Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Course Description

This course provides an in-depth technical and policy analysis of various options for the nuclear fuel cycle. Topics include uranium supply, enrichment fuel fabrication, in-core physics and fuel management of uranium, thorium and other fuel types, reprocessing and waste disposal. Also covered are the principles of fuel cycle economics and the applied reactor physics of both contemporary and proposed thermal and fast reactors. Nonproliferation aspects, disposal of excess weapons plutonium, and transmutation of actinides and selected fission products in spent fuel are examined. Several state-of-the-art computer programs are provided for student use in problem sets and term papers.

Grading

ACTIVITIES PERCENTAGES
Homework 30%
Computer laboratory 20%
Mid-term presentation 10%
Term paper 30%
Final presentation 10%

MIT Statement on Plagiarism

Plagiarism—use of another's intellectual work without acknowledgement—is a serious offense. It is the policy of the faculty that students who plagiarize will receive an F in the subject, and that the instructor will forward the case to the Committee on Discipline. Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom must be clearly stated in all written work submitted. All ideas, arguments, and direct phrasings taken from someone else's work must be identified and properly footnoted. Quotations from other sources must be clearly marked as distinct from the student's own work. For further guidance on the proper forms of attribution, consult the style guides available at the Writing and Communication Center and the MIT Web site on Plagiarism.

Calendar

LEC # TOPICS KEY Dates
1 Introduction – Front End Overview  
2 Front & Design Center  
3 Core Design Criteria - Physics

Problem Set 1 due

4 Core Design Criteria - Engineering  
5 In-Core Aspects

Problem Set 2 and Lab 1 due

6 In-Core Aspects (cont.)  
7 Fuel Cycle & Operations Economics Problem Set 3 due
8 Fuel Cycle & Operational Economics (cont.)  
9 Fast Reactors

Problem Set 4 and Lab 2 due

10 HTGR Problem Set 5 due
11 CANDU Physics, Fuel Cycle, Limits  
12 High Level Waste Lab 3 due
13 Coupled Reactor Analysis Problem Set 6 due
14 Lab Period / Tutorial  
15 Initial Project Presentations  
16 Initial Project Presentations (cont.) Problem Set 7 due
17 Options for Actinide Management 1 Lab 4 due
18 Covering Lab #4 / Discussing Lab #5  
19 Fuel Manufacturing & Eng. Design Problem Set 8 due
20 Proliferation Extrinsic Issues 1  
21 Fuel Performance During Irradiation Problem Set 9 due
22 Thorium Fuel Cycles Lab 5 due
23 Lab #5 Discussion  
24 Options for Actinide Management 2  
25 Actinide Separation Technology  
26 Fuel Cycle Systems Simulation Term Paper due
27 Term Paper Presentations  
28 Term Paper Presentations (cont.)