Nuclear engineering

Nuclear engineering is the engineering discipline concerned with designing and applying systems that utilize the energy released by nuclear processes.
The most prominent application of nuclear engineering is the generation of electricity. Worldwide, some 439 nuclear reactors in 31 countries generate 10 percent of the world's energy through nuclear fission. In the future, it is expected that nuclear fusion will add another nuclear means of generating energy. Both reactions make use of the nuclear binding energy released when atomic nucleons are either separated or brought together. The energy available is given by the binding energy curve, and the amount generated is much greater than that generated through chemical reactions. Fission of 1 gram of uranium yields as much energy as burning 3 tons of coal or 600 gallons of fuel oil, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

History

Nuclear engineering was born in 1938, with the discovery of nuclear fission. The first artificial nuclear reactor, CP-1, was designed by a team of physicists who were concerned that Nazi Germany might also be seeking to build a bomb based on nuclear fission. The second artificial nuclear reactor, the X-10 Graphite Reactor, was also a part of the Manhattan Project, as were the plutonium-producing reactors of the Hanford Engineer Works.
The first nuclear reactor to generate electricity was Experimental Breeder Reactor I, which did so near Arco, Idaho, in 1951. EBR-I was a standalone facility, not connected to a grid, but a later Idaho research reactor in the BORAX series did briefly supply power to the town of Arco in 1955.
The first commercial nuclear power plant, built to be connected to an electrical grid, is the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, which began operation in 1954. The second is the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, which produced electricity in 1957.
For a chronology, from the discovery of uranium to the current era, see or History of Nuclear Power. Also see , , and .
See List of Commercial Nuclear Reactors for a comprehensive listing of nuclear power reactors and for worldwide and country-level statistics on nuclear power generation.

Sub-disciplines

Nuclear engineers work in such areas as the following:

Nuclear reactor design, which has evolved from the Generation I, proof-of concept, reactors of the 1950s and 1960s, to Generation II, Generation III, and Generation IV concepts
Thermal hydraulics and heat transfer. In a typical nuclear power plant, heat generates steam that drives a steam turbine and an electric generator that produces electricity
Materials science as it relates to nuclear power applications
Managing the nuclear fuel cycle, in which fissile material is obtained, formed into fuel, removed when depleted, and safely stored or reprocessed
Nuclear propulsion, mainly for military naval vessels, but there have been concepts for aircraft and missiles. Nuclear power has been used in space since the 1960s
Plasma physics, which is integral to the development of fusion power
Weapons development and management
Generation of radionuclides, which have applications in industry, medicine, and many other areas
Nuclear waste management
Health physics
Nuclear medicine and Medical Physics
Health and safety
Instrumentation and control engineering
Process engineering
Project Management
Quality engineering
Reactor operations
Nuclear security
Nuclear engineering even has a role in criminal investigation, and agriculture.

Many chemical, electrical and mechanical and other types of engineers also work in the nuclear industry, as do many scientists and support staff. In the U.S., nearly 100,000 people directly work in the nuclear industry. Including secondary sector jobs, the number of people supported by the U.S. nuclear industry is 475,000.

Employment

In the United States, nuclear engineers are employed as follows:

Electric power generation 25%
Federal government 18%
Scientific research and development 15%
Engineering services 5%
Manufacturing 10%
Other areas 27%

Job prospects for nuclear engineers worldwide are not available, but the IAEA estimates that nuclear energy capacity will grow by 40% to 2.5 times current capacity by 2050. Countries with existing nuclear energy capacity and those actively exploring nuclear energy are listed in the following.

Country	Nuclear capabilities
Algeria	See .
Argentina	See
Armenia	See .
Australia	See nuclear sector and .
Austria	"Austria operates one central radioactive waste management and interim storage facility – Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH for pre-disposal management including treatment, conditioning and interim storage of low- and intermediate level radioactive waste." Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH collects, processes, conditions, and stores radioactive waste and does decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities for the Republic of Austria.
Azerbaijan	See .
Bangladesh	See and Nuclear Power in Bangladesh.
Belarus	See and Nuclear Power in Belarus.
Belgium	See Nuclear Power in Belgium and nuclear sector.
Bolivia	See
Botswana	See and Uranium in Africa.
Brazil	See nuclear sector and Nuclear Power in Brazil.
Bulgaria	See nuclear sector and Nuclear Power in Bulgaria.
Burundi	See
Cambodia	See
Canada	, nuclear sector, and Nuclear Power in Canada.
Central African Republic	See and Uranium in Africa.
Chile	See
China	See , and Nuclear Power in China.
Congo, Democratic Republic	See and Uranium in Africa.
Croatia	See and Nuclear Power in Croatia.
Czech Republic	See and Nuclear Power in the Czech Republic.
Cuba	See
Denmark	See and Nuclear Power in Denmark.
Ecuador	See
Egypt	See and El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant.
Equatorial Guinea	See and Uranium in Africa.
Estonia	See
Ethiopia	See
Finland	See and Nuclear Power in Finland.
France	See and Nuclear Power in France.
Gabon	See and Uranium in Africa.
Georgia	See
Germany	See and Nuclear Power in Germany.
Ghana	See
Greece	See
Guinea	See and Uranium in Africa
Guyana	See
Hungary	See and Nuclear Power in Hungary.
India	See and Nuclear Power in India.
Indonesia	See and Nuclear Power in Indonesia.
Iran	See and Nuclear Power in Iran.
Israel	See
Italy	See and Nuclear Power in Italy.
Japan	See and Nuclear Power in Japan.
Jordan	See and Nuclear Power in Jordan.
Kazakhstan	See and Nuclear Power in Kazakhstan.
Kenya	See
Korea, North	See Nuclear power in North Korea.
Korea, South	See and Nuclear Power in South Korea.
Kyrgyzstan	See .
Laos	See
Latvia	See
Lithuania	See and Nuclear Power in Lithuania.
Malawi	See and Uranium in Africa.
Malaysia	See
Mali	See
Mauritania	See
Mexico	See and Nuclear Power in Mexico.
Mongolia	See .
Morocco	See and Uranium in Africa.
Myanmar	See
Namibia	See .
Netherlands	See and Nuclear Power in the Netherlands.
New Zealand	See .
Niger	See .
Nigeria	See
Norway	See Nuclear power in Norway.
Oman	See
Pakistan	See and Nuclear Power in Pakistan.
Paraguay	See
Peru	See
Philippines	See
Poland	See and Nuclear Power in Poland.
Romania	See and Nuclear Power in Romania.
Russia	See and Nuclear Power in Russia.
Rwanda	See
Saudi Arabia	See and Nuclear Power in Saudi Arabia.
Senegal	See and Uranium in Africa.
Serbia	See
Singapore
Slovakia	See and Nuclear Power in Slovakia.
Slovenia	See and Nuclear Power in Slovenia.
South Africa	See and Nuclear Power in South Africa.
Spain	See and Nuclear Power in Spain.
Sri Lanka	See
Sudan	See
Sweden	See and Nuclear Power in Sweden.
Switzerland	See and Nuclear Power in Switzerland.
Syria	See
Taiwan	See and Nuclear Power in Taiwan.
Tajikistan	See .
Tanzania	See .
Thailand	See
Tunisia	See
Turkey	See and Nuclear Power in Turkey.
Uganda	See
Ukraine	See and Nuclear Power in Ukraine
United Arab Emirates	See and Nuclear Power in the United Arab Emirates.
United Kingdom	See and Nuclear Power in the United Kingdom.
United States	See and Nuclear Power in the USA.
Uzbekistan	See .
Venezuela	See
Vietnam	See and Nuclear Power in Vietnam.
Yemen	See
Zambia	See
Zimbabwe	See .