Interactive Graphic Simulation: An Advanced Methodology to Improve the Teaching-Learning Process in Nuclear Engineering Education and Training

Nowadays, computer simulators are becoming basic tools for education and training in many engineering fields. In the nuclear industry, the role of simulation for training of operators of nuclear power plants is also recognized of the utmost relevance. As an example, the International Atomic Energy Agency sponsors the development of nuclear reactor simulators for education, and arranges the supply of such simulation programs. Aware of this, in 2008 Gas Natural Fenosa, a Spanish gas and electric utility that owns and operate nuclear power plants and promotes university education in the nuclear technology field, provided the Department of Nuclear Engineering of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid with the Interactive Graphic Simulator (IGS) of “José Cabrera” (Zorita) nuclear power plant, an industrial facility whose commercial operation ceased definitively in April 2006. It is a state-of-the-art full-scope real-time simulator that was used for training and qualification of the operators of the plant control room, as well as to understand and analyses the plant dynamics, and to develop, qualify and validate its emergency operating procedures

Education and Training of Future Nuclear Engineers at DIN: From Advanced Computer Codes to an Interactive Plant Simulator.

This paper summarizes the work being performed at the Department of Nuclear Engineering (www.din.upm.es) of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid to improve the education and training of future Spanish nuclear engineers according to the Bologna rules. We present two main efforts introduced in our programme: i) the understanding of the current computational methodologies/codes starting from the nuclear data processing, then the lattice and core calculations codes, and finally the power plant simulators, ii) the development of practical teaching-learning experiences with an Interactive Graphical Simulator of a real nuclear power plant

Formación y entrenamiento de ingenieros nucleares mediante el máster de Ciencia y Tecnología nuclear de la UPM

El Departamento de Ingeniería Nuclear imparte los Programas oficiales de Máster y Doctorado en Ciencia y Tecnología Nuclear, que cuentan desde el año 2006 con la Mención de Calidad del Ministerio de Educación y desde este curso 2010-2011con la Mención a la Excelencia. El contenido del Máster abarca desde la tecnología nuclear de los reactores de fisión hasta el estudio de los combustibles y materiales para los futuros reactores de fusión tanto inercial como magnética

Design and testing of a microchannel reactor for the PROX reaction

The different steps for manufacturing a microchannel reactor for the PROX reaction are discussed. Transient Liquid Phase bonding (TLP) using a Ni-B-Si amorphous melt spun is used for joining micromilled Al-alloyed ferritic stainless steel plates followed by recrystallization at 1200°C for 5h. A CuOx-CeO2 catalyst synthesized by the coprecipitation method was washcoated on the microchannel block resulting in a homogenous 20-30μm thick layer. The catalytic activity for CO-PROX reaction is similar in both the powder catalyst and the microchannel coated reactor but the selectivity is higher in the microchannel reactor. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MAT-2006-12386-C05, ENE-2009-14522-C05-01, BES-2007-14409, BES-2007-15297Junta de Andalucía P06-TEP-0848

Education and Training of Future Nuclear Engineers Through The use of An Interactive Plant Simulator.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sponsors the development of nuclear reactor simulators for education, or arranges the supply of such simulation programs [1]. Aware of this, the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid was provided in 2008 with the Interactive Graphical Simulator of the Spanish nuclear power plant José Cabrera, whose operation ceased definitively in 2006. According with the IAEA-TECDOC-1411 [2] , the simulator is a Graphical Simulator, used for training of main control room personnel, technical support engineers, and operations management. This paper presents all the work performed at the Department to turn the simulator into a teaching/learning tool, to be use in the nuclear engineering studies following guidance found in [3]

High thyrotropin is critical for cardiac electrical remodeling and arrhythmia vulnerability in hypothyroidism

Background: Hypothyroidism, the most common endocrine disease, induces cardiac electrical remodeling that creates a substrate for ventricular arrhythmias. Recent studies report that high thyrotropin (TSH) levels are related to cardiac electrical abnormalities and increased mortality rates. The aim of the present work was to investigate the direct effects of TSH on the heart and its possible causative role in the increased incidence of arrhythmia in hypothyroidism. Methods: A new rat model of central hypothyroidism (low TSH levels) was created and characterized together with the classical propylthiouracil-induced primary hypothyroidism model (high TSH levels). Electrocardiograms were recorded in vivo, and ionic currents were recorded from isolated ventricular myocytes in vitro by the patch-clamp technique. Protein and mRNA were measured by Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in rat and human cardiac myocytes. Adult human action potentials were simulated in silico to incorporate the experimentally observed changes. Results: Both primary and central hypothyroidism models increased the L-type Ca2+ current (ICa-L) and decreased the ultra-rapid delayed rectifier K+ current (IKur) densities. However, only primary but not central hypothyroidism showed electrocardiographic repolarization abnormalities and increased ventricular arrhythmia incidence during caffeine/dobutamine challenge. These changes were paralleled by a decrease in the density of the transient outward K+ current (Ito) in cardiomyocytes from animals with primary but not central hypothyroidism. In vitro treatment with TSH for 24 hours enhanced isoproterenol-induced spontaneous activity in control ventricular cells and diminished Ito density in cardiomyocytes from control and central but not primary hypothyroidism animals. In human myocytes, TSH decreased the expression of KCND3 and KCNQ1, Ito, and the delayed rectifier K+ current (IKs) encoding proteins in a protein kinase A–dependent way. Transposing the changes produced by hypothyroidism and TSH to a computer model of human ventricular action potential resulted in enhanced occurrence of early afterdepolarizations and arrhythmia mostly in primary hypothyroidism, especially under b-adrenergic stimulation. Conclusions: The results suggest that suppression of repolarizing K+ currents by TSH underlies most of the electrical remodeling observed in hypothyroidism. This work demonstrates that the activation of the TSHreceptor/protein kinase A pathway in the heart is responsible for the cardiac electrical remodeling and arrhythmia generation seen in hypothyroidism.Fil: Fernandez Ruocco, Maria Julieta. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Gallego, Monica. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Rodriguez de Yurre, Ainhoa. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Zayas Arrabal, Julian. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Echeazarra, Leyre. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Alquiza, Amaia. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Fernández López, Victor. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Rodriguez Robledo, Juan M.. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Brito, Oscar. Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia; BrasilFil: Schleier, Ygor. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Sepúlveda, Marisa Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Oshiyama, Natalia F.. University of Campinas. Center for Biomedical Engineering; BrasilFil: Vila Petroff, Martin Gerarde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Bassani, Rosana A.. University of Campinas. Center for Biomedical Engineering; BrasilFil: Medei, Emiliano H.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Casis, Oscar. Universidad del País Vasco; Españ

Initiatives and facilities for E&T in the nuclear science and technology master at UPM

The present Master/Doctorate in Nuclear Science and Technology programme implemented in the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (NED-UPM) has the excellence qualification by the Spanish Ministry of Education. One of the main of this programme is the training for the development of methodologies of simulation, design and advanced analysis, including experimental tools, necessary in research and in professional work in the nuclear field

Investigaciones arqueológicas en el centro de la provincia de Corrientes: primeros resultados de las prospecciones en el sistema Iberá

Las investigaciones arqueológicas en el centro de la provincia de Corrientes han sido escasas y discontinuas. Con el objetivo de revertir este panorama se iniciaron trabajos de campo en el sector sur y sursureste del macrosistema Iberá (Reserva Provincial Iberá y Parque Nacional Iberá). En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de las actividades de prospección y excavación desarrolladas. Como resultado de las mismas, se identificaron 11 áreas en las que los materiales arqueológicos se presentan en densidades variables y asociados a una matriz sedimentaria con alta proporción de conchillas. En líneas generales, estas se caracterizan por la presencia de material cerámico, lítico, restos óseos humanos y faunísticos, ornamentos, entre otros. A esta información, se integran y discuten los antecedentes para el sector, confirmando el alto potencial arqueológico del área. La evaluación de la red de permeabilidad del sector permitió identificar tres formas posibles de desplazamiento práctico entre la totalidad de los sitios hasta ahora identificados (n= 33)