Nuclear Energy Program Report to the Faculty Chemical and Materials Engineering

1. Nuclear Energy Program Report to the Faculty Chemical and Materials Engineering Tuesday, 19 August 20 P. K. Andersen

2. What is the nuclear fuel cycle?

4. What is the front end of the fuel cycle?

5. Front End of Fuel Cycle • Mining and milling • Conversion • Enrichment • Fuel Fabrication

6. What is the back end of the fuel cycle?

7. Back End of Fuel Cycle • Interim Storage • Reprocessing and Recycling • Immobilization • Final Disposal

8. Why offer a nuclear energy program in Chemical and Materials Engineering?

10. Both the front end and back end of the fuel cycle consist primarily of chemical processes.

11. Suitable materials are essential at all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle.

12. What are the requirements for the Nuclear Energy minor?

14. Problem The name “Nuclear Energy” does not reflect focus of the program.

15. Recommendation Rename the program as the “Nuclear Chemical Engineering” (NuChE) minor.

16. Nuclear Chemical Engineering “The branch of chemical engineering that deals with the production and use of radioisotopes, nuclear power generation, and the nuclear fuel cycle.” McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Engineering

17. The Nuclear Chemical Engineer (I) “As a nuclear engineer, he or she should be familiar with the nuclear reactions that take place in nuclear fission reactors and radioisotope production; with the properties of nuclear species important in nuclear fuels; with the properties of neutrons, gamma rays, and beta rays produced in nuclear reactors; and with the reaction, absorption, and attenuation of these radiations in the materials of reactors.” McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Engineering

18. The Nuclear Chemical Engineer (II) “As a chemical engineer, he or she should know the properties of materials important in nuclear reactors and the processes used to extract and purify these materials and convert them into the chemical compounds and physical forms used in nuclear systems.” McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Engineering

19. Problem: Just 6 of the 12 approved electives are offered regularly. CH E 474 Power Plant Design E E 431 Intro. to Power Engineering PHYS 315 Modern Physics PHYS 315L Experimental Modern Physics PHYS 454 Intermediate Modern Physics I PHYS 455 Intermediate Modern Physics II

20. Recommendation Update the list of approved electives.

22. Recommendation Increase the number of approved NuChE electives offered by CHME by (1) reviving existing courses; and (2) developing new courses.

23. Existing Courses to Consider CH E 439 Environmental Modeling CH E 473 Nuclear Regulations CH E 475 Nuclear Reactor Design

24. Existing Courses to Consider CH E 439 Environmental Modeling CH E 473 Nuclear Regulations CH E 475 Nuclear Reactor Design

25. CH E 439. Environmental Modeling 3 cr. Environmental transport processes in water, groundwater and the atmosphere; mathematical models to account for simultaneous chemical reaction and transport in the environment; models of chemical fate; aquatic chemistry; metals migration in soils; atmospheric deposition and global change; metals deposition. Prerequisite(s): MATH 392 or CH E 201.

26. CH E 473. Nuclear Regulations and Compliance Practices 3 cr. Introduction, through the use of case studies, to the best technical compliance practices for regulations governing the siting, licensing, constructing, operating and decommissioning of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Consent of instructor required. Prerequisite(s): MATH 191G and (CHEM 111G or CHEM 115). Crosslisted with: WERC 473

27. CH E 475. Nuclear Reactor Theory 3 cr. An overview of the properties of nuclei, nuclear structure, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, fission, resonance reactions, moderation of neutrons, will be followed by mathematical treatment of the neutronics behavior of fission reactors, primarily from a theoretical, one-speed perspective. Criticality, fission product poisoning, reactivity control, reactor stability and introductory concepts in fuel management, slowing down and one-speed diffusion theory. Corequisites: MATH 392. Prerequisites: CHEM 112G, PHYS 215G, MATH 291G.

28. New Courses to Consider CH E 4xx Chemical & Nuclear Separations CH E 4xx Corrosion & Degradation of Materials CH E 4xx Risk-based Decision Making

29. CH E 4xx. Chemical and Nuclear Separations 3 cr. Principles of chemical and nuclear separation processes in the nuclear fuel cycle, including leaching, filtration, precipitation, solvent extraction, ion exchange, distillation, electromagnetic isotope separation, gaseous diffusion, gas centrifugation, laser isotope enrichment. Prerequisites: CH E 302, CH E 476, or consent of instructor.

30. CH E 4xx. Corrosion and Degradation of Materials 3 cr. Failure of engineering materials in aggressive environments. Chemical and electrochemical mechanisms of corrosion. Types of corrosion and chemical attack, including active corrosion, galvanic corrosion, pitting and other forms of localized corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, and corrosion fatigue. Methods of corrosion mitigation including cathodic protection, coatings, passivation, and corrosion inhibitors. Influence of chemical composition and microstructure on corrosion behavior. Corrosion in nuclear reactors and nuclear waste repositories. Prerequisites: CH E 361, CH E 470.

31. CH E 4xx. Risk-based Decision Making 3 cr. Quantitative methods for risk-assessment and risk-based decision making. Probabilistic safety assessment, human health risks, environmental and ecological risk analysis. Prerequisites: CHEM 112, CH E 311, and MATH 192 or equivalent.