Isothermal Compressor Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations (Final Report)

Researchers at the Department of Energy (DOE) facilities at Oak Ridge perform a variety of basic and applied research involving lasers and laser technology. One of the major strengths at Oak Ridge is the combination of core capabilities in optical materials, optical diagnostics, and sensors. Communities benefiting from these core capabilities include environmental, biomedical, and industrial sponsors. Industry can interact with Oak Ridge in a variety of ways; with Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), through Work for Others (WFO) programs, and as User Center participants. Oak Ridge is also active in sponsoring workshops and symposia for industrial participants like the recently held (December 1993) “Optical Diagnostics in Manufacturing and Process Control” symposium. In this paper, an overview of a selection of laser technologies residing at Oak Ridge is provided. Examples of the application of these technologies are given as well as overviews of several on-going CRADAs with industrial partners.

Based on previous demonstrated success at fabricating 5 and 10 kW scale magnetic gearbox (MGB) prototypes, Emrgy and its partners (the project team) proposed to design and construct a 100 kW scale MGB with a 30:1 gear ratio for the low-head hydro applications. The Statement of Project Objectives included tasks covering: 1) Market Applicability; 2) Technical Metrics; 3) Design (initial); 4) Electromagnetic (EM) Load and Structural Analysis; 5) Modal Analysis; 6) Sealing Design and 7) Final Design during Budget Period 1. Budget Period 2 included tasks covering: 1) Materials Procurement and Test Plan Development; 2) Assembly; and 3) Testing. The Market Applicability study (Task 1) led to a clear conclusion and recommendation toward “Low Head” technologies for maximum market share of both New Stream Reach development as well as powering Non-Powered Dams. The findings of this study also identified the opportunity for a larger scale magnetic gearbox-based drive train as a function of increased torque, as opposed to increased speed. The Technical Metrics Study (Task 2) concluded a horizontal orientation was preferred, examined potential loss mechanisms, concluded that a Halbach Array1 magnetic design was preferred, established a 30:1 gear ratio as optimal, and established a power rating of 100 kW as optimal. The subsequent initial and final detailed design process included electro-magnetic (EM) load and structural analysis (Task 4), a Modal analysis (for vibration) (Task 5), and a sealing design (Task 6) to assure water impermeability. The final design package (Task 7) included 729 individual parts, 117 unique part numbers, and 15 assemblies. In order to facilitate procurement, the full bill of materials was broken down into several sub-components: 1) custom magnetic parts; 2) custom machined parts; 3) custom casted parts; and 4) commercial off the shelf (COTS) parts. The casted parts were fabricated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) via a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Emrgy and funded by the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). The procurement effort (Task 8) ultimately covered three time periods based on challenges encountered in meeting the budgeted cost for the prototype. Following the first effort in the early stages of Budget Period 2 in 2017, a no-cost time extension was granted to seek alternative fabrication and procurement options. The project was re-booted in 2020 based on the new ORNL CRADA that would focus on five (5) of the more difficult and expensive parts using their advanced manufacturing expertise. Procurement efforts for the other custom machined parts resulted in quotations that still exceeded the budget by more than $100k. This was, in part, also due to the concurrent COVID-19 pandemic that caused both supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. As the project continued, pricing and availability degraded further. In Q2 FY’22, it was decided to not proceed with the fabrication of the prototype (Task 9) based on budgetary limitations. Outcomes included a full and detailed design of a 100 kW magnetic gearbox and associated indented bill of materials (BOM) and CAD drawings, a full assembly instruction manual with an associated BOM for materials necessary to support assembly, the fabrication of the double Halbach magnetic array for the rotor/stator system, fabrication of five (5) sand-casted/machined parts (via CRADA with ORNL) and an initial draft of a comprehensive testing plan. The most significant non-outcome was the actual fabrication and testing of the prototype gearbox based on budget limitations. Lessons learned included the need for an Application / Design / Cost trade analysis to better elucidate the cost potential of the MGB in the projected volumes anticipated for future demand. This would better establish the efficacy of the original cost target ($0.80/Watt) and/or the need for reconsideration of designs and applications. Likewise, additional consideration of the prototype nature of the gearbox – single use, short lifetime, etc. - either as a separate exercise or in place of the design process completed, to reduce the cost of the demonstration prototype device. Additionally, project continuity was cited as a significant risk based on the loss of the primary design engineering firm after Budget Period 1. A design analysis exercise was conducted at the conclusion of the project to identify potential areas for cost reduction. One concept considered was the removal of the inner ring of magnets (with associated changes in the outer ring magnets) to enable a horizontal collapse of the design. It was estimated this could reduce cost by 10-25% without impacting performance.

This article examines 582 cooperative research and development agreements (CRDAs) between federal (Air Force) agencies and other partners. Those CRDAs that exchange technology in novel phases of development tend to be long in duration relative to agreements that share mature technology. While novel projects could just take longer to complete, the findings also suggest that holdup risks increase in novelty. The geographic proximity of partners also affects CRDA duration positively, which is consistent with higher levels of tacit technology exchange. Repeat CRDAs tend to be shorter in duration, which is evidence of reputation effects. Duration of CRDAs decreases over time, which supports the argument that organizational form familiarity reduces the risks of negotiating agreements. In addition, CRDAs complement other modes of governance and methods to finance innovation. Cooperative research and development agreements with for‐profit partners are nearly 50 percent shorter than those with nonprofit p...

Researchers at the Department of Energy (DOE) facilities at Oak Ridge perform a variety of basic and applied research involving lasers and laser technology. One of the major strengths at Oak Ridge is the combination of core capabilities in optical materials, optical diagnostics, and sensors. Communities benefiting from these core capabilities include environmental, biomedical, and industrial sponsors. Industry can interact with Oak Ridge in a variety of ways: with Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), through Work for Others (WFO) programs, and as User Center participants. Oak Ridge is also active in sponsoring workshops and symposia for industrial participants like the Optical Diagnostics in Manufacturing and Process Control symposium held in December 1993. In this paper, an overview of a selection of laser technologies residing at Oak Ridge is provided. Examples of the application of these technologies are given as well as overviews of several on‐going CRADAs with industrial partners.

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) NFE-18-07313 between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Nth Cycle Inc. focused on developing a technology for sustainable recycling of rare earth and specialty metals (e.g., Y, Co, Li; RESE), as well as bulk and precious metals from industrial manufacturing and waste streams through the use of electrochemical carbon nanotube-enabled filters. The project outcome was expected to be a stronger mechanistic understanding of the electrochemical recovery of metals from real manufacturing process streams and e-waste streams, and the development of an optimized high-throughput pilot-scale device ready for commercialization. Testing, design, and development of a v1 prototype to prove the technology was unsuccessful (we were not able to reach the go/no-go outlined in Objective 1) and we were unable to continue our redesign due to COVID-19 lockdown and no access to lab from March 2020 – until our graduation from the program.

In 2000, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was undertaken between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Catalytica Energy Systems Incorporated (CESI) to determine the properties of current metallic catalyst supports and examine new candidate alloys for this application. A team was established at ORNL to examine oxidation-limited lifetime of these thin-walled metallic components using standard lifetime models and to measure the mechanical properties of the foils (40-200:m in thickness) which can differ substantially from bulk properties. Oxidation experiments were conducted on foil specimens at 700-1100 C in laboratory air and in air with 10 vol.% water vapor to better simulate the combustor environment. At the higher test temperatures, time to oxidation-induced (i.e. breakaway oxidation) failure was determined in 1h cycles in order to verify predictions from a standard reservoir-type oxidation lifetime model. Selected specimens were run for >10,000h in 100 or 500h cycles at lower test temperatures in order to determine the oxidation kinetics for the model. The creep properties of selected foils were measured for 4,000-8,000h at operation-relevant stresses and temperatures. None of the new candidate alloys significantly out-performed currently used alloys in laboratory testing, particularly in oxidation lifetime testing. Therefore, engine testing was not performed on any of the new candidate alloys. Both the oxidation- and creep-resistance of FeCrAl alloys was greater than expected and the results of the CRADA allowed CESI to extend life or increase operating temperatures for these lower cost substrate alloys in the next generation of catalyst modules. Three work areas were defined for the CRADA. The first area was investigating the oxidation behavior of current and candidate alloy foils. The goal was to obtain data such as the oxidation rate as a function of temperature and environment, the time to breakaway oxidation at high test temperatures and the residual Al alloy content at breakaway oxidation. These inputs are needed for a standard reservoir-type oxidation model. The second work area was to use the experimental data to model the oxidation-limited lifetime of foil materials as a function of temperature, foil thickness and composition. The third task was to measure mechanical properties, in particular creep rates and creep to failure life, of similar foils at application relevant temperatures and stress levels.

In this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) assisted nLine Corporation of Austin, TX in the development of prototype semiconductor wafer inspection tools based on the direct-to-digital holographic (DDH) techniques invented at ORNL. Key components of this work included, testing of DDH for detection of defects in High Aspect Ratio (HAR) structures, development of image processing techniques to enhance detection capabilities through the use of both phase and intensity, and development of methods for autofocus on the DDH tools.

The project ''Reinforcement of Aluminum Casting with Dissimilar Metal'' was a Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Cummins Inc. This project, technologies have been developed to reinforce aluminum castings with steel insert. Defect-free bond between the steel insert and the aluminum casting has been consistently obtained. The push-out experiment indicated that the bond strength is higher than that of the Al-Fin method. Two patents have been granted to the project team that is comprised of Cummins Inc. and ORNL. This report contains four sections: the coating of the steel pins, the cast-in method, microstructure characterization, and the bond strength. The section of the coating of the steel pins contains coating material selection, electro-plating technique for plating Cu and Ni on steel, and diffusion bonding of the coatings to the steel. The section of cast-in method deals with factors that affecting the quality of the metallurgical bond between the coated steel and the aluminum castings. The results of microstructure characteristics of the bonding are presented in the microstructure characterization section. A push-out experiment and the results obtained using this method is described in the section of bond strength/mechanical property.

Between October 2007 and September 2017, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Lennox Industries, Inc. (Lennox) engaged in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to develop an air-source integrated heat pump (AS-IHP) system for the US residential market. The Lennox AS-IHP concept consisted of a high-efficiency air-source heat pump (ASHP) for space heating and cooling services and a separate heat pump water heater/dehumidifier (WH/DH) module for domestic water heating and dehumidification (DH) services. A key feature of this system approach with the separate WH/DH is capability to pretreat (i.e., dehumidify) ventilation air and dedicated whole-house DH independent of the ASHP. Two generations of laboratory prototype WH/DH units were designed, fabricated, and lab tested. Performance maps for the system were developed using the latest research version of the US Department of Energy/ORNL heat pump design model (Rice 1992; Rice and Jackson 2005; Shen et al. 2012) as calibrated against the lab test data. These maps served as the input to TRNSYS (Solar Energy Laboratory et al. 2010) to predict annual performance relative to a baseline suite of equipment meeting minimum efficiency standards in effect in 2006 (i.e., a combination of an ASHP with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 13 and resistance water heater with an energy factor (EF) of 0.9). Predicted total annual energy savings (based on use of a two-speed ASHP and the second-generation WH/DH prototype for the AS-IHP), while providing space conditioning, water heating, and dehumidification for a tight, well-insulated 2600 ft2 (242 m2) house at three US locations, ranged from 33 to 36%, averaging 35%, relative to the baseline system. The lowest savings were seen at the cold-climate Chicago location. Predicted energy use for water heating was reduced by about 50 to 60% relative to a resistance WH.

Optimization methods have been widely applied to the aerodynamic design of gas turbine blades. While applying optimization to high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations has proven capable of improving engineering design performance, a challenge has been overcoming the prolonged run-time due to the computationally expensive CFD runs. Reduced-order models and, more recently, machine learning methods have been increasingly used in gas turbine studies to predict performance metrics and operational characteristics, model turbulence, and optimize designs. The application of machine learning methods allows for utilizing existing knowledge and datasets from different sources, such as previous experiments, CFD, low-fidelity simulations, 1D or system-level studies. The present study investigates inserting a machine learning model that utilizes such data into a high-fidelity CFD driven optimization process, and hence effectively reduces the number of required evaluations of the CFD model. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were trained on data from over three thousand two-dimensional (2D) CFD analyses of turbine blade cross-sections. The trained ANN models were then used as surrogates in a nested optimization process alongside a full three-dimensional Navier–Stokes CFD simulation. The much lower evaluation cost of the ANN model allows for tens of thousands of design evaluations to guide the search of the best blade profiles to be used in the more expensive, high-fidelity CFD runs, improving the progress of the optimization while reducing the required computation time. It is estimated that the current workflow achieves a five-fold reduction in computational time in comparison to an optimization process that is based on three-dimensional (3D) CFD simulations alone. The methodology is demonstrated on the NASA/General Electric Energy Efficient Engine (E3) high pressure turbine blade and found Pareto front designs with improved blade efficiency and power over the baseline. Quantitative analysis of the optimization data reveals that some design parameters in the present study are more influential than others, such as the lean angle and tip scaling factor. Examining the optimized designs also provides insight into the physics, showing that the optimized designs have a lower amount of pressure drop near the trailing edge, but have an earlier onset of pressure drop on the suction side surface when compared to the baseline design, contributing to the observed improvements in efficiency and power.

Since the late 1980s, the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) has been a prominent vehicle used to support collaboration between US federal laboratories and private firms. This paper examines the structure and goals of one of the most ambitious CRADAs conducted to date, the EUV CRADA, which involves three Department of Energy laboratories and leading US firms in the semiconductor industry and is aimed at the development of next-generation lithographic technologies. This large project is an important case study in ‘post-Cold-War’ technology policy and government-industry collaboration. Although the EUV project represents significant improvements in the design and management of CRADAs, it also illustrates the inherent difficulties of balancing political and economic goals in complex technology development programs.

Bench test and computational fluid dynamics (CFD ) simulation of the air pump loss on the 380 hydraulic retarder are completed in this paper . It turns out that the CFD simulation has nice reliability from the contrast of the air pump loss between the test and the simulation . And on this foundation , CFD simulation of two kinds of retarders with different turbulent structures is done . The contrast of the results of the simulation give the effects of different turbulent structures on cutting down the are pump loss .

: The term 'Cooperative Research and Development Agreement' means any agreement between one or more Federal laboratories and one or more non-Federal parties under which the Government, through its laboratories, provides personnel, services, facilities, equipment, or other resources with or without reimbursement (but not funds to non-Federal parties) and the non-Federal parties provide funds, personnel, services, facilities, equipment, or other resources toward the conduct of specified research or development efforts which are consistent with the missions of the laboratory; except that such term does not include a procurement contract or cooperative agreement as those terms are used in Sections 6303, 6304, and 6305 of Title 31, U.S. Code.

In this review, the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in analyzing thermal processes within food technology is explored. The focus is on understanding heat transfer, fluid flow, and temperature distribution during various food processing methods, such as baking, frying, pasteurization, and cooling. Detailed insights that are often challenging to obtain through experimental methods alone are provided by CFD simulations, allowing for the optimization of process parameters to enhance product quality and safety. It is demonstrated that CFD can effectively model complex thermal phenomena, providing valuable data on temperature gradients and flow patterns. These simulations assist in the designing of more efficient processing equipment, improving energy consumption, and ensuring uniform heat treatment, which is crucial for maintaining the nutritional and sensory attributes of food products. Furthermore, the integration of CFD in the food industry leads to significant advancements in product development, reducing the time and cost associated with experimental trials. Future research should focus on refining these models for greater accuracy and exploring their application in emerging food processing technologies.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Nu-Energie, LLC entered into a Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA) for the purpose of demonstrating and deploying a novel technology for the continuous synthesis and recovery of biodiesel from the transesterification of triglycerides. The focus of the work was the demonstration of a combination Couette reactor and centrifugal separator - an invention of ORNL researchers - that facilitates both product synthesis and recovery from reaction byproducts in the same apparatus. At present, transesterification of triglycerides to produce biodiesel is performed in batch-type reactors with an excess of a chemical catalyst, which is required to achieve high reactant conversions in reasonable reaction times (e.g., 1 hour). The need for long reactor residence times requires use of large reactors and ancillary equipment (e.g., feed and product tankage), and correspondingly large facilities, in order to obtain the economy of scale required to make the process economically viable. Hence, the goal of this CRADA was to demonstrate successful, extended operation of a laboratory-scale reactor/separator prototype to process typical industrial reactant materials, and to design, fabricate, and test a production-scale unit for deployment at the biodiesel production site. Because of its ease of operation, rapid attainment of steady state, high mass transfer and phase separation efficiencies, and compact size, a centrifugal contactor was chosen for intensification of the biodiesel production process. The unit was modified to increase the residence time from a few seconds to minutes*. For this application, liquid phases were introduced into the reactor as separate streams. One was composed of the methanol and base catalyst and the other was the soy oil used in the experiments. Following reaction in the mixing zone, the immiscible glycerine and methyl ester products were separated in the high speed rotor and collected from separate ports. Results from laboratory operations showed that the ASTM specification for bound acylglycerides was achieved only at extended reaction times ({approx}25 min) using a single-stage batch contact at elevated temperature and pressure. In the single-pass configuration, the time required gives no throughput advantage over the current batch reaction process. The limitation seems to be the presence of glycerine, which hinders complete conversion because of reversible reactions. Significant improvement in quality was indicated after a second and third passes, where product from the first stage was collected and separated from the glycerine, and further reacted with a minor addition of methanol. Chemical kinetics calculations suggest that five consecutive stages of 2 min residence time would produce better than ASTM specification fuel with no addition of methanol past the first stage. Additional stages may increase the capital investment, but the increase should be offset by reduced operating costs and a factor of 3 higher throughput. Biodiesel, a mixture of methyl esters, is made commercially from the transesterification of oil, often soy oil (see Reaction 1). The kinetics of the transesterification process is rapid; however, multiphase separations after the synthesis of the fuel can be problematic. Therefore, the process is typically run in batch mode. The biodiesel fuel and the glycerine product take several hours to separate. In addition, to push yields to completion, an excess of methoxide catalyst is typically used, which has to be removed from both the biodiesel and the glycerine phase after reaction. Washing steps are often employed to remove free fatty acids, which can lead to undesirable saponification. Standards for biodiesel purity are based either on the removal of contaminants before the oil feedstock is esterified or on the separation of unwanted by-products. Various methods have been examined to enhance either the pretreatment of biodiesel feedstocks or the posttreatment of reaction products, including the use of a cavitation reactor in the process intensification of the homogeneous acid catalysis of transesterification. Centrifugal mixing has been applied to biodiesel production, using the contactor as a low-throughput homogenizer, employing very low flow rates to increase residence times to tens of minutes. In this study, we have combined the reaction of oil and methoxide with the online separation of biodiesel and glycerine into one processing step, using a modified centrifugal contactor. Two distinct phases enter the reactor (reagents), and two distinct phases leave the reactor/separator (products), thus demonstrating the application of process intensification to high-throughput biofuel production. ORNL has been designing, fabricating, and operating centrifugal contactors for the selective extraction of actinide elements for over 25 years.