Nuclear Fuel Digital Twin Development Underway in the USA
The General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has completed preliminary development of four individual performance models in support of its SiGA technology – silicon carbide composite material that is the basis for nuclear fuel cladding able to withstand temperatures up to 2093°C, which is about 500°C hotter than the melting point of zirconium alloy.
This is an important stage within the contract with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop Nuclear Fuel Digital Twin, which is a modelling and simulation capability intended to help accelerate the process of nuclear fuel qualification and licensing for current and next generation reactor materials.
The models developed by GA-EMS company are the complex mechanical response of SiGA cladding while exposed to irradiation. A multi-scale modelling approach was taken where each individual model covers a different length scale – from a mechanism-based microscale model to a reactor system level model. In future, these individual models will be combined into one integrated model called a digital twin.
According to GA-EMS information, a digital twin is a virtual representation of the nuclear fuel system with SiGA cladding. After completion of the development process, it will allow us to predict SiGA performance within a nuclear reactor core, reducing fuel development and testing costs and reducing the time it will take to get regulatory approval for this revolutionary technology, without sacrificing safety.
In July 2024, GA-EMS announced it had manufactured the first batch of full-length 3.6 m SiGA silicon carbide composite tubes designed for pressurized water reactors. The company previously created 15 cm long SiGA rods and 91 cm long cladding samples that meet strict requirements for nuclear reactors and will undergo irradiation testing at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory.