Physical Model Development and Benchmarking for MHD Flows in Blanket Design

75909S A simulation environment, named HIMAG, is under development for modeling incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows relevant to blanket conditions in fusion reactors. This project addresses two important components of this development: (1) incorporating such physical phenomena as turbulence and extending capabilities beyond fluid flow prediction to the modeling of heat transfer with natural convection and mass transfer, including tritium transport and permeation; and (2) designing a sequence of tests to establish code competence for several classes of physical phenomena. In Phase I, a sequence of benchmark problems were studied for single-phase MHD, and strategies were developed to overcome certain key limitations in HIMAG. A two-equation turbulence model was added to the code and preliminary tests were performed. Graphical interfaces were developed to assist a novice user in in learning the code. Phase II will: (1) incorporate recent advances in MHD fluid flow (eg. turbulence, heat transfer with natural convection, and mass transfer including tritium transport and permeation); (2) perform a set of validation exercises to enhance confidence in the accuracy of the code¿s predictive capability; and (3) transition HIMAG into a physical module, with this module serving the function of predicting MHD fluid flow and heat and mass transfer. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the awardee: While the breadth of issues dealing with liquid metal MHD has been rather vast, there is no accepted test cases to which the fusion community is uniformly receptive. In addition to providing these test cases, the new code should find use in metallurgical applications, and MHD-based flow control in aeronautics.