Designing complex systems such as nuclear reactors for use in space is a complex task, but U.S. scientists have made it easier using genetic algorithms. The researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge (Tenn.)National Laboratory use the genetic algorithm optimization tool — a method similar to the natural selection process.
Nuclear Systems Integration Specialist Louis Qualls and colleagues can quickly perform searches of huge numbers of potential solutions to an engineering problem and rapidly identify the best options.
He said it takes months or years to perform all of the necessary calculations for some projects using traditional methods.
"With genetic algorithms, however, we can perform those calculations and end up with a short list of potential solutions in a matter of just minutes or days, depending on the problem," Qualls explained.
The genetic algorithm approach evolves by removing poor solutions or designs that don't perform well and repopulating the next generation with only combinations — mutations — of the better designs. With successive generations only the best options remain.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed for the Department of Energy by a UT-Battelle — a partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Science & Technologies International.
Source: United Press International
