Advanced Simulation and Controls Laboratory (ASCL)

The Advanced Simulation and Controls Laboratory (ASCL) is a facility for conducting collaborative research on applications of computing, communication, and visualization technologies to a variety of engineering problems, including the following:

• Simulation of nuclear (or fossil) power plant systems and human-system interfaces
• Development of process monitoring, diagnostics, and control software to optimize the performance of nuclear plants and other engineering systems
• Enhancement of safety analysis capabilities for domestic and foreign reactors (in the framework of international cooperation on safety technology and open exchange of safety information)
• Modeling of nuclear waste forms and waste management systems and concepts
• Assessment of advanced transportation systems and traffic management concepts

The laboratory environment of the ASCL facilitates interactions among researchers and fosters the commingling of research ideas from different fields.

The ASCL was instituted as a joint initiative of the Reactor Analysis (RA) and the Reactor Engineering (RE) Divisions at Argonne. These two Divisions were then combined to form the Reactor Analysis and Engineering Division (RAE), now part of the Nuclear Engineering Division. Located in Room R201 of Building 208, it houses ten work areas for shared use by NE personnel, students, and visiting researchers (see Figure). Each work area supports computer equipment (microcomputer or UNIX workstation) connected to the NE Computer Network, providing access to the extensive software and hardware facilities of these networks, as well as to Argonne's Laboratory-wide computer network and to the Internet. Four of the work areas are arranged in a console configuration facing a large screen that displays images by means of a high-resolution projection system. Additional equipment (e.g., printers, communications hardware, VCR, etc.) is provided in the ASCL to support a range of computing and visualization tasks. To maintain a state-of the-art facility, it is planned to upgrade the computing, communications, and audiovisual equipment on a routine basis.
 

The focus of current activities in the laboratory is to develop and demonstrate software tools that can be used in optimizing the operation of nuclear power plants and other engineering systems. As part of this effort, advanced monitoring, diagnostics, and control software is being integrated with LWR plant simulation software and graphical user interfaces within a highly modular software infrastructure in the Laboratory. The simulator/GUI serves as a surrogate for an actual plant, providing a means of demonstrating the use and effectiveness of existing and developmental software for operations support. The modular software infrastructure of the ASCL is being designed to facilitate collaborations with research and industry groups on complementary or alternative software modules.