| Unit name | Nuclear Reactor Engineering and Materials |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MENGM0066 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Mostafavi |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Applied Solid Mechanics (MENG30011) or equivalent knowledge |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Why is this unit important?
Reliable and sustainable energy is an essential pre-requisite for growth and prosperity. Our addiction to burning fossil fuels as a source of energy is no more sustainable considering its limited resource and the damage it inflicts on our planet. Renewables are part of the answer to our energy need but their intermittency poses a risk to reliable provision of baseload. Nuclear energy is a proven reliable source which, in the UK, is part of our energy mix with a bright future, both in fusion and fission. This unit will provide you with the fundamentals needed to be part of the nuclear renaissance. We will discuss the engineering advantages and disadvantages of various nuclear designs used in the past, currently, and in the future.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
Not too dissimilar to any other safety-critical thermal power plant, a nuclear power plant can face many engineering challenges and requires an in-depth security assessment. This unit will draw on the knowledge and expertise you have acquired during your studies (in particular in materials, design, and fluids) to tackle some of the engineering challenges nuclear industry faces. It will put your general understanding of thermodynamics and material selection into a nuclear context.
Overview of content:
This unit provides a background to common, present and future nuclear reactor designs including materials specifications and fabrication processes. Students will also gain an understanding of generating electricity from fission and fusion, become familiar with UK nuclear regulatory system and learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each design. Significant nuclear accidents will be reviewed and engineering solutions to prevent them will be discussed. This unit also covers the metallurgy and engineering structure-property relationships of reactor materials, focusing on structural and mechanical properties, and key life-limiting degradation mechanisms, such as creep-fatigue, corrosion, and radiation damage within reactor environments. Industrial guest lectures will introduce the learners to day-to-day aspects of designing and operating nuclear power plants.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
The students will be able to understand how their engineering knowledge fits within the context of nuclear industry and interact effectively with the employers in this field. They will appreciate the challenges the industry faces and how their expertise can help address them. They will attain the professional behaviour expected from nuclear experts which prepares them for a career in this field.
Learning Outcomes:
The unit will be delivered via a blend of asynchronous materials and synchronous sessions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will be discussing various aspects of nuclear designs in groups to tease out advantages and disadvantages of each design, material, and decision. These inquisitive discussions will be similar to those you will face in the summative assessment. You will be provided with self-assessment activities to monitor the effectiveness of your learning compared to what will be expected in the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Summative individual coursework (100%)
When assessment does not go to plan
The reassessment will take the same format as the original summative assignment.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MENGM0066).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
