Equipment

Laboratory

By studying fluid motion and heat transfer, we directly contribute to an improved understanding and modeling of phenomena that significantly influence the efficiency, reliability and safety of many industrial processes, especially in classical and nuclear energy.

As an important part of basic research, where numerical and theoretical studies are insufficient, we also study single and two-phase phenomena experimentally. Cutting edge measurement equipment with conjunction with NI-PIXe data acquisition system and LabVIEW are used for precise determination of different flow parameters. With high-speed camera and double cavity pulsed laser measurements of fluid velocity fields are also possible using particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique.

 
Photo Arne Hodalič, Katja Bidovec Delo.

Computer clusters

Computer-based simulations are a modern approach to solving scientific and engineering challenges in nuclear engineering. They are used as a complementary tool in addition to theoretical and experimental methods. Simulations require excellent knowledge of computer modelling as well as superior software and hardware.

To solve complex computational intensive problems which need a lot of processing power and memory we use computer clusters Skuta, Razor and Krn. Computer cluster consists of computational nodes where several processor cores share memory. This allows us to solve problems in parallel and significantly reduce the computation time.

Computer clusters at R4.

Software

Researchers at the department are using our own developed programs and tools as well as state of the art commercial and freely available software packages. Software packages allow us to:

• generate mesh on the selected geometry;
• describe the physics of a problem, such as material properties, boundary and initial conditions;
• parallel solving on computer cluster;
• process and visualize results.
  
  

Modelling of fluid mechanics (CFD):

• ANSYS CFX;
• ANSYS FLUENT;
• OpenFOAM;
• ICEM CFD.

Modelling of structural mechanics (FEA/FEM):

• SIMULIA ABAQUS;
• Neper.

Specialized programs for modelling in nuclear engineering:

• MC3D, computer code for the simulation of fuel-coolant interactions, being developed by IRSN, France;
• MELCOR, computer code for the simulation of severe accidents in nuclear power plants, developed at Sandia National Laboratories, ZDA;
• system codes for simulation of severe accidents: ASTEC, CONTAIN;
• computer program WAHA code for simulations of 1D water hammer in two-phase systems;
• RELAP5, computer code for thermal hydraulics of nuclear power plants;
• TRACE, program for deterministic safety analysis, animated with SNAP;
• TRIPOLI-4, general purpose radiation transport code which uses the Monte Carlo method to simulate neutron and photon behaviour in three-dimensional geometries.

Page editor: Matej Tekavčič