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DOE OSTI2022

(U) Marker Lagrangian Simulations using Geometry from CAD Assembly Files [Slides]

The Eulerian code PAGOSA now contains an option for the forward time integration of any user selected material in the Lagrangian frame of reference. This option is accomplished using a Multifield version of Brackbill’s FLIP plus Sulsky’s MPM. FLIP+MPM is a Marker Lagrangian scheme that is not to be confused with well known Grid Lagrangian schemes. This Marker Lagrangian method allows materials to undergo completely arbitrary deformation, up to and including fracture and separation. Using this option makes PAGOSA into a mixed frame simulation tool such that fluids can be integrated in the Eulerian frame and solids integrated in the Lagrangian frame. Boundaries between the fields are said to be ’immersed’ in the computational domain, and their nature is formulated using Multifield Theory. Each Marker in a field of FLIP+MPM material tracks the thermodynamic state of a small (but finite) piece of mass. Initiation of the Markers using the geometry and material information from CAD Assembly files is the subject of the talk. The ease and speed with which the dynamics of the assembly can be studied is demonstrated.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing Biomass Feedstock Transport Properties Using State of the Art Imaging and Computational Techniques

The microstructure of lignocellulosic biomass determines heat and mass transfer during conversion processes. We present a novel method for characterizing the transport properties of biomass using advanced imaging and computational techniques. The microstructure of two woody feedstocks, red oak and Douglas fir, before and after pyrolysis, is revealed using X-ray computed tomography (XCT). Transport properties are calculated from the XCT images, and principal permeability tensors are calculated using an immersed boundary-based finite volume solver to model gas flow through the geometries. We observe that the permeabilities of native biomass are distinctly anisotropic, however, this anisotropy is greatly reduced after pyrolysis.

adaptive mesh refinement↗

DOE OSTI2024

Fluid-structure interaction solver for transient dynamics of fracturing media

Computer implemented methods include providing a numerical simulation solid mesh comprising a plurality of solid nodes and a numerical simulation fluid mesh comprising a plurality of fluid nodes, and performing a numerical simulation with the solid mesh and fluid mesh including: determining a fluid-solid interaction between the fluid mesh and the solid mesh at a time step by (i) immersing boundaries of the solid and fluid meshes, (ii) computing current corrected fluid and solid velocities using an interaction parameter applied to an intermediate fluid-solid relative velocity, and (iii) computing a fluid-solid interaction force based on the current corrected fluid and solid velocities.

Rougier, Esteban↗

NASA NTRS1982

Wind tunnel measurements of three-dimensional wakes of buildings

Measurements relevant to the effect of buildings on the low level atmospheric boundary layer are presented. A wind tunnel experiment was undertaken to determine the nature of the flow downstream from a gap between two transversely aligned, equal sized models of rectangular cross section. These building models were immersed in an equilibrium turbulent boundary layer which was developed on a smooth floor in a zero longitudinal pressure gradient. Measurements with an inclined (45 degree) hot-wire were made at key positions downstream of models arranged with a large, small, and no gap between them. Hot-wire theory is presented which enables computation of the three mean velocity components, U, V and W, as well as Reynolds stresses. These measurements permit understanding of the character of the wake downstream of laterally spaced buildings. Surface streamline patterns obtained by the oil film method were used to delineate the separation region to the rear of the buildings for a variety of spacings.

Logan, E., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Low-frequency macroscopic instabilities of fully ionized magnetoplasma

Studies are described of low-frequency quasi-static instabilities in a fully ionized plasma. The plasma is assumed to be immersed in a uniform magnetic field, and is either uniform or has a number density gradient perpendicular to the magnetic field. A moment equation description of the ion and electron dynamics is used; collisions are assumed to have a strong effect on electron motion along the magnetic field. Before considering specific modes, a stability analysis is developed which allows a classification of wave growth characteristics to be made for a bounded system from solutions to the dispersion relation for an infinite system. Also, a method is given for calculating the normal mode frequencies and wave profiles by using the reflection coefficients at the boundaries. For wave propagation perpendicular to the magnetic field, the flute wave is studied in cylindrical geometry. The destabilizing effect of a radial electric field is considered by solving a differential equation.

Rognlien, T. D.↗

DOE OSTI2025

High-Speed and High-Quality Field Welding Repair Based on Advanced Non-Destructive Evaluation and Numerical Modeling

Creep strength-enhanced ferritic (CSEF) steels such as Grade 91 (9Cr-1Mo-V) and Grade 92 (Fe-9Cr-2W-0.5Mo) steels are widely used in the fossil-fuel-fired and nuclear power plants. The weld integrity of these steels is crucial for power plants' safe and reliable operations. Due to harsh service conditions, the steel weld can become susceptible to environmental degradation. Field welding repair is used to restore the degraded weld’s performance where a controlled temper-bead welding technique is commonly used to temper the freshly formed martensite during welding. However, knowledge of weld repairability is limited and experimental trial and error optimization to achieve desired microstructure and joint properties is expensive and time-consuming. Many existing computational models, e.g., finite element models, are limited to solving heat conduction equation and ignoring convective heat transfer due to molten metal flow. These models can result in over-prediction of peak temperatures of weld pool and heat-affected zone (HAZ), which in turn can affect the accuracy of tempering prediction. Moreover, these finite element models require an input of the deposit profiles in advance and thus limits the usability of these models. Here, a molten pool-based, multi-pass multi-layer model has been developed based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach with the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. The model calculates the bead formation, thereby eliminating the need for pre-determined bead profiles required by finite element models. For computational efficiency, a coordinate system attached to the moving heat source is utilized. A subroutine is developed to convert the temperature profiles in the reference frame stationary to the heat source to that stationary to the workpiece. The converted thermal cycles are then imported into a microstructure model to compute the tempering kinetics and resultant hardness using a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK), and modified Grange-Baughman parameter. The modeling approach is first developed and validated on single- and multi-pass deposition of stainless steel filler metal onto a SA-533 high strength steel substrate. The models are then applied to a multi-pass V-groove repair weld of Grade 91 steel plate as well as directed energy deposition of Grade 92 steel. Non-destructive characterization of microstructures was performed on Grade 91 and 92 steel welds. Two welding processes, cold metal transfer (CMT) and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), were investigated for the Grade 91 steel weld samples. For the Grade 92 weld samples, three different heat inputs (low, medium, and high) of gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) were utilized to replicate traditional field welding processes. The non-destructive evaluation (NDE) method used for this research was immersion ultrasonic testing (UT) using a micro-resolution ultrasonic imaging methodology specifically designed to operate in the through-transmission configuration operating at 20 MHz of frequency. The system used a focused ultrasonic beam spot size diameter between 250-300 μm, and a 6 μm laser vibrometer spot size for detection, to produce highly defined images with longitudinal and mode-converted shear waves. From the micro-resolution ultrasonic C-scan images, three microstructural regions, i.e., weld metal (WM), HAZ, and base metal (BM), were clearly identifiable. Various levels of ultrasonic amplitudes distributed over the three regions were correlated with electron beam backscattered diffraction (EBSD) images using grain size, grain boundaries, and dislocation densities. The results showed that areas with relatively higher ultrasonic amplitude levels were associated with smaller grains and higher dislocation densities, while areas with lower amplitude levels were associated with larger grains and lower dislocation densities. In addition, ultrasonic velocity data obtained across the three different weld microstructural regions of Grade 91 test samples were correlated with optical metallographic images and hardness measurements. The results showed distinctive decreases in ultrasonic velocity and hardness over the HAZ region, where weld failures often occur during service.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1998

Studying Turbulence Using Numerical Simulation Databases: Proceedings of the Summer Program - No. 7

The Seventh Summer Program of the Center for Turbulence Research took place in the four-week period, July 5 to July 31, 1998. This was the largest CTR Summer Program to date, involving thirty-six participants from the U. S. and nine other countries. Thirty-one Stanford and NASA-Ames staff members facilitated and contributed to most of the Summer projects. A new feature, and perhaps a preview of the future programs, was that many of the projects were executed on non-NASA computers. These included supercomputers located in Europe as well as those operated by the Departments of Defense and Energy in the United States. In addition, several simulation programs developed by the visiting participants at their home institutions were used. Another new feature was the prevalence of lap-top personal computers which were used by several participants to carry out some of the work that in the past were performed on desk-top workstations. We expect these trends to continue as computing power is enhanced and as more researchers (many of whom CTR alumni) use numerical simulations to study turbulent flows. CTR's main role continues to be in providing a forum for the study of turbulence for engineering analysis and in facilitating intellectual exchange among the leading researchers in the field. Once again the combustion group was the largest. Turbulent combustion has enjoyed remarkable progress in using simulations to address increasingly complex and practically more relevant questions. The combustion group's studies included such challenging topics as fuel evaporation, soot chemistry, and thermonuclear reactions. The latter study was one of three projects related to the Department of Energy's ASCI Program (www.llnl.gov/asci); the other two (rocket propulsion and fire safety) were carried out in the turbulence modeling group. The flow control and acoustics group demonstrated a successful application of the so-called evolution algorithms which actually led to a previously unknown forcing strategy for jets yielding increased spreading rate. A very efficient algorithm for flow in complex geometries with moving boundaries based on the immersed boundary forcing technique was tested with very encouraging results. Also a new strategy for the destruction of aircraft trailing vortices was introduced and tested. The Reynolds Averaged Modeling (RANS) group demonstrated that the elliptic relaxation concept for RANS calculations is also applicable to transonic flows with shocks; however, prediction of laminar/turbulent transition remains an important pacing item. A large fraction of the LES effort was devoted to the development and testing of a new algorithmic procedure (as opposed to phenomenological model) for subgrid scale modeling based on regularized de-filtering of the flow variables. This appears to be a very promising approach, and a significant effort is currently underway to assess its robustness in high Reynolds number flows and in conjunction with numerical methods for complex flows. As part of the Summer Program two review tutorials were given on Turbulent structures in hydrocarbon pool fires (Sheldon Tieszen), and Turbulent combustion modeling: from RANS to LES via DNS (Luc Vervisch); and two seminars entitled Assessment of turbulence models for engineering applications (Paul Durbin) and Subgrid-scale modeling for non-premixed, turbulent reacting flows (James Riley) were presented. A number of colleagues from universities, government agencies, and industry attended the final presentations of the participants on July 31 and participated in the discussions. There are twenty-six papers in this volume grouped in five areas. Each group is preceded with an overview by its coordinator.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2022

Second Annual Report on Development of Microwave Resonant Cavity Transducer for Fluid Flow Sensing

We are investigating a microwave resonant cavity transducer for flow sensing in the vessel of a high temperature fluid advanced reactor (AR), such as a molten salt cooled reactor (MSCR) or a sodium fast reactor (SFR). This transducer is a hollow metallic cylindrical cavity, with the flat wall of the cylinder flexible enough to undergo microscopic deflection due to dynamic fluid pressure. Membrane deflection leads to a shift in the resonant frequency, which can be detected with a spectrum analyzer. Because the transducer is intended for immersion in a high temperature corrosive fluid, understanding of material degradation is crucial for estimation of transducer performance lifetime, and development of measurement interpretation algorithms. We conducted a preliminary computational investigation of relevant damage mechanisms of a stainless steel 316 cylindrical resonator in FLiBe salt. The two main damage mechanisms, creep and corrosion, were modeled using multiphysics COMSOL software. Degradation was modeled for a temperature range 500°C to 700°C. Coupling of the damage mechanisms was not considered. These models predict significant inelastic deformation at most temperatures due to creep, and qualitatively predict chromium depletion both along the liquid/solid interface and along the grain boundaries. An algorithmic approach for compensation of these degradation effects during fluid flow measurements will be developed in the future work. To validate sensor physics, we have performed proof-of-principle test of flow sensing in water. For this test, we have developed a cylindrical resonator for K-band, which was machined from brass. The cavity was excited through WR-42 waveguide through a subwavelength hole on the side of the wall of the cylinder. To increase the spectral signal visibility, we developed a signal processing method for baseline subtraction. A flow loop for proof-of-principle test of transducer performance in water was assembled. A commercial flow meter was installed in the loop for reference measurements. Cylindrical cavity was excited in the TE 011 mode with resonant frequency f ≈ 17.8GHz. Frequency shift of cavity spectral response was obtained by gradually increasing water flow rate from 0 to 60gpm. Corresponding monotonic increase of resonant frequency shift by several MHz was observed. Approximate figure of merit of sensitivity to flow rate is 100KHz/GPM. In addition, we have identified an existing liquid sodium experimental setup for demonstration of flow sensing in environment similar to that of an advanced reactor. The setup consists of a cylindrical vessel and center feed line, where transducer inserted through the lid will measure velocity of the impinging liquid jet. As a calibration experiment, we have assembled a water vessel with center feed with the same dimensions as those of the liquid sodium setup. We have also developed and insertion probe consisting of a 50cm brass waveguide enclosed in protective SS316 tube. Using the water loop, we have demonstrated feasibility of sensing the impinging liquid jet in the vessel.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Computational Modeling of High-Level Waste Vitrification at the Hanford Site

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected vitrification for stabilizing legacy tank waste at the Hanford site, where radioactive waste from plutonium production was historically stored in underground tanks. This waste will be separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions and processed at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). At WTP, glass melters are used for the vitrification of radioactive tank waste, transforming it into a stable borosilicate glass form for safe long-term storage. The melter vessel is constructed from highly durable and heat-resistant materials, where the vitrification process occurs. The main regions that are modeled are the melt pool, plenum, cold cap, riser/discharge chamber, and surrounding structure with insulation layers. Forced convection induced by air bubblers at the base of the melter ensure uniform temperature distribution and provide heat to the cold cap layer. The cold cap is a region of reacting batch feed that floats on top of the molten glass and is where the batch-to-glass reactions occur. Joule heating provided by electrodes mounted along the vertical walls of the melter and immersed directly in the glass, generates the necessary heat for the net endothermic conversion processes that occur in the cold cap. The high temperatures, radioactivity, and opaque nature of the glass prevent direct observation inside the melters. Therefore, computational models are essential for providing insight into factors that affect melter throughput. Thermocouples in the plenum provide operators with plenum temperature measurements. Operational adjustments include bubbling rate, voltage supplied to the electrodes, feed adjustments, and glass removal rate. Different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models have been developed, each serving a specific purpose. There are CFD models of different scale melters, as well as models that capture the two-phase flow interfaces of rising bubbles in the molten glass or models with a simplified molten glass region so that the surrounding structure and plenum can be feasibly incorporated. Pilot-scale melter models have been developed to serve as validation of the methods employed in the simulation of the full-scale WTP melters. Models incorporating resolved bubbling are used to develop momentum source terms to implement into a single phase, multi-region, steady-state flow model that is being validated by measured process parameters such as glass production rate, voltage, input power, plenum temperatures, etc. The resolved bubbling model uses the multiphase volume of fluid approach to model the system with a high-resolution interface capturing scheme to maintain sharp interfaces between the molten glass and the air phase. The suite of CFD models is continually being improved to incorporate more realistic physics and achieve faster turnaround time. For example, an incremental controller is implemented to automatically adjust electrode voltage within the simulation to a molten glass set point temperature of 1150°C. Newer models feature improved meshes to ensure conformal meshes between regions and eliminate unnecessary mesh refinement in areas that are not of interest (such as boundary layers in offgas ports). Instead of explicitly modeling the structural, refractory, and insulation layers of the melter, a thermal resistance approach is used with published correlations used for boundary conditions. The development of robust and efficient CFD models will be instrumental in enabling the WTP to successfully fulfill its mission of safely stabilizing legacy nuclear waste.

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗

NASA NTRS1998

Effect of Free Stream Turbulence on the Flow-Induced Background Noise of In-Flow Microphones

When making noise measurements of sound sources in flow using microphones immersed in an air stream or wind tunnel, the factor limiting the dynamic range of the measurement is, in many cases, the noise caused by the flow over the microphone. To lower this self-noise, and to protect the microphone diaphragm, an aerodynamic microphone forebody is usually mounted on the tip of the omnidirectional microphone. The microphone probe is then pointed into the wind stream. Even with a microphone forebody, however, the self-noise persists, prompting further research in the area of microphone forebody design for flow-induced self-noise reduction. The magnitude and frequency characteristics of in-flow microphone probe self-noise is dependent upon the exterior shape of the probe and on the level of turbulence in the onset flow, among other things. Several recent studies present new designs for microphone forebodies, some showing the forbodies' self-noise characteristics when used in a given facility. However, these self-noise characteristics may change when the probes are used in different facilities. The present paper will present results of an experimental investigation to determine an empirical relationship between flow turbulence and self-noise levels for several microphone forebody shapes as a function of frequency. As a result, the microphone probe self-noise for these probes will be known as a function of freestream turbulence, and knowing the freestream turbulence spectra for a given facility, the probe self-noise can be predicted. Flow-induced microphone self-noise is believed to be related to the freestream. turbulence by three separate mechanisms. The first mechanism is produced by large scale, as compared to the probe size, turbulence which appears to the probe as a variation in the angle of attack of the freestream. flow. This apparent angle of attack variation causes the pressure along the probe surface to fluctuate, and at the location of the sensor orifice this fluctuating surface pressure is sensed by the diaphragm as noise. The second mechanism is caused by the convection of smaller sized turbulence, on the order of the probe cross-section, which passes nearby or strikes the probe giving rise to a fluctuating pressure at the sensor orifice. And, the third mechanism is related to fine scale turbulence through its effects on boundary layer growth and transition to a turbulent boundary layer. The method for relating the probe self-noise to the freestream turbulence will be based on the method of K. J. Young5 from Boeing, who developed the technique and presented flow noise results for a Bruel & Kjaer Type 0385, 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) nose cone. The experimental set-up used in the present experiment is similar to that of Young and is described in the present paper. Finally, flow noise predictions are made using the empirical correlations. These predictions are then compared with actual flow noise measurements made in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center.

Allen, Christopher S.↗