X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy” or the “Company”), a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation, today opened the first training center for future operators of its Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor. Called the Plant Support Center (“PSC”), the 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility includes a full-scale plant control room simulator, Reactor Protection System prototype, and virtual reality experience, as well as offices and classrooms.
“The opening of X-energy’s first Plant Support Center marks another stride forward to the deployment of our first Xe-100 reactors,” said X-energy CEO, J. Clay Sell. “Today represents an evolution in nuclear operator training and learning, equipped with cutting-edge, high-fidelity simulation and virtual reality technology. This facility will help train the next generation of nuclear plant operators, and it will set the stage for the first and subsequent deployments of our innovative advanced small modular reactor technology.”
Designed to train up to 52 operators at one time, the PSC offers a hands-on, experiential learning environment for future Xe-100 operators. X-energy’s comprehensive training program will employ virtual and simulated environments, providing trainees in the program with invaluable experience before entering the field.
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The centerpiece of the PSC is a sophisticated control room simulator, designed to replicate the real-world plant control room. The Xe-100’s control room boasts automated digital systems and a sleek design, aiming to enhance operator experience and increase cost efficiencies. Its groundbreaking technology builds upon years of collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy programs, including Advanced Reactor Concepts 2015, the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (“ARPA-E”), and the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (“ARDP”). The PSC will support training for the initial deployment of X-energy’s Xe-100 at Dow’s Seadrift, Texas manufacturing facility under ARDP.
Prior to accepting its first cohort of trainees, X-energy will use the PSC for the final development of its training program and reactor operating procedures. The PSC will also be instrumental in validating and enhancing Human Factors Engineering and integrated system testing prior to deployment.
As plants become operational, the facility will host continuing education programs leveraging real performance and operating data collected in the field to enhance training and professional development. X-energy plans to establish additional regional centers to support an expanding reactor fleet, which will become hubs for X-energy’s operations, maintenance, and training services business.
“We hope this is the catalyst for advancing the way nuclear operators are going to be trained in the future. From analog to digital displays, and from historical to real-time data, this is a highly engaging system of tools to propel U.S. nuclear forward,” added Sell.
SOURCE: Businesswire