Services aux conférences Mandl

Résumé: Nuclear Power Fundamentals is the essential course for those who are entering or working in the rejuvenated nuclear power industry. Nuclear power is having a renaissance due to a confluence of factors including global warming, the cost and supply reliability of oil, issues involving coal and greenhouse gases, and the safety record and superb operational performance of nuclear units. Those factors and the improved political climate have resulted in many utilities filing applications for combined construction and operating licenses for new nuclear power plants. Understanding the technology and operations of a nuclear facility can assist employees and service providers, such as vendors, attorneys, and contractors, in comprehending the nuclear energy system. This course will review the status of nuclear power in the US and the world, and the events and forces that have, and continue to influence the nuclear power industry to understand how we got to where we are today. Significant industry events will be discussed including Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Pressurized and boiling water reactor systems will be reviewed. Additional topics include the nuclear fuel cycle, the uranium enrichment and reprocessing controversies, radioactive wastes including spent nuclear fuel, and spent fuel transportation. Lastly, to better understand how reactors generate power we will explore the nuclear force and binding energies and fissile vs. fertile nuclear materials. This course will help personnel involved in the nuclear energy industry to have a clear understanding of nuclear power and the challenges of tomorrow.