The Tashkent branch of the NRNU MEPhI recently awarded diplomas to the second stream of bachelor graduates. This year, the main university responsible for training personnel for the nuclear energy industry of Uzbekistan has graduated 55 specialists who are already in great demand among research teams and industrial organizations. A detailed report on the defense of theses in the Tashkent branch was presented by the publication Atomic Energy 2.0. Below we present the most important fragments from the publication of colleagues.
The topics of the graduation papers did not leave either the examiners or the students themselves indifferent. Students studied various types of reactors, looked for solutions to extend the life of the fuel cycle, simulated scenarios, solved energy efficiency problems and more.
For example, Asalkhon Norkhuzhayeva, a graduate of the MEPhI branch in 2024, long before the agreement on the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant with a RITM-200N reactor was signed in the country, wondered how to extend the reactor's fuel campaign several times. "My job was to design the RITM-200 nuclear power plant for power supply to remote regions, in particular, in Uzbekistan. I chose this topic because the interest among nuclear power specialists in small modular reactors is growing. This is an economical type of reactors, they are assembled at the factory, they can be installed in hard-to-reach places. The essence of my work was to carry out preliminary calculations in order to increase the fuel campaign, that is, the service life of the fuel. It was necessary to find out for what period one fuel load could be enough. I tried to achieve this goal by implementing some changes. For example, during the calculations of the neutron part, a new arrangement of fuel elements and the introduction of absorbing rods into the fuel element itself were proposed. As a result, we managed to increase the fuel campaign by more than three times (up to five years)," says Asalkhon.
Her classmate, Artyom Bogdanov, decided to design the possibility of continuous reloading of nuclear fuel for another type of reactor.
"My thesis was devoted to the design of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a ball filling. This is a type of reactor that is cooled with gases, in my case, it was helium. The spherical core consists of spherical fuel rods. For comparison, cylindrical fuel rods are used in VVER reactors. The peculiarity of the structure of the spherical fuel element allows you to maintain higher temperatures and contain decomposition products inside the shell itself. I was interested in studying issues related to the possibility of continuous fuel loading into the core, as well as the use of higher temperatures to expand the capabilities of the reactor. Continuous fuel overload, where new fuel rods are poured from above into the core, allows you not to turn off the reactor to restart the fuel, as is the case with VVER or RBMK type reactors. The reactor operates 24/7 throughout the year. This allows us to generate much more energy," explains Artyom.
Experts who have witnessed the students' education for several years since the opening of the branch, note the peculiarities of the educational process at the MEPhI branch: maximum independence and a variety of topics available for research from the guys.
Ilham Sadikov, Director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Chairman of the examination committee, was pleasantly surprised by the level of performances and especially by how zealously some students defended their research.
"I was the chairman of the state examination commission during the defense of the graduation papers of graduates of the MEPhI branch this year in the field of nuclear technology. There were several dozen defenses, and the level of these performances just amazed me. These guys presented their qualification papers very well. In the scientific and business environment, the defense of one's work and one's position is shown not by the report itself, but by the answers to questions. The report can be learned, but if a person cannot answer the question, then he does not know the material. During the defense, most of the students answered the questions perfectly. Moreover, I will be glad to see many graduates at the Institute of Nuclear Physics, and I will be happy to hire them. This already shows the assessment of their work. I especially liked the fact that they are ambitious, they are not afraid of authority, they confidently defend their point of view and demand proof. Their eyes are burning, they are rushing forward to do something," the scientist shares his impressions.
The connection with the real needs of the industry and the rapid adaptability of the children to practical work was noted by Kasym Tokhtakhunov, senior lecturer at the MEPhI.
"Today, the task of improving energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy is the most urgent task. It is encouraging that among the graduation papers there were topics of works devoted to this issue. The heads of these theses were production workers who gave specific applied topics related to improving energy efficiency in production processes. At the same time, the time of production workers is very limited and sometimes it is not enough for individual work with the guys. The guys had to delve into the technological process on their own, formulate a task, determine ways to solve it and perform engineering calculations, which shows their level of maturity. It became a serious challenge for them and a very good school. When a supervisor in his review of a graduate notes his abilities and invites him to work for a specific position, this indicates recognition of the engineering competence of our graduates," concludes Kassym Tokhtakhunov.
Many graduates of the branch dream of working at a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, the construction of which they are looking forward to. In the meantime, they plan to continue their studies in master's programs and gain experience.
