Chalmers students received practical training in nuclear reactor physics

At Chalmers, two courses are offered that give students knowledge about nuclear reactors: Nuclear reactor technology – Past, present and future, and Nuclear reactor safety. They are so-called Tracks courses, which means that they are part of Chalmers' regular education offerings but do not belong to any specific programme or department. The courses are interdisciplinary and possible to select for all Chalmers students in years 2–5 and they are also open to professionals and Chalmers alumni. The teaching in Tracks courses is carried out in close collaboration with society, industry and includes the latest research.

With more than 400 nuclear reactors currently operating around the world, and with more than 50 under construction, nuclear reactors play a significant role in society for the foreseeable future. The course Nuclear reactor technology – Past, present and future provides students with knowledge about the development of this technology, how it works, its advantages and disadvantages and limitations.

As part of the course, the course participants have recently participated in various laboratory exercises at the JSI, Jožef Stefan Institute, TRIGA research reactor facility in Slovenia. The reactor at JSI is a reactor for educational and research purposes, which means that students here are given the opportunity to learn how to start and stop a nuclear reactor, how the reactor behaves when changing certain operating parameters, how to measure various safety parameters, and how to ensure safe operation.

Course given both on-site and remotely

Ten students participated in the on-site labs and 32 students remotely from Chalmers campus or from other parts of the world (four professionals follow the course entirely remotely – one from the USA). Also present at Chalmers was course leader Christophe Demazière, Professor at the Department of Physics.

"Despite the many practical course elements, it can feel quite artificial to understand how a nuclear reactor works in practice. That's why I wanted the students to experience what it's like to run a nuclear reactor. Last year I looked around for different options to offer the students laboratory exercises on an educational reactor. After a long search, I was able to specify different requirements from Chalmers through a dialogue with ENEEP (European Nuclear Experimental Educational Platform) that I had been in contact with before," says Christophe Demazière.

Since the course is a hybrid course, where some professionals participate in the course completely remotely, it was natural that the labs should also be offered as hybrids. In addition, the course received many applicants from Chalmers. A hybrid solution was not only natural, it was also necessary to meet as many students in the course as possible.

"JSI, which is part of ENEEP, was able to offer such a solution. Since the hybrid labs were run on a training reactor, and this had never been done before, it was a challenge. JSI and its teachers were fantastic: they were able to deliver a hybrid solution of the highest quality, both technically and pedagogically," says Christophe Demazière.

Laboratory work provided concrete knowledge about nuclear reactors

Christophe Demazière goes on to say that the laboratory exercises allowed the students to apply all the theoretical puzzle pieces of the course in a series of exercises where they observed and analysed the behaviour of nuclear reactors. The students were involved in how to change the position of control rods in the reactor. The students on site were also able to perturb the reactor by injecting air bubbles into the water of the reactor (which would represent a case when the water in the reactor boils). To conclude, JSI ran a "pulse" experiment. In this experiment, reactor power increased rapidly due to operator intervention. The natural and physical feedback mechanisms counteracted the increase in reactor power and the reactor came back on its own at a reasonable power.

"This is the best way to illustrate that a nuclear reactor is inherently safe! I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to tailor a course with a real "storyline" through Tracks, where the students develop and become more and more independent to understand such a complex technology as a nuclear reactor. The laboratory sessions at JSI were crucial for this. Although many students participated remotely, they were able to experience almost the same as the students on site, thanks to many cameras that filmed the entire facility, the control room and many measuring instruments from many different angles," says Christophe Demazière.

How different parts of physics interact in practice

One of the students who participated in the visit on site is Lovisa Åkesson, who is studying the final year of the Master's Programme in Physics.

"The study visit gave an insight into how the theoretical knowledge we gained during the course can actually be applied in nuclear reactors. I also appreciated the time we got with the researchers at JSI, we had many interesting topics of conversation during laboratory sessions and breaks. A special lesson I take with me from the visit is how different parts of physics interact in practice, as I got to use knowledge from courses at both bachelor's and master's level, from subatomic physics and thermodynamics to continuum physics," says Lovisa Åkesson.

"As I am nearing the end of my education, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to take a course with a different structure than the more traditional courses. I thought it sounded interesting and instructive to get an insight into the interaction between industry and academia, and also to have the chance to combine theoretical and practical work.

Ella Larsson, who is studying the Master's Programme in Physics, participated in the laboratories remotely from Chalmers.

"It was very interesting to see a real nuclear reactor from the inside. I also bring with me the importance of training and research reactors, which can be handled more intensively than commercial reactors, in order to gain lessons that can also be used on larger reactors. I chose to take this Tracks course because I have long had an interest in nuclear power, especially new reactor technology. The course offers knowledge that covers several areas of physics and engineering.

More about the course and the study visit:

The purpose of the visit was to apply the basic principles of reactor physics that the students had learned in the course Nuclear reactor technology – Past, present and future. The course, which began in September and has run over a period of four months, has given the students a deeper understanding of how a nuclear reactor works, what physical processes need to be considered, and how to describe these in the best way. The course has also made the students critically reflect on nuclear power, its advantages and disadvantages and how nuclear technology can be used to achieve the climate goals set by the UN.

The course also uses an innovative pedagogical approach that allows students to spend most of their study time testing their knowledge and skills through many practical group exercises. In addition to these activities, the course offers many fun labs and workshops. For example, the students have walked around the hills of Änggårdsbergen to measure background radiation from the ground and to understand that radiation is not always dangerous. Afry arranged a workshop on safety culture and thinking in the nuclear power industry. Vattenfall recently held a workshop to look at the integration of nuclear power into future energy systems to produce electricity, district heating, process heat, hydrogen, and so on. The laboratory sessions at JSI were one of the highlights of the course.

Read more about the Tracks courses