The Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) held its 20th annual meetings during the week of 20-24 February 2023. The hybrid meeting with 110 experts from 19 countries and 55 institutions addressed the scientific issues in the design and qualification of future and current reactor systems.
The scientific discussions ranged from practical short-term issues like supporting the ongoing VVER fuel diversification efforts to forward thinking topics like trustworthiness and robustness of Artificial Intelligence applications in nuclear engineering. WPRS also reevaluated its activities to support qualification of novel high-fidelity multi-physics reactor simulations, and related benchmark activities as well as a new multi-physics database activity were presented. There was also strong consensus on the future benefit of international collaboration in the qualification of future reactor concepts, and new benchmarks on LFR and HTGR designs have started.
Overall, data preservation is perceived as one of the key WPRS missions. In this regard the thermal hydraulics community started a new task force on the International Experimental Thermal Hydraulics Systems Database (TIETHYS). In addition, the neutronics community welcomed the successful re-launch of the Shielding Integral Benchmark Archive and Database (SINBAD) activity, which now has a new development process with transparent quality control. WPRS also celebrated the launch of its new International School on Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Systems (SINUS) which will serve to educate the next generation of experts.
The faculty, research staff and students from the Nuclear Engineering Department at North Carolina State University are leading and participating in the WPRS activities. For more information please visit: https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/c_12832/working-party-on-scientific-issues-and-uncertainty-analysis-of-reactor-systems-wprs.