OpenMC is using Monte Carlo simulations to de-risk next-gen fission and fusion reactors before prototypes are built.
A powerful, open-source software package named OpenMC has emerged as a cornerstone in the global effort to develop the next generation of nuclear energy.Recently honored with an R&D 100 Award, the tool is currently being utilized by scientists to bridge the gap between existing fission reactors and the emerging field of nuclear fusion .
Developed through a collaboration between the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , OpenMC allows researchers to conduct “virtual experiments.” “It helps accelerate innovation across nuclear fission and fusion devices before costly prototypes are built,” said ANL in a press release.Today’s commercial nuclear fleet provides approximately 20 percent of the electricity in the United States through fission, which is the process of splitting heavy atoms like uranium. While these systems are established, a new wave of advanced fission designs is being developed to enhance safety and performance. Because physical prototyping is costly, developers rely on predictive modeling to understand how new systems will behave.Monte Carlo – predictive modeling for computational advantagesPaul Romano, a computational scientist at Argonne who began developing OpenMC as an MIT graduate student, explains that the software allows teams to demonstrate the advantages of new designs computationally before hardware is built.The software has also become a primary tool for fusion research. Unlike fission, fusion joins atoms together to release energy, mimicking the reactions that occur in the sun.OpenMC predicts how subatomic particles, specifically neutrons and photons, move through complex systems and interact with materials. It utilizes the Monte Carlo method, which relies on repeated random sampling to model these interactions. The tool can determine how quickly nuclear fuel is consumed and assess the level of radiation damage to reactor materials over time.A primary technical advantage of OpenMC is its ability to run on high-performance computing machines. “OpenMC has already proven its performance on supercomputers at DOE’s Office of Science user facilities, including two exascale supercomputers: Aurora at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility and Frontier at DOE’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility,” added the press release.Capable of high-performance computingThese machines are capable of performing a quintillion calculations per second, allowing researchers to simulate entire fission reactors and fusion devices with a degree of detail that was previously unattainable.OpenMC is distinguished by its open-source nature, which allows scientists across various universities, private companies, and international borders to use and modify the code. In May, Argonne hosted the OpenMC Application to Tokamak Neutronics Analysis Meeting, which brought together 90 international participants to discuss the software’s application in fusion research. Beyond energy production, OpenMC supports work on the management of used nuclear fuel and radiation protection for medical facilities and spacecraft. “The software also supports work on used nuclear fuel and radiation protection — whether for power plants, medical facilities or even spacecraft,” concluded the press release.Its interface allows researchers to build and adjust models quickly, and it is compatible with a wide range of hardware, from personal laptops to the world’s fastest supercomputers.
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