K.G. Howey

K.G. Howey is a graduate student in nuclear science and engineering developing real-time spatial power simulation frameworks for nuclear reactors. Current control systems cannot predict reactor core power distributions during transient events, limiting safe operation under load-following conditions required for emerging applications like data center power. They develop multipoint kinetics models to determine spatial neutronics parameters directly from observational transient data, circumventing computationally expensive high-fidelity transport simulations. Howey implements the multipoint kinetics equations in MATLAB to solve highly stiff systems of linear first-order differential equations using advanced forward integration methods. To ensure numerical stability and accuracy, they leverage MATLAB’s variable-precision arithmetic toolbox and matrix exponential functions when evaluating the matrix exponential in non-normal systems. As a MathWorks Fellow, Howey will develop validated frameworks for reconstructing lumped 3D power distributions in near real-time. Their research could pave the way for semi-autonomous control systems, reducing staffing requirements and improving economic viability of multi-unit SMR deployments.