Fusion Plasma Diagnostics Course
Online 300-hour course in fusion plasma diagnostics. 6 modules covering the ITER Plant Control Design Handbook (PCDH), IEC 60825-1 (laser product safety) and IMAS (ITER). Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Fusion Plasma Diagnostics Course — studying from the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has a long history in nuclear engineering and maintains a substantial sector spanning reactor operation, decommissioning, fuel cycle and new build projects. Sites at Sellafield, Hinkley Point, Dounreay and Harwell host work on fuel cycle, waste management and advanced reactor technology. Organisations such as the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, EDF, Rolls-Royce SMR and Urenco UK employ engineers in design, safety and operations. Nuclear activities are overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, which sets strict safety and security requirements.
Fees for the United Kingdom: £537 (Pound sterling), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in the United Kingdom
Typical roles
Questions from the United Kingdom
Which UK regulators and bodies govern nuclear engineering, and how do they treat private training?
The Office for Nuclear Regulation regulates nuclear safety in the UK, and the Nuclear Institute is the main professional body. Competence requirements for licensed sites are set by the operator and regulator. SEIUM's qualifications are private, not state degrees, and not accredited by any national body, so they carry no regulatory standing and recognition is at the discretion of employers and the Nuclear Institute.
Do UK nuclear operators and fuel cycle employers hire people with private online qualifications?
UK nuclear employers typically require security clearance, specific competence assessments and qualifications recognised within the industry. A private online qualification may add to your profile but is unlikely to replace formal requirements. Employers decide its value, so check the entry criteria for roles you want before investing in the programme.
How intensive is the programme, and can I fund it through employer sponsorship in the UK?
Specialist courses take 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and master's programmes 1,900 hours, all online in English with an assigned technical tutor. Fees can be paid in instalments. Employer sponsorship is possible, and many UK nuclear employers run their own training schemes, so ask whether your employer would fund this specifically.
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
Identify the plasma parameters that need to be measured.
Explain magnetic and microwave diagnostics.
Describe optical and spectroscopic diagnostics.
Analyse nuclear and particle diagnostics.
Evaluate the integration challenges of diagnostics in ITER.
Interpret experimental data to reconstruct the state of the plasma.
Design a diagnostic system for a measurement objective.
Who it's for
- Plasma diagnostics engineer who wants to specialise in Diagnostics in Fusion Plasmas.
- Experimental fusion physicist who wants to specialise in Diagnostics in Fusion Plasmas.
- Spectroscopy specialist who wants to specialise in Diagnostics in Fusion Plasmas.
- Fusion instrumentation engineer who wants to specialise in Diagnostics in Fusion Plasmas.
- Plasma data analyst who wants to specialise in Diagnostics in Fusion Plasmas.
- ITER integration engineer who wants to specialise in Diagnostics in Fusion Plasmas.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to join fusion research centres.
What you'll work with
- ITER Plant Control Design Handbook (PCDH)
- IEC 60825-1 (Laser Product Safety)
- Directive 2013/59/Euratom (Basic Safety Standards)
- IEC 61508 (Functional Safety)
- Décret No. 2012-1248 (INB 174)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Electron and ion temperature1.2Electron density and profiles1.3Magnetic field and current1.4Toroidal and poloidal rotation1.5Impurity content and Zeff1.6Radiative losses1.7Neutrons as a reaction indicator1.8Fluctuations and turbulence1.9Spatial and temporal resolution requirements1.10Workshop: measurement matrix for a tokamak
2.1Mirnov coils and mode analysis2.2Diamagnetic loops and stored energy2.3Microwave reflectometry2.4Electron cyclotron emission (ECE)2.5Infrared interferometry2.6Faraday polarimetry2.7Collective Thomson scattering2.8ECE radiometer calibration2.9Profile inversion2.10Laboratory: spectral analysis of MHD modes
3.1Incoherent Thomson scattering3.2Charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS)3.3Visible and ultraviolet spectroscopy3.4Soft X-ray spectroscopy3.5Beam emission spectroscopy (BES)3.6Stark effect polarimetry (MSE)3.7Fast cameras and tomography3.8Infrared thermography of surfaces3.9Abel inversion3.10Practice: temperature calculation with Thomson scattering
4.1Neutron spectrometry4.2Neutron cameras and emission profiles4.3Foil activation4.4Gamma-ray detectors4.5Fast alpha particles and their confinement4.6Neutral particle analysers4.7Langmuir probes at the edge4.8Bolometry and power balance4.9Diagnostics for tritium in DT4.10Case study: neutron diagnostics at JET DTE2
5.1ITER diagnostics plan5.2Neutron damage to windows and mirrors5.3Deposition on first-wall mirrors5.4Diagnostic ports and shielding5.5Diagnostics for real-time control5.6Integrated Bayesian analysis (IDA)5.7Data management with IMAS5.8Cross-validation between diagnostics5.9Diagnostics for DEMO5.10Case study: design of an ITER diagnostic port
6.1Definition of the target parameter6.2Selection of technique6.3Optical or electronic sizing6.4Signal and noise analysis6.5Integration into the machine6.6Calibration plan6.7Data processing and inversion6.8Uncertainty estimation6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM Institute campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: learners progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine the programme with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is IMAS (ITER), OMFIT, Raysect/Cherab, MATLAB, Python (SciPy), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real procedures for Thomson scattering, interferometry and microwave reflectometry, and plasma emission spectroscopy. Assessment is continuous per 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.
Identify the plasma parameters that must be measured.
Explain magnetic and microwave diagnostics.
Describe optical and spectroscopic diagnostics.
Analyse nuclear and particle diagnostics.
Evaluate the integration challenges of diagnostics in ITER.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow the reading of technical regulations.
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 consists of 300 total hours spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with full-time work.
You work with IMAS (ITER), OMFIT, Raysect/Cherab, MATLAB, Python (SciPy). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An own diploma from SEIUM Institute 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 credited towards the higher programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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