Abstract
Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation and Economics (MOUSE) is a tool that integrates both nuclear microreactor design and reactor economics to provide comprehensive evaluations and optimizations. This tool enables stakeholders to explore the interplay between technical and economic variables, guiding them towards effective and competitive microreactor solutions.
For the reactor core simulations, MOUSE leverages the OpenMC Monte Carlo Particle Transport Code to perform detailed core simulations for various microreactor designs. The included OpenMC models are 2D core designs of a Liquid Metal Thermal Microreactor (LMTR), a Gas-Cooled TRISO-Fueled Microreactor (GCMR), and a Heat Pipe Microreactor.
Beyond core design, MOUSE includes simplified calculations for:
- Calculating the masses of heat exchangers within the system.
- Mechanical power of pumps.
- Estimating the area occupied by various buildings within the nuclear plant.
For the economic analysis, MOUSE provides detailed bottom-up cost estimates, encompassing a wide range of costs including preconstruction costs, direct costs, indirect costs, training costs, financial costs, operation & maintenance (O&M) costs, and fuel costs. These cost estimations are developed using data from the MARVEL project and additional literature sources, enabling the calculation of total capital costs and levelized cost of energy for both first-of-a-kind and nth-of-a-kind microreactors. MOUSE also enables analysis of the cost drivers and
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- Developers:
-
Hanna, Botros [1] ; Ai Dawood, Khaldoon [1] ; G de Oliveira, Rodrigo [1] ; Abou Jaoude, Abdalla [1] ;
.png "ORCID")
[1]
;
[1]
- Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Release Date:
- 2025-07-29
- Project Type:
- Open Source, Publicly Available Repository
- Software Type:
- Scientific
- Programming Languages:
-
Python
- Licenses:
-
MIT License
- Sponsoring Org.:
-
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)Primary Award/Contract Number:AC07-05ID14517
- Code ID:
- 161213
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Country of Origin:
- United States
- Keywords:
- Microreactors nuclear economics
Citation Formats
Hanna, Botros, Ai Dawood, Khaldoon, G de Oliveira, Rodrigo, Abou Jaoude, Abdalla, . Jaradat, Mustava, and Bolisetti, Chandrakanth.
Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation And Economics (mouse).
Computer Software.
https://github.com/IdahoLabResearch/MOUSE.
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE).
29 Jul. 2025.
Web.
doi:10.11578/dc.20250820.1.
Hanna, Botros, Ai Dawood, Khaldoon, G de Oliveira, Rodrigo, Abou Jaoude, Abdalla, . Jaradat, Mustava, & Bolisetti, Chandrakanth.
(2025, July 29).
Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation And Economics (mouse).
[Computer software].
https://github.com/IdahoLabResearch/MOUSE.
https://doi.org/10.11578/dc.20250820.1.
Hanna, Botros, Ai Dawood, Khaldoon, G de Oliveira, Rodrigo, Abou Jaoude, Abdalla, . Jaradat, Mustava, and Bolisetti, Chandrakanth.
"Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation And Economics (mouse)." Computer software.
July 29, 2025.
https://github.com/IdahoLabResearch/MOUSE.
https://doi.org/10.11578/dc.20250820.1.
@misc{
doecode_161213,
title = {Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation And Economics (mouse)},
author = {Hanna, Botros and Ai Dawood, Khaldoon and G de Oliveira, Rodrigo and Abou Jaoude, Abdalla and . Jaradat, Mustava and Bolisetti, Chandrakanth},
abstractNote = {Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation and Economics (MOUSE) is a tool that integrates both nuclear microreactor design and reactor economics to provide comprehensive evaluations and optimizations. This tool enables stakeholders to explore the interplay between technical and economic variables, guiding them towards effective and competitive microreactor solutions.
For the reactor core simulations, MOUSE leverages the OpenMC Monte Carlo Particle Transport Code to perform detailed core simulations for various microreactor designs. The included OpenMC models are 2D core designs of a Liquid Metal Thermal Microreactor (LMTR), a Gas-Cooled TRISO-Fueled Microreactor (GCMR), and a Heat Pipe Microreactor.
Beyond core design, MOUSE includes simplified calculations for:
- Calculating the masses of heat exchangers within the system.
- Mechanical power of pumps.
- Estimating the area occupied by various buildings within the nuclear plant.
For the economic analysis, MOUSE provides detailed bottom-up cost estimates, encompassing a wide range of costs including preconstruction costs, direct costs, indirect costs, training costs, financial costs, operation & maintenance (O&M) costs, and fuel costs. These cost estimations are developed using data from the MARVEL project and additional literature sources, enabling the calculation of total capital costs and levelized cost of energy for both first-of-a-kind and nth-of-a-kind microreactors. MOUSE also enables analysis of the cost drivers and competitiveness in the electricity market.
MOUSE allows users to modify a wide array of technical and economic parameters to evaluate different scenarios and their impacts. Examples of these parameters include:
Fuels, coolants, or reflector materials
Enrichment levels
Control drum materials and geometry
Fuel pin geometry and materials
Moderator pin geometry and materials
Reactor core and reflector dimensions
Packing factor for the TRISO particles
Nuclear reactor power and reactor burnup
Number of sensors
Shielding thickness
Reactor vessel and guard vessel dimensions
Operational staff requirements
Number of emergency shutdowns
Levelization period
Interest rate
Construction duration
Since MOUSE is powered by the WATTS toolkit, it supports optimization studies, parametric analyses, and uncertainty calculations/propagation. The optimization techniques enable users to identify optimal design and economic configurations. The parametric analysis tools allow users to explore the sensitivity of various parameters, while uncertainty propagation helps quantify the impact of uncertainties on overall performance and cost.
User Interface and Workflow:
Currently, MOUSE is a command-line-based tool. Users can input various reactor design or economic parameters, modify the designs, run simulations, and visualize results through comprehensive data visualization and reporting capabilities. The typical workflow involves setting up the reactor model, defining economic parameters, running simulations, and analyzing the results to make informed decisions.
By combining advanced design calculations with detailed economic modeling, MOUSE provides a robust framework for optimizing nuclear microreactor technologies, enhancing their competitiveness, and guiding stakeholders towards innovative and cost-effective solutions.},
doi = {10.11578/dc.20250820.1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11578/dc.20250820.1},
howpublished = {[Computer Software] \url{https://doi.org/10.11578/dc.20250820.1}},
year = {2025},
month = {jul}
}