No one can play snooker that fast. SCK•CEN performs computer simulations of nuclear fuel behaviour

The article discusses the project F-Bridge, which is funded under the seventh European framework programme. The objective of F-Bridge apply knowledge gained from fundamental science to to the development of Gen-IV fuels. The ultimate goal is to set up an international exchange platform for the integration and the coordination of nuclear fuel research. As part of the F-Bridge project, the Belgian Nuclear Research Center SCK-CEN collaborates with other institutes in Europe in a work package on multi-scale modelling. The main contribution of SCK-CEN focuses on atomic-scale computer simulations. The employed techniques are based on empirical force fields and describe atomic interactions using simple parameters and analytical formulas. Based on Newton's theory, the evolution of a series of atoms and their interaction over a given time period can be predicted.