Diploma in Nuclear Fuel Failure and Degradation
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in nuclear fuel failure and degradation. 8 modules covering in-reactor fuel behaviour, failure mechanisms in operation, accident behaviour, failure detection, post-irradiation examination, fuel performance modelling and degradation in storage, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Nuclear Fuel Failure and Degradation — studying from New Zealand
New Zealand's defence engineering sector is centred on the New Zealand Defence Force, which operates land, sea and air capabilities, with major bases at Linton and Burnham. Defence procurement and sustainment are managed through the Ministry of Defence, and local firms support maintenance, communications and vehicle systems. Land systems engineering is closely linked to the country's agricultural and forestry sectors, where ruggedised vehicles and equipment are developed and maintained.
Fees for New Zealand: NZ$2,160 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in New Zealand
Typical roles
Questions from New Zealand
How is defence and military engineering recognised in New Zealand?
Engineering registration is handled by Engineering New Zealand, and defence procurement and security clearances are managed through the New Zealand Defence Force and government procurement processes. Security clearance requirements can matter more than academic credentials for some roles. SEIUM is a private institute, and its qualifications are not accredited by a national body, so recognition rests with the employer.
What defence and land systems employers operate in New Zealand?
Opportunities arise with the New Zealand Defence Force, Defence Technology Agency, defence industry suppliers and engineering firms serving land systems and vehicles. Many roles require citizenship or security clearance. A private online qualification may support an application, but it does not guarantee a position, and clearance and experience usually weigh more heavily.
Is it possible to study from New Zealand without a visa, and can my employer pay?
Yes, programmes are 100% online and taught in English, so no student visa is needed to study from home. Each includes an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Specialist courses take 300 hours, diplomas 800 and master's 1,900, so plan your workload carefully.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Explain the phenomena governing fuel behaviour under irradiation.
Identify failure mechanisms in normal operation.
Analyse fuel response in LOCA and RIA accidents.
Apply detection and inspection techniques for failed rods.
Interpret post-irradiation examination results.
Model rod behaviour with specialised codes.
Prepare a root cause analysis of a fuel failure.
Who it's for
- Fuel performance engineers.
- Nuclear safety analysts.
- Post-irradiation examination specialists.
- Primary chemistry engineers.
- Fuel reliability engineers.
- Nuclear materials researchers.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the nuclear energy sector.
What you'll work with
- 10 CFR 50.46 (acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems)
- NUREG-0800, Section 4.2 (NRC standard review plan for fuel system design)
- IAEA SSG-52 (design of the reactor core for nuclear power plants)
- ASTM B811 (wrought zirconium alloy seamless tubes for nuclear cladding)
- IAEA SSR-2/1 (Rev. 1) (safety of nuclear power plants: design)
- NUREG-2224 (dry storage and transport of high-burnup fuel)
- FRAPCON
- FRAPTRAN
- TRANSURANUS
- BISON (MOOSE)
8 modules
1.1Pellet densification and swelling1.2Fission gas release1.3Restructuring and the rim effect1.4Cladding creep and growth1.5Zirconium hydriding1.6Pellet-cladding interaction1.7Waterside corrosion1.8Evolution with burnup1.9Irradiation damage in materials1.10Case study: interpretation of burnup data
2.1Debris fretting2.2Grid-to-rod fretting2.3PCI failure and stress corrosion cracking2.4Primary and secondary hydriding2.5CRUD deposits and accelerated corrosion2.6Manufacturing defects2.7Bowing and distortion of assemblies2.8Dryout failures2.9Fuel reliability statistics2.10Workshop: cause tree for a failure
3.1Loss-of-coolant accident3.2Acceptance criteria of 10 CFR 50.463.3High-temperature oxidation3.4Cladding embrittlement and ballooning3.5Reactivity-initiated accident3.6Fragmentation, relocation and dispersal3.7Severe accidents and core degradation3.8Accident-tolerant fuels3.9Tests in experimental reactors3.10Practical exercise: transient simulation with FRAPTRAN
4.1Radiochemistry of the primary coolant4.2Iodine and xenon indicator isotopes4.3Pool and in-mast sipping4.4Ultrasonic inspection of rods4.5Remote visual inspection4.6Eddy current testing of cladding4.7Estimating the number of failed rods4.8Operation with defective rods4.9Zero-failure programmes4.10Lab: coolant activity analysis
5.1Hot cells and remote handling5.2Metallography of irradiated cladding5.3Gamma scanning and profilometry5.4Electron microscopy5.5Analysis of retained fission gases5.6Mechanical testing of irradiated cladding5.7Measurement of hydrogen content5.8International databases5.9Interpretation of results5.10Case study: post-irradiation examination report
6.1Thermomechanical equations of the rod6.2The FRAPCON and FRAPTRAN codes6.3The TRANSURANUS code6.4BISON and the MOOSE framework6.5Fission gas release models6.6Validation against experimental data6.7Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis6.8Coupling with neutronics codes6.9Best estimate plus uncertainty (BEPU) methods6.10Lab: rod modelling with TRANSURANUS
7.1Long-term behaviour in pools7.2Hydride reorientation during drying7.3Cladding creep in dry storage7.4Stress corrosion cracking in casks7.5Canning of damaged fuel7.6NRC ISG-11 criteria7.7Ageing management7.8Fuel retrievability7.9International research on degradation7.10Case study: suitability for dry storage
8.1Description of the failure event8.2Operational and radiochemical data8.3Failure mechanism hypotheses8.4Thermomechanical modelling of the case8.5Inspection and examination results8.6Root cause and corrective actions8.7Lessons learned8.8Conclusions8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so the programme can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is FRAPCON, FRAPTRAN, TRANSURANUS and BISON (MOOSE), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: radiochemical analysis of coolant activity, post-irradiation examination of cladding and thermomechanical simulation of transients. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: 10 CFR 50.46, NUREG-0800 (Section 4.2), IAEA SSG-52, ASTM B811, IAEA SSR-2/1 (Rev. 1) and NUREG-2224.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with FRAPCON, FRAPTRAN, TRANSURANUS and BISON (MOOSE), using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a suitable computer and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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