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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

A whole-core steady-state thermal-hydraulic model for annular fuel type fluoride-salt-cooled reactors

A whole-core, steady-state thermal-hydraulic model is developed for the fluoride-salt-cooled small modular advanced high-temperature reactor (SmAHTR) that employs an annular fuel configuration. This pre-conceptual reactor design by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has the annular fuel and moderator pins arranged in a hexagonal layout. The FLiBe coolant flows from the bottom to the top of the core, parallel to the hexagonal bundle. The fuel and moderator pins in the core are discretized into finite volumes and the 3-D heat conduction equation is solved to obtain the temperature profile. Inter-fuel assembly conduction is also addressed. For this fuel assembly configuration, the coolant flows through two distinct regions – the hexagonal pin bundle and the annulus between the fuel pin and the tie rod. The fluid flow through the hexagonal bundles is modeled using the subchannel approach, in which the coolant region is discretized into corner, edge and interior subchannels and the resulting conservation equations are systematically solved. The 1-D mass, momentum and energy equations are solved for the annulus channels between the fuel pin and the tie rod. Pertinent closure models from the literature are employed to close the system of equations. We also performed a preliminary code-to-code comparison between the present model and a CFD model.. The resulting thermal-hydraulic model can provide temperature, flow rate and pressure drop profiles for the different solid and fluid regions throughout the entire core. Whole-core thermal-hydraulic results for a representative power profile are presented and discussed.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ionic Diffusion in Slurry Electrolytes for Redox Flow Batteries

Slurry electrodes have been proposed as a method to decouple the storage and power capacities of hybrid redox flow batteries by allowing the reduced metal to adhere to a flowing dispersion of electrically conductive particles rather than accumulate in the flow cell. In this work, the ionic mass transport through these slurry electrolytes is investigated via voltammetry at a rotating disc electrode and in a parallel channel flow cell. A modified Levich equation, i l = 0.6 2 nFC ω 1 / 2 ν − 1 / 6 ( D + r 2 Φ ω m ) 2 / 3 , is developed to describe limiting currents to a rotating disc electrode when using a particle filled electrolyte. Mass transfer is demonstrated to be enhanced by greater particle loading so long as there are sufficient particles such that their respective flow velocity boundary layers interact. In the flow cell, faradaic current in a carbon black slurry electrolyte was observed to decrease over time. This suggests that the carbon particles adhere and accumulate on the stationary electrode, impeding mass transport by imposing diffusion path tortuosity. This accumulation is undesirable in hybrid redox flow batteries as it encourages metal deposition in the cell, limiting the scalability of the technology.

Electrochemistry↗
DOE OSTI2023

Hydrologic Connectivity and Patch‐To‐Hillslope Scale Relations in Dryland Ecosystems

Abstract In drylands, runoff during storms redistributes water and nutrients from bare soil areas to vegetated patches, subsidizing vegetation with additional resources. The extent of this redistribution depends on the interplay between surface roughness and permeability; greater permeability in vegetated patches promotes run‐on to vegetation, but greater surface roughness diverts runoff, producing tortuous flow paths that bypass vegetation. Here, this interplay is examined in virtual experiments using the 2D Saint Venant Equations to measure runoff connectivity. Flowpaths are delineated using tracers advected by the flow. Distances between tracer sources and sinks along flowpaths measure hydrologic connectivity at two lengthscales: connectivity to the hillslope outlet and within‐slope source‐sink connectivity. Differences between these connectivity lengthscales indicate how flow may “by‐pass” vegetated patches within hillslopes. At the hillslope scale, a derived power‐law relation between the runoff coefficient and outlet connectivity describes hillslope water losses, providing a foundation for identifying landscapes likely to shed water.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Unstructured mesh-based multi-physics reactor transient simulation with iMC code

In this study, we present a time-dependent Monte Carlo simulation result about a complex fuel-loaded light water reactor system with thermal-hydraulic feedback using the KAIST iMC code. The intra-pin temperature distribution is calculated based on Monte Carlo-tallied detailed power distribution and the finite element heat transfer method. The temperature effect of fuel, absorber, and coolant are adequately reflected into the dynamic response by the on-the-fly Doppler broadened cross-section correction. For the time-dependent Monte Carlo transport simulation, the predictor-corrector quasi-static Monte Carlo method is used for this study. We tested the coupled analysis framework with a 17-by-17 fuel assembly loaded with the centrally-shielded burnable absorber (CSBA) fuel element. The temperature feedback effect on the material cross-section and the moderator density incurred negative reactivity in response to the external positive reactivity insertion, showing the inherent stability of the reactor system. The pin-wise power and temperature change during the system transient are presented and discussed. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Pseudoreversible Normalizing Flow for Stochastic Dynamical Systems with Various Initial Distributions

Here, we present a pseudoreversible normalizing flow method for efficiently generating samples of the state of a stochastic differential equation (SDE) with various initial distributions. The primary objective is to construct an accurate and efficient sampler that can be used as a surrogate model for computationally expensive numerical integration of SDEs, such as those employed in particle simulation. After training, the normalizing flow model can directly generate samples of the SDE’s final state without simulating trajectories. The existing normalizing flow model for SDEs depends on the initial distribution, meaning the model needs to be retrained when the initial distribution changes. The main novelty of our normalizing flow model is that it can learn the conditional distribution of the state, i.e., the distribution of the final state conditional on any initial state, such that the model only needs to be trained once and the trained model can be used to handle various initial distributions. This feature can provide a significant computational saving in studies of how the final state varies with the initial distribution. Additionally, we propose to use a pseudoreversible network architecture to define the normalizing flow model, which has sufficient expressive power and training efficiency for a variety of SDEs in science and engineering, e.g., in particle physics. We provide a rigorous convergence analysis of the pseudoreversible normalizing flow model to the target probability density function in the Kullback–Leibler divergence metric. Numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed normalizing flow model.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

A two-phase three-field modeling framework for heat pipe application in nuclear reactors

Heat pipes and two-phase thermosyphons are highly efficient heat transfer devices utilizing continuous evaporation and condensation of working fluid for two-phase heat transport in closed systems. Because of the nearly isothermal and fully passive phase-change heat transfer mechanism, heat pipes and thermosyphons have found many applications in nuclear engineering, space technologies, and other energy systems. High-temperature heat pipes are used in nuclear microreactors to remove fission power from the primary system and are coupled with power conversion systems or process heat applications. Modeling of the two-phase flow phenomena inside a heat pipe is essential to its design and safety analysis. In this study, a comprehensive one-dimensional two-phase three-field flow model has been developed for the analysis of heat pipes in normal operation conditions and transients. The conservation or field equations of mass, momentum, and energy were developed for the liquid film, vapor, and droplet. In addition, constitutive models or correlations were reviewed thoroughly and provided for the closure of the three-field equations. Specific constitutive equations regarding interfacial mass and heat transfer at two interfaces, namely film-gas interface and gas-droplet interface, were reviewed for droplet entrainment and deposition rates as well as film and droplet evaporation rates. Furthermore, mechanistic correlations of annular flow film thickness were recommended for the modeling of the thermosyphons without a wick as a critical constitutive correlation. Furthermore, experimental data needs from new experiments using a prototype working fluid or surrogate fluids for the model validation of high-temperature heat pipes in microreactors were recommended for future research.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing VSC-HVDC Oscillation Damping Control Constraints in Unit Commitment

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems within the existing power grids will play a pivotal role in enabling high share of renewable power integration and transportation electrification. There is a need for transmission planning models to accurately capture the impact of VSC-HVDC oscillation damping control on the system planning and model the constraints in the security constrained unit commitment (SCUC) problem. In this paper, the SCUC problem in a hybrid DC-AC grid considering damping on electromechanical inter-area oscillation is studied. An electromechanical oscillation-driven transmission capability constraints are derived from system swing equation and incorporated into the SCUC. Multiple system damping control scenarios are set based on the extracted plausible bounds of damping coefficient and inertia constant to linearize the nonlinear expressions. The SCUC problem with proposed constraints is tested on the IEEE 73-bus reliability test system (RTS) case via PLEXOS. The impact of the proposed constraints on regional generation, inertia, power flow, annual system cost, and renewable energy curtailment are fully assessed.

damping control↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tundra SGS – Critical Importance of Site-Specific Injectivity Testing for Carbon Dioxide Injection Well Simulation Calibration

Paper presented at 16th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-16), October 23–27, 2022, Lyon, France. Brine injectivity tests were conducted on both the Broom Creek (BC) and Deadwood (DW) storage formations in one of the cored stratigraphic test wells prior to finalized simulations. The injectivity tests entailed injection of brine into the formations, followed by shutting in the wells. The shut-in duration represents the fall-off period which was used to carry out pressure transient analyses of the tests. The analysis of injectivity tests indicated that core-indicated and modeled permeability distributions should be conservatively multiplied by 2.5× and 5× in the BC and DW geologic models, respectively, prior to numerical simulations of CO 2 injection using Computer Modelling Group’s (CMG’s) GEM equation-of-state reservoir simulator. The scaler permeability multipliers allowed the fluid flow simulations to fully represent well test-measured injection well rates in the respective formations.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing VSC-HVDC Oscillation Damping Control Constraints in Unit Commitment

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems within the existing power grids will play a pivotal role in enabling high share of renewable power integration and transportation electrification. There is a need for transmission planning models to accurately capture the impact of VSC-HVDC oscillation damping control on the system planning and model the constraints in the security constrained unit commitment (SCUC) problem. In this paper, the SCUC problem in a hybrid DC-AC grid considering damping on electromechanical inter-area oscillation is studied. An electromechanical oscillation-driven transmission capability constraints are derived from system swing equation and incorporated into the SCUC. Multiple system damping control scenarios are set based on the extracted plausible bounds of damping coefficient and inertia constant to linearize the nonlinear expressions. The SCUC problem with proposed constraints is tested on the Reliability Test System Grid Modernization Lab Consortium (RTS-GMLC) via PLEXOS. The impact of the proposed constraints on regional generation, inertia, power flow, annual system cost, and renewable energy curtailment are fully assessed.

damping control↗
DOE OSTI2021

TRITON: A Multi-GPU open source 2D hydrodynamic flood model

A new open source multi-GPU 2D flood model called TRITON is presented in this work. The model solves the 2D shallow water equations with source terms using a time-explicit first order upwind scheme based on an Augmented Roe's solver that incorporates a careful estimation of bed strengths and a local implicit formulation of friction terms. Here, the scheme is demonstrated to be first order accurate, robust and able to solve for flows under various conditions. TRITON is implemented such that the model effectively utilizes heterogeneous architectures, from single to multiple CPUs and GPUs. Different test cases are shown to illustrate the capabilities and performance of the model, showing promising runtimes for large spatial and temporal scales when leveraging the computer power of GPUs. Under this hardware configuration, communication and input/output subroutines may impact the scalability. The code is developed under an open source license and can be freely downloaded in https://code.ornl.gov/hydro/triton.

2D flood model↗
DOE OSTI2026

Topological Control of Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces for Thermal Design and Advanced Manufacturing: A Gyroid Case Study

Recently, there has been a heightened interest in using triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMSs) in the design of compact process engineering components. The benefits of high surface area per unit volume, modular form, and inherent periodicity provide a holistic self-supporting network and flow-conducive features. Applications of importance include thermal power management, biomimetic scaffolds and structures, and feasibility of advanced manufacturing. This study presents a novel approach to the manipulation of the characteristic Schwarz-G, or gyroid TPMS, for thermal design in the context of advanced manufacturing. The study presents relationships between design parameters and resulting surface area as a target response using the characteristic equation of a gyroid. Through parametric control, the characteristic equation is manipulated to produce a 20-fold increase in achievable area over a baseline design characteristic of 25.4 mm through controlled combinations of design parameters. A second relationship is presented as a function of the maximum area achieved and manipulated design parameters. Through the analysis, the study presents a framework to identify and maximize the achievable area of TPMSs for advanced manufacturing and thermal management applications.

gyroid↗
DOE OSTI2020

The role of collective elasticity on activated structural relaxation, yielding, and steady state flow in hard sphere fluids and colloidal suspensions under strong deformation

In this work, we theoretically study the effect of external deformation on activated structural relaxation and aspects of the nonlinear mechanical response of glassy hard sphere fluids in the context of elastically collective nonlinear Langevin equation theory. This microscopic force-based approach describes activated relaxation as a coupled local–nonlocal event involving caging and longer range collective elasticity, with the latter becoming more important and ultimately dominant with increasing packing fraction under equilibrium conditions. The central new question we address is how this physical picture of activated relaxation, and the relative importance of local caging vs collective elasticity physics, depends on external deformation. Theoretical predictions are presented for deformation-induced enhancement of mobility, the onset of relaxation speed up at remarkably low values of stress, strain, or shear rate, apparent power law thinning of the steady state structural relaxation time and viscosity, a non-vanishing activation barrier in the shear thinning regime, an apparent Herschel–Bulkley form of the rate dependence of the steady state shear stress, exponential growth of different measures of a dynamic yield or flow stress with the packing fraction, and reduced fragility and dynamic heterogeneity under deformation. The results are contrasted with experiments and simulations, and qualitative or better agreement is found. An overarching conclusion is that deformation strongly reduces the importance of longer range collective elastic effects relative to the local caging aspect for most, but not all, physical questions, with deformation-dependent fragility and dynamic heterogeneity phenomena being qualitatively sensitive to collective elasticity. Overall, nonlinear rheology is predicted to be a more local problem than quiescent structural relaxation, albeit with deformation-modified activated processes still important.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Isotherm Modeling and Techno-Economic Analysis of Contactor Technologies for New Tetraamine-Appended MOF for NGCC Applications

Recently, a family of tetraamine-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOF) has been reported as promising sorbent materials for capturing CO2 from flue gas conditions relevant to natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) applications. The main advantages of these materials are their two-step cooperative CO2 adsorption, which gives rise to unusual two step-shaped CO2 adsorption profiles and their high thermal stability. This work presents the modelling of the two-transition isotherm of the tetraamine-appended MOF, N,N'-bis(3-aminopropyl)-1,4-diaminobutane (3-4-3)-appended Mg2(dobpdc), and the techno-economic analysis (TEA) of carbon capture processes utilizing this sorbent. Due to the unusual isotherm shapes of the experimental CO2 adsorption data for tetraamine-appended Mg2(dobpdc) and the strong nonlinearity of CO2 loading with respect to temperature and pressure, we tested two different models which use logistic functions for representing the different isotherm behaviors in the different pressure ranges. The first model uses the quadratic isotherm model in the low-pressure region, the Langmuir isotherm model in the middle pressure range, and the dual site Langmuir isotherm model in the high-pressure range. To model the transition between regions we used the arctangent functions independent of temperature and the thermal effect was accounted by using the Clausius-Clapeyron relation]. The second model is an extension of the weighted dual-site Langmuir isotherm model presented by Hughes et al.. In this extended model, the dual-site Langmuir isotherm is employed in the three transition regions, using temperature-dependent logistic functions to activate or deactivate the isotherm model in the low, middle, and high-pressure ranges. Both models fit the experimental data quite well with root mean squared errors (RMSE’s) of 0.41 and 0.17 for model 1 and model 2, respectively. Since model 2 resulted in a lower RMSE, it was leveraged for the development of the gas/solid contactor models used by the TEA. Specifically, two different contactor models, an axial-flow fixed bed and moving bed contactor, were developed as part of this work. These models are dynamic, pressure-driven, and consist of mass, energy, and momentum conservation equations. A kinetic model was also developed by performing parameter estimation using experimental fixed bed breakthrough data. These models are then used to simulate CO2 capture processes from the flue gas generated from a ~600 gross MW NGCC power plant. A cost model was developed which considers the capital cost of the reactors and the significant operating costs such as steam and electricity. Using NETL’s Framework for the Optimization and Quantification of Uncertainty of Uncertainty and Surrogates tool (FOQUS), which has the capability of linking models built using numerous modelling platforms with derivative-free optimization solvers, a techno-economic optimization of the carbon capture processes was performed which minimizes the cost of capture.

Caballero, Daison↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of a practical approach for field scale moisture flow modeling in heterogeneous media at a semiarid site

Abstract A practical approach for modeling field‐scale moisture flow in a highly heterogeneous unsaturated medium is described in this study. The validity of this approach is demonstrated through comparison of the numerical simulations with field observations at a semiarid site located in southcentral Washington State. The methodology is based on upscaling the core scale hydraulic properties and combining power‐law and tensorial connectivity‐tortuosity (PA‐TCT) approaches to derive macroscopic anisotropy parameters for each hydrostratigraphic unit (HSU) identified in the field. Each heterogeneous HSU is approximated by an equivalent homogeneous medium (EHM) model for which PA‐TCT parameters are used in the flow simulations. The available field data on moisture content and matric potential are compared with steady‐state flow simulations based on the mean form of Richards' equation. While the homogenization or averaging of heterogeneities, embedded in the EHM modeling approximation, cannot capture all of the field‐scale variability, the simulated steady‐state moisture and matric potential profiles capture well the central tendency of the field data. This approach is deemed practical for assessing the fate and transport of contaminants in highly heterogeneous unsaturated media at the transport scale of hundreds of meters.

Khaleel, Raziuddin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Global flow structure and exact formal transseries of the Gubser flow in kinetic theory

In this work we introduce the generic conditions for the existence of a non-equilibrium attractor that is an invariant manifold determined by the long-wavelength modes of the physical system. We investigate the topological properties of the global flow structure of the Gubser flow for the Israel-Stewart theory and a kinetic model for the Boltzmann equation by employing Morse-Smale theory. We present a complete classification of the invariant submanifolds of the flow and determine all the possible flow lines connecting any pair of UV/IR fixed points. The formal transseries solutions to the Gubser dynamical system around the early-time (UV) and late-time (IR) fixed points are constructed and analyzed. It is proven that these solutions are purely perturbative (or power-law asymptotic) series with a finite radius of convergence. Based on these analyses, we find that Gubser-like expanding kinetic systems do not hydrodynamize owing to the failure of the hydrodynamization process which heavily relies on the classification of (non)hydrodynamic modes in the IR regime. This is in contrast to longitudinal boost-invariant plasmas where the asymptotic dynamics is described by a few terms of the hydrodynamic gradient expansion. We finally compare our results for both Bjorken and Gubser conformal kinetic models.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Control Design for a Marine Hydrokinetic Cycloturbine Vehicle

Abstract Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) cycloturbines generate sustainable power by exploiting tidal currents. By powering the turbines and using pitching foils for control, a vehicle comprised of MHK cycloturbines also has the ability to station keep and maneuver. The vehicle consists of four counter-rotating cycloturbines, with hydrofoils oriented perpendicular to the flow in a paddlewheel configuration. Lift and drag generated from these foils sum together to produce thrust. An experimentally tuned simulation model that solves the six-degrees-of-freedom rigid body equations of motion for the MHK vehicle subject to hydrodynamic, hydrostatic, and propulsive forces is used to aid the design of vehicle controllers. Global feedback controllers are initially designed by applying classical control methods to an approximate linear model of the system dynamics. A higher performing nonlinear controller is designed using the nonlinear dynamic inversion (NDI) method. NDI accounts for the nonlinearities of the MHK system and therefore is suitable for a wide range of operating conditions. The response of the classical and NDI controllers to speed, depth, roll, pitch, and yaw commands are evaluated and compared in simulation. The classical controller outperforms the NDI controller for small amplitude maneuvers, although the degradation with NDI is minor. However, in the nonlinear operating regime the NDI controller outperforms the classical controller and the classical controller exhibits instability.

Automation & Control Systems↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mathematics of Gas Ingress of Hermetic Packages

Herein, we have derived a gas ingress and egress equation from the first principles of ideal gases. This work is intended to benefit the hermetic microelectronics packaging community, but it may be applied to other fields that require a deep understanding of gas ingress and egress dynamics. The equation outlined herein encompasses package material properties, package characteristics, hermetic testing conditions, and service conditions. It serves as a practical utility for calculating package pressure changes due to gas ingress and egress and, therefore, a power tool for component and system service life predictions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Influence of Heave Plate Topology on Reaction Force

In this study, we explore the role of heave plate topology on fluid reaction forces using three, representative shapes: a hexagonal flat plate, a hexagonal conic with an open top, and the same with a closed top that encloses a fluid mass. We force each test article sinusoidally in a quiescent tank and decompose the reaction force using forms of the Morison equation for phase-invariant and phase-dependent parameterizations. We find that a flat plate generates 5.3 % more fluid reaction force than the open conic topology, and 21.4% more than the enclosed conic. Asymmetric topologies generate asymmetric reaction forces, but the magnitude of asymmetry is limited by nearly symmetric fluid inertia forces, which dominate over drag for these test articles. Additionally, we observe asymmetric vortex dynamics for the flat plate when the Keulegan-Carpenter number is between 1 and 2, accompanied by a shift in the phase of the peak force by of the oscillation period. As a consequence of this shift, the hydrodynamic coefficients estimated from the phase-dependent Morison equation decomposition are asymmetric, suggesting that phase-dependent representations may not provide physical insight in some hydrodynamic regimes.

added mass↗