NRE 8011/8012 Seminar
Title: |
How Nuclear Engineering Simulations Can be Relevant in a Material Scientist’s World: One modeler’s journey to seek relevancy |
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Speaker: |
Dr. Topher Matthews |
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Affiliation: |
Los Alamos National Laboratory |
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When: |
Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 11:00:00 AM |
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Where: |
Boggs Building, Room 3-47 |
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Host: |
Chaitanya Deo | |
Abstract Nuclear Energy R&D has a rich history of experimental design and execution, from bench-scale separate-effects testing to full reactors. As a cornerstone of the safety regulation, experimental data points are invaluable, but increasingly difficult to obtain due to limited facilities and increasing costs. To fill this void, modeling and simulation has become a prominent means to virtually i.e., safety and cheaply, perform studies on unique materials and designs. No matter the consequence of these simulations, be it directly impacting experimental design or abandoned as idealistic and irrelevant, the intuition that develops can be invaluable. Through several examples, a case will be made that materials science modeling and simulation can play an important role in One, qualification of advanced fuels, Two, development of hydride moderators, and Three, design of microreactors, so long as simulations are used to culture a deeper understanding of the material behavior themselves. |
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Biography Christopher Matthews has been a staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory since 2016 and is currently in the Materials Science and Technology division. He received a B.S. in Physics from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2008, and a M.S. and Ph.D. In Nuclear Engineering at Oregon State University in 2012 and 2015 respectively. His research focuses on solving R&D materials problems for nuclear reactors, primarily through modeling and simulation, with the aim to enable advanced technologies that make nuclear energy cheaper and safer. During his career, Dr. Matthews has strived to build confidence in nontraditional nuclear technologies through multiscale, multi-physics computational methods with a heathy experimental backing to ensure nuclear energy remains an important part of our clean energy portfolio. |
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Notes |
Meet the speaker |
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