Engineering topics

Arimilli, Rao

Publications and source records attributed to Arimilli, Rao.

5 records

DOE OSTI2011

Complex Geometry Creation and Turbulent Conjugate Heat Transfer Modeling

The multiphysics capabilities of COMSOL provide the necessary tools to simulate the turbulent thermal-fluid aspects of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). Version 4.1, and later, of COMSOL provides three different turbulence models: the standard k-{var_epsilon} closure model, the low Reynolds number (LRN) k-{var_epsilon} model, and the Spalart-Allmaras model. The LRN meets the needs of the nominal HFIR thermal-hydraulic requirements for 2D and 3D simulations. COMSOL also has the capability to create complex geometries. The circular involute fuel plates used in the HFIR require the use of algebraic equations to generate an accurate geometrical representation in the simulation environment. The best-estimate simulation results show that the maximum fuel plate clad surface temperatures are lower than those predicted by the legacy thermal safety code used at HFIR by approximately 17 K. The best-estimate temperature distribution determined by COMSOL was then used to determine the necessary increase in the magnitude of the power density profile (PDP) to produce a similar clad surface temperature as compared to the legacy thermal safety code. It was determined and verified that a 19% power increase was sufficient to bring the two temperature profiles to relatively good agreement.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Preliminary Multiphysics Analyses of HFIR LEU Fuel Conversion using COMSOL

The research documented herein was performed by several individuals across multiple organizations. We have previously acknowledged our funding for the project, but another common thread among the authors of this document, and hence the research performed, is the analysis tool COMSOL. The research has been divided into categories to allow the COMSOL analysis to be performed independently to the extent possible. As will be seen herein, the research has progressed to the point where it is expected that next year (2011) a large fraction of the research will require collaboration of our efforts as we progress almost exclusively into three-dimensional (3D) analysis. To the extent possible, we have tried to segregate the development effort into two-dimensional (2D) analysis in order to arrive at techniques and methodology that can be extended to 3D models in a timely manner. The Research Reactors Division (RRD) of ORNL has contracted with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Department (MABE) to perform a significant fraction of this research. This group has been chosen due to their expertise and long-term commitment in using COMSOL and also because the participating students are able to work onsite on a part-time basis due to the close proximity of UTK with the ORNL campus. The UTK research has been governed by a statement of work (SOW) which clearly defines the specific tasks reported herein on the perspective areas of research. Ph.D. student Isaac T. Bodey has focused on heat transfer, fluid flow, modeling, and meshing issues and has been aided by his major professor Dr. Rao V. Arimilli and is the primary contributor to Section 2 of this report. Ph.D student Franklin G. Curtis has been focusing exclusively on fluid-structure interaction (FSI) due to the mechanical forces acting on the plate caused by the flow and has also been aided by his major professor Dr. Kivanc Ekici and is the primary contributor to Section 4 of this report. The HFIR LEU conversion project has also obtained the services of Dr. Prashant K. Jain of the Reactor & Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of ORNL. Prashant has quickly adapted to the COMSOL tools and has been focusing on thermal-structure interaction (TSI) issues and development of alternative 3D model approaches that could yield faster-running solutions. Prashant is the primary contributor to Section 5 of the report. And finally, while incorporating findings from all members of the "COMSOL team" (i.e., the team) and contributing as the senior COMSOL leader and advocate, Dr. James D. Freels has focused on the 3D model development, cluster deployment, and has contributed primarily to Section 3 and overall integration of this report. The team has migrated to the current release of COMSOL at version 4.1 for all the work described in this report, except where stated otherwise. Just as in the performance of the research, each of the respective sections has been originally authored by the respective authors. Therefore, the reader will observe a contrast in writing style throughout this document.

COMSOL↗

DOE OSTI2010

Exploiting New Features of COMSOL Version 4 on Conjugate Heat Transfer Problems

Users of COMSOL Multiphysics at version 3.5a and earlier have enjoyedmany features that have provided not only a good user experience atthe GUI interface, but also the capability to solve many classes ofproblems in a consistent manner with the physics being simulated. Withthe new release version 4.0 and later (4+) of COMSOL, the user isprovided a dramatic new interface from which to interact, and many newfeatures ``under the hood'' for solving problems more efficiently and with evengreater accuracy and consistency than before. This paper will exploreseveral of these new version 4+ features for the conjugate heattransfer class of problems. Our environment is challenging in that wedemand high-quality solutions for nuclear-reactor systems and themodels tend to become large and difficult to solve. Areasinvestigated include turbulence modeling, distributed parallelprocessing, solver scaling, and opengl graphics issues in a Linuxcomputing environment.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2010

Upgrading the HFIR Thermal-Hydraulic Legacy Code Using COMSOL

Modernization of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) thermal-hydraulic (TH) design and safety analysis capability is an important step in preparation for the conversion of the HFIR core from a high enriched uranium (HEU) fuel to a low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. Currently, an important part of the HFIR TH analysis is based on the legacy Steady State Heat Transfer Code (SSHTC), which adds much conservatism to the safety analysis. The multi-dimensional multi-physics capabilities of the COMSOL environment allow the analyst to relax the number and magnitude of conservatisms, imposed by the SSHTC, to present a more physical model of the TH aspect of the HFIR.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2010

2D Thermal Hydraulic Analysis and Benchmark in Support of HFIR LEU Conversion using COMSOL

The research documented herein was funded by a research contract between the Research Reactors Division (RRD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Department (MABE). The research was governed by a statement of work (SOW) which clearly defines nine specific tasks. This report is outlined to follow and document the results of each of these nine specific tasks. The primary goal of this phase of the research is to demonstrate, through verification and validation methods, that COMSOL is a viable simulation tool for thermal-hydraulic modeling of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) core. A secondary goal of this two-dimensional phase of the research is to establish methodology and data base libraries that are also needed in the full three-dimensional COMSOL simulation to follow. COMSOL version 3.5a was used for all of the models presented throughout this report.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗