The U.S. Navy Research Laboratory has developed a new software suite that visualizes nuclear detection operations for modeling and simulation applications under entities like the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
The Navy said Thursday the SoftWare for Optimization of Radiation Detectors 7 engine models nuclear fission scenarios and utilizes an interface for the design and optimization of radiation detectors.
SWORD 7 underwent modifications to include a physics library as well as another fission physics library. Current SWORD users like DHS and DTRA use the simulation tool to study particle interactions and track particle types across a range of engines, NRL noted.
Wade Duvall, a research physicist at NRL, said that SWORD 7 has the capacity to model nuclear reactors as well as other fission resources integrated with ship- and space-based scenarios.
NRL is preparing SWORD 7 for rollout through Oak Ridge National Lab’s Radiation Safety Information Computational Center in the coming months, according to Duvall.