WPRS Benchmarks Workshops 2025
About

The next annual Benchmarks Workshops of the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) will be hosted by the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge in collaboration with the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

From 30 June to 4 July 2025, participants of the different WPRS Benchmark Activities will meet, exchange results and discuss future activities. The WPRS Benchmarks Workshops will address benchmarks for neutronics,  thermal-hydraulics, fuel performance, and multi-physics aspects of reactor core simulations in light-water reactors (LWRs), high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), and lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs). The event also features a dedicated session on the performance of AI and Machine Learning in the domain of single and multi-physics reactor simulations based on the work of the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Scientific Computing in Nuclear Engineering. Two new activities on the reactor multiphysics of light-water cooled, small, modular reactors (LW-SMRs) and on reactor pressure vessel fluence simulations for LWRs are anticipated to hold their kick-off meetings.

The third edition of the NEA International School on Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Systems (SINUS) will be co-located with the Workshops.

The 32nd International Meeting On Reactor Noise (IMORN-32) will be held the week after the WPRS Benchmarks Workshops from 7-9 July 2025 in Cambridge too.

Organising committee
  • Local Chair: Prof. Eugene SHWAGERAUS, Cambridge University, United Kingdom
  • Technical Programme Chairs:
    • Prof. Kostadin IVANOV, North Carolina State University (NCSU), United States
    • Dr Valeria Raffuzzi, Cambridge University, United Kingdom
  • Session Chairs:
    • Dr Agustin ABARCA, NCSU, United States
    • Dr Arzu ALPAN, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States
    • Prof Dr Maria N. AVRAMOVA, NCSU, United States
    • Dr Laurent BUIRON, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), France
    • Dr Grigorios DELIPEI, NCSU, United States
    • Dr Aaron S. EPINEY,  Idaho National Laboratory, United States
    • Prof Nuria GARCIA HERRANZ, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Spain
    • Dr Giacomo GRASSO, Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile  (ENEA), Italy
    • Prof Alireza HAGHIGHAT,  Virginia Tech, United States
    • Dr Jason HOU, NCSU, United States
    • Dr Jean-Marie LE CORRE, Westinghouse, Sweden
    • Dr Francesco LODI, ENEA, Italy
    • Prof Bojan PETROVIC, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
    • Dr Pascal ROUXELIN, NCSU, United States
    • Dr Claire VAGLIO-GAUDARD, CEA, France
    • Prof Xu WU, NCSU, United States
    • Prof Xingang ZHAO, University of Tennessee, United States
  • Student Chair: Mr Maximilian KRAUS, Cambridge University, United Kingdom
  • NEA Secretariat: Dr OIiver BUSS
Agenda
Day Local Time in Cambridge, UK [UTC+1h]  Track 1 Track 2 Track 3
Monday, 30 June 2025 Starting at 8:00 Registration

9:00-9:30

Opening of the WPRS Benchmarks Workshops

9:30-13:00 Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Scientific Computing in Nuclear Engineering 

 

Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (FHR) Benchmark  Third International School on Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Systems (SINUS) with a focus on light water reactors, including SMRs 
14:00-18:00 Thermal hydraulic code validation benchmark for high temperature gas-cooled reactors using HTTF data (HTGR T/H) 
  Conference Dinner, Clare College
Tuesday, 1 July 2025 9:00-11:00

Topical session on Challenges in Modelling and Simulation of SMRs 

11:30-13:00

Kick-Off Workshop for LW-SMR Benchmark

Thermal hydraulic code validation benchmark for high temperature gas-cooled reactors using HTTF data (HTGR T/H) 

Third International School on Simulation of Nuclear Reactor Systems (SINUS) with a focus on light water reactors, including SMRs 
14:00-18:00

Kick-Off Workshop for TVA-WB1 Reactor Pressure Fluence Exercises

Lead-cooled Fast Reactor Benchmark (LFR) 

- TH Stage

 

Wednesday, 2 July 2025 9:00-11:00

Benchmark for Uncertainty Analysis in Best-Estimate Modelling for Design, Operation and Safety Analysis of Light Water Reactors (LWR-UAM) 

Lead-cooled Fast Reactor Benchmark (LFR) 

- Neutronics Stage

 
11:30-13:00

Deterministic Time-Dependent Neutron Transport Benchmark without Spatial Homogenisation (C5G7-TD) 

14:00-18:00 Subgroup on Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (UAM) for Design, Operation and Safety Analysis of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR-UAM) 

Topical session on Challenges in Modelling and Simulation of Reactor Transients  

Thursday, 3 July 2025 9:00-13:00

TVA Watts Bar Unit 1 Multi-Physics Benchmark 

 

Liquid Metal Fast Reactor Core Thermal-Hydraulics Benchmark (LMFR T/H) 

CTF Training
14:00-15:30 Topical session on Challenges in MSR Modelling and Simulation CTF User Group
16:00-18:00

EGMUP Task Force on Fuel Temperature Assumptions in Depletion Analyses

Friday, 4 July 2025 9:00-13:00 Rostov-2 VVER-1000 Benchmark  Multi-physics Pellet Cladding Mechanical Interaction Validation (MPCMIV) Benchmark 
Conference venue

The WPRS Benchmarks Workshops will take place at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom: 

Meeting Material

Registered users will be given access to a dedicated NEA SharePoint page with detailed agendas and all meeting materials:

NEA SharePoint Meeting Page

Registration

Please register here:  Register

The registration fee for in-person attendance includes lunch and coffee breaks.

 

 

 

Photo credit: Front Court of King's College, founded in 1441 by King Henry VI, Lamkingming, Wikipedia, Uploaded: 4 January 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0