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Title: Multiphysics for nuclear energy applications using a cohesive computational framework

Journal Article · · Nuclear Engineering and Design

With the recent development of advanced numerical algorithms, software design, and low-cost high-performance computer hardware, reliance on coupled multiphysics to predict the behavior of complex physical systems is beginning to become standard practice. This is especially true in nuclear energy applications where strong nonlinear interdependencies exist between reactor physics, radiation transport, multi-scale nuclear fuels performance, thermal fluids, etc. Resolving these nonlinear dependencies requires choices in multiphysics software approaches. Two main multiphysics modeling and simulation approaches have emerged. The first is based upon "code coupling" where disparate physics codes of different software design, code languages, and spatial and temporal integration schemes are coupled together with relatively complex data passing interfaces. The second multiphysics software approach is to employ a "cohesive" framework where all physics applications are developed with a common software design, i.e., data structures, syntax, input format, integrated spatial and temporal discretization schemes, etc. In this paper we present the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) development and runtime framework and describe the framework's cohesive modeling and simulation multiphysics approach. Then, a "cohesive-like" extension of the MOOSE framework is presented where MOOSE-based physics software applications are efficiently coupled to non-MOOSE (external) physics codes to form multiphysics applications using MOOSE's unique interface capabilities. Finally, several examples of MOOSE's cohesive and cohesive-like multiphysics applications will be demonstrated. These multiphysics demonstrations will incorporate both MOOSE-based applications and external codes, including Nek5000, RELAP-7, TRACE, BISON, and Pronghorn.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1766199
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1646699
Journal Information:
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 367; ISSN 0029-5493
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (7)

Multidimensional multiphysics simulation of nuclear fuel behavior journal April 2012
Hybrid P N - S N with Lagrange multiplier and upwinding for the multiscale transport capability in Rattlesnake journal November 2017
Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov methods: a survey of approaches and applications journal January 2004
A fully-implicit high-order system thermal-hydraulics model for advanced non-LWR safety analyses journal March 2017
OpenMC: A state-of-the-art Monte Carlo code for research and development journal August 2015
libMesh : a C++ library for parallel adaptive mesh refinement/coarsening simulations journal November 2006
Physics-based multiscale coupling for full core nuclear reactor simulation journal October 2015

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