritz, “Optimization of plutonium-238 production in the advanced test reactor for radioisotope thermoelectric generators in deep space exploration applications”, NETS 2019, 2019. 
  • A. Ney, D. Fritz, S. Singh, N. Langlitz, “Genetic Algorithm Based Optimization for Nuclear Critical Experiment Design”, LA-UR-18-30795, in American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting, vol. 119, no. 1, pp. 797-800, Nov. 2018.

Invited Talks

  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “Thermal neutron cross section measurements at the RPI LINAC”, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Technical Program Review, Feb. 2022. 
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “Thermal neutron cross section measurements”, Nuclear Data Advisory Group Meeting, Nov. 2021. 
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “Thermal neutron target development”, Naval Reactors / Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Review Meeting, Oct. 2021. 
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “Thermal neutron target development”, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Technical Program Review, Feb. 2021. 
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “Thermal neutron target development”, Naval Reactors / Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Review Meeting, Oct. 2020. 
  • D. Fritz, Y. Danon, “Thermal neutron target development”, Naval Reactors / Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Review Meeting, Oct. 2019. 

Other Contributions

  • T. Cutler, D. Fritz et al., “IER 489: critical unresolved region integral experiment (CURIE) CEDT phase-2 final design”, LA-UR-18-29229, 2019.
  • D. Fritz, “Genetic algorithm based critical experiment design for uranium cross section validation”, LA-UR-18-27513, 2018. 
  • A. Ney, D. Fritz, S. Singh, N. Langlitz et al., “Development of a novel genetic algorithm-based optimization design of nuclear criticality experiments”, LA-UR-18-23080, 2018.
  • A. Ney, S. Singh, N. Langlitz, D. Fritz, “MoSES: a molybdenum-sensitive eigenreactor system for validation of molybdenum neutron cross sections”, LA-UR-18-23738, 2018. 

 

Patents Pending.

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