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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Qualitative Comparison of Pathfinder Three-Dimensional Transient Gas Granular Simulation Results to Imagery from a Subscale, Reduced Pressure Plume Surface Interaction Ground Test

NASA’s Game Changing Development Program, funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, the development of simulation capability for the prediction of extra-terrestrial Plume Surface Interaction (PSI) environments has been undertaken by the Fluid Dynamics Branch at NASA/MSFC. The PSI Project, planned to be completed over a four year period, contains a Predictive Simulation Capability (PSC) Element focused on creating simulation capability for the reliable and accurate prediction of PSI in Martian (~600 Pa) and Lunar (vacuum) ambient environments. In addition to the PSC Element, the PSI Project also contains a companion Ground Testing Element for development of focused datasets for validation of predictive capability as well as a Flight-focused Instrumentation Element. This paper describes the first Pathfinder three-dimensional, transient simulation of the test configuration used to acquire erosion and cratering test data as part of the Physics Focused Ground Test conducted by the PSI Project in FY2021. This first pathfinder simulation was conducted using the Loci/GGFS (Gas Granular Flow Solver), a computational fluid dynamics tool developed in part with funding provided by the PSI Project. Crater growth and ejecta flow paths from the pathfinder simulation is compared to raw high-speed imagery PFGT results of the crater growth. There is significant similarity of test and simulation to warrant expending resources on a more rigorous quantitative Validation Assessment.

Jeff West↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Turbulence Simulations of Transonic Flows over an NACA-0012 Airfoil

Three different simulation approaches, namely unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS), delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES), and wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) are employed to simulate transonic flow over an NACA-0012 airfoil at different angles of attack covering pre- and post-buffet-onset regimes. The freestream Mach number is 0.75, and the Reynolds number based on the chord length is 10 million. These conditions are the same as the wind-tunnel experimental conditions of McDevitt and Okuno (1985). The NASA FUN3D solver is used for the simulations, which is an unstructured, compressible flow solver. The URANS simulations are performed using the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) model with the compressibility correction, the DDES predictions are based on the SA model, and the WMLES are performed using an equilibrium wall-model. The unsteady RANS simulations, only with the compressibility correction, predict the pre- and post- buffet characteristics, which compare well with the experimental results. DDES results predicted a lower buffet onset angle compared to experiment. The predicted shock locations are upstream of the locations predicted by URANS. Using a fine grid in the spanwise direction, WMLES predictions show buffeting consistent with the experiment.

Transonic Buffet↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Turbulence Simulations of Transonic Flows over an NACA-0012 Airfoil

Three different simulation approaches, namely unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS), delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES), and wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) are employed to simulate transonic flow over an NACA-0012 airfoil at different angles of attack covering pre-and post-buffet-onset regimes. The freestream Mach number is 0.75,and the Reynolds number based on the chord length is 10million. These conditions are the same as the wind-tunnel experimental conditions of McDevitt and Okuno (1985). The NASA FUN3D solver is used for the simulations, which is an unstructured, compressible flow solver. The URANS simulations are performed using the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) model with the compressibility correction, the DDES predictions are based on the SA model, and the WMLES are performed using an equilibrium wall-model. The unsteady RANS simulations, only with the compressibility correction, predict the pre-and post-buffet characteristics, which compare well with the experimental results. DDES results predicted a lower buffet onset angle compared to experiment. The predicted shock locations are upstream of the locations predicted by URANS. Using a fine grid in the span wise direction, WMLES predictions show buffeting consistent with the experiment.

Transonic Buffet↗
NASA NTRS2023

Turbulence Simulations of Transonic Flows over an NACA-0012 Airfoil

Three different simulation approaches, namely unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS), delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES),and wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES)are employed to simulate transonic flow over an NACA-0012 airfoil at different angles of attack covering pre- and post-buffet-onset regimes. The freestream Mach number is 0.75,and the Reynolds number based on the chord length is 10million. These conditions are the same as the wind-tunnel experimental conditions of McDevitt and Okuno (1985).1The NASA FUN3D solver is used for the simulations, which is an unstructured, compressible flow solver. The URANS simulations are performed using the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) model with the compressibility correction, the DDES predictions are based on the SA model, and the WMLES are performed using an equilibrium wall-model.The unsteady RANS simulations,only with the compressibility correction,predict the pre- and post-buffet characteristics,which compare well with the experimental results. DDES results predicted a lower buffet onset angle compared to experiment.The predicted shock locations are upstream of the locations predicted by URANS. Using a fine grid in the spanwise direction, WMLES predictions show buffeting consistent with the experiment

Transonic Buffet↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Examination of Lunar Regolith Simulants By SEM-EDS and Imaging Raman Spectroscopy

The Artemis series lunar missions will include sample returns from the lunar south pole. Lunar regolith simulants (RS) generated in the lab provide opportunities to compare two surface science techniques: scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) and Raman induced surface spectroscopy. The results will also be applicable for supporting future commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) and Artemis surface. Surface characterization contributes to continued development of lunar regolith studies and adds to various regolith databases. In characterizing various lunar regolith simulants, part of the aim should be to standardize techniques and utilize anticipated methods available for astromaterials studied during, or returned from, upcoming missions, particularly samples collected from the Moon’s south pole and permanently shadowed regions (PSRs).. An initial survey of available simulants has been started with Raman scanning process for particle counting the results of which will enrich the NASA-JSC Simulant Development Lab (SDL) simulant properties database and the Colorado School of Mines Planetary Simulant Data Base. An SEM-EDS dataset of raw regolith simulant materials are collected.

Raman Microscopy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design, Development, and Use of a Lunar Lander Simulation for NASA's Artemis Program

This paper describes the design, development, and initial use of a generalized and configurable lunar lander simulation to support NASA’s Artemis Program. This simulation is being developed for the Crew Compartment Office (CrewCo) in the Human Landing Systems (HLS) program and is called the HLS CrewCo Lander Simulation (HCLS). The HCLS provides insight into the challenges associated with returning humans to the Moon and the particular difficulties of operating at the Lunar South Pole. The simulation models a generalized integrated lunar landing spacecraft based on a government reference design but can and has been adapted to model vendor specific designs as well. The simulation architecture and tool sets provide a flexible framework that allows for quickly prototyping and evaluating various aspects of a piloted lunar landing system. This includes the modeling of all principal human controlled flight phases: rendezvous and docking with crew transfer systems; docked orbital outpost operations; undocking and lunar transfer; lunar orbital operations; lunar deorbit, descent, and landing (DDL); lunar surface operations; lunar ascent; and return to the orbital outpost. The flexibility of the simulation allows for the integrated evaluation of potential vehicle subsystems, crew displays, guidance and control modes, and trajectory designs. The purpose of the HCLS is not to design the ideal lunar lander, but rather to understand and the strengths and weaknesses of vehicle design choices. This paper describes the basic simulation architecture and discusses the tool sets used to develop the HCLS. This includes a number of open source tool sets and publicly available data sets. This paper also describes some of the early use cases and findings. The primary focus of early HCLS use has been on the manual piloting task to safely get the crew to the desired landing site in case of a failure in the automated guidance system. Several guidance modes and cues have been implemented which allow a pilot to manually fly the vehicle to the targeted landing site starting anywhere from powered descent initiation. It has been a valuable tool for understanding what is required to manually fly a lunar lander as well as giving a sense of the vehicle dynamics, which are much different than anything that is flown on Earth. A number of experienced test pilots have participated in manual piloting evaluations using the HCLS and provided valuable feedback on the piloting task which has been very beneficial to NASA and the HLS program.

James Michael Gentile↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Solid-state Precipitation in Molecular Dynamics: KMC-MD Hybrid Simulations

A critical drawback of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations when modeling physical properties is the limitation to short timescales. Solid state precipitation is one behavior that is not significantly observable at timescales accessible to MD, and thus has been difficult to simulate at an MD scale. Taking inspiration from Kinetic Monte-Carlo (KMC) methods for simulating diffusion on a rigid lattice, we have developed a hybrid KMC-MD approach to enable simulation of solid-state precipitation during MD simulation implemented in LAMMPS. This method incorporates the atomic neighbor hopping behavior utilized by KMC simulations into a MD simulation with a variable local lattice configuration. By accelerating nearest-neighbor atomic hopping with this technique, solid-state precipitation can be observed at an MD timescale. Utilizing theory based on persistent-embryo methods for liquid-solid precipitation in MD we demonstrate the calculation of critical nucleus size for the gamma’ precipitation out of gamma phase in the Ni-Al system.

Molecular Dynamics↗
NASA NTRS2024

Impact of Simulated Microgravity on Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation

Background Long term exposure to microgravity has adverse effects on human body such as bone loss. Due to the vital role of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) in bone regeneration, studying MSC under microgravity conditions has been of interest during the past decade. However, high cost and limited access to space flight can dampen enthusiasm of researchers. Microgravity simulators provide a way to investigate the effects of microgravity in human physiology. Methods In this study, we compared MSC cultures under simulated microgravity using random positioning machine (RPM) and Gravite 3D simulators. Two culture durations, 1 week and 2 weeks, were selected for MSC cultures without media change. To evaluate impact of simulated microgravity on cell proliferation, cell counting was performed using trypan blue exclusion assay. Additionally, RNA samples and conditioned media were collected for further analysis. Results After 1 week and 2 weeks, no cell morphology change was observed from RPM and Gravite cultures compared to control. Notably, distinct lower cell confluence at the edge of the flasks on the RPM was observed, which could be caused by fluid sheer forces. MSCs cultured on both microgravity simulators showed decreased cell proliferation after 1-week culture. After 2-week culture, cells grown on the RPM showed no significant difference in cell proliferation compared with control while cells cultured on the Gravite bioreactor showed significantly enhanced MSC proliferation. Conclusion Type of microgravity simulator and duration of culture significantly affect MSC proliferation. Further investigation into how simulated microgravity influences MSC gene expression and cytokine secretion related to bone loss is currently on going in our lab.

Cuiping Zhang↗
NASA NTRS2023

Simulations of 7 Be and 10 Be with the GEOS-Chem global model v14.0.2 using state-of-the-art production rates

The cosmogenic radionuclides 7 Be and 10 Be are useful aerosol tracers for atmospheric transport studies. Combining 7 Be and 10 Be measurements with an atmospheric transport model can not only improve our understanding of the radionuclide transport and deposition processes but also provide an evaluation of the transport process in the model. To simulate these aerosol tracers, it is critical to evaluate the influence of radionuclides production uncertainties on simulations. Here we use the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model driven by the MERRA-2 reanalysis to simulate 7 Be and 10 Be with different production scenarios: the default production rate in GEOS-Chem based on an empirical approach (Lal and Peters, 1967; denoted as LP67), and two production rates from the CRAC:Be (Cosmic Ray Atmospheric Cascade: Beryllium; Poluianov et al., 2016) model considering only geomagnetic cut-off rigidities for a geocentric axial dipole (denoted as P16) or realistic spatial geomagnetic cut-off rigidity variations due to non-dipole moments of the geomagnetic field (denoted as P16spa). The model results are comprehensively evaluated with a large number of measurements including surface air concentrations and deposition fluxes. The model with the P16spa production can reproduce the absolute values and temporal variability of 7 Be and 10 Be surface concentrations and deposition fluxes on annual and sub-annual scales, as well as the vertical profiles of air concentrations. Simulations with the LP67 production tend to overestimate the absolute values of 7 Be and 10 Be concentrations. The P16 simulations suggest less than 10% differences compared to P16spa but tend to produce a significant positive bias (>20%) in the 7 Be deposition fluxes over East Asia. We find that the deposition fluxes are more sensitive to the production in the troposphere and downward transport from the stratosphere. Independent of the production models, surface air concentrations and deposition fluxes from all simulations show similar seasonal variations, suggesting a dominant meteorological influence. The model can also simulate reasonably the stratosphere-troposphere exchange process of 7 Be and 10 Be by producing stratospheric contribution and 10 Be/ 7 Be ratio values that agree with measurements. Finally, we illustrate the importance of including the time-varying solar modulation in the production calculation, which can significantly improve the agreement between model results and measurements, especially at mid- and high- latitudes. Reduced uncertainties in the production rates, as demonstrated in this study, improve the utility of 7 Be and 10 Be as aerosol tracers for evaluating and testing transport and scavenging processes in global models.

Minjie Zheng↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Solid-state Precipitation in Molecular Dynamics: kMC-MD Hybrid Simulations

A critical drawback of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations when modeling physical properties is the limitation to short timescales. Solid state precipitation is one behavior that is not significantly observable at timescales accessible to MD, and thus has been difficult to simulate at an MD scale. Taking inspiration from Kinetic Monte-Carlo (KMC) methods for simulating diffusion on a rigid lattice, we have developed a hybrid KMC-MD approach to enable simulation of solid-state precipitation during MD simulation implemented in LAMMPS. This method incorporates the atomic neighbor hopping behavior utilized by KMC simulations into a MD simulation with a variable local lattice configuration. By accelerating nearest-neighbor atomic hopping with this technique, solid-state precipitation can be observed at an MD timescale. Utilizing theory based on persistent-embryo methods for liquid-solid precipitation in MD we demonstrate the calculation of critical nucleus size for the gamma’ precipitation out of gamma phase in the Ni-Al system.

Molecular Dynamics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Approach for Practical Grid-Resolved Roughness Aerothermodynamic Simulations for Woven Heatshield Surfaces

An approach for simulating the aerothermal environment over a patterned roughness surface within an otherwise axisymmetric flow is developed. The patterned roughness is simplified into a sinusoidal shape that captures the basic features of a charred 3MDCP ablator. Two orientations of this pattern, which are equally flight relevant due to the forming process, enable periodic boundary conditions along the edges of a grid spanning a single roughness element. This simplified three-dimensional grid represents the minimum problem size for a patterned roughness simulation, which enables computationally efficient grid-resolved roughness simulations. This approach is validated by simulating the Langley Mach 6 measurements made on a similar sinusoidal surface, which results in convective heating within 5% of the experimental data. Applying this approach to Mars Sample Return (MSR) Earth Entry System (EES) flight cases, considering simulations with both 11 species air and 30 species air with ablation products, results in heating augmentation that is slightly lower than the widely-used Dahm correlation approach, with the difference being dependent on pattern orientation. This result provides the only insight into the behavior of the roughness augmentation at the high temperature reacting flow conditions present for EES flight cases, which are not captured by available ground test measurements. For shear augmentation, the simulations revealed that the surface-parallel pressure component is dominant. For arc-jet tests targeted to flight values for shear, the higher arc-jet pressures required to match flight values for shear result in up to a 400% increase in the rough wall shear value, which is not captured by the Dahm correlation. This indicates that, to avoid significant over-testing, grid-resolved roughness simulations are required to determine arc-jet conditions that produce flight shear levels in rough-wall scenarios.

Christopher O Johnston↗
DOE OSTI2016

Linking pore-scale and basin-scale effects on diffusive methane transport in hydrate bearing environments through multi-scale reservoir simulations

We explore the gas hydrate-generating capacity of diffusive methane transport induced by solubility gradients due to pore size contrasts in lithologically heterogeneous marine sediments. Through the use of 1D, 2D, and 3D reactive transport simulations, we investigate scale-dependent processes in diffusion-dominated gas hydrate systems. These simulations all track a sand body, or series of sands, surrounded by clays as they are buried through the gas hydrate stability zone. Methane is sourced by microbial methanogenesis in the clays surrounding the sand layers. In 1D, simulations performed in a Lagrangian reference frame demonstrate that gas hydrate in thin sands (3.6 m thick) can occur in high saturations (upward of 70%) at the edges of sand bodies within the upper 400 meters below the seafloor. Diffusion of methane toward the center of the sand layer depends on the concentration gradient within the sand: broader sand pore size distributions with smaller median pore sizes enhance diffusive action toward the sand’s center. Incorporating downhole log- and laboratory-derived sand pore size distributions, gas hydrate saturations in the center of the sand can reach 20% of the hydrate saturations at the sand’s edges. Furthermore, we show that hydrate-free zones exist immediately above and below the sand and are approximately 5 m thick, depending on the sand-clay solubility contrast. A moving reference frame is also adopted in 2D, and the angle of gravity is rotated relative to the grid system to simulate a dipping sand layer. This is important to minimize diffusive edge effects or numerical diffusion that might be associated with a dipping sand in an Eulerian grid system oriented orthogonal to gravity. Two-dimensional simulations demonstrate the tendency for gas hydrate to accumulate downdip in a sand body because of greater methane transport at depth due to larger sand-clay solubility contrasts. In 3D, basin-scale simulations illuminate how convergent sand layers in a multilayered system can compete for diffusion from clays between them, resulting in relatively low hydrate saturations. All simulations suggest that when hydrate present in clays dissociates with burial, the additional dissolved methane is soaked up by nearby sands preserving high hydrate saturations.

Nole, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2018

Study of Data-Driven Mesh-Model Optimization in System Thermal-Hydraulic Simulation

Quantification of nuclear power plant safety risk requires a systematic and yet practical approach to identification of accident scenarios, assessment of their likelihood and consequences. Instrumental to this goal is risk-informed safety margin characterization (RISMC) framework, whose realization requires computationally robust and affordable methods for sufficiently accurate simulation of complex multi-dimensional physical phenomena, such as turbulent and multi-phase flow. The CFD-like correlation-based codes with 3D simulation capability (e.g., GOTHIC) ensure computational efficiency using coarse mesh size and the sub-grid phenomena in the boundary layer that can be captured by adequate constitutive correlations. However, the error sources and user effects on the selection of mesh size and models lead to unpredictable simulation error, while rich High-Fidelity (HF) data from experiments and numerical simulation using validated code or DNS are not fully explored. It would be useful to have a “smart” data-driven multi-scale framework in which the low-resolution models can be “taught” to emulate high-resolution models. The objective of this work is to develop and evaluate a physical-based data-driven mesh-model optimization approach (Optimized Mesh/Model Information System, OMIS) to estimate the simulation error and give advice on the optimized selection of coarse mesh size and Low-Fidelity (LF) models for System Thermal Hydraulic (STH) simulation to achieve accuracy comparable to that of HF models. This approach takes advantages of computational efficiency of coarse-mesh simulation and application of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Large scale multi-node simulations of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge theory quantum circuits using Google Cloud Platform

Simulating quantum field theories on a quantum computer is one of the most exciting fundamental physics applications of quantum information science. Dynamical time evolution of quantum fields is a challenge that is beyond the capabilities of classical computing, but it can teach us important lessons about the fundamental fabric of space and time. Whether we may answer scientific questions of interest using near-term quantum computing hardware is an open question that requires a detailed simulation study of quantum noise. Here we present a large scale simulation study powered by a multi-node implementation of qsim using the Google Cloud Platform. We additionally employ newly-developed GPU capabilities in qsim and show how Tensor Processing Units -- Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) specialized for Machine Learning -- may be used to dramatically speed up the simulation of large quantum circuits. We demonstrate the use of high performance cloud computing for simulating $\mathbb{Z}_2$ quantum field theories on system sizes up to 36 qubits. We find this lattice size is not able to simulate our problem and observable combination with sufficient accuracy, implying more challenging observables of interest for this theory are likely beyond the reach of classical computation using exact circuit simulation.

Gustafson, Erik↗
DOE OSTI2022

Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier White Paper: Cosmological Simulations for Dark Matter Physics

Over the past several decades, unexpected astronomical discoveries have been fueling a new wave of particle model building and are inspiring the next generation of ever-more-sophisticated simulations to reveal the nature of Dark Matter (DM). This coincides with the advent of new observing facilities coming online, including JWST, the Rubin Observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and CMB-S4. The time is now to build a novel simulation program to interpret observations so that we can identify novel signatures of DM microphysics across a large dynamic range of length scales and cosmic time. This white paper identifies the key elements that are needed for such a simulation program. We identify areas of growth on both the particle theory side as well as the simulation algorithm and implementation side, so that we can robustly simulate the cosmic evolution of DM for well-motivated models. We recommend that simulations include a fully calibrated and well-tested treatment of baryonic physics, and that outputs should connect with observations in the space of observables. We identify the tools and methods currently available to make predictions and the path forward for building more of these tools. A strong cosmic DM simulation program is key to translating cosmological observations to robust constraints on DM fundamental physics, and provides a connection to lab-based probes of DM physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development and Demonstration of a Reduced-Order PWR Power Dispatch Simulator

This report describes the development, modeling, and results of a reduced-order thermal power dispatch pressurized water reactor (RO-TPD-PWR) power plant simulator that incorporates coupled electrical and thermal power dispatch to an industrial process. The simulator is built on models that have been developed in previous work, including a Rancor Microworld model previously developed by INL and the University of Idaho [Ref] and reactor core and secondary system models that have been published previously [Ref]. The simulator also includes a scalable model of a high temperature electrolysis (HTE) system that has been developed at INL. A particular benefit of the Rancor Microworld model is that it is compatible with a human-system interface (HMI) that has already been developed by the Human System Simulation Laboratory (HSSL) at INL that can emulate the control room of a PWR for realistic human-in-the-loop studies with mock nuclear power plant operating procedures. The results of these human-in-the-loop tests will be compared with similar tests using a commercial full-scope generic PWR (GPWR) simulator that has been modified to include thermal power dispatch, referred to as the TPD-GPWR [ , ]. The simplicity of the RO-TPD-PWR helps to better understand and verify the results of the TPD-GPWR, which employs >1,000 variables and has much greater complexity. A second key purpose of the RO-TPD-PWR simulator is that its relative simplicity allows it scale between lab-size equipment (~100 kW) and full-scale nuclear power plants (~1 GW) by adjusting only a few parameters in the models, such as fluid masses and heat exchanger areas. The RO-TPD-PWR simulator will be used to guide the controls of lab tests, so that equipment in those tests, such as the Thermal Energy Distribution System (TEDS) and pilot-scale high temperature electrolysis (HTE) units at scales of 50-250 kW, may operate in a manner that is relevant to full-scale PWR operations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Experimental Investigation of Students’ Learning Effects When Using a Simplified Nuclear Simulator

Securing enough data has been a main challenge in human reliability analysis (HRA). Many researchers and institutes have made a lot of efforts for collecting HRA data to produce reasonable human error probabilities (HEPs) as well as reduce the uncertainty of HRA quantification. Representatively, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC), Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have led lots of empirical research regarding the HRA data collection. The U.S. NRC and KAERI have mainly carried out full-scope simulator research collecting HRA data through experiments using full-scope simulators with actual operators. In contrast, INL has experimentally collected the data using simplified simulators and student operators. INL has proposed the Simplified Human Error Experimental Program (SHEEP) framework to complement full-scope data collection efforts by suggesting a way to infer full-scope data based on experimental data collected from students operating simplified simulators, specifically the Rancor Microworld Simulator (Rancor) and the Compact Nuclear Simulator (CNS). The aim of the SHEEP framework is to lower the entry point for collecting useful HRA data by securing large sample sizes at a reasonable amount of cost and labor while also guaranteeing a high degree of freedom when designing experiments. The authors’ previous research investigated whether data collected from the SHEEP framework could support a representative full-scope study. Besides, human performance differences between professional and student operators when using Rancor and CNS have been analyzed to understand the lack of fidelity of the simplified simulators and student operators within the SHEEP study. As a follow up research, this study experimentally investigates students’ learning effects and the performance trends over a certain period when using Rancor. This study aims to find out 1) how much training or education is required to collect HRA data from non-experts (i.e., students) when using Rancor and 2) how much differences there are in human performance measures between students and professional operators. In this study, a longitudinal experiment is developed. The four experiment trials with two weeks interval are carried out for sixteen undergraduate students majoring nuclear engineering at Chosun University. Totally four scenarios randomly selected from ten Rancor scenarios are used in each experiment trial. Four human performance measurements (i.e., workload, situation awareness, time and error) are considered in the experiment. Lastly, the trend of students’ performance is compared with operator data having been collected from the previous experiment.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

HIGH-FIDELITY SIMULATION OF SOOT FORMATION AND THERMAL RADIATION IN A LABORATORY-SCALE RICH-QUENCH-LEAN BURNER

High-fidelity simulations of a swirl-stabilized turbulent spray flame in a laboratory-scale aero-combustor have been performed to evaluate the predictability of state-of-the-art models in capturing soot formation. The simulations employ a complex chemical mechanism developed for Jet-A with PAH chemistry, coupled with the Hybrid Method of Moments (HMOM) soot model, and a Lagrangian dilute spray model for the fuel injection. Two simulations are performed to compare the results when thermal radiation is neglected or included in the solution with a mean spectral model. Modeling closures for the soot differential diffusion effects in mixture fraction space, as well as turbulence-radiation interaction are also evaluated using the data generated by the simulations. Given the degree of complexity of the simulation, the results showed good agreement with experimental measurements of the spatial distribution of the soot volume fraction ensemble average. A closer agreement with the experiment is observed when thermal radiation is included in the solution. Thermal radiation is observed to reduce the flame temperature and increase the flame intermittency, denoted by the increase in the temperature standard deviation in mixture fraction space. The reduction in temperature also leads to a reduction in PAH production and soot volume fraction. Turbulence is observed to have different effects on radiative emission depending on the mixture fraction. Turbulent scalar fluctuations significantly enhance radiative emission in fuel lean mixtures and can also play a role for fuel rich conditions. The statistical description of the turbulence-radiation interaction, previously proposed in the literature, was observed to correctly reproduce the high-fidelity results. Model coefficients were provided for swirl-stabilized flames. The soot differential diffusion model, previously proposed in the literature, based on the residual between the exact term and its model approximation, was also evaluated. The residual correction term further improved the agreement with exact differential diffusion term evaluated with the high-fidelity simulation data in mixture fraction space. The results suggest that the effective turbulent Lewis number can be equal to unity in simulations of turbulent non-premixed recirculating flames.

Soriano, Bruno [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)↗