Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An unusual debate was held at the Information Center for Nuclear Technologies at the Uzatom Agency (ICAT) on the topic “Cooling systems of nuclear power plants: evaporative cooling towers versus “dry” ones.” 

Future specialists, students of the Tashkent branch of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, compared two cooling systems of nuclear power plants in the format of a “scientific battle”, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of solutions available in the nuclear industry. The event, organized in honor of Russian Science Day, which is celebrated annually on February 8, was supported by the Uzatom Agency and the Rosatom State Corporation.

“Scientific Battle” is one of the ICAT events of an unusual format, which is held with the aim of attracting future specialists to active and in-depth study of various issues related to nuclear science and nuclear technology.

Students from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI branch in Tashkent took part in the debate. The essence of the game was to tell in a clear and accessible form about the essence of cooling technology, available solutions, and how this technology can be applied at the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. A special feature of these debates was the participation of an invited nuclear energy expert from Hungary.

The teams’ performances were commented on by invited expert Zsolt Harfasz from Hungary: “When choosing a technology for a particular country, all technical conditions and requirements are taken into account. I am confident that the option proposed by Russian designers for Uzbekistan will maximally satisfy the requirements in terms of economic feasibility and environmental safety. For example, Rosatom designers, when developing the Paks-2 NPP project, took these conditions into account as much as possible, and I am sure that all the necessary nuances will also be taken into account for Uzbekistan.”

Shokhmirzo Umarov, a teacher at the Department of Nuclear Physics and Thermophysics of the Tashkent branch of the National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI”, shared his impressions: “This is a wonderful event. I felt a rush of endorphins seeing the students’ involvement in the game, their skills and professionalism. It was only from the questions from the participants in the audience that I realized that they had received the information presented by the teams and what exactly was being discussed. I also saw the students’ skills, their argumentation, and the delivery of complex information in an accessible form to the audience. It was very pleasant to realize that these are the people who will shape the vector of nuclear energy development in the country in the future.”

As a result of voting by the audience, which included schoolchildren and students, the team that presented arguments in favor of the “dry” cooling method as the most optimal, safe and beneficial for the country received the largest number of votes. All participants and the most active spectators received valuable prizes and gifts from the organizers.

“Scientific Battle 2024” is the third event of a new format, which takes place at the Atomic Technology Information Center under the Uzatom Agency with the support of the Rosatom State Corporation. The first scientific battle took place in 2022. The main goal of the event is to popularize nuclear science and technology through dynamic discussions, developing youth’s oratory skills and research potential.