Nuclear Engineering

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Local:$ 12.6 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 34.2 k / Year(s) Deadline: Jun 30, 2024
11 place StudyQA ranking:4007 Duration:1 year

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The course is aimed to equip the next generation of Nuclear Engineers with the skills and understanding to satisfy the demands of the nuclear industry. The UK is poised for new growth in this sector, especially in light of the new build at Hinkley C, as well as significant new build programmes worldwide. Studying at Imperial provides you with the opportunity to be at the heart of this development and build upon our expertise in teaching and research in this field, dating back to the 1950.

Topics covered include all major aspects of the nuclear industry from the design and build of nuclear power stations, their operations, through to decommissioning and final disposal. It is a multi-disciplinary course, well suited for graduates of Physical Sciences or Engineering degrees.

The core and supplementary modules are taught by research leaders from within the Centre for Nuclear Engineering and a hand-picked selection of industrial experts. Our experts come from the Departments of Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Earth Science Engineering, alongside unique expertise from our Reactor Centre staff at the Silwood Park campus, who manage the CONSORT test reactor.

Specifically, the programme aims are:
 To provide students with a solid technical basis in all key areas of the modern discipline specific
engineering profession through delivery of a coherent, coordinated and balanced degree course,
integrating core engineering science and practical application.
 To enable students to acquire a mature appreciation of the context in which engineering projects are
developed.
 To develop in our students excellence in oral, written and graphical communication.
 To invest graduates with a fitness to enter professional practice and the capacity to have a beneficial
impact upon it, whether in the industrial or service sectors generally or in the specific engineering
discipline in particular.
 To develop an understanding of the physical world and the use of mathematics to represent it.
 To develop the ability to make rational decisions.
 To develop clarity and style in professional communication.
 To develop skills of management, planning, organisation and teamwork.
 To appreciate the conceptual and creative aspects of design; to develop the ability to incorporate
concepts into the design of new products or processes.
 To develop an awareness of the place of an individual in business, society and the environment.
 To develop a commitment to the public interest.
 To inculcate an understanding of professional behaviour.
 To develop the intellectual capacity and breadth of vision to remain a learner for life.

The course is full-time over 12 months and is both taught and research based. The overall course structure is
divided into eight core modules, four short course modules and a research project. Students must take seven
of the core modules (including the introductory module). The course will take a broad whole systems
approach to the subject, covering all aspects from design and build, through operation to decommissioning
and final disposal. The ECTS assignment is given in brackets.
(C2) Nuclear Chemical Engineering (6)
(C3) Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics (6)
(C4) Reactor Physics (6)
(C5) Nuclear Materials for Reactor Systems (6)
(C6) Nuclear Waste Management and Decommissioning (6)
(C7) Modelling for Nuclear Engineers (6)
(C8) Nuclear Safety Management (6)
In addition to the major core modules students will be expected to take four compulsory short course modules
from a selection of 4-5 run over a period of one week and assessed at the end of that week by examination or
coursework.
(SC1) Radiation Protection (3)
(SC2) Fast Reactors and Nuclear Hydrogen Production (3)
(SC3) Nuclear Fusion (3)
(SC4) Nuclear Engineer in Industry (3)
(SC5) Constructionarium (3) be aware that taking this course option is an additional £300 charge for travel,
accommodation and food.
(SC6) Nuclear Energy Policy (3) be aware that there may be additional costs for costs and accommodation for
non CDT students
Term one:
In the first week you will all be given an induction, plus plagiarism awareness, safety briefing and library
training. The first week will also consist of the first core course: An Introduction to Nuclear Energy.
From week two you will study the core subjects: Nuclear Materials for Reactor Systems, Modelling for Nuclear
Engineers and Thermal Hydraulics. From week four you may study the short courses: Radiation Protection and
Nuclear Fusion. Students will also take part in a journal club every two weeks to help them explore nuclear
engineering and prepare for your research project, as well as developing transferable skills.
Towards the end of term in late November/early December you may have the opportunity to visit a reactor
site.
You will also be presented with a wide variety of research project titles and abstracts to consider.
Term Two:
In the second term you may take a short course in the first week which will be taught at Cambridge (extra cost
may be required). From week two you can take the core subjects of Nuclear Waste Management and
Decommissioning, Nuclear Safety Management, Reactor Physics and Nuclear Chemical Engineering. As part of
their research project, you will write a Literature Review in this term. The Literature Review will be a maximum
of 5,000 words. You will need to outline the motivation for your project and outline the most important prior
research in the field to date. This will be assessed by your project supervisor and a second assessor. The
Literature Review will be submitted to the student office as two hard and one electronic copy by it will
constitute 20% of the research project mark. If you choose to undertake a project abroad or at a company (e.g.
ANSTO) you should to discuss writing an appropriate Literature Review with the Course Director and you will
have to factor this in writing up the final thesis. All of you will be allocated there research project titles in this
term and in the last week of term students may take another short course. 
Term Three:
Examinations for the core modules will take place in the first two weeks of term.
Thereafter the students will carry out their research project which finishes in mid Sept. Note the
Constructionarium module takes place in June. Some research projects will be carried out in industry through
an industrial placement. In this case the student will also be allocated an academic supervisor who will travel
to meet the student at their place of work at several key stages of the project. At the end of the project
students will be required to give a final presentation and produce a project thesis of no more than 12,500
words, excluding appendices. The final thesis may contain a brief updated literature review if appropriate, and
the original literature review shall be appended as an appendix (and excluded from the word count). The thesis
shall constitute 70% of the project mark and the final presentation 10%.

 

Normally a first or good 2:1 honours Bachelors or Masters level degree (or equivalent overseas qualification) in
Mechanical, Chemical, Civil Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science.
All applicants must satisfy the College’s English proficiency requirements.
Initially students will be vetted by registry and a recommendation given. The overall decision process
will then be taken by the Course Director. Some students may be invited to interview.

 

You will undertake a hands-on research project over the summer (3 months). This project can be hosted within one of our world class research groups within the Centre for Nuclear Engineering, or externally within our network of academic and industrial contacts. This project will provide you will the skills to undertake your own research, discuss your findings with colleagues, and to write reports.

The project is assessed in three parts: (1) written literature review, of up to 5,000 words; (2) written thesis at the end of the project, of up to 12,500 words; (3) oral presentation at the end of your project.

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