Computational research
2022 - Present
Lifetime reliability prediction tool of ceramic receivers for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) power plants
Capabilities:
Complete assessment of high-temperature CSP receivers that are built using:
Tubes and panels
Metals and ceramics
Heat transfer fluid
Modular and versatile to changes made by user in:
Connections, dimensions, and number of tubes
Flow path between panels
Panel arrangement
Thermomechanical BCs
Material model and fluid properties
Complexity through heuristics (3D→2𝐷→1D) and multithreading
Saving results to visualize
User inputs required:
Basic receiver geometry (tube dimensions)
Loading cycles: inlet temperature and flow rate + incident heat flux + fluid pressure
Abstracted structural connections
Output:
Minimum tube, panel, and overall receiver reliability over service lifetime (~ 30 years)
Visualizable data to find area of critical failure in the receiver
More information on the tool is available in Publications Section.
2016 - 2021
High Temperature Shape Memory Alloys
Simulating the coupling between phase transformation and viscoplasticity in single crystal and polycrystal HTSMAs
3D representation of strain evolution in a polycrystal made of 625 randomly oriented grains of Ni-Ti-20Hf HTSMA, obtained on simulating a UCFTC test at 1C/min and at 500 MPa
Comparison between experimental response and simulated response from a polycrystal (RVE) made of 625 randomly oriented grains of Ni-Ti-20Hf, obtained from a UCFTC test at 500 MPa and 1 C/min.
A coupling between phase transformation and viscoplasticity was theoretically formulated using a crystal plasticity framework, to interpret the underlying mechanisms of the coupling.
A unique macro-micro multiscale approach was followed to account for responses from the desired family of slip systems. The approach also allowed the calibration of micro scale parameters (for single crystals) using macro scale data (from polycrystals).
The framework was implemented into a material constitutive model (in C++) in order to conduct finite element (FE) analysis on single crystals and polycrystals of the chosen HTSMA, using a FE solver called Zebulon.
The constitutive model was calibrated for a Ni-Ti-20Hf HTSMA, using crystallographic data and theoretical responses in literature. The simulated trends and evolutions of internal variables were calibrated based on experimental trends and magnitudes.
The macroscopic response of a polycrystal aggregate, composed of randomly oriented grains, was simulated (using parallel computing) and compared with the experimental response from a polycrystal, to understand the underlying mechanisms of the coupling.
More results and conclusions from the project is available in the Publications section.