Increasing further the safety of light water nuclear reactors in the new operating conditions induced by their integration in a more varied energy mix brings many new challenges for fuel development. This calls for effective and validated tools enabling one to capture the complexity of the behaviour of fuel elements under various operation conditions from nominal to design basis accident ones.. The objective of the OperaHPC proposal is to develop open tools using High Performance Computing (HPC) enabling a full 3D high-fidelity thermo-mechanical simulation of the fuel element including the material microstructure. This will contribute to the design of so-called fuel element digital twins. This development includes an ambitious basic research program devoted to the investigation of non-linear mechanical behaviour of irradiated fuel using multiscale experiments and simulations from the atomic scale up to the material law. This will yield the detailed description of the in-pile behaviour of the fuel element and the materials data necessary for the simulation. The tools developed will be assessed against state-of-the-art 1D/3D fuel performance codes for verification, definition of boundary conditions and coupling with neutronic, thermochemical and thermohydraulic codes. Validation and uncertainty analyses will also be performed through the comparison of the results of the 3D simulations with the experimental data available from irradiation programs. The knowledge from these advanced simulations will be transferred to industrial fuel performance codes thanks to the application of new methods based on reduced order and meta models, including Artificial Intelligence. The HPC tools will finally be applied to the detailed evaluation of innovative fuel element concepts, including (enhanced) accident tolerant fuels, under transient conditions in several light water reactor designs.

SNETP is an European technology platform, founded in 2007 as a stakeholder forum recognised by the European commission to act as a key actor in driving innovation, knowledge transfer and European competitiveness. Its main role is develop research and innovation agendas and roadmaps for action at EU and national level to be supported by both private and public funding. It mobilises various stakeholders to deliver on agreed priorities and share information across the EU. SNETPs is focused on nuclear fission technologies, but it also fosters networking opportunities and international cooperation in order to address cross-sectorial challenges. SNETP has a mature structure reflecting these three strategic themes in its three pillars: NUGENIA, ESNII and NC2I which have well-established programs and governance (thanks to dedicated EC funded projects) for succeeding in their missions: The aim of SNETP-FORWARD project is to help the association consolidating its structure, strengthening it’s position in the Set-plan and among the European ETIPs, enhancing it’s ability to interact with the European and International associations and organisation and last but not least to be engaged in the innovation world by boosting the innovation capacities of its members.