Cerberus Nuclear present to Birmingham's post-graduate nuclear masters courses
Recently, Cerberus Nuclear provided support to the University of Birmingham’s post-graduate nuclear master courses (the Physics of Technology of Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear decommissioning) through a lecture presented by Katrina Christaki, Jacob Westerman, and Zachary Strangwood as part of an industry lecture series.
During the lecture, the Cerberus team provided an introduction to radiation shielding, Monte Carlo codes and criticality safety assessment in industry, which was supplemented by case studies of their innovative projects in the past 12 months.
Jacob highlighted dynamic source movement assessment techniques, their usefulness in radiation transport assessment, as well as demonstrating the shielding verification procedure by emphasising the training, equipment and safety measure required to conduct the process.
Zachary, a recent graduate of the PTNR course, offered industry insight into how to accurately model and setup an example shielding problem by using Monte Carlo techniques. Additionally, Zachary discussed his dissertation project which consisted of modelling various radiation shielding scenarios with a moving source in MCNP.
Katrina presented an introduction to criticality safety, highlighting the factors affecting criticality and where criticality safety fits into the industry. Furthermore, Katrina presented CARTA, a Cerberus developed criticality training tool that employs machine learning to calculate k-eff in real-time for operator training and provided an opportunity to the students to test the tool with a VR headset.
The lecture was well-received by the students, providing them with an excellent understanding of the unique and innovative work done by the Cerberus team.
Additionally, Cerberus plans to supervise similar dissertation projects to the one Zachary completed last year, supporting the University of Birmingham and the NTEC master’s courses. If this is something you may be interest in whether a student of one of these courses or not, please get in touch.
Sellafield Ltd Supply Chain Forum Special for International Women's Day
Our criticality safety assessors Katrina and Haleema represented Cerberus at the Sellafield Supply Chain Event in March. The event was a women’s special, falling just after international women's day, and was only attended by women in the supply chain and at Sellafield Ltd.
It was so great to hear from different SMEs and all the great projects currently going on. It was especially great hearing from the next generation coming up through the Sellafield apprentice schemes. We wish them all the success in their next chapters! Another fantastic presentation was from the Jacobs women’s network, and we look forward to hearing and collaborating more in the future.
- Haleema H, Criticality Safety Consultant
At the forum, companies are given the opportunity to give a 60 s pitch. Katrina Christaki took the challenge and pitched Cerberus Nuclear to the other attendees at the forum!
Cerberus looks forward to continuing collaboration with Sellafield and to attending the next supply chain forum.
Nottingham Trent University Presentation
Cerberus Nuclear is excited to have delivered a technical and industry focused presentation to the Physics with Nuclear Technology students at NTU. Building on the student’s knowledge of radiation transport they were introduced to Monte Carlo calculations in the context of shielding assessments. The presentation was well received with thought provoking questions being raised by the students.
After the presentation the students also got to learn about Criticality safety through our CARTA VR experience. As NTU alumni Nathan and Sam got the chance to provide an insight into their career paths and introduce the students to the world of Nuclear Consultancy.
We would like to thank Dr Edward Breeds and Dr Nick Evans for welcoming us back to campus and facilitating our presentation.
Cerberus Nuclear brings industry expertise to NTEC Radiation Shielding Module
Cerberus Nuclear is proud to have once again supported the NTEC Radiation Shielding Module at the University of Liverpool, providing industry-focused knowledge input to the module.
As a key member of The Shielding Forum, Cerberus Nuclear delivered a lecture on the Shielding Design Process, providing a high-level overview of its practical application in the industry and its role in supporting facility designs.
The presentation was delivered by John Billingsley and Sam Hilton, who also provided support to the students throughout the day by assisting with their radiation shielding workshop. During the workshop, John and Sam introduced the students to the benefits of Orthrus Software's tool, Cyclone, for visualisation of Monte Carlo models and results.
The session was well attended by industry professionals and students, who actively engaged with the lecture and posed thought-provoking questions. As alumni of the NTEC course themselves, John and Sam were able to provide valuable insights into their careers in the nuclear industry since graduating.
We would like to thank Professor Andrew Boston and the University of Liverpool for inviting us back and providing us with the opportunity to contribute to the education of future nuclear professionals.
“Thank you to the University of Liverpool for the invitation to deliver a lecture at the Radiation Shielding module. As an NTEC graduate, it was great to have the opportunity to contribute to the delivery of the course, and provide insight to students on my experience in the nuclear industry since then.
A big thank you to Professor Andy Boston for organising a great module.”
– John Billingsley
“As an NTEC graduate myself, it was great to be welcomed back and engage with students providing guidance on their Monte Carlo transport coding.”
– Sam Hilton
Successful Neutronics Workshop at the University of York
Cerberus Nuclear is thrilled to have been invited to deliver a Neutronics Workshop as part of the Fusion CDT course at the University of York, marking the second consecutive year of our participation. As part of the course, students participate in a week-long fusion technology module to gain a comprehensive understanding of fusion science, covering key topics such as reactor technology, plasma physics, and neutronics modelling.
The week commenced with a workshop on the use of the open-source Monte Carlo transport code OpenMC fusion applications. The workshop was co-delivered by John Billingsley (Cerberus Nuclear) and Dr Jonathan Shimwell (First Light Fusion). Together, they presented the course and provided Master’s and PhD students with valuable insights drawn from their industry experience.
The workshop was a resounding success, offering students hands-on experience with key concepts such as transport theory, material cross-sections, model geometries, source and tally definitions, and running neutronics simulations. John and Jon’s guidance and insights proved invaluable, equipping the students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the field of fusion neutronics.
Cerberus Nuclear is proud to have played a role in the education and development of the next generation of fusion professionals. We early look forward to future opportunities to collaborate with the University of York and the FusionCDT in advancing the field of fusion technology.
“Once again, thanks to the University of York for the invitation to deliver the neutronics workshop for the third year in a row. The workshop was a resounding success, with students gaining valuable insights into the application of neutronics codes in fusion technology.
Thank you to Dr Arkaprava Bokshi for organising a great module.”
– John Billingsley
Revolutionising 3D Dose Rate Visualisation
Radiation Safety and Efficient Delivery
The nuclear industry is faced with the challenge of ensuring radiation safety and efficient delivery while dealing with the complexities of designing and operating nuclear facilities. In this context, dose rate visualisation plays a vital role in evaluating and visualising radiation sources and their impact on the surrounding environment. This information is crucial in making informed decisions to maintain a safe working environment for the workforce and the general public.
However, traditional methods for dose rate visualisation often result in bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the workflow. To address these issues, Cerberus Nuclear is committed to revolutionising the field by developing cutting-edge tools that simplify the production of 3D dose rate contour visualisation. This approach will allow our radiation shielding assessors to perform accurate assessments quickly and effectively, leading to better outcomes for our clients.
At Cerberus Nuclear, we understand the importance of dose rate visualisation and are dedicated to providing innovative solutions that address the challenges faced by our clients. Our goal is to streamline the process and make it easier to visualise dose rates in real-world applications, thereby improving the overall safety and efficiency of delivery.
Cyclone: Streamline your Radiation and Criticality Workflows
Orthrus Software, a subsidiary of Cerberus Nuclear, introduces Cyclone TM, a modern and intuitive web-based software suite aimed at simplifying Monte Carlo workflows. This powerful tool is specifically designed for radiation and criticality problems and offers a range of features to help you visualise and analyse your data with ease.
Interactive 3D Renders of MCNP Geometry: Cyclone allows you to visualise your model geometries in 3D, giving you a clear understanding of your data.
In-built Text Editor with Syntax Highlighting: The text editor in Cyclone includes syntax highlighting to make it easier to read and write your code.
Customisable Visualisation of Cell and Material Assignments: Visualise cell and material assignments in Cyclone with customisable colours, making it easy to differentiate between different elements of your model.
Custom Geometry Slicing and Cell Toggling: Cyclone allows you to slice your geometry and toggle cells, giving you the flexibility to focus on specific parts of your model.
Powerful Dose Visualisation Capabilities: In addition to its advanced geometry visualisation features, Cyclone also offers powerful integrated dose visualisation capabilities from FMESH tally results files, including 2D slice contour visualisation, 3D iso-surface visualisation, and 3D contour extrapolation to surfaces.
Text EditorParticle Tracks3D & 2D Dose Rate Contours
Cyclone has already been deployed across a wide range of dose-uptake assessments and has revolutionised the workflows of our in-house radiation assessors. With Cyclone, you can combine 3D MCNP geometry and dose rate contours with ease, enhancing your capabilities and improving your outcomes. For more information and instant sign up check out orthrussoftware.com.
Dynamic Radiation Assessments using Dose Time
Dose Time TM focuses on revolutionising dose visualisation in the nuclear industry. It uses novel interpolation methods for the calculation and visualisation of dynamic 2D and 3D dose rate contour maps, providing an effective tool for visualising and calculating dose uptake in a variety of radiation scenarios.
Tackle Moving Source Challenges: The need to tackle the significant challenge of assessing moving sources, where the computational demands of modelling such scenarios can be extremely high. With efficient mesh tally interpolation methods, Dose Time enables the rapid calculation of 3D dose fields, eliminating the need for additional simulations.
Efficient Survey of Design Spaces: With its rapid approximation of dose rate contours, Dose Time allows shielding assessors to efficiently survey entire design spaces and identify regions of interest without the need for numerous Monte-Carlo calculations.
Live Dose Target Tracking: Dose Time is looking to enhance its capabilities via the integration of live dose target tracking, enabling the calculation of cumulative dose uptake in dynamic radiation environments.
VR Technology for Live Dose Rate Visualisation: In the future, Dose Time plans to leverage virtual reality (VR) technology for live dose rate contour visualisation. This will provide a more interactive experience, allowing for the simulation of real-world scenarios and providing valuable insights to assessors, operators and other key stakeholders.
Let us transform how radiation assessments are performed with Dose Time and experience the benefits of efficient and effective dose rate visualisation.
If you're interested in learning more about 3D dose rate visualisation, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch at nuclear@cerberusnuclear.com. Our team is always ready to assist and provide the right solution for your needs.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from everyone at Cerberus Nuclear!
As well as the start of the new year, we are celebrating 6 years as a company. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years, from our dedicated team to our valued clients and collaborators. We look forward to what 2023 will bring!
New Starter - Haleema H
We are delighted to welcome Haleema to the team full time following her summer project with the company for her Nuclear Decommissioning MSc. Haleema will be supporting both the Radiation Shielding and Criticality Safety teams, and is looking forward to applying her radioactive waste management training in the Nuclear Characterisation team. It's great to have you with us Haleema!
During her project, Haleema built a MCNP model of a reactor with multiple parameter variations. The criticality for each variation of parameterisation was collected and used for analysis and subsequent training of a machine learning algorithm to create a criticality training tool. She has since been awarded the Fremlin Award by Birmingham University for her dissertation. Congratulations Haleema!!
New Starter - Nathan Chambers
We are happy to announce that Nathan Chambers has joined Cerberus Nuclear following a successful summer placement with the company. During his MSc Placement, Nathan performed an investigation into the effect of localised radiation shield weaknesses on the dose uptake of a self-designed phantom model.
Nathan has been involved in the latest phase of the Bright 3Ts Hospital shielding verification work since starting with the company. He is also supporting a Nuclear Characterisation project, and will be developing his Radiation Shielding skills in the coming weeks alongside continuing his MSc research by producing a guidance note on his findings. Welcome to the team Nathan!
New Starter – Zachary Strangwood
We are pleased to announce that the first new starter of this year’s graduate intake has started with the company. Zachary Strangwood completed his MSc placement with the company this summer. His project consisted of modelling various radiation shielding scenarios with moving sources in MCNP and creating an interpolation engine using Python to calculate mesh tally data for different source positions in these scenarios. We are delighted that Zachary decided to stay on with the company following his Masters project!
Zachary is starting work supporting the Radiation Shielding team, but is looking forward to also supporting Criticality Safety as he progresses along the graduate scheme.
