Fuel Cycle

This conception of the Fuel Cycle includes the confinement of radionuclides as a precondition to storage and disposal, the development of new materials, and the understanding of chemical and geochemical mechanisms that govern the evolution of waste storage and disposal facilities.


Objectives

The Fuel Cycle specialization of the Nuclear Energy field is designed to train students in the physics and chemistry necessary to master the various stages of the fuel cycle. Particular emphasis is paid to separation-transmutation, where recent advances have led to a new cycle-reactor approach through the introduction of the notion of recycling, and even of ‘multi-recycling’ for a complete incineration, within the reactor, of long-lived minor actinides.

Pedagogy

This training programme provides an introduction to the basic research concepts necessary to the development and production of processes, and the design of new industrial objects.
Through its constantly evolving curriculum, the Fuel Cycle specialization deliberately combines R&D, teaching, industrial development and engineering.
Upon completion of this programme, students will have acquired the following skills:

  • Nuclear fuel management
  • Risk prevention
  • Radionuclide chemistry and nuclear fission products
  • Nuclear waste processing
  • Storage and recycling

Programme

Common Core

  • Introduction to Safety
  • Functional Description of Nuclear Plants
  • Management, Risk Management
  • Environment-Society
  • Radioprotection
  • Applied Nuclear Physics

Radiochemistry Curriculum

  • Specialization Courses
    • Measurement Strategy and Methodology
    • Physicochemistry of Nuclear Materials
    • Trace and Ultratrace Analysis
    • Electronic Structure of Actinides and Speciation
    • Reactor Physicochemistry and Transmutation
    • Liquid-Liquid Extraction
    • Radionuclide Migration through the Geosphere
    • Radionuclide Behavior in Matrixes
  • Internship

Cycle Engineering Curriculum

  • Specialization Courses
    • Fuel: From Mine to Reactor
    • Radioprotection (2)
    • Waste Isolation
    • Storage and Disposal
    • Modeling and Calculation Codes (Atalante and ICSM)
  • Internship
  • rss

Contact

Fuel Cycle M2 Coordinator Gérard Cote (Chimie ParisTech) Email : gerard-cote@enscp.fr

Career
Opportunities

This training programme prepares its graduates for career positions as engineers or managers in uranium production units, or in support of these units, in plants at the heart of the fuel cycle, in conversion, enrichment, or recycling. This training is adapted to both positions in the design, engineering, operation, and monitoring (surveillance) of waste storage and disposal facilities/waste storage facilities and repositories, and in the operation of nuclear plants.

Examples of employers in this specialization field: EDF, AREVA, GDF SUEZ, BNFL (British Nuclear Fuel Limited), WESTINGHOUSE Electric Company, Electrabel, ANDRA, etc.

The Radiochemistry curriculum is particularly well suited to students who wish to pursue careers in research and teaching upon completion of a Ph.D. at one of the numerous research laboratories at the various partner institutions (CEA, CNRS, EDF, etc.).