Editor’s Note:

Faced with the stringent requirements of seismic resistance, impact resistance, and lifting verification for safety-class nuclear power cabinets, how much time and effort could simulation engineers and structural designers save if every design change no longer required starting over and waiting three weeks for verification?

In this issue of the “Simulation Stories Around Us” column, we present the intelligent mechanical simulation platform for nuclear power cabinets developed by the team of Zhirui Jiang from Beijing Guangli Nuclear System Engineering Co., Ltd. Through this case study, we explore how digital-intelligent simulation breaks down the barriers between design and simulation roles, significantly lowers the threshold for simulation applications, and injects digital confidence into the independent and controllable development of advanced nuclear power equipment.

Abstract

Traditional mechanical simulation workflows for safety-class nuclear power cabinets rely heavily on manual operations, resulting in complex modeling processes and lengthy iteration cycles that limit the efficiency of nuclear instrumentation and control equipment development.

This article presents the development journey of a four-layer intelligent mechanical simulation platform for nuclear power cabinets created by our team. By leveraging software secondary development and intelligent algorithms, the platform enables full-process automation, reducing the complete simulation cycle for a single cabinet from three weeks to five days and improving overall efficiency by more than 60%.

The platform provides a practical reference for the digitalized and independent development of high-end nuclear power equipment. In the future, the team will further integrate AI algorithms to achieve automatic structural optimization, continuously empowering the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry.

Keywords

Nuclear power instrumentation and control; mechanical simulation of cabinets; digital-intelligent simulation platform; ANSYS secondary development; seismic verification

1. First Encounter with Simulation: Long Nights Surrounded by Manual Data Sheets

My journey with nuclear power simulation began in 2009, during my first year after joining the structural engineering team at Beijing Guangli Nuclear System Engineering Co., Ltd. At that time, I was responsible for the mechanical verification of safety-class cabinets for the Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant units. Nuclear instrumentation and control (I&C) cabinets serve as the “nerve center” of nuclear power plants, directly supporting critical functions such as reactor monitoring, safety protection, and emergency shutdown. They must undergo rigorous nuclear-grade verification, including seismic resistance, impact resistance, vibration, and lifting tests. Simulation analysis serves as an essential preliminary design verification method before finalizing equipment designs.

At a time when digitalization had not yet become widespread in the industry, the entire mechanical simulation workflow for a cabinet relied heavily on manual operations. After receiving a 3D model, engineers had to manually remove thousands of unnecessary geometric features, such as small holes and chamfers, from sheet metal structures. Bolt and weld connections needed to be individually modeled using beam elements. Load conditions for seismic and lifting scenarios, as well as response spectrum parameters, were entered manually. Mesh generation, solver submission, stress extraction, code compliance verification, and report preparation were all completed by hand. A complete simulation cycle for a standard nuclear safety-class cabinet required three full weeks. Any slight modification to the model meant that all preprocessing tasks had to be repeated from the beginning.

I still remember countless nights of overtime: structural designers were busy optimizing design schemes, while simulation engineers continuously adjusted models and repeatedly compared dozens of pages of stress data tables against the GB 50267 Code for Seismic Design of Nuclear Power Plants to determine compliance. Even new engineers who had completed systematic training in elasticity, plasticity, vibration mechanics, and other related theories could not independently complete a full simulation analysis that met nuclear-grade standards without at least two years of practical engineering experience. The two groups — design engineers and simulation engineers — frequently had to coordinate around project milestones. Heavy reliance on individual experience, simplified models with potential deviations, and high iteration costs became persistent industry challenges. It was precisely within this purely manual, experience-driven, and slow-iteration development environment that I spent more than a decade working on nuclear power equipment simulation, accumulating extensive engineering experience. This journey allowed me to deeply understand the limitations of traditional nuclear power equipment development: high simulation barriers, long training cycles for new engineers, and inefficient design iteration.

At that time, enabling frontline nuclear power design through digital and intelligent technologies seemed almost impossible.

2. Breaking Through Challenges: Developing an Intelligent Mechanical Simulation Platform

In early 2023, against the backdrop of rapid advances in intelligent technologies, we established a dedicated development team with a clear objective: to create an intelligent mechanical simulation solution tailored for the complex assemblies of nuclear power instrumentation and control equipment. Our goal was to transfer repetitive manual tasks to automated programs, establish a digital-intelligent closed loop of “design–simulation–verification–optimization”, lower the technical barriers to simulation tools, and enable structural engineers to directly conduct simulation work.

The greatest challenge before us was the extreme complexity of nuclear power cabinet structures. A single cabinet may contain hundreds of components, along with a large number of bolt and weld connections. Traditional parametric simulation tools are mainly designed for simple and standardized components and could not effectively adapt to the diverse structures of nuclear power cabinets. Breaking away from conventional approaches, we adopted a dual technical pathway combining GUI-based operation, API encapsulation, and rule-based intelligent algorithms. We transformed years of engineering experience in modeling, connection definition, and load application into standardized computational rules. Through intelligent algorithms such as spatial hashing and bounding box recognition, the software could automatically identify geometric features and intelligently simplify simulation models.

During that period, we worked closely with cabinet designers during the day, decomposing key modules such as geometric cleanup, mesh generation, intelligent bolt and weld connection modeling, loading conditions, and post-processing evaluation. At night, we focused on ANSYS ACT secondary development, writing batch-processing scripts, developing XML parameter configuration templates, and debugging remote computing scheduling interfaces. To improve intelligent connection processing rules, we analyzed hundreds of cabinet bolt and welding structures and integrated the simulation logic of washers, studs, and contact surfaces into the algorithm library. To ensure compliance with nuclear safety-class design standards, we systematically incorporated seismic response spectra, stress limits, and evaluation criteria, while establishing knowledge bases including material libraries, operating condition templates, and report templates.

The most challenging stage was the integration and debugging of the platform’s four-layer architecture. Data transmission between Creo and ANSYS frequently failed across software platforms; intelligent simplification algorithms in the process layer often misidentified small structural features; and the one-click loading function for simulation conditions in the application layer repeatedly malfunctioned. Our team worked intensively on each module, repeatedly refining scripts and testing dozens of cabinet models to improve algorithm logic. One late night, the system finally achieved a fully automated workflow: after importing a 3D cabinet model, the platform could automatically perform geometry cleanup, generate bolt and weld connections in batches, apply seismic loads with one click, extract stress contour results after solving, evaluate compliance against design standards, and generate standardized simulation reports for nuclear power cabinet seismic verification. At the moment the complete report appeared on the screen, we stood silently for a long time. The workload that once required three weeks could now be completed within five days, with overall efficiency improved by more than 60%.

Intelligent Mechanical Simulation Design Platform for Nuclear Power Cabinets

3. Everyday Transformation: Bringing Simulation to Every Designer’s Workspace

The day the platform was officially deployed, I truly realized that simulation has never been an exclusive skill belonging only to a small group of experts. Instead, it is quietly transforming the way each of us works.

Today, when opening the 3D modeling software, designers can see a dedicated “Intelligent Mechanical Simulation” module integrated into the interface. After simple training, ordinary structural designers can independently initiate simulation analyses without waiting in line for simulation engineers. When designers adjust cabinet plate thickness or modify support layouts, they can directly submit simulation tasks with one click. The computing server automatically schedules resources in the background. A task submitted before leaving work can generate a complete stress report and optimization recommendations the next morning. Design iterations are no longer restricted by lengthy simulation cycles.

In a recent lightweight optimization project for a Hualong One nuclear power cabinet, the design team used our intelligent simulation platform to complete three structural iterations within one week. Previously, three rounds of simulation would have required at least two months. By using simulation data to precisely reduce cabinet weight while ensuring that seismic modal characteristics and stress indicators met nuclear safety-level requirements, the project successfully achieved a balance between lightweight design and high reliability.

The simulation knowledge base embedded in the platform has also preserved the engineering experience accumulated by our team over more than a decade. In the past, when senior experts retired or changed positions, years of accumulated simulation expertise could be lost. Now, all material parameters, seismic conditions, and evaluation criteria are stored in the knowledge base. New engineers can directly reuse established standards through the platform, significantly lowering the entry barrier for simulation.

The system can now automatically compare results against multiple standards, including RCCM, ASME, and Chinese national standards, and generate quantitative comparison tables. This ensures more objective and consistent evaluation results while reducing errors caused by manual judgment.

I have witnessed how simulation has transformed our team’s collaboration model. In the past, design and simulation roles were clearly separated. Today, designers actively use simulation to identify potential structural problems at an early stage, rather than discovering seismic failures only after prototype manufacturing. This significantly reduces prototype rework and testing costs. Simulation is no longer merely a verification step at the end of a project. It has become a decision-support tool embedded throughout the entire design process. Every structural modification is now supported by data-driven virtual simulation results.

4. Looking Ahead: Beyond Nuclear Power, the Vast Potential of Simulation

This intelligent mechanical simulation solution for nuclear power instrumentation and control systems has already been applied across a wide range of nuclear power equipment, including safety-class cabinets, panels, chassis, and modules. It is also applicable to product development involving complex assemblies and demanding mechanical environments. The underlying approach — combining intelligent preprocessing, standardized knowledge bases, and automated report generation — can be widely replicated across different engineering fields.

Looking back on my journey alongside simulation, my understanding has undergone a fundamental transformation. In the past, I viewed simulation as tedious finite element calculations and cold stress contour plots. Today, I understand that the essence of simulation lies in digitally reproducing reality, reducing real-world risks through virtual testing, and preserving engineering knowledge through intelligent technologies. Simulation exists in every structural optimization decision made by designers, in the safety assurance of nuclear power equipment, and in every step of the manufacturing industry’s digital transformation. It represents the accumulation and inheritance of engineering expertise, as well as the digital foundation supporting the independent and controllable development of China’s nuclear power equipment.

Looking ahead, we will continue to improve and expand the simulation platform by incorporating more AI-driven optimization algorithms to enable automatic structural optimization and parallel multi-condition computation, making simulation more lightweight, intelligent, and accessible.

Author Biography 

Jiang Zhirui 

He was born in 1980. He holds a master’s degree from Beihang University and is a Professor-level Senior Engineer. He currently serves as Vice Chief Engineer of the Technology Center at Beijing Guangli Nuclear System Engineering Co., Ltd. With 18 years of experience in the research and development of digital instrumentation and control systems for nuclear power and advanced industrial control equipment, he has received multiple provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards. He has been granted 25 patents and has published more than 15 academic and technical papers.

E-mail: jzhirui@163.com

About Simulation for Everything, supported by ASIASIM, focuses on simulation technology and industrial applications. It features three columns:

• Simulation Stories Around Us — sharing real experiences and stories in simulation.

• Outstanding Simulation Cases — showcasing innovative simulation practices and applications.

• Expert Perspectives — sharing insights and visions for the future of simulation.