Parallel Algorithms and Software for Nuclear, Energy, and Environmental Applications Part I: Multiphysics Algorithms

Journal Article · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Communications in Computational Physics

OSTI ID:1036775

Gaston, Derek; Guo, Luanjing; Hansen, Glen; Huang, Hai; Johnson, Richard; PArk, HyeongKae; Podgorney, Robert; Tonks, Michael; Williamson, Richard

There is a growing trend within energy and environmental simulation to consider tightly coupled solutions to multiphysics problems. This can be seen in nuclear reactor analysis where analysts are interested in coupled flow, heat transfer and neutronics, and in nuclear fuel performance simulation where analysts are interested in thermomechanics with contact coupled to species transport and chemistry. In energy and environmental applications, energy extraction involves geomechanics, flow through porous media and fractured formations, adding heat transport for enhanced oil recovery and geothermal applications, and adding reactive transport in the case of applications modeling the underground flow of contaminants. These more ambitious simulations usually motivate some level of parallel computing. Many of the physics coupling efforts to date utilize simple code coupling or first-order operator splitting, often referred to as loose coupling. While these approaches can produce answers, they usually leave questions of accuracy and stability unanswered. Additionally, the different physics often reside on distinct meshes and data are coupled via simple interpolation, again leaving open questions of stability and accuracy.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1036775
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU-10-20006
• Journal Information: Communications in Computational Physics, Journal Name: Communications in Computational Physics Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 12
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
ACCURACY
ALGORITHMS
CHEMISTRY
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
HEAT TRANSFER
INTERPOLATION
Jacobian-free Newton Krylov
NUCLEAR FUELS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICS
REACTORS
SIMULATION
STABILITY
TRANSPORT
finite element applications
multiphysics simulation
physics- based preconditioning