ADVERTORIAL FEATURE | DIGITAL TOOLING FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION
Driving the transition with MBSE and virtual twin engineering
For nuclear to fulfill its potential, it must go beyond new reactor designs and adopt digital methods and implement model-based approaches that modernize how nuclear facilities are designed, built, and operated
Beyond traditional reactors Traditional large nuclear reactors will remain central for many decades, but innovation is broadening the range of possibilities. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) exemplify this shift. Their compact size, modular construction, and flexibility make them suitable for areas where large-scale plants are impractical. SMRs are designed with advanced passive safety features, shorter construction times, and lower upfront costs. They can also integrate seamlessly with renewable sources, offering flexible output to balance variable energy supply. While SMRs receive significant attention, they represent
Above: A view of an International Nuclear Core System
THE GLOBAL ENERGY SYSTEM is at a critical turning point. Demand for electricity is forecast to rise by nearly 50% by 2050, driven by population growth, urbanization, and electrification across all sectors of the economy. Meeting this demand sustainably requires a balanced mix of clean, secure, and dispatchable energy sources. Nuclear power already plays an indispensable role, supplying about 10% of the world’s electricity. It combines low-carbon generation with the ability to deliver constant baseload power, offering a stability that renewable sources like solar and wind alone cannot provide. Despite its importance, the nuclear industry faces
persistent challenges. Large projects often encounter cost overruns, delays, and technical complexities. Licensing processes differ across jurisdictions and are lengthy, creating significant bottlenecks for deployment. At the same time, maintaining public trust is critical, requiring demonstrations of safety, effective waste management, and environmental responsibility. If nuclear is to fulfill its potential in the global decarbonization agenda, it must transform. This transformation goes beyond new reactor designs. It requires adopting digital methods, enhancing collaboration, and implementing model-based approaches that modernize how nuclear facilities are designed, built, and operated.
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only part of a broader transformation. The true step change lies in how nuclear plants of all sizes are conceived and delivered. The industry must evolve from one-off, customized engineering projects into a more industrialized, replicable approach. This requires digital continuity throughout the entire lifecycle—connecting design, licensing, construction, operations, and decommissioning in a single digital environment. At the heart of this transformation is Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), a methodology that manages complexity by representing systems and their interactions in dynamic models rather than static documents.
CATIA & Model-Based Systems Engineering for nuclear Model-Based Systems Engineering provides a foundation for changing how nuclear infrastructure is developed. By shifting from document-heavy practices to digital models, MBSE enables a single source of truth across the plant’s lifecycle. These models capture requirements, architectures, system behaviors, and interactions. They are continuously updated, ensuring that all stakeholders—from designers to regulators— share the same understanding of the project. CATIA, powered by Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE
platform, is central to this transformation. CATIA enables Virtual Twin Engineering: the ability to create a complete, dynamic, and evolving digital twin of a nuclear facility. Unlike static 3D models, the virtual twin integrates geometry, physics, systems behavior, and real-world data. This makes it A A A Virtual Twin makes it possible to simulate plant operations, validate safety measures, and optimize performance long before construction begins. CATIA’s Virtual Twin Engineering ensures that every system—from cooling loops to control rooms—can be explored in detail, tested under different scenarios, and validated collaboratively.
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