3rd International Conference on Nuclear Knowledge Management

Challenges and Approaches, 7~11, Nov., Vienna, Austria

KINGS Model: Achieving Sustainable Change in

Nuclear Education for the Post-COP21 Era

Dr. SeKee Oh, President

KEPCO International Nuclear
Graduate School, Korea
 Table of Contents
 Nuclear Power in Korea
 Nuclear Education &Training in Korea
 Korean Nuclear Organizations Overview
 Curriculum in Korean Nuclear E&T
 Calling for Changes in Nuclear Engineering
E&T
 KINGS Model for Sustainable Nuclear
Education
 Preparing for Future
Nuclear Power in Korea

▣ Nuclear Facilities
■ 6x4 NPPs with total capacity of 21.7GWe, 20 PWRs and 4 CANDUs
■ 2x3 units under and 2x2 units scheduled for construction
■ 2 research and education reactors under operation
■ 1 low & medium rad-waste disposal underground repository
▣ Nuclear Power Industry
■ KHNP, sole utility responsible for NPP projects from planning to operation
■ KEPCO E&C, design and engineering for nuclear and fossil power plants
■ KNF, supply of nuclear fuel and core management services
■ KPS, maintenance services for nuclear and fossil power plants
■ KORAD, management of radioactive waste
■ DHIC, supply of major equipment for nuclear and other power plants
▣ Government Organizations
■ MOTIE, nuclear power industry policy (KORAD)
■ MSIP, nuclear policy, R&D plan and cooperation (KAERI)
■ NSSC, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (KINS)
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Nuclear Education & Training in Korea

▣ Nuclear Engineering Academia

■ 16 universities offering undergraduate and graduate nuclear programs to
2,300 and 850 students enrolled, respectively
■ Programs coordinated mainly with multidisciplinary, engineering science
based, and disjointed curriculum
▣ Nuclear Power Industries
■ In-house training and education programs developed for enhancing job
skills and capability of employees
■ Programs structured with a focus on profession-specific experiential
knowledge and hands-on practices
■ Of 33,000 workers in nuclear power business, 1,500~1,700 are nuclear-related
professionals
▣ National R&D Institutes
■ National workforce development, training and qualification programs for
licensing or certification purposes
■ International training services for countries with application of nuclear
energy and radiation protection technologies
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Korean Nuclear Organizations Overview

Government
• Nuclear Policy Promotion
• Planning of Nuclear Power
• Nuclear Regulation and Control

Nuclear R&D Institutes Regulatory Authority

• Development, Acquisition, • Licensing, Inspection
Dissemination of Nuclear • Evaluation and Analysis of
Technology Nuclear Safety
• Nuclear Manpower Training • Training for Nuclear Safety

Industries
Universities
• Construction, Design & A/E
• Education in Nuclear Eng. • Manufacturing of Component
• Education in Science & Eng. and Equipment
• BS, MS, PhD Degrees • Manufacturing of Nuclear Fuel

Utilities Society & Associations

• Acquisition of new NPPs • Korea Nuclear Society
• Operation & Maintenance • Korea RI Association
• Transmission & Distribution • NDT Promotion Association
• Training for Station Operat. • KONICOF
Curriculum in Korean Nuclear E&T

Academia Industry
• Nuclear physics • Nuclear fundamentals
• Physical chemistry • Reactor physics • General plant systems
• Mathematical physics • Materials & chemistry • System engineering
• Radiochemistry • Nuclear fuel cycle • System design analysis
• Solid mechanics • Reactor systems & engineering • Architect engineering
• Thermodynamics • Dynamics, C&I • Operation & maintenance
• Fluid dynamics • Thermal hydraulics • Radiation & safety
• Health physics • Safety, security & safeguards • Engineering disciplines
• Numerical methods • Radiological protection • Project management
• Integral design • International cooperation
• Nuclear laws, PA, etc.
Multi-disciplinary Inter-disciplinary
Real World
• Public involvement over project lifecycle
• Socio-economical considerations
• Environmental externalities
• Sustainable energy mix, etc.
Trans-disciplinary

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Calling for Changes in Nuclear Engineering E&T

▣ Engineers for the 21st Century

■ Role of engineering in society rapidly expanding, complicated, and diversified
■ Challenges in engineering pedagogy to eliminate the disconnection between science
and practice
▣ UAE NPP Project
■ An epochal enterprise in Korean history in respect of scale, quality and distance
■ Challenges in technical and managerial leadership for multinational operations
▣ Fukushima Disaster
■ Neither any critical technical flaw nor fatal radiation casualties officially reported
■ On-going aftermath of the accident aggravates negative perceptions of nuclear
■ Challenges in integrating socio-economical considerations with engineering design
▣ COP21
■ No objection on the value of nuclear energy as a low carbon option, but no
appreciation for nuclear to be invited to the CDM regime
■ Challenges in symbiotic energy mix with renewable energy sources

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KINGS Model for Sustainable Nuclear Education

▣ Goals
■ Nurturing leadership-level nuclear power professionals through a post-graduate
program
▣ Strategic Principles
■ Balance between education and training
■ Engineering and managerial skill in harmony
■ Application of the systems engineering process to nuclear power projects
▣ Pedagogical Realization
■ Curriculum integrated through transdisciplinary coordination of engineering
disciplines, engineering specialties, and socioeconomic factors to understand the
complexity of nuclear problems
■ Problem-oriented project courses to promote students to practice making solution
decision through synthesizing scientific knowledge and experiential knowledge
■ Team-teaching and team-learning classes for exercising the joint application
development process
▣ Nuclear Sustainability Enhancement
■ Symbiotic integration of nuclear-renewable energy system

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Preparing for Future
Status of World NPPs as of 2016

“Science needs to move beyond classical multidisciplinary approaches and should

consider interdisciplinary work that engages with practitioners to achieve
sustainable transitions.” – Ecological Economics 92 (2013), 1-15
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Thank you.

The Global Leading Institution in Nuclear Power Plant Engineering, KINGS