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DelftX: Understanding Nuclear Energy

Learn the science and technology behind nuclear energy and the special features of this energy source.

6 weeks
4–6 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

20,716 already enrolled! After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts Mar 19

About this course

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In this nuclear energy course, we will tackle provocative questions such as:

  • Is nuclear energy a good substitute for fossil fuels to reduce our CO2 emission or not?
  • Can nuclear reactors operate safely without any harm to the public and environment?
  • How much nuclear waste is produced and how long does it need to be stored safely?
  • How can we make nuclear energy clean and more sustainable?
  • How much are nuclear energy costs?

You will learn the physics behind nuclear science, how to gain energy from nuclear fission, how nuclear reactors operate safely, and the life cycle of nuclear fuel: from mining to disposal. In the last part of the course, we will focus on what matters most in the public debate: the economic and social impact of nuclear energy but also the future of energy systems.

Practically, we will:

  • Teach you about nuclear science and technology (radiation and radioactivity, nuclear reactions, nuclear reactors and fuel cycle, economics of nuclear energy, and the sociality aspects)
  • Show you short videos about the theory and practical implementation of nuclear energy
  • Stimulate discussion and debate about nuclear energy
  • Ask you to formulate your own opinion about nuclear energy and its role in society

The GENTLE consortium has sponsored and prepared this course. GENTLE is focused on maintaining the current high level of nuclear safety, and developing a highly skilled and well informed nuclear workforce, following the conclusion of the Council of the EU that it “ it is essential to maintain in the European Union a high level of training in the nuclear field “ to deal with reactor fleet safely, decommission obsolete plants, be involved in new builds where policy dictates, and deal with the legacy and future radioactive wastes.

At a glance

  • Institution: DelftX
  • Subject: Engineering
  • Level: Intermediate
  • Prerequisites:

    University level mathematics and physics

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcripts: اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ, Deutsch, English, Español, Français, हिन्दी, Bahasa Indonesia, Português, Kiswahili, తెలుగు, Türkçe, 中文
  • Associated skills:Economics, Nuclear Reactor, Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Nuclear Fuel, Nuclear Safety, Physics, Nuclear Power, Debating

What you'll learn

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  • The basics of nuclear science and nuclear energy
  • The operating principles of nuclear reactors
  • The various steps in the nuclear fuel cycle
  • The differences between current and future reactors
  • The pros and cons of nuclear energy

More about this course

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LICENSE

The course materials of this course are Copyright Delft University of Technology and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA) 4.0 International License.

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

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