A doctoral student from the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), Ir. Dicky Haryono, M.Eng., received the Best Paper Award in the category Managing Facility-Wide Process Safety Risks at the Loss Prevention Asia (LPA) 2025 international conference, held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Malaysia, on October 8–9, 2025.
The LPA 2025 conference is a prestigious international forum in the field of industrial process safety, organized by Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and PETRONAS. The event gathered around 600 participants from leading institutions and companies such as UTP, PETRONAS, Total Energies, PTTEP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Hefei University of Technology, Universitas Indonesia, and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
At the conference, Dicky presented his paper titled “Structural Integrity Assessment of RSG-Gas Reactor Tank: A 37-year Safety Verification using Advanced Visual Inspection”, which stemmed from his doctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU (Promoter) and Dr. Geni Rina Sunaryo, M.Sc. (Co-Promoter).
His study examined the structural integrity of the Reaktor Serba Guna G.A. Siwabessy (RSG-GAS) — Indonesia’s largest nuclear research reactor — which has operated for 37 years at 30 MW. The reactor plays a vital role in supporting applications of nuclear technology in research, training, education, radioisotope production, materials testing, and neutron scattering.
Dicky focused on the challenges of maintaining the structural durability of the reactor tank — one of the most critical Safety Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs) — to ensure it continues meeting stringent safety standards despite material aging. Utilizing high-resolution underwater inspection tools, his study conducted the first-ever visual integrity assessment of the RSG-GAS reactor tank after 37 years of continuous operation.
The 2023 visual inspection revealed no critical structural defects, even after prolonged neutron exposure. The findings confirmed the resilience of AlMg3 alloy under nuclear irradiation conditions. Minor surface anomalies detected were found to be insignificant and posed no operational safety risk.
The research further demonstrated the effectiveness of the VT-3 visual testing system for reactor aging assessments, encouraging its inclusion in periodic safety review protocols. Consequently, the study strengthens evidence that the reactor remains safe and reliable while offering valuable insights for national and international reactor aging management strategies.
Dicky’s research was recognized for its significant contribution to enhancing operational safety and preventing industrial accidents through a science-based risk management approach. He expressed his hopes that his findings will contribute to improving industrial safety and operational efficiency, “This award motivates me to continue contributing to reactor safety research in Indonesia. With the support of advanced inspection technology and strong academic guidance, we can ensure the safety of national nuclear facilities and strengthen Indonesia’s position in the global research landscape,” said Dicky.
As his doctoral supervisor, Prof. Heri Hermansyah, who also serves as Rector of Universitas Indonesia, praised the significance of Dicky’s research “This study provides critical updates in our understanding of long-term reactor material integrity and serves as a valuable reference for enhancing the safety systems of nuclear facilities in Indonesia. It exemplifies how doctoral research can directly contribute to improving national technological safety and reliability,” he remarked.
Dicky’s achievement underscores FTUI’s commitment to being a center of scientific and technological innovation with global competitiveness, providing a platform for students and researchers to make meaningful contributions to industrial sustainability and safety.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., added “Dicky’s success demonstrates that FTUI’s academic community possesses excellent research capabilities with real relevance to strategic issues in energy and industrial safety. FTUI will continue to promote collaborative research that advances technology and strengthens the safety of national industrial facilities,” said Prof. Kemas.
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Public Communication Office
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
