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BOARD #139: WIP: Interactive Software Platform for Undergraduate Nuclear Engineering Education

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Conference

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Publication Date

June 22, 2025

Start Date

June 22, 2025

End Date

August 15, 2025

Conference Session

Energy Conversion, Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE) Poster Session

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

13

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/55956

Paper Authors

biography

Jonathan William Ross Drexel University

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Jonathan Ross completed his studies for the BS and MS degrees at Drexel University. He is currently pursuing a PhD with the Center for Electric Power Engineering at Drexel. His current research interests include distributed generator control in power distribution systems, improving numerical methods for solving the power flow equations, and creating educational tools for engineering undergraduates.

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biography

Karen Miu Miller Drexel University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-7656-0624

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Dr. Karen Miu Miller received her B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University. Her educational research and teaching interests has focused on electric power and energy delivery. systems.

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biography

Christopher Wayne Peters Drexel University

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Dr. Peters is currently a Teaching Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Drexel University. His interests are low-cost simulations for educational use and gaming in the classroom.

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Abstract

The energy sector is experiencing a revival in interest toward nuclear power as an attractive compromise between fossil fuels and renewables, particularly to address concerns about energy independence and carbon emissions. Conceptually, nuclear engineering fundamentals are challenging to teach to undergraduates as it requires a multi-disciplinary approach. Yet, it is a field that continues to power much of the world. Therefore, there is a continued need to educate engineering students in the field of nuclear power; and this paper presents a software emulation tool for nuclear power plant design. Engineering undergraduates can use the platform to explore fundamental nuclear engineering concepts and better prepare themselves for careers in and around nuclear power. A high-level controls interface allows for real-time adjustments by students, and, for detailed or long-term controls, the Python source code is also provided to the students. Modeling of the different plant subsystems and their interactions are illustrated and discussed. Sample experimental procedures are discussed and results from the simulator are presented. In summary, with the goal of increasing nuclear engineering education beyond post-graduate and on-the-job training, the interactive tool allows for hands-on experimentation at different levels of detail. Adoption of the tool into undergraduate power and energy courses seeks to accelerate undergraduate students’ understanding of the integrated behavior between key disciplines of nuclear power plant design.

Ross, J. W., & Miller, K. M., & Peters, C. W. (2025, June), BOARD #139: WIP: Interactive Software Platform for Undergraduate Nuclear Engineering Education Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55956

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