Dr. Vincent A. Mousseau
Sandia National Laboratories

Abstract

Sandia National Laboratories is currently funded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to modernize its severe accident code MELCOR2.  The modernized code, called MELCOR3, is designed from the beginning with Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) in mind.  The key part of this design is to implement multiple models that are consistent with each other.  This approach is called Matryoshka after the nested wooden dolls from Russia.  By comparing different models, one can assess model form uncertainty.  Based on acceptable uncertainty one can then choose the fastest running model that meets the required uncertainty.

Biography

Dr. Mousseau has worked for the government for over thirty years.  In that time, he has over 30 peer reviewed journal publications and has worked at the Idaho National Laboratory, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories.  His main areas of research are nuclear reactor safety, thermal hydraulics, linear and nonlinear solvers, and VVUQ.  Dr. Mousseau has been an adjunct professor at NC State, University of Florida, Penn State, Oregon State, University of Idaho, and Texas A&M.