Full course description
How do I enrol?
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Who is this course for?
The course is targeting any person having an engineering background who wants to better understand nuclear reactor technology and its underlying principles, from a phenomenological and an engineering perspective. The advantages and disadvantages of this technology are presented, so that the course participant can have a balanced view on nuclear power. The course is also very well adapted to engineers lacking former knowledge in nuclear science and technology and who start working in the nuclear industry.
Why should you take this course?
Nuclear power technology has been a major asset since the mid-70s for decarbonizing electricity generation and for decreasing our reliance on fossil fuel. With more than 400 nuclear reactors currently in operation worldwide (more than 90 being in Western Europe) and more than 50 under construction, nuclear reactors will play a significant role for many years to come. By following this course, you will be able to understand the development of this technology from its early days, how it works, its advantages, disadvantages, limitations, and how it may contribute to climate-change mitigation. This course provides a holistic perspective and increased knowledge in nuclear reactor technology.
What are the contents?
You choose when and at what pace you want to study the course contents. All parts of the course are free of charge. This course contains three modules:
· The first module, titled "Nuclear power: an old story...", details the underlying principles of nuclear reactors for the purpose of understanding the history of the development of nuclear power, which is also presented. This module is further subdivided into the following three topics:
o Elementary concepts in nuclear physics.
o Working principles of nuclear reactors.
o History of world nuclear power development.
· The second module, titled "Nuclear reactor technology", focuses on how a nuclear reactor works, with emphasis on Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology. Both the phenomenological and engineering aspects of nuclear reactors are covered. This module is further subdivided into the following 11 topics:
o Electricity production.
o Reactor generations.
o Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology.
o Thermodynamic analysis of LWRs.
o Neutron cycle.
o Fuel depletion.
o Reactor control.
o Reactor dynamics.
o Reactor operation.
o Fundamental principles of reactor safety.
o Nuclear fuel.
· The third module, titled "Nuclear power, saving the world?", explains the aspects of nuclear power to be considered in a climate mitigation perspective. The advantages and disadvantages of this technology are discussed in this respect. This module is further subdivided into the following five topics:
o Nuclear fuel, waste and resources.
o Proliferation risks.
o Risks.
o Cost of electricity.
o Conclusions.
The studies mostly consist of watching videos lectures and answering quizzes associated to the lectures and testing your understanding. Some of the quizzes require solving numerical tasks.
What are the expected learning outcomes?
After attending this course, you will be able to:
· Explain the working principles of nuclear reactors for each of the various reactor generations/technologies, with a special emphasis on existing reactor technology (Light Water Reactors).
· Discuss and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of such systems.
· Analyse the impact of using nuclear reactors.
· Reflect upon the use of different reactor technologies depending on various factors, such as resource maximization, waste minimization, risks, etc.
How much study time is required?
This is a self-paced course. Completing the entire course takes about 40 hours of work. The resources need to be studied sequentially. You cannot bypass given resources unless all previous learning activities were taken:
· For the video lectures, this means watching the video recording.
· For the quizzes, this means correctly answering the quiz questions, for which an unlimited number of attempts is allowed. For a few quizzes slightly more involved, you will be able to access the following resources even if you fail to find the correct answer.
Is a course certificate issued?
After completing the course, you will be issued a course certificate. Completing the course means reaching the end of the course, for which you need to have watched all video lectures and attempted all quizzes (the vast majority of the quizzes also require to have found the correct answer to the quiz questions). The certificate will mention that:
· The course is a self-paced course,
· The number of equivalent learning hours (40 hours), i.e., the number of hours the teacher estimates it takes to learn the content of the course, and
· The fact that completing the course and being issued a certificate is entirely based on watching the video lectures and correctly answering most of the quizzes (for which an unlimited number of attempts is allowed).
What are the prerequisites?
A BSc in Engineering or similar knowledge is required. As all principles presented in the course are derived from scratch, any participant with an engineering background will be able to comprehend the course.