Course Overview

The 4½ day workshop programme is designed to give a thorough insight into Nuclear Criticality Safety theory and practice, and develop these principles with a strong operational slant.

The workshop programme is aimed at:

• People with oversight responsibility for criticality safety, for example plant managers
• Criticality safety specialists with less than 2 years’ experience
• Individuals who, through their discipline, require a working knowledge of criticality safety (for example regulators, safety case/programme managers)

The workshops will include consideration of topics including:

• Fundamentals of NCS
• Neutron kinetics
• Characteristics of criticality
• Criticality accidents
• Limits and controls
• Operating limits and controls
• Emergency planning and response
• Plant modification and change control

These topics are supplemented by several interactive group sessions to give attendees simulated first-hand experience in testing what they have learned. The workshops draw upon two courses offered by the University of New Mexico: “NCS Short Course” and “Workshop for Managers in NCS” and includes extensive UK and US experience in NCS.

This unique workshop programme will enable participants to develop their knowledge of NCS along with gaining an insight into contemporary safety case methodology through real workshop training. Many elements of the workshops will cover core training for both criticality specialists and those with an oversight role in this area of nuclear safety. Participants will also benefit from networking and sharing experiences with other members of the nuclear sector, both in the UK and abroad.

Nuclear Safety is paramount to the success of nuclear operations and The National Nuclear Laboratory is committed to providing cutting-edge industry training with this well-established NCS course, recognised nationally and internationally.

The workshop programme will start promptly at 9.00am on Monday 9th May 2022. It is envisaged that the sessions will run through until 5pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There may however be some small flexibility in this.

The course will finish at 12.30pm on Friday 13^th May.

All delegates will receive a certificate of attendance on the course. There is an optional course test provided at the end of the workshop, running from 1:30-2:30pm. Those choosing to participate will receive a grading and feedback on an individual basis. The test is not a requirement for successful completion of the course.

Lunch is provided and scheduled for around 45mins each day – please can you let us know in your application any special dietary requirements or venue needs.

A light lunch will also be available on Friday and available to all attendees if their travel plans allow.

In past courses some attendees have requested information about the pre-course skills needed.

For technical skills, no specific background is assumed for the course, acknowledging that there is diversity among the attendees both in career experience and academic achievement.  What will be assumed is that each attendee will have some technical education, amounting to a basic proficiency in mathematics, chemistry and nuclear physics.  For example:

• an understanding of the concept of powers (e.g. 0.001 = 1 x 10^-3)
• the combination of elements into compounds and molecules (e.g. plutonium oxide is a compound comprising the elements plutonium and oxygen and can be expressed as PuO₂ )
• an atom comprises constituent particles of electrons, protons and neutrons, with the neutrons and protons existing in a nucleus
• isotopes are elements with a differing number of neutrons but are chemically indistinguishable.
• some elements can spontaneously, or be induced to, disintegrate (fission) which may in turn release sub-nuclear particles, including neutrons

This is the minimum level anticipated.  All concepts will, where needed, be explained on the course and so it is not necessary that any specific background reading or preparation in this area is required.

For industry knowledge, few assumptions on knowledge of the nuclear industry are made other than an understanding of the principal concept of nuclear power (for example, fuel manufacture as part of energy production).  Handling of such fuels through their life cycle (whether reprocessed or stored long-term) and the management of the associated processes and by-products such as waste etc. is helpful but not essential.  Again a basic level is assumed which will be built on as necessary on the course.

For background in criticality safety no preparation is necessary.  It is assumed that in your job you have an incentive to gain a better knowledge of the field of criticality safety and hence it may be worth having some thought as to what you want from the course, so that your goals can be better met.  Note that if there is any specific issue you wish to be discussed please identify this with a member of the course team and, if it is not covered naturally in the planned sessions, we will do our best to accommodate your needs.