URANUM @UNIST - Lectures

Undergraduate coursework (since 2015)

NE 200 Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear energy is the cleanest, densest, and the most powerful energy that can save humanity from fine dust, global warming, and energy crisis, if a few people among us stop overreacting to very limited consequence of nuclear accident which is astronomically improbable in the Republic of Korea. Aside from Nuclear Power Plants (NPP), there are also many other useful applications of nuclear engineering, such as radiotherapy on oncology, desalination of sea water to fight against drought or water shortage, and nuclear battery to travel outer space, which are truly essential to improve the quality of human life. In this spirit, this course introduces fundamental concepts, ideas, and theories in nuclear engineering with their historical context, which includes the basics of 1) Atomic and nuclear physics, 2) Radiation engineering (detection, measurement, and shielding), 3) Neutron and other radiation interactions with materials, 4) Nuclear reactor theory, 5) Thermo-Hydraulics (particularly for popular nuclear energy systems), and 6) Nuclear fuel systems and cycle. Overall understanding on the abovementioned subjects will provide fundamental notions on how nuclear engineering was so successful to end the World War II and now produce over 11% of world’s electricity without CO2 emission and fine dust increase unlike the other energy sources polluting this globe, for example, “so-called” renewable energies, notably solar and wind, and their soulmates which are fossil fuels like Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), coal, and oil. Final goal of this course is to enlighten the students about major advantages of nuclear energy over all the other types of energy sources and what are the critical problems associating with renewable energies and why they cannot be an alternative for human being for now and ever.

NE 220 Nuclear Materials Engineering & Experiment

Introduces unique selection principles for various materials utilized in nuclear reactors and performance issues of those materials which are destined to be exposed under extreme conditions such as high temperature and pressure, severe irradiation and so forth. Affirmative academic understanding and some rudimentary experimental experience on nuclear materials engineering are truly essential for nuclear engineers to thoroughly understand nuclear reactor systems since the performance and life expectancy of nuclear materials are often the keys to secure the safety and economics of nuclear power plants, for instance, as they were during the incidental event at Fukushima, Japan, 2011.

NE 330 Nuclear Fuel Engineering & Experiment

This course starts with introducing various types of nuclear fuels utilized in nuclear reactors deployed worldwide including PWR, PHWR, BWR, SFR, VHTR, LMR, MSR, and some research reactors. After covering the design principles and main applications of almost all existing nuclear fuel concepts, the lecture will focus on low-enriched UO2 fuel used in commercial nuclear power plants (NPP) in the Republic of Korea (ROK), i.e., PWR and PHWR. Understanding design principles of UO2 fuel and its structural evolution and material property change during the reactor operation and gaining some hands-on experience in thermophysical and metallurgical experiments using nuclear fuel materials (or surrogates instead due to very strict domestic regulation) are the essential prerequisites to be a capable nuclear engineer who can possibly invent new innovative features that can enhance, and practically guarantee, the safety of NPPs. Nuclear fuel experiments included are as follows: 1) Fuel fabrication (UO2 or metallic alloy fuel), 2) Solid phase transformation enthalpy measurement of cladding or fuel materials (Zr- or U-based alloys), 3) thermal conductivity measurement of UO2 and/or UN.

NE 331 Thermodynamics and Metallurgy of Nuclear Materials

Extreme environment, such as high temperature and severe radiation damage, is mandated for materials used inside advanced nuclear energy systems. The performance of nuclear materials and their life expectancy are the keys to safe long-term operation of commercial nuclear power plants worldwide. This course provides fundamentals and basics of thermodynamic behavior of common nuclear materials and their metallurgy, which together determine the microstructure evolution of those materials under aforementioned harsh conditions given during the reactor operation. Thus, this subject is essential to fully understand design principles of Generation-IV nuclear reactors and to predict the degree of material degradation, which leads to prevention of their premature failure for the safety sake.

NE 430 Introduction to Radiation Materials Science

Focuses on radiation damage process and radiation interactions with materials.

Graduate coursework (since 2015)

NE 511 Nuclear Fuel Engineering

Nuclear Fuel is where it all begins in nuclear reactor and also the starting point for back-end fuel cycle that is currently a huge issue for many nuclear-powered countries. Understanding the design of nuclear fuel systems and their behavior, in either nuclear reactors or used nuclear fuel (UNF) pools, is truly essential for understanding the characteristics of various nuclear reactor systems and fuel cycles. Solid knowledge on nuclear fuel systems will also help understanding non-proliferation and safeguards issues. This course starts with brief revisit on materials science and engineering basics required to comprehend the nuclear fuel systems of importance, i.e., oxide (UO2) and metal (U-Pu-Zr) fuel for LWR and SFR, respectively, and covers almost entire aspects of the aforementioned fuel systems, perhaps including: 1) History of nuclear fuel development, 2) Nuclear fuel cycle; 3) Oxide and MOX (UO2, PuO2) fuel; 4) Metallic fuel; 5) Non-oxide ceramic fuel.

NE 527 Nuclear Material Safeguards and Non-Proliferation

This course aims to thoroughly cover the fundamental aspects of nuclear material safeguards and non-proliferation for domestic graduate students seeking professional career in these fields. Specific contents and topics of this course include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) Brief review of the fundamental components of civilian and military fuel cycle; 2) Histories of nuclear weapon development, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and finally the Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America concerning Civil Use of Atomic Energy; 3) Measurement systems for Nuclear Material Accountancy (NMA); 4) Technical and legal basis for material protection, control, and accounting systems; 5) Political and technological issues of nuclear proliferation; 6) Proliferation Resistance (PR) of various nuclear fuel cycles; 7) International and domestic safeguards; 8) Containment and Surveillance (C/S); 9) Physical Protection (PP).

NE 528 Nuclear Fuel Performance Experiment and Modeling

To provide in-depth understanding on FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN code. MOOSE-BISON-Marmot code will also be introduced, however briefly.

NE 529 Radiation Materials Engineering

Focuses on physical effects of irradiation on metals - Radiation-induced segregation (RIS); Nucleation and growth of dislocation loops, voids, and bubbles; Phase stability under irradiation - and the utilization of ion accelerators to emulate the effects of neutron irradiation in reactor components.

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