NPRE 441

Engineering at Illinois Engineering at Illinois

Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering

NPRE 441

COURSE OUTLINE

Course Number: NPRE 441

Title: Radiation Protection

Catalogue Description: Sources of nuclear radiation; ionization and energy deposition in matter with an emphasis on biological systems; principles of dosimetry; determination of exposure and limits for internal and external emitters; basic shielding calculations. Prerequisite: NPRE 446.

Course Topics and Hours
Principle Topics Covered Hours (Approximate)
Understanding Radiation and Radioactivity  
Radioactivity: what is radiation? 10.5
Sources of Radiation: where does our exposure come from? 4.5
Introduction to Health Physics and course requirements
 0.8
Historical perspective
 0.4
Review of atomic structure: focus on element substitution in biological systems
 2.8
Review of nuclear structure and reactions
 2
Nuclear reaction energies
 3.5
Sources  
Sources of radiation and regulatory aspects
 4.5
Concepts of Dosimetry and Shielding Derived From the Interactions of Radiation with MatterHeavy charged particles  
Heavy charged particles
 4
Beta particles
 3.5
Gamma rays
 3.5
Neutrons
 3.5
Biological effects and radiobiology
 5.5
Dosimetry  
Principles of dosimetry (also interspersed in above section)
 4
Calculation techniques for internal and external emitter
 3
Shielding  
Principles (build up factors etc.)
 2.1
Calculation examples with specific geometries
 1.5
[Three take home exams are given]  
Total 45.0

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Basic Texts:

Required:

  • Turner: "Atoms, Radiation and Radiation Protection, 2nd Ed."; Wiley Interscience, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1995.

Recommended:

  • Cember: "Introduction to Health Physics 3rd Ed."; McGraw Hill, 1996.
  • Lamarsh: "Introduction to Nuclear Engineering 2nd Ed.", Addison Wesley, 1983.

Prerequisites: NPRE 446 or consent of instructor

Purpose of Course:

  • This course is a prerequisite for NPRE 435, and NPRE 441
  • Required course in the Nuclear Engineering curricula.
  • The objective of this course is to reach the basic principles of health and medical physics in addition to radiobiology.
  • This course is a core course that covers the basic interactions of radiation with biological materials and radiation protection. The material is an integral part of the Nuc E degree. It is an integral part of the new Radiological Sciences path in Nuclear Engineering.
  • The level of technical content of this course is directed to senior nuclear engineering undergraduate students and to graduate students who enter the Department from other undergraduate fields. It provides the general background and knowledge necessary to pass the qualifying exam question in this area.
  • The course provides a logical relationship to the total offerings of the Department. Radiation protection is a major discipline in Nuclear Engineering, and this course is the only offering by the department in this area.

Instructor: Magdi Ragheb

Credit: 3 Semester Hours or 3/4 Unit

Meeting hours per week: 3

Class registration opacity: 30

Semesters course offered: REFER TO MASTER LISTING

Other notes: This class is useful as an elective course for the advanced undergraduate in Engineering who is interested in developing a nuclear option in his own curriculum. It is designed to meet the needs of terminal MS and BS students.

Course last revised: May 2007

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