The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this week that Nuclear Engineering Ltd. (NEL) of Japan donated a computerized reactor physics simulator to the agency.
The IAEA lets member nations use these simulators for free to help train nuclear-plant workers.
The software, Micro-Physics Simulator Lite Edition, can reproduce reactor-core behavior and reflect changes to coolant temperatures, pressure and how these changes would likely affect power output and other factors. The IAEA said the program is designed to be easily understood by those not familiar with nuclear science.
“I really appreciate and thank NEL for donating this educational simulator to the IAEA,” Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director general and head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, said. “It will further support and strengthen our already established program to teach and train nuclear professionals from our member states, especially from nuclear ‘newcomer’ countries.”
Simulation programs like this one are a key part of instruction on the basics of how reactor cores function within the realm of physics.
“We are honored to donate this educational software to the IAEA in support of educational and training purposes,” TEL Executive Vice President Tamotsu Murata said. “We have always realized the importance of safety in the nuclear field, and there has been even more emphasis on nuclear safety after Fukushima. We are working toward building different simulators for education, training and engineering purposes for a better future of the industry.”
