Building a fusion reactor is a complex challenge, akin to assembling an intricate puzzle with pieces created by various experts over decades. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has taken a significant step towards simplifying this process by developing an all-in-one simulation tool named the Fusion REactor Design and Assessment (FREDA) project. FREDA aims to speed up and refine the design phase of next-generation fusion reactors by uniting diverse modeling tools, advanced machine learning methods, and high-performance computing.
As reported by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the modular framework proposed by FREDA allows for a holistic approach to reactor design, connecting plasma physical models with engineering simulations. At the forefront of this initiative is Cami Collins, interim head of the Burning Plasma Foundations Section in the Fusion Energy Division at ORNL. She conveyed the concept's ambition to ease the grueling, resource-intensive process traditionally associated with fusion reactor design.
According to an Oak Ridge National Laboratory announcement, this is a unique attempt to create a digital twin for reactors, providing detailed virtual replication to guide future constructions. Kate Borowiec, a system and data analytics engineer at ORNL's Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division, highlighted the model's potential to inform meaningful real-world experiments, enhance safety assessments, and determine a feasible design space considering the uncertainties inherent to this nascent technology.
Deep-seated among FREDA's innovations is its ability to mimic the interconnectedness of a physical fusion reactor. J.M. Park, a plasma physicist based at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, has used FREDA to evaluate enhancements to the DIII-D tokamak's heating system and examine new materials for reactor walls. Park conveyed in an ORNL statement the importance of this iterative process in refining and validating the tool's capabilities.
Such a tool's implications are vast for research organizations and private entities aspiring to harness fusion energy. Besides streamlining designs, the collaborative effort behind FREDA demonstrates the coordinated commitment amongst interdisciplinary teams from several national laboratories and universities. With this level of integration and focus, the FREDA project aspires to be a grand unifier of existing knowledge and expertise and a catalyst to bring fusion energy closer to practical realization.
Funded by the Department of Energy's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) Fusion Energy Sciences Partnerships program, FREDA represents a unified effort to address a global challenge.
