NUC-342: RADIOLOGICAL, REACTOR, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY

Final Paper

OVERVIEW

For the final paper, you will be writing an 8- to 12-page paper (2000 to 33ose of the final paper is for you to become familiar with all of these proces00 words) describing various activities in the nuclear fuel life cycle, from the initial mining of fuel in the ground to retirement as high level waste or recycling as MOX fuel. The purposes and to be able to implement the nuclear safety requirements in nuclear power plants, nuclear medical facilities, other plants and facilities that form part of the nuclear fuel cycle, and the environment in general.

The United States currently uses the open (once through) fuel cycle, but there is an ongoing discussion about whether open or closed is preferable. For the last part of the paper, you will be researching the advantages and disadvantages of each and recommending which one is better for the United States to pursue.

The paper will be completed in two parts: an outline and a final paper. See the Course Calendar for due dates.

Course objectives covered in this paper/project include CO 1, CO 2, CO 3, CO 4, CO 5, CO 6

INSTRUCTIONS

Part 1: Outline

For Part 1 of the final paper, you will be creating an outline which should include the following topics:

• Uranium ore sources
• Environmental and OSHA considerations in mining
• Enrichment processes and facilities
• Fuel pellet manufacture
• Fuel assembly manufacture
• Life cycle in the core
• Fuel handling during removal from the core including dose concerns
• Spent fuel temporary storage
• Spent fuel permanent storage locations
• Spent fuel recycling methods

For each of the above topics, your outline should include at least two or three subtopics. You should also identify at least two to three references for each topic. (A reference can be used for more than one topic.) The references should be from scholarly articles and from publications or websites of relevant national and international organizations. List the references in APA format on a separate page at the end of the outline. The outline will be worth 3% of your final grade in the course. A grading rubric can be found in the Evaluation Rubrics folder.

Part 2: Paper

For Part 2, you will be using your outline and the feedback from your mentor to write a cohesive paper that summarizes the nuclear fuel life cycle. Additionally, you will research and present the advantages and disadvantages of both the open fuel cycle and the closed fuel cycle. Based on your findings, provide a recommendation and rationale as to which is better for the United States to pursue.

Your paper should be 8 to 12 pages (2000 to 3300 words) and should include a minimum of 10 references from scholarly articles and from publications or websites of relevant national and international organizations. Cite your references using APA format. The paper will be worth 27% of your final grade in the course. A grading rubric can be found in the Evaluation Rubrics folder.

WRITING AND RESEARCH RESOURCES

The following links provide online writing and research aids to help you with your paper assignments.

• OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University
• Writer's Handbook, the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
• APA Guidelines
• Information Literacy for TESU Students (an online guide from the New Jersey State Library to assist you in starting your research, searching databases for articles, citing sources, using ILLiad to request books or articles, etc.)