Current Undergraduate Courses

Five courses are offered by the Nuclear Engineering Program within Civil & Environmental Engineering (CVEEN) for undergraduates to increase their knowledge and understanding of nuclear engineering. As interest increases in the nuclear curriculum, a certificat or minor in nuclear engineering will become available. Please contact the nuclear engineering program director, Dr. Melinda Krahenbuhl, for further information.


CVEEN 3700 -  Nuclear Fact or Fiction (3)
Satisfies Physical/Life Science Exploration (SF) Credit for a BS.
Prerequisites:  Math 1050.
The course is designed to introduce nuclear engineering to everyone. The fundamentals of radiation and nuclear power will be taught. Emphasis will be placed on learning the specialized language used by nuclear engineers and health physicist and the basic mathematical relationships used to quantify radioactivity. Students will be taught how radiation affects human health and discuss on-going epidemiology studies. Other applications or radioactivity that affects the economy and standard of living will be discussed. At the end of the course the students will be able to distinguish between fact and fiction when thy come across articles, reports and news releases that deal with nuclear phenomenon. The students will leave the class with the tools to make informed decisions regarding legislation, public policy, risks and benefits of nuclear technology. We can take responsibility for our nuclear heritage and develop the promise nuclear technology holds for the future.
Lectures are taught year-round with sufficient student interest.

CVEEN 5700  -  Nuclear Engineering I with Laboratory (4)
Cross-listed as CHEN 5657.
Prerequisites:  MATH 2250 and PHYCS 2210. Meets with CVEEN 6700/CHEN 6657.
Fundamentals of nuclear engineering and science; nuclear reactions, radioactive decay, neutron diffusion, kinetics, energy removal, shielding, health physics, and system design.
Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Fall Semester on Mondays and Fridays from 2:00pm-2:50pm.
Labs are on Wednesdays from 2:00pm-3:55pm.


CVEEN 5710  -  Applied Nuclear Engineering I with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 5700.  Meets with CVEEN 6710.
Analysis, control, and design of nuclear systems; radioactive waste management, environmental restoration, and disposal. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Spring Semester on Mondays and Fridays from 2:00pm-2:50pm.
Labs are on Wednesdays from 2:00pm-3:55pm.

CVEEN 5720  -  Health Physics (3)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 5700 or CH EN 5657.
The course begins with a definition of dosimetry and introduces the student to the complexities of determining radiation dose to a human from measured quantities. The measured quantities are found using a variety of dosimeters, biomarkers, and detectors. The students will be taught the basics of some of the detectors and dosimeters. Once the students learn how the instrumentation works, they will learn how to apply that data to accepted models and methods to assign a dose. Additional lectures will focus on safety guidelines and protective measures.
Lectures are taught during Spring Semester.

CVEEN 5730  -  Survey of Nuclear Power (2)
Prerequisites:  Intermediate Engineering Status.
Nuclear power is a necessity to meet the global need for power. The U.S. has fallen behind in state of the art power generation, distribution and reliability. The course is designed to familiarize the student with nuclear power plants. Power generation begins with either a fission or fusion reaction. The thermal energy from the nuclear reaction is used to generate electricity. The thermal energy that captured the electricity is generated identically to more traditional forms of power plants: coal, natural gas, wood. The course focuses on systems and procedures unique to nuclear power plants, types of nuclear power plants including the GEN IV reactors, fuel loading, coolant, loss of coolant, severe accidents, reprocessing and spent fuel.
Lectures are taught during Fall and Spring Semesters.

 

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Current Graduate Courses

The first two graduate-level courses below require completion of CVEEN 5700 or equivalent course credit transferred to the University of Utah.

CVEEN 6700  -  Nuclear Engineering II with Laboratory (4)
Cross-listed as CHEN 6657.
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 5700.  Meets with CVEEN 5700/CHEN 5657.
Fundamentals of nuclear engineering and science; nuclear reactions, radioactive decay, neutron diffusion, kinetics, energy removal, shielding, health physics, and system design. Physical and mathematical description of production, utilization, and loss of neutrons in nuclear reactors and other systems. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Fall Semester on Mondays and Fridays from 2:00-2:50 pm.
Labs are on Wednesdays from 2:00pm-3:55pm.

CVEEN 6710  -  Applied Nuclear Engineering II with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisite:  CVEEN 5700.  Meets with CVEEN 5710.
Analysis, control, and design of nuclear systems; radioactive waste management, medical, radiation protection, environmental restoration, and disposal. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Spring Semester on Mondays and Fridays from 2:00-2:50 pm.
Labs are on Wednesdays from 2:00pm-3:55pm.

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CVEEN 6720  -  Nuclear Reactor Physics with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 6700 and 6710.
Neutron transport theory, multigroup diffusion, heterogeneous systems, kinetics reactivity changes, moderation age theory, and nuclear physics. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Fall Semester (for Odd-Numbered Years) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00pm-3:20pm. 

CVEEN 6730  -  Health Physics and Radiation Protection with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 6700 and 6710.
   Internal and external radiation dosimetry and protection, including radiation quantities and units, legal guidelines and regulations, derivations of external dosimetry calculations, source and facility shielding, pathways and bioassays, and contamination control. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Spring Semester (for Even-Numbered Years) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00pm-3:20pm.

CVEEN 6740  -  Nuclear Environmental Engineering with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 6700 and 6710.
   Introduces scientific and engineering aspects of the management of spent fuel, reprocessed high-level waste, uranium mill tailings, low-level wastes, and decommissioning wastes. Fundamental processes and governing equations of radiation and radionuclide transport. Design principles and evaluation methods for waste disposal systems. Shielding and dose calculations, interim storage, processing, and transportation technologies. Review of nuclear waste management regulation. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Fall Semester (for Even-Numbered Years) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00pm-3:20pm.

CVEEN 6750  -  Nuclear Chemical Engineering with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 6700 and 6710.
   Overview of chemical and radiochemical dynamics. Principles of chemical and physical separation processes. Technologies for the production of nuclear fuel, moderator, and structural materials. Management of radioactive wastes and spent fuel, including chemical processing and disposal. Safety and nuclear safeguards. Chemistry of fission products and actinides. Includes laboratory.
Lectures are taught during Spring Semester (for Odd-Numbered Years) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00pm-3:20pm.

CVEEN 6760  -  Linear Acceleration Physics with Laboratory (4)
Prerequisites:  CVEEN 6700 and 6710.
   Introduction to pulsed RF electron linear acceleration, waveguide and microwave theory, relativistic and scattering effects of high energy electrons, and electron and photon dosimetry. Includes laboratory with L-band accelerator located at Little Mountain.
Class schedule to be arranged with the NEP Chair.

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CVEEN 7710  -  Advanced Nuclear Engineering Design (3)
Prerequisites:  At least 4 courses from CVEEN 6720, 6730, 6740, 6750, and 6760.
   Practice in creative engineering design and problem solving emphasizing in-depth design of laboratory, pilot plan, and commercial-scale processes associated with radionuclides. Content tailored to individual interests.
Class times to be arranged with the professor.

CVEEN 7720  -  Topics in Advanced Nuclear Phenomena (3)
Prerequisites:  At least 4 courses from CVEEN 6720, 6730, 6740, 6750, and 6760.
   Modeling and prediction of advanced nuclear phenomena in nuclear engineering and health physics, using advanced analytical and numerical methods.
Class times to be arranged with the professor