Nuclear Reprocessing Course: PUREX and Alternatives
300-hour online Course in nuclear reprocessing: PUREX and alternatives. 6 modules covering IAEA SSR-4 (Safety of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities), IAEA SSG-42 (Safety of Reprocessing Facilities) and SCALE (ORIGEN). Assigned tutor and enrolment open.
Nuclear Reprocessing Course: PUREX and Alternatives — studying from New Zealand
New Zealand has no nuclear power generation, and its nuclear-related activity is limited to research, isotope applications and the regulation of imported radioactive materials. The country maintains a firm policy position against nuclear power under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987. Relevant professional roles mainly involve radiation protection, medical and industrial applications, and international safeguards cooperation, overseen by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Health.
Fees for New Zealand: NZ$1,080 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in New Zealand
Typical roles
Questions from New Zealand
Does New Zealand have nuclear engineering registration or recognition?
New Zealand has no domestic nuclear power industry, and its nuclear-related activity is regulated mainly through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for the Environment under the Radiation Protection framework. Engineering New Zealand is the general professional body. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by any national body, so their recognition is for employers to decide.
Where could nuclear-related engineering skills be used in New Zealand?
Relevant work in New Zealand is limited and mostly found in research, radiation safety, medical physics, and the handling of radioactive materials in industry and health. Employers in these areas generally require specific accredited training and licensing. A private qualification alone is unlikely to satisfy those requirements.
Can I study this from New Zealand without relocating?
Yes. The course is fully online and taught in English, so you can study from New Zealand and no student visa is needed. Specialist courses total 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and master's programmes 1,900 hours, with an assigned technical tutor. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible.
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
Place reprocessing within open and closed cycle strategies.
Explain at an academic level the chemical fundamentals of solvent extraction.
Analyse the management of high-level waste generated in reprocessing.
Compare the PUREX process with advanced separation and transmutation processes.
Describe the safety, safeguards and non-proliferation requirements that apply.
Assess the economic and strategic implications of fuel recycling.
Prepare a comparative analysis of fuel cycle options.
Who it's for
- Nuclear chemical engineer who wishes to specialise in Nuclear Reprocessing: PUREX and Alternatives.
- Fuel cycle analyst who wishes to specialise in Nuclear Reprocessing: PUREX and Alternatives.
- Safeguards specialist who wishes to specialise in Nuclear Reprocessing: PUREX and Alternatives.
- High-level waste management technician who wishes to specialise in Nuclear Reprocessing: PUREX and Alternatives.
- Researcher in actinide separation who wishes to specialise in Nuclear Reprocessing: PUREX and Alternatives.
- Consultant in fuel cycle strategy who wishes to specialise in Nuclear Reprocessing: PUREX and Alternatives.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to enter the nuclear fuel cycle.
What you'll work with
- IAEA SSR-4 (Safety of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities)
- IAEA SSG-42 (Safety of Reprocessing Facilities)
- Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
- INFCIRC/153 (comprehensive safeguards agreements)
- INFCIRC/540 (additional protocol)
- Regulation (Euratom) No 302/2005 (Euratom safeguards)
- Directive 2011/70/Euratom (radioactive waste management)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Open cycle versus closed cycle1.2Isotopic composition of spent fuel1.3History of civil reprocessing1.4Reference facilities: La Hague, Sellafield and Rokkasho1.5Recovered products and waste streams1.6MOX fuel and recycling in thermal reactors1.7Comparative economics of recycling1.8International debate and non-proliferation1.9Decladding and dissolution: an overview1.10Case study: mass balance of one tonne of spent fuel
2.1Actinide chemistry in nitric medium2.2Oxidation states of uranium and plutonium2.3Principles of liquid-liquid extraction2.4Tributyl phosphate as an extractant2.5Distribution coefficients and separation factors2.6Radiolytic degradation of the solvent2.7Contact equipment: mixer-settlers and columns2.8Criticality safety in solutions2.9Fate of neptunium and technetium2.10Practice: conceptual calculation of extraction stages
3.1High-level waste and vitrification3.2Borosilicate glasses and ceramic matrices3.3Hulls and end caps as structural waste3.4Liquid and gaseous effluents3.5Kr-85, I-129 and tritium in discharges3.6Discharge limits and the OSPAR Convention3.7Geological disposal of vitrified waste3.8Volumes compared with the open cycle3.9Immobilisation of intermediate-level waste3.10Case study: waste inventory of a typical plant
4.1Advanced separation of minor actinides4.2DIAMEX, SANEX and GANEX processes4.3Co-extraction without separated plutonium: COEX4.4Electrochemical pyroprocessing4.5Fluoride volatility processes4.6Partitioning and transmutation4.7Integration with fast reactors4.8Technological maturity of the alternatives4.9Separation of lanthanides and actinides4.10Workshop: comparative matrix of recycling processes
5.1GIF methodology for proliferation resistance5.2IAEA safeguards at reprocessing plants5.3Material accountancy and material unaccounted for5.4Containment and surveillance measures5.5Physical protection of sensitive materials5.6Radiation protection and chemical risk in the plant5.7EURATOM control and national regulation5.8Social acceptance and political decisions5.9Transport of materials and storage timeframes5.10Case study: safeguards approach at Rokkasho
6.1Definition of the energy scenario6.2Inventory of available spent fuel6.3Selection of the recycling option6.4Balance of materials and waste generated6.5Simplified economic assessment6.6Proliferation and safeguards analysis6.7Environmental impact and social acceptance6.8Final strategic recommendation6.9Report and presentation6.10Final 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. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine the course with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is SCALE (ORIGEN), AMUSE (solvent extraction modelling, Argonne), HSC Chemistry, Python (pandas), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practicals are based on real academic material-balance procedures for the closed cycle, comparative analysis of advanced separation processes and safeguards case studies at reprocessing plants. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrating project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Place reprocessing within open and closed cycle strategies.
Explain at an academic level the chemical fundamentals of solvent extraction.
Analyse the management of high-level waste generated in reprocessing.
Compare the PUREX process with advanced separation and transmutation processes.
Describe the safety, safeguards and non-proliferation requirements that apply.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient command of Spanish to follow technical regulatory texts.
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 comprises 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with SCALE (ORIGEN), AMUSE (solvent extraction modelling, Argonne), HSC Chemistry, Python (pandas). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a Course or Postgraduate Diploma in the same area are recognised towards the higher-level programme. Please check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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