Publications

Thermal analysts address a wide variety of applications requiring the simulation of radiation heat transfer phenomena. There are gaps in the currently available modeling capabilities. Addressing these gaps would allow for the consideration of additional physics and increase confidence in simulation predictions. This document outlines a five year plan to address the current and future needs of the analyst community with regards to modeling radiation heat transfer processes. This plan represents a significant multi-year effort that must be supported on an ongoing basis.

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In many applications, the thermal response of structures exposed to solar heat loads is of interest. Solar mechanics governing equations were developed and integrated with the Calore thermal response code via user subroutines to provide this computational simulation capability. Solar heat loads are estimated based on the latitude and day of the year. Vector algebra is used to determine the solar loading on each face of a finite element model based on its orientation relative to the sun as the earth rotates. Atmospheric attenuation is accounted for as the optical path length varies from sunrise to sunset. Both direct and diffuse components of solar flux are calculated. In addition, shadowing of structures by other structures can be accounted for. User subroutines were also developed to provide convective and radiative boundary conditions for the diurnal variations in air temperature and effective sky temperature. These temperature boundary conditions are based on available local weather data and depend on latitude and day of the year, consistent with the solar mechanics formulation. These user subroutines, coupled with the Calore three-dimensional thermal response code, provide a complete package for addressing complex thermal problems involving solar heating. The governing equations are documented in sufficient detail to facilitate implementation into other heat transfer codes. Suggestions for improvements to the approach are offered.

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The efficiency of the design-to-analysis process for translating solid-model-based design data to computational analysis model data plays a central role in the application of computational analysis to engineering design and certification. A review of the literature from within Sandia as well as from industry shows that the design-to-analysis process involves a number of complex organizational and technological issues. This study focuses on the design-to-analysis process from a business process standpoint and is intended to generate discussion regarding this important issue. Observations obtained from Sandia staff member and management interviews suggest that the current Sandia design-to-analysis process is not mature and that this cross-organizational issue requires committed high-level ownership. A key recommendation of the study is that additional resources should be provided to the computer aided design organizations to support design-to-analysis. A robust community of practice is also needed to continuously improve the design-to-analysis process and to provide a corporate perspective.

Many deep-space satellites contain a plutonium heat source. An explosion, during launch, of a rocket carrying such a satellite offers the potential for the release of some of the plutonium. The fireball following such an explosion exposes any released plutonium to a high-temperature chemically-reactive environment. Vaporization, condensation, and agglomeration processes can alter the distribution of plutonium-bearing particles. The Fireball code package simulates the integrated response of the physical and chemical processes occurring in a fireball and the effect these processes have on the plutonium-bearing particle distribution. This integrated treatment of multiple phenomena represents a significant improvement in the state of the art for fireball simulations. Preliminary simulations of launch-second scenarios indicate: (1) most plutonium vaporization occurs within the first second of the fireball; (2) large non-aerosol-sized particles contribute very little to plutonium vapor production; (3) vaporization and both homogeneous and heterogeneous condensation occur simultaneously; (4) homogeneous condensation transports plutonium down to the smallest-particle sizes; (5) heterogeneous condensation precludes homogeneous condensation if sufficient condensation sites are available; and (6) agglomeration produces larger-sized particles but slows rapidly as the fireball grows.

SAFSIM (System Analysis Flow SIMulator) is a FORTRAN computer program for simulating the integrated performance of complex flow systems. SAFSIM provides sufficient versatility to allow the engineering simulation of almost any system, from a backyard sprinkler system to a clustered nuclear reactor propulsion system. In addition to versatility, speed and robustness are primary SAFSIM development goals. SAFSIM contains three basic physics modules: (1) a fluid mechanics module with flow network capability; (2) a structure heat transfer module with multiple convection and radiation exchange surface capability; and (3) a point reactor dynamics module with reactivity feedback and decay heat capability. Any or all of the physics modules can be implemented, as the problem dictates. SAFSIM can be used for compressible and incompressible, single-phase, multicomponent flow systems. Both the fluid mechanics and structure heat transfer modules employ a one-dimensional finite element modeling approach. This document contains a description of the theory incorporated in SAFSIM, including the governing equations, the numerical methods, and the overall system solution strategies.

A simplified explanation for gas flow instability in parallel heated channels is presented with specific applications to channels containing packed beds of power-producing particles. The explanation captures the basic governing physics of the viscosity-driven instability and hopefully removes some of the misconceptions surrounding this issue. Simple illustrative calculations, steady-state and transient, using the SAFSIM computer program are included in the explanation. The explanation points out that flow instability is common to any and all gas flow systems with parallel heated channels, that the addition of flow resistance to the entrance of a channel mitigates flow instability, and that instabilities do not occur instantaneously.

Parametric calculations are performed, using the SAFSIM computer program, to investigate the fluid mechanics and heat transfer performance of a particle bed fuel element. Both steady-state and transient calculations are included, addressing such issues as flow stability, reduced thrust operation, transpiration drag, coolant conductivity enhancement, flow maldistributions, decay heat removal, flow perturbations, and pulse cooling. The calculations demonstrate the dependence of the predicted results on the modeling assumptions and thus provide guidance as to where further experimental and computational investigations are needed. The calculations also demonstrate that both flow instability and flow maldistribution in the fuel element are important phenomena. Furthermore, results are encouraging that geometric design changes to the element can significantly reduce problems related to these phenomena, allowing improved performance over a wide range of element power densities and flow rates. Such design changes will help to maximize the operational efficiency of space propulsion reactors employing particle bed fuel element technology. Finally, the results demonstrate that SAFSIM is a valuable engineering tool for performing quick and inexpensive parametric simulations addressing complex flow problems.

SAFSIM (System Analysis Flow SIMulator) is a FORTRAN computer program that provides engineering simulations of user-specified flow networks at the system level. It includes fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and reactor dynamics capabilities. SAFSIM provides sufficient versatility to allow the simulation of almost any flow system, from a backyard sprinkler system to a clustered nuclear reactor propulsion system. In addition to versatility, speed and robustness are primary goals of SAFSIM development. The current capabilities of SAFSIM are summarized and some sample applications are presented. It is applied here to a nuclear thermal propulsion system and nuclear rocket engine test facility.

A critical enabling technology in the evolutionary development of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) is the ability to predict the system performance under a variety of operating conditions. Since October 1991, US (DOE), (DOD) and NASA have initiated critical technology development efforts for NTP systems to be used on Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) missions to the Moon and Mars. This paper presents the strategy and progress of an interagency NASA/DOE/DOD team for NTP system modeling. It is the intent of the interagency team to develop several levels of computer programs to simulate various NTP systems. An interagency team was formed for this task to use the best capabilities available and to assure appropriate peer review. The vision and strategy of the interagency team for developing NTP system models will be discussed in this paper. A review of the progress on the Level 1 interagency model is also presented.

SAFSIM (System Analysis Flow SIMulator) is a FORTRAN computer program to simulate the integrated performance of systems involving fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and reactor dynamics. SAFSIM provides sufficient versatility to allow the engineering simulation of almost any system, from a backyard sprinkler system to a clustered nuclear reactor propulsion system. In addition to versatility, speed and robustness are primary goals of SAFSIM. SAFSIM contains three basic physics modules: (1) a one-dimensional finite element fluid mechanics module with multiple flow network capability; (2) a one-dimensional finite element structure heat transfer module with multiple convection and radiation exchange surface capability; and (3) a point reactor dynamics module with reactivity feedback and decay heat capability. SAFSIM can be used for gas (compressible) or liquid (incompressible) single-phase flow systems with primary emphasis on gases (or supercritical fluids). This document contains a description of all the information required to create an input file for SAFSIM execution.

SAFSIM (System Analysis Flow SIMulator) is a FORTRAN computer program that provides engineering simulations of user-specified flow networks at the system level. It includes fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and reactor dynamics capabilities. SAFSIM provides sufficient versatility to allow the simulation of almost any flow system, from a backyard sprinkler system to a clustered nuclear reactor propulsion system. In addition to versatility, speed and robustness are primary goals of SAFSIM. The current capabilities of SAFSIM are summarized, and some illustrative example results are presented.

Nuclear thermal propulsion systems are envisioned as a fast and efficient form of transportation for the exploration of space. Several nuclear reactor concepts have been proposed. This document discusses SAFSIM (System Analysis Flow SIMulator) which is an engineering computer program that allows the fluid mechanic, heat transfer, and reactor dynamic simulation of the entire propulsion system. SAFSIM currently contains three basic physics modules: (1) fluid mechanics, (2) heat transfer, and (3) reactor dynamics. All three modules are coupled to allow the prediction of system performance. The analyst can employ any or all of the physics modules as the problem dictates.