Abstract
This Undergraduate Thesis Protfoilio brings together two complementary projects: a technical capstone design of a nuclear fuel recycling system and a sociotechnical analysis of nuclear energy development. While the capstone project focuses on engineering solutions to challenges in nuclear waste management, the STS research paper examines how public perception and political structures influence the deployment of nuclear technology. Together, these projects demonstrate that nuclear energy is not only a technical system governed by physics and engineering principles, but also a deeply social system shaped by public attitudes, institutional power, and historical events. By approaching nuclear energy from both perspectives, this portfolio highlights the importance of integrating technical innovation with an understanding of societal context to address complex energy challenges.
The technical project proses a pyroprocessing plant designed to recycle spent nuclear fuel and improve resource utilization while reducing long-term waste hazards. Nuclear energy offers a reliable, low-carbon energy source, but the accumulation of spent fuel presents significant environmental and safety challenges. Traditional reprocessing methods, such as the PUREX process, generate large volumes of liquid waste and raise concerns about nuclear proliferation. In response, this project explores pyroprocessing as an alternative approach that operates in high temperature molten salt systems to separate and recover usable actinides while maintaining proliferation resistance.
The proposed plant integrates multiple electrochemical and thermal processes. These steps convert uranium oxide into metallic uranium, separate transuranic elements, and recover valuable materials for reuse in the nuclear fuel cycle. This system is designed with careful consideration of material balances, energy requirements, and equipment design. Overall, the capstone project demonstrates the feasibility of pyroprocessing as a compact, efficient, and potentially safer alternative to conventional reprocessing technologies, contributing to more sustainable nuclear energy systems.
Complementing this technical work, the STS research paper investigates how public attitudes toward nuclear energy shape its development in the United States and France. Despite similar technological capabilities, these two countries have followed very different nuclear energy trajectories. France relies heavily on nuclear power through a centralized, state-driven approach, while the United states has experienced slower growth and greater public opposition. Using the Social Construction of Technology framework, the paper argues that these differences cannot be explained by technical factors alone. Instead, nuclear energy development is shaped by the interpretations and influence of various social groups, including governments, industry actors, activists, and the public.
The analysis shows that major nuclear incidents played a significant role in shaping public perception and policy decisions. In the United States, these events contributed to increased and strong anti-nuclear movements, which slowed reactor construction and expansion. In contrast, France maintained relatively stable public support and centralized decision making, allowing continued investment in nuclear power. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates that nuclear energy systems are co-produced by technical capabilities and social dynamics.
Working on both projects provided valuable insights that would not have emerged from either project along. The technical capstone emphasized the complexity of engineering systems required to manage nuclear materials safely and efficiently, while the STS research revealed how public perception and political structures can enable or constrain the implementation of such technologies. This highlighted a key realization that even the most advanced technical solutions cannot be successfully implemented without public trust, regulatory support, and institutional alignment.
Overall, this portfolio demonstrates the importance of bridging engineering and societal analysis in addressing global energy challenges. By combining technical design with sociotechnical research, it underscores that the future of nuclear energy depends not only on the innovation in engineering, but also the ability to navigate public perception, policy, and power structures.
