Simulation and Modelling the Heterogeneous Effects of the Microstructure MOX Fuels on their Effective Properties in Nominal Pressure Water Reactor Conditions

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 91-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigue Largenton ◽  
Victor Blanc ◽  
Philippe Thevenin ◽  
Daniel Baron

The experimental Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) characterizations on the MOX fuels evidence a heterogeneous microstructure, containing several phases. This heterogeneity must be accounted for in the numerical simulation. The first phase of this work, presented here, concerns exclusively the numerical representation of the MOX microstructure in three dimensions. Three identified steps were realized. The first one consisted in the acquisition and the treatment of two-dimensional experimental pictures thanks to a soft-ware already developed [1]. From the made treatments, the following bi-dimensional data were acquired: the surface fraction of every phase, the various diameters of inclusions within a phase as well as their surfaces fractions. However, within the framework of our study, we wished to represent our heterogeneous microstructure in three dimensions. Except, the data, supplied by this soft-ware, were bi-dimensional. Therefore, the second step of our works deal with the stereological domain. The model of Saltykov [2] was used to go back up the two-dimensional statistical information in three-dimensional. Finally, the last step of our works was to develop a tool able to build a meshed periodic numerical representation of the MOX microstructure. This innovative tool, based on a Random Sequential Absorption technique, represents MOX fuels already irradiated in reactor or any heterogeneous fuels envisaged in the future as well. For example it models two or three phases MOX fuel or any multi-phases fuels as well. Moreover, the sizes of the inclusions can vary within each phase. At the moment, the tool models spherical inclusions but nothing prevents from evolving towards more complex morphologies.

2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Chu

The Navy’s mine impact burial prediction model creates a time history of a cylindrical or a noncylindrical mine as it falls through air, water, and sediment. The output of the model is the predicted mine trajectory in air and water columns, burial depth/orientation in sediment, as well as height, area, and volume protruding. Model inputs consist of parameters of environment, mine characteristics, and initial release. This paper reviews near three decades’ effort on model development from one to three dimensions: (1) one-dimensional models predict the vertical position of the mine’s center of mass (COM) with the assumption of constant falling angle, (2) two-dimensional models predict the COM position in the (x,z) plane and the rotation around the y-axis, and (3) three-dimensional models predict the COM position in the (x,y,z) space and the rotation around the x-, y-, and z-axes. These models are verified using the data collected from mine impact burial experiments. The one-dimensional model only solves one momentum equation (in the z-direction). It cannot predict the mine trajectory and burial depth well. The two-dimensional model restricts the mine motion in the (x,z) plane (which requires motionless for the environmental fluids) and uses incorrect drag coefficients and inaccurate sediment dynamics. The prediction errors are large in the mine trajectory and burial depth prediction (six to ten times larger than the observed depth in sand bottom of the Monterey Bay). The three-dimensional model predicts the trajectory and burial depth relatively well for cylindrical, near-cylindrical mines, and operational mines such as Manta and Rockan mines.


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 965-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hepp ◽  
A. J. Van Opstal ◽  
D. Straumann ◽  
B. J. Hess ◽  
V. Henn

1. Although the eye has three rotational degrees of freedom, eye positions, during fixations, saccades, and smooth pursuit, with the head stationary and upright, are constrained to a plane by ListingR's law. We investigated whether Listing's law for rapid eye movements is implemented at the level of the deeper layers of the superior colliculus (SC). 2. In three alert rhesus monkeys we tested whether the saccadic motor map of the SC is two dimensional, representing oculocentric target vectors (the vector or V-model), or three dimensional, representing the coordinates of the rotation of the eye from initial to final position (the quaternion or Q-model). 3. Monkeys made spontaneous saccadic eye movements both in the light and in the dark. They were also rotated about various axes to evoke quick phases of vestibular nystagmus, which have three degrees of freedom. Eye positions were measured in three dimensions with the magnetic search coil technique. 4. While the monkey made spontaneous eye movements, we electrically stimulated the deeper layers of the SC and elicited saccades from a wide range of initial positions. According to the Q-model, the torsional component of eye position after stimulation should be uniquely related to saccade onset position. However, stimulation at 110 sites induced no eye torsion, in line with the prediction of the V-model. 5. Activity of saccade-related burst neurons in the deeper layers of the SC was analyzed during rapid eye movements in three dimensions. No systematic eye-position dependence of the movement fields, as predicted by the Q-model, could be detected for these cells. Instead, the data fitted closely the predictions made by the V-model. 6. In two monkeys, both SC were reversibly inactivated by symmetrical bilateral injections of muscimol. The frequency of spontaneous saccades in the light decreased dramatically. Although the remaining spontaneous saccades were slow, Listing's law was still obeyed, both during fixations and saccadic gaze shifts. In the dark, vestibularly elicited fast phases of nystagmus could still be generated in three dimensions. Although the fastest quick phases of horizontal and vertical nystagmus were slower by about a factor of 1.5, those of torsional quick phases were unaffected. 7. On the basis of the electrical stimulation data and the properties revealed by the movement field analysis, we conclude that the collicular motor map is two dimensional. The reversible inactivation results suggest that the SC is not the site where three-dimensional fast phases of vestibular nystagmus are generated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Author(s):  
Nicholas H. Wasserman

Contemporary technologies have impacted the teaching and learning of mathematics in significant ways, particularly through the incorporation of dynamic software and applets. Interactive geometry software such as Geometers Sketchpad (GSP) and GeoGebra has transformed students' ability to interact with the geometry of plane figures, helping visualize and verify conjectures. Similar to what GSP and GeoGebra have done for two-dimensional geometry in mathematics education, SketchUp™ has the potential to do for aspects of three-dimensional geometry. This chapter provides example cases, aligned with the Common Core State Standards in mathematics, for how the dynamic and unique features of SketchUp™ can be integrated into the K-12 mathematics classroom to support and aid students' spatial reasoning and knowledge of three-dimensional figures.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Oishi ◽  
Geoffrey M. Vasil ◽  
Morgan Baxter ◽  
Andrew Swan ◽  
Keaton J. Burns ◽  
...  

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) occurs when a weak magnetic field destabilizes a rotating, electrically conducting fluid with inwardly increasing angular velocity. The MRI is essential to astrophysical disc theory where the shear is typically Keplerian. Internal shear layers in stars may also be MRI-unstable, and they take a wide range of profiles, including near-critical. We show that the fastest growing modes of an ideal magnetofluid are three-dimensional provided the shear rate, S , is near the two-dimensional onset value, S c . For a Keplerian shear, three-dimensional modes are unstable above S  ≈ 0.10 S c , and dominate the two-dimensional modes until S  ≈ 2.05 S c . These three-dimensional modes dominate for shear profiles relevant to stars and at magnetic Prandtl numbers relevant to liquid-metal laboratory experiments. Significant numbers of rapidly growing three-dimensional modes remainy well past 2.05 S c . These finding are significant in three ways. First, weakly nonlinear theory suggests that the MRI saturates by pushing the shear rate to its critical value. This can happen for systems, such as stars and laboratory experiments, that can rearrange their angular velocity profiles. Second, the non-normal character and large transient growth of MRI modes should be important whenever three-dimensionality exists. Finally, three-dimensional growth suggests direct dynamo action driven from the linear instability.


1993 ◽  
Vol 132 ◽  
pp. 73-89
Author(s):  
Yi-Sui Sun

AbstractWe have systematically made the numerical exploration about the perturbation extension of area-preserving mappings to three-dimensional ones, in which the fixed points of area preserving are elliptic, parabolic or hyperbolic respectively. It has been observed that: (i) the invariant manifolds in the vicinity of the fixed point generally don’t exist (ii) when the invariant curve of original two-dimensional mapping exists the invariant tubes do also in the neighbourhood of the invariant curve (iii) for the perturbation extension of area-preserving mapping the invariant manifolds can only be generated in the subset of the invariant manifolds of original two-dimensional mapping, (iv) for the perturbation extension of area preserving mappings with hyperbolic or parabolic fixed point the ordered region near and far from the invariant curve will be destroyed by perturbation more easily than the other one, This is a result different from the case with the elliptic fixed point. In the latter the ordered region near invariant curve is solid. Some of the results have been demonstrated exactly.Finally we have discussed the Kolmogorov Entropy of the mappings and studied some applications.


Recent results of theoretical and practical importance prove that the two-dimensional (in-plane) effective (average) Young’s modulus for an isotropic elastic material containing voids is independent of the Poisson’s ratio of the matrix material. This result is true regardless of the shape and morphology of the voids so long as isotropy is maintained. The present work uses this proof to obtain explicit analytical forms for the effective Young’s modulus property, forms which simplify greatly because of this characteristic. In some cases, the optimal morphology for the voids can be identified, giving the shapes of the voids, at fixed volume, that maximize the effective Young’s modulus in the two-dimensional situation. Recognizing that two-dimensional isotropy is a subset of three-dimensional transversely isotropic media, it is shown in this more general case that three of the five properties are independent of Poisson’s ratio, leaving only two that depend upon it. For three-dimensionally isotropic composite media containing voids, it is shown that a somewhat comparable situation exists whereby the three-dimensional Young’s modulus is insensitive to variations in Poisson’s ratio, v m , over the range 0 ≤ v m ≤ ½, although the same is not true for negative values of v m . This further extends the practical usefulness of the two-dimensional result to three-dimensional conditions for realistic values of v m .


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (06) ◽  
pp. 1430017 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernández-Guasti

The quadratic iteration is mapped using a nondistributive real scator algebra in three dimensions. The bound set S has a rich fractal-like boundary. Periodic points on the scalar axis are necessarily surrounded by off axis divergent magnitude points. There is a one-to-one correspondence of this set with the bifurcation diagram of the logistic map. The three-dimensional S set exhibits self-similar 3D copies of the elementary fractal along the negative scalar axis. These 3D copies correspond to the windows amid the chaotic behavior of the logistic map. Nonetheless, the two-dimensional projection becomes identical to the nonfractal quadratic iteration produced with hyperbolic numbers. Two- and three-dimensional renderings are presented to explore some of the features of this set.


1971 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Nash ◽  
R. R. Tseng

SummaryThis paper presents the results of some calculations of the incompressible turbulent boundary layer on an infinite yawed wing. A discussion is made of the effects of increasing lift coefficient, and increasing Reynolds number, on the displacement thickness, and on the magnitude and direction of the skin friction. The effects of the state of the boundary layer (laminar or turbulent) along the attachment line are also considered.A study is made to determine whether the behaviour of the boundary layer can adequately be predicted by a two-dimensional calculation. It is concluded that there is no simple way to do this (as is provided, in the laminar case, by the principle of independence). However, with some modification, a two-dimensional calculation can be made to give an acceptable numerical representation of the chordwise components of the flow.


1996 ◽  
Vol 07 (05) ◽  
pp. 717-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDER V. POTAPOV ◽  
CHARLES S. CAMPBELL

This paper describes an extension into three dimensions of an existing two-dimensional technique for simulating brittle solid fracture. The fracture occurs on a simulated solid created by "gluing" together space-filling polyhedral elements with compliant interelement joints. Such a material can be shown to have well-defined elastic properties. However, the "glue" can only support a specified tensile stress and breaks when that stress is exceeded. In this manner, a crack can propagate across the simulated material. A comparison with experiment shows that the simulation can accurately reproduce the size distributions for all fragments with linear dimensions greater than three element sizes.


1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristinn R. Thorisson

The most common visual feedback technique in teleoperation is in the form of monoscopic video displays. As robotic autonomy increases and the human operator takes on the role of a supervisor, three-dimensional information is effectively presented by multiple, televised, two-dimensional (2-D) projections showing the same scene from different angles. To analyze how people go about using such segmented information for estimations about three-dimensional (3-D) space, 18 subjects were asked to determine the position of a stationary pointer in space; eye movements and reaction times (RTs) were recorded during a period when either two or three 2-D views were presented simultaneously, each showing the same scene from a different angle. The results revealed that subjects estimated 3-D space by using a simple algorithm of feature search. Eye movement analysis supported the conclusion that people can efficiently use multiple 2-D projections to make estimations about 3-D space without reconstructing the scene mentally in three dimensions. The major limiting factor on RT in such situations is the subjects' visual search performance, giving in this experiment a mean of 2270 msec (SD = 468; N = 18). This conclusion was supported by predictions of the Model Human Processor (Card, Moran, & Newell, 1983), which predicted a mean RT of 1820 msec given the general eye movement patterns observed. Single-subject analysis of the experimental data suggested further that in some cases people may base their judgments on a more elaborate 3-D mental model reconstructed from the available 2-D views. In such situations, RTs and visual search patterns closely resemble those found in the mental rotation paradigm (Just & Carpenter, 1976), giving RTs in the range of 5-10 sec.


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