Modeling the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Agent Based Approach
Résumé
System dynamics approach was previously used to simulate the dynamics of the nuclear fuel cycle and associated infrastructure deployments. It was found to be a useful paradigm that is appropriate for simulations of this system given the nuclear fuel cycle’s inherent mass flows, process time delays, and feedback loops. Agent based simulation approach is currently considered as an alternative or complimentary approach to system dynamics for this type of simulations. The move towards agent based simulations is motivated by the needs to expand the options for fuel cycle simulation and to explore further synergies between the different components and players that affect the behavior of the fuel cycle developments. This paper explores the applicability of both approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle simulation and discuss an agent based model of the fuel cycle, SINDA model, that can be further developed in the future to explore expanded and more realistic fuel cycle deployment scenarios.