Operate Your Own Nuclear Power Plant

Have you ever wondered how a nuclear power plant actually works?  Have you ever wanted to be at the controls of a real nuclear power plant?  If so, then the nuclear power plant simulator below will not help you at all.  It is a very poor representation of how a nuclear power plant works and how it is operated.  It does have the basics, like a reactor, steam generator, turbine, generator, cooling tower, and some pumps and pipes, but other than that, there is nothing that resembles the reality of a nuclear power plant.  It is, however, kind of a fun game where you try to generate electricity without melting down the core, so if you are interested in playing a game, check it out.

Nuclear Power Plant Simulators

If you are actually interested in the inter-workings of a nuclear power plant, and want a good simulator that you can run on your home computer, there are several available through the International Atomic Energy Agency that model several popular reactor models including older model Pressurized and Boiling Water Reactors (PWR, BWR) common in the United States and several other countries, Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (CANDU) common in Canada, a Russian model (VVER), as well as a couple modern Generation III+ reactors (ESBWR, Advanced PHWR).  These simulators are very thorough, model both the design and operation of a nuclear power plant very well, and are a great tool for educators, students, or anyone interested in learning more about how a nuclear power plant operates.  

Passive Boiling Water Reactor Simulator Overview Screen

The best part of all is they are completely, 100% free, as long as you live in an IAEA member state and send in the simulator request form to the IAEA in Vienna, Austria.  For those with the desire to learn more about nuclear power plants, as well as the time and energy available to dedicate hours to reading the associated user manual / reactor theory lesson / nuclear power plant history course, there is a plethora of knowledge available to you by using these simulators.  The only warning I will give is that the simulator and documentation are very technical in nature, so reading though it without much knowledge in technical disciplines will be difficult. I had the opportunity to use one of these during my college years, and while there is a steep learning curve associated with using any of these simulators, they are very powerful, accurate, and will teach you a great deal about nuclear power.  And if you don't really want to take the time to correspond with the IAEA to get the simulator programs, the user manuals are still free and are available here.

If the IAEA simulators seem like a bit too much to take on at the moment, I understand.  Instead, go play the simple nuclear power plant simulator game and have some fun melting down a nuclear reactor.