Nuclear engineering: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:35, 22 November 2010

This field of engineering includes the design, analysis, development, testing, operation and maintenance of nuclear fission systems and components, specifically, nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants and/or nuclear weapons. The field can also include the study of nuclear fusion, medical applications of radiation, nuclear safety, heat transport, nuclear fuels technology, nuclear proliferation, and the effect of radioactive waste or radioactivity in the environment.

You are encouraged to find something about this topic that interests you and added to the content, start a learning or research project, or utilize the materials herein.

Coursework

Undergraduate coursework should begin with a foundation in mechanics and dynamics of particle motion, thermodynamics, introductory computer programming, college level physics and chemistry, and a rigorous training in mathematics through differential equations.

Midway through undergraduate training a nuclear engineer must choose a specialization within their field that they will further study. Further coursework in a nuclear engineering program includes but is not limited to fluid mechanics, reactor physics, quantum mechanics, thermal hydraulics, linear circuits, radiation effects, and neutron transport.

Specialization in fission, includes the study of nuclear reactors, fission systems, and nuclear power plants, the primary teachings deal with neutronics and thermal-hydraulics for nuclear generated electricity. A firm foundation in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in addition to hydrodynamics is a must.

Specialization in nuclear fusion includes electrodynamics and plasmas. This area is very much research oriented and training often terminates with a graduate level degree.

Specialization in nuclear medicine, includes courses dealing with doses and absorption of radiation in bodily tissues. Those who get competency in this area usually move into the medical field. Many nuclear engineers in this specialization go on to become board licensed medical physicists or go to medical school and become a radiation oncologist. Research is also a common choice for graduates.

Courses

Learning resources/Readings

Nuclear engineering basics

External links

Reviews

J.A. Lake. "The Renaissance of Nuclear Energy" (website)
C. Schmidt. "The next generation of nuclear power?" (website)
http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/
Making the World Safe for Nuclear Energy
Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems
Pebble Bed Modular Reactor
Onkalo Waste Management Project (Posiva)
W. Hannum, G.E. Marsh, G.S. Stanford, Argonne Nat'l Lab, "Advanced Liquid Metal Reactors." 1983-2003. (Fast Neutron Reactors and pyro-metallurgical processing) (SciAm article)

Related news

March 2008 MIT tests unique approach to fusion power
April 2007 New advances in fusion research potentially made...
March 2007 - Company supposedly discovers method to safely dispose of nuclear waste.
March 2007 - Interesting article on table top fusion. Did you know that through nuclear fusion, one could extract 200 gallons of gasoline worth of energy from 1 bucket of sea water? (noted in article)
March 2007 - Chinese create next generation experimental fusion tokamak reactor.

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-Nuclear engineering is the practical application of the atomic nucleus gleaned from principles of nuclear physics and the interaction between radiation and matter. This field of engineering includes the design, analysis, development, testing, operation and maintenance of nuclear fission systems and components, specifically, nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants and/or nuclear weapons. The field can also include the study of nuclear fusion, medical applications of radiation, nuclear safety, heat transport, nuclear fuels technology, nuclear proliferation, and the effect of radioactive waste or radioactivity in the environment.
+This field of engineering includes the design, analysis, development, testing, operation and maintenance of nuclear fission systems and components, specifically, nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants and/or nuclear weapons. The field can also include the study of nuclear fusion, medical applications of radiation, nuclear safety, heat transport, nuclear fuels technology, nuclear proliferation, and the effect of radioactive waste or radioactivity in the environment.
-== Professional Areas ==
+You are encouraged to find something about this topic that interests you and added to the content, start a learning or research project, or utilize the materials herein.
-;Nuclear Fission
+{{ntnes}}
-The United States gets about 20% of its electricity from nuclear power. This is a massive industry and keeping the supply of nuclear engineers plentiful will ensure its stability. Nuclear engineers in this field generally work, directly or indirectly, in the nuclear power industry or for government labs. Current research in industry is directed at producing economical, proliferation resistant reactor designs with passive safety features. Although government labs research the same areas as industry, they also study a myriad of other issues such as: nuclear fuels and nuclear fuel cycles, advanced reactor designs, and nuclear weapon design and maintenance.
+== Coursework ==
+Undergraduate coursework should begin with a foundation in mechanics and dynamics of particle motion, thermodynamics, introductory computer programming, college level physics and chemistry, and a rigorous training in mathematics through differential equations.
+Midway through undergraduate training a nuclear engineer must choose a specialization within their field that they will further study. Further coursework in a nuclear engineering program includes but is not limited to fluid mechanics, reactor physics, quantum mechanics, thermal hydraulics, linear circuits, radiation effects, and neutron transport.
+Specialization in fission, includes the study of nuclear reactors, fission systems, and nuclear power plants, the primary teachings deal with neutronics and thermal-hydraulics for nuclear generated electricity. A firm foundation in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in addition to hydrodynamics is a must.
-;Nuclear Fusion and Plasma Physics
+Specialization in nuclear fusion includes electrodynamics and plasmas. This area is very much research oriented and training often terminates with a graduate level degree.
-Research areas include high-temperature, radiation-resistant materials, and plasma dynamics. Internationally, research is currently directed at building a prototype tokamak called ITER. The research at ITER will primarily focus on instabilities and diverter design refinement. Researchers in the USA are also building an inertial confinement experiment called the National Ignition Facility or NIF. NIF will be used to refine neutron transport calculations for the US stockpile stewardship initiative.
-;Nuclear Medicine and Medical Physics
+Specialization in nuclear medicine, includes courses dealing with doses and absorption of radiation in bodily tissues. Those who get competency in this area usually move into the medical field. Many nuclear engineers in this specialization go on to become board licensed medical physicists or go to medical school and become a radiation oncologist. Research is also a common choice for graduates.
-An important field is nuclear medicine. From x-ray machines to MRI to PET,among many others, nuclear medicine provides most of modern medicine's diagnostic capability along with providing many treatment options.
-;Nuclear Materials and Nuclear Fuels
+===Courses===
-Nuclear materials research focuses on two main subject areas, nuclear fuels and irradiation-induced modification of materials. Improvement of nuclear fuels is crucial for obtaining increased efficiency from nuclear reactors. Irradiation effects studies have many purposes, from studying structural changes to reactor components to studying nano-modification of metals and semiconductors using ion-beams or particle accelerators.
+* [[Radioactivity Basics]]
+* [[Introduction to nuclear physics]]
+* [[Introduction to engineering]]
-;Radiation Measurements and Imaging
+==Learning resources/Readings==
-Nuclear engineers and radiological scientists are interested in the development of more advanced ionizing radiation measurement and detection systems, and using these to improve imaging technologies. This includes detector design, fabrication and analysis, measurements of fundamental atomic and nuclear parameters, and radiation imaging systems, among other things.
+* [[Nuclear engineering basics]]
+==See also==
+* [[Engineering]]
+* [[Wikipedia:Category:Nuclear research centers]]
-== Coursework ==
+== External links ==
-Undergraduate coursework should begin with a foundation in mechanics and dynamics of particle motion, thermodynamics, introductory computer programming, college level physics and chemistry, and a rigorous training in mathematics through differential equations.
+* [http://www.fusor.net/ Fusor]
+* [http://web.mit.edu/nse/ MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering]
-Midway through undergraduate training a nuclear engineer must choose a specialization within his field that he will further study. Further coursework in a nuclear engineering program includes but is not limited to fluid mechanics, reactor physics, quantum mechanics, thermal hydraulics, linear circuits, radiation effects, and neutron transport.
+===Reviews===
-;
+* J.A. Lake. "The Renaissance of Nuclear Energy" [http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/ites/0706/ijee/lake.htm (website)]
-Specialization in fission, includes the study of nuclear reactors, fission systems, and nuclear power plants, the primary teachings deal with neutronics and thermal-hydraulics for nuclear generated electricity. A firm foundation in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in addition to hydrodynamics is a must.
+* C. Schmidt. "The next generation of nuclear power?" [http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/jan/tech/cs_nuclearpower.html (website)]
+* http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/
+* [http://www.iiss.org/publications/survival Making the World Safe for Nuclear Energy]
+* [http://gen-iv.ne.doe.gov/ Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems]
+* [http://www.pbmr.co.za Pebble Bed Modular Reactor]
+* [http://www.posiva.fi/englanti/ Onkalo Waste Management Project (Posiva)]
+* W. Hannum, G.E. Marsh, G.S. Stanford, Argonne Nat'l Lab, "Advanced Liquid Metal Reactors." 1983-2003.  (Fast Neutron Reactors and pyro-metallurgical processing) [http://www.nationalcenter.org/NuclearFastReactorsSA1205.pdf  (SciAm article)]
-Specialization in nuclear fusion includes electrodynamics and plasmas. This area is very much research oriented and training often terminates with a graduate level degree.
+=== Related news ===
+* March 2008 ''[http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/ldx-tt0319.html MIT tests unique approach to fusion power]
+* April 2007 [http://www.physorg.com/news96730015.html New advances in fusion research potentially made...]
+* March 2007 - [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121880 Company supposedly discovers method to safely dispose of nuclear waste.]
+* March 2007 - [http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/24736.html Interesting article on table top fusion.] Did you know that through nuclear fusion, one could extract 200 gallons of gasoline worth of energy from 1 bucket of sea water? (noted in article)
+* March 2007 - [http://english.people.com.cn/200703/02/eng20070302_353780.html Chinese create next generation experimental fusion tokamak reactor.]
-Specialization in nuclear medicine, includes courses dealing with doses and absorption of radiation in bodily tissues. Those who get competency in this area usually move into the medical field. Many nuclear engineers in this specialisation go on to become board licensed medical physicists or go to medical school and become a radiation oncologist. Research is also a common choice for graduates.
 [[Category:Engineering]]
+[[Category:Mechanical engineering]]
+[[Category:Nuclear engineering]]
+[[Category:Physics]]
+[[Category:Engineering departments]]

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