Case study
Simvue Enhances IFC’s Fire Safety Simulations with Real-Time Tracking
Simvue was developed by the Computing Division at UKAEA to address the complexities in monitoring and tracking simulations in fusion research. Working with the Technology Transfer Hub, the team has proactively broadened its functionality to serve various sectors, including climate modelling, astronomy and fire risk safety. This case study focuses on Simvue’s transformative impact on the ongoing operations of International Fire Consulting (IFC), delivering critical improvements in time efficiency, operational effectiveness and sustainability. It also outlines the anticipated future developments of Simvue and its potential applications across multiple industries.
At UKAEA, we continually strive to push technological boundaries to meet the demanding requirements of fusion power plants, which operate under extreme conditions and require precision engineering that challenges the limits of modern science and technology. Simvue, developed by our Computing Division, exemplifies this innovation.
Development of Simvue
Simvue was initially developed by UKAEA to address critical challenges in fusion research, particularly for managing the vast numerical simulations associated with the development of tokamaks and the STEP programme. These highly complex simulations generate extensive data that demand efficient tracking and management to ensure accurate metric visualisation, rapid comparison plot generation, and seamless results sharing across departments. Simvue is a scalable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that simplifies and optimises complex simulation and computational tasks by data tracking and management workflows for diverse industries.
In fusion research, real-time data tracking, organised metadata and efficient information sharing between scientists and engineers are crucial. Simvue was specifically designed to streamline these simulation workflows, ensuring results are both accessible and traceable across teams.
Recognising its broader potential, UKAEA’s Innovation team expanded Simvue’s applicability beyond fusion research. Its powerful real time tracking, monitoring, and data organisation features made it equally applicable in other sectors where complex and large-scale simulations are common and costly.
Fields such as fire suppression systems, where simulations for sprinklers and air vents are critical, weather modelling, and Formula One aerodynamics simulations were identified as sectors where Simvue could offer significant value.
In 2023, UKAEA secured funding through the Knowledge Asset Grant Fund (KAGF) – a scheme run by the Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) – to explore Simvue’s feasibility in the fire-safety sector.
This case study highlights the transformative impact of Simvue on International Fire Consulting (IFC), a leading firm in fire science, fire safety, fire CFD codes, counter terrorism, and risk assessment for government facilities.
Challenge
“We often have clients requesting assistance with fire safety problems that require a bit of research to solve… Simvue has been a great help in that regard. The dashboard allows the user running multiple simulations to have a commanding overview… saving time, energy, and money.”
— Vern Nicolette, Director, IFC Ltd.
Solution:
Simvue’s advanced features effectively addressed IFC’s requirements, delivering substantial value by significantly reducing the costs and time of complex computational tasks and simulations—by up to 50%. This efficiency not only streamlined processes but also contributed to lowering the environmental impact, as the reduced computational overhead naturally minimised the carbon footprint of fire safety simulations. By enabling automatic termination of ineffective simulations, Simvue ensured that resources were optimised, further amplifying cost, time, and environmental savings.
Unique Features of Simvue
Tracking
Real-time tracking across globally distributed simulations
Metadata Management
Automated tagging vastly improves data discovery.
Abort Automatically
Prevents resource wastage by automatically terminating simulations that do not meet pre-set criteria.
Artifact Storage
Facilitates seamless storing and retrieval of files for comparative analysis.
“Simvue allowed us to visually make connections between simulation outcomes and complex parameter combinations… This reduced the burden on computational resources, again saving time, energy, and money.”
— Vern Nicolette, Director, IFC Ltd
Data lineage
Keeping track of input and output artifacts for all complex simulations & tasks.
Alerts & notifications
Easily configurable alerts for various parameters & thresholds to enable better monitoring & tracking.
Compatibility with legacy software
Simvue integrates seamlessly with a wide range of existing simulation software.
Key Benefits
- Time and Efficiency Gains:
Real-time tracking and visualisation allowed IFC to streamline processes, handle larger simulation volumes more effectively and reduce computational time by up to 50%. - Cost Savings:
By optimising simulation workflows and reducing unnecessary computational tasks, Simvue helped IFC achieve substantial cost reductions tied to operational efficiency. - Sustainability Improvements:
The significant computational and cost savings naturally translated into reduced carbon emissions, contributing to IFC’s sustainability goals by minimising the environmental impact of fire safety simulations. - Proactive Management:
Simvue’s alert system enabled the IFC team to take action faster by detecting and notifying them of any performance-related issues in real time. - Enhanced Data Discovery:
With data lineage tracking, IFC could easily trace and understand relationships between different simulation components and artefacts, improving decision-making and project oversight.
Impact
“With Simvue, we were able to narrow down the possible combinations… reducing the fire heat release rate to the desired levels. Working with the UKAEA team and Tech Transfer Hub was a positive experience. They really have a “can do” attitude and everyone was focused on making the project succeed. The team also seemed to be able to attack a problem from many different angles, which was helpful in arriving at a solution.”
– Vern Nicolette, Director, International Fire Consulting
“Working with Vern who has significant expertise in fire safety has enabled us to understand and establish contacts in the fire safety sector and enable Simvue to be more accessible to users in fire safety simulations.”
– Aby Abraham, Senior Research Software Engineer, UKAEA
Future Prospects
Simvue’s capabilities are set to expand further. Key developments on the horizon include:
- Enhanced AI Integration: To provide advanced predictive analytics and optimise simulation performance.
- Broader Industry Applications: The team envisions extending Simvue’s capabilities to fields such as astronomy, climate science, and Computational Fluid Dynamics for Formula 1.
- Simvue marketplace: An online platform to facilitate 3rd party vendors to provide Simvue integration to simulation applications and ML workflow and models.
Conclusion
Through Simvue, IFC has made significant strides in fire safety simulation, achieving impressive time savings, sustainability, and efficiency. The collaboration between UKAEA and IFC has highlighted the power of technology to make large-scale simulations more environmentally friendly.
Learn more
To learn more about Simvue and its transformative impact, contact us here.
Interview with Vern Nicolette
- Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at International Fire Consultant?
Yes, I would be happy to do so! Fire safety science and fire research have
been the focus of my career. I was employed at Sandia National Laboratories in the USA for 25 years and was designated a Founding Father of the Fire Science and Technology Program. We were among the pioneers in the USA who were developing and applying computational tools for studying fires and their consequences. After that experience, I worked roughly 10 years in Norway as a fire safety engineer, designing fire safety strategies and developing performance-based fire safety designs for a number of buildings. Currently, I am the director of International Fire Consulting Ltd. (https://internationalfireconsulting.com). Our clients seek engineering solutions to fire safety issues. - Can you share some insights into the current trends and challenges in fire consulting and how they impact your day-to-day work?
Fire consulting is utilising computational resources more than ever, and I expect that will continue to grow. Computational Fluid Dynamics software (CFD) is being employed on many levels in fire consulting: arson investigations, litigation over safety issues, and performance-based design of new construction, to name a few. As such, any tools that can simplify or reduce the need for computational resources are highly sought after. Machine learning (ML) is becoming a common feature in many areas, including fire safety, as it has the potential to change much of how we do business. Sustainability is not only a buzzword but is becoming of genuine concern in light of the changing climate. It is not unusual for a single fire simulation to require a week of time to complete. Therefore, these issues (sustainability, ML) are of growing interest for those of us who perform large numbers of computer simulations that require substantial CPU usage, such as fire CFD simulations. - How did you first hear about UKAEA and Simvue?
I have known about UKAEA for many years, having worked extensively in nuclear safety (primarily nuclear fire safety) while at Sandia. I first heard about SIMVUE from a colleague a couple of years ago, and it sounded intriguing. Since I have extensive experience with fire CFD simulations, I found it interesting that software (Simvue) was being developed that could be of assistance for applications like fire CFD. - What specific challenges were you facing before using Simvue, and how has the software helped you address them?
We often have clients requesting assistance with fire safety problems that require a bit of research to solve. As such, we are used to running a large number of CFD simulations to investigate possible solutions for our clients. Simvue has been a great help in that regard. The dashboard allows the user running multiple simulations to have a commanding overview of the current status and success of the simulations, saving time, energy, and money. It aids in keeping track of the large number of simulations and results produced. - Can you share an example of a project where Simvue significantly improved your simulation control and outcomes?
One study we did concerned the optimizing of a sprinkler design for a particular application. Simvue allowed us to visually (graphically) make connections between simulation outcomes and complex parameter combinations, narrowing the parameter space for further investigation. This reduced the burden on computational resources, again saving time, energy, and money. We were able to narrow down the possible combinations of flow rate, droplet size, droplet velocity, spray angles, and temperature at which the sprinkler activates which would reduce the fire heat release rate to the desired levels. - What aspects of the collaboration with UKAEA stood out to you as particularly helpful or unique?
Working with Aby Abraham and his team was a positive experience. They really have a “can do” attitude and everyone was focused on making the project succeed. The team also seemed to be able to attack a problem from many different angles, which was helpful in arriving at a solution. - How do you see the collaboration with UKAEA continuing to grow in the coming years?
The collaboration has been very positive so far. As for how the collaboration will grow, that will most likely depend on a number of factors: how Simvue will be licensed, how much machine learning capability will be available in Simvue, and how much business we have at International Fire Consulting Ltd. requiring large numbers of CFD fire simulations.
