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| Science & Technology |
| Nuclear fission algorithm is created |
| 2010-01-26 |
| U.S. Department of Energy scientists say they've created a computer algorithm that allows a substantially enhanced view of nuclear fission. The Argonne National Laboratory scientists said the algorithm, known as the neutron transport code, enables researchers for the first time to obtain a highly detailed description of a nuclear reactor core. "The code could prove crucial in the development of nuclear reactors that are safe, affordable and environmentally friendly," laboratory officials said in a statement. To model the complex geometry of a reactor core currently requires billions of spatial elements, hundreds of angles and thousands of energy groups -- all of which lead to problem sizes with quadrillions of possible solutions, the researchers said. Such calculations exhaust computer memory of the largest machines, they said, and therefore reactor modeling codes typically rely on various approximations. "The (neutron transport code) is intended to reduce the uncertainties and biases in reactor design calculations by progressively replacing existing multilevel averaging techniques with more direct solution methods based on explicit reactor geometries," said Andrew Siegel, leader of Argonne's reactor simulation group. Officials said the code has run successfully in some of the world's fastest supercomputers, including the IBM Blue Gene at Argonne and the Cray XT5 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. |
| Posted by:logi_cal |
| #5 In Uncle Sam's nuclear Navy, the safety section of the reactor plant manuals talked about how the reactions were calculated in one inch layers. That was done by slide rule and mechanical calculators. So the best these new codes can do is make them safer in design, the real safety equipment are the trained and motivated operaters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RKC ET1SS 67-87 |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2010-01-26 12:27 |
| #4 U.S. Department of Energy scientists say they've created a computer algorithm that allows a substantially enhanced view of nuclear fission. So why don't we just publish the algorithm or at least leave it on the internet somewhere so that terrorist-supporting regimes can "steal" it and use it against everyone they don't like. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-01-26 10:28 |
| #3 Yup, and no noe will use this to help US in the future. It's all about slavery and taxes in DC. |
| Posted by: newc 2010-01-26 02:52 |
| #2 Of course, if it is even the slightest bit wrong, everything we build is a dud. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-01-26 02:04 |
| #1 "the development of nuclear reactors that are safe, affordable and environmentally friendly," wont matter. the nut roots wont let it happen. |
| Posted by: abu do you love 2010-01-26 00:44 |