Nuclear engineering designs and operates the systems that release energy from nuclear reactions, chiefly the fission of uranium and plutonium, for electricity generation, naval propulsion, medical isotope production and research. It combines reactor physics, materials science and radiation safety to extract that energy while containing the intense radioactivity the reaction produces. The discipline emerged directly out of the Manhattan Project's wartime reactor work and became a distinct civilian engineering specialty once nuclear power moved from weapons research to electricity generation in the 1950s.
Facts
Core ConcernHarnessing nuclear reactions, primarily fission, for power generation, medicine and industry, and managing their safety and radioactive byproducts. 1 Core PrincipleExtract usable energy from nuclear fission while containing its radioactive byproducts, a discipline defined as much by what it must keep contained as by what it releases as useful power. 1 Disputed
Origin Year1950
1950 marks the establishment of the first dedicated academic nuclear engineering programs, shortly after the Manhattan Project's reactor work was declassified for civilian use; the underlying reactor physics dates to Enrico Fermi's Chicago Pile-1 in 1942. Connections
Associated With
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Reactor design depends on radiation-resistant structural and shielding materials, a materials engineering concern.
Source American Nuclear Society, About (ans.org)American Nuclear Society
Reactor cooling systems, turbines and containment structures are mechanical engineering concerns.
Source American Nuclear Society, About (ans.org)American Nuclear Society
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Field end of a technology member entity grouped under this field
Steel, Materials Reactor pressure vessels and containment structures are built from specialized steel alloys.
Includes
Source Alvin M. Weinberg (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source Hyman G. Rickover (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Open Questions
Source Leo Szilard (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source American Nuclear Society, About (ans.org)
American Nuclear Society, American Nuclear SocietyMission statement
To empower a strong, connected, and engaged professional community that cultivates nuclear science and technology for the benefit of humanity.
- Associated With: Materials Engineering
- Associated With: Mechanical Engineering
View the Source Nuclear Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening definition of nuclear engineeringQuote, Lead section, opening definition of nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the engineering discipline concerned with designing and applying systems that utilize the energy released by nuclear processes.
Alvin M. Weinberg (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Alvin M. WeinbergView the Source Hyman G. Rickover (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Hyman G. RickoverView the Source Open Questions (1 open question)
Who deserves primary credit for founding nuclear engineering: Leo Szilard, who conceived and patented the chain reaction concept in 1933 and 1936, or Enrico Fermi, who led the team that achieved the first actual self sustaining chain reaction in 1942?
Szilard originated and patented the theoretical concept of a nuclear chain reaction years before any working device existed, while Fermi led the team that turned the concept into the first working reactor at Chicago Pile One in 1942 and later jointly held a nuclear reactor patent together with Szilard; historical accounts differ on which contribution defines the founding of the discipline, and Fermi has separately been called the architect of the nuclear age.
What would resolve this A settled historiographical consensus, or a definitive patent and priority record, on whether conceptual origination or first successful engineering achievement carries primary founding credit.
History of TechnologyWikipedia contributors, Leo Szilard (Wikipedia)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does nuclear engineering only cover nuclear power plants?
No. Nuclear engineering designs and operates the systems that release and manage energy from nuclear reactions, chiefly fission, and power generation is its most visible application, but the field also covers nuclear medicine equipment such as radiation therapy and imaging devices, nuclear propulsion for ships and submarines, radiation safety and waste management, and nuclear instrumentation used in research and industry.
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