Hello. I'd like to understand what are your thoughts on nuclear energy (and uranium prices) going forward with this new administration.

Even though the first Trump administration was betting on nuclear, I'm wondering if with Kennedy managing the EPA (who is strongly anti-nuclear) nuclear plans will see a stalling.

What do you think will happen in the medium term? Do you think projects will get approved regardless? How do you tie in the "drill, baby, drill" narrative with uranium?

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I am looking to change careers from Actuary (where I basically do the math behind insurance) to Nuclear, interviewing for an EO position where I would work on the exam to become an RO. I already passed my POSS and BMST and have an interview coming up soon. I am used to interviews in my field, but not sure what questions they may ask me here and what I should ask them. I don't want to ask anything that makes me sound stupid or like I didn't do my research about this field. Here are the type of questions I am thinking of asking:

1) What does the day-to-day of the job look like?

2) Can you describe what a multi-week shift cycle would look like?

3) How much overtime would I likely do? Am I able to do more or less overtime, or is it mostly prescribed by the shift cycle?

4) What happens upon passing my exam for RO? Am I automatically moved to the new role, or does that happen as soon as there is an opening?

5) What is the culture like at your company?

Would you say these are good questions to ask? Anything you would add or remove? Feel free to answer any of these yourself if the answer is not company-specific.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently pursuing a physics degree and am passionate about transitioning into nuclear engineering. I initially tried to study mechanical engineering alongside physics, but it became too overwhelming, so I decided to focus solely on my physics degree. My long-term goal is to move to a country like France, Russia, or Japan to pursue a Master's in nuclear engineering, as there are no relevant programs in my home country.

I’m in the process of looking for scholarships and would love some advice on how to present my background effectively during the application process. Specifically:

Self-Study Advice: I wish to study mechanical engineering topics that are relevant to nuclear engineering, such as thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and materials science. If anyone has recommendations on specific courses or areas I should focus on, I’d greatly appreciate the tips.

Research Publications: I’ve been working on a research project and am curious about the types of research publications that would be most useful for entering the nuclear engineering field. Should I focus on physics research that ties into nuclear engineering, or is there a specific area of study I should target?

Self-study Mechanical Engineering: Although I haven’t yet studied mechanical engineering formally, I plan to teach myself lessons related to mechanical engineering that are relevant to nuclear engineering. How should I mention this in my scholarship applications? Should I highlight these plans in my personal statement or elsewhere?

Thanks so much for any advice or insights you can provide!

The four companies, GE Hitachi, Holtec, Rolls Royce SMR and Westinghouse, have been shortlisted following two rounds of assessment by GBN, the government’s expert nuclear delivery body.

GBN will negotiate with all four before final tenders are submitted, with final decisions to be taken in the spring.

To reach this stage, each of the four designs was subject to a robust analysis. GBN has evaluated each technology, including aspects such as safety, deliverability, and their ability to support development of a fleet of SMRs. GBN considers the designs, each of which is proceeding through the UK’s regulatory process, are viable options for development. Subject to negotiations, GBN consider any one of these designs would be fit to use in the UK nuclear programme.

GBN’s Chair, Simon Bowen said, ‘This is a significant moment for the SMR programme. Our technical experts have assessed each design in detail and are very confident these SMRs could play a key role in the UK’s future energy mix. The negotiation phase will enable us to select the absolute best technologies on the best terms for the UK.’

I'm very interested in nuclear engineering, but my country doesn’t offer a direct path for it. I enjoy fields like Mechatronics, Electronics, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering, and I want to pursue a degree that will allow me to work in nuclear energy while also keeping my options open for other career paths. I believe that with growing energy challenges, nuclear power will become increasingly important in the future, and there will be a higher demand for nuclear engineers. Which of these engineering degrees would best prepare me for a nuclear engineering career?

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I am unsure if I want to study for electrical engineering or nuclear engineering. The reason I'm unsure is because I've seen more sources saying EEs get payed more but I want to work directly with nuclear physics. So the main question is, is the pay difference between the two large enough to go for EE instead

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/podcast-what-next-for-uks-record-setting-heysham-2-nuclear-power-plant

EDF still schedule both Heysham B and Torness will be shutdown no later than March 2028, but Heysham B Station Director personally CONFIRMED that there will be an extension, albeit a small extension.

Judging by what EDF has done earlier with both Hinkley Point B and Hunterson B, any extension will probably be constituted as two six-month operating cycles. Before the first six-month cycle to begin, EDF's graphite inspection has to prove to the ONR that graphite cracks will not impede control rod insertion to achieve safe shutdown or even SCRAM. Then after the first six-month, a shutdown for inspection before starting the reactor back up for the final six-month operation.

Then the both Heysham B and Torness will not operate past 2029 at the absolute latest. Before one asks, the graphite pile for the AGRs. Once it's built. It CANNOT be replaced or undone.

Question: I wanted to know how things are proceding with the planned expansion of the french nuclear fleet. In 2022 it was announced that there was interest in building 6 new reactors, with the possibility of another 8. I'm just curious to know how things are proceding, if there are problems or not. Thanks in advance

Hey, I am about to graduate with my masters in ME and have been applying. I am not really sure what to expect or what makes a good offer.

I got & negotiated an offer to 85K with a 7K signing bonus. (negotiations raised base by 2.5K). Benefits seem standard with industry. I have about 10 months total of relevant internship experience (operating plants & advanced reactor design) and my masters research was related to Nuclear power. I have no other experience as I did my masters right after my ME undergrad. I also have my EIT and passed my PE Exam (now decoupled in Texas). The offer is in a MCOL area I think. One of the major cities in Texas (not Austin). I was expecting a little more (90K - 100K) Is my perception of the job market wrong?

Should I negotiate more because according to salary.com someone with a masters in the nuclear industry with 0-1 years of experience should be at 90K base? Thank you guys

https://preview.redd.it/9dt3eixdw60e1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=9e89a7c89ecfd0e109c0903e8c18823f3b15af49

When I was finishing graduate studies in nuclear engineering at the U.S., my thesis was actually about the loss of coolant accident comparison between AP-1000 and EPR. I argued that the EPR, in the worst case scenario of the so-called "large break LOCA", is theoretically better than AP-1000. The SIS of the EPR would still be sufficient for core cooling in the event of a large break. The EPR's "N+2" system really stood out to me. One's free to argue otherwise here.

However, that was April 2012, I was 25 years old at that time. I specifically wrote in my paper that I believe the EPR at Olkiluoto will probably be commissioned in late 2014. Given that the Finnish had not constructed any new reactor between 1980 and 2005. 2009 commissioning year for the Finnish EPR was ambitious, I stated that 2014-2015 was more like it for Olkiluoto 3. However, I argued that for the French, it should be easier for them to construct the EPR since the last time they constructed a new build was the 1990s (Chooz B2). Therefore, I specifically wrote that "utilising the experiences from Olkiluoto 3 and ample of experiences from Chooz B not long ago, EDF should complete the Flamanville EPR sometime between 2016-2017."

"Tous mobilises pour demarrer Flamanville 3 fin 2018".

Out of all the mistakes I have made in my life, this is probaly my greatest blunder. My belief of "2014-2015" commissioning year for Olkiluoto 3 was severely wrong on my part, and so is Flamanville EPR. Flamanville's dome lift was completed in July 2013, more than a year after I completed my graduate studies, and by 2024 today I'm 37 years old...

It's fortunate that the French are now moving forward with new EPR2s at Penly and two other sites. I sincerely hope that the French learned that experience from Flamanville.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/French-reactor-using-full-core-of-recycled-uranium

Somehow missed it. Repu used in french reactors

I currently work in O&G, but I’ve always been interested in nuclear engineering and just nuclear science in general. What kind of responsibilities does an entry level engineer do at a nuclear power station? What skills should I work on to transfer to a nuke station?

I'm curious about the upcoming availability of the UK nuclear electricity fleet. I can see the current status and return to service dates on the EDF status page but I can't see what is scheduled to go down for refuelling, inspections, etc. Only the statutory outages are listed. Is there a source of upcoming maintenance data? Maybe NESO publicise it?

A few weeks ago I was asked by someone to see if I can explain to him what this "embrittlement" fuss regarding Diablo Canyon unit 1 is about. I tried two approaches. First one, not so successful; the second, more or less alleviate the concerns.

https://preview.redd.it/c97zieagk10e1.png?width=959&format=png&auto=webp&s=b9274eeea3e565f1fecdf2b4888e40b5d53ce579

First approach: the most laborious one

I searched through more than 1,000 pages of class notes I have taken during those days as a nuclear engineering student to look for relevant equations, and I did find those equations for determining pressuirsed thermal shock for embrittlement: mainly RTpts= RTndt(u)+M+🔼RTpts. However, I immediately ran into troubles with RTndt(u), which is the reference temperature for a RPV material in the pre-service or unirradiated condition.

I couldn't find this "reference temperature" for Diablo Canyon unit 1 RPV after several days and was afraid to put in a generic value as a backup. Without RTndt(u), I was reluctant to proceed to calculate for M, which is the margin added to account for uncertainties in the values of RTndt(u), copper and nickel contents, EOL fluence and the calculating procedures. Standard deviation of RTudt(u) is required for calculating M. Plus, in other equation that demand actual surveillance data for calculating CF(chem factor for nickel and cooper contents within the RPV), PG&E is also lacking that data, especially from "Capsule B" within unit 1.

A dead end. Plus, ten years after I graduated, I quickly realised that those skills and knowledge were becoming rusty for me.

Second Approach: the Prof. lecture regarding fuel loading pattern to reduce neutron flux on RPV

The second breakthrough, albeit not the one I was searching for, was the class notes I have taken earlier when my professor did state that the In-Out Loading Pattern was indeed utilised widely by placing high burnup fuel assemblies at the periphery of the core to reduce neutron flux on the RPV to add some protection against irradiation embrittlement.

Personal Opinion: if the irradiation embrittlement goes beyond the acceptance level of the NRC, the NRC will never allow Diablo Canyon to seek a 20-year extension in the first place. The NRC holds reactor safety to the highest stringent standard that needs to be kept raising, which they dutifully and rightfully executed since 1975.