Nuclear engineering

Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown (fission) as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics. In the sub-field of nuclear fission, it particularly includes the interaction and maintenance of systems and components like nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants, and/or nuclear weapons. The field also includes the study of medical and other applications of (generally ionizing) radiation, nuclear safety, heat/thermodynamics transport, nuclear fuel and/or other related technology (e.g., radioactive waste disposal), and the problems of nuclear proliferation.^[1]

Professional areas

Nuclear fission

Nuclear fission is the disintegration of a susceptible (fissile) atom's nucleus into two different, smaller elements and other particles including neutrons. Approximately 2.4 neutrons are released per fission, which may cause additional fissions if enough fissionable material is present. Nuclear fission is made by separating one atom or combining two different atoms.

The common types of nuclear fission include thermal fission, which is fission caused by the absorption of a relatively slow thermal neutron with kinetic energy approximately 0.025 eV. Fast fission is fission caused by the absorption of a more energetic neutron, with kinetic energy on the order of MeV. Also, in especially heavy nuclei, spontaneous fission may occur. Nuclei that are fissionable by neutrons typically carry at least a very small chance of spontaneous fission occurring.

Generally, thermal fission is used in commercial reactors, though Fast Breeder Reactors have been developed to harness fast fission.

The United States gets about 19 % of its electricity from nuclear power.^[2] Nuclear engineers in this field generally work, directly or indirectly, in the nuclear power industry or for national laboratories. Current research in the 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. A principal pipeline for trained personnel for US reactor facilities is the Navy Nuclear Power Program.

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  Nuclear Powerplant

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  B-61 thermonuclear weapon

Nuclear medicine and medical physics

An important field is medical physics, and its subfields nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, health physics, and diagnostic imaging.^[3] From x-ray machines to MRI to PET, among many others, medical physics provides most of modern medicine's diagnostic capability along with providing many treatment options.

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  X-Ray Image of a male skull

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  Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan of a head

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  PET taken with an ECAT Exact HR+ PET Scanner

Nuclear materials and nuclear fuels

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 using ion-beams or particle accelerators.

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  Uranium ore, the principal raw material of nuclear fuel

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  Nuclear fuel pellets

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  A Focused ion beam

Radiation measurements and dosimetry

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.

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  A modern Geiger counter

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  A neutron detector

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  Scintillation detector next to Uraninite

Nuclear engineering organizations

• American Nuclear Society
• Nuclear Institute (UK)
• International Atomic Energy Agency

List of institutions offering nuclear engineering courses

List of universities in Argentina

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
National University of Cuyo	Instituto Balseiro	BE, ME, PhD

List of universities in Brazil

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro	Nuclear Engineering Department/COPPE	BS, MS, PhD

List of universities in Bulgaria

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Faculty of Physics	Department of Nuclear Engineering	BS, MS, PhD

University & college	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Technical University of Sofia	Department of Thermal and Nuclear Power Engineering	BS, MS, PhD

List of universities in Canada

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
McMaster University, Hamilton	Engineering Physics (Nuclear Engineering Option)	B.Eng. Phys., Dipl. Nuc.Tech, M.Eng, M.A.Sc, Ph.D.
University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa	Nuclear Engineering	B.Eng, M.Eng, M.A.Sc, Ph. D
École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal	Institute of Nuclear Engineering	M.Eng, M.Sc, PhD
Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston	Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering	M.Sc, M.A.Sc, M.Eng, PhD

List of universities in France

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Institut National des Sciences et Techniques du Nucléaire	Department of Nuclear Engineering	MEng MSc PhD
Grenoble INP	PHELMA-Grenoble INP	M.Eng MSc

List of colleges in India

College	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai	Engineering Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Strategic Studies In the following constituent institutes: Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Institute for Plasma Research, Institute of Physics, Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Tata Memorial Centre and Institute of Mathematical Sciences	For science and engineering : PGDip, M.Phil, M.Sc(Engg), M.Tech, Ph.D. For Health Sciences : at Tata Memorial Centre : DM (Medical Oncology), M.Ch.(Surgical Oncology), MD (Pathology), MD (Anesthesia), MD (Radiotherapy), MD (Radio-diagnosis) and Ph.D.(Health Sciences, Epidemiology) are offered
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur	Nuclear Engineering and Technology	M.Tech, PhD
Mody Institute of Technology and Science	[1]	M.Tech
Indian Institute of Technology,Madras	[2]	M.Tech
Sastra university,Tanjore	[3] [4]	M.Tech
Delhi University	[5]	M.Tech
J.N.T.UNIVERSITY KAKINADA,KAKINADA,ANDHRA PRADESH	www.jntukakinada.edu.in	M.E
SRM University,Chennai	[6]	B.Tech, M.Tech, Ph.D
Jadavpur University	[7]	Masters of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of engineering and Technology
Manipal Institute of Technology	[8]	M.Tech in Nuclear Engineering

List of colleges in Israel

College	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Ben Gurion University of the Negev	[9]

List of colleges in Jordan

College	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Jordan University of Science and Technology	Department of Nuclear Engineering	BS

List of colleges in Pakistan

College/University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Islamabad	Department of Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
Kannup Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering/NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi	Department of Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
Chasnupp Center for Nuclear Training (CHASCENT), Chasma	Center for Nuclear Training and Engineering	MS,PhD

List of colleges in Russian Federation

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (National Research Nuclear University)	[10]	BE,MS,PhD

List of universities in South Africa

North-West University

List of universities in Switzerland

University	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
EPF Lausanne and ETH Zurich	Nuclear Engineering	MS, PhD

List of colleges in Turkey

College	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Hacettepe University	Department of Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD

List of universities in the United Arab Emirates

Khalifa University of Science

University of Sharjah - Nuclear Engineering

List of universities in the United Kingdom

College	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Lancaster University	Nuclear Engineering	M.Eng
University of Birmingham	Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors	MSc
Nuclear Technology Education Consortium	Nuclear Science and Technology	MSc
Nottingham Trent University	Physics with Nuclear Technology	BSc
Imperial College London	Centre for Nuclear Engineering	MSc, M.Eng (Joint Honours)
University of Cambridge	[11]	MPhil in Nuclear Energy

List of colleges in the U.S.

College	Department (external links)	Degrees offered
Air Force Institute of Technology	Engineering Physics	MS, PhD
Arkansas Tech University	Nuclear Engineering	MEng, BS
Colorado School of Mines	Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
Cornell University	School of Applied and Engineering Physics	BS,MEng,PhD
Georgia Institute of Technology	Nuclear and Radiological Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Idaho State University	Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Kansas State University	Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Nuclear Science and Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Missouri University of Science and Technology	Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
North Carolina State University	Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Ohio State University	Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
Oregon State University	Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics	BS,MS,PhD
Pennsylvania State University	Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Pennsylvania State University	Distance Learning Program in Nuclear Engineering	M.Eng.
Purdue University	Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Mechanical, Aerospace & Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
South Carolina State University	Nuclear Engineering	BS
Texas A&M University	Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
University of California, Berkeley	Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
University of Cincinnati	Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
University of Florida	Nuclear and Radiological Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
University of Idaho	Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
University of Maryland, College Park	Materials and Nuclear Engineering	MS,PhD
University of Massachusetts Lowell	Chemical Engineering	BS,MS
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences	BS,MS,PhD
University of Missouri	Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute	MS,PhD
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Nuclear Engineering	MS
University of New Mexico	Chemical and Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PHD
University of South Carolina	Nuclear Engineering	ME,MS,PhD
University of Tennessee at Knoxville	Nuclear Engineering	BS,MS,PhD
University of Texas at Austin	Nuclear and Radiation Engineering	MS,PhD
University of Utah	Nuclear Engineering	ME, MS, PhD
University of Wisconsin–Madison	Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics	BS,MS,PhD
United States Military Academy	Nuclear Engineering	BS
Virginia Commonwealth University	Nuclear Engineering	MS

See also

Atomic physics Earthquake engineering List of nuclear reactors Nuclear fuel Nuclear material Nuclear physics Nuclear power

Nuclear reactor technology Nuclear renaissance Thermal hydraulics Nuclear Criticality Safety Project Gnome Safety engineering Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents

References

1. ^ Journal of Petroleum Engineering and Technology"Journal of Petroleum Engineering and Technology". JoPET. http://www.stmjournals.com. Retrieved 2011-03-20. 
2. ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/tablees1a.html
3. ^ http://www.aapm.org/medical_physicist/fields.asp

http://www.stmjournals.com

Further reading

• Gowing, Margaret. Britain and Atomic Energy, 1939-1945 (1964).
• Gowing, Margaret, and Lorna Arnold. Independence and Deterrence: Britain and Atomic Energy, Vol. I: Policy Making, 1945-52; Vol. II: Policy Execution, 1945-52 (London, 1974)
• Johnston, Sean F. "Creating a Canadian Profession: The Nuclear Engineer, 1940-68," Canadian Journal of History, Winter 2009, Vol. 44 Issue 3, pp 435-466
• Johnston, Sean F. "Implanting a discipline: the academic trajectory of nuclear engineering in the USA and UK," Minerva, 47 (2009), pp. 51-73

External links

• Nuclear Safety Info Resources
• Wikibooks

• Science and Technology of Nuclear Installation Open-Access Journal
• Nuclear Engineering International magazine
• Nuclear Science and Engineering technical journal
• Electric Generation from Commercial Nuclear Power
• Hacettepe University Department of Nuclear Engineering