[Colloquium] REMINDER: Seminar Announcement: High-Fidelity Multiphysics Simulations for Fluid Transport Phenomena: from Thermal Hydraulics to MRI-Driven Angular Momentum Transport and Dynamo

[Ninfa Mayorga]

Computation Institute Presentation

Speaker: Aleksandr Obabko, Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory
Date: September 15, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location: Argonne National Laboratory,TCS/Room 5C2 (5172), The University of Chicago, Searle 240a, 5735 S. Ellis Ave

High-Fidelity Multiphysics Simulations for Fluid Transport Phenomena: from Thermal Hydraulics to MRI-Driven Angular Momentum Transport and Dynamo 

We present high-fidelity numerical simulations of Navier-Stokes and magnetohydrodynamics solutions for a variety of multiphysics nonlinear problems. Our approach is based on application of high-order spectral element methods in the framework of large-eddy/direct numerical simulations with a goal of performing validation and verification while building a hierarchy of fidelity models applicable to the broad range of theoretical and engineering problems.

One set of solutions presented here addresses the long-standing issue of angular momentum transport and dynamos in astrophysical accretion disks around compact objects. Using a Princeton liquid gallium magnetorotational instability (MRI) experiment for validation, we study the emergence and saturation of MRI that is widely accepted to be responsible for the loss of orbital momentum and energy release in accretion disks powering the most energetic phenomena in the universe. In another class of simulations, we discuss thermal-hydraulic turbulence and transport in nuclear reactors relevant to the safety and cost improvements in future nuclear power plant designs. Reactor simulations have been identified as a promising area of national importance to be addressed through exascale computing. The role of high-fidelity simulations in thermal hydraulics will be illustrated in validation experiments involving an OEDC/NEA T-junction benchmark and Argonne's MAX experiment.

We will also discuss our approach to analysis and data management for large-scale computations.