2024 Faculty Courses School of Materials and Chemical Technology Department of Materials Science and Engineering Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Takehiko Tsukahara / Koichiro Takao / Takuya Harada / Hiroki Takasu
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Mon / 3-4 Thu
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- NCL.C401
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Science and technologies in nuclear fuel cycle, consisting of uranium mining and refining, uranium enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel reprocessing, partitioning and transmutation of actinides and lanthanides, and waste management, will be lectured.
Course description and aims
The goals of this course are as follows.
1. Students can understand the basic concepts of nuclear fuel cycles consisting of uranium mining/refining/enrichment, fuel fabrication, and waste management.
2. Students can understand the basic characteristics of radioisotopes and nuclear fuel, and explain their properties.
3. Students can get the scientific knowledge of the use of nuclear materials.
Keywords
Nuclear fuel cycle, partitioning and transmutation, actinide and lanthanide chemistry, waste management
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
In order to improve your learning, the practice will be done.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Concept of nuclear fuel cycle | Studies on basic concept of nuclear fuel cycle |
| Class 2 | Concept of uranium enrichment | Studies on concept of uranium enrichment |
| Class 3 | Uranium enrichment methods | Studies on uranium enrichment methods, in particular, gaseous diffusion, centrifuge, and laser methods |
| Class 4 | Chemistry of f-elements 1 | Studies on electronic structures and coordination chemistry of Lanthanides and actinides-1 |
| Class 5 | Chemistry of f-elements 2 | Studies on electronic structures and coordination chemistry of Lanthanides and actinides-2 |
| Class 6 | Principles & Application of Solvent Extraction | Studies on solvent extraction methods of uranium |
| Class 7 | Concept of Spent Fuel Reprocessing | Studies on basic methods for the separation of uranium and plutonium |
| Class 8 | PUREX Reprocessing & HLW Vitrification | Studies on PUREX method and vitrified glass fabrication technique |
| Class 9 | Significance of introducing of nuclear fuel cycle | Studies on economic and scientific rationalities of nuclear fuel cycle based on balance calculations |
| Class 10 | Mining, refining, and purification of uranium | Studies on mining, refining, and purification methods of uranium |
| Class 11 | Nuclides containing spent nuclear fuels and their properties | Studies on properties of nuclides containing spent nuclear fuels |
| Class 12 | Advanced High-level radioactive waste treatment methods-1 | Studies on advanced reprocessing methods-1 |
| Class 13 | Advanced High-level radioactive waste treatment methods-2 | Studies on advanced reprocessing methods-2 |
| Class 14 | Partitioning, Analysis, and transmutation | Studies on partitioning and transmutation technologies |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
do not use
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Distribute handouts properly
Evaluation methods and criteria
Exercise and report
Related courses
- CAP.E361 ： Radiation Chemistry
- NCL.C402 ： Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal Engineering
- CAP.E362 ： Nuclear Chemical Engineering
- NCL.D405 ： Experiments for Nuclear Fuel Debris and Back‐end Fuel Cycle Ａ
- NCL.D406 ： Experiments for Nuclear Fuel Debris and Back‐end Fuel Cycle B
- NCL.C604 ： Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Sepcial Laboratory
Prerequisites
You had better to understand the knowledge of basic chemistry.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
tsukahara.t.ab[at]m.titech.ac.jp / 3067
Office hours
send by e-mail.