The NEG is committed to promoting technological innovation in the nuclear field through research and development focused to improve safety, reliability, economy and performance of nuclear power plants.

There are four research areas; Safety Technology and Human Factors Engineering, Nuclear Reactor Analysis and Design, Nuclear Processes modeling and Electric Sector Expansion Studies. The Nuclear Engineering Group has developed substantial technological infrastructure and qualified human resources and is considered a leader on a national scale. International prestige is also maintained through cooperation projects with several institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), General Electric (GE) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).

Its main facility, the Nuclear Reactor Engineering Analysis Laboratory (NREAL) comprises a sophisticated computer system with state-of-the-art analytical tools and technology for analysis of Light Water Reactors. The system embraces a multidisciplinary effort to integrate expertise and advanced technology with technical and financial support from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Multiple application software tools can be activated to carry out different analysis and studies such as nuclear fuel reload evaluation, safety operation margin measurement, transient and severe accident analysis, nuclear reactor instability, operator training, normal and emergency procedure optimization, human factors engineering studies, etc. An advanced Graphic Interface, driven through touch sensitive screens, provides the means to interact with specialized software and nuclear codes. The interface allows the visualization and control of all observable variables in a nuclear power plant, as well as a selected set of non-observable or not directly controllable variables from conventional control panels.

Advanced computer techniques, such as artificial intelligence, multimedia, and virtual reality, are used to solve diverse nuclear reactor engineering problems. Interactive graphical screens that emulate reactor systems and component dynamics (mimics and pictorials) and associated instrumentation (virtual control panels) are being designed to display and control model variables via direct manipulation of graphical objects. Several modules with generic components can be used to represent typical configurations. A common database will allow adapting a model for testing different plants with similar characteristics. Present implementation of the NREAL components is fully based on the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant characteristics.

NREAL has been implemented as an open, multi-computer, reconfigurable, modular, and adaptable system. The use of several computers allows multiple simulation models to run in parallel without compromising real-time data acquisition and control. Reconfigurability allows greater flexibility in accessing, displaying and optimizing control parameters, and modularity allows a component to be added, removed, or modified without affecting other components or the system as a whole. In terms of adaptability, depending on application or modality, the simulation or models are adjusted to a particular scope and fidelity to accomplish the design requirements for which the system has been specified, optimizing resources and reducing inherent complexity.