1. Carlos O. Maidana, Ph.D.
Computational Tools for the Design and Fabrication of
Liquid Metal Thermo-magnetic Systems
MAIDANA RESEARCH
Scientific Research & Engineering Design
2. Liquid Alloy Systems
High degree of thermal conductivity
High densities
High electrical conductivities
This results in the use of these materials for specific applications
Heat conducting Heat dissipation
Introduction
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Background
3. Typical applications
for liquid metals include
Heat transfer systems Thermal cooling and heating designs
Uniquely, they can be used to conduct heat and/or electricity between
non-metallic and metallic surfaces.
The motion of liquid metals in magnetic fields generally induces electric
currents, which, while interacting with the magnetic field, produces
electromagnetic forces.
Introduction
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Background
4. of carrying currents source of electromagnetic fields
Thermo-magnetic Systems
Electromagnetic pumpsElectromagnetic flow meters
the fact that liquid metals are conducting fluids
for pumping and diagnostics
Exploit
Capable
Useful
Introduction
such as
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Background
5. Liquid Metal Technology
for Nuclear Fission Applications
While pressurized water could theoretically be used for a fast reactor, it tends to slow down neutrons
and absorb them. This limits the amount of water that can be allowed to flow through the reactor
core, and since fast reactors have a high power density most designs use molten metals instead.
A liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor is a type of nuclear reactor,
usually a fast neutron reactor, where the primary coolant is a liquid
metal.
The boiling point of water is also much lower than most metals demanding that the cooling system be
kept at high pressure to effectively cool the core.
Another benefit of using liquid metals for cooling and heat transport is its inherent heat absorption
capability.
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6. Liquid Metal Technology for Nuclear Fission Applications
• An international task force is developing six nuclear reactor technologies for deployment between
2020 and 2030. Four are fast neutron reactors.
• All of these operate at higher temperatures than today's reactors. In particular, four are designated
for hydrogen production.
• All six systems represent advances in sustainability, economics, safety, reliability and proliferation-
resistance.
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7. A plasma chamber, surrounded by
plasma-facing components.
Fusion power plant
Nuclear islandBalance of plant
Converts heat into electricity via steam
turbines
• it is a conventional design area
• similar to any other power station
Itself surrounded by a "blanket“.
• maintaining the vacuum boundary
• absorbing the thermal radiation
coming from the plasma
• the neutrons are absorbed to
breed tritium and
• a working fluid that transfers the
power to the balance of plant.
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Liquid Metal Technology for Nuclear Fusion Applications
8. The plasma-facing material is any material
used to construct the plasma-facing
components,
those components exposed to the plasma
within which nuclear fusion occurs,
and particularly the material used for the lining
or first wall of the reactor vessel.
• The plasma facing components will experience 5-15 MW/m2
surface heat flux under normal operation (steady-state)
• Off-normal energy deposition up to 1 MJ/m2 within 0.1 to 1.0 ms.
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Liquid Metal Technology for Nuclear Fusion Applications
9. Type of plasma facing component options
Refractory solid surfaces
Flowing liquid metal surfaces
Production + Control
Thin, fast flowing, renewable films of liquid metals
requiring
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Liquid Metal Technology for Nuclear Fusion Applications
10. Liquid Metal Technology for High Energy
Particle Accelerator Targets and Dumps
A particle accelerator is a machine that accelerates
particles to extremely high energies. These particles are
elementary particles or heavy ions. Beams of high-energy
particles are useful for both fundamental and applied
research in the sciences, and also in many technical and
industrial fields unrelated to fundamental research.
It has been estimated that there are approximately
26,000 accelerators worldwide.
1% are research machines with energies above 1 GeV
44% are for radiotherapy
9% for industrial processing and research
4% for biomedical and other low-energy research
41% for ion implantation
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11. Liquid metal channels are used for thermal control of solid
targets, accelerator components and experimental stations
dealing with high density beams or radiation that could
generate a high temperature gradient.
Liquid metal targets in particle accelerators are used
for spallation purposes.
Liquid metal dumps are used as a machine protection
mechanism to stop a beam while absorbing and diluting the
power stored in the particle beam.
Liquid metal insertion devices are used in cooling rings to make the
momentum distribution of particles more homogeneous, minimizing
the lateral components.
Liquid Metal Technology for High Energy
Particle Accelerator Targets and Dumps
MAIDANA RESEARCH
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12. A common problem encountered when using liquids is shock wave generation due to heat
deposition resulting from a powerful pulsed beam.
The severe constraints arising from a megawatt
beam deposited on targets and absorbers will
require complex procedures to dilute the beam.
Liquid metals, due to their heat capacity and
density, are excellent materials to heat removal and
spallation.
Liquid Metal Technology for High Energy
Particle Accelerator Targets and Dumps
MAIDANA RESEARCH
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13. Liquid Metal Technology in Industry:
Reconfigurable Electronics
Liquid metals have large surface tension
… and therefore typically adopt a spherical shape
The interfacial energy of a liquid metal can be controlled via electrochemical deposition
(or removal) of an oxide layer on its surface using a low voltage ( 1 -5 volt).
This approach can tune the interfacial tension of a metal significantly, rapidly, and
reversibly using only modest voltages.
This could enable shape-reconfigurable metallic
components:
• electronic,
• electromagnetic, and
• microfluidic devices
http://youtu.be/mB2ZqO5E1Zo
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15. Liquid metals also have the property of being very corrosive and bearing, seal, and
cavitation damage problems associated with impeller pumps in liquid-metal systems
make them not an option and electromagnetic pumps are used instead.
In all electromagnetic pumps, a body forced is produced on a conducting fluid by the
interaction of an electric current and magnetic field in the fluid. This body force results
in a pressure rise in the fluid as it passes from the inlet to the outlet of the pump.
Electromagnetic Pumps: Why?
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MHDPumps
16. Electromagnetic (MHD) Pumps
ConductionInduction
DC Conduction AC Conduction
Electromagnet
Permanent magnet
Stationary magnet
structure
Rotating
magnet structure
Single-phase induction
Poly-phase induction
Flat Linear Induction (FLIP)
Annular Linear Induction (ALIP)
Helical Induction
Annular Linear Induction pump ->
Electromagnetic Pumps: types
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MHDPumps
17. Electromagnetic Pumps:
Annular Linear Induction Pumps (ALIPs) Working Fundamental
Input Voltage powers Group of solenoids
Generates
Traveling Magnetic
Field
3 phase alternate current
Induces
Current on the
surface of the liquid
metal
Generates
E.M. force
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Fundamentals
18. General electromagnetic pump advantages over mechanical pumps
Absence of moving parts Low noise and vibration level
Simplicity of flow rate regulation Easy maintenance
The manifestation of the instability does not allow linear induction pump development
in a certain range of flow rate or the development of high efficiencies under certain
flow rates and dropping pressure conditions.
Problems
Magnetohydrodynamic instability arising in the device
Electromagnetic Pumps: Advantages and Problems
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Advantages
19. Annular Linear Induction Pumps: End Effects
The time-averaged driving force exerted on a liquid
metal flow along the axial direction z for the cases
with (bold curves) and without (normal curves) end
effects.
Comparison of pump efficiencies between two
cases with and without end effects when the
pump operates with different flow velocities
expressed in terms of the slip.
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Endeffects
20. Annular Linear Induction Pumps: Double pulsation
Pressure pulsation and its amplitude spectrum at
f = 50 Hz: (a and b) Rms = 0.75; (c and d) Rms =
1.29; (e and f) Rms = 2.31. Note that the
amplitude spectrum is normalized with the
electromagnetic pressure, pem.
Vibration of pump and pipe: (a) Rms = 0.29,; (b) Rms = 0.29;
(c) Rms = 1.61; (d) Rms = 1.61.[Source: Araseki et al.]
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Instabilities
21. Magnetohydrodynamics of liquid metals
Maxwell Equations (Differential form)
Navier-Stokes Equations (Cylindrical coordinates)
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Equations
22. Equations describing the MagnetoFluidDynamics
Kinematic viscosity
(ratio of the viscous force
to the inertial force)
Momentum equation
Pressure force
Viscous friction
Lorentz force (4)
Including volumetric forces of non-electromagnetic origin
Modified
Momentum equation
Remember the conservation of mass for liquid metals would be given by ,
which expresses the incompressibility of the fluid.
Magnetohydrodynamics of liquid metals
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Equations
23. Induction equation valid in the domain occupied by the fluid:
induction equation
Magnetic Reynolds number
Generated by the mechanical stretching of the field lines due to
the velocity field (and this besides B is constant or B =B(t)).
Describes time evolution
Advection
Diffusion
Field intensity sources
Transport modes
Magnetic diffusivity
Relatively small Rm generates only small perturbations
on the applied field.
If Rm is relatively large then a small current creates a
large induced B field.u0: mean velocity
L : characteristic length
Magnetohydrodynamics of liquid metals
MAIDANA RESEARCH
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Equations
24. Temperature equation valid in the domain occupied by the fluid
Convection –
diffusion equation
Kinetic energy evolution equation in the fluid domain
Other sources of volumetric energy such as
radiation or chemical reactions
Temporal increase in
enthalpy
Joule dissipation
Viscous
dissipation
Magnetohydrodynamics of liquid metals
MAIDANA RESEARCH
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Equations
25. R&D objectives
Develop procedures for the design of liquid metal thermomagnetic systems
Dev. computational tools that model the flow and MHD response of flowing liquid metals
Study and design machine protection subsystems
Develop techniques for active control of liquid metal flow and stabilization in the presence
of plasma instabilities
MAIDANA RESEARCH
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Study the physical processes in place
Development of optimization procedures
Liquid Metal Thermo-magnetic Systems
Modeling Evaluation Validation
Objectives
26. Liquid Metal Thermo-magnetic Systems
Research, Development and Design Process
Basic studies of
Electrical
Mechanical
Thermo-fluid
Parameters
Iterative model development
using
Theoretical
Computational
Experimental
Tools
Development of methods and procedures for design and construction.
Further study of the MHD instabilities and the development of control systems
for active flow control and machine protection.
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PhaseI
PhaseII
RD&DProcess
27. Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Computational Effort
Multi-physics:
• Coupled physical phenomena in computer
simulation.
• The study of multiple interacting physical
properties.
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The design of liquid metal thermo-magnetic
systems and the MHD phenomena analysis
represents a multi-physics problem
Multiphysics
28. MAIDANA RESEARCH
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Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Computational Effort
COMSOL Multiphysics software, an interactive environment for modeling and
simulating scientific and engineering problems
PhaseI
29. MAIDANA RESEARCH
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Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Computational Effort
MATLAB is a high-level technical computing language and interactive
environment for algorithm development, data visualization, data analysis, and
numeric computation.
PhaseI
30. MAIDANA RESEARCH
Scientific Research & Engineering Design
Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Computational Effort
Once our analysts and researchers complete their simulation model we will be able to
package it into an application using the Application Builder. This app will feature a custom
made interface and control method designed by our analysts and researchers for our clients,
co-workers, collaborators, students, and more.
Images made using COMSOL Multiphysics® and provided courtesy of COMSOL®.
PhaseII
31. MAIDANA RESEARCH
Scientific Research & Engineering Design
Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Computational Effort
Before COMSOL Server, only those knowledgeable in COMSOL Multiphysics could run
simulations using this software package. The task of reworking the simulation when new
data was discovered and sharing the new results fell on the simulation specialist. Now you
can create an app that allows people without simulation knowledge to do the work
themselves and let the specialist to deal with the complex analysis and R&D tasks.
COMSOL Server™ is the hub that enables the sharing
and running of simulation applications. Apps can be
run from anywhere in the world and on multiple
computers, can save the end user's input changes
directly through the server, and allow colleagues and
customers access to the simulation expertise of
design and engineering teams.
PhaseII
32. MAIDANA RESEARCH
Scientific Research & Engineering Design
Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Computational Effort
MATLAB can be used for the development of active flow
control, machine protection and other general control
systems using model-based design.
COMSOL Multiphysics is integrated with MATLAB via
the LiveLink for MATLAB, which lets you generate a
MATLAB file version of a simulation built with
COMSOL Multiphysics. We can modify the model
MATLAB file, extend it with MATLAB code, and run it
from MATLAB which can allow the compilation of
specific models that can be used independently as
well as for the development of a low order model of
the MHD flow.
Images made using COMSOL Multiphysics® and provided courtesy of COMSOL.
PhaseII
33. Engineering MHD of Liquid Metals:
Experimental Effort and Code Validation
Different MHD devices should be built and
tested to better understand its engineering
MHD and for further code validation:
• theory,
• modeling process,
• fabrication methods
MAIDANA RESEARCH
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PhaseII
Data gathered during
previous work is available .
34. Anticipated Public Benefits and Market
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Applicability
Liquid Metal Nuclear Fission Reactors Nuclear Fusion Devices
Thermal control systemsNuclear propulsion and power systems
Space Naval
High Energy Particle Accelerators
Targetry Machine Protection
Biomedical Engineering
MHD heart Contrasting agents
Spacecrafts Reactors
Solvers for MHD
Liquid metals Plasmas
Metal Industry
36. Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT)
TREAT was designed to:
Induce intense fission heating in the nuclear fuel being tested.
Test nuclear reactor fuels under severe reactor-accident conditions.
Provide nondestructive test data through neutron radiography of fuel samples
The Transient Reactor Test Facility at Idaho National Laboratory was
specifically built to conduct transient reactor tests where the test
material is subjected to neutron pulses that can simulate conditions
ranging from mild upsets to severe reactor accidents.
These capabilities are required for predicting safety margins for next generation fuels and reactor
design safety
The Transient Reactor Test Facility, commonly referred to as TREAT, is an
air-cooled, thermal spectrum test facility designed to evaluate reactor
fuels and structural materials.
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37. Transient Reactor Test Facility
TREAT is capable of a wide range of operations and test conditions. TREAT can operate at a steady
state power of 100 kW, produce short transients of up to 19 GW, or produce shaped transients
controlled by the TREAT automatic reactor control system. A test assembly can be inserted in the
center of the core. The test assembly is a self contained vehicle, that can contain fuel or materials
for a variety of reactor types.
Experimental Capabilities
The TREAT fuel assemblies are approximately 9 feet long, and 4 inches square in cross section. The
fuel is a graphite uranium mixture, with 1 part uranium to 10,000 parts graphite. The active portion
of the fuel assembly is about 48 inches, with a graphite reflector of about 24 inches above and
below the active portion. The active portion is encased with Zircaloy. The core may be loaded to a
size of 5 feet by 5 feet (nominal) up to 6 feet by 6 feet (maximum), depending on the needs of the
experiment.
Fuel and Core Description
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38. Transient Reactor Test Facility
We will design the Sodium annular linear induction pumps for the TREAT facility.
Collaborative Effort
We will build a prototype to validate our computational methods & the TREAT electromagnetic
pumps design.
We will manufacture the annular linear induction pumps needed by the TREAT facility using the
optimized design developed using our computational methods and validated with a prototype.
Phase I Phase II Phase III
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39. Transient Reactor Test Facility
The Team
Phase I Phase II Phase III
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Scientific Research & Engineering Design
Dr. Carlos O. Maidana
Dr. Daniel M. Wachs
Dr. Robert O’Brien
Dr. Nicolas E. Woolstenhulme
MAIDANA RESEARCH
Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Center for Space Nuclear Research (INL / CAES)
Mr. Juha Nieminen MAIDANA RESEARCH
Computational
Effort
Computational + Experimental Effort Software Deployment + ALIP
Production
Research & Concept
Design
Detailed Design, Software Development, Testing &
Prototyping
Commercialization
40. Modular 40 kWe System with 8-Year Design Life suitable for (Global) Lunar and Mars Surface
Applications
Emplaced Configuration with Regolith Shielding Augmentation Permits Near-Outpost Sitting (<5
rem/yr at 100 m Separation)
Low Temperature, Low Development Risk, Liquid-Metal (NaK) Cooled Reactor with UO2 Fuel
and Stainless Steel Construction
Fission Surface Power Technology Project
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PreviousExperience
41. Annular Linear Induction Pumps (ALIPs)
Integrated to a Fission Surface Power (FSP) Unit
The FSP technology project is a test bed for the development of
other nuclear technologies for space.
The FSP ALIPs were co-designed by Dr. Carlos O. Maidana
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PreviousExperience
