France’s Framatome has partnered with the EDF Group, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and six additional organisations from academia and the French nuclear sector to pool research and development related to nuclear reactor digital twins.
As part of this four-year, digital reactor structuring project, more than 100 experts from these organisations will work together to digitally clone each reactor in the French nuclear fleet. These cloned reactors will serve as a training simulator for the new generation of operators and a simulation environment for engineering studies.
The PSPC project (Projet Structurant Pour la Compétitivité) combines CEA's scientific leadership in reactor physics, EDF's knowledge in the design and operation of power plants, and Framatome's expertise in nuclear engineering design and services.
The other project partners include ESI Group, CORYS, Aneo, Axone, Boost-Conseil and the CNRS (laboratoire CRAN de Nancy).
“Collaborating with accomplished and experienced industry leaders and academic partners on this project will contribute to the development of new engineering services for our customers worldwide, and it will enrich the skills of our people now and into the future,” said Stéphane Bugat, director of research and development at Framatome.
This project contributes directly to the Strategic Contract of the Nuclear Sector, which aims to guarantee the maintenance of skills and expertise in the industry and to structure the innovation process through digital technology.
The digital twins will be representative of each reactor in the French nuclear fleet and will evolve in line with the design and modifications of each plant. The project will be integrated at the EDF Lab Paris Saclay R&D site.
Photo: Framatome has partnered with EDF, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission and the nuclear sector to develop digital twins (Courtesy: EDF, taken pre-COVID)