NE 170 - NUCLEAR DESIGN

A. DESIGN IN NUCLEAR POWER TECHNOLOGY AND INSTRUMENTATION (3 units)

Design of various fission and fusion power systems and other physically based applications. Each semester a topic will be chosen by the class as a whole. In addition to technology, the design should address issues relationg to economics, the environment and risk assessment. (Spring) Ahn, Vujic

B: NUCLEAR DESIGN: DESIGN IN BIO-NUCLEAR, NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND RADIATION THERAPY
(3 units)

A systems approach to the development of procedures for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. Each semester a specific procedure will be studied and will entail the development of the biological and physiological basis for a procedure, the chemical and biochemical characteristics of appropriate drugs, dosimetric requirements and limitations, the production and distribution of radionuclides and/or radiation fields to be applied, and the characteristics of the instrumentation to be used. (Spring)Ahn, Vujic

Catalog Description

• A.
  DESIGN IN NUCLEAR POWER TECHNOLOGY AND INSTRUMENTATION (3 units)

  Design of various fission and fusion power systems
  and other physically based applications. Each semester a topic
  will be chosen by the class as a whole. In addition to technology,
  the design should address issues relationg to economics, the environment
  and risk assessment.

• B:
  NUCLEAR DESIGN: DESIGN IN BIO-NUCLEAR, NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND RADIATION
  THERAPY (3 units)

  A systems approach to the development of procedures
  for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. Each semester a specific
  procedure will be studied and will entail the development of the
  biological and physiological basis for a procedure, the chemical
  and biochemical characteristics of appropriate drugs, dosimetric
  requirements and limitations, the production and distribution
  of radionuclides and/or radiation fields to be applied, and the
  characteristics of the instrumentation to be used.

Prerequisite knowledge and/or skills

• NE 170A/B is a "capstone" design course requiring
  students to integrate the knowledge obtained in their undergraduate
  courses into a comprehensive design experience. This course is
  best taken after completing the remaining undergraduate Nuclear
  Engineering requirements. Students who took 170B are not allowed
  to take 170A, or vice versa.

Textbook(s) and/or other required material

• None.
• Undergraduate textbooks from other NE courses should be the
  first source of references.

Course objectives and outcomes

• NE 170A/B is markedly different from other undergraduate courses
  in that the instructor acts more as a coach than a teacher. Sketching
  some broad design parameters of a system that presents real-life
  engineering issues, that will include health, safety, environmental,
  and other dimensions, the instructor sherpherds the students through
  a comprehensive design experience. Students must take charge of
  their own learning, using the instructor as a consultant and resource
  to point them in the right direction when they "get stuck.'
  It is the instructor's objective to create an environment in which
  students can work in teams to both meet design requirements and
  gain confidence in their abilities and leadership skills in solving
  large, complex, open-ended projects.

  Course Outcomes: Students must
  be able to...

  (Concept development)

• Make a written proposal for the project.
  • Set up a design goal.
  • Identify design parameters of the system and sketch the performance of the proposed system.
• Establish quantitative models that show the performance of the system, by taking charge of their own learning, and analyze the system performance quantitatively.
• Identify multiple design constraints in the project, and develop an optimized solution or solutions.

  (Feedback and Improvement)

• Modify the preliminary design to
  • optimize the performance of the system
  • make the system comply with applicable regulatory requirements.

  (Demonstration, Presentation and Reporting)

• Make a prototype of the system to demonstrate that the design
  is feasible.
• Prepare a written final design report and oral presentation
  of the report.
• Participate in an academic conference such as a student design
  competition hosted by the American Nuclear Society.

Topics covered

Actual nuclear system design involving:

• (A) Nuclear power and fule-cycle
  system: core physics (criticality, reactivity, enrichment, burn-up,
  fission-product formation), thermal hydraulics (heat transfer,
  heat exchange, thermal efficiency), materials (corrosion), safety
  (temperature and void coefficients, emergency cooling), shielding,
  chemistry (separation efficiency, waste generation), safety (criticality,
  radiation shielding, hazardous materials).
• (A or B) Radioactive waste management:
  safety (radiological, criticality), waste treatment (solidification,
  transportation), waste disposal (geologic repository).
• (B) Applications of radiations
  and radionuclides; medical purposes, safeguards.

Class/laboratory schedule

• Students perform their design project by a team. They meet
  regularly (e.g. once per week) with faculty supervisor to give
  a progress report, obtain advice and discuss design issues.

Contribution of course to meeting the professional
component

• This course contributes primarily to the students' knowledge
  of engineering topics, and does provide design experience.
• Since NE170A/B is a comprehensive design project, it implicity
  contains elements of economic, environmental, ethical, health
  and safety, manufacturability, sustainability considerations.
  Some projects could contain elements of political and societal
  considerations.

Relationship of course to undergraduate degree
program objectives

• This course primarily serves students in the department. The
  information below describes how the course contributes to the
  undergraduate program objectives.
• NE170A/B encompasses most of the NE program's educational objectives,
  including emphasis on design methodology, working in teams, and
  preparing comprehensive written and oral presentations.

Assessment of student progress toward course objectives

• Student's ability to work with other team members, participating
  but not dominating the group, working constructively with others.
• Planning, establishing, and developing a concept into a realistic
  design.
• Written final design report (typically 50-100 pages in length,
  addressing as many issues as possible)
• Oral presentation of report: each member gives a 15-20 minute
  presentation of some part of the report, followed by a questioning
  by the instructor to explore topics the student didn't cover as
  well as general knowledge expected of a student completing the
  program
• Written Proposal (within the first 3 weeks): 25%
• Bi-weekly report to the instructor: 25%
• Written Final Report: 30%
• Oral Presentation: 20%