A Digital Twin-Based Simulator for Small Modular and Microreactors

This paper reports preliminary work done on a mechanistic-based model digital twin (DT) for Gen IV reactors. The case study is a conceptual 4.5 MWth Small Modular Lead-cooled Fast (LFR) Research Reactor whose design incorporated aspects from all the three existing families of Gen IV LFRs. The back end for the DT exploited a modular approach consisting of the Neutronics and Thermohydraulic Coupling of the reactor core. This modular approach gives room for subsequent modification and/or addition of new blocks as the design concept matures without perturbing the entire system. After benchmarking simulation results with data from literature, the system's GUI demonstrated the capability to perform and visualize common operational transients either as a stand-alone simulator or in real-time using the MQTT broker. Insights derived from this virtual environment could contribute towards the ongoing refinement of LFR technology thus accelerating development through design testing, visualization, and optimization.