What is Thermal
Hydraulics? Thermal Hydraulics (T/H) is the the study and/or analysis
of a fluid that is influenced by the addition of heat. The fluid
could be a multi-component, multi-phase fluid that is usually flowing
or accelerating in a fixed structure, e.g.., piping system or large
vessel. The heat can be added in many different ways. For example,
heat can be added to the fluid from conduction through a heat exchanger
or by radiation heat transfer from extremely hot rods. Because of
the potentially complicated nature of thermal hydraulic engineering
and analysis, the methods used to simulate the behavior of the multi-phase
fluid flow are very complicated.
Thermal Hydraulics Central is dedicated to providing the most up
to date information in the area of thermal hydraulics and fluid
dynamic engineering and analysis. The site has extensive information
on fluid dynamics and heat transfer, which are integral technical
specialties of thermal hydraulics. T/H Central also provides information
on many areas of fluid flow, material properties, numerical methods,
research, computer software and other related topics. Thermal Hydraulics
Central provides free calculators and information for many fluid
flow related areas. So look around and enjoy. If you know of a better
information source, let us know at SiteManager@THCentral.com .
Thermal-hydraulic evaluation and analysis is one of the many
engineering services provided by EDA, Inc.. Thermal-hydraulic
evaluation and analysis is a very specialized field and should
be performed by experienced engineering personnel. EDA, Inc. has
the experience and knowledge to complete the most challenging
thermal-hydraulic assessments.
EDA, Inc. has experience in the following areas:
Steady State fluid flow
simulation with and without heat transfer, e. g., feedwater
and service water system balancing.
Multi-Component, two-phase flow simulation,
e. g., a) steam flow into a nitrogen filed containment, b)
forces caused by a pump start after air is
drawn into the pipe line by condensing
steam
Transient two-phase simulation, e. g.,
a) simulating the behavior of a reactor power plant during
a small break in the primary or secondary
systems or during an anticipate transient
without scram.
Loss-of-Coolant-Accident simulations.
These events are primarily evaluated for nuclear power plants.
All aspects of thermal hydraulic simulation
are explored including reactor kinetics
and decay heat.
.
These are just a few examples. To get more detailed experience for
one of the EDA, Inc. principals, go to an EDA Resume.
A Thermal-Hydraulic evaluation consists
generally of three parts.
A review
of the problem and/or problem objectives should be performed
so decisions on resources, such as computer tools, can be
made
successfully. This,
of course is the most crucial part of the evaluation process.
The engineer should look at all aspects of the problem and/or
mission to determine the proper tools and techniques one
should use to achieve accurate results and minimize cost.
It is really important that the proper/correct thermal-hydraulic
computer programs are selected. For example, if the fluid
in the system being evaluated is single phase at high pressure,
the design computer program of choice may be a finite element
computer program. Some of the methods and computer programs
available for finite element analyses are provided on the
Finite Element page. If the process being evaluated
is, for example, a steam generator, the more appropriate
choice may be a finite difference program, e. g., RELAP5.
Some of the thermal hydraulic computer programs are presented
on the thermal hydraulic Computer Program
page. Many Thermal Hydraulic Computer Programs are available
and it is imperative that the appropriate computer programs
are use the first time. It is also important that these
programs have the proper quality assurance performed. This
includes the validation of the program to simulate the process
and the validation of the user to be able to use the program
to simulate the process. All these areas are important in
the initial phases of the evaluation to ensure that cost
is held to a minimum. In all cases, scope analyses should
be completed to determine the initial estimates of analytical
response and cost. In some cases these analyses reveal that
a more detailed analysis is not required and the project
cost may be reduced significantly. Many of these initial
analyses can be performed using the calculators provided
at the EDA, Inc.'s Calculator site.
Once the calculations are finished,
they must be reviewed for accuracy and for practicality. This
review is usually accomplished by the QA
reviewer following
the procedures provided in the QA program. The quality of
the practicality review is based on the experience level
of the organization that has completed the calculation and
on the experience level of the reviewing organization. Questions
that should be answered even for large established companies
are: a) Is there an adequate experience level of the performer
and reviewer to provide a good safe and reliable product?
and b) Were the evaluations performed according to necessary
regulatory and company standards?
The final product must be delivered
in a form that is transferable, readable and defendable. For
any given project, EDA, Inc. ensures proper QA
for the software and provides experienced
individuals so the product can be presented successfully in
front of oversight and/or regulatory authorities. Additionally,
the final recommended solution must be practical enough to
successfully implement. In most cases it will be necessary
for the analyst to interface with the system and construction
engineers so the final product can be installed successfully.
EDA, Inc personnel have many years of experience in implementing
analytical solutions for operating systems.
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