PHYS-H406 – Nuclear Reactor Physics Academic year

Nuclear installations in Belgium 2 (Source: SPF Economie, AMPERE Commission report)

Detailed installed power in MWe 3 Final shutdown in 2015 (nuclear phaseout law, governmental decision of Summer 2012) Lifetime extension until 2025 (nuclear phaseout law, governmental decision of Summer 2012) (Source: World Nuclear Association website, 17/09/2012) Temporary(?) shutdown: microcracks in the reactor vessel detected during the decennial revision this summer

Nuclear installations in the world 4 (Source: World Nuclear Association website, 17/09/2012)

Some facts… Between 55 and 60% of electricity generation in Belgium due to the electronuclear channel (not in 2012) Law concerning nuclear phase-out still applicable in Belgium… and already not literally applied for Tihange 1 Construction of MYRRHA at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK-CEN) in Mol (expected for 2023)  Research reactor with a fast spectrum: accelerator-driven system, both subcritical and critical configurations possible, cooled down by a liquid Pb-Bi eutectic, prototype of a generation-IV reactor 5 (Source: SCK-CEN Mol)

Some facts… (cont’d) Even in the assumption of… +Dismantling of the Belgian power plants +Management of radioactive waste  huge needs in the world nuclear industry of highly- qualified staff Despite the Fukushima event, many plants are under construction or planned, both in neighbouring and emerging countries (new plants in Finland, EPRs in France, projects of new constructions in the UK…) Few countries took a decision against nuclear energy after Fukushima (Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan in some way) Other applications of nuclear energy beside electricity generation 6

And probably … Lifetime extension of (some of) the current Belgian nuclear power plants (lack of technologically effective or mature alternatives) Environmental constraints and climate changes Necessary short- and mid-term reflection on the Belgian and European energy policy Ambitious research programs for the development of new concepts of reactors: inherently safer, producing less waste and operationally more flexible (Generation IV) 7

Objectives of the program in nuclear engineering Technical expertise –Nuclear engineering  modeling of power plants  For their exploitation (including control/safety)  For research  Contacts with the nuclear industry and research institutions like e.g. SCK-CEN in Mol –Ionizing radiations  dosimetry and radiation protection Open-mindedness to the energy generation issue in a broad sense 8

The educational program in Nuclear Engineering at ULB MA1 PHYS-H406 – Nuclear reactor physics (3-2-0) – P.E. Labeau PHYS-H408 – Operation, control and safety of nuclear power plants (2-1-0) – J.J. Van Binnebeek et N. Hollasky (Bel- V) PHYS-H405 – Physique nucléaire (3-2- 0) – P. Descouvemont PHYS-H407 – Métrologie nucléaire (2-0- 4) – N. Pauly (+ possibly the project) Visit of a power plant (Tihange or Doel) 9

MA2 – option nuclear engineering PHYS-H511 – Advanced topics in nuclear engineering ( ) – P.E. Labeau PHYS-H512 – Thermalhydraulics of nuclear power plants (2-2-0) – P. Raymond (CEA, France) PHYS-H513 – Advanced reactors and nuclear fuel cycles (3-0-0) – D. Haas (European Commission) and P. Baeten (SCK-CEN) PHYS-H514 – Reliability and safety ( ) – P.E. Labeau PHYS-H521 – Complements of Reliability and Safety (1-1-0) – P.E. Labeau Lab sessions (on research reactors!!) and seminars at the Belgian nuclear research center SCK-CEN in Mol 50% of the lab sessions using industrial codes in the GDF Suez-Tractebel premises 10

MA2 – option nuclear engineering (cont’d) GEST-H506 – Energy Policy and Management (2-0-0) – S. Furfari (Commission Européenne) PHYS-Y017 – Thermal Power Plants and their Environmental impact (3-0-0) – VUB MATH-H507 – Méthodes de Monte Carlo (1-1-0) – A. Dubus 11

MA2 Opportunities of a 3-month, 10-ECTS internship (possibly abroad) Master thesis (in the faculty or in the nuclear sector) Study year at the INSTN (Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique)  program called “Génie Atomique” :  One term of courses (CEA Saclay or Cadarache)  A second term for the internship (possibly in the USA) 12

Objectives of this course Knowing that the energy produced in a nuclear reactor comes from fissions of heavy nuclei induced by incident neutrons:  Set up the balance of the neutron population in a reactor, given all possible interactions between the neutrons and their environment  Study solution methods for this balance equation  Establish under which conditions the fission chain reaction reaction is self-sustained  … … and more generally:  Study the modeling of particle transport phenomena  Interpret physically the associated mathematical formalism 13

Course organisation: 60% theory, 40% exercises  Lecture notes of R.Beauwens in French (but slight differences) + Powerpoint files on  Reference book: Nuclear reactor analysis, J.J. Duderstadt, L.J. Hamilton (all figures, except if otherwise stated, come from these two references)  Presentation of a PWR design and operation: (French), (English)  Calendar of lectures and exercises: see excel file on web page  Exercises: compulsory!  One tutorial to be continued as a project with a numerical application  report assessed by groups of two students  Mark relative to the tutorials (20% of the final mark IFF success in the exercises of the exam) = mark of the project reduced proportionally to the number of absences Written exam (th+ex) for the 1 st session, oral exam for the 2 nd  Course still being modified  comments welcome 14