The annual ICONE23 (23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering) took place in Chiba, Japan, from May 17 to 21, 2015, at which numerous specialist presentations were given on current topics from research, development and applications in nuclear energy. In addition, representatives from industry and politics discussed and debated the important role of nuclear energy for solutions to the global energy problem and CO2 reduction in several plenary sessions.

The

Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation and Measurement Technology (IPM)

of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences presented itself with two lectures by Mr. Daniel Fiß and Mr. Sebastian Schmidt, both employees and doctoral students in the research group of Prof. Kratzsch. In his lecture entitled "Advanced Analysis of the Structure of a Reactor Protection System", Daniel Fiß presented the results of a research project carried out in cooperation with E.ON Kernkraft GmbH. The work can be found at

"Software-based safety control technology"

.

Sebastian Schmidt presented the latest research results on the topic of "Validation of an Innovative Core State Diagnosis System for Severe Accidents in PWR using an Experimental Rig" in the "Student Paper Competition" lecture series. The work is being carried out as part of a joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

in collaboration with TU Dresden

. Both presentations met with great interest in the auditoriums and also in subsequent discussions with other participants during the conference, as the contents of the presentations make a significant contribution to safer operation of nuclear power plants. Mr. Sebastian Schmidt was also awarded the "Student-best-paper-Award" for his contribution for the

second year in a row

, which confirms the high quality of the IPM's research activities in the field of nuclear safety research.

Picture: Presentation of the "Student-best-paper-Award"; from left: Prof. Dr. Suyuan Yu, Prof. Dr. Shripad Revankar, Dr. Asif Arastu (Conference Chair), M.Eng. Sebastian Schmidt, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Wolfgang Hansen, Prof. Dr. Tomio Okawa

The final day of the conference was a full-day technical tour for some of the conference participants to visit the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. At the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, various large-scale test facilities were visited, including those for investigating the effects of tsunamis on nuclear facilities and for building earthquake-proof nuclear power plants. At the "Japan Atomic Energy Agency" there was the outstanding and unique opportunity to visit one of the world's only Generation IV nuclear reactors in research operation. This latest type of nuclear reactor, known as a high-temperature reactor (HTR), is used not only to generate electricity but also to provide process heat (approx. 1000 °C), which significantly improves efficiency compared to existing nuclear power plants. Another important aspect is that the physical operating principle of HTRs makes the onset of a core meltdown impossible.

Participation in the 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE) was extremely informative and successful for the technical development and the projects of the participating employees. Furthermore, the presentations and numerous discussions with other international participants during the conference brought the Institute of Process Engineering, Process Automation and Measurement Technology and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences to the attention of internationally renowned companies and universities in order to promote future projects and collaborations.

Picture: International participants of the "Technical Tour"

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Contact:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch

Institute of Process Engineering, Process Automation and Metrology (IPM) 

Mail:

a.kratzsch(at)hszg.de

Phone: 03583 61-1383