HYPERCOMP INC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: Despite many innovative analytical and simulation techniques over several decades, there r

Description

Despite many innovative analytical and simulation techniques over several decades, there remains a disconnect between available and desired technology needed to model liquid metal flows in fusion relevant conditions. Simulation software become inaccurate or very inefficient when modeling situations with high magnetic field interaction, applied volumetric heat loads, two phase effects and turbulence. A fast and reliable software solution of this nature is useful in fusion device development, as well as in a number of other engineering applications involving extreme flow interactions. We wish to develop a new, high-performance computational tool for modeling liquid-metal flows and heat and mass transfer relevant to fusion blanket systems based on complete mathematical models, state- of-the-art numerical techniques and our recent achievements in computational magnetohydrodynamics. Proposed enhancements include: (1) new code capabilities (finite Rem MHD, unsteady processes, turbulence, eddy currents in the solid, coupling with plasma MHD) based on a robust induced magnetic field formulation and (2) high performance at prototypical values of flow parameters such as Hartmann, Reynolds and Grashof numbers using new methods for parallelization. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: This project deals with the flow of liquid metals under extreme electromagnetic interactions and thermal exposure. Efficient software systems developed for this purpose will have immediate relevance to metallurgical processing of steel and aluminum and liquid fuel flows in advanced aerospace engines. We plan on integrating this development with other activities at HyPerComp in electromagnetic processing of materials and electromagnetic flow control, leading to an attractive software solution for a broad range of potential users, in semiconductor and glass manufacturing as well as other endeavors.