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Department of Nuclear Engineering

Khalifa University Students Gain Hands-On Experience in Nuclear Energy Safety and Operations at FNC Technology, South KoreaÌý

October 2, 2024

Eight-Week Internship Equips Students with Essential Knowledge for Managing the UAE’s Peaceful Nuclear Energy InfrastructureÌý

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Four Khalifa University Chemical Engineering students gained in-depth insights into the operations, radiation safety, and hands-on training at the South Korea’s FNC Technology, as part of a holistic eight-week internship program, to equip themselves with skillsets essential for managing the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy infrastructure.Ìý

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Ahmed Alhosani, Alyazia Alkalbani, Amal Alhashmi, and Jaafer Aljefri successfully completed their projects supported by their South Korean mentors during the internship program. Their projects included ‘An overview of periodic safety review work for Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)’, ‘Acquiring general knowledge related to safety performance indicators in the periodic safety review (PSR)’, ‘Literature survey on Rankine cycle analysis tool for the optimal design on Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy System. (NRHES)’, and ‘Understanding the degradation mechanism of materials and develop its mitigation methodology at NPPs’.Ìý

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Dr. Yacine Addad, Deputy Director, Emirates Nuclear Technology Center and Associate Professor, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University, said: “The knowledge and insights our students have gained from this internship at FNC Technology and other organizations will be invaluable to their academic pursuits, research endeavors, and future career trajectories. Programs like this, focused on comprehensive student development, underscore Khalifa University’s commitment to fostering international collaborations in the fields of clean energy and sustainability, ultimately benefiting both our regional and global communities. As one of the earliest universities in the region to have introduced the Nuclear Engineering program, we take great pride in establishing partnerships with global energy industry stakeholders to ensure adequate human capital is accessible with the UAE at all times to manage the nuclear infrastructure.â€Ìý

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The internship program also included an extensive tour of the FNC Institute, Korean history and cultural experience, heritage, one-on-one meetings with mentors, collaborating with team members on projects, networking events, and visits to some of the leading companies and institutions that are pioneering energy technologies.Ìý

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Some of the entities that the Khalifa University students visited included the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Geological Museum, Korean Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) in Daejon, BHI Co in Haman, Doosan Enerbility in Changwon, and the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) in Busan.Ìý

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Students also learnt about the emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) sump trainer test loop, downstream test loop, and liquid metal test apparatus, as well as the explanation of code and standards on review tasks, understanding of the degradation mechanism of materials at NPP, review of Rankine cycle and NRHES and a self-study on SF8 in IAEA SSG-25 – a code that describes how IAEA member countries can safely and securely manage high-risk radioactive sources. A literature survey on the degradation mechanism and mitigation methodology was also part of the project tasks during the internship program.

 

Clarence Michael
English Editor – Specialist
2 Oct 2024