N13: Criticality Safety Management

This unit aims to:

Provide a comprehensive introduction to nuclear criticality safety and the management of nuclear criticality safety in facilities, or situations, where fissile materials are encountered outside a nuclear reactor. 

Brief description of the unit

This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to nuclear criticality safety and the management of nuclear criticality safety in facilities, or situations, where fissile materials are encountered outside a nuclear reactor. It is designed to reflect the core competencies specified by the United Kingdom Working Party on Criticality (WPC), and consists of a basic nuclear reactor physics and fuel cycle pre-course reading component, taught week includes a presentation from a visiting lecturer from industry/government, and an introduction to the use of Monte Carlo codes for criticality safety analysis. The taught component is followed by a post-course criticality safety assessment that is designed to consolidate knowledge gained during the course and to enable students to join industry with a solid understanding of the criticality safety process. 

Intended Learning Outcomes

Interpret and explain issues of criticality safety based on systematic knowledge of the physics of criticality, how it is controlled, hazards associated with it, how it is assessed and regulated.

Select and apply appropriate methods to analyse sub-criticality in fissile material containing systems.

Justify analysis through appropriate use of data, benchmarks, cross-comparison, and/or sensitivity analysis.

Assess the critical state, or the degree of sub-criticality, of a facility or plant by application of the range of techniques taught during the course.

Evaluate the criticality safety aspects of a facility and/or process.

Write a coherent and logically-argued technical report in the general style of a criticality safety assessment acceptable to the nuclear industry.