Parametric Spline "mesh" Generation for Nuclear Engineering

The development of nuclear energy simulation tools has outpaced adoption, as high costs and necessary expertise associated with generating and computing the meshes used to represent 3D data are significant barriers. Incorporating proven next-generation spline-based simulation into a widely used simulation framework, Multi-physics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) will allow best-in- class simulations with significant speed, accuracy and cost advantages. This revolutionary technology will also enable inexperienced users to work with advanced tools with successful outcomes in a timely manner. Access to advanced tools will be meaningfully increased by 1) coupling a next- generation spline-based solver to MOOSE, and 2) by adding open-source, spline-based meshing technology to that code. In Phase I it was successfully demonstrated that spline-based simulation was both feasible and valuable in nuclear energy. A parametric model builder was developed and tested with contact simulations run in a spline-based solver, to establish the industry-specific potential time savings and improved contact accuracy that can be obtained. Also, smooth-spline capability was introduced into MOOSE to establish the feasibility of the open-source plan. The spline-based solver will be tightly coupled with MOOSE. That solver must befurther developed and tested against industry-specific benchmark problems in preparation for beta release at the end of this project. The open-source spline-enabled meshing technology will also be fully integrated into MOOSE. Finally, a training course will be given, demonstrating the use of these faster and more cost-effective modeling and simulation tools within MOOSE. By reducing both the meshing complexity and the computational time, smooth spline technology erodes some of the most time-consuming steps in the development process. These time savings will accrue to every structural dynamics industry, including nuclear, automotive, and defense. When complete, this will allow nuclear power operators to analyze and optimize plant performance. Leveraging the efficiency of splines, nuclear companies will be able to run detailed simulations more frequently and on a broader range of problems to assure regulatory compliance while maintaining cost effectiveness. The contact algorithms being developed for this project will benefit many industries, including automotive and aerospace. Automakers are investigating the benefits of this technology for producing faster, more accurate 3D simulations to fully optimize safety features and increase confidence in results. In aerospace, spline-based simulation improves stress detection over FEA approaches, which will lead to more accurate aerospace maintenance schedules.