The 4th Reactor Engineering Course

       From 20 to 24 February 2017, under the Cooperation Program for Nuclear Human Resource Development between Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INST) of VINATOM conducted the 4th Reactor Engineering Course. The lectures of the whole course were delivered by Vietnamese instructors and Japanese dispatched experts.

       The course was attended by 13 learners from the following institutions with relevant fields: Electric Power University; Central Electric Power College; Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency; Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety; VINATOM; and INST.

With 15 informative lectures, the course provided the learners with basic and specialized knowledge related to reactor engineering, including fundamental nuclear physics, radiation physics, radiation shielding, reactor physics and kinetics, nuclear thermal-hydraulics, two-phase flow heat transfer in nuclear reactor systems, overview of nuclear fuel technology, introduction of SRAC code system and instructions for use in pressurized water reactor physics calculations, introduction of nuclear power plant technologies, review of research reactors and their applications, the safety of research reactors, theory about neutron diffusion and moderation and analysis of experimental data.

       The result of end-of-course test was much better than that of the first test, showing that all the learners successfully acquired useful knowledge from the course.

       On 24 February, the course finished with the results as expected. All the learners received certificates of participation in the course. At the closing ceremony, Deputy Director of the INST, Mr. Dang Hoan Thanh remarked that despite the stop of Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Projects, the implementation of research and updating knowledge as well as latest information about nuclear reactor engineering all over the world must be taken priority. In this way, Vietnamese relevant staff will be able to catch up with the development of nuclear technologies in the world and to support the nuclear power plant projects in Vietnam immediately if they are restarted. Mr. Dang Hoan Thanh then highly appreciated the efforts of both lecturers and learners throughout the week of the course and also hoped that based on the knowledge acquired from the course, the participants could enhance their capabilities in research activities and management in dealing with issues related to nuclear reactor technologies.