VISION User Guide - VISION (Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation) Model

VISION User Guide - VISION (Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation) Model
Author:
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Total Pages:
Release: 2009
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ISBN:

The purpose of this document is to provide a guide for using the current version of the Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation (VISION) model. This is a complex model with many parameters; the user is strongly encouraged to read this user guide before attempting to run the model. This model is an R & D work in progress and may contain errors and omissions. It is based upon numerous assumptions. This model is intended to assist in evaluating "what if" scenarios and in comparing fuel, reactor, and fuel processing alternatives at a systems level for U.S. nuclear power. The model is not intended as a tool for process flow and design modeling of specific facilities nor for tracking individual units of fuel or other material through the system. The model is intended to examine the interactions among the components of a fuel system as a function of time varying system parameters; this model represents a dynamic rather than steady-state approximation of the nuclear fuel system. VISION models the nuclear cycle at the system level, not individual facilities, e.g., "reactor types" not individual reactors and "separation types" not individual separation plants. Natural uranium can be enriched, which produces enriched uranium, which goes into fuel fabrication, and depleted uranium (DU), which goes into storage. Fuel is transformed (transmuted) in reactors and then goes into a storage buffer. Used fuel can be pulled from storage into either separation of disposal. If sent to separations, fuel is transformed (partitioned) into fuel products, recovered uranium, and various categories of waste. Recycled material is stored until used by its assigned reactor type. Note that recovered uranium is itself often partitioned: some RU flows with recycled transuranic elements, some flows with wastes, and the rest is designated RU. RU comes out of storage if needed to correct the U/TRU ratio in new recycled fuel. Neither RU nor DU are designated as wastes. VISION is comprised of several Microsoft Excel input files, a Powersim Studio core, and several Microsoft Excel output files. All must be co-located in the same folder on a PC to function. We use Microsoft Excel 2003 and have not tested VISION with Microsoft Excel 2007. The VISION team uses both Powersim Studio 2005 and 2009 and it should work with either.

User Guide for VISION 3.4.7 (Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation) Model

User Guide for VISION 3.4.7 (Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation) Model
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN:

The purpose of this document is to provide a guide for using the current version of the Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation (VISION) model. This is a complex model with many parameters and options; the user is strongly encouraged to read this user guide before attempting to run the model. This model is an R & D work in progress and may contain errors and omissions. It is based upon numerous assumptions. This model is intended to assist in evaluating 'what if' scenarios and in comparing fuel, reactor, and fuel processing alternatives at a systems level. The model is not intended as a tool for process flow and design modeling of specific facilities nor for tracking individual units of fuel or other material through the system. The model is intended to examine the interactions among the components of a fuel system as a function of time varying system parameters; this model represents a dynamic rather than steady-state approximation of the nuclear fuel system. VISION models the nuclear cycle at the system level, not individual facilities, e.g., 'reactor types' not individual reactors and 'separation types' not individual separation plants. Natural uranium can be enriched, which produces enriched uranium, which goes into fuel fabrication, and depleted uranium (DU), which goes into storage. Fuel is transformed (transmuted) in reactors and then goes into a storage buffer. Used fuel can be pulled from storage into either separation or disposal. If sent to separations, fuel is transformed (partitioned) into fuel products, recovered uranium, and various categories of waste. Recycled material is stored until used by its assigned reactor type. VISION is comprised of several Microsoft Excel input files, a Powersim Studio core, and several Microsoft Excel output files. All must be co-located in the same folder on a PC to function. You must use Powersim Studio 8 or better. We have tested VISION with the Studio 8 Expert, Executive, and Education versions. The Expert and Education versions work with the number of reactor types of 3 or less. For more reactor types, the Executive version is currently required. The input files are Excel2003 format (xls). The output files are macro-enabled Excel2007 format (xlsm). VISION 3.4 was designed with more flexibility than previous versions, which were structured for only three reactor types - LWRs that can use only uranium oxide (UOX) fuel, LWRs that can use multiple fuel types (LWR MF), and fast reactors. One could not have, for example, two types of fast reactors concurrently. The new version allows 10 reactor types and any user-defined uranium-plutonium fuel is allowed. (Thorium-based fuels can be input but several features of the model would not work.) The user identifies (by year) the primary fuel to be used for each reactor type. The user can identify for each primary fuel a contingent fuel to use if the primary fuel is not available, e.g., a reactor designated as using mixed oxide fuel (MOX) would have UOX as the contingent fuel. Another example is that a fast reactor using recycled transuranic (TRU) material can be designated as either having or not having appropriately enriched uranium oxide as a contingent fuel. Because of the need to study evolution in recycling and separation strategies, the user can now select the recycling strategy and separation technology, by year.

VISION

VISION
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN:

The nuclear fuel cycle is a very complex system that includes considerable dynamic complexity as well as detail complexity. In the nuclear power realm, there are experts and considerable research and development in nuclear fuel development, separations technology, reactor physics and waste management. What is lacking is an overall understanding of the entire nuclear fuel cycle and how the deployment of new fuel cycle technologies affects the overall performance of the fuel cycle. The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative's systems analysis group is developing a dynamic simulation model, VISION, to capture the relationships, timing and delays in and among the fuel cycle components to help develop an understanding of how the overall fuel cycle works and can transition as technologies are changed. This paper is an overview of the philosophy and development strategy behind VISION. The paper includes some descriptions of the model and some examples of how to use VISION.

Software Platform Evaluation - Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation (VISION) Model

Software Platform Evaluation - Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation (VISION) Model
Author: J. J. Jacobson
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2005
Genre:
ISBN:

The purpose of this Software Platform Evaluation (SPE) is to document the top-level evaluation of potential software platforms on which to construct a simulation model that satisfies the requirements for a Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation Model (VISION) of the Advanced Fuel Cycle (AFC). See the Software Requirements Specification for Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation (VISION) Model (INEEL/EXT-05-02643, Rev. 0) for a discussion of the objective and scope of the VISION model. VISION is intended to serve as a broad systems analysis and study tool applicable to work conducted as part of the AFCI (including costs estimates) and Generation IV reactor development studies. This document will serve as a guide for selecting the most appropriate software platform for VISION. This is a "living document" that will be modified over the course of the execution of this work.

Planning Enhanced Nuclear Energy Sustainability: Analysis Support for Enhanced Nuclear Energy Sustainability (ASENES)

Planning Enhanced Nuclear Energy Sustainability: Analysis Support for Enhanced Nuclear Energy Sustainability (ASENES)
Author: IAEA
Publisher: International Atomic Energy Agency
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2021-07-14
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9201053215

This publication describes the purpose and scope of the INPRO service Analysis Support for Enhanced Nuclear Energy Sustainability (ASENES) and its potential benefits to Member States. The publication highlights the links between this service and overall technical support to Member States for the planning and development of nuclear energy, and explains how it integrates with other IAEA services supporting knowledgeable decision making on nuclear power. An overview of analytical tools developed by INPRO for this purpose is also provided.

GENIUSv2

GENIUSv2
Author: Kyle Matthew Oliver
Publisher:
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN:

Improved Building Methodology and Analysis of Delay Scenarios of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles with the Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation Model (VISION).

Improved Building Methodology and Analysis of Delay Scenarios of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles with the Verifiable Fuel Cycle Simulation Model (VISION).
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2004
Genre:
ISBN:

The goal of this research is to help better understand the areas of uncertainty with advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The Department of Energy has started several large scale programs that will explore and develop advanced nuclear fuel cycle components. One of the key components to this endeavor is a system dynamics model that simulates the construction of nuclear reactors and their required support facilities in a growing energy demand environment. This research developed methods to more accurately determine when to build facilities based upon forecasting methods and inventories. The next phase of the research was to analyze lead times on constructing light water reactor spent fuel separation facilities and possible associated upset events and their mitigation strategies. The results show a smooth building rate for fast burner reactors, which ensures that the reactors will not run out of fuel supply for their entire lifetime. After analyzing several separation facility sizes and variable construction lead times, it was determined that there is an optimal separation facility size and an optimal lead time for a given growth rate for fast reactors. This optimal case kept the separated material inventory at a minimum value, while also building inventories for reactors that are getting ready to begin operation. Upset events were analyzed in order to determine how the system will respond to a separation facility not starting up on time and a separation facility being taken offline. The results show that increasing the lead time on separation facilities is the best way to mitigate a delayed separation facility and decreasing the separation facility size would better mitigate a facility being taken offline. The use of a separated materials fuel bank was also critical in ensuring that no reactors were starved of fuel during these upset events. In conclusion the work done in this thesis helped to create a better understanding for how different facilities interact in an advanced.