Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• provide an understanding of advanced systems, why they are being pursued, what are their advantages and their difficulties in becoming commercially viable designs.

Content

Further aims:

• What are the factors that are driving the development of advanced systems?
• Overview of fast reactor development & Gen IV reactor systems, including accelerator driven sub-critical reactors;
• Introduce the principles of fusion energy physics and the current status of research;
• Explain how the principles of fusion energy are to be applied for the design of future fusion energy systems;
• Re-cycle fuel studies, including reprocessing and re-fabrication;
• Status, issues and what would be needed to bring advanced reactor systems to a commercial standard with safety and economics as good as current Generation III+ designs

Fission Systems

• Design objectives, drivers & alternatives (2l)
• Advanced Thermal systems – example high temperature gas reactor(2l)
• Fast Spectrum Reactor systems – including external Dr A Judd(4l)
• Transmutation and Advanced Fuel cycles (2l)

Fusion Systems

Introduction & Physics of fusion systems - Dr C. Roach CCFE (2l)

• Fusion reactions: cross sections and reactivity
• Magnetic and inertial approaches to fusion
• Equilibrium, transport, instabilities and power balance

Physics & Materials - Dr M. Fleming CCFE (2l)

• Heating systems and current drive
• Layout of a fusion power plant
• Fusion reactor components and materials requirements

Performance Safety and Design Dr M. Fleming CCFE (2l)

• Safety of a fusion
• Radiological hazards and waste products
• Fusion in the market and timescale to fusion
• Designing a fusion power plant

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• provide understanding of the principles of reactor systems, their engineering, and related thermo-hydraulics

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• understand the design and safe operation of nuclear reactors
• perform approximate calculations of component & system parameters
• understand how more precise and detailed analyses are performed

Content

The course will cover:

• Overview – compare and contrast the fundamental engineering principles of current types of reactor system: PWR, BWR, HWR, AGR;
• Coolant types, heat transfer regimes, multi-phase flow, burn-out and thermal cycles;
• Core analysis – flow networks, heat & mass transfer calculations, fuel element design, thermal limits – models and codes;
• Whole reactor circuit, steam generator, pressuriser, pumps & whole circuit design and modelling;
• Operating modes: normal, warm-up and cool down, operating envelopes, load following;
• Main fault conditions accident types and limits – design issues and modelling;
• Principles of loss of cooling accident modelling – description of TMI – design aims for avoidance and mitigation – active and passive protection;
• Design optimisation – system architecture, pressure and temperature, vessel design and sizing, effect on equipment cost – small and medium-sized reactors.

LECTURE SYLLABUS

• Introduction to nuclear energy, reactor power cycles (2l)
• Core configurations choices (4l)
• Reactivity control (2l)
• Reactor plant design & modelling (2l).
• Safety & design – classes of accidents – reactivity, LOCA, etc. (4l)
• Reactor control & operations (1l)
• Severe Accidents (1l)

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• provide understanding of the principles of reactor systems, their engineering, and related thermo-hydraulics

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• understand the design and safe operation of nuclear reactors
• perform approximate calculations of component & system parameters
• understand how more precise and detailed analyses are performed

Content

The course will cover:

• Overview – compare and contrast the fundamental engineering principles of current types of reactor system: PWR, BWR, HWR, AGR;
• Coolant types, heat transfer regimes, multi-phase flow, burn-out and thermal cycles;
• Core analysis – flow networks, heat & mass transfer calculations, fuel element design, thermal limits – models and codes;
• Whole reactor circuit, steam generator, pressuriser, pumps & whole circuit design and modelling;
• Operating modes: normal, warm-up and cool down, operating envelopes, load following;
• Main fault conditions accident types and limits – design issues and modelling;
• Principles of loss of cooling accident modelling – description of TMI – design aims for avoidance and mitigation – active and passive protection;
• Design optimisation – system architecture, pressure and temperature, vessel design and sizing, effect on equipment cost – small and medium-sized reactors.

LECTURE SYLLABUS

• Introduction to nuclear energy, reactor power cycles (2l)
• Core configurations choices (4l)
• Reactivity control (2l)
• Reactor plant design & modelling (2l).
• Safety & design – classes of accidents – reactivity, LOCA, etc. (4l)
• Reactor control & operations (1l)
• Severe Accidents (1l)

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• provide understanding of the principles of reactor systems, their engineering, and related thermo-hydraulics

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• understand the design and safe operation of nuclear reactors
• perform approximate calculations of component & system parameters
• understand how more precise and detailed analyses are performed

Content

The course will cover:

• Overview – compare and contrast the fundamental engineering principles of current types of reactor system: PWR, BWR, HWR, AGR;
• Coolant types, heat transfer regimes, multi-phase flow, burn-out and thermal cycles;
• Core analysis – flow networks, heat & mass transfer calculations, fuel element design, thermal limits – models and codes;
• Whole reactor circuit, steam generator, pressuriser, pumps & whole circuit design and modelling;
• Operating modes: normal, warm-up and cool down, operating envelopes, load following;
• Main fault conditions accident types and limits – design issues and modelling;
• Principles of loss of cooling accident modelling – description of TMI – design aims for avoidance and mitigation – active and passive protection;
• Design optimisation – system architecture, pressure and temperature, vessel design and sizing, effect on equipment cost – small and medium-sized reactors.

LECTURE SYLLABUS

• Introduction to nuclear energy, reactor power cycles (2l)
• Core configurations choices (4l)
• Reactivity control (2l)
• Reactor plant design & modelling (2l).
• Safety & design – classes of accidents – reactivity, LOCA, etc. (4l)
• Reactor control & operations (1l)
• Severe Accidents (1l)

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• provide understanding of the principles of reactor systems, their engineering, and related thermo-hydraulics

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• understand the design and safe operation of nuclear reactors
• perform approximate calculations of component & system parameters
• understand how more precise and detailed analyses are performed

Content

The course will cover:

• Overview – compare and contrast the fundamental engineering principles of current types of reactor system: PWR, BWR, HWR, AGR;
• Coolant types, heat transfer regimes, multi-phase flow, burn-out and thermal cycles;
• Core analysis – flow networks, heat & mass transfer calculations, fuel element design, thermal limits – models and codes;
• Whole reactor circuit, steam generator, pressuriser, pumps & whole circuit design and modelling;
• Operating modes: normal, warm-up and cool down, operating envelopes, load following;
• Main fault conditions accident types and limits – design issues and modelling;
• Principles of loss of cooling accident modelling – description of TMI – design aims for avoidance and mitigation – active and passive protection;
• Design optimisation – system architecture, pressure and temperature, vessel design and sizing, effect on equipment cost – small and medium-sized reactors.

LECTURE SYLLABUS

• Introduction to nuclear energy, reactor power cycles (2l)
• Core configurations choices (4l)
• Reactivity control (2l)
• Reactor plant design & modelling (2l).
• Safety & design – classes of accidents – reactivity, LOCA, etc(4l)
• Reactor control & operations (1l)
• Severe Accidents (1l)