NE 500 Advanced Energy Conversion in Nuclear Reactors
3 Credit Hours
A course which introduces concepts and principles of heat generation and removal in reactor systems. Power cycles, reactor heat sources, analytic and numerical solutions to conduction problems in reactor components and fuel elements, heat transfer in reactor fuel bundles and heat exchangers. Design principles are emphasized in homework and in-class problems. Course project is required.
Prerequisite
NE 205 Thermodynamics for Nuclear Engineering or MAE 201 Thermal-Fluid Sciences or equivalent AND a “C-“ or better in NE 301 “Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering” or equivalent. Contact the instructor if you don’t have the exact prerequisite course to discuss your background.
Course Objectives
The students completing this course will be able to:
- Define and apply the concepts and principles of heat generation and removal in nuclear reactor systems.
- Explain and evaluate thermodynamic cycles.
- Explain and evaluate nuclear reactor heat sources.
- Explain and evaluate heat conduction in nuclear reactor elements.
- Explain and evaluate convective heat transfer in nuclear reactor systems.
- Explain and evaluate the performance of heat exchangers.
- Explain and develop numerical solutions to the heat conduction equation.
Course Requirements
| Test #1 | 15% |
| Test #2 | 15% |
| Homework | 25% |
| Project | 25% |
| Final | 20% |
Textbook
N. E. Todreas and M. S. Kazimi, Nuclear Systems I: Thermal Hydraulic Fundamentals, Third edition, 2021.
- Hardcover (Hill Reserves https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU5292745)
- eBook (https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4826761)
Updated: 06/13/2025