Reactor core analysis at ORNL is performed using traditional core diffusion (SCALE, PARCS, NESTLE, SIMULATE) and high-fidelity software (VERA) to model the coupled physics environment of advanced, commercial, and research reactors. This includes application and coupling of the reactor neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, thermomechanics and fuels, and nuclear materials software. The analyses performed at ORNL include research related to:
- Understanding and predicting key challenges within the commercial nuclear industry, such as crud-induced power shift (CIPS) or risk of fuel failure during flexible power operation
- Design optimization of advanced reactor concepts
- Validation and confirmatory analysis of software and design changes for the NRC
- Quantification of safety parameters for use in accident analysis