PE Nuclear study guide
PE Nuclear · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Nuclear exam is one of more than 20 PE exams administered by NCEES. It is a licensure examination that tests for a minimum level of competency in nuclear engineering, and it is designed for engineers who have gained a minimum of four years of post-college work experience in the discipline - not for students or recent graduates. The PE Nuclear study guide has 8 sections and about 2,492 words.
01Nuclear Power Plant Systems and Components
In a PWR , reactor coolant pumps push subcooled water up through the core, out the hot legs, through steam generator U-tubes, and back down the cold legs. The pressurizer is the only place the coolant boils: heaters raise RCS pressure, spray from a cold leg lowers it, and safety/relief valves protect the boundary.
325 words, about 2 min02Reactor Physics and Nuclear Criticality
k eff = neutrons produced / neutrons lost; criticality is k = 1. Reactivity is ρ = (k − 1)/k , and 1 pcm = 10⁻⁵ Δk/k.
312 words, about 2 min03Thermal-Hydraulics and Heat Transfer
The first tool is the steady-flow energy balance, Q = ṁ c p ΔT for single-phase liquid, or an enthalpy form when boiling occurs. Candidates must be comfortable with quality, void fraction, slip ratio, two-phase friction multipliers, and the transition from bubbly to annular to mist flow.
341 words, about 2 min04Radiation Protection and Shielding
Absorbed dose (Gy) becomes equivalent dose (Sv) after multiplying by radiation weighting factors, and effective dose after applying tissue weighting factors. Know the 10 CFR 20.1201 occupational limits: 5 rem (50 mSv) TEDE per year , 15 rem to the lens, 50 rem to skin and extremities; 0.5 rem to a declared pregnant worker over gestation; and about 100 mrem/y to a member of the public from licensed operations.
302 words, about 2 min05Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management
Uranium is mined, milled to yellowcake (U₃O₈), converted to UF₆, enriched (gas centrifuge dominates), and fabricated into UO₂ pellets in Zircaloy cladding. Reactor-grade LEU is below 20% U-235, typically 3–5%; HEU is ≥20%.
301 words, about 2 min06Nuclear Safety, Licensing, and Regulations
10 CFR 50 and its General Design Criteria anchor design: defense in depth, redundancy, independence, and the single-failure criterion . Design-basis accidents are analyzed with conservative assumptions, and safety analyses are documented in the FSAR under 10 CFR 50.34.
306 words, about 2 min07Plant Operations, Maintenance, and Testing
Operations run on Technical Specifications organized by mode (PWR Mode 1 power operation through Mode 6 refueling; BWR definitions differ in detail). Each Limiting Condition for Operation has a required action with a completion time.
319 words, about 2 min08Materials, Instrumentation, and Control
Austenitic stainless steels (304/316) and nickel alloys (Inconel 600/690 and their welds) are used for internals and steam generator tubing; Alloy 600/182/82 has driven primary-water stress corrosion cracking, motivating Alloy 690/52/152 replacements. Sensitization (chromium carbide precipitation at grain boundaries) enables intergranular SCC.
286 words, about 1 min