Simulator assisted engineering - Applications in nuclear engineering education at Khalifa University

The Generic Pressurized Water Reactor (GPWR) simulator has been used in the Nuclear I&C Laboratory at Khalifa University (KU) since 2013 to improve student performance in nuclear engineering that is a multidisciplinary field involving nuclear reactor physics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, thermal hydraulics, radiation, etc. The simulator, developed by Western Service Corporation, has been integrated as a teaching and educational tool in different Engineering Programs at KU (Mechanical and Nuclear engineering). This lab is used in an undergraduate course where students apply the knowledge taught from different courses such as nuclear systems, fuel cycle, thermal hydraulics, safety principle, and control functions through a virtual operating NPP simulator. This real-time, full scope and high fidelity simulator allows to perform different operating conditions such as plant startups, shutdowns, and load maneuvers; as well as normal and abnormal plant transients, and critical scenarios and accidents. Since its installation in the Nuclear I&C Laboratory at KU in 2013, thirty students have benefited from this learning simulator. The main skills and learning outcomes expected to be achieved by students through the using of this tool are (i) ability to describe different NPP components and understand different process occurring in different subsystems, (ii) explain and apply safety principles and protective protocols, and (iii) analyze and interpret the plant behavior during transient operations and when severe accidents happen.