PNNL

When the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Safety sends you a letter of appreciation, you know you’re doing something right.

PNNL scientist William Ivans was recognized for his contributions to the quality assurance evaluation of safety software used in buildings, including nuclear facilities.

The software—called the Consolidated Model of Fire and Smoke Transport—simulates the impact of past or potential fires and smoke in a specific building environment. Developed by the National Institute of Science and Technology, the software calculates the evolving distribution of smoke, fire gases and extreme temperatures throughout the various rooms of a building during a fire.

Garrett Smith, Acting Director of the Office of Nuclear Safety, praised Ivans’ technical expertise and knowledge while working on the CFAST evaluation. Smith noted that Ivans “contributed significantly in resolving many issues with the code developer.”

The latest version of CFAST will be included as a Safety Software Central Registry “toolbox” code—a set of programs that have been evaluated against DOE’s Safety Software Quality Assurance requirements. The toolbox codes are used by DOE contractors to perform calculations and to develop data used to establish the safety basis for nuclear facilities.

About Ivans

Ivans has more than 10 years of experience in the development and application of risk-informed methods and decision support tools. His experience spans academic and research environments, as well as nuclear utilities and vendors. He holds a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida, and a master’s in Fire Protection Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Since joining PNNL in 2012, Ivans has provided technical, regulatory and training support to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and to Japan's Nuclear Damage Compensation & Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation to inform their strategic plan for decommissioning the Fukushima site.