Advanced Reliability Engineering for Nuclear Applications

ARENA Lab
Advanced Reliability Engineering for Nuclear Applications
Advancing nuclear system design, safety, operation and reliability through engineering analysis, risk-informed methods and advanced digital technologies.
Nuclear System DesignOperation & SafetyReliability Engineering
Explore Our Research
Meet the Team
Engineering Reliable Nuclear Systems
ARENA Lab — Advanced Reliability Engineering for Nuclear Applications — focuses on nuclear system design and safety analysis, nuclear power operation optimization, and reliability engineering for nuclear applications. The lab connects fundamental nuclear-system engineering with practical deployment, operation, and risk analysis.
Prof. Oh Ji-yong
Nuclear System Design, Safety and Operation
Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
jiyong.oh@kings.ac.kr
Core Research
Three Research Pillars
01 — Nuclear System Design & Safety Analysis
Innovative commercial nuclear system design including APR1000, PROMETESUS, i-SMR, SMART100. AI-based generative design tools and Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE).
02 — Nuclear Power Operation Optimization
Operation strategy optimization using simulator. Emergency Operating Procedure (EOP), MARS code, Severe Accident Mitigation Guideline (SAMG), MAAP code.
03 — Reliability Engineering for Nuclear Applications
PRA model development and Risk-Informed Applications (RIA), Risk-Informed & Performance Based Regulation (RIPBR), Level 3 PRA, SAMDA, ALARP, Equipment Reliability (ER), Maintenance Rule (MR), SPV, RAP.
Methods & Tools
Engineering Tools for the Next Generation of Nuclear Systems
AI & Generative Engineering
AI-based generative design tools for advanced reactor concepts.
Model-Based Systems Engineering
MBSE for structured nuclear system architecture and design.
Thermal-Hydraulic Simulation
MARS and MAAP codes for reactor safety and operation analysis.
Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Level 3 PRA, RIA, SAMDA and ALARP for risk-informed engineering.
Our Team
People at ARENA Lab
Prof. Oh Ji-yong — Laboratory Director
Nuclear System Design, Safety and Operation. Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, MIT. jiyong.oh@kings.ac.kr
Lim, Sung Han — Ph.D. Student
Doctoral research in nuclear system engineering and safety analysis.
Xolani — Master's Student
Advanced power reactors, SMR technology, Machine Learning & AI, Energy Transition.
Nkateko — Master's Student
Advanced nuclear systems & SMRs, coal-to-nuclear repowering, reliability-informed systems engineering.
Choi Myeung Sik — Master's Student
Master's research in nuclear power plant engineering.
Beril — Master's Student
Master's research in nuclear power plant engineering.
Student Research
Nkateko P. Makaringe — M.Sc. Student, Nuclear Power Plant Engineering
Advanced Nuclear Systems & SMRs
SMR technology assessment, site-reactor matching, nuclear system design & safety.
Coal-to-Nuclear Repowering
Brownfield site screening, steam-cycle & turbine compatibility, balance-of-plant & infrastructure reuse.
Reliability-Informed Systems Engineering
Integrated site-SMR feasibility, plant compatibility & system interfaces, retain/modify/replace decisions.
REPOWER · REUSE · RETAIN · SUSTAIN — Enabling the transition from coal to nuclear by reusing existing infrastructure, retaining value, and sustaining reliable power supply.
Student Research
Coal-to-Nuclear Repowering Workflow
A structured engineering pathway for converting brownfield coal sites to advanced nuclear deployment — preserving infrastructure value while enabling clean energy transition.
Coal Site → Site/Safety Requirements → Site Suitability → SMR Selection → Site-SMR Compatibility → Existing Plant → Retain / Modify / Replace → Integrated Technical Feasibility
Student Research
Xolani Bila — M.Sc. Student
BEng, Mechanical Engineering, UJ, Johannesburg, South Africa · MSc, Nuclear Engineering, KINGS, Ulsan, South Korea · xrbila@gmail.com
Advanced Power Reactor
Design, safety and operation; EOP and plant simulation; core design optimization; radiological impact assessment, Level 3 PRA.
SMR Technology
SMR design and performance optimization; new technology development and implementation; Machine Learning & AI for engineering optimization.
Energy Transition
Coal-to-Nuclear transition; national energy policy design and Just Energy Transitions to cleaner energy.
Conferences
KOSOS Fall Conference — Busan BEXCO (Oct 2026); KNS Spring Meeting — Jeju (May 2027).
Research Ecosystem
How ARENA Lab Connects
ARENA Lab connects fundamental nuclear-system engineering with practical deployment, operation, risk analysis and advanced engineering tools.
Activities & Contact
Connect with ARENA Lab
Upcoming Activities
October 2026
KOSOS Fall Conference — Busan BEXCO
May 2027
KNS Spring Meeting — Jeju
ARENA Lab
Advanced Reliability Engineering for Nuclear Applications
KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS)
Department of Nuclear Power Plant Engineering
Prof. Oh Ji-yong
jiyong.oh@kings.ac.kr
arena.kings.ac.kr
Email Prof. Oh
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