CASL milestone validates reactor model using TVA data

This CASL visualization shows the thermal distribution of neutrons in Watts Bar Unit 1 Cycle 1 reactor core at initial criticality, as calculated by the VERA program. Image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory<br>

CASL is modeling nuclear reactors on supercomputers to help researchers better understand reactor performance with much higher reliability than previously available methods, with the goal of ultimately increasing power output, extending reactor life, and reducing waste.

Simulation results from the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) program, developed by CASL, were compared with actual data provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Tennessee, which confirmed its accuracy.

“VERA's capabilities range from simulating single fuel pins to modeling an entire operational reactor core,” said Jess Gehin of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division. “It addresses operational challenges and supports increased power generation by exploring greater efficiency and life extensions.”

During cycle startup of commercial nuclear power reactors, technicians perform a series of tests to confirm the reactor is operating as expected. For CASL, results of previous tests are useful for demonstrating the accuracy of the VERA software. As a CASL partner, TVA provided detailed historical information and measured operational data from the Watts Bar plant to allow comparisons of the VERA simulation.

The simulations of the reactor startup tests are just a first step in the demonstration of VERA. CASL is extending the program's capability to simulate full power operation of the TVA reactor, which will require further VERA development to integrate the nuclear and thermal hydraulic physics. These additional capabilities will allow researchers to pursue breakthroughs in understanding key phenomena in the operating reactors.

CASL, headquartered at ORNL, is one of the Department of Energy's Energy Innovation Hubs. First established in 2010, CASL brings together industry, academia, and national labs to provide advanced modeling and simulation solutions for commercial reactors. Its mission is to confidently predict the performance of nuclear reactors through comprehensive science-based modeling and simulation technology that is deployed and applied broadly throughout the nuclear energy industry to enhance safety, reliability and economics.

The Hub's 10 core partners include: the Electric Power Research Institute, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, Tennessee Valley Authority, University of Michigan, Westinghouse Electric Company and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. More information about CASL is available at http://www.casl.gov.

Media Contact

Ron Walli EurekAlert!

More Information:

http://www.ornl.gov

All latest news from the category: Physics and Astronomy

This area deals with the fundamental laws and building blocks of nature and how they interact, the properties and the behavior of matter, and research into space and time and their structures.

innovations-report provides in-depth reports and articles on subjects such as astrophysics, laser technologies, nuclear, quantum, particle and solid-state physics, nanotechnologies, planetary research and findings (Mars, Venus) and developments related to the Hubble Telescope.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors