Scientists have developed an open-source software package called OpenMC to accelerate innovation in nuclear fusion reactor design through Monte Carlo simulation modeling.
A team of scientists wants to expand access to safe and efficient nuclear reactor designs through the Monte Carlo simulation model.
The announcement from the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois involves computing power that could help to deliver a sustained fusion reaction.
The team, including experts from Argonne, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other labs, have developed an open-source software package called OpenMC, meaning it’s available to any lab that can use it.
The Monte Carlo code uses «repeated random sampling to model complex systems,» according to the Argonne release, and enables «virtual experiments» that speed up fusion prototype development.
«It helps accelerate innovation,» the statement noted.
The code also «can predict … how quickly nuclear fuel will be consumed or how much damage radiation will cause to reactor materials,» computational scientist Paul Romano added.
Fusion reactions occur when two atoms collide to form a larger one, creating heat energy as a byproduct. It’s the same process that powers the sun.
Recreating the scenario involves star-like heat and swirling plasmas. Advanced magnetic chambers, called tokamaks, are often used to contain the reactions, according to the Department of Energy.
Just like other power plants, the heat is used to make steam that powers a turbine, generating electricity.
Experimental reactions — happening in labs around the world — cost billions of dollars and are as yet unsustainable. But air pollution-free energy, zero long-lasting nuclear waste, and no meltdown risks are rewards that keep the funding flowing, Stanford experts reported.