CTU implemented the second nuclear reactor VR-2, it will be used to train new experts and people from practice | iRADIO

CTU has been operating two school reactors since June 6. Apart from them, the Czech Republic also has eight nuclear reactors. Two research reactors are operated by the Research Center in Řež, and six reactors are operated by the energy company ČEZ at two nuclear power plants in Dukovany and Temelin.

The authors started the process of building the reactor in 2014 and the construction lasted for a year. “This is because it is a relatively small device compared to the VR-1 reactor. However, it is still a nuclear power facility, the production, construction and operation of which is subject to various regulations, the requirements of which we must meet,” said the head of the Department of Nuclear Reactors. Explained by John Rataj.

The new reactor is located in the same reactor building where the university has operated the VR-1 reactor since 1990. The Czech Technical University in Prague has become the only university in the world to operate two fission reactors and the Golem tokamak fusion reactor at the same time.

According to Vojtěch Petráček, rector of the CTU in Prague, the new reactor should primarily be for training new nuclear specialists.

“The new fission reactor VR-2 will help us plan teaching and scientific activities better, as we ran into capacity limits with the VR-1 reactor. It serves not only our teachers, CTU students, but also students from other universities, foreign students and practitioners who come to us for various trainings,” he said. said Vaclav Ciuba, Dean of the Faculty.

Subcritical reactor

A VR-2 reactor is a so-called subcritical reactor, so it cannot sustain a fission chain reaction without an external source of neutrons. When the external source is turned off, segmentation stops.

According to the authors, the operation of the reactor is simple, safe and enables the use of a simple structure. The authors already received the fuel in 2018, which was donated by Finland’s Aalto University.

Department head Rataj said the operation of any large unit could not be confirmed as the reactor has an output of hundreds of watts. However, all the processes of nuclear fission and fusion take place in it, so it is suitable for teaching and scientific work.

The opening of the reactor was welcomed by representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) or ČEZ.

According to Tomáš Ehler, Deputy Chief Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the project is important for the further development of nuclear energy in the Czech Republic, as it should ensure a qualified workforce in the country. At the same time, he hopes to increase interest in the field and course.

According to the head of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB), Dana Drapova, the new reactor is the fourth research reactor in the Czech Republic, which, according to him, is unique in Europe among comparable countries.

“For nuclear energy to work well in a country, it must have qualified and motivated people. A nuclear reactor is a prerequisite for not only faculty students, but also the surrounding countries to feel safe what a fission chain reaction or the dynamics of a nuclear reactor is, without fear of mishandling,” added Drábová.

He recalled that nuclear power plant operators regularly receive training at the reactor, the first school of teachers.

The Czech Republic’s first nuclear reactor began operating in Řež in 1957. The last domestic batch to date was commissioned in 2002 at Demilin.

CDK

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