Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Online training and education from the VR-1 reactor-Lessons learned

  • Ondrej Novak (Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague) ;
  • Tomas Bily (Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague) ;
  • Ondrej Huml (Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague) ;
  • Lubomir Sklenka (Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague) ;
  • Filip Fejt (Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague) ;
  • Jan Rataj (Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague)
  • Received : 2023.03.09
  • Accepted : 2023.08.11
  • Published : 2023.12.25
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Abstract

Hands-on education and training is a key part of fixing and developing technology knowledge and is an inherent part of many engineering and scientific curricula. However, access to large complex training facilities, such as nuclear reactor, could be limited by various factors, such as unavailability of those facilities in the region, high traveling costs or harmonization of the schedules of hands-on E&T with theoretical lectures and with the operational schedule of the facility. To handle the issue, several success stories have been reached with the introduction of the Internet Reactor Labs (IRL). The Internet Reactor Labs can strongly contribute to accessibility of training at research reactors and can contribute to improvements in their utilization. The paper describes the development of the Internet Reactor Lab at the VR-1 reactor of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Contrary to single-purpose IRLs, it presents various modalities of online teaching and training in experimental reactor physics and reactor operation in general as well as outreach activities that have been developed in recent years.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The paper was supported by the project "Modernization of the Large Research Infrastructure VR-1 - Training Reactor for Research Activities" (reg. nr. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/18_046/0015833) supported by Operational Programme Research, Development and Education co-financed from European Structural and Investment Funds and from state budget of the Czech Republic.

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