ORNL Uses Simulation App to Verify Software Quality for Nuclear Safety

James D. Freels, Michael W. Crowell, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, USA

In an environment as highly regulated and potentially dangerous as the nuclear industry, software quality assurance (SQA) compliance standards are rigorous. Part of the compliance process entails verification that local software installations perform as the developer intended. At Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL), COMSOL Multiphysics® is used to explore nuclear fuel conversion. Verification of the software requires sizable applications to be run and compared by hand with product documentation, which can take months. Using a “Model Tester” app built with the Application Builder, researchers at ORNL automated the verification process and could get results in under 24 hours.