Understanding complex systems has always been a challenge for scientists. In the past, they would develop theories and then test them in carefully designed experiments. This theory and experiment technique has produced important advances, but can be expensive and time consuming.
Since the advent of increasingly powerful computers, there has been a shift to a new way to understand the behavior of complex systems, ranging from airplanes and automobiles to medical devices and even astronomical events. This new way has been referred to as modeling and simulation, and uses supercomputers to test theories and systems.
The Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Program (NEAMS) provides greater impetus and focus to solving nuclear energy issues such as proliferation, waste management and cost by using the power of supercomputers to build upon existing knowledge.
Background
The design of current reactors was based on evolutionary steps moving from prototypes to demonstrations to commercial power plants. Without significant experimentation, validation and verification, these processes had to ensure the designs were sufficiently conservative to cover a lack of precise models to simulate system behaviors under various conditions. This led to a process that was long and expensive with overly conservative designs.
Using powerful computers, NEAMS will provide a faster technology innovation cycle while reducing risk and cost. For example, today's immersive visualization technology will allow scientists and engineers to stand in the center of an operational "virtual" reactor, observing coolant flow, nuclear fuel performance, and even how the reactor would respond to changes in operating conditions, accident conditions or design parameters. Modeling and simulation allows engineers to understand how systems will perform beyond what was directly measured, enabling them to provide better systems that cost less with even better margins of safety than today's plants.
