Chalmers University of Technology

Nuclear power technology has been a major asset since the mid-70s for decarbonizing electricity generation and for decreasing our reliance on fossil fuel. With more than 400 nuclear reactors currently in operation worldwide (more than 90 being in Western Europe) and more than 50 under construction, nuclear reactors will play a significant role for many years to come. By following this course, you will be able to understand the development of this technology from its early days, how it works, its advantages, disadvantages, limitations, and how it may contribute to climate-change mitigation. This course provides a holistic perspective and increased knowledge in nuclear reactor technology.   Topics Part 1: Nuclear power: an old story...: 3 chapters detailing the underlying principles of nuclear reactors for the purpose of understanding the history of the development of nuclear power: Elementary concepts in nuclear physics. Working principles of nuclear reactors. History of world nuclear power development. Part 2: Nuclear reactor technology: 11 chapters focusing on how a nuclear reactor works, with emphasis on Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology. Both the phenomenological and engineering aspects of nuclear reactors are covered. Electricity production. Reactor generations. Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology. Thermodynamic analysis of LWRs. Neutron cycle. Fuel depletion. Reactor control. Reactor dynamics. Reactor operation. Fundamental principles of reactor safety. Nuclear fuel. Part 3: Nuclear power, saving the world? 5 chapters explaining the aspects of nuclear power to be considered in a climate mitigation perspective, and the advantages/disadvantages/limitations of this technology. Nuclear fuel, waste and resources. Proliferation risks. Risks. Cost of electricity. Conclusions.   Course structure and set-up This is a self-paced course made of video lectures and interactive quizzes, which means that you can start and finish the course whenever you want. The course is free of charge and is given in English. The resources need to be studied sequentially. You cannot bypass given resources unless all previous learning activities were taken: For the video lectures, this means watching the video recording. For the quizzes, this means correctly answering the quiz questions, for which an unlimited number of attempts is allowed. For a few quizzes slightly more involved, you will be able to access the following resources even if you fail to find the correct answer. After completing the course, you will be issued a course certificate. Completing the course means reaching the end of the course, for which you need to have watched all video lectures and attempted all quizzes (the vast majority of the quizzes also require to have found the correct answer to the quiz questions).   Expected amount of work Completing the entire course takes about 40 hours of work. Level of the course Basic. A BSc in Engineering or similar knowledge is required. As all principles presented in the course are derived from scratch, any participant with an engineering background will be able to comprehend the course.

The course is given by Chalmers University of Technology. VIDEOCLIP - TEASER: Take two min to get a sense of the course and hear why you should take it: https://play.chalmers.se/embed/secure/iframe/entryId/0_wvsk9cji/uiConfId/23450493/st/0 FOR WHO: The course aims at professionals working with or affected by ongoing sustainability transitions. For example, the course targets professionals such as: Those who work with environmental policy related business development and sustainability practice in larger corporations. Examples of typical sectors include transport, energy, food and manufacturing. Civil servants within authorities or municipal operations who are responsible for issues with climate relevance or circular economy. Professionals working with development cooperations, or in intergovernmental organizations with related issues. Applied researchers who want to get an introduction to the subjects. WHAT AND WHY: In this course your invited to learn from the experience and knowledge of a world-leading expert in environmental policy instruments (Thomas Sterner) who, with the help of pedagogical experts, has cherry-picked content from a master's course at Chalmers and tailored the course structure for you as a professional. In the wake of the increased pace of ongoing sustainability transitions, environmental policies are becoming more comprehensive, complex and stringent. The purpose of this course is to give professionals an introduction to the portfolio of environmental policy instruments and equip them with tools to understand the mechanisms of the respective instruments and learn to work strategically with them in their own practice. The course will focus on topics such as climate change, the circular economy, and the energy crisis. To learn from the experience of thought leaders from several major industries, you will be able to view interviews with experts who talk about the role and implications of policies to their work and the sustainability transitions of their industry. WHEN AND HOW: All parts of the course are free of charge, and you choose when and at what pace you want to complete the course elements. The course will be given in English, and the estimated time spent is 35-50 hours, depending on how much of the optional material you chose to study. The course offers you the possibility to tailor the learning experience as it fits best with your professional development. Therefore, it is recommended to read the course together with colleagues, to share joint learning and anchor it in your daily work. However, this is not a requirement. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: The course gives a broad overview of the economic concepts underlying environmental policymaking. You will get insights into the practicalities of environmental and climate policies, both from the perspectives of those implementing the policy and of those facing new regulations. On completion of the course, you will for example be able to: describe and recognize how environmental policy instruments work. identify and relate to which environmental policy instruments are key to climate action and circular economy efforts in one's own sector and organization. The course offers a dynamic learning environment with short videos, quizzes, exercises, and resources.