in partnership with Kairos Power during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday. The facility will train reactor operators for Kairos Power’s Hermes low-power demonstration reactor in nearby Oak Ridge and serve as a training hub for UT students entering the advanced nuclear industry.
In April 2024, Kairos Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the university and gave an endowment to host the facility inside the Zeanah Engineering Complex on UT’s campus. The Operator Training Simulator Laboratory will enhance the UT Nuclear Engineering department’s programming by providing a shared asset for students and Kairos Power employees to gain hands-on experience with fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) operations.
Lab workstations feature Kairos Power’s state-of-the-art human-machine interfaces, providing a realistic control room experience. The simulator models KP-FHR dynamics, coupled with real hardware test systems, to provide a rich learning experience using simulated and actual system data. When it’s not being used to train operators, the simulator will be made available to graduate students and postdocs to conduct their own research and model development using Kairos Power’s modeling and simulation code.
“East Tennessee is at the heart of launching advanced small modular reactor technology to demonstrate the promise of nuclear to meeting energy security needs for our region and the nation. The Nuclear Engineering Department is enthusiastic about the partnership with Kairos Power and the new educational and career opportunities this will provide for our students and faculty,” said Brian Wirth, the head of the TCE Department of Nuclear Engineering. “The new operator training simulator laboratory represents a win-win scenario to train both our students and future Kairos employees.”
Kairos Power will supplement the simulator-based training with introductory courses on nuclear fundamentals open to both Kairos Power employees and university students. The foundational course offerings will provide industry-relevant education for emerging professionals exploring advanced nuclear careers within their respective engineering disciplines.
“The Operator Training Simulator Laboratory will be an important tool in realizing Hermes’ objectives as a stepping-stone to the commercial fleet,” said Kairos Power CEO and Co-Founder Mike Laufer. “Kairos Power is proud to partner with the University of Tennessee to build on the region’s distinguished nuclear legacy, strengthening the pipeline for students and operators that will be the future of our nuclear workforce.”
Operators trained in the program will pass a rigorous examination before they can be licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate the Hermes reactor, currently under construction. By qualifying operators in an off-site simulator, Kairos Power can ensure staff readiness to commission the reactor and enable continued operations throughout its life.
The public-private partnership has earned widespread praise from state leaders, including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
“Tennessee is ready-made to lead America’s energy independence and drive continued economic growth with safe, clean and reliable nuclear energy for the future,” Lee said. “We are the number one state for nuclear energy companies to invest and thrive, and I thank Kairos Power for working in partnership with the University of Tennessee to further invest in our state’s efforts to upskill our talented workforce and prepare students to enter the nuclear field.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)