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Nuclear Engineering In A Nutshell
Nuclear Engineering
Enrico Fermi demonstrated on December 2, 1942, that
a pile of graphiteblocks containing lumps of natural uranium would cause
a self-sustainingnuclear reaction when stacked to a predictable minimum
size. Although thepower level was only a few watts, it was sufficient
to show that uraniumfission could generate heat in a controlled manner.
Fermi's experimentformed the basis for the design of nuclear power plants.
In 1950, barely eight years after Enrico Fermi's experiment,
the Physics Department at North Carolina State College (now University)
proposed thatthe University build a nuclear reactor on campus to be
used for educatingstudents about this exciting new technology and for
advancing the developmentof nuclear power through research. Permission
was granted, funds were allocated,and the Raleigh Research Reactor was
designed and built by faculty, staff,and students of the Physics Department.
The Raleigh Research Reactor wasthe first reactor in the world that
was not government controlled and hasbeen designated by the American
Nuclear Society as a nuclear historic landmark.Students did not need
a security clearance to use this reactor. This wasan important step
forward in the commercial development of nuclear power.In 1972, NCSU's
fourth reactor, the one-million-watt PULSTAR reactor, wentcritical.
Even before the construction of the Raleigh Research
Reactor, NorthCarolina State University was leading the nation in the
education of nuclearengineers. In 1950, a nuclear engineering program
was started in the Departmentof Physics, and in 1951, NCSU awarded the
first BSNE degrees in the nation.A graduate program was also established
about this time, and in 1954, N.C.State awarded the first two PhD's
in the nation to students majoring innuclear engineering. In 1961, the
nuclear engineering program, by thenwell-established, was designated
the Department of Nuclear Engineeringand transferred to the School of
Engineering. The startup of the MEDUSAplasma generation device in 1986
symbolized the Department of Nuclear Engineering'sentry into fusion
engineering and plasma technology.
Today, the Department of Nuclear Engineering offers
programs of study leading to BS, MS, MNE, PhD and post-baccalaureate
profession degrees.The undergraduate enrollment ranges between 80 and
120, and the graduateenrollment ranges between 45 and 55 students. There
are 12 graduate facultymembers and 16 professional staff. Major areas
of current interest includefission, fusion and applied radiation physics.
Within these major areas,research on fusion fuel cycles, plasma-material
interactions, neutronics,nuclear materials, thermal-hydraulics, applications
of radiation, and basicradiation physics are conducted.
What is Nuclear Engineering?
The definition of engineering is as applicable to
nuclear as it is to otherdisciplines: "Engineering is applied science
concerned with using the earth'sresources for supplying human needs in
the form of structures, machines,transportation, etc." Nuclear engineering
is concerned with the engineeringaspects of the uses of nuclear processes
for supplying human needs. Nuclearprocesses cover a wide range of technology,
all the way from the splittingof heavy atoms (fission), to the joining
of light elements (fusion), togenerate electricity, to the use of radiation
for medical or industrialdiagnostics. The career opportunities for nuclear
engineers are equallybroad.
What Does a Nuclear Engineer Need to Learn?
The undergraduate education of a nuclear engineer
provides the knowledgeto perform a great variety of engineering assignments.
Compared with themore traditional disciplines, the NE is a cross between
a mechanical engineerand physicist. The mechanical engineering aspect
appears because of theheavy emphasis on thermal hydraulics in the BSNE
curriculum. The physicsaspect appears because the nuclear engineering
student must understandmodern and nuclear physics in order to understand
core and radiation physics.
The undergraduate NE student must solve complicated
problems requiringthe extensive use of computers. This facility with
computers provides thecapability to tackle complicated problems that
extend beyond the fieldof nuclear engineering. In essence, the nuclear
engineer graduates withthe technical foundation to solve or contribute
to the solution of a broadrange of technical problems--with particular
strength in nuclear phenomena.
What Do Nuclear Engineers Study At NCSU?
The nuclear engineering curriculum is sufficiently
focused on the developmentof practical knowledge to make the graduating
BSNE immediately productivein industry, yet it provides the theoretical
fundamentals to prepare thestudent for entrance into graduate school.
The academic curriculum includesthe following subjects:
- Basic Knowledge of:
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Thermodynamics
- Heat Transfer
- Fluid Mechanics
- Chemistry
- Materials
- Electricity/Instrumentation
- Reactor Physics
-
Applied Knowledge of:
- Reactor Design
- Nuclear Power Plant Design and Operations
- Health Physics and Environmental Impact
- System Modeling
- Computer Programming
- The major thrust of the curriculum is an integration
of theory, design,and experiments.
Whom Should I Contact For More Information?
Director of Outreach Programs:
Ms. Lisa Marshall
2102 Burlington Engineering Laboratories
515-5876
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