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Russian professors for nuclear 101?

CaPtAiN_pLaNeT

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Monday, April 2, 2012
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Russian professors for nuclear 101?

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=228581

Abdul Matin

Bangladesh has agreed to the first ever nuclear deal with Russia, which is to be built at Rooppur. Several memoranda of understanding have been signed between Bangladesh and Russia over the last three years for building the two VVER-1000 type nuclear reactors, with technical and financial assistance from Russia.

The state minister for science and technology had given both some good and bad news on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project after he had returned from Moscow (DS, March 17). Talking to The Daily Star he said that Russia would provide 85% of the fund required to build the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant as state loan on soft terms. He further stated that Bangladeshi students would get scholarships to study nuclear science and technology at a specialised university in Russia.

This is the good news. The bad news is that teachers from Russian University will visit Bangladesh to teach nuclear courses at Dhaka University (DU) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Foreign academics are welcome if they come for collaboration in research or teaching advanced courses in which we have no expertise, and similarly our scientists and engineers can also go abroad for higher studies or for specialised training programmes. There is nothing wrong in it but why should we need Russian professors to teach basic courses in nuclear science and technology in universities here?

In late 1960s, Bangladeshi engineers built and operated the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP). The project manager, the deputy plant superintendent, several shift supervisors and plant operators of KANUPP were all from Bangladesh. According to a survey by the Times in mid 1970's, Bangladesh, along with few other countries, was considered to possess the potential to develop nuclear weapons.

Some Bangladeshi nuclear engineers, settled in Canada, had the expertise to built and commission nuclear power reactors in Argentina, South Korea and Romania. Many Bangladeshi nuclear scientists and engineers also held vital and renowned positions at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy in Vienna.

Nuclear scientists and engineers from Bangladesh are also known to have taught nuclear science and technology-based courses at universities in Saudi Arabia and Libya. Several nuclear experts from Bangladesh helped Iran to build its nuclear infrastructures during the initial days of its nuclear power programme.

If this was the situation just decades ago, why should we suddenly need Russian professors to teach basic nuclear courses now? Are we moving forward or backward as a nation? What did the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) achieve during the last forty years if it is unable to train its own scientists and engineers? One of the purposes of building the research reactor at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) at Savar was to train local engineers and technicians. Has it served this purpose?

Both India and Pakistan has built in-house facilities to train their nuclear scientists and engineers. Why haven't we built similar facilities? Why are we incapable of offering basic courses in nuclear science and engineering?

Since the initial stages of negotiations with Russia in 2009, all the senior retired nuclear engineers of BAEC have been stressing the importance of recruitment and training of nuclear engineers and technicians, but very little attention has been paid to their suggestions. What have we achieved during this period except signing several MoUs and sending high level delegations to Moscow?

According to the recent proposal to buildinf the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant on build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis (DS February 20), Russia will "run the power plant in the initial years to enable a local workforce develop its skills and takeover the operations." It shows that BAEC does not have enough confidence in training engineers and technicians in next eight years or so to takeover the responsibility operating the plant after its completion. If this concept is followed, who will operate of the plant and ensure its safety if, God forbids, all the Russian operators suddenly leave Bangladesh due to any civil disturbances in the country before our team is ready to takeover?

It has been pointed out several times that the BAEC lacks senior engineers with experience of dealing with nuclear power reactor vendors. It also doesn't have sufficient autonomy to take its own decisions independently. It has been operating under full administrative control of the ministry, who takes most of the decisions regarding the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project. It is thus possible that the minister is being wrongly advised on Rooppur.

People in general are worried about the safety of nuclear power plants. Without trained manpower, BAEC cannot ensure the safety of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

If India and Pakistan can build and operate nuclear power plants, there is no reason we should fail to do so. We can pull our resources, if necessary, to train the new recruits. The research reactor and other laboratories at AERE Savar will provide excellent facilities for practical training.

BAEC should also allow lateral entry of senior engineers with experience of construction and operation of conventional power plants and large industrial complexes. If we were able to build a strong team of nuclear experts during the 1960s, there is no reason why we can't do it now! And it is very possible to do so without the invitation of foreign instructors.

There is one more important issue. Most of the engineers trained during the pre-liberation period left the BAEC during 1970s for better opportunities outside. The BAEC also trained dozens of engineers at its research reactor at Savar but could not retain them for the same reason. Unless there is any improvement in the service conditions of BAEC, it is likely that some of the newly trained engineers will also leave the commission.

It is, therefore, essential to offer attractive and competitive salaries and incentives to the nuclear engineers and scientists of the commission in order to retain them in their jobs. Large scale exodus of trained manpower may cause serious problems in plant operation.

In addition, it is necessary to reorganise and strengthen BAEC with people conversant with nuclear power. BAEC should also be allowed more autonomy. The division of atomic energy should be placed directly under the prime minister like in India and Pakistan. The chairman of BAEC should be made the ex-officio secretary of the division like in India in order to accelerate the implementation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project.

These are just some of the measures which can help to develop a firm base for the introduction of nuclear power in Bangladesh.

The writer is a former Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.
 
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Wow so many good and unknown infos,didn't know we reached that high,,, and now that low.But yes this kinds of silly decisions should not be welcomed, when we have plenty of ours then why to hire foreigners and that even for the basic ones.
shame shame puppy shame to BAL:fie:
 
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Wow so many good and unknown infos,didn't know we reached that high,,, and now that low.But yes this kinds of silly decisions should not be welcomed, when we have plenty of ours then why to hire foreigners and that even for the basic ones.
shame shame puppy shame to BAL:fie:

nuclear engineering is not what it is made out to be, i have a buddy in nuclear engineering graduating this year from University of Ontario .....all he does is smoke weed :lol:....the cut off of to go to nuclear engineering from high school to university was 84%, i had higher....its just our universities don't have the toys to host a nuclear engineering program, they even have a nuclear reactor for kids to practice on:lol:.....same with aerospace engineering, its not that the programs are hard than any other engineering or chemistry programs, its just the programs are very expensive to operate......our aerospace department has a bloody space shuttle and various types of propulsions engines for kids to play with :lol:...Dhaka University simply does not have the funds to host such a program.
 
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India should lodge a protest against this nuclear plant. Its too close to major population centers in India.
 
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Remove AL/BNP and throw all their fanboys (including idune) into concetration camps. Then we'll have leaders who actually think.
 
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Remove AL/BNP and throw all their fanboys (including idune) into concetration camps. Then we'll have leaders who actually think.

i am a BNP fanboy, bro:hitwall:....but throwing them in camps is more more of a radical thought than the idelogies of BAL and BNP.

India should lodge a protest against this nuclear plant. Its too close to major population centers in India.

:chilli:Jealous Indian at Bangladesh's achievements.....and trolling er!
 
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Yeah heard it before that around 1970-1980 Bangladesh had the potential to develop nuclear bomb!
 
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i am a BNP fanboy, bro:hitwall:....but throwing them in camps is more more of a radical thought than the idelogies of BAL and BNP.

Lol I wasn't being serious. But certain fanboys piss me off.
 
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Neuclear technology moved a lot since 1970's. We are talking about 3rd generation reactors. Even the Russians are shaky in building the core of the reactors. Its Japan which build them and captured majority of the market. We will be getting the same from Japan even though Russians are the primary contractor.
 
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nuclear engineering is not what it is made out to be, i have a buddy in nuclear engineering graduating this year from University of Ontario .....all he does is smoke weed :lol:....the cut off of to go to nuclear engineering from high school to university was 84%, i had higher....its just our universities don't have the toys to host a nuclear engineering program, they even have a nuclear reactor for kids to practice on:lol:.....same with aerospace engineering, its not that the programs are hard than any other engineering or chemistry programs, its just the programs are very expensive to operate......our aerospace department has a bloody space shuttle and various types of propulsions engines for kids to play with :lol:...Dhaka University simply does not have the funds to host such a program.


You have no idea what kind of equipments the government owned universities possesses in Bangladesh. YOu can get anything in BUET or DU from aircraft engines / wind tunnels to latest precision machineries. I did not seee even 1/20th of what I saw in BUET in an American University.
 
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Are we getting 3rd generation reactors or did BAL agree to 4th class 2nd generation reactors like the Mig-29 scam. I really hope
its 3 rd generations and besides it will take us decades to master the nuclear fuel cycle and we won't be able to reprocess the nuclear
waste under NPT agreements.:cry:
 
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You have no idea what kind of equipments the government owned universities possesses in Bangladesh. YOu can get anything in BUET or DU from aircraft engines / wind tunnels to latest precision machineries. I did not seee even 1/20th of what I saw in BUET in an American University.

I am talking ivy league standard or like in the top 30 universities in the world. I am pretty sure buet is behind those in terms of toys, i maybe wrong. But yes, Buet is indeed a respectable engineering institution. The only decent university in Bangladesh besides DU.
 
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I am talking ivy league standard or like in the top 30 universities in the world. I am pretty sure buet is behind those in terms of toys, i maybe wrong. But yes, Buet is indeed a respectable engineering institution. The only decent university in Bangladesh besides DU.

I told you most Government universities can compete with any univiersity in the world when it comes to lab equipments. Go to Textile University or Leather Technology University, you will be amazed. Most of the equipments are just rusting sittling idle.

Are we getting 3rd generation reactors or did BAL agree to 4th class 2nd generation reactors like the Mig-29 scam. I really hope
its 3 rd generations and besides it will take us decades to master the nuclear fuel cycle and we won't be able to reprocess the nuclear
waste under NPT agreements.:cry:

Its a 3rd generation reactor. Russia does not produce 2nd generation anymore. Besides, where did you find that Nuclear Reactors come second hand? Too much madrasaha education?
 
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I told you most Government universities can compete with any univiersity in the world when it comes to lab equipments. Go to Textile University or Leather Technology University, you will be amazed. Most of the equipments are just rusting sittling idle.



Its a 3rd generation reactor. Russia does not produce 2nd generation anymore. Besides, where did you find that Nuclear Reactors come second hand? Too much madrasaha education?

Sorry for my ignorance, do tell me then why are our universities and our education standards lacking behind? the university i went to...university of toronto its ranked 17th in the world and 10th when it comes to research...where else no Bangladeshi university is in the top 100 universities of the world. why is that?
 
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