Nuclear projects demand precision, trust, and proven expertise. Element supports utilities, manufacturers, and engineering teams with testing and qualification services that keep systems safe, compliant, and ready to perform—delivering data-driven insight to meet regulations and extend asset life.

Learn More

Research & Applications

Sandia expands software billed as “Swiss Army knife” of nuclear system safety

August 30, 2021, 3:00PMNuclear News
Sandia's Brad Beeny (left) and Larry Humphries examine remnants from a series of lower head failure experiments. Results from these and other experiments are used to inform nuclear accident modeling computer code. (Photo: Randy Montoya)

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have been expanding MELCOR—the severe accident modeling computer code used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to evaluate the safety of light water reactors—to study the small modular reactors and non-light-water advanced reactors that are under development. An article published in Sandia Lab News on August 27 describes in detail how MELCOR is being expanded to work with different reactor geometries, fuel types, and coolant systems.

To continue reading, log in or create a free account!

Related Articles

OSTP memo guides space nuclear plan

April 16, 2026, 12:00PMNuclear News

A White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum released on Tuesday guides NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense on their roles in deploying...

ANS revises Position Statements #35 and #47

April 13, 2026, 3:01PMANS News

The Board of Directors of the American Nuclear Society, along with the ANS Public Policy Committee (PPC), recently approved revisions to Position Statement #35: Advanced Reactors and Position...

NRIC’s DOME “open for business”

April 10, 2026, 2:03PMNuclear News

On Wednesday, Idaho National Laboratory announced that the National Reactor Innovation Center’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed is now “open for business.” With...