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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

A mortar thermomechanical contact computational framework for nuclear fuel performance simulation

Nuclear fuel performance simulations involve the modeling of complex physical phenomena, ranging from fission gas release to fuel swelling and other temperature-induced effects. For light-water reactors (LWRs), swelling of the fuel and the pressure it imposes on the clad when they come into contact causes permanent clad deformation. Accurately characterizing the fuel-cladding interaction, which involves multiple physics, is essential to accurately simulate the fuel/cladding system. Thermomechanical modeling of this problem using a variationally consistent enforcement (e.g., a mortar approach) has been shown to improve the quality of results and facilitate convergence. Here, we present a general multiphysics computational framework for solving nuclear fuel problems using a mortar approach in BISON, a nuclear fuel performance code. In this study analyses show that using the mortar approach, which enables variationally consistent constraint enforcement, improves the quality of results as compared to the more commonly used node-on-face enforcement for representative LWR nuclear fuel simulations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simulation of the NuScale SMR and Investigation of the Effect of Load-Following on Component Lifetimes

The NuScale SMR has been modelled using the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) multiphysics environment and the results compared with the publicly reported data in the Design Certification Application (DCA). The results show an excellent agreement for the compared axial and radial power distributions, temperature coefficients of reactivity, boron and control rod worths, and fast neutron flux. This NuScale model is then used to investigate the effect of different operational modes on reactor components to determine how flexible load-following operation may affect control rod and reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lifetimes. The control rod degradation is confirmed to primarily affect the silver-indium-cadmium (AIC) rod tip. The degradation rate is observed to follow a non-linear function of core power level where the increase in degradation decreases with insertion depth. For the variation in core power levels expected with current load-following schemes, the total control rod degradation is found to be mild, at 5-10% of usable life per cycle for a reactor operating at <80% power. Nonetheless, this enables load following strategies to be confirmed and/or modified to ensure that control rods do not need to be replaced during the 60+ year life of the reactor. The RPV degradation was found to be almost directly proportional to the core power level and was not overly sensitive to flux shape perturbations. Future work is planned using these damage functions to optimize operation over multiple NuScale SMR units and develop strategies for prognostics and health management.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Software For Advanced Large-scale Analysis Of Magnetic Confinement For Numerical Design, Engineering & Research (salamander)

As magnetic confinement fusion energy gains traction internationally to enable abundant energy production, designing components for fusion systems is a pressing challenge. During the planned lifetime of a fusion device, components evolve in extreme environments and must withstand large, repeated thermal loads and bombardment by 14 MeV neutrons, plasma ions, and neutral particles (deuterium, tritium, and helium), corrosive conditions, etc. All these physical processes take place simultaneously, interact in intricate ways, and impose important constraints that can affect performance. Experimental data is rare and costly to obtain, making design particularly challenging. Predictive computational frameworks must be an integral part of an accelerated and cost-effective design process by modeling fusion system performance in simulated environments. To better understand component degradation and operational impacts on their performance, the Software for Advanced Large-scale Analysis of MAgnetic confinement for Numerical Design, Engineering & Research (SALAMANDER) is designed as an open-source, fully integrated, multiphysics, multiscale, NQA-1 compliant framework facilitating 3D, high-fidelity fusion system modeling. To that end, SALAMANDER is a MOOSE-based framework, and therefore leverages MOOSE upstream libraries such as PETSc and libMesh to deliver sophisticated finite element, finite volume, and nonlinear solver technology for fusion energy simulations. SALAMANDER couples MOOSE physics module capabilities—such as thermal hydraulics, heat conduction, Navier-Stokes, and thermomechanics—with tritium transport via TMAP8, neutronics via Cardinal, and nascent particle-in-cell capabilities. Direct simulation Monte Carlo methods will be used to address neutral transport near the walls. By coupling all these physics in an integrated application, SALAMANDER will enable high-fidelity modeling of irradiation levels and plasma exposure conditions of plasma facing components and their impact on heat and tritium distributions, as well as the resulting mechanical constraints experienced by the plasma facing components and performance of blanket systems. Furthermore, SALAMANDER will be particularly suited for engineering studies thanks to the stochastic tool module readily available in MOOSE, allowing for extended uncertainty quantification and risk analysis studies. It is also able to use computer-aided design (CAD) meshes to model complex geometries, which is indispensable for fusion systems. SALAMANDER therefore supports design, safety, engineering, and research projects for magnetic confinement fusion systems

Simon, Pierre-Clement [Idaho National Laboratory (↗
DOE OSTI2019

Geomechanical modeling of distributed fiber-optic sensor measurements

Fiber-optic-based distributed acoustic sensors (DAS) are a new technology that can be deployed in a well and are continuously interrogated during operations. These sensors calculate the strain (or strain rate) at all points along the fiber and have been used extensively to monitor hydraulic stimulations. The data from these sensors indicate that they are sensitive to high-frequency signals associated with microseismicity and low-frequency signals associated with fracture growth. We have developed a set of idealized models to simulate these signals and to identify interpretation methods that may be used to estimate fracture location, geometry, and extent. We use a multiphysics code that includes rock physics, fluid flow, and elastic-wave propagation to generate synthetic DAS measurements from a set of simple models that mimic hydraulic fracturing. We then relate the signals observed in the synthetic DAS to specific features in the model such as fracture height, width, and aperture. Our results demonstrate that the synthetic DAS measurements may be used to determine field DAS measurements and to optimize the design of future sensor deployments for sensitivity to fracture attributes.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS2016

A Virtual Laboratory for the 4 Bed Molecular Sieve of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly

Ongoing work to improve water and carbon dioxide separation systems to be used on crewed space vehicles combines sub-scale systems testing and multi-physics simulations. Thus, as part of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program and the Life Support Systems Project (LSSP), fully predictive COMSOL Multiphysics models of the Four Bed Molecular Sieve (4BMS) of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) on the International Space Station (ISS) have been developed. This Virtual Laboratory is being used to help reduce mass, power, and volume requirements for exploration missions. In this paper we describe current and planned modeling developments in the area of carbon dioxide removal to support future missions as well as the resolution of anomalies observed in the ISS CDRA.

Coker, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of a BlueCRAB/MELCOR Framework for Supporting Realistic Mechanistic Source Term Calculations in Microreactors

Efforts are currently underway to deploy microreactor modeling and simulation tools to better support vendors and regulatory authorities in submitting and reviewing licensing applications. In particular, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to rely on the Comprehensive Reactor Analysis Bundle (BlueCRAB) multiphysics toolset in performing design- and beyond-design-basis accident analyses. In addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been using the MELCOR code to estimate mechanistic source terms during accidents. As MELCOR relies on isotopic inventory and reactor temperature/power evolution profiles during accident conditions—all of which can theoretically be obtained from BlueCRAB—the ultimate goal of this activity is to establish a common BlueCRAB-MELCOR framework. However, prior to the present research, BlueCRAB had never been used to calculate such quantities of interest at the full-core level. While there are many Monte Carlo (MC) codes capable of computing such quantities of interest, they are unable to readily account for multiphysics feedback. BlueCRAB allows for the coupling of different physics codes together to perform multiphysics-informed calculations. Therefore, the purpose of this fiscal year 2023 work is to investigate the feasibility and challenges of performing such calculations within BlueCRAB so as to generate the data that MELCOR relies on. To demonstrate the methodology, the proposed workflow was applied to a prototypical heat pipe-cooled microreactor model. To predict isotopic concentrations (taking into account the ac- cumulation of fission products during operation), the necessary microscopic cross sections were generated via OpenMC and tabulated with respect to temperature and burnup. Next, a recently developed capability in Griffin (the reactor physics application in BlueCRAB) was used to convert the OpenMC output format into the ISOXML format used by Griffin. A multiphysics microscopic depletion calculation that involved performing a coupled full-core, heterogeneous neutron trans- port and thermal calculation at each depletion step was conducted to deplete the core to end of life (EOL) conditions so as to provide both isotopics and the initial condition for the transient calculation. Following a brief null-transient to verify that the initial condition had been properly restarted and was indeed in thermal equilibrium, a heat pipe failure transient was simulated. Thus, the entire workflow of using BlueCRAB to generate MELCOR inputs, from cross-section generation to producing isotopic inventory and power/temperature evolution profiles during transients, is demonstrated. This report also details the identified gaps in the workflow and how they were (for the most part) addressed. Future work should focus on directly including MEL- COR into the workflow by performing a MELCOR calculation using the BlueCRAB-generated input data. In addition, the heat pipe reactor design should be improved so as to reflect more prototypical burnup characteristics at EOL.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS2011

Microwave Processing of Planetary Surfaces for the Extraction of Volatiles

In-Situ Resource Utilization will be necessary for sustained exploration of space. Volatiles are present in planetary soils, but water by far has the most potential for effective utilization. The presence of water at the lunar poles, Mars, and possibly on Phobos opens the possibility of producing LOX for propellant. Water is also a useful radiation shielding material , and valuable to replenish expendables (water and oxygen) required for habitation in space. Because of the strong function of water vapor pressure with temperature, heating soil effectively liberates water vapor by sublimation. Microwave energy will penetrate soil and heat from within much more efficiently than heating from the surface with radiant heat. This is especially true under vacuum conditions since the heat transfer rate is very low. The depth of microwave penetration is a strong function of the microwave frequency and to a lesser extent on soil dielectric properties. Methods for complex electric permittivity and magnetic permeability measurement are being developed and used for measurements of lunar soil simulants. A new method for delivery of microwaves deep into a planetary surface is being prototyped with laboratory experiments and modeled with COMSOL MultiPhysics. We are planning to set up a planetary testbed in a large vacuum chamber in the coming year. Recent results are discussed.

Ethridge, Edwin C.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Conduction Heat Transfer through Solid in Porous Materials: A Comparative Study by Finite-Element Simulations and Effective Medium Approximations

The development of insulation materials with low effective thermal conductivity is essential for energy savings in various applications, including buildings, food services, pipe insulation, and refrigeration. Such materials can be developed by using micro- or nanoporous structures, as well as low-thermal conductivity gases and/or reduced pressure. A variety of effective medium approximation (EMA) models have been developed to study thermal transport through solid in porous structures. However, in many cases, the impacts of porosity on solid conduction are not well predicted by EMA models because of the assumptions made for simplification. Furthermore, the results can vary by a factor of up to 1.5, depending on the morphology of the pores. Hence, proper guidance is needed to choose the appropriate EMA model for a given morphology. This work presents a finite element method study using COMSOL Multiphysics software for various geometries, including hollow cubes, overlapping hollow spheres (normally stacked and tightly packed), and Voronoi structures, and compares the results to those obtained from various EMA models. Simulation results for the hollow cubes and Voronoi structures matched well with the Maxwell-Eucken and Russell model. The results for hollow spheres closely matched the Bauer model and the Glicksman model with fitting parameters. This work provides guidance on analyzing and designing insulation materials for energy savings in the future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Exploring utilization options of heterogeneous architectures for multi-physics simulations

Top supercomputers in the TOP500 list have transitioned from homogeneous node architectures toward heterogeneous manycore nodes with accelerators and CPUs. These new architectures present significant challenges to developers of large-scale multiphysics applications, especially at DOE laboratories that have invested heavily in scalable MPI codes over decades. Much of these scientific application porting efforts for the new heterogeneous architectures are focused on running the computation on the accelerators, which usually comprise > 90% of the FLOPS of the system, typically using one core per GPU to offload work. Furthermore, we describe an approach to utilizing the remaining FLOPS on a heterogeneous machine by running a portion of the computation on the CPUs cooperatively with the GPU computation. Orthogonally, we evaluate using the additional cores to also offload work to GPUs, effectively oversubscribing the GPUs. We present a proof-of-concept implementation in ARES, a multiphysics ALE-AMR code at LLNL. ARES uses a portability layer, RAJA, which enables us to utilize the same source code for both the CPU and the GPU. We develop an approach to utilize both types of processors cooperatively in a heterogeneous system. Our implementation divides the work between the computing resources via domain decomposition, and utilizes all cores of the CPU and all of the GPUs on the node for computation. Load balancing is necessary to use the heterogeneous resources effectively. We present preliminary results on early delivery pre-Sierra machines at LLNL, showing up to 40% performance benefit of oversubscribing the GPUs (with caveats), and up to an 18% performance benefit of using the CPUs on the heterogeneous nodes for computing in addition to using the GPUs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Dimming the Lights: 2D Simulations of Deflagrations of Hybrid C/O/Ne White Dwarfs Using FLASH

The dimmest and most numerous outlier of the Type Ia supernova population, the Type Iax event, is increasingly being found in the results of observational campaigns. There is currently no single accepted model to describe these events. This 2D study explores the viability of modeling Type Iax events as a hybrid C/O/Ne white dwarf progenitor undergoing a deflagration using the multiphysics software FLASH. This hybrid was created using the stellar evolution code MESA, and its C-depleted core and mixed structure have demonstrated lower yields than traditional C/O progenitors in previous deflagration-to-detonation studies. To generate a sample, 30 “realizations” of this simulation were performed, the only difference being the shape of the initial match head used to start the deflagration. Consistent with earlier work, these realizations produce the familiar hot dense bound remnant surrounded by sparse ejecta. Our results indicate that the majority of the star remains unburned (∼70%) and bound (>90%). Our realizations produce total ejecta yields on the order of 10 −2 –10 −1 M ☉ , ejected 56 Ni yields on the order of 10 −4 –10 −2 M ☉ , and ejecta kinetic energies on the order of 10 48 –10 49 erg. Compared to yields inferred from recent observations of the dimmest Type Iax events—SN 2007qd, SN 2008ha, SN 2010ae, SN 2019gsc, SN 2019muj, SN 2020kyg, and SN 2021fcg—our simulation produces comparable 56 Ni yields but too-small total yields and kinetic energies. Reignition of the remnant is also seen in some realizations.

Hydrodynamical simulations↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coupling thermal energy storage with a thermally anisotropic building envelope for building demand-side management across various US climate conditions

Here, the thermally anisotropic building envelope (TABE) is a novel active building envelope that enhances energy efficiency and thermal comfort in buildings by transferring heat and cold between building envelopes and hydronic loops. When coupled with thermal energy storage (TES) units, the TABE + TES enables the storage of both heat and cold energy captured by the TABE roof or exterior walls. This stored energy can be later released by the TABE floor for indoor heating and cooling, benefiting both the grid and the end user. This paper evaluates the merits of TABE + TES for building demand-side management across various US climate conditions, focusing on peak load shaving, annual energy savings, and cost savings under time-of-use (TOU) electric rate schedules. Simulations were conducted by integrating time-of-day–informed, rule-based control strategies in MATLAB, TABE components and TES units in COMSOL Multiphysics, and whole-building energy analysis in EnergyPlus. A case study using the US Department of Energy’s prototype single-family detached house model in Birmingham, Alabama; Los Angeles, California; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Denver, Colorado, showed that the TABE + TES system achieved (1) 70 % peak load shaving in Los Angeles and Denver and 20 % in Birmingham and Oak Ridge; (2) significant peak electricity savings of 351–497 kWh, reducing peak energy consumption by 38 %–78 %; and (3) annual heating cost savings of 0.79 $\$$/m2–1.17 $\$$/m 2 and cooling cost savings of 0.60 $\$$/m 2 –1.17 $\$$/m 2 using a normal utility rate or low-TOU rate. The benefits of employing the TABE + TES system are even more significant under high TOU rates.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

A fourth order sharp immersed method for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with stationary and moving boundaries and interfaces

We propose a fourth order Navier-Stokes solver based on the immersed interface method (IIM), for flow problems with stationary and one-way coupled moving boundaries and interfaces. Our algorithm employs a Runge-Kutta-based projection method that maintains high-order temporal accuracy in both velocity and pressure for steady and unsteady velocity boundary conditions. Fourth order spatial accuracy is achieved through a novel fifth order IIM discretization scheme for the advection term, as well as existing high-order interface-corrected finite difference schemes for the other differential operators. Using a set of manufactured flow problems with stationary and moving boundaries, we demonstrate fourth order convergence of velocity and pressure in the infinity norm, both inside the domain and on the immersed boundaries. The solver’s performance is further validated through a range of practical flow simulations, highlighting its efficiency over a second order scheme. Finally, we showcase the ability of our immersed discretization scheme to handle interface-coupled multiphysics problems by solving a conjugate heat transfer problem with multiple immersed solids. Overall, the proposed approach robustly combines the efficiency of high order discretization schemes with the flexibility of immersed discretizations for flow problems with complex, moving boundaries and interfaces.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Magnetostrictive Ultrasonic Waveguide Transducer for In-Pile Thermometry

Real-time and reliable temperature measurement on nuclear fuels is crucial for the safe operation of existing pressurized-water reactors and future advanced nuclear reactors. Magnetostrictive materials deform when subjected to a magnetic field or exhibit magnetization variation when stressed. Here, based on these properties, this study prototyped an ultrasonic thermometer (UT) consisting of a magnetostrictive waveguide, a dc coil providing appropriate magnetic biasing, and an ac coil generating an acoustic impulse and detecting the resulting acoustic echoes. By tracking the time of flight between the excitation pulse and the echoes, the UT can potentially detect nuclear fuel cladding temperature from a long distance. In this study, magnetostrictive iron–gallium alloys, or Galfenol, were selected as the waveguide due to their large magnetostriction, superior temperature survivability, excellent radiation resilience, and high mechanical robustness. A multiphysics finite-element model considering electrical, magnetic, and mechanical dynamics in the magnetostrictive UT was then developed. The model exhibited an error of 0.24% in time-of-flight simulation and, therefore, enabled computer-aided design and guided signal processing. Between room temperature and 120 °C, the new Galfenol-based UT exhibits a linear sensitivity of 162.8×10 ₋6 °C ₋1 , which is 51.7% higher than a previous magnetostrictive UT based on iron–cobalt–vanadium alloys.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Difference in neoclassical edge flows between strongly negative and positive triangularities in the XGC gyrokinetic simulation

The neoclassical baseline study of a strongly negative triangularity (NT) plasma and the corresponding positive triangularity (PT) plasma is performed using the edge-specialized, total-f gyrokinetic code (X-point Gyrokinetic Code, XGC). A DIII-D-like plasma is used, based on the negative triangularity discharge of DIII-D #193 793. An artificial positive triangularity (PT) equilibrium has been constructed to compare the edge rotation physics at the same triangularity strength but with opposite sign, while keeping the same elongation and other geometric parameters. Carbon(6+) ions are added to the deuterium plasma at an experimentally relevant level. By using the experimental profile of carbon toroidal rotation profile as an input, XGC finds that the deuteron rotation is significantly different from the carbon rotation at the inboard and outboard midplanes, mostly caused by the difference in the Pfirsch–Schlüter rotation. More importantly, a significant difference in the X-point orbit loss physics, thus the rotation source, is found between the positive and negative triangularity equilibrium models. However, it is also found that the agreement between the present neoclassical simulation and the experimental NT data is validated only within the middle of the pedestal slope, indicating the importance of edge turbulence. Finally, this study could establish a baseline for the multiphysics, multiscale studies that include turbulence of negative triangularity plasmas.

Deuterium↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Accident Tolerant Fuels High Impact Problem: Coordinate Multiscale U 3 Si 2 Modeling

Since the events at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011 significant research has unfolded at national laboratories, universities and other institutions into alternative materials that have potential enhanced accident tolerance when compared to traditional \uo~fuel zircaloy clad fuel rods. One of the potential replacement fuels is uranium silicide (\usi) for its higher thermal conductivity and uranium density. The lower melting temperature is of potential concern during postulated accident conditions. Another disadvantage for \usi~ is the lack of experimental data under power reactor conditions. Due to the aggressive development schedule for inserting some of the potential materials into lead test assemblies or rods by 2022~\cite{bragg-sitton_2014} multiscale multiphysics modeling approaches have been used to provide insight into these materials. \\ \noindent The purpose of this letter report is to highlight the multiscale modeling effort for \usi~fuel as part of the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) High Impact Problem (HIP). This fiscal year two new models for \usi~fuel have been incorporated into the BISON fuel performance code~\cite{Williamson2012} based upon lower length scale simulations using the GRASS-SST rate theory code. The models are briefly described in the following sections.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Numerical modelling of impact seismic sources using the stress glut theory

SUMMARY Meteorite impacts have proved to be a significant source of seismic signal on the Moon, and have now been recorded on Mars by InSight seismometers. Understanding how impacts produce seismic signal is key to the interpretation of this unique data, and to improve their identification in continuous seismic records. Here, we use the seismic Representation Theorem, and particularly the stress glut theory, to model the seismic motion resulting from impact cratering. The source is described by equivalent forces, some resulting from the impactor momentum transfer, and others from the stress glut, which represents the mechanical effect of plasticity and non linear processes in the source region. We condense these equivalent forces into a point-source with a time-varying single force and nine-component moment tensor. This analytical representation bridges the gap between the complex dynamics of crater formation, and the linear point-source representation classically used in seismology. Using the multiphysics modelling software HOSS, we develop a method to compute the stress glut of an impact, and the associated point-source from hypervelocity impact simulations. For a vertical and an oblique impact at 1000 m s−1, we show that the moment tensor presents a significant deviatoric component. Hence, the source is not an ideal isotropic explosion contrary to previous assumptions, and draws closer to a double couple for the oblique impact. The contribution of the point force to the seismic signal appears negligible. We verify this model by comparing two signals: (1) HOSS is coupled to SPECFEM3D to propagate the near-source signal elastically to remote seismic stations; (2) the point-source model derived from the stress-glut theory is used to generate displacements at the same distance. The comparison shows that the point-source model is accurately simulating the low-frequency impact seismic waveform, and its seismic moment is in trend with Lunar and Martian impact data. High-frequencies discrepancies exist, which are partly related to finite-source effects, but might be further explained by the difference in mathematical framework between classical seismology and HOSS’ numerical modelling.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Solving multiphysics-based inverse problems with learned surrogates and constraints

Abstract Solving multiphysics-based inverse problems for geological carbon storage monitoring can be challenging when multimodal time-lapse data are expensive to collect and costly to simulate numerically. We overcome these challenges by combining computationally cheap learned surrogates with learned constraints. Not only does this combination lead to vastly improved inversions for the important fluid-flow property, permeability, it also provides a natural platform for inverting multimodal data including well measurements and active-source time-lapse seismic data. By adding a learned constraint, we arrive at a computationally feasible inversion approach that remains accurate. This is accomplished by including a trained deep neural network, known as a normalizing flow, which forces the model iterates to remain in-distribution, thereby safeguarding the accuracy of trained Fourier neural operators that act as surrogates for the computationally expensive multiphase flow simulations involving partial differential equation solves. By means of carefully selected experiments, centered around the problem of geological carbon storage, we demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed constrained optimization method on two different data modalities, namely time-lapse well and time-lapse seismic data. While permeability inversions from both these two modalities have their pluses and minuses, their joint inversion benefits from either, yielding valuable superior permeability inversions and CO 2 plume predictions near, and far away, from the monitoring wells.

Yin, Ziyi (ORCID:0000000250248771)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of Explainable Data-Driven Turbulence Models with Application to Liquid Fuel Nuclear Reactors

Liquid fuel nuclear reactors offer innovative possibilities in terms of nuclear reactor designs and passive safety systems. Molten Salts Reactors (MSRs) with a fast spectrum are a particular type of these reactors using liquid fuel. MSFRs often involve large open cavities in their core in which the liquid fuel circulates at a high speed to transport the heat generated by the nuclear reactions into the heat exchangers. This high-speed flow yields a turbulent field with large Reynolds numbers in the reactor core. Since the nuclear power, the neutron precursor’s transport and the thermal exchanges are strongly coupled in the MSFR’s core cavity, having accurate turbulent models for the liquid fuel flow is necessary to avoid introducing significant errors in the numerical simulations of these reactors. Nonetheless, high-accuracy simulations of the turbulent flow field in the reactor cavity of these reactors are usually prohibitively expensive in terms of computational resources, especially when performing multiphysics numerical calculations. Therefore, in this work, we propose a novel method using a modified genetic algorithm to optimize the calculation of the Reynolds Shear Stress Tensor (RST) used for turbulence modeling. The proposed optimization methodology is particularly suitable for advanced liquid fuel reactors such as the MSFRs since it allows the development of high-accuracy but still low-computational-cost turbulence models for the liquid fuel. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach by developing high accuracy Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models (averaged flow error less than 5%) for a low and a large aspect ratio in a Backward-Facing Step (BFS) section particularly challenging for RANS models. The newly developed turbulence models better capture the flow field after the boundary layer tipping, over the extent of the recirculation bubble, and near the boundary layer reattachment region in both BFS configurations. The main reason for these improvements is that the developed models better capture the flow field turbulent anisotropy in the bulk region of the BFS. Then, we illustrate the interest in using this turbulence modeling approach for the case of an MSFR by quantifying the impact of the turbulence modeling on the reactor key parameters.

42 ENGINEERING↗