Lab Facilities & Software
The continued development of our advanced visualization and simulation techniques at AFHTL provides unparalleled investigation capability on the characterization of detailed and time-resolved fluid flow and heat transfer behavior as well as interface topology
Small-Scale Forced Convection Testing Loop
A small-scale forced convection testing facility is available to perform various thermal hydraulic testing, supporting energy system design and optimization. The facility consists of gear pump, filter, water tank, customized heat exchanger, pre-heater, test section heating elements, as well as measurement instruments including volumetric flow meter, thermocouples and pressure transducers.
Macro/Micro-Scale Stereo-PIV
Main components include: Laser generators (Dual Oscillator/Single Head Nd: YLF25-3000-CON-527 nm), Laser Optics and Filters, Dual Plane Calibration Targets, Synchronizer (LASERPULSE 610036), Stereo Micro-PIV at field of view down to a minimum of 500 × 800 μm and standoff distances of 20/60 mm (Olympus Stereo Microscope SZX16 with SZX2 Photomicrography system), Stereo Macro-PIV with field of view 8 × 13 mm or greater, high-speed cameras (2 Phantom VEO640 and 1 Phantom VEO610, 1 phantom Miro 310)
The Innova 70C Ion Laser
The Innova 70C provides a unique high performance visualization solution for applications such as Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, laser pumping, and laser doppler velocimetry. The Innova 70C is available in argon, krypton, and mixed-gas configurations, with output wavelengths spanning the spectrum from ultraviolet to the infrared
Helium-Neon Laser System
The Line-Tunable HeNe Laser generates 500:1 linearly polarized outputs of five independent line-selectable wavelengths: 543 nm, 594 nm, 604 nm, 612 nm, and 633 nm. Each of these wavelengths can be individually selected by tuning the Littrow prism at the end of the laser via a micrometer adjustment
The Fiberlight™ Multicolor Beam Generator
The Fiberlight™ Multicolor Beam Generator is a unique, compact device that generates the laser beam pairs required for one-, two- or three-component Phase/Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) or Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) systems from TSI. The unit provides high transmission efficiency while being easy to set up
3-D Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) System
The transmitter probes are particularly designed for Phase Doppler, to get droplet size measurements in sprays. The large fringe spacing and measuring volume are ideal for small droplet size range. The receiver probe includes the optimized 3-Detector Fiber Bundle integrated as part of the probe design
Fume Hood
The laboratory chemical fume hood is the most common local exhaust ventilation system used in laboratories and is the primary method used to control inhalation exposures to hazardous substances. When used properly, fume hoods offer a significant degree of protection for the user
DC/AC Power Supply
Various DC/AC power supply systems are available which can be used for multiple flow and heat transfer experiments
ANSYS Simulation Package
Ansys offers a comprehensive software suite that spans the entire range of physics, providing access to virtually any field of engineering simulation that a design process requires
​
The entire ANASYS simulation package (2022/R2) can be accessed through AFHTL including: Workbench, Virtual Lab, Mechanical, CFX, Spaceclaim, Fluent, etc.
COBRA-TF Numerical Code
COBRA-TF is a numerical simulation code developed for energy system transient thermal-hydraulics analysis. It uses a two-fluid three-field (i.e., liquid field, vapor field and droplet field) solution scheme for the flow field. Each field is characterized with its own set of conservation equations. The equations are solved simultaneously using the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations (SIMPLE).
There is a complete set of criteria incorporated into COBRA-TF for selecting different heat transfer regimes as needed. It is also capable of simulating the droplet entrainment/de-entrainment dynamics as well as its breakup process on spacer grids.
NRC System Analysis Code TRACE
The TRAC/RELAP Advanced Computational Engine (TRACE) is an advanced, best-estimate reactor systems code developed by the NRC for analyzing transient and steady-state neutronic-thermal-hydraulic behavior in light water reactors. It has emerging capability of analyzing advanced nuclear reactors cooled by non-water fluids.
Models used include multidimensional two-phase flow, nonequilibrium thermo-dynamics, generalized heat transfer, reflood, level tracking, and reactor kinetics. In TRACE, the conservation equations that describe two-phase flow and heat transfer are solved using the finite volume numerical methods. The heat-transfer equations are evaluated using a semi-implicit time-differencing technique.
Other Software Available at AFHTL
-
MATLAB & SIMULINK
-
AutoCAD
-
Autodesk Fusion 360
-
RStudio
-
Microsoft Visual Studio
-
Tableau Desktop
