Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Course Description

In this course, students explore the engineering design of nuclear power plants using the basic principles of reactor physics, thermodynamics, fluid flow and heat transfer. Topics include reactor designs, thermal analysis of nuclear fuel, reactor coolant flow and heat transfer, power conversion cycles, nuclear safety, and reactor dynamic behavior.

Course Structure

Textbook

Knief, R. A. Nuclear Engineering: Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power. 2nd ed. La Grange Park, IL: ANS, 2008. ISBN: 9780894484582.

Useful References

  Henry, A. F. Nuclear-Reactor Analysis. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1975. ISBN: 9780262080811.

Duderstadt, J. J., and L. J. Hamilton. Nuclear Reactor Analysis. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1976. ISBN: 9780471223634.

Cengel, Y., R. Turner, and J. Cimbala. Fundamentals of Thermal-fluid Sciences. Columbus, OH: Mcgraw-Hill, 2011. ISBN: 9780077422400.

Whalley, P. B. Boiling, Condensation, and Gas-Liquid Flow. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780198562344.

Todreas, N. E., and M. Kazimi. Nuclear Systems Volume I: Thermal Hydraulic Fundamentals. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis, 1989. ISBN: 9781560320517.

Assignments

1. Units: You are to conform to recommended engineering practice by using units based on the International System (SI).
2. In writing your answers it is important that you supply enough information to show how you have solved the problem. It is not necessary to repeat derivations already given in enough detail in the text or lectures.
3. It is considered acceptable for you to work completely independently. However, do not adopt your solution directly from any outside source without being sure that you understand both concepts and calculations.
4. Computer usage: Some homework problems may be solved efficiently using Matlab, Mathcad or other computer programs.

Grading

MIT Statement on Plagiarism

Plagiarism—use of another's intellectual work without acknowledgement—is a serious offense. It is the policy of the Literature 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