A University-Utility Collaborative Program of simulator-interfaced instruction & research

The Collaborative Utility-University Project has now completed two years of performance. Through this project, a comprehensive program of simulator-interfaced instruction and research is being pursued as a collaborative effort by the American Electric Power Corporation and Centerior Energy Corporation working with the Nuclear Engineering programs at the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University. The primary emphasis during the first two years was on development and presentation of a two-quarter course sequence on commercial nuclear power plant system design and operation. With two cycles completed, more than 40 students have participated, and the sequence is now an integral part of the curricula at both schools. Visits are made to each of three nuclear power plants involved in the collaboration during both quarters. On-campus class lectures are presented in video-classrooms allowing instructors at one site to simultaneously present audio and visual information to students on both campuses. Class lecture material was developed primarily from similar materials utilized and developed by the utilities to train their own engineers and operators. A second emphasis of the program is on the performance of research projects centered around plant- specific problems.