Strong partnership: An NC State press release described the simulator project as “a strong basis for scientific collaboration on new SMR research, education, and training programs” that will spur “STEM development and interest in North Carolina high schools and community college technical programs.”
The BMRX-300 simulator, “developed from a university background in partnership with an SMR industry vendor,” will help address the challenges faced by educators in communicating new nuclear technology to students, according to the release. The simulator, which is to include such BW-SMR technology as natural circulation and passive safety, will allow students to see how “a nuclear power plant operates and responds to changing conditions and environments without exposing intellectual property and U.S. export-controlled information.”
Benchmark: The simulator project also involves the development of a nonconfidential BW-SMR benchmark that “will serve a dual purpose: it will verify the simulator’s accuracy and will be used for verifying SMR analysis tools as well as estimating their prediction uncertainties.”
Synergy: Sean Sexstone, GEH’s executive vice president of advanced nuclear, said of the grant, “Our partnership with NC State exemplifies the synergy between academia and industry in driving innovation and educational excellence. This project not only advances SMR technology but also inspires the next generation of nuclear engineers and scientists around the world.”
Library collection: North Carolina State University describes the simulator project as “a logical follow-up development to the large North Carolina Alumni donation made in 2020 . . . to create North Carolina’s first ever Advanced Nuclear, Small Modular Reactor Library Collection at NC State’s Hunt Library.”
The creation of that library collection was made possible by a donation from university alumnus Stephen Rea, an ANS member and chair emeritus of North Carolina’s Nuclear Advisory Council. Rea and his wife formed the Stephen and Phyllis Rea Endowment for Mechanical Engineering Collections in 2015.
