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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2014

Sample preparation and biomass determination of SRF model mixture using cryogenic milling and the adapted balance method

Highlights: • An alternative sample comminution procedure for SRF is tested. • Proof of principle is shown on a SRF model mixture. • The biogenic content of the SRF is analyzed with the adapted balance method. • The novel method combines combustion analysis and a data reconciliation algorithm. • Factors for the variance of the analysis results are statistically quantified. - Abstract: The biogenic fraction of a simple solid recovered fuel (SRF) mixture (80 wt% printer paper/20 wt% high density polyethylene) is analyzed with the in-house developed adapted balance method (aBM). This fairly new approach is a combination of combustion elemental analysis (CHNS) and a data reconciliation algorithm based on successive linearisation for evaluation of the analysis results. This method shows a great potential as an alternative way to determine the biomass content in SRF. However, the employed analytical technique (CHNS elemental analysis) restricts the probed sample mass to low amounts in the range of a few hundred milligrams. This requires sample comminution to small grain sizes (<200 μm) to generate representative SRF specimen. This is not easily accomplished for certain material mixtures (e.g. SRF with rubber content) by conventional means of sample size reduction. This paper presents a proof of principle investigation of the sample preparation and analysis of an SRF model mixture with the use of cryogenic impact milling (final sample comminution) and the adapted balance method (determination of biomass content). The so derived sample preparation methodology (cutting mills and cryogenic impact milling) shows a better performance in accuracy and precision for the determination of the biomass content than one solely based on cutting mills. The results for the determination of the biogenic fraction are within 1–5% of the data obtained by the reference methods, selective dissolution method (SDM) and {sup 14}C-method ({sup 14}C-M)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2015

Changes in northern Gulf of Mexico sediment bacterial and archaeal communities exposed to hypoxia

Abstract Biogeochemical changes in marine sediments during coastal water hypoxia are well described, but less is known about underlying changes in microbial communities. Bacterial and archaeal communities in Louisiana continental shelf ( LCS ) hypoxic zone sediments were characterized by pyrosequencing 16S rRNA V4‐region gene fragments obtained by PCR amplification of community genomic DNA with bacterial‐ or archaeal‐specific primers. Duplicate LCS sediment cores collected during hypoxia had higher concentrations of Fe( II ), and dissolved inorganic carbon, phosphate, and ammonium than cores collected when overlying water oxygen concentrations were normal. Pyrosequencing yielded 158 686 bacterial and 225 591 archaeal sequences from 20 sediment samples, representing five 2‐cm depth intervals in the duplicate cores. Bacterial communities grouped by sampling date and sediment depth in a neighbor‐joining analysis using Chao–Jaccard shared species values. Redundancy analysis indicated that variance in bacterial communities was mainly associated with differences in sediment chemistry between oxic and hypoxic water column conditions. Gammaproteobacteria (26.5%) were most prominent among bacterial sequences, followed by Firmicutes (9.6%), and Alphaproteobacteria (5.6%). Crenarchaeotal, thaumarchaeotal, and euryarchaeotal lineages accounted for 57%, 27%, and 16% of archaeal sequences, respectively. In Thaumarchaeota Marine Group I, sequences were 96–99% identical to the Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM 1 sequence, were highest in surficial sediments, and accounted for 31% of archaeal sequences when waters were normoxic vs. 13% of archaeal sequences when waters were hypoxic. Redundancy analysis showed Nitrosopumilus ‐related sequence abundance was correlated with high solid‐phase Fe( III ) concentrations, whereas most of the remaining archaeal clusters were not. In contrast, crenarchaeotal sequences were from phylogenetically diverse lineages, differed little in relative abundance between sampling times, and increased to high relative abundance with sediment depth. These results provide further evidence that marine sediment microbial community composition can be structured according to sediment chemistry and suggest the expansion of hypoxia in coastal waters may alter sediment microbial communities involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling.

Devereux, R.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis of Non-Nuclear Advanced Controls Testbed Reactor Mockup

The research presented in this report describes our progress in applying stochastic methods and uncertainty quantification, parametric study, and variance-based sensitivity analysis (also known as Sobol sensitivity analysis) to a full-core model of a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system simulated with Griffin, with the goal of developing a reduced order (surrogate) model which can be rapidly sampled while perturbing multiple input parameters. In this NTP system, reactivity and power feedback affect the rotation of control drums, which are controlled by a hybrid proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controller, actuated by the power demand and reactivity feedback from the numerical model. This model uses reactor kinetic feedback (mean generation time and $\beta$ from a transient Griffin simulation executed with the improved quasi-static method to provide the kinetic parameters) as inputs to functions which control the CD rotation angle. Using a number of stochastic method approaches, we developed a dual purpose training-surrogate model of the NTP system using polynomial regression. The trained model can be rapidly sampled while simultaneously perturbing various input parameters of the model, such as coefficients on the PID control, or temperature (directly affect the neutron cross section). The surrogate model delivers accurate results orders-of-magnitude faster (minutes, not days) than the base model. Once the base model has been trained, distributions of the uncertain parameters can be changed at will to investigate the effects of perturbing multiple inputs and their effect on the output. For example, coefficients used in the PID control system may vary due to some physical interference, or there may be uncertainty in the temperature of the neutron cross sections in various regions of the reactor. A distribution can be placed on these parameters and operational boundaries can be determined. The goal of this work is to support development of an advanced control system to operate CDs in a functioning NTP system.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Discrete ordinates analysis of the forced-flight variance reduction technique in Monte Carlo neutral particle transport simulations

This paper presents mathematical formulations and methods to predict the effect of forced-flight variance reduction on Monte Carlo tally variance and calculation time. This includes deducing biasing operators that are then used to construct a history-score probability density function (HSPDF), which represents all possible Monte Carlo random walks and gives the probability of a Monte Carlo history scoring in a tally from a particular phase-space position. The history-score moment equations (HSMEs), the statistical moments of the HSPDF, are then derived to calculate the statistical behavior of the Monte Carlo tally when forced-flight variance reduction is applied. In addition, the future-time equation (FTE) is derived to predict the Monte Carlo computational time as a result of applying forced-flight variance reduction. The solutions of the HSMEs and FTE can be used to predict Monte Carlo computational cost. Furthermore, this work also describes a discrete ordinates method to solve the forced-flight HSMEs and FTE. Several 1-D and 2-D test problems verify that the derivations are performed and implemented correctly.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2014

North-South non-Gaussian asymmetry in Planck CMB maps

We report the results of a statistical analysis performed with the four foreground-cleaned Planck maps by means of a suitably defined local-variance estimator. Our analysis shows a clear dipolar structure in Planck's variance map pointing in the direction (l,b) ≅ (220°,-32°), thus consistent with the North-South asymmetry phenomenon. Surprisingly, and contrary to previous findings, removing the CMB quadrupole and octopole makes the asymmetry stronger. Our results show a maximal statistical significance, of 98.1% CL, in the scales ranging from ℓ=4 to ℓ=500. Additionally, through exhaustive analyses of the four foreground-cleaned and individual frequency Planck maps, we find unlikely that residual foregrounds could be causing this dipole variance asymmetry. Moreover, we find that the dipole gets lower amplitudes for larger masks, evidencing that most of the contribution to the variance dipole comes from a region near the galactic plane. Finally, our results are robust against different foreground cleaning procedures, different Planck masks, pixelization parameters, and the addition of inhomogeneous real noise.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2016

Acceleration Techniques using ADVANTG for the MDF Design and Optimization

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is implementing a Moderator Demonstration Facility (MDF) to demonstrate the performance characteristics of advanced moderators central to the Second Target Station (STS) for SNS. The MDF will provide a small, short-pulsed neutron source for slow neutron production in which we intend to easily and quickly change from one moderator concept to another, characterizing the performance of each moderator in a reproducible and consistent fashion. The MDF will be unique and innovative amongst the world's moderator test facilities in that it will be intended to be very prototypic in terms of 'moderator illumination' - the spatial variation of the neutron flux entering the moderator itself - as well as capable of testing so-called high-brightness moderators in a wing configuration. During the design phase of the MDF, the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code MCNPX v.2.7.0 is being used as the primary tool for the neutronic analysis of the facility and characterization of the moderator performance. The Automated Variance Reduction Generator (ADVANTG) code is being utilized to accelerate the MCNPX calculations. The ADVANTG code generates space- and energy-dependent weight window parameters for a successive MCNP run by calculating the adjoint flux with the Denovo discrete ordinates code based on the user defined MCNP tally. We have tested various strategies using ADVANTG to generate weight window parameters to efficiently calculate detailed moderator performance. Using point detector response functions for weight window parameter optimization with ADVANTG did not work well for improving the efficiency of Monte Carlo calculations of neutron emission into beam lines. However, using cell fluxes of the area of highest contributions to the point detector for the variance reduction parameter analysis worked very well and improved the FOM of the calculation of neutron emission into a beamline by a factor of 50 over the unbiased case. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2015

The financial attractiveness assessment of large waste management projects registered as clean development mechanism

Highlights: • Projects are not financially attractive without registration as CDMs. • WM benchmarks and indicators are converging and reducing in variance. • A sensitivity analysis reveal that revenue has more of an effect on the financial results. • Results indicate that an extensive database would reduce WM project risk and capital costs. • Disclosure standards would make information more comparable worldwide. - Abstract: This study illustrates the financial analyses for demonstration and assessment of additionality presented in the project design (PDD) and enclosed documents of the 431 large Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) classified as the ‘waste handling and disposal sector’ (13) over the past ten years (2004–2014). The expected certified emissions reductions (CER) of these projects total 63.54 million metric tons of CO{sub 2}eq, where eight countries account for 311 projects and 43.36 million metric tons. All of the projects declare themselves ‘not financially attractive’ without CER with an estimated sum of negative results of approximately a half billion US$. The results indicate that WM benchmarks and indicators are converging and reducing in variance, and the sensitivity analysis reveals that revenues have a greater effect on the financial results. This work concludes that an extensive financial database with simple standards for disclosure would greatly diminish statement problems and make information more comparable, reducing the risk and capital costs of WM projects.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2021

Quantifying the Uncertainty of the Future Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change: Comparative Analysis of an Advanced Hierarchical Sensitivity in Humid and Semiarid Basins

Comparison and quantification of different uncertainties of future climate change involved in the modeling of a hydrological system are highly important for both hydrological modelers and policy-makers. However, few studies have accurately estimated the relative importance of different sources of uncertainty at different spatiotemporal scales. Here, a hierarchical sensitivity analysis framework (HSAF) incorporated with a variance-based global sensitivity analysis is developed to quantify the spatiotemporal contributions of different uncertainties in hydrological impacts of climate change in two different climatic (humid and semiarid) basins in China. The uncertainty sources include three emission scenarios (ESs), 20 global climate models (GCs), three hydrological models (HMs), and the associated sensitive hydrological parameters (PAs) screened and sampled by the Morris and Latin hypercube sampling methods, respectively. Further, the results indicate that the overall trend of uncertainty is PA > HM > GC > ES, but their uncertainties have discrepancies in projections of different hydrological variables. The HM uncertainty in annual and monthly discharge projections is generally larger than the PA uncertainty in the humid basin than semiarid basin. The PA has greater uncertainty in extreme hydrological event (annual peak discharge) projections than in annual discharge projections for both basins (particularly for the humid basin), but contributes larger uncertainty to annual and monthly discharge projections in the semiarid basin than humid basin. The GC contributes larger uncertainty in all the hydrological variables projections in the humid basin than semiarid basin, while the ES uncertainty is rather limited in both basins. Overall, our results suggest there is greater spatiotemporal variability of hydrological uncertainty in more arid regions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis of a nuclear thermal propulsion reactor startup sequence

The research presented in this article describes progress in applying stochastic methods, uncertainty quantification, parametric studies, and variance-based sensitivity analysis (also known as Sobol sensitivity analysis) to a full-core model of a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system simulated via the radiation transport code Griffin to simulate neutronics. Our goal is to develop a reduced-order (surrogate) model that can be rapidly sampled with perturbations to multiple input parameters. In this NTP system, reactivity and power feedback affect the rotation of control drums (CDs), which is itself controlled by a hybrid proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller actuated by the power demand and reactivity feedback from the numerical model. This model uses reactor kinetic feedback (mean generation time [Λ] and effective delayed neutron fraction [ β eff ] from a transient Griffin simulation executed via Griffin’s improved quasi-static solver to provide the kinetic parameters) as inputs to functions that control the CD rotation angle. By investigating numerous stochastic approaches, we developed a dual-purpose surrogate model of the NTP system, using polynomial regression in the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) Stochastic Tools Module (STM). The trained model can be rapidly sampled while simultaneously perturbing various input parameters, such as coefficients on the PID control or temperature (directly affecting the neutron cross section). The surrogate model delivers accurate (within 5%) results at speeds orders of magnitude faster (minutes, not days of computational time) than the base model. Once the surrogate model has been trained, distributions of the uncertain parameters can be changed at will to investigate the effects of perturbing multiple inputs as well as the effects of these inputs on the model output. For example, coefficients used in the PID control system may vary due to some type of physical interference, or uncertainty may exist in the temperature of the neutron cross sections in various regions of the reactor. A distribution can be placed on these parameters, and operational boundaries can be determined. The goal of this work is to support development of an advanced control system for operating CDs in a functioning NTP system. This work is a scoping study of the MOOSE STM.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗

DOE OSTI2018

Multifidelity Monte Carlo Estimation of Variance and Sensitivity Indices

Variance-based sensitivity analysis provides a quantitative measure of how uncertainty in a model input contributes to uncertainty in the model output. Such sensitivity analyses arise in a wide variety of applications and are typically computed using Monte Carlo estimation, but the many samples required for Monte Carlo to be sufficiently accurate can make these analyses intractable when the model is expensive. This paper presents a multifidelity approach for estimating sensitivity indices that leverages cheaper low-fidelity models to reduce the cost of sensitivity analysis while retaining accuracy guarantees via recourse to the original, expensive model. This paper develops new multifidelity estimators for variance and for the Sobol' main and total effect sensitivity indices. We discuss strategies for dividing limited computational resources among models and specify a recommended strategy. Results are presented for the Ishigami function and a convection-diffusion-reaction model that demonstrate up to $10\times$ speedups for fixed convergence levels. Finally, for the problems tested, the multifidelity approach allows inputs to be definitively ranked in importance when Monte Carlo alone fails to do so.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1975

Limited variance control in statistical low thrust guidance analysis

Difficulties arise in guiding a solar electric propulsion spacecraft due to nongravitational accelerations caused by random fluctuations in the magnitude and direction of the thrust vector. These difficulties may be handled by using a low thrust guidance law based on the linear-quadratic-Gaussian problem of stochastic control theory with a minimum terminal miss performance criterion. Explicit constraints are imposed on the variances of the control parameters, and an algorithm based on the Hilbert space extension of a parameter optimization method is presented for calculation of gains in the guidance law. The terminal navigation of a 1980 flyby mission to the comet Encke is used as an example.

Jacobson, R. A.↗

DOE OSTI2019

The MAVRIC-Shift Sequence in SCALE for Radiation Transport and Shielding Calculations with Automated Variance Reduction and Parallel Computing

A new MAVRIC-Shift sequence has been implemented and tested within the SCALE Code System to provide parallel computing capabilities for radiation transport and shielding analysis with automated variance reduction. This new sequence provides the most widely used capabilities of the MAVRIC sequence and also features the highly scalable Shift Monte Carlo solver, thus enabling faster time-to-solution when run on multiple cores. This report provides a summary of the theory of variance reduction approaches in MAVRIC and the integration of Shift into the MAVRIC sequence of SCALE. Similarities and differences in methodologies between the traditional MAVRIC sequence and the new MAVRIC-Shift sequence are discussed. Validation cases are presented with models of radiation shielding experiments and verification is provided with a series of practical application cases of interest to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the sponsors of this work, including spent nuclear fuel transportation and storage systems.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1999

Ventilatory responses to dynamic exercise elicited by intramuscular sensors

PURPOSE: Eight subjects, aged 27.0+/-1.6 yr, performed incremental workload cycling to investigate the contribution of skeletal muscle mechano- and metaboreceptors to ventilatory control during dynamic exercise. METHODS: Each subject performed four bouts of exercise: exercise with no intervention (CON); exercise with bilateral thigh cuffs inflated to 90 mm Hg (CUFF); exercise with application of lower-body positive pressure (LBPP) to 45 torr (PP); and exercise with 90 mm Hg thigh cuff inflation and 45 torr LBPP (CUFF+PP). Ventilatory responses and pulmonary gas exchange variables were collected breath-by-breath with concomitant measurement of leg intramuscular pressure. RESULTS: Ventilation (VE) was significantly elevated from CON during PP and CUFF+PP at workloads corresponding to > or = 60% CON peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and during CUFF at workloads > or = 80% CON VO2peak, P < 0.05. The VO2 at which ventilatory threshold occurred was significantly reduced from CON (2.17+/-0.28 L x min(-1)) to 1.60+/-0.19 L x min(-1), 1.45+/-0.15 L x min(-1), and 1.15+/-0.11 L x min(-1) during CUFF, PP, and CUFF+PP, respectively. The slope of the linear regression describing the VE/CO2 output relationship was increased from CON by approximately 22% during CUFF, 40% during PP, and 41% during CUFF+PP. CONCLUSIONS: As intramuscular pressure was significantly elevated immediately upon application of LBPP during PP and CUFF+PP without a concomitant increase in VE, it seems unlikely that LBPP-induced increases in VE can be attributed to activation of the mechanoreflex. These findings suggest that LBPP-induced reductions in perfusion pressure and decreases in venous outflow resulting from inflation of bilateral thigh cuffs may generate a metabolite sensitive intramuscular ventilatory stimulus.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS1992

Left ventricular dimensions and mass using magnetic resonance imaging in female endurance athletes

Few published studies of left ventricular (LV) mass in female endurance athletes have been performed with M-mode echocardiography, which involves assumptions of LV geometry. Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging, a 3-dimensional technique, was used to examine LV mass, LV end-diastolic volume and mean wall thickness in female long distance runners (n = 13; mean age 29 years), cyclists (n = 12; mean age 26 years) and cross-country skiers (n = 11; mean age 24 years), and the findings were compared with sedentary control subjects (n = 10; mean age 27 years) matched for height and body weight. The physical characteristics for all subjects included height (mean 166 cm, and body weight (mean 56 kg). The percent body fat (mean 11.7) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max, mean 63 ml.kg-1.min-1) were similar (p greater than 0.05) among all athletic groups, but significantly different from the control group (body fat, mean 22.5%; VO2max, mean 35 ml.kg-1.min-1). LV mass (mean 159 kg), LV end-diastolic volume (mean 122 ml), and mean wall thickness (mean 11.5 mm) were also similar among the athletic groups and significantly larger than the following control values: LV mass (mean 115 g), LV end-diastolic volume (mean 93 ml) and mean wall thickness (mean 9.8 mm). Ratios of LV mass to lean body weight were similar among all athletic groups, although athletic groups had larger ratios (p less than 0.05) than the sedentary control subjects. LV mass/LV end-diastolic volume ratio was similar (p greater than 0.05) among all groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

DOE OSTI2013

A Sensitivity Study of Radiative Fluxes at the Top of Atmosphere to Cloud-Microphysics and Aerosol Parameters in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5

In this study, we investigated the sensitivity of net radiative fluxes (FNET) at the top of atmosphere (TOA) to 16 selected uncertain parameters mainly related to the cloud microphysics and aerosol schemes in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). We adopted a quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) sampling approach to effectively explore the high dimensional parameter space. The output response variables (e.g., FNET) were simulated using CAM5 for each parameter set, and then evaluated using generalized linear model analysis. In response to the perturbations of these 16 parameters, the CAM5-simulated global annual mean FNET ranges from -9.8 to 3.5 W m-2 compared to the CAM5-simulated FNET of 1.9 W m-2 with the default parameter values. Variance-based sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the relative contributions of individual parameter perturbation to the global FNET variance. The results indicate that the changes in the global mean FNET are dominated by those of cloud forcing (CF) within the parameter ranges being investigated. The size threshold parameter related to auto-conversion of cloud ice to snow is confirmed as one of the most influential parameters for FNET in the CAM5 simulation. The strong heterogeneous geographic distribution of FNET variation shows parameters have a clear localized effect over regions where they are acting. However, some parameters also have non-local impacts on FNET variance. Although external factors, such as perturbations of anthropogenic and natural emissions, largely affect FNET variations at the regional scale, their impact is weaker than that of model internal parameters in terms of simulating global mean FNET in this study. The interactions among the 16 selected parameters contribute a relatively small portion of the total FNET variations over most regions of the globe. This study helps us better understand the CAM5 model behavior associated with parameter uncertainties, which will aid the next step of reducing model uncertainty via calibration of uncertain model parameters with the largest sensitivity.

aerosol↗

DOE OSTI2017

A geostatistics-informed hierarchical sensitivity analysis method for complex groundwater flow and transport modeling

Sensitivity analysis is an important tool for development and improvement of mathematical models, especially for complex systems with a high dimension of spatially correlated parameters. Variance-based global sensitivity analysis has gained popularity because it can quantify the relative contribution of uncertainty from different sources. However, its computational cost increases dramatically with the complexity of the considered model and the dimension of model parameters. As such, in this study, we developed a new sensitivity analysis method that integrates the concept of variance-based method with a hierarchical uncertainty quantification framework. Different uncertain inputs are grouped and organized into a multilayer framework based on their characteristics and dependency relationships to reduce the dimensionality of the sensitivity analysis. A set of new sensitivity indices are defined for the grouped inputs using the variance decomposition method. Using this methodology, we identified the most important uncertainty source for a dynamic groundwater flow and solute transport model at the Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford site. The results indicate that boundary conditions and permeability field contribute the most uncertainty to the simulated head field and tracer plume, respectively. The relative contribution from each source varied spatially and temporally. By using a geostatistical approach to reduce the number of realizations needed for the sensitivity analysis, the computational cost of implementing the developed method was reduced to a practically manageable level. The developed sensitivity analysis method is generally applicable to a wide range of hydrologic and environmental problems that deal with high-dimensional spatially distributed input variables.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2018

The Convergence of Analysis Produced by Overlapping Assimilation Streams

When conducting a reanalysis for a long period, it is common to do so using multiple, parallel computational schemes. A period of overlap is included to foster continuity between successive streams. At the GMAO, the overlap period is one year. By the end of that period, the time mean anlysis for corresponding overlapped months are almost identical, as desired. The variances of differences at corresponding analysis times within each month, however, do not converge to zero. Instead their monthly variances converge to values that are a significant fraction of the the estimated variances of analysis errors. This occurs although the overlapping streams use the same observations, assimilation model, and assimilation algorithm, differing only in the background applied information applied at the beginning of the overlap period.

Errico, Ronald M.↗

DOE OSTI2018

An Uncertainty Quantification of the Computational Fluid Dynamics Solution to the Modeling of the Contact Point in a Wire-Wrapped Fuel Assembly

An uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis of the turbulent flow in a wire-wrapped pin bundle to the contact-point model and the inlet conditions is presented. Three geometries are considered in this work that are an infinitely large bundle (single subchannel with periodic boundary conditions in the stream-wisedirection), a 7-pin bundle and a 19-pin bundle. The response functions of this study are the friction factor, thevorticity and the mixing parameters. The results show that the friction factor is not sensitive to the contact-point model. The vorticity shows a strong dependency to the inclusion of prismatic layers near the wall boundaries. Results for the mixing parameters are inconclusive. A variance-based sensitivity analysis(Sobol indices) indicates that the influence of the contact-point model on the variance of the friction factor decreases when increasing the size of the bundle. Other response functions (vorticity and mixing parameters)show little sensitivity to the size of the bundle.

42 ENGINEERING↗