Testbeds and Digital Twins
The multidisciplinary research program of ETI2.0 requires capabilities to perform simulation, personnel and computational model training, real-time monitoring of facilities, and data processing. Testbeds provide a controlled environment to evaluate and verify the detection systems’ effectiveness, for example sensors, sampling technologies, and data analytics. Training and real-time monitoring capabilities allow us to explore and demonstrate technologies and methods developed by the ETI2.0 team in virtual and physical domains that would be representative of a variety of environments and conditions.
The resources at both universities and national labs will be leveraged; these testbeds can be broken down into five categories: nuclear sources, virtual and physical platforms, demonstration facilities, specialized facilities, and digital twins. Neutron sources, such as critical assemblies and research reactors, provide opportunities for nuclear physics, radiochemistry, radiation detection, and exploration of sensors for development for nuclear facilities. Virtual and augmented reality platforms coupled to various physical setups offer unique rapid development and exploration opportunities emulating expected environments, conditions, and scenarios. These platforms, ranging from augmented reality/virtual reality caves to accelerator-supported facilities to field test platforms, allow taking developed technologies through accelerated performance evaluations under prototypic conditions. Demonstration facilities, offer well-characterized environments for experimental validation and demonstration of developed technologies and capabilities in mixed radiation and extreme conditions such as high temperatures and pressures.
We also envision working with specialized facilities which offer unique field testing and data resources for representative applications in nuclear security and nonproliferation. Finally, digital twins of existing and upcoming facilities offer unique opportunities to field test computational models and technologies as well as serve as a source of relevant data sets.