Far from it, as the doctoral seminar of the Competence Center East for Nuclear Technology proved on December 13.
The annual doctoral seminar of the Competence Center East for Nuclear Technology (KOMPOST) is concerned with an important fundamental issue. Even after Germany's exit from nuclear technology in 2022, there should still be engineers in the country who can pool their knowledge and pass it on to students. This year, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) invited its partners to the Zittau Mountains through its Institute for Process Automation, Process Engineering and Metrology (IPM) on December 13. The guests from the TU Dresden (TUD), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the VKTA Rossendorf were welcomed by the Rector, Professor Albrecht.
The scientific and technical director of the Society for Reactor and Plant Safety, Mr. Stoll, then answered the question: Reactor safety research in Germany without a future? with a clear no. He also gave examples of future challenges, particularly in an international context. In order to tackle these, he emphasized the long-term need for qualified engineers.
In the main part of the event, doctoral students presented the work they had carried out and the results they had achieved in the publicly funded projects they were working on. A total of nine presentations and posters were used to present and discuss project progress in the field of nuclear safety research. The topics include, for example, experiments and simulations on safe heat removal from the spent fuel pool and from the reactor itself, analyses of neutron flux fluctuations in pressurized water reactors and investigations into the operation of Generation IV reactors.
In addition to the speakers from the four KOMPOST institutions and their technical supervisors, the approximately 50 participants also included representatives from industry, federal institutions and project sponsors as well as interested members and students of the HSZG.
Even though the decision has been made to phase out nuclear technology, new technical challenges will continue to occupy research. The focus is shifting from the operation of nuclear facilities to dismantling and final disposal. Qualified engineers are already being sought.
