Teaching of Nuclear Power Plant Safety at the National Technical University of Ukraine Within the New Course in Safety Culture

Abstract

The necessity of safety analysis methods and probable scenarios of accidents teaching in the education of experts for nuclear industry in Ukraine has been realised only after the Chernobyl accident. We developed the content of the first educational course in probabilistic safety analysis in 1995 based on the experience of the countries having developed nuclear power, the USA first of all, and on the training course of the Idaho National Laboratory. After this in 1996 the new course in probabilistic safety analysis of nuclear power plant (NPP) was adopted at our university. The new educational course in safety for students was developed and adopted in 2009 educational year - “Safety culture at nuclear installations of Ukraine”. Education and training in safety culture in higher educational institutions and in the nuclear power plants is a part of the general modern process of maintenance of safety, it is recommended by IAEA standards. The principles of safety culture are taken as a basis of the modern concept of safety of nuclear power plants. This work has received a positive appreciation from the management of departments of safety and training of the personnel of operating organization National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom (NNEGC Energoatom) and from other leaders of nuclear industry. The content of this educational course was discussed at the international scientific conferences on safety culture in 2008 and 2010, and was preliminary printed in the professional journal «Nuclear and radiation safety». The purposes of education have been defined as a survey, generalizing course on safety of the NPP with an allocation of safety issues on the foreground. Practical questions of the equipment and NPP systems work, their interaction in emergencies and the role of the human-operator are studied. The procedure of failure analysis at NPP is studied. Students analyze equipment work, root and direct causes of incidents. Methods of estimation of safety conditions based on observable operational indicators are studied. Parameters, variables and indicators of safety culture are studied. As a result of gained experience we have come to the conclusion about high advisability of educational courses in safety for students. Specially formed knowledge and education in the field of safety from a student’s bench are the basis of safety culture of the future nuclear industry expert.