Foreword

Attention to nuclear education was relatively early in Spain, when, in the 1950's, groups of dedicated physicists and engineers were sent abroad to prestigious institutions to be educated and immersed in the first research plans in Spain for mobilizing nuclear knowledge.

The recognition by Spanish electricity utilities of the significant role of nuclear energy as an efficient source of electric power lead to significant demand for nuclear engineers in order to satisfy the goal of a major national participation in that technology. Extensive curricula and chairs were formally established in the mid-1960's at the Polytechnic Universities of Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, and later at Valencia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Open University. Nuclear Engineering appears as a branch of a more general specialization in Energy Technologies. Departments of Nuclear Engineering grew very fast in personnel and infrastructure in the universities, including state-of-art experimental-teaching facilities. They cover a wide range of subjects, from nuclear physics to nuclear technology, including emerging plasma physics and nuclear fusion.

However, in 1983 the Spanish government established a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants and decided upon an open fuel cycle policy. Moreover, the construction of five nuclear plants was suspended. Almost in the same package, the former Nuclear Research Centre changed the orientation of its research focus, while maintaining some programmes in support of nuclear technologies at reduce level. That is reflected in its present denomination: Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medio Ambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) ("Centre for Research in Energy, Environment and Technology").

From that moment, the demand for trained nuclear engineers dramatically diminished, affecting each university with different intensity, considering that in some of them (e.g. Madrid Polytechnic University) those courses were mandatory inside the specialization of Energy Technologies.

At present, with nine nuclear power plants in operation and one in the process of being dismantled, the demand for nuclear engineers is limited to radioactive waste management, safety maintenance and plant life extension, while other interests have appeared at the same time, such as radioprotection and the use of radiation technologies in medicine and industry, where nuclear engineers compete with other university degrees.

A new structure of studies in Spain's Polytechnic Universities establishes flexible (user-adapted) curricula for students, in which many courses are optional. Experience in universities already working in such a system shows a low number of students specializing in nuclear engineering, making it difficult to continue offering such courses. It is clear that the training and large experience in nuclear technologies gained risks being lost in the Spanish education system. However, we also envision that strong high-quality collaboration with industry and institutions with nuclear interests can maintain the excellent level obtained, even with a reduced number of dedicated students. Increased co-participation in common areas through practices in industry and in new open areas in nuclear knowledge (Generation IV, transmutation, nuclear fusion technologies, etc) can give a new impulse to nuclear education. We also believe that application of quantum mechanics, which is an accumulated and needed knowledge in nuclear departments in Polytechnic Universities, is another high-quality option to expand and maintain the role of such groups in our societies.

Carolina Ahnert
Director
Departamento Ingeniería Nuclear (www.din.upm.es)
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

I. Academic Programme in the Department of Nuclear Engineering (Polytechnical University of Madrid)

I.1 Master Level

In 2000, a new curricula or academic programme was introduced in the College of Industrial Engineering at the Polytechnical University of Madrid. This new academic programme leads to the title of Industrial Engineer, at the Master level, and is divided in two cycles (cycle one in three years and cycle two in two years).

Among the obligatory subjects in this curriculum, all students study Energy Technologies (including Nuclear Systems).

In the second cycle, one of the specialties is Energy Technologies. Our department is involved in several subjects (see table 1). Some of these are mandatory, but others are totally optional.

Number of the students on the Energy Technologies course: 60.

The nuclear education offered by Polytechnical University of Madrid for a Master degree on Energy Technologies:

I.2 Doctoral Degree Programme in Nuclear Science and Technology

This PhD programme consists of two courses (a total of 32 credits should be obtained), plus a thesis.

The courses offered in the first year (students should obtain a total of 21 credits with 15 credits minimum by course):

In the second year, the department offers different tutorial works, consisting of several research projects (assuming 1st year work corresponds to 12 credits). The students have to participate in any research area of our department, being directed by one or two professors.

Number of students in our PhD programme: 15.

In 2003, the Spanish agency ANECA evaluated this PhD programme, obtaining the grade of excellence, being one of the two unique programmes with this qualification at UPM and unique among all the national nuclear programmes. To obtain this grade the criteria of quality, innovation and the high level of education have been considered.

II. Research Activities in Nuclear Engineering

• Nuclear Safety Assessment.
  
• Analysis of Severe Accidents in Nuclear Power Plants.
  
• Environmental, Radiological and Economic Impact of Radioactive Releases to the Environment.
  
• Safety Assessment of Geological Repositories for Nuclear Wastes.
  
• Fission Products and Transuranides Partitioning and Transmutation.
  
• Physics and Technology of Inertial Confinement Fusion.
  
• Reliability and Quality Assurance.
  
• Energy Politics and Economics.
  
• Accelerator Driven Systems to Transmutation: PbBi and Gas Cooled.
  
• Computational Physics of Fluids.
  
• Advanced Methods for Core Design and Fuel Loading Analysis in Pressurized Water Reactors.
  
• Neutronic-Thermalhydraulic 3D core simulators for Pressurized Water Reactors.
  
• Fluence and Neutron Damage in Reactor Pressure Vessels.
  
• Computational Simulation of Fluid Dynamics and Radiation Transport in Plasmas FCI.
  
• Inertial Confinement Fusion.
  
• Fusion Nuclear Reactors Materials Activation and Radiation Damage.
  
• Multiscale Modeling of Materials.

Key Words:

III. Academic and Research Staff at the Department of Nuclear Engineering (Poly. Univ. of Madrid)

Carolina Ahnert
Full Professor in Nuclear Engineering in the Naval Engineering School in the U.P.M., Department Director
E-mail: carol@din.upm.es

Doctor in Physics, Master in Nuclear Engineering. From 1970 to 1989 researcher in the Reactor Physics Division in the Junta de Energia Nuclear. From 1989 Nuclear Engineering Professor in the Polytechnical University of Madrid.

Inertial confinement fusion research and codes development for 10 years.

Co-developer of methods and the SEANAP code system, for nuclear design analysis of PWRs, that are in used in several power plants in Spain, under projects of the utilities, the Spanish administration, the Spanish nuclear regulator, and the power plants.

About 30 articles in international publications, and participation in 15 international conferences.

Consultant in research programmes for the IAEA and the NEA Data Bank. Participant in benchmark programmes of the NEA/Nuclear Science Committee. President of WIN-Spain.

J. Manuel Perlado
Professor/Chair of Nuclear Physics
E-mail: mperlado@din.upm.es

Representative of the Spanish government in the Committee of the European Commission for Fusion (CCE-FU) for the VI Framework Programme EURATOM. Advisor to the Spanish Representative at the European Union ICF "keep in touch" Programme. Scientific Secretary in European Conference on Laser Interaction with Matter (ECLIM) 1988 and 1996. Co-organiser of International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems (ICENES) 1984. Chairman of IAEA TCM on Physics and Technology of Inertial Fusion Energy Targets and Chambers, Madrid, June 2000. Chairman of 3rd IAEA Research Committee Meeting on Nuclear Data for Fusion Applications, Madrid 1994. Present member of International Programme Committee of Heavy Ion Inertial Fusion Conferences. Co-Chairman of IAEA Co-ordinated Research Programme for Elements on Inertial Fusion Power Plants, 2000-2004.

Guest Professor at ILE Osaka 1994. Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory several times from 1989 to 2000. Associated Scientist at CERN, 1995-6. Actually running three European Union Projects in the 5th Framework Programme (N-TOF, PDS-XADS, SIRENA), and Co-ordinator of the area of Multiscale Applications (fusion and fission) at the EU ITEM Network on Multiscale Modelling of Materials. Member of Proposal of a new Integrated Project to the VI Framework Programme EURATOM called PERFECT for integrated study of materials from experimental and simulation areas. Participating in the Multiscale Modelling EFDA Fusion Tasks 2003. Contributor in collaboration to ITER Spanish site in the Environmental Analysis, specifically the role of tritium.

Co-Editor of several books on inertial confinement fusion. Author of more than 100 refereed articles and chapter of books in journals such as Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B, Physics Letters, Journal of Nuclear Materials, Fusion Technology, Nuclear Technology, Nuclear Instruments and Methods, Journal of Fusion Energy, Nuovo Cimento, Fusion Engineering and Design, Laser and Particle Beams, Material Research Society.

Guillermo Velarde
Emeritus Professor and Director of the Institute of Nuclear Fusion (Polytechnical University of Madrid)
E-mail: gvelarde@denim.upm.es

Master in Aeronautical Engineering (1952), Doctor in Aeronautical Engineering, Polytechnical University of Madrid (1959), Pennsylvania State University, USA (1957), Professor, Chair of Nuclear Physics, E.T.S. Industrial Engineering, Polytechnical University of Madrid (since 1973), Director of the Department of Nuclear Engineering (1973-1985), General of Division of the Spanish Air Force.

Research Professor and Director of Advanced Technology in the Spanish Atomic Energy Commission, JEN (1956-1981), Argonne National Laboratory, IL, USA (1958), Atomics International, CA, USA (1959-1963), Commissioner of the Spanish National Commission of Space Research (1978-1981), Chairman of the Inertial Fusion Energy Coordinating Committee-Technical Group (IFECC-TG) of the European Union (since 1999).

Publications: 285 papers, (books, chapters of books, journals, proceedings, etc.), co-editor of several books (Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems (1987, World Scientific Publishing), Laser Interaction with Matter (1989, World Scientific Publishing), Nuclear Fusion by Inertial Confinement: A Comprehensive Treatise (1993, CRC Press Inc.), Energy from Inertial Fusion (1995, IAEA), Advances in Laser-Matter Interaction and Inertial Fusion (1997, World Scientific Publishing), Physics and Technology of Inertial Fusion Energy Targets and Chambers (IAEA).

Author of the following books: Reactor Theory (1960, JEN, Madrid), Quantum Mechanics (1968, ETSII Publishing, Madrid), Nuclear Physics (1969, ETSII Publishing, Madrid), Nuclear Fusion, J.M. Perlado and G. Velarde (1983, ETSII Publishing, Madrid), Quantum Mechanics (2002, McGraw-Hill/Interamericana de España, S.A.U., Madrid).

Awards: Edward Teller Award for research on Inertial Confinement Fusion (1997), Archie Harms Prize for research on emerging nuclear energy systems (1998).

Agustín Alonso
Emeritus Professor
E-mail: aas@ctn.din.upm.es

Prof. Agustín Alonso has been teaching nuclear safety and radiation protection since the early sixties at the Madrid Polytechnical University and for some time at the Catalonian Polytechnical University in Barcelona and at the Institute of Nuclear Studies at the old Nuclear Energy Board.

He has conducted research on nuclear safety, mainly in the areas of probabilistic safety analysis and in severe accident phenomenology, in this later case under the auspices of the Euratom framework programmes.

At present he is an ad honorem professor at the Nuclear Engineering Department waiting for his nomination as emeritus professor. In such a position, he will be active in teaching doctoral courses on nuclear safety and in performing research on severe accident phenomenology.

Amalio Saiz de Bustamante
Emeritus Professor
E-mail: amalio@etsin.upm.es

Areas of Expertise: Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA), Reliability and Quality Assurance.

Jose Maria Aragonés
Full Professor and Chair in Nuclear Physics
E-mail: arago@din.upm.es

Areas of Expertise: Author of large computer code systems for PWR core analysis, fuel management and operation; LWR coupled neutronic-thermalhydraulic, transient analysis; inertial fusion target physics. Consultant of OIEA-UN and CIEMAT-Spain on advanced and emerging nuclear energy systems (FBR, HTGR, ADS, ICF).

Scientific Societies and Committees:
Energy and Environment Tech. Research Center of Spain (CIEMAT), Scientific Advisory Committee on Nuclear Technology, 1996-2000. Spanish Nuclear Society (SNE-ENS) member, since 1977; Annual Meetings Committee, 1988-89; Steering Committee 1989-93; Editorial Board, Nuclear Europe, 1990-91; Chair, Communication Committee, 1994-95. American Nuclear Society (ANS) Member, since 1985; Mathematics and Computation Div. member, since 1985; International Programme Committees of M&C Topical Meetings (Paris, Portland, Saratoga, Salt Lake City); Member of M&C Programme Committee, since 1995; Programme Chair and Main Editor of the "Intl. Conf. on Mathematics and Computation, Reactor Physics and Environmental Analysis", sponsored by ANS-MCD and OCDE/NEA-NSC, held in Madrid, September 1999. Reactor Physics Division member, since 1985; International Programme Committees of RP Topical Meetings (Physor held in Mito, Pittsburg, Seoul). Nuclear Science Committee, NEA-OCDE, Delegate since 1990; Chair of NSC Expert Group on LWR Transients and Stability Benchmarks, since 1999. International Nuclear Academy, Member since 1994. Scientific Council of CEA-DEN, France, Member since 2002. Editorial Board, Nuclear Engineering and Design, since 1992. Executive Board, FJ/OH Summer School, since 2001.

Emilio Mínguez
Professor Chair of Nuclear Engineering
E-mail: emilio.minguez@etsii.upm.es

Associate Dean in the College of Industrial Engineering (ETSII) and Chairman of the Nuclear Engineering Department (1999-2000). His scientific fields of research are in reactor physics (neutronics and thermohydraulics), nuclear transmutation, inertial fusion, hybrid reactors and atomic physics for hot dense plasmas.

He has been Member of the Board of the Spanish Nuclear Society (1985-1989), Member of the Steering Committee of the Nuclear Europe Worldscan (1985-1989), Member of the several Committees of Scientific and Nuclear Conferences (4th ICENES 1986, 19th ECLIM 1988, 24th ECLIM 1996, Atomic Physics for Ion Beam 1995 and Member of the European Panel of the Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Laser Intenses de l'Ecole Polytechnique (1992-). Member of the Expert Group related to Art. 31 of the Euratom Treaty (1998-2000), Member of the Expert Group related to Art. 37 of the Euratom Treaty (2000-), Expert in the CEE- Fission of the European Union (2002-).

Chairman of the XVII Spanish Nuclear Society Annual Meeting (Jerez 1992), Chairman of the Editorial Committee of the Spanish Nuclear Society Journal (1984-1986). Chairman of two International Conferences: 24th ECLIM 1996, Atomic Physics for Ion Beam 1995.

Co-editor the book: Advances in Laser Interaction with Matter and Inertial Fusion World Scientific (1997). Guest editor of Laser and Particle Beams (1996 and 1998).

Over 100 papers in the following journals: Fusion Technology, Nuclear Technology, Atomkerneergie/Kertechnik, Laser and Particle Beams, Journal Quantum Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, Physics Letters B, Nuclear Europe, Nuclear Instrument and Methods. One chapter in the book "Nuclear Fusion by Inertial Confinement", G. Velarde, Y. Ronen, and J.M. Martínez-Val, Eds. CRC Press (Florida USA, 1993). Three books in Spanish edited by Foro Nuclear. Over 120 papers in international conference proceedings and Referee to some international journals.

Eduardo Gallego
Titular Professor
E-mail: gallego@ctn.din.upm.es

PhD in Industrial Engineering, Energy Technology (1990); Titular Professor (permanent academic staff) at UPM since 1992, where he is leading a small research team on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection. He is also responsible of a new facility for neutron dosimetry.

He has more than 15 years experience in the field of assessment of radiological and economic consequences of nuclear accidents, emergency planning and related problems, participating in some international working groups (such as IAEA's VAMP, the EC project MARIA, and groups of experts of the NEA/OECD). He collaborated with the Nuclear Safety Council of Spain (1989-1995) in the evaluation of emergency planning in Spain.

His most remarkable contributions in the last six years were made in the European projects MOIRA (A Model-Based Computerised System for Management Support to Identify Optimal Remedial Strategies for Restoring Radionuclide Contaminated Aquatic Ecosystems and Drainage Areas) and COMETES, playing an active role in the development and practical testing of several modules of the MOIRA decision support system, mainly those for the assessment of dose to man and biota and the economic cost of countermeasures, as well as the module for decision analysis based on Multiattribute Analysis.

He is member of the Executive Board of the Spanish Radiation Protection Society, and Scientific Secretary of the next IRPA-11 (International Radiation Protection Association) Congress in 2004.

Pedro Velarde
Titular Professor
E-mail: pedro@din.upm.es

Areas of Expertise:
Plasma Physics, Inertial Confinement Fusion, Radiation-Hydrodynamics, Hydrodynamic Instabilities. Numerical Simulations (ARWEN code).

Javier Honrubia
Titular Professor
E-mail: honrubia@etsii.upm.es

Areas of Expertise:
Plasma Physics, Accelerators, Inertial Confinement Fusion, Radiation-Hydrodynamics, Hydrodynamic Instabilities. Numerical Simulations.

Oscar Cabellos
Titular Professor
E-mail: cabellos@din.upm.es

Oscar Cabellos (MSci, power engineering, 1993; PhD, nuclear engineering, UPM, 1998) is professor of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Polytechnical University of Madrid. He has done research on fission since 1993 in reactor physics. His background includes the development of neutronic lattice codes and the coupling neutron-kinetics and thermal-hydraulics codes. He is currently working on calculations, methods, and uncertainties in computing radioactive inventories for the NIF and IFE power plants using ACAB system.

About 10 articles in international publications, and participation in several international Conferences.

Francisco Martín FuertesInterim
Titular Professor of Nuclear Technology
E-mail: fmf@ctn.din.upm.es

Interim Titular Professor at the Nuclear Engineering Department of UPM, being devoted to teaching tasks since 1995. He has worked at ENUSA (the Spanish National Uranium Fuel Company) during one year in thermal-hydraulic and safety designs of PWR core reloads. Since 1991, he has been involved in researching projects concerning computer simulation of severe accident topics in nuclear power plants. In this context, he has collaborated in agreements with the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council, UNESA (the Spanish utilities consortium), Soluziona (Unión Fenosa Engineering) and III, IV and V EU Framework Programmes on Nuclear Safety. The topics were thermal-hydraulics, core degradation, fission products release, hydrogen behaviour in the containment, physical and chemical behaviour of fission products and core-concrete interaction. A sound expertise in the MELCOR code (SNL-NRC, USA) has been developed.

IV. Academic and Research Staff in other Spanish Universities