Multiphysics Methods and Analysis Applied to Nuclear Reactor Systems - Volume II

This Research Topic is the second volume in a series. Explore the first volume: Multiphysics Methods and Analysis Applied to Nuclear Reactor Systems.

Multiphysics modeling and simulation is becoming increasingly essential in designing, analyzing, and operating advanced nuclear reactors in both test reactor and commercial design applications. These sophisticated simulations can capture complex interactions between various physical phenomena, such as fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and nuclear reactions, thus offering a robust virtual framework for assessing reactors. Through this innovative approach, the need for costly and potentially hazardous experimental testing is significantly reduced. However, aligning these models with experimental data and employing precise uncertainty quantification remains pivotal to meeting the stringent safety and regulatory standards that exist in the nuclear industry.

Building on the success and insights of the first volume, this collection aims to further deepen the understanding of multiphysics methods and analysis, while highlighting their pivotal role in advancing the safety and performance of nuclear reactors.

This volume explores state-of-the-art computational methods that enable integration across diverse physical phenomena. We continue to focus on the critical role of experimental validation in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of multiphysics models for informed decision-making. By addressing the increasing significance of uncertainty quantification, particularly its impact on regulatory standards and the licensing of new reactor designs, this collection will showcase advancements, present emerging challenges in the field, and highlight the evolving contributions of this research area to the advancement of nuclear technologies.

Areas within the scope of this collection include, but are not limited to:
● Innovative computational methods: novel algorithms, software, or techniques that push the limits of multiphysics simulation
● Model integration and coupling: strategies for effectively integrating models of distinct physical processes to create comprehensive simulations
● Design optimization: utilizing multiphysics simulations for the informed and optimized design of nuclear reactors
● Safety analysis: studies employing multiphysics modeling to enhance the safety profiles of nuclear reactors
● Experimental validation: documentation of how multiphysics models are validated against empirical data
● Uncertainty quantification: insights into quantifying uncertainties within multiphysics simulations
● Regulatory implications: exploration of how advanced simulations inform, challenge, or align with existing regulatory frameworks
● Case studies: in-depth examples of real-world applications of multiphysics modeling and simulation
● Experiment optimization: analyses of how modeling prioritizes experimental gaps, improves data gathering, and reduces experimental variations.

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• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
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• Mini Review
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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: nuclear reactor technologies, uncertainty quantification, safety analysis, multiphysics, experimental validation, innovative computational methods, design optimization, model integration

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.