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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 91 records · Page 5

A Methodology for Simulating Supercritical CO2 Heat Transfer Experiments Using Machine Learning Models

In an effort to support the growth of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles in the energy industry, this study seeks to train a machine learning model to mirror experimental data to inform future efforts and design features for both sCO2 heat exchangers and sCO2 turbine thermal management. There is a need for large amounts of experimental testing as there is less established literature about sCO2 used as a working medium in these cycles, as well as due to the influx of novel heat transfer designs presented by the advent of additive manufacturing.

Grabowski, Owen↗

Project Presentation: Hardware-Based Demonstration of Temperature Control Functions for Reactor Systems

Autonomous thermal regulation in nuclear reactors remains crucial for maintaining stable operation and ensuring the integrity of fuel. To alleviate public skepticism of the safety of nuclear reactors, demonstrating control over this key factor is pivotal. Utilizing electric heat pads to simulate the heat released in a reactor core, thermocouples for temperature monitoring, and an Arduino micro programmable logic controller (PLC) with an embedded proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm for control, a hardware-based demonstration of a reactor heating system will validate the efficacy of reactor control over this key parameter. This report covers internship project presentation as well as relevant experience with nuclear and proposal for project upgrade.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Posiva's Onkalo{sup R} FST (Full-Scale In Situ System Test) - 20051

The FST - Full-scale In Situ System Test - is a unique full-scale demonstration of disposal system in crystalline host rock. The FST was constructed in ONKALO{sup R} demonstration area at the disposal depth of 420 metres, in Posiva's actual final disposal facility at Olkiluoto, Finland. The demonstration has included design, manufacture, installation and comprehensive instrumentation for monitoring the evolution of the disposal system and its components. The demonstration tunnel and experimental deposition holes were excavated in 2010 in ONKALO to address that they can be excavated to meet the requirements set for them. Two experimental deposition holes, bored in the floor of the tunnel, host each a canister surrounded by bentonite clay buffer rings/segments in the holes. Inside the canisters are heating elements to simulate decay heat emitted by spent fuel. The tunnel part used for the test is about 50 m long and it was filled with bentonite clay backfill after the installation of the canisters and buffer components. The tunnel is closed with a steel-reinforced concrete plug. The test is equipped with 500 sensors to monitor early evolution of the system. To forecast the evolution of the system, a mathematical model has been created. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

A Methodology for Simulating Supercritical CO2 Heat Transfer Experiments Using Machine Learning Models

To support the growth of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles in the energy industry, this study seeks to train a machine learning model to mirror experimental data to predict new heat transfer data. To do this experimental data was amassed, one preliminary set comprised of 16 test results, and an expanded version comprised of 38 test results. With the goal of predicting experimental apparatus temperatures and pressures, several iterations of models were tested investigating the impact of model hyper-parameters, data inclusion, and data pre-processing on model performance. A total of 15 variations cumulatively of Gaussian Process Regressors, Gradient Boosting Regressors, and Multi-Layer Perceptrons were trained and validated on the preliminary set, and the best algorithm of each class was re-trained on the expanded set. These were compared based on test/train R^2 , test/train mean absolute error (MAE), and validation MAE, to identify the successfulness of these models. It was shown temperatures could be predicted within just a few degrees, showing the potential of this approach. Future research has been identified with approaches to improve pressure and temperature predictions going forward.

Grabowski, Owen↗

Poster: Hardware-Based Demonstration of Temperature Control Functions for Reactor Systems

Autonomous thermal regulation in nuclear reactors remains crucial for maintaining stable operation and ensuring the integrity of fuel. To alleviate public skepticism of the safety of nuclear reactors, demonstrating control over this key factor is pivotal. Utilizing electric heat pads to simulate the heat released in a reactor core, thermocouples for temperature monitoring, and an Arduino micro programmable logic controller (PLC) with an embedded proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm for control, a hardware-based demonstration of a reactor heating system will validate the efficacy of reactor control over this key parameter.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗

THERMAL MODELING OF HANFORD CESIUM AND STRONTIUM CANISTERS DURING SIMULATED LOADING

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was built to simulate planned testing of heater assemblies within a canister and overpack for the Hanford Lead Canister (HLC) project. The HLC is a canister storage system that will contain heaters to simulate the decay heat of nuclear material and provide the canister storage system with environmental conditions equivalent to the operating conditions on a dry storage pad. The HLC will be equipped with long-term data collection and monitoring systems to provide an early warning of corrosion, pitting, cracking, or other signs of canister degradation that might threaten the integrity of the containment boundary over the potentially long term of dry storage. An important part of the HLC development is to make pretest numerical predictions for the behavior of the heated canister during the simulated radiolytic decay heat testing, which simulates the dry storage system during loading operations. The simulated radiolytic decay heat test is planned for mid-2024 in a configuration that includes the heater assembly, overpack, and canister, but with the lids removed to allow loading cesium and strontium capsules into the canister. One of the goals of the test is to evaluate the thermal behavior of the canister and overpack assembly in the ambient air of the test facility, which will provide data critical to validating the thermal models and understanding how the HLC will perform as a system once deployed. To best approximate real-world conditions, the CFD model includes the full air volume of the mock-up truck bay the heated canister test will be performed in, enabling detailed investigation of how the heated canister affects airflow around it. Rigorous pre-deployment testing of the complete HLC cask and canister system is intended to be completed before the HLC is deployed in the 2028 timeframe. This study presents the pre-test temperature predictions of the simulated radiolytic decay heat test. A description of the heater assembly, canister, and overpack system is presented. The model was developed with the commercial CFD software STAR-CCM+. An uncertainty analysis was run with the CFD model to determine the uncertainty in the temperature predictions and provide a range over which the predicted temperatures are expected to vary. The uncertainty analysis was preformed by coupling STAR-CCM+ with the software Dakota, which provides advanced parametric analyses, including quantification of margins and uncertainty with computational models. This work is expected to provide insight into SNF canister behavior.

Carpenter-Graffy, Dina E.↗

Bayesian Parameter Estimation of the k-ω Shear Stress Transport Model for Accurate Simulations of Impinging-Jet Heat Transfer

Given the lack of fusion-relevant component test facilities, current estimates of the thermo-fluid performance of plasma-facing components are based for the most part on numerical simulations. A major source of uncertainty in these simulations is the semiempirical turbulence (closure) models for the Reynolds stresses appearing in the governing Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, which involve a set of constants that depend upon the flow. The objective of this study is to evaluate Bayesian parameter estimation of turbulence closure constants in ANSYS Fluent to model heat transfer in impinging jets. The Bayesian statistical calibration produces a probability distribution for these constants from experimental data; the maximum a posteriori estimates are then taken to be the calibrated constants, or parameters. The turbulence model constants are calibrated using an experimental study of a submerged jet of air impinging on a flat heated surface at Reynolds numbers Re = O(10 4 ) and impingement distance in jet diameters H/d = 2. Numerical predictions using the calibrated model parameters are then compared with those generated using the default constants. Predictions obtained with model parameters calibrated on datasets of two different sizes are compared to evaluate the effect of the number of calibration samples. Lastly, the extrapolative ability of the calibrated model is examined by predictions at a Re beyond the calibration values.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Simulation of a PCM Integrated Heat Pump Using Time-of-Use Utility Structure based Control Strategy for Demand Response

To mitigate the variation in demand on the electric grid, thermal energy storage (TES) is an alternative to electric batteries and constructing new peaking power plants. The aggressive carbon reduction goals of the United States are accelerating the electrification of building equipment. If space heating and cooling in the US were electrified using conventional heat pump technologies, the winter electric grid peak would approximately double. Integrating TES with heat pump (HP) enables electrification of space cooling and heating devices without overtaxing the grid.This paper evaluates the benefits of a novel phase change material (PCM) integrated heat pump configuration via simulation. A one-dimensional PCM heat exchanger model which discretizes the PCM tank and refrigerant tubes into small control volumes is developed. Each control volume can have different PCM temperatures, PCM properties, and heat transfer coefficients. The PCM tank is charged by a wrapped tank condenser and discharged by an internal refrigerant coil. The PCM heat exchanger model is integrated into DOE/ORNL Heat Pump Design Model for heat pump system simulation.To demonstrate the performance of the PCM integrated heat pump, a case study in Chicago was performed. A Time-of-Use utility structure-based control strategy is implemented to schedule the PCM tank charging and discharging mode switching. Compared with a conventional electric heat pump, the PCM integrated heat pump shows superior performance on load shifting and utility cost reduction. As a result, the proposed system demonstrates 24.6% utility saving for cooling application and 25.8% utility saving for heating application.

Li, Zhenning↗

A hybrid method to evaluate the life cycle climate performance of heat pumps

Heat pumps have a significant impact on the climate, and numerous studies exist discussing the environmental impact of heat pumps quantitatively. Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) is a widely accepted metric and can evaluate the carbon footprint of heat pumps from cradle to grave. LCCP calculation typically requires inputs like annual energy consumption, the material used, refrigerant type, and charge level, which are usually the intermediate or final results from heat pump simulation tools. Thus, a platform linking the heat pump simulation software, local weather conditions, and LCCP evaluation tool can simplify the heat pump design process, especially for complicated systems. This paper presents an LCCP evaluation tool accessing the outputs from the DOE Heat Pump Design Model and the building loads and temperature bin data from AHRI standard 210/240. As for case studies, this paper investigates the LCCP values and life cycle electricity costs (LCEC) of a given cooling-based heat pump with R410A in five typical US cities. In conclusion, this cooling-based heat pump has the highest LCCP value at Chicago and lowest LCCP value at Seattle. In contrast, the heat pump has the highest LCEC at Seattle and the lowest LCEC at Miami. As a future work, a more comprehensive carbon emission and cost analysis of heat pump systems will be conducted through all major cities around the world.

Shen, Bo↗

Numerical simulation of falling film sensible heat transfer over round horizontal tubes

Numerical simulations are performed to explore the heat transfer characteristics of falling films over horizontal round tubes with uniform heat flux imposed for a range of Reynolds numbers spanning the droplet, jet, and sheet regimes. Simulations results agree well with available experimental measurements. The study analyzes the local as well as average heat transfer behavior under the different flow modes. The numerical results show that the local Nusselt number (Nu) distribution depends on the flow features in each mode and varies substantially in all directions for the respective mode. In the droplet mode, the Nu value varies significantly as the droplet impinges and the remnant liquid-bridge retracts (peak instantaneous Nu near 6), followed by wave propagation over the tube surface with peak Nu around 0.25. For the jet modes, the local maximum in the heat transfer occurs off-center to the impingement location with magnitudes of peak Nu = 3.1 for the inline jet mode and Nu = 2.7 for the staggered jet mode, while on the rest of the tube surface, it has an inverse relation with the liquid film thickness. Substantial variations in the heat transfer value are also recorded in the middle of the two impinging jets with Nu = 0.95 in the inline jet mode where the neighboring jets do not interact, and Nu = 0.60 in the crest region of the staggered jet mode where the neighboring jets interact with each other. In the sheet mode, the Nu was seen to depend on the thickness of the liquid waves traversing over the tube surface. Lower Nu values were recorded beneath the crest location of the liquid waves, which increases (1.4–11.6% depending on circumferential location) abruptly in magnitude at the advancing fronts of the waves. The temperature distribution in the liquid film in each of the modes was examined to evaluate the mechanism of heat transfer process. This study also compares the local heat transfer coefficient distribution with the analytical heat transfer models derived to predict heat transfer performance over horizontal tube surfaces.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Heating effects on pyrogenic organic matter mass loss and temperature in a sand matrix in a lab setting from 2022

This dataset contains data associated with the preprint “A laboratory method for simulating the effects of subsequent fires on pyrogenic organic matter at different exposure depths in a sand matrix” (https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.30.605814), which has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Wildland Fire. The dataset was generated to investigate the effects of subsequent fires on preexisting pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) at different soil depths. Specifically, we designed a laboratory method to simulate soil heating from above, applying realistic heat flux profiles (High, Low, Control) derived from jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) log burns. Using a cone calorimeter, these profiles were applied to buried jack pine PyOM (produced at 350°C) in a sand matrix pyrocosm to examine PyOM mass loss at different depths (surface, 1 cm, 5 cm). Each treatment (e.g., High heat flux at 1 cm depth) was applied once to five replicates in a pyrocosm.The dataset includes mass loss fraction of PyOM and time-series temperature profiles (measured with type K thermocouples). Additionally, calibration datasets for high and low heat flux profiles are provided, including programmed heat flux profile data and three sets of calibration results. All datasets are in .csv format and were analyzed in R using code found at https://github.com/MengmengLuo/Reburning-pyrogenic-organic-matter-A-laboratory-method-for-dosing-dynamic-heat-fluxes-from-above. This dataset supports research on PyOM transformations during subsequent fires, and methodological advancements in simulating soil heating. It can be used to explore fire-induced PyOM alterations across different fire intensities and soil depths.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Numerical-heating effects in atmospheric pressure streamer discharges simulated with a PIC code

Artificial heating in plasma simulations is a well-known phenomenon which occurs when, among other things, the Debye length is poorly resolved by the simulation mesh. Here, in this work, the degree to which numerical-heating occurs during a simulation of a nanosecond atmospheric pressure streamer discharge is examined. The streamer is simulated using a two-dimensional finite-element, particle-in-cell code Empire, which uses direct simulation Monte Carlo for binary particle interactions. Initially, an estimate of the numerical-heating rate applied to Empire is performed using a simple plasma model. Second, a positive atmospheric pressure streamer discharge simulation is performed to study the effects of numerical heating on plasma density, electron temperature, and streamer velocity. The nominal Debye length is approximately 1 μm and the amount of numerical heating introduced in the simulation is varied by using mesh sizes ranging from 2 μm to 20 μm. A measurable numerical heating quantity is proposed that can be used to estimate the appropriate element size and quantify the numerical-heating that can be expected over the simulation time for an atmospheric pressure streamer. In conclusion while Δx/λ D violations can be an issue it is not likely to be an issue with streamer discharges that are temporally short and occur in environments where collision frequencies are high. This result validates the rationale of grid size choices for a large amount of previously published works where Δx/λ D violation was not clearly addressed. Primary finding of this work is that numerical heating is of minor concern for plasma simulations where electron–neutral collisions are numerous such that multiple collisions can occur within a single plasma period.

Nikic, Dejan [University of New Mexico, Albuquerqu↗

Sensitivity of magnetohydrodynamic simulations of Joule-heated conductors to the vaporization curve in equations of state

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of electrically exploded aluminum and copper rods demonstrate a technique to validate equations of state (EOS) for rapidly Joule-heated conductors. The balance of internal and magnetic forces at the conductor-insulator interface drives the metal there along the vaporization phase boundary. Variations between critical points and vaporization curves in existing models predict differing densities and temperatures in MHD simulations for these models. Here, the inclusion of Maxwell constructs in the liquid-vapor biphase region of the EOS caused the rod surface to vaporize earlier in time than unmodified tables with van der Waals loops. Velocimetry of recent experiments is used to validate the location of the vaporization curve in existing EOS models and differentiate between the vapor dome treatments. Dielectric coatings applied to the metal surface restricted the conductor’s expansion and diverted the metal into the warm dense matter regime.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Performance of Microreactor Test Article with Embedded Sensors During Testing in The Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator

The nuclear industry is pursuing microreactors that can be factory assembled and deployed to remote regions for reliable power generation. One class of microreactors uses a monolithic metal core block coupled to heat pipes that use passive heat flow, increasing the surface area for heat transfer without requiring active coolant flow through the reactor core. Additional experimental testing is required to understand the heat rejection limitations of heat pipes and thermal stresses in the monolithic core block due to significant temperature gradients. This report describes the initial characterization and testing of a stainless-steel test article that was fabricated with embedded sensors to measure heat pipe performance limits, as well as spatially distributed temperatures and strains during electrically heated thermal testing to simulate nuclear heating. The electrically heated testing was performed in the Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator facility located at Idaho National Laboratory. The ultimate goals of this work are to (1) accurately monitor temperature and strain distributions that result from differential thermal expansion in the test articles and (2) quantify the heat rejection limits of heat pipes as a function of operating temperature and working fluid during steady-state and transient operations. Initial tests focused on the feasibility of using advanced fiber-optic sensors and other sensor technologies to improve the understanding of temperature and strain distributions within the electrically heated experiments. However, these sensing capabilities could benefit the broader microreactor community if the sensors could be used to monitor component and system health during nuclear operations to inform a limited number of microreactor operators, ultimately reducing operation and maintenance costs and moving toward semiautonomous operation.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Suitable low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants for two-speed Heat Pumps for residential applications based on speed Heat Pumps for residential applications based on simulated performance simulated performance

Cold climate Heat Pumps (CCHPs) using single-speed compressors in tandem have been successfully built and tested to reach its performance metrics with outdoor temperatures as low as -25°C. CCHPs must be designed to alleviate the problems of too high discharge temperatures, low suction pressure and high-pressure ratio at low ambient conditions and insufficient heating capacity relative to the heating capacity at 8.3°C. In this paper we recognize those concerns. Low-GWP refrigerants are screened based on the shape of their T-S saturation boundary. Simulations of the performance of low-GWP refrigerants (R32, R454B, R466A, and R452B) relative to R410A is done using the DOE/ORNL Heat Pump Design Model at the component level. Systemic inefficiency, the root cause of lost work, is addressed by component-level exergy analysis to refine design options. CCHPs using low-GWP refrigerants addresses issues of reducing energy consumption, lowering carbon footprint, and enabling environmentally sustainability. The CCHP was designed to meet a HSPF > 11.0 and SEER > 15.0 having adequate heat pump heating capacity down to -25°C. It is estimated that at least 2.6 million U.S homes using electric furnaces and heat pumps in cold or very old climates with an annual energy consumption of 0.17EJ would benefit by CCHPs.

Ally, Moonis↗