NUCL 6140G - Life Cycle Assessment in Nuclear Applications

Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be used to investigate systems-level environmental impacts of using nuclear energy. For nuclear-powered electricity generation this includes examining life cycle stages from fuel mining to waste management, as well as plant construction and decommissioning. Application of LCA to subsets of this life cycle, as well as to other nuclear applications, will also be discussed. This course aims to instill an appreciation for the importance of LCA; explain how LCAs are conducted, with reference to the ISO standards; and, describe how and why this analytical approach may be applied to nuclear energy systems.
Credit hours: 3