Digital Twins of Socio-Technical Systems

The relevance of analyzing the characteristics of digital twins (DTs) as a modern tool for the creation and management of production facilities is confirmed by accumulated experience in the development and implementation of DTs in domestic industrial sectors, as well as by usage trends in various regions of the world, which significantly outpace general industrial development and are closely linked to it. This area is the focus of a dedicated track at the Joint Department with “Avtopromimport”  «International Competitiveness», developed in close interaction with the State Corporation Rosatom and IRP Technology, to whom we extend our gratitude for providing visual materials.

A distinguishing feature of digital twins (DTs), which defines them as a fundamentally new tool capable of significantly enhancing efficiency in the development and management of production facilities, is their functionality that allows all participants in the lifecycle processes of DT-managed objects (DT users) to jointly create and utilize a shared database/knowledge base. This database is continuously updated in real time and is preserved when transitioning between different stages of the object’s lifecycle (LC).

In the context of nuclear energy facilities (NEFs), “all participants in lifecycle processes” include designers, specialists in nuclear physics, thermal physics, chemistry, materials science, economics, construction, procurement, human resources, strategic management, and other relevant fields, as well as government regulatory and supervisory authorities. A specific case of interdisciplinary interaction is the domain of multiphysics processes, which in nuclear energy integrates interconnected data on geometry, dependencies in thermal physics, nuclear physics, chemical processes, and other areas. A digital twin is a tool that leverages new and continuously evolving capabilities in high-performance computing, data processing, and visualization, including artificial intelligence algorithms. Its qualitative novelty, however, is primarily determined by the ability of its users to work effectively within an environment of interdisciplinary collaboration.

An additional characteristic feature of digital twins (DTs) relates to the question of whether their development and implementation fall within the authority and responsibilities of information technology (IT) specialists. Examples from international practice and domestic industry demonstrate that the recent stage of IT development has indeed created the prerequisites for the advancement of DTs. Alongside the development of mathematical IT methods, this has provided new opportunities. However, the potential for practical application of DTs is primarily determined by the qualifications and scope of authority of specialists in domain-specific fields such as physics, chemistry, engineering sciences, safety, economics, sociology, and in the management of interdisciplinary, including multiphysics, processes.

The relevance of this area explains why considerable attention is given internationally to the development of systems engineering approaches, with the Russian equivalent being the field of intersystem interaction theory.

Established definitions and accumulated experience in the implementation of digital twins (DTs) confirm their key characteristic features and highlight a primary task that must be addressed prior to the development and deployment of a DT: the need to adopt a coordinated position on the basic target indicators (BTIs) of the DT-managed object, which are intended to be achieved as a result of its implementation.

A specific focus of the Basic Department of Foreign Economic Activity “Avtopromimport” (BD FEAI) “International Competitiveness” track is the development and implementation of DTs for prospective nuclear energy facilities.

Current directions for improving the management efficiency of nuclear energy facilities (NEFs) — including small modular reactors (SMRs), large industrial NPPs, prospective fourth-generation power units, and research reactors — as well as achieving strategic goals for sectoral development and analyzing the root causes of emerging challenges in nuclear energy in the context of successive industrial and technological stages, known as “Atomic Project 1.0” and “Atomic Project 2.0,” provide the basis for defining the set of tasks that need to be addressed through the comprehensive implementation of digital twins (DTs) for NEFs.

In implementing programs for the development and deployment of DTs, it is advisable to use established practices in nuclear energy for defining the composition of DT users, the structure of the NEF DT, and tested models for managing basic target indicators (BTIs, e.g., competitiveness), which allow forecasting the performance of the DT-managed object relative to competitors and alternative solutions.

Accumulated experience in the successful application of DT principles to achieve specific NEF targets is illustrated by examples such as the 2010–2012 project by JSC VNIIAES on implementing the VVER-TOI engineer-architect function and creating a virtual-digital NPP (VDNPP) under the scientific supervision of S. L. Solovyov; the implemented stages of interaction between Rostekhnadzor and Rosatom State Corporation enterprises during the review of integrated scientific and technical solutions, in line with recommendations from the Rostekhnadzor Scientific and Technical Council; the execution by JSC VNIIAES of project stages for creating DTs of SMRs; and the developments by HSE University and IRP Technology LLC of interface structures, the DT BTI Management Module (BTIMM), and its operational algorithms.

Particular attention should be given to the experience of JSC VNIIAES in collaboration with Rosatom State Corporation enterprises in projects involving multiphysics modeling. Examples include the development of a digital twin (DT) for the ventilation system of the hermetic containment of a VVER nuclear power plant (NPP) at Novovoronezh NPP; DT-based solutions implemented as part of a comprehensive hydrogen safety program; the use of virtual reality technologies; the creation of a structurally analogous test stand for the BREST OD-300 reactor unit based on a DT; and participation in coordinated research projects organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The projected economic impact of the comprehensive implementation of digital twins (DTs) for the energy sector of Rosatom State Corporation is estimated at over 500 (five hundred) billion rubles over a ten-year period in 2022 prices, assuming the achievement of the required level and composition of key competencies in the scientific and technical support of NEF operation and development, as justified by representatives of leading industry enterprises in collaboration with HSE University under the directive of Rosatom’s management.

For the purposes of developing and managing NEFs:

• Digital twins should primarily serve as a means of accumulating knowledge about the managed object across all stages of its lifecycle.
• Digital twins can become a tool for systematic assessment of competitiveness and decision-making regarding the feasibility of developing and constructing NEFs, justifying impulse measures (significance), identifying directions for prospective development, supporting the verification and optimization of design solutions, and assisting in the development and validation of new safety standards for prospective NEFs.
• Subject to code certification, digital twins could act as impartial, independent arbiters for evaluating new design standards and regulations for innovative NEFs.

Within the framework of project activities, the department has for many years organized interaction between students and young professionals and representatives of our industrial partners. The development and implementation of digital twins for socio-technical systems represents a promising career path and is in high demand in labor markets.