About This Course

After the discovery of fission in 1938, mankind managed to master the enormous amount of energy released by this reaction, both for peaceful and non-peaceful applications. The first nuclear weapon was tested in 1945 in the desert of New Mexico, USA, whereas the first controlled nuclear reactor was successfully demonstrated in 1942 in Chicago, USA. In 1955, the first nuclear reactor producing electricity was operated onboard the USS Nautilus submarine, representing a milestone in the development of nuclear reactors for electricity production. The second half of the 20th century saw the development of a massive fleet of nuclear reactors. An entire industry able to handle all aspects related to nuclear reactors was developed: from uranium mining, fuel fabrication, reactor operation, waste management and disposal, to decommissioning. Today, more than 400 nuclear reactors are in operation worldwide and more than 50 are under construction. Despite the expansion of nuclear reactors, the share of nuclear electricity worldwide is only slightly above 10%. Can this technology be realistically used to solve climate change?

In this course, you will learn the working principles of nuclear reactors and their physics, the corresponding technologies, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the ethical, economical and societal aspects of nuclear power.

The student learning time for the full course is presently estimated to be around 40 hours:

• Self-paced learning phase (preparation): 29 hours
• Interactive discussion sessions: 9 hours
• Assessment: 2 hours