Nuclear Engineering
From Unofficial Guide to Engineering
Contents |
What is Nuclear Engineering?
Nuclear engineering is concerned with the science of nuclear processes and their application to the development of various technologies. Nuclear processes are fundamental in the medical diagnosis and treatment fields, and in basic and applied research concerning accelerator, laser and superconducting magnetic systems. Utilization of nuclear fission energy for the production of electricity is the current major commercial application, and radioactive thermal generators power a number of spacecraft. For the longer term, electricity production based on nuclear fusion is expected to become an increasingly important segment of the field.
What careers are available in Nuclear Engineering?
Nuclear engineers research and develop the processes, instruments, and systems used to derive benefits from nuclear energy and radiation. They design, develop, monitor, and operate nuclear plants used to generate power. They may work on the nuclear fuel cycle—the production, handling, and use of nuclear fuel and the safe disposal of waste produced by the generation of nuclear energy—or on the production of fusion energy. Some specialize in the development of nuclear power sources for spacecraft; others find industrial and medical uses for radioactive materials, such as equipment to diagnose and treat medical problems.1
Nuclear Engineering at Berkeley
The undergraduate curriculum in nuclear engineering is designed to prepare students for a career in industry, the national laboratories, or in state or federal agencies. The program leading to the B.S. in Nuclear Engineering emphasizes educational experience in several fields of engineering, leading to a concentration on nuclear engineering courses in the upper division. Currently, the Nuclear Engineering program is ranked fourth in the nation by the U.S. News
The Program
The introductory (lower division) courses for Nuclear Engineering are very similar to those of other Engineering majors. The program requires the full completion of the Physics series but may require more Chemistry (including Organic Chemistry).
The upper division courses in Nuclear Engineering cover Engineering Analysis, Thermofluid Processes, Thermodynamics, Nuclear Reactions and Radiation, Nuclear Power Engineering, Nuclear Reactor Theory, Nuclear Materials, and Nuclear Power laboratories. The rest of the courses are devoted to electives that fall into the options above. The program, leading to a BS degree in Nuclear Engineering, emphasizes study in the following three undergraduate options:
Nuclear Energy (General Nuclear Engineering)
The vision of fission energy is compelling. In the last two decades it has become the world's largest single source of emission-free energy, and it creates a waste stream sufficiently small and compact that we can conceivably isolate such waste permanently from the environment. For fission to provide more energy in the future, our challenge is to continue to improve the safety, economic performance, waste minimization, and proliferation resistance of fission power plants. The development of economic fusion energy systems is one of Nuclear Engineering's greatest challenges, since such power sources would fundamentally alter the way that mankind interacts with its environment, for the benefit of both humans and nature.
Bionuclear Engineering
The new Bionuclear Engineering Program within the Nuclear Engineering Department is designed to provide a solid foundation in aspects of nuclear physics and interaction of radiation with matter that are required for advanced study and applications in the general areas of radiology, nuclear medicine technology, and bionuclear engineering. Advanced courses taken during the junior and senior year provide in-depth study of radiation detection, measurements, and instrumentation, as well as biological effects of radiation and dosimetry. The student will be introduced to basic numerical simulation methods in radiation transport, biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals in the human body, and medical imaging physics and systems, including X-ray computed tomography, NMR, PET, and SPECT.
Radioactive Waste Management
This option is focused on environmental restoration and nuclear materials management, and environmental concerns. The primary concern for repositories is the long-term potential for the contamination of groundwater in areas near the repository, making it unsuitable for use by future generations. Besides improving models for transport in natural systems, efforts also focus on improving the quality of the engineered barriers that contain the waste, so that multiple barriers can reduce further the probability of radionuclide release.
Student Comments
For me the best thing about nuclear engineering is the variety of the stuff you do. Nuclear engineers work on topics related to medicine, material science, fluid mechanics, applied physics, fission, fusion and lots of other areas. For the theoretically inclined, it is easy to pick a more physics-oriented path and still have an engineering degree to back up your economic needs. For those who care more about the engineering applications then you can chose to focus on that area as well. Lots of the stuff that's being developed by nuclear engineers nowadays is going to be fundamental for science and society in the next few years. Fusion and radiotherapy are two of the key areas in which nuclear engineers can make a great impact on society in the next few years. An obvious recommendation for anyone considering the major is to have a strong background in physics and obviously to like the stuff. It can be a really rewarding major if you enjoy what you learn but it can also be hell if you don't. -Paul Monasterio (Class of 2006)
Works Cited
1. Nuclear engineers,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Nuclear Engineers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos036.htm (visited October 25, 2004).
