The NEA will organise the fourth International School on Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Systems (SINUS) on the topic of Reactor single- and multi-physics simulations based on Light Water Reactor (LWR) Uncertainty Analysis in Modeling (UAM) benchmark with a focus on light-water small modular reactors (LW-SMRs). Targeting students and young professionals in the nuclear sector, the course brings together the next generation of experts with the expert community from the NEA Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS).
The course is being be jointly developed by the North Carolina State University (NCSU), the Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the NEA WPRS with support of the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA).
The in-person part will be co-located with the WPRS Benchmarks Workshops 2026 hosted by Nuclear Operations & Facilities and the Department of Engineering Physics at McMaster University, and located in Hamilton, ON, Canada and supported by the Safety Licensing Program of Conexus Nuclear Inc. (formerly CANDU Owners Group), on behalf of its four Canadian domestic funding members (Bruce Power (BP), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), New Brunswick Power (NBP), and Ontario Power Generation (OPG)), and three international funding members (Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN), Romania, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company (KHNP), Korea, and CNNP Nuclear Power Operations Management Company Ltd. (CNNO), China).
The technical content of the training sessions will be based on the LWR UAM benchmark. It follows the specifications of the benchmark for selected benchmark exercises from the three phases of the benchmark and includes additional exercises based on an LWR-SMR academic concept (PRATIC core). The scope includes quantifying and propagating relevant significant uncertainties through different single physics and multi-physics modeling and simulation of nuclear reactor cores using the Pressurised Water Reactor test cases.
The trainings include practical exercises with state-of-the-art reactor simulation packages, which are provided by the NEA Data Bank and RSICC. The SINUS training sessions takes place in a hybrid format, featuring lectures by NCSU faculty members, as well as internationally renowned experts from the WPRS and its expert groups.
SINUS provides an opportunity to develop a multinational network with fellow participants and international experts, and to learn more about challenging and innovative reactor physics subjects.
The SINUS consists of remote and in-person trainings.
The remote training includes approximately 40 hours of remote lectures and exercise sessions : maximum 1 or 2 hours/day between 3pm and 6pm (CET/CEST).
The practical exercises are based on examples taken from the Benchmark for LWR-UAM of WPRS and on the PRATIC SMR academic concept, and focus on quantifying and propagating relevant significant uncertainties through different single physics and multi-physics modelling and simulation of nuclear reactor cores using the PWR test cases. The course features homework assignments and computer projects for participant teams to be completed and presented during the in-person sessions.
Five virtual training sessions:
Participants receive project assigments in which they practice the application of reactor simulation packages. Results of the project work are presented during the in-person meeting in Hamilton, ON, Canada.
The NEA organises the in-person training of the International School on Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Systems (SINUS) on 11 May - 14 May 2025. The in-person part is co-located with the WPRS Benchmarks Workshops 2026 hosted by McMaster University, in Hamilton, ON, Canada
The course is free of charge and open to advanced Master’s and PhD students, or young professionals with a Master’s or PhD degrees in nuclear engineering, reactor physics, nuclear physics, and related disciplines.
Participants are to make sure they can complete the 40 hours of remote lectures, the project assignment and the in-person training at Hamilton, ON, Canada during the WPRS Benchmarks Workshops.
Participants are selected based on eligibility and excellence, considering geographical, and gender balance aspects. The selection process is based on an applicant's motivation letter and their educational track records.
The proposed committee for selecting the students includes high-level experts in the field of reactor physics: the Chair of WPRS, the Chairs of the NEA Expert Group on Reactor Multiphysics (EGMUP), and the Head of the NEA Division for Nuclear Science and Education. The selection process is supported by the NEA Secretariat.
Training material development is co-ordinated by the NCSU with support from the CEA. The RSICC and the NEA Data Bank support the distribution of the required softwares. McMaster University will host the in-person event in Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Training material will distributed through MyNEA SharePoint area.
Selected participants will be announced by 13 January 2026.
WPRS Secretariat: Charles BORY
sinus@oecd-nea.org
