Providing computational tools and analyses workflows to develop the next generation of fission and fusion systems.
ORNL’s Nuclear Applications, Methods, and Data Section develops and applies some of the world’s most advanced modeling and simulation tools to accelerate nuclear innovation
Developing and constructing advanced nuclear reactors and fusion facilities require substantial resources. With advanced and efficient computational tools, researchers can greatly improve the efficiency and pace of this critical work.
The Nuclear Applications, Methods, and Data Section’s application-driven development strategy and expertise in theoretical and applied nuclear data methods are leading nuclear modeling and simulation techniques for the optimization of current nuclear reactors and acceleration of novel nuclear systems.
Core capabilities and software
The section leverages multidisciplinary expertise across software development, high-performance computing, nuclear data science, criticality safety analysis, and reactor and fuel cycle analysis to ensure quality and functionality of tools and workflows. The section’s core capabilities include:
- SCALE development: ORNL’s premier suite for reactor physics, radiation transport, criticality safety, depletion, shielding, and uncertainty analyses, SCALE’s capabilities are trusted by government, industry, and academic professionals worldwide.
- CYCLUS development: Providing contributions and enhancements to CYCLUS, an open-source modeling tool for nuclear fuel cycle analysis.
- Reactor physics expertise: Supporting ongoing experiments at ORNL’s flagship High Flux Isotope Reactor and Spallation Neutron Source through reactor physics calculations.
- Fusion system integration: Performing design and analysis of international fusion systems, including ITER.
Collaborative impact
Collaborative impact
The section partners with a broad network of federal sponsors, national laboratories, and industry innovators. Current collaborations include:
- Advanced reactor design and deployment: Supporting vendors such as Antares and Tokamak Energy with advanced simulation tools for fission and fusion systems.
- Software assurance for nuclear safety: A long-term collaboration with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop quality-assured, verified, and validated nuclear safety software.
- Safety of criticality systems: Multi-institutional collaborations under the NNSA Nuclear Criticality Safety Program to ensure quality and safety of nuclear installations and systems
- Multi-lab code development and analysis: Joint efforts with national labs including Idaho National Lab, Argonne National Lab, Brookhaven National Lab and Los Alamos National Lab on reactor physics modeling.
Recent accomplishments
Improving modeling of porosity effects in nuclear-grade graphite
Used neutron scattering, molecular dynamics simulations, and SCALE/MCNP/OpenMC analysis to simulate porosity effects—resolving long-standing issues in thermal scattering laws and improving graphite data fidelity.
Modified Shift Monte Carlo code for greatly improved tracking
Upgraded the Shift code with new GPU-based tracking strategies that achieve up to 91% of optimal performance on Frontier and deliver a 2.2× speedup for a microreactor benchmark.
Expanded SCALE capabilities for pebble-bed reactor analysis
Demonstrated SCALE’s readiness for modeling fluoride salt–cooled, high-temperature pebble-bed reactors (PB-FHRs) through validation against independent codes and application to the NRC’s review of the Hermes demonstration reactor.
The Nuclear Applications, Methods, and Data Section is enabling the future of nuclear and fusion energy.
By advancing nuclear data accessibility, expanding high-performance computing frameworks, and deepening partnerships across fission and fusion programs, the section is providing the tools and insights essential for the next generation of nuclear systems.