The Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute’s Nuclear Training Center has held a workshop to launch the generic Water-Water Energetic Reactor 1200 (VVER-1200) simulator.

The simulator was installed at the Nuclear Training Center on December 9, 2015 as part of the aid package provided for Vietnam by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the framework of the VIE2010 Project.

This real-time PC-based simulator includes one server for the instructor and four workstations for learners and can simulate the operating conditions of the VVER-1200 such as the implementation of operational actions to stop and start the reactor, operating the reactor at maximum or 64 percent nominal capacity and performing transition processes and incident scenarios in service of research and study purposes.

Vietnam is in the preparatory phase for first nuclear power plants, with Ninh Thuan 1 about to adopt the VVER-1200 model. Therefore, the installation and deployment of the simulator is regarded as significantly contributing to the preparation of human resources and studying the technology and safety of the VVER-1200.

The team engaged with the simulator includes eight staff members from the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute, Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency and Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology who have been trained on how to test, handle and maintain the simulator in the US in July 2015, which is part of the cooperation between the Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA and the US-based Western Services Cooperation.

The team will handle the simulator to serve training and research purposes. As for training, the team will develop student and professional-oriented exercises, while for research purposes, it will sketch scenarios for the transition processes and possible incidents in service of analyses and calculations, verify calculated results from a number of standardized hydrothermal calculation programs, collect operational data as a basis of reference during the appraisal of safety analysis reports on the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant.

Source: VEN