Coreform wins grant to develop simulation software for fusion energy

OREM, UTAH — Coreform LLC, developer of next-generation computer-aided engineering software, has won a competitive grant to develop a method for simulating complex fusion generator parts.

Published: 17 January 2024

The US Department of Energy has announced Coreform’s receipt of a competitive SBIR grant to facilitate the design of fusion energy reactors. The funded project will allow for more efficient simulation of fusion reactor parts than is possible with existing software.

Recent breakthroughs in fusion energy production fusion have focused public attention on the potential for viable, clean, fusion energy. However, many significant fusion engineering challenges remain unsolved. The ability to evaluate designs via engineering simulation will help overcome those challenges and further the development of fusion energy.

In this project, Coreform will transition the third-party Direct Accelerated Geometry Monte Carlo (DAGMC) model-export plugin for Coreform Cubit from research code into a fully supported and documented workflow in Coreform Cubit. Additionally, they will develop workflows in Coreform Cubit to enable a comprehensive preprocessing workflow for OpenMC, supporting not only DAGMC but also CSG geometry creation, as well as utilities to troubleshoot simulation setup.

If successful, this project will radically streamline and simplify the fusion reactor development process by enabling neutronics simulation to be performed directly on CAD geometry. Fusion reactor energy promises to be safe, environmentally friendly, and sustainable to a degree unmatched by any other potential energy source.