Syllabus
Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Labs: 1 session every 2 weeks, 2 hours / session
Description
This course provides an in-depth technical and policy analysis of various options for the nuclear fuel cycle. Topics include uranium supply, enrichment fuel fabrication, in-core physics and fuel management of uranium, thorium and other fuel types, reprocessing and waste disposal. Also covered are the principles of fuel cycle economics and the applied reactor physics of both contemporary and proposed thermal and fast reactors. Nonproliferation aspects, disposal of excess weapons plutonium, and transmutation of actinides and selected fission products in spent fuel are examined. Several state-of-the-art computer programs are provided for student use in problem sets and term papers.
Grading Policy
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Homework | 30% |
| Laboratory | 20% |
| Mid-Term Presentation | 10% |
| Term Paper | 30% |
| End of Term Presentation | 10% |
Calendar
| LEC # | TOPICS | LECTURERS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noteworthy Aspects and Issues Related to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle | Kazimi | |
| 2 | The Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle | Kazimi | |
| 3 | Thermal Considerations in Fuel Cycle Management | Kazimi | Homework 1 due |
| 4 | Design Criteria Physics | Pilat | |
| 5 | Objectives (Output) of Reactor Analysis CALCS | Pilat |
Homework 2 due Lab 1 due one day after Lec #5 |
| 6 | Reactivity and Burnable Poison | Pilat | |
| 7 |
Fuel Cost Calculations How Fuel Cost Raises | Pilat | Homework 3 due |
| 8 | Fuel Cycle and Operations Economics | Pilat | |
| 9 | An Overview of the ACR Design | Pilat |
Homework 4 due Lab 2 due one day after Lec #9 |
| 10 | Fast Reactor Physics and Fuel Management | M. J. Driscoll | Homework 5 due |
| 11 | HTGR | Pilat | |
| 12 | High Level Wastes of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle | Kazimi | Lab 3 due one day after Lec #12 |
| 13 | High Level Waste 2 | Kazimi | Homework 6 due |
| Initial Project Presentations | Kazimi, Pilat | ||
| Initial Project Presentations (cont.) | Kazimi, Pilat | Homework 7 due | |
| 14 | Early Graphite Reactors and the Windscale and Chernobyl Accidents | Pilat | Lab 4 due three days after Lec #14 |
| 15 | Modeling Fuel Behavior | AR | Homework 8 due |
| 16 | Nuclear Non-proliferation | Kazimi | |
| 17 | Non-proliferation, Safeguards, and Export Controls | M. Bunn | |
| 18 | Thorium as a Nuclear Fuel | Pilat | Lab 5 due one day after Lec #18 |
| 19 | Pu Recycle in LWRs | Kazimi | |
| 20 | Proliferation-resistance (and Terror-resistance) of Nuclear Energy Systems | M. Bunn | |
| 21 | Nuclear Fuel Design and Manufacturing | G. Dooley |
Lab 6 due one day after Lec #21 Term paper |
| 22 | Transmutation of Spent Nuclear Fuel | Kazimi | |
| Term Paper Presentations | Kazimi, Pilat | ||
| Term Paper Presentations (cont.) | Kazimi, Pilat |
