Dedika is a platform where you learn by doing: whether it's putting together a business proposal, becoming a nail technician, or using a new tool, for example. No matter your goal, the best content on the topic is already out there. But it's often in another language, expensive, scattered around, lacking practice activities, or part of a course that's too long for a busy schedule. That's why Dedika has its own approach: we find this material wherever it is, organise what makes sense for your goal, review it with support from experts who are available to answer questions, and create practical exercises so you learn by doing. You're the most important part of your journey and no one knows it better than you: choose the content and course length, whether you'll learn online or offline, and in whichever format suits you—video, text, audio, or summary. Your way, only with what makes sense for you. Here, every moment you dedicate is worth more and you get to what matters faster.

Our courses include a summary at the end of each chapter, which you can download as a PDF and print.

More than 2 million students worldwide

Present in more than 180 countries

Certificate valid in your country

Home Page

...

Nuclear Energy Course

All courses

Engineering, Construction and Technology

Energy

Nuclear Energy Course

For all levels

Nuclear Energy Course

Name: Nuclear Energy Course
Price: 294 AUD

Master the science and engineering behind nuclear power, from reactor physics and radiation protection to fuel cycle management and plant operations. This course delivers the technical depth that nuclear professionals, engineers, and energy policy analysts need to work confidently in the industry. Build a rigorous, career-ready foundation in one of the world's most consequential energy technologies.

Dedika for businesses

What you'll learn:

You will develop a thorough understanding of nuclear physics, including fission, fusion, radioactive decay, and neutron behaviour in reactor cores. You will learn how commercial reactor designs such as PWRs, BWRs, and advanced SMRs are engineered, operated, and regulated. The course covers radiation protection, dosimetry, and ALARA practices used daily in nuclear facilities. You will also study thermal hydraulics, safety analysis methods, and probabilistic risk assessment. Nuclear fuel cycle topics include enrichment, spent fuel storage, and radioactive waste classification. By the end, you will be equipped to analyse reactor behaviour, apply regulatory frameworks, and contribute to safe, efficient nuclear plant operations.

How you study in practice Nuclear Energy Course

How you practise Nuclear Energy Course

For businesses looking to train their team

With Dedika for businesses, the course includes exercises and examples tailored to your own business and the way your company needs.

Click here

Course content

8 Chapters • 40 LessonsDuration between 4 and 360 hours (you decide)

Chapter 1See details

Foundations of Nuclear Physics

Lesson 1 • Fusion Fundamentals
Surveys deuterium-tritium and other fusion reactions, Lawson criterion, and plasma confinement concepts. Positions fusion as a complementary long-term energy pathway.
Lesson 2 • Nuclear Reactions and Cross Sections
Introduces reaction notation, Q-values, and neutron cross sections. These concepts underpin neutron behaviour analysis in reactor cores.
Lesson 3 • Fission Physics
Details the fission process, fissile versus fertile materials, and prompt versus delayed neutrons. Establishes the neutron multiplication framework central to reactor design.
Lesson 4 • Radioactive Decay Modes
Examines alpha, beta, and gamma decay mechanisms and their emission characteristics. Connects decay modes to radiation protection and isotope selection in reactors.
Lesson 5 • Atomic Structure and Nuclear Forces
Covers protons, neutrons, electrons, and the strong nuclear force binding nuclei. Provides the atomic model needed for all subsequent nuclear reaction analysis.

Chapter 2See details

Radiation Types and Interactions

Lesson 1 • Photon Interactions with Matter
Covers photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, and pair production as gamma attenuation mechanisms. Connects attenuation coefficients to gamma shielding thickness calculations.
Lesson 2 • Radiation Detection Instruments
Surveys Geiger-Müller, scintillation, and semiconductor detectors and their operating principles. Prepares students to select and calibrate instruments for field and laboratory use.
Lesson 3 • Charged Particle Interactions
Analyses energy loss mechanisms of alpha and beta particles through ionisation and Bremsstrahlung. Establishes range and stopping power concepts used in shielding design.
Lesson 4 • Neutron Interactions and Moderation
Examines elastic scattering, inelastic scattering, and neutron capture as energy-loss pathways. Links moderator material selection to neutron thermalisation efficiency.
Lesson 5 • Radiation Dosimetry Concepts
Defines absorbed dose, equivalent dose, and effective dose with their respective units. Provides the quantitative basis for occupational exposure limits and monitoring.

Chapter 3See details

Nuclear Reactor Theory and Design

Lesson 1 • Neutron Diffusion Theory
Derives the one-group diffusion equation and applies it to simple reactor geometries. Provides the mathematical framework for flux distribution and leakage estimation.
Lesson 2 • Reactor Control Systems
Describes control rod materials, chemical shim, and burnable poisons as reactivity management tools. Links control system design to operational flexibility and safety margins.
Lesson 3 • Reactor Kinetics and Delayed Neutrons
Models prompt and delayed neutron contributions to power transients using point kinetics equations. Explains why delayed neutrons make reactor control physically achievable.
Lesson 4 • Reactivity Feedback Mechanisms
Analyses Doppler broadening, moderator temperature, and void coefficients as inherent safety feedbacks. Connects negative feedback coefficients to passive safety behaviour.
Lesson 5 • Criticality and the Six-Factor Formula
Breaks down the six-factor formula into thermal utilisation, resonance escape, and leakage terms. Enables quantitative criticality assessment for reactor core configurations.

Chapter 4See details

Reactor Types and Core Components

Lesson 1 • Pressurised Water Reactor Systems
Details PWR primary and secondary loop configuration, steam generators, and pressuriser function. Establishes the dominant commercial reactor design as the baseline for comparison.
Lesson 2 • Reactor Materials and Fuel Fabrication
Reviews zirconium alloy cladding, uranium dioxide pellet fabrication, and structural steel selection criteria. Links material properties to fuel performance and in-core longevity.
Lesson 3 • Boiling Water Reactor Systems
Examines BWR direct-cycle steam generation, jet pump recirculation, and reactor pressure vessel design. Highlights differences from PWR in coolant behaviour and containment strategy.
Lesson 4 • Fast Reactor and Breeder Concepts
Analyses sodium-cooled fast reactors and their breeding ratio for plutonium production. Connects fast spectrum operation to fuel cycle closure and waste reduction goals.
Lesson 5 • Heavy Water and Gas-Cooled Reactors
Covers CANDU on-power refuelling and HTGR graphite-moderated helium-cooled designs. Illustrates how moderator and coolant choices affect fuel cycle flexibility.

Chapter 5See details

Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics

Lesson 1 • Boiling Heat Transfer and Critical Heat Flux
Distinguishes nucleate boiling, departure from nucleate boiling, and film boiling regimes. Defines the critical heat flux limit as the primary thermal safety criterion.
Lesson 2 • Conduction in Fuel and Cladding
Solves steady-state heat conduction through cylindrical fuel pellets and cladding layers. Identifies temperature limits that define fuel centreline and cladding integrity margins.
Lesson 3 • Single-Phase Coolant Flow Analysis
Applies forced convection correlations to subcooled coolant flow in reactor channels. Connects flow rate, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficient to core cooling adequacy.
Lesson 4 • Emergency Core Cooling Systems
Describes passive and active ECCS designs that restore core cooling after a loss-of-coolant accident. Links ECCS performance to peak cladding temperature acceptance criteria.
Lesson 5 • Heat Generation in Reactor Cores
Quantifies volumetric heat generation from fission and gamma heating across the core. Establishes the power distribution input required for all thermal analysis.

Chapter 6See details

Nuclear Safety and Regulatory Framework

Lesson 1 • Severe Accident Management
Analyses core melt progression, hydrogen generation, and containment failure modes beyond design basis. Links severe accident management guidelines to operator response strategies.
Lesson 2 • Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Introduces fault tree, event tree, and common-cause failure analysis for quantifying core damage frequency. Connects PRA results to risk-informed decision-making in plant operations.
Lesson 3 • Design-Basis Accident Analysis
Covers deterministic event classification, initiating event selection, and acceptance criteria verification. Provides the structured methodology for licensing-basis safety demonstration.
Lesson 4 • Regulatory Oversight and Licensing
Surveys the regulatory review process, safety analysis report structure, and inspection programme elements. Prepares students to navigate regulatory interactions throughout a plant's lifecycle.
Lesson 5 • Defence-in-Depth Safety Philosophy
Defines the multiple-barrier strategy encompassing fuel matrix, cladding, pressure boundary, and containment. Frames all subsequent safety analysis within a layered protection structure.

Chapter 7See details

Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management

Lesson 1 • Uranium Enrichment Technologies
Compares gaseous diffusion and gas centrifuge enrichment processes by separative work unit economics. Connects enrichment level to reactor fuel type and non-proliferation constraints.
Lesson 2 • Radioactive Waste Classification and Disposal
Classifies low-, intermediate-, and high-level waste streams and matches each to appropriate disposal pathways. Introduces deep geological repository concepts for high-level waste isolation.
Lesson 3 • In-Reactor Fuel Behaviour
Examines burnup-dependent fission product buildup, fuel swelling, and cladding creep during irradiation. Links in-reactor performance to discharge burnup limits and fuel reliability.
Lesson 4 • Uranium Mining and Conversion
Covers open-pit, underground, and in-situ leach mining methods and yellowcake conversion to UF6. Establishes the front-end supply chain feeding enrichment facilities.
Lesson 5 • Spent Fuel Storage and Handling
Describes wet pool storage, dry cask systems, and criticality control requirements for spent fuel. Provides the operational basis for safe interim storage pending final disposal.

Chapter 8See details

Nuclear Power Plant Operations

Lesson 1 • Plant Startup and Power Ascension
Sequences pre-criticality checks, initial criticality approach, and step-wise power ascension testing. Connects startup physics testing to verification of core design predictions.
Lesson 2 • Planned Shutdown and Refuelling Outage
Details controlled shutdown sequence, decay heat removal, and refuelling cavity flooding procedures. Links outage planning to fuel management strategy and maintenance scheduling.
Lesson 3 • Abnormal Event Response Procedures
Applies symptom-based emergency operating procedures to reactor trip, loss of feedwater, and LOCA scenarios. Trains systematic operator decision-making under time-critical conditions.
Lesson 4 • Plant Performance and Capacity Factor
Analyses capacity factor drivers, forced outage rate reduction, and reliability-centred maintenance strategies. Connects operational excellence metrics to economic competitiveness of nuclear generation.
Lesson 5 • Normal Power Operation Monitoring
Covers steady-state flux monitoring, coolant chemistry surveillance, and equipment performance trending. Establishes the continuous monitoring practices that maintain safety margins during operation.

Certification

Your valid completion certificate

This course is for you:

Engineering students: seeking a rigorous technical grounding in nuclear systems early.
Career changers: transitioning from mechanical or chemical engineering into nuclear roles.
Energy policy analysts: needing deeper technical literacy to evaluate nuclear proposals.
Military nuclear personnel: translating operational experience into civilian industry credentials.
Science educators: building accurate, current knowledge of nuclear power generation.
Environmental professionals: assessing nuclear energy's role in low-carbon energy planning.

What our students say

Your lessons are perfect. I purchased the one-year package and finally have the opportunity to follow various topics of interest without needing to change platforms... I'm grateful for everything you do, I've already recommended you to other people...