II SEN – I ISNE Rio de Janeiro, August 13-17 2012 A Few Thoughts on Computational Nuclear Science and the New Nuclear Energy Era Dr Cassiano R E de Oliveira Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering The University of New Mexico cassiano@unm.edu
Your Speaker • B.S. Physics (PUC-RJ, 1976), M.Sc. Nuclear Engineering (COPPE/UFRJ, 1981), Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering (University of London, 1987) • Researcher at IEN/CNEN from 1979-1982 • Currently a Professor at the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering at the University of New Mexico. • Prior to joining UNM worked for 14 years at Imperial College London, UK and 4 years at the Georgia Institute of Technology, US • His research interests concern computational methods development and their applications. These have spanned nuclear engineering, engineering thermofluids flow, global ocean circulation, cloud radiative transfer, optical tomography, turbomolecular flow, optimization and data assimilation problems • His research code EVENT has been adopted by Rolls Royce Marine Power for shielding applications. He was a co-developer of the FETCH code for non-linear criticality excursion analysis and ICOM – the Imperial College Global Ocean Circulation Model
Obligatory Equation – but not just any Equation Neutron Population Balance: � � Rate of � � change of ( ) � leakage ( ) � destruction ( ) � � = source of neutrons � � neutrons � � � � population Boltzmann Transport Equation � � ( r , � ,E,t) 1 � � � = � d � � s ( � � � , � � E � E ) � ( r , � , � � d � E E ,t) � t v 4 � 0 + s ( r , � ,E,t) � � . � � ( r , � ,E,t) � � t ( r ,E) � ( r , � ,E,t)
Making yourself useful….
New Mexico, USA Land of Enchantment Beep, beep
Nuclear Energy and New Mexico Los Alamos National Uranium mining Laboratory United Nuclear Sandia National Palo Verde(AZ) Laboratories 16% PNM electricity LES enrichment plant Trinity Waste Isolation Pilot Plan 6
Trinity
UNM NE Program UNM has the only Nuclear Engineering Program in the State of New Mexico • Program came into existence in 1960 as the Nuclear Laboratory • Standalone graduate Department of Nuclear Engineering created in 1965 Combined with Chemical Engineering in 1972, following nuclear industry downturn • Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering • Undergraduate degree in NE added AGN-201M 5W Homogeneous Thermal Nuclear Reactor (1966) • Teaching and Experiments for UG and graduate program, training Historically Strong Ties with Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories • Education, Research and Outreach • Dating to Inception of Program
Academic Program • Degree Programs: – B.S. Nuclear Engineering (4 years, 130 credits) – M.S. Nuclear Engineering (2 years, 30 credits) – Ph.D. Engineering (NE) (3-5 years, 48 credits) – M.S. NE Concentration in Medical Physics (2 years, 33 credits) 2010-11 Enrollments: • – 34 Undergraduates (Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors) – 19 Graduate M.S. – 21 Graduate Ph. D. Course Coverage (offered via live ITV and VOD across state): • Reactor Physics and Technology, Radiation Physics and Interactions, Fluid and Thermal Sciences, Instrumentation and Reactor Lab, Applied Mathematics, Radiation Transport, Numerical Methods, Special Topics Medical Physics: Joint With Department of Radiology (SOM) and UNM Cancer Center 9
NE Faculty Full time: - 3 Professors - 1 Associate Professor - 2 Assistant Professors - 1 Lecturer Part time: - 2 Research Professors - Multiple Adjunct Professors (Sandia and LANL) - UNM-National Laboratory Professor - 1 Emeritus Professor Nationally-recognized Faculty with visible research programs 10
Faculty Bob Busch Gary Cooper Ed Blandford Ed Arthur Mohamed El Genk Cassiano de Oliveira Anil Prinja Adam Hecht 11
Faculty Research Areas Diverse research interests across Nuclear Engineering disciplines: • Nuclear Reactor Technology and Safety, Space Nuclear Power, Energy Conversion • Nuclear Instrumentation and Detection for Nonproliferation and Safeguards, Fusion Plasmas • Stochastic and Deterministic Radiation Transport Methods for Active and Passive Interrogation, Reactor Physics, Nuclear Criticality Safety, Weapons Safety, Space Radiation • Uncertainty Quantification Techniques in Single- and Multi-physics Nuclear Applications Two organized Research Units: • Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Technology (CNNST) • Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies (ISNPS)
Strategic Planning Framework UNM School of Engineering ENERGY — MATERIALS — HEALTH Nuclear Engineering at UNM societal mission safe and sustainable energy for the applied radiation science for a earth and beyond healthier and more secure world nuclear non- radiation reactor system nuclear fuel nuclear proliferation interaction with design and cycle medicine and safeguards materials safety major research problem areas Nuclear Nuclear Instrumentation Reactor areas of strength and Detection Technology Computational Material Safety and Advanced Thermal Radio- Radiation Engineering Risk Computational Hydraulics chemistry Transport 13 Science Assessment Science
Outline • Motivation for Computational Nuclear Science • Examples of Computational Material Science Research • Building confidence on Computational Nuclear Science • Afterthoughts
Food for Thought (I) “ A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history — with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. ” Mitch Ratliffe, Technology Review, April, 1992
Food for Thought (II) “The paper-fueled, ink-moderated, hot-air cooled reactor is built on time, at the specified budget, operates at 100% efficiency and produces no nuclear waste” Enrico Sartori (NEA/Nuclear Data Bank)
Food for Thought (III) “No tool is so clever that it cannot be used by an idiot” Confucius
The Mantra • Duty of methods developers is to give back physics to physicists/engineers • Expectation from numerical simulations is not only to describe, but also help to prescribe and understand • One should have confidence in the methods and results • Never throw away information/data
Motivation • Maturity of simulation tools with hardware advances means that solutions to hitherto intractable problems in nuclear science and related areas are now affordable • However needs have also changed: increasingly higher-fidelity simulations are now required and in larger quantities • Multiphysics and multiscale simulations are also becoming the order of the day
Time and accuracy is of essence • S i m u l a t i o n m e t h o d s h a v e t o b e computationally efficient ie use available resources efficiently and expediently • Thus the general quest is for practical solution strategies for very large sets linear and non-linear algebraic system of equations • But confidence is also needed on simulation tools → V&V and UQ
Computational Science and Nuclear Energy • Nuclear energy has always been in the forefront of computational science since the Manhattan project • Unique blend of physics, engineering and computer science • Major contributor to advances in mathematical and numerical computer techniques • Current reactors designed with well-thought but heavily approximated numerical procedures
Need for Advanced Modelling and Simulation • New programs and advanced reactor concepts require smaller operational margins and detailed safety analyses which can only be accomplished via numerical simulations • Advanced numerical simulations the most efficient way to achieve this • Thus need for high-fidelity, first principles analyses
Run-up to the era of simulation (dates are symbolic) Hardware Infrastructure Applications 1686 scientific models A R 1947 C H numerical algorithms I T E 1976 C computer architecture T U R E 1992 S scientific software engineering
Enrico Fermi • Helped create modern physics • Invented, but of course not named, the present Monte Carlo method when he was studying the moderation of neutrons in Rome. • He did not publish anything on the subject, but he used the method to solve many problems with whatever calculating facilities he had, chiefly a small mechanical adding machine.
The Monte Carlo Method
FERMIAC • The Monte Carlo trolley, or FERMIAC, was an analog computer invented by physicist Enrico Fermi to aid in his studies of neutron transport. • The FERMIAC employed the Monte Carlo method to model neutron transport in various types of nuclear systems.
Computational Trends: Hardware • Moore ’ s Law (1:2 Every 18 Months, 1:10 Every 5 Years) • → Today ’ s Supercomputer Problem Will Reach PC in 15 Years • Current PCs: 10 7 Elements/Cells → 10 8 in 5 Years • Current SCs: 10 10 Elements/Cells → 10 11 in 5 Years • Programmable GPU/FPGA
Product Development Cycle Information Possibility Content Of Change Effect of Cost of Computational Change Science Production Time Detailed Prototype Product Preliminary Design Testing Definition Design New Aeroplane: $20B, New Car: $4B, New Reactor: $?
(courtesy of Kord Smith, Studsvik Scandpower, Inc.)
(courtesy of Kord Smith, Studsvik Scandpower, Inc.)
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