Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, jointly with NuScale Power Corporation has opened an Energy Exploration (E2) Centre at RPI’s Jonsson Engineering Centre. The lab offers students preparing for careers in the field of nuclear energy hands-on training, allowing them to operate a virtual nuclear plant in a simulated control room. It will be used to enhance undergraduate courses.
“This facility simulates the control room of a small modular reactor (SMR) where students and faculty can try out being operators under different operational conditions,” said Antoinette Maniatty, who heads the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Nuclear Engineering at RPI. “I believe this is one of the first NuScale simulator control rooms in the northeastern United States.” She said it will be used in classes, for research, a stop for tour groups, and for science, technology, engineering and mathematics outreach activities to area secondary schools.
NuScale E2 Centres offer a hands-on opportunity to experience simulated, real-world nuclear power plant operation scenarios. Using state-of-the-art computer modelling within a 12-module control room simulator, the E2 Center will allow users at RPI to assume the role of control room operator, providing the chance to apply nuclear science and engineering principles and gain real-life experience.
“We are proud to join with the faculty and students at RPI to open this NuScale E2 Centre aimed at showcasing the importance of nuclear energy,” commented John Hopkins, NuScale President & CEO. “We hope that this learning facility will foster collaborative problem-solving and creative solutions that inspire future energy pioneers and equip a nuclear-ready workforce.”
Dr Shekhar Garde, dean of the RPI School of Engineering, said: “This capability adds to the growing strength of RPI’s School of Engineering in augmented, virtual, and digital technologies for education, where students can learn about everything from atoms to galaxies, and work on designing new drugs, airplanes, and now, nuclear reactors.”
The E2 Centre at RPI was co-funded by a grant from the US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP). To date, NuScale has unveiled eight E2 Centres with university partners, including RPI, Oregon State University, Texas A&M University, Idaho State University, University Politechnica (Bucharest, Romania), Seoul National University (South Korea), Ohio State University and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (Accra).
NuScale Power Corporation, founded in 2007, is developing the NuScale Power Module, a small pressurised water reactor that can each generate 77 MWe or 250 MWt and can be scaled to meet customer needs through an array of flexible configurations up to 924 MWe (12 modules) of output. It is the first and only SMR to have its design certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
