Advanced Nuclear Technologies: Integrating Modeling and Experimental Test Beds
Abstract:The Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) is investing in advanced nuclear technologies to ensure a clean and sustainable energy future. This seminar will highlight key experimental test beds being designed and operated to support verification and validation for these reactor concepts, as well as the work being done on the modeling front to support the design and analysis of reactor systems. The presentation will primarily focus on non-nuclear test beds under the DOE-Microreactor Program and DOE-National Reactor Innovation Center Program and will also cover the modeling tools being developed under the DOE- Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Program. Access to experimental data from ongoing work will significantly enhance the knowledge base for fundamental understanding and assist with uncertainty quantification.
Bio:Dr. Piyush Sabharwall is a Distinguished Staff Nuclear Research Scientist at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), with over 20 years of experience in nuclear and thermal engineering research and development. He leads the Holtec SMR-300 development at INL as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Project and serves as the Technical Area Lead for the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Microreactor R&D Program.
He was honored as an Asian American Engineer of the Year in 2022, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field. In addition to his work at INL, he holds academic appointments as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University and as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan.