GA Develops Nuclear Fuel Digital Twin

Wedoany.com Report-Oct 09, US-based General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS), under contract with the US Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a “Nuclear Fuel Digital Twin”. This is a modelling and simulation capability intended to help accelerate the process of nuclear fuel qualification and licensing for current and next generation reactor materials. GA-EMS completed preliminary development of four individual performance models in support of its SiGA silicon carbide (SiC) composite cladding technology.

“A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object or system – in this case our SiGA cladding nuclear fuel system,” said GA-EMS President Scott Forney. “When complete, this digital twin will allow us to predict SiGA performance within a nuclear reactor core, reducing fuel development and testing costs and reducing the time it will take to get regulatory approval for this revolutionary technology, without sacrificing safety.”

A multi-scale modelling approach was taken where each individual model covers a different length scale – from a mechanism-based microscale model to a reactor system level model. The four individual physics-informed models capture the complex mechanical response of SiGA cladding while exposed to irradiation. In future work, these individual models will be combined into one integrated model called a digital twin.

The SiGA composite is a continuous SiC fibre reinforced, SiC matrix composite material that is the basis of the company’s cladding technology. GA-EMS says SiGA cladding provides both safety and economic benefits to the utilities as it can survive temperatures far beyond that of current materials and can reduce the frequency of fuel reloads.