ENEN Member: UGL

UNIVERSITÉ DE LIÈGE
(ULG, LIEGE, BELGIUM)

Founded in 1817, the University of Liege is the only public Community-sponsored university in the French-speaking part of Belgium which offers a complete range of university courses at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. It is divided into seven faculties : Philosophy and Letters, Law and School of Criminology, Sciences, Medicine, Applied Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Psychology and Educational Sciences, and three Schools : Economics and Management, Social Sciences, Criminology. The university is a centre of attraction for the region, an intellectual, cultural and economic centre.

Since 1989, Interface (www.interface.ulg.ac.be), a joint industry/university venture, has intensified various kinds of collaboration, sharing scientific equipment with local industries. It also stimulates the growth of companies born from the research carried out at the University.

Today, at ULg, Nuclear Science and Technology (Engineering) are the subject of research and teaching in three main areas:

  • Nuclear medicine : researches conducted at the Cyclotron Research Centre focus on the biological basis of the cerebral processes in humans, using functional neuroimaging techniques: Positron Emission Tomography (PET), electroencephalography (EEG), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and a brand new 3-Tesla functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) system. A set of heavy equipment for PET (cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratories) allows developing and producing radiopharmaceuticals labeled with a short-life radioisotope. Using these techniques, numerous researches are conducted in humans (http://www.ulg.ac.be/crc/en/index.html).
  • Nuclear physics : the Experimental Nuclear Physics Institute (I.N.P.E) carries out the investigation of multi-charged ions and the development of analytical techniques based on accelerated charged particles (PIXE, PIGE, NRA, RBS). Theses techniques allow the determination of major and trace elemental composition in various kinds of samples. Applications, studies, and surveys are realised in such diverse fields as medicine, biology, environmental studies, volcanology, archaeology or geology. Methodological studies are also undertaken, notably the development of methods and computer programs for the microanalysis and construction of electronic interface apparatuses (http://www.ulg.ac.be/ipne/ipne/recherche.html).

Power generation : the AME department develops activities related to the management of CO2 management in power generation. Research and teaching in nuclear engineering are also carried out (http://www.ulg.ac.be/genienuc/).

Ex. of available courses in the mechanical engineering department (more courses available in the BNEN program at http://www.sckcen.be/bnen):

  • GENU0030 : Nuclear fuel cycle and applied radiochemistry
  • META0030 : Nuclear materials I

BNEN – Belgian Nuclear higher Education Network

In a country where a substantial part of the electricity generation will remain of nuclear origin for a number of years, there is a need for well educated and well trained engineers in this area. Public authorities, regulators and industry brought their support to this initiative. In 2001, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN and five Belgian universities signed a consortium agreement to set up an education programme in nuclear engineering. In the academic year 2006-2007, a sixth university, ULB, joined the programme. The universities involved are now: KUL (Leuven), UG (Ghent), VUB (Brussels), UCL (Louvain-la-neuve), ULg (Liège) and ULB (Brussels). These seven partners have engaged themselves to provide students and young-professionals with a high-standard nuclear engineering programme.

The BNEN academic programme is a one-year (60 ECTS) Master-after-Master programme open for holders of a Master degree in engineering. For students not fully satisfying this requirement, special entrance considerations apply. The programme consists of ten courses to be followed mandatory (41 ECTS), the opportunity to select a number of advanced courses at will (up to 4 ECTS worth) and a Master thesis (15 ECTS). The subjects of the courses range form nuclear physics, nuclear reactor theory, nuclear thermohydraulics to reactor plant operation and control, radiation protection and safeguards and nuclear materials. It also includes courses on nuclear energy and the nuclear fuel cycle. For a complete list of all courses, see http://www.sckcen.be/bnen/courses_shares.html. All courses are given in a modular fashion, i.e. the students get a course in the duration of one up to three weeks of continuous lectures and lab sessions. Attention is indeed paid to the fact that most courses are not only theoretical ones, but many of them have exercise sessions and laboratory sessions associated with them. These sessions are organised and thought by the scientific staff at SCK CEN.

Both full-time students and young-professionals are enrolled in the BNEN programme. The latter usually take on a subject of their day-to-day job to study for their Master thesis while the full-time students typically take a research subject at SCK CEN. These subjects cover all possible domains related to nuclear engineering.

The advanced courses either deepen or broaden a subject touched in the regular courses. BNEN itself organises each year a number of these advanced courses for which we invite specialists in a certain field. Some of the courses that were organised are “Severe accidents” (CEA), “Decommission of nuclear facilities” (SCK CEN), “Underlying R&D for the disposal of radioactive waste” (SCK CEN) and “Production of radioisotopes” (IRE). All these courses are open for attendance by not only BNEN students, but also ENEN students and (young-)professionals.

Website:    http://www.sckcen.be/bnen

Partners:   KULeuven, UGent, VUBrussel, UCLouvain, ULiège, ULBruxelles, SCK CEN

Official language:   English

President of the consortium:   Prof. Dr. Ir. Jacqueline Lecomte-Beckers,ULiège (2006-2007, 2007-2008)