University of Pretoria – A Centre for Pioneering Research on Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR): 4thGeneration Nuclear Reactor

Abstract

The University of Pretoria - South Africa, one of the most prestigious universities of
the African continent, has a sprawling campus with a profound aristocracy similar to
that of Oxford University. The Opera House of the University carries a great legacy
of the Royal ‘Concertgebouw’ (concert hall) in Amsterdam. Research on materials for
constructing the appropriate fuel particles in a “Pebble Bed Modular Reactor†(PBMR),
initiated at the Physics Department of this university, can be considered fundamental
and somewhat revolutionary. The article will in a nutshell touch upon the essence of
PBMR and the enriched academic ambiance of the University of Pretoria, reflected
by author’s own experiences of working at this university.