This interdisciplinary program prepares students to manage and operate nuclear power plants. Topics include materials in nuclear power plants, nuclear plant operations, plant safety, fuel separation and purification, reactor products, nuclear fuel cycle, management of nuclear technology, radiation physics and protection, control rods, coolants, thermal power transfer, neutron poisoning, nuclear accelerators, and spent fuel. Students also learn energy systems design and analysis in general, and the design of nuclear systems in particular. Nuclear engineering background is dearly needed, especially as the Kingdom has announced plans to introduce nuclear power technology with the first two reactors are currently under site qualification stage. While these plants will be based on foreign technology and built by a consortium of international companies, long-term sustainability of this program, including governance and plant operation, will depend crucially on the development of an indigenous workforce possessing adequate knowledge of the science and technology of nuclear power plants.
Offered to: ME, CHE