Modeling and simulation has a long history with researchers and scientists exploring nuclear energy technologies. In fact, the existing fleet of currently operating reactors was licensed with computational tools that were produced or initiated in the 1970s. Researchers and scientists in the Department of Energy are developing new tools to predict the performance, reliability and economics of advanced nuclear power plants. The new computational tools will allow researchers to explore in ways never before practical, at the level of detail dictated by the governing phenomena, all the way from important changes in the materials of a nuclear fuel pellet to the full-scale operation of a complete nuclear power plant.
Energy.gov - Advanced Modeling & SimulationThe Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL)Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Program
Energy.gov - Advanced Modeling & Simulation
The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL)
Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Program
High Performance Computing (HPC) resources are available for industry use!
Idaho National Laboratory's HPC computing resources are available for industry use in support of the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy mission. These scientific computing capabilities enable a wide range of research activities, including performance of materials in harsh environments (such as the effects of irradiation and high temperatures), performance of existing light water and advanced nuclear reactors, and multiscale multiphysics analysis of nuclear fuel performance. INL has significantly expanded the focus on high performance computing through the establishment of its Advanced Scientific Computing Division, the opening of the Collaborative Computing Center (C3) funded by the State of Idaho, and the procurement of Sawtooth, a 6 petaflop supercomputer supported by the Department of Energy through the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF). INL is also expanding the software tools based on the MOOSE framework in areas of nuclear energy, advanced manufacturing, and environmental sciences. There is strong and growing demand for user access to these nuclear-supporting HPC and software capabilities. Access is available via GAIN and NSUF related funding opportunities. Additional information regarding INL HPC.
Application of Advanced Modeling Tools