International Conference on Physics of Reactors 2024 Plenary SPeaker

W. David Pointer

Division Director,
Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

W. David Pointer is a recognized expert in the thermal hydraulics and safety of both conventional and advanced nuclear energy systems. He has extensive experience in the application, validation and development of computational fluid dynamics software as well as a strong background in experimental fluid dynamics methods for nuclear energy system and component design and licensing. Dr. Pointer has contributed to a wide variety of technical initiatives including:

• The development of integrated multi-physics simulation toolsets for advanced reactor design and safety analysis which leverage high performance computing to provide unprecedented predictive power and precision.
• The development and calibration of CFD-based simulation capabilities for boiling flows to support industry application to current fuel performance issues.
• The development and execution of advanced separate effects experiments to support the design of advanced reactor concepts, including VHTR and SFR systems.
• The design and execution of dual use experiments that address physics questions related to specific reactor design features and provide opportunities for validation of higher fidelity methods.
• The identification and prioritization of phenomena occurring in postulated events in advanced reactor designs, including VHTR and SFR concepts.
• The application of CFD methods to a variety of engineering problems in the areas of power generation, energy efficiency and transportation.