MPACT (Michigan PArallel Characteristics Transport Code) is a new reactor analysis tool being developed at the University of Michigan as an advanced pin-resolved transport capability within VERA (Virtual Environment for Reactor Analysis).
CASL is developing the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) as a key capability to support the analysis of the CASL Challenge Problems.
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been employed to better understand the thermodynamic properties of AB2O4 (where A=Fe2+, Ni2+ or Zn2+, and B=Fe3+ or Cr3+) spinel oxides
Fuel rod wear due to grid-to-rod fretting (GTRF) is currently one of the main causes of fuel leakage and is responsible for over 70% of the fuel leaks in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) in the U.S.
Analysis of molecular-level fracture and stress mechanisms could have broad implications for understanding materials’ behavior.
The Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) comprises a suite of tools for scalable simulation of nuclear reactor core behavior.
When run on graphics processing units, Denovo ran 3.5 times faster than what was possible with ORNL's Jaguar, which uses only central processing units.
A new 3D CRUD model, known as "MAMBA" (for “MPO Advanced Model for Boron Analysis”), is being developed by the Crud Group within the MPO focus area of CASL.
The Radiation Transport Methods (RTM) focus area is responsible for the development of methods, algorithms, and implementations of radiation transport methods as they apply to the design and analysis of light water nuclear reactors.
To ensure its modeling and simulation research activities are appropriately focused on specific industry issues, CASL engages an Industry Council chaired by the Electric Power Research Institute.
The Lightweight Integrating Multiphysics Environment (LIME), which has formed the infrastructure for the simulation tools being developed within the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light-Water Reactors (CASL), has been publicly-released under an open-source license.
NC State researchers use advanced computer simulations to create safer, more cost-effective nuclear power plants.
The Materials and Performance Optimization (MPO) focus area within CASL has recently developed and released a 3D modeling framework known as MAMBA (MPO Advanced Model for Boron Analysis) to predict CRUD deposition on nuclear fuel rods. CRUD, which refers to Chalk River Unidentified Deposit, is predominately a nickel-ferrite spinel corrosion product that deposits on hot fuel clad surfaces in nuclear reactors.
A complete 3D SolidWorks CAD model of Watts Bar Unit 1 was constructed based on drawings. A single fuel assembly CAD model including all geometrical details was created based on the Westinghouse V5H 17x17 fuel design.
CASL and TVA, The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) provides operational experience and validation information to CASL.
CASL Thermal Hydraulics team had a considerable presence at the 14th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermalhydraulics that took place in Toronto from Sept. 25-30, 2011. The NURETH series of conferences is an outstanding international technical forum on different topics related to thermalhydraulics and nuclear reactor safety with participation from leading practitioners and academic and industry researchers from around the world.
CASL Thermal Hydraulics team had a considerable presence at the 14th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermalhydraulics that took place in Toronto from Sept. 25-30, 2011. The NURETH series of conferences is an outstanding international technical forum on different topics related to thermalhydraulics and nuclear reactor safety with participation from leading practitioners and academic and industry researchers from around the world.
CASL-MPO team members served as guest editors for vol 63, issue 8 of JOM (Journal of TMS, the Minerals, Metal and Materials Society) dedicated to Advanced Fuel Performance: Modeling and Simulation.
Currently, the EPRI/WEC (Electric Power Research Institute/Westinghouse Electric Company) simulation capability (known as "BOA") for CRUD analysis only considers uptake of boron (present in the coolant of pressurized water reactors) into CRUD layers via the compounds lithium metaborate (LiBO2) or lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7).