Utilizing Virtual Reality Technologies For Advanced Training In Safeguards Verification

Abstract

The paper investigates the use of virtual reality technologies in educational environment related to nuclear knowledge and assesses their applicability to IAEA training for on-site verification activities. This topic is relevant due to the continued need to implement the safeguards verification process, in which activities at nuclear facilities play a crucial role. As of 2020, 2,856 on-site inspections totaling 12,767 days have been conducted. The need for ongoing training and professional development remains a significant challenge.

Regulations require that future safeguards professionals complete a minimum of 32 hours of documented time per calendar year in their specific discipline to maintain proficiency in site configuration. Continuous retraining of existing professionals is also required to keep theoretical and practical skills sharp throughout their tenure. New training methods, such as the use of digital learning tools utilizing virtual reality (VR) technologies, can offer great advantages over traditional methods. This approach offers the opportunity to deploy practical inspection work scenarios, as virtual reality technologies allow for a high level of detail and visualization. Virtual environments also offer some advantages such as cost and risk reduction. Therefore, it is paramount to create tools that take into account cognitive task analysis (CTA) methods and techniques to help quality assurance professionals cope with the challenge of dynamic adaptation in solving the problem of dynamic adaptation to maintain organizational performance at a sufficient level. In this article, authors evaluate the applicability of virtual reality technologies based on the studies of virtual reactor plant models created at the National Research Nuclear University Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (NRNU MEPhI), as well as the experience of implementing a virtual reality laboratory for training specialists in the field of digital engineering.