In early May, the well-known American scientific publishing house IGI Global published a monograph “Small Modular Reactor Digital Infrastructures for Safety and Security: Assessment and Provision”, dedicated to digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and functional safety of small modular reactors (SMR).
One of the main authors and editors of the large-scale international publication were scientists from the Department of Cybersecurity and Intelligent Information Technologies (503) of KhAI.
The 522-page monograph combined research by teachers, graduate students and graduates of the Department 503, as well as partners from the scientific and production enterprises “Radius”, “Radix”, “Westron” and institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
The scientific editors of the publication were:
- Vyacheslav KHARCHENKO - Head of the Department 503, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine;
- Yevgeny BREZHNEV - Professor of the Department.
Among the authors are the department's lecturers: German FESENKO, Igor KLYUSHNIKOV, Kyrylo LEICHENKO, as well as graduate students: Kyrylo POLISHCHUK, Vladyslav SHCHEGLOV, Artem SEREDYUK.
KhAI scientists prepared half of the book's chapters - 6 out of 12.
The focus of the research is on the secure digital infrastructure of small modular reactors: monitoring systems, process control, digital twins, big data, artificial intelligence, unmanned mobile systems, and cyber protection mechanisms for critical energy infrastructure.
The authors pay special attention to how modern digital technologies can not only increase the efficiency and safety of SMRs, but also create new challenges and vulnerabilities that need to be anticipated and neutralized at the design stage.
The research is based on the results of a scientific project carried out by Department 503 on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, as well as many years of cooperation between KhAI and the RPE "Radii", which is working on the RadICS platform for SMR information and control systems.
The innovativeness of the developments is also confirmed by the recent decision to issue a patent of Ukraine for the digital infrastructure of small modular reactors, created with the participation of KhAI scientists.
Today, these studies are of particular importance for the energy security of Ukraine. The government is considering the possibility of using SMR-160 reactors from Holtec International to replace damaged energy capacities.
This is the third monograph published in the USA with the participation of KhAI scientists on the topic of the safety of information and control systems of nuclear installations - after the editions of 2014 and 2020.
KhAI continues to shape the international scientific agenda in the field of cybersecurity, digital technologies, and critical energy infrastructure — even in the most difficult times for the country.