2026 ESREL(European Safety and Reliability) Conference
Two contributions from the FRI3D team were accepted for the 2026 ESREL (European Safety and Reliability) Conference and presented in Braga, Portugal, 15–19 June 2026.
A Framework for Handling Sodium Pool Fires for Fire Risk Assessment in Small Modular Reactors
Session AA13 · Nuclear Industry — Monday 15 June, 14:00
Ramprasad Sampath (Centroid LAB), Curtis Smith (MIT), and Kurt Vedros (AALO Atomics)
Internal fires remain a major contributor to overall plant risk in nuclear power plants, which keeps fire probabilistic risk assessment (Fire PRA/PSA) central to informed design and regulatory decisions. This work extends the FRI3D framework to sodium pool-fire scenarios in liquid-metal-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs): heat-release-rate curves and burning rates drawn from experiments and SOFIRE-II simulations are used as source terms for CFAST and FDS fire modeling, giving a repeatable, physics-based path from the fire source through to quantified plant risk.
Why it matters: it brings FRI3D's automated fire-PRA workflow to the next generation of reactors — showing that the sodium pool fires unique to liquid-metal-cooled SMRs can be modeled end to end, from experimental burning-rate data through CFAST/FDS to risk.
Keywords: Sodium pool fire · Fire PRA · Small Modular Reactors · FRI3D · CFAST · FDS
Multi-Room Layout Compartment Fire Hazard Analysis with CFAST and FDS for a Small Modular Reactor
Special Session SS-14 · AI, Meta-Modelling and Advanced Simulation for the Safety Analysis of Nuclear Systems — Wednesday 17 June, 16:00–17:30
Ramprasad Sampath (Centroid LAB, USA) and Georgi Georgiev (Newcleo, UK)
Internal fires remain a significant contributor to overall plant risk in nuclear power plants, which is why comprehensive fire probabilistic risk assessment (PRA/PSA) is needed to guide both design optimization and regulatory decision-making. The FRI3D (Fire Risk Investigation in 3D) framework — originally developed under the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program — provides an integrated 3D environment for modeling internal fire scenarios, combining FDS and CFAST with cable-failure assessment tools based on NRC guidance (NUREG-2178, NUREG-6931) and a validated database of heat-release rates (HRR) across a wide range of ignition sources. This talk presents a case study of a multi-room compartment layout inside a Small Modular Reactor (SMR), where interconnected rooms and vent openings are modeled to evaluate fire spread, smoke movement, and thermal interactions between compartments. The methodology pairs the CFAST zone model (for rapid scenario screening) with FDS computational fluid dynamics (for detailed analysis of flow dynamics and heat transfer), comparing how vent configuration, room connectivity, and equipment placement influence temperature stratification and cable-damage potential.
Why it matters: it shows how combining CFAST and FDS inside FRI3D can drive safety-informed layout decisions in SMR facilities — identifying critical fire-propagation pathways and strengthening fire-protection strategies.
Keywords: Multi-room compartment · Small Modular Reactor · Fire Hazard Analysis · CFAST · FDS
View the abstract — special-session abstract (not included in the conference e-proceedings).
Bringing FRI3D to fire PRA for your nuclear or SMR facility? Learn more at fri3d.com or get in touch.