Nuclear Engineering Information

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.

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 20% 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.

• Nuclear Powerplant

• 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.

• X-Ray Image of a male skull

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan of a head

• 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.

• Uranium ore, the principal raw material of nuclear fuel

• Nuclear fuel pellets

• 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.

• A modern Geiger counter

• A neutron detector

• 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 Brazil

List of universities in Bulgaria

List of universities in Canada

List of universities in France

List of colleges in India

List of colleges in Israel

List of colleges in Jordan

List of colleges in Pakistan

List of universities in South Africa

North-West University

List of universities in Switzerland

List of colleges in Turkey

List of universities in the United Arab Emirates

Khalifa University of Science

List of universities in the United Kingdom

List of colleges in the U.S.

See also

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

External links

• 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

Categories: Engineering disciplines | Nuclear technology

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See Also:

• Integrating Cardiology for Nuclear Medicine