Virtual Reactors Towards the Exascale Supercomputing Era

Abstract

Virtual reactor is an interplanetary research field, which leverages the leading supercomputers to provide a profound understanding of existing reactors and design guidance for future reactors. Virtual reactor is at the cutting-edge of high performance computing and nuclear engineering research fields. The United States, European Union and China have put great effort into virtual reactor research. The research areas of virtual reactors include integrated platform, safety analysis, system analysis, core physics components, database, uncertainty quantification, verification and validation. Typically, core physics consist of thermal-hydraulics, mechanics, neutronics, fuel, and material performance software. Virtual reactor requires enormous computing and storage resource. The computing capabilities of Exascale supercomputers enables realistic models and high-resolution numerical methods come into play. Compared to traditional way, virtual reactor makes simulation more accurate (high-fidelity models are used, such as LES, multi-group transport theory), larger scaled (such as more atoms in molecular dynamics) and tighter coupled. Meanwhile, great challenges have been posed to models, numerical methods, algorithms and programing, especially considering the complicated modern architectures of supercomputers. The paper focuses on the research areas, computing and storage requirements, challenges of virtual reactors.