Seoul National University Opens NuScale Power Energy Exploration Center

The NuScale Power Company announced the opening of the first privately-funded NuScale Energy Exploration Center (E2 Center) at Seoul National University (SNU), which serves as a workforce development tool for South Korea to develop the next generation of advanced nuclear experts, technologists, and operators.

According to NuScale, the E2 Center is an innovative learning environment that offers users a hands-on opportunity to apply nuclear science and engineering principles through simulated, real-world nuclear power plant operation scenarios. The E2 Center duplicates the design of the NuScale main control room. Workstation interfaces allow MCR operators to enter a set of parameters, run a variety of simulated scenarios, and observe station response to those inputs, and each workstation can view the status of any of the 12 units in the model.

The E2 Center simulator has several innovative features, including a library of digital procedures and automation tools that ensure operators are performing the correct actions at the correct unit, and a multi-level alert system that informs operators of abnormal conditions and provides alarms, alerts and notifications. With the use of fully automated sequences, operators can change power and control selected equipment. Integrated emergency procedures graphically inform the operator about reactor safety. These features allow users to participate in hands-on exercises for operator training, human-system interface design, advanced diagnostics, MCR automation, integrated NPP operation, and more.

The deepening partnership between NuScale and Korean energy industry leaders will help Korean companies advance their SMR capabilities significantly, which could lead to exports of Korean-supported SMRs in the future.

In addition to Seoul National University, E2 Centers will be opened at Idaho and Oregon State Universities, Texas A&M University in College Station, and Polytechnic University of Bucharest.