Introduction

The former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE) merged with the former University of North-West on 1 January 2004, to form the North-West University. The process resulted in the North-West University being the fifth biggest in the country with a headcount of more than 35 000 students (with only UNISA, University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology and University of KwaZulu-Natal being bigger). The new university would have about 4000 staff members (permanent and temporary) on its four campuses in Mafikeng, Mankwe, Potchefstroom and Vaal Triangle.

The Potchefstroom Campus (PUK) of the North-West University

The PUK is part of the first real multi-campus and multi-diverse university, the North-West University in South-Africa.

How North West University (Potchefstroom Campus) can contribute to WNU network

Vision Statement

THE PUK IS A UNIVERSITY:

• where quality teaching and research as well as the implementation of expertise are the core business and where internationally acknowledged quality benchmarks are applied;
• that is characterized by a commitment to community development;
• that is entrepreneurially oriented and excels in service delivery;
• that reaches out from its Christian foundation to the full spectrum of South Africans.

International Evaluation and Standards

In its continuous quest to be a university of international and modern standards, the PU for CHE embarked on a process for the promotion of quality and innovation in education and research in 1997, in co-operation with the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) in the Netherlands. The University had itself evaluated by an international External Audit Committee in order to determine whether its research and postgraduate education comply with the requirements of international academic standards. This process of quality promotion was reinforced by the evaluation of the External Audit Committee, consisting of a panel of leading international and national experts. It was concluded that the University's process of quality promotion is setting a leading example for South African universities. Simultaneously, the University is positioning itself as an academic institution of international stature. The University has also successfully restructured its postgraduate training and research programmes into research focus areas based on demonstrable strength, in accordance with modern and international standards for the enhancement of quality. These focus areas were selected in consultation with stakeholders, are in accordance with the priorities in the South African Higher Education Plan and ensure that research will be specifically focused on the country's needs and problems. Quality research projects are undertaken in collaboration with various international organisations and foreign universities.

Telematic Learning Systems

In 1995 the Telematic Learning Systems (TLS) was started in response to private sector requests: a unique programme which delivers a curriculum at a distance, in combination with contact time for every student offered by qualified facilitators at 53 learning centres country-wide. The students concerned are typically what the South African Higher Education Plan would refer to as "mature learners", who do not wish to or cannot avail themselves of ordinary contact education.

The pass rate is almost double that of normal distance education. TLS is market-oriented and typically offers learners older than 25 years the opportunity to start studying or to improve qualifications.

It is perhaps the most modern and effective manner in which to achieve the aim of the South African Higher Education Plan of "increased participation rates, including students from countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and a broadened social base of students." The University also offers distance programmes for nearly 10 000 students, mostly in partnership with various service providers.

Application of Expertise and Commercialisation

The academic activities at the PU for CHE are the main thrust of the University: the tuition of undergraduate and postgraduate students and research. Between 1997 and 2000 the PU for CHE was reorganised and repositioned to ensure optimal use of resources and to focus the PU for CHE on core competencies. At the same time a comprehensive quality system was introduced and is still being developed.

Due to

• the changing dynamics of higher education internationally,
• the growth in and diversification of industry and societal needs, and
• the need for funding, networks and support structures,

The University adopted an incubation and commercialisation process to exploit its intellectual property. The University recognised the need to provide the necessary management resources and structures to further address the needs of the market. A fundamental requirement of this process is that it must support the academic process and main thrust of the University by creating opportunities for the University. These activities are expected to raise capital, create new (inter-disciplinary) research opportunities and networks. The University is stimulating basic research, applied research and research in application.

In the University incubation process the following main activities are carried out:

• development of patents, products, opportunities;
• the protection of intellectual property;
• market analyses and techno-economic assessments;
• network forming;
• business venture financing;
• business training, planning, management and coordination.

Academic Structure

Students at the University can choose from a wide variety of undergraduate courses offered by the 35 schools in eight faculties. Postgraduate students can enrol in the 13 focus areas for research and postgraduate education. The various faculties with associated research focus areas are indicated below:

Faculty Research Focus Areas

Principal

Prof. Annette Combrink has been on the staff of the PUK for the last 34 years - the last three years as Dean of the Faculty of Arts. As an expert in literature, she was, inter alia, Head of the English Department at the PUK and later Director of the School of Languages. During the past fifteen years, Prof. Combrink has been increasingly involved in management matters in the academy. She was closely involved in South African Qualifications Authority and South African Universities' Vice Chancellors' Association initiatives and is currently Chairperson of the South African Translators' Institute. She also served four years as Chairperson of the Association of University English Teachers of Southern Africa.

Research Statement and Philosophy

Research and teaching at the North-West University are both focused at the improvement of the living standards and the enhancement of the quality of life of the South African community. The University concentrates on and finds solutions to the complexity and the demands of our time through research and the use of sophisticated technology. This research and technology are also offered as a competitive advantage to national and international partners and stakeholders.

Research in a developing country should not only make a contribution to the international scientific community, but should also be focused on relevant problems. In this regard the NWU's community service is aimed at prolific fields of research.

In order to improve the quality of research and postgraduate education, the NWU instituted a policy of the formation of a small number of focus areas. The focus areas and research units were designed to build on the strengths in the research profile at the time. The philosophy was that the grouping of researchers around certain themes would improve the impact of the research on research world-wide as well as on the public and private sectors. It also provided the opportunity to choose themes that corresponded to national priorities in most instances. A quick look at the names of the focus areas as given in this book, will confirm this. In order to manage the research well, a research director, typically a researcher of international standing, was appointed for each of the focus areas.

Office of the Director of Research Support

The Director of Research Support at the NWU is responsible for the implementation of the total research strategy of the University. He / she is also responsible for the University's research management system and central research administration.

It is part of the task of the office of the Director of Research Support to oversee an appropriate managerial and administrative system to encompass the vision and strategy of the University and to realize the full extent and quality of research and postgraduate teaching. The Director of Research Support is also responsible for the Secretariat of the Executive Committee for Research. This involves advising the deans of the faculties and the directors of schools and research focus areas on the initiation and management of research, the co-ordination of the University's research funding and the establishment of a network with the focus on research degrees.

Contact Information

Director Research Support: Prof JC (Jan) Geertsema
Tel: +27 (18) 299-2558
Fax: +27 (18) 297-5308
E-mail: dnvjcg@puknet.puk.ac.za
Internet: http://www.puk.ac.za/navorsing/eng/researchdean.html

Faculty of Engineering

Overview

The Faculty was founded in 1983. It endeavours to provide world-class engineering education, to play a leading role in research and to provide a service in the best interest of the Nation.

All undergraduate programmes offered by the Faculty were recently accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) within the framework of the Washington Accord. This implies that all engineering degree programmes of the Faculty are fully recognised, from both a professional and academic viewpoint, by the leading industrialised countries such as the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.

Recent achievements of the Faculty are the Diamond Arrow Award for outstanding performance in surveys conducted by the journal Professional Management Review and the prestigious Eskom Eta Award for the innovative application of heat pump technology in the commercial sector which was awarded to academic staff of the Faculty.

The Faculty is directly involved with the PBMR project and developed the simulation software that is used for the design of the power conversion unit. It also designed, constructed and successfully commissioned a physical model of the PBMR power cycle which is the first three-shaft closed-cycle gas turbine power plant in the world.

Schools

The Faculty of Engineering consists of three schools, each offering two undergraduate programmes each:

• School of Chemical and Minerals Engineering
• School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Undergraduate Programmes

The following four-year, full-time B.Eng. degree programmes are offered, which are all qualifying degrees for registration as a professional engineer:

• Chemical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering with specialisation in Minerals Processing
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Computer and Electronic Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering with specialisation in Materials

The Faculty also offers three-year B.Sc. degree programmes in Engineering Science and a first-year B.Eng. distance education programme in collaboration with UNISA.The Faculty plans to introduce a new B.Eng. programme in Mechanical Engineering with specialisation in Nuclear Engineering as from 2005.

Postgraduate Programmes

The Faculty offers both a master's and doctoral degree programme. The following options are available in the master's programme:

• 100% thesis
• 50% thesis plus 50% course work
• 25% project report plus 75% course work

The minimum study period for a master's degree is one year.

The minimum study period for a PhD degree is two years.

Partnerships and Collaboration

The Faculty collaborates with a number of other universities and research institutions and receives funding for research from both the public and private sector. Alliances include:

Universities and research institutions:
Rand Afrikaans University, University of Stellenbosch, University of Pretoria, Vaal Triangle Technikon, Ohio State University, Institut für Sicherheitsforschung und Reaktortechnik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, JKMRC, Australia, University of Queensland, Australia, University de Valle, Columbia, the Technical University Delft and Hacettepe University, Turkey.

Public Sector:
National Research Foundation, THRIP, Water Research Council.

Private Sector:
Eskom, Sasol, Iscor, Telkom, PBMR, Sastech, Sasol, Aerotherm Computational Dynamics, Ingo Knowledge Systems (Pty) Ltd, Erlang Communications (Pty) Ltd, Concepts NREC (USA), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan) and M-Tech Industrial.

Contact Information

Dean: Prof Johan Fick
Tel: +27 (18) 299-1532
Fax: +27 (18) 299-1529
e-mail: dinjf@puknet.puk.ac.za
Internet: http://www.puk.ac.za/fakulteite/eng/eng.html
Focus Area: Energy Systems

Masters degree in Nuclear Engineering at North West University (Potchefstroom Campus)

Background

This programme is in support of the promising development of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) which is currently taking place under the leadership of ESKOM. The Pebble Bed Reactor is the heat source for an inter-cooled recuperated gas turbine power plant employing helium as the working fluid. If this world leading development is technically and economically successful, a whole new industry, with a very great potential for wealth generation and employment creation will be established in South Africa.

The development of a new technology depends heavily on a professional cadre of staff, who have either acquired the necessary knowledge base through years of experience within the industry or via focused post graduate education. The new masters programme in nuclear engineering endeavours to contribute to the development of this new industry via focused post graduate education.

Although the programme will focus on high temperature gas cooled reactor technology it will provide an excellent graduate education for engineers and scientists seeking a career in the broader nuclear industry or the power generation industry in general.

Degree

The Department of Education recently approved two new master programmes in nuclear engineering at North-West University. These programmes, which will be offered as from 2005 are:

• M.Eng. (Nuclear Engineering); and
• M.Sc. (Nuclear Engineering).

Both the M.Eng and the M.Sc programmes will be available in two options namely Option B and Option C. Option B will consist of 50 percent taught courses and 50 percent thesis work while Option C will consist of 75 percent taught courses and 25 percent project work.

Note: For other M.Eng and M.Sc programmes, an Option A is also available (which consist of a 172-credit research dissertation + 8-credit research methodology course). This is, however, not available for Nuclear Engineering students.

Structure of the programme

The programme will consist of a number of taught courses plus a thesis or project report. A total of 13 taught courses will be offered of which four are compulsory. Learners must also register for either Thesis or Project. All taught courses are 16 credits except Research Methodology which is 8 credits. Thesis is 88 credits and Project is 44 credits. Learners must pass a minimum of 176 credits to pass the programme.

The taught courses are listed in the following table:

* Compulsory courses

A total period of two months is scheduled for each course and learners can register for no more than two courses concurrently. Learners will receive the study guides a few weeks before the commencement of lectures during which time they will be required to study part of the course material on their own. All the lectures for a specific course will be given during a one week period at the beginning of which learners will be assessed to determine whether they are adequately prepared. The period following the lecture week will be used for assignments and assessment (examination). During this period learners will have access to a facilitator, who will provide support as required.

Some of the courses will be presented by prominent overseas academics and/or professionals.

Duration

Students can register for the programme on either a part-time or a full-time basis. The minimum duration for full-time studies is one year and the minimum duration for part-time studies is two years.

Language of Instruction

The language of instruction is English.

Lecture venue

All lectures will be presented in Gauteng.

Entrance requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering. Applicants with a (Honours) B.Sc.Hons. degree will be considered on an ad hoc basis.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme

The taught master's courses will also be available as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes. Individuals taking the course would usually not be assessed. However, those learners wishing to undertake the assessment could accumulate credits towards a postgraduate diploma or a part time Masters.

The Pebble Bed Micro Model at Potchefstroom University

Research Topics in the field on Nuclear Engineering

• Integrated Systems Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modelling of complete HTGR plants.
• Thermal hydraulics of the PBMR.
• Experimental work to derive and validate correlations used in the advanced pebble bed reactor model.
• Closed-loop gas turbine power cycle research: Testing of control, start-up and operational procedures; software validation and verification; demonstration of new concepts such as multi-shaft configurations; testing of new advanced heat exchanger (recuperator) concepts.
• High temperature materials for HTR power plant components: recuperator, turbine blades, hot pipe.
• Investigation to determine the feasibility of using HTR's as the heat source for hydrogen production plants.
• Advanced heat transfer surfaces for gas turbine power plants heat exchangers.
• Turbo machine performance prediction: Derivation of advanced compressor and turbine performance prediction models. (4 quadrant, effect of leak flows, etc.).
• Reactor and Neutronics modelling.

Enquiries

Prof. GideonGreyvenstein
e-mail: nucgpg@puknet.puk.ac.za
Tel: +27 18 2994363