NE Postdoctoral Projects

Category: Engineering Computation and Design

COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, AND OPERATIONS SIMULATION

Computational graphics techniques have improved over the last 20 years from simply substituting hand-drawn parts designs with electronic versions of exactly the same figures for plotting by pen-and-ink X-Y plotters to creating 3-Dimensional electronic models of parts that easily can be rotated, modified, assembled to other parts, moved with respect to other assemblies, and even viewed in a virtual reality environment in such a way as to give the impression that the viewer is standing next or even among the pieces modeled. Moreover, these models can be used to provide input to numerically controlled machining centers so that, in principle, parts drawings are no longer needed for manufacture. We are in the midst of converting our engineering, design, and manufacturing to the 3-D modeling in order to reduce the design/drafting time required to verify fit-up of adjacent parts and to avoid interferences between non-adjacent parts and assemblies. Much of our work is directed toward development of equipment and processes that are operated in a high-radiation and inert-atmosphere hot-cell, using hands-off manipulation of components by cranes, electro-mechanical manipulators (the predecessor to robotic arms), and master-slave through-wall manipulators. Thus, we are looking toward extending the modeling to circumvent some of the extensive testing of prototype and actual hardware in a simulated fully operational environment that is normally done to guarantee functionality and accessibility by the various remote handling tools for assembly, operation, and maintenance in this environment. Extension to true robotics is a logical follow-on to our engineering efforts. Opportunities exist for participation in the development of 3-D models of new equipment, of equipment previously designed using 2-D design/drafting tools, of the facilities in which this equipment is used, and of virtual reality models of all of these.
Contact: Christopher Grandy
| Fax: +1 630-252-7577

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

Fluid dynamics, heat, and mass transfer for a variety of large-scale engineering systems. Current efforts focus on, but not limited to, problems related to nuclear safety, electrochemical process modeling, and combustion simulations, aerodynamics, and underhood thermal management. Analytical tools include in-house codes and commercially available computational fluid dynamics software.
Contact: Tanju Sofu
| Fax: +1 630-252-4500

ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX, INTEGRAL ENGINEERING SYSTEMS

Development of advanced analysis tools and techniques to address problems involving complex geometric configurations and multi-physics phenomena that are mostly thermally driven. Current applications include thermal hydraulic behavior of full-scale systems and the apparatus used in medium- to large-scale experiments. The commercially available computational fluid dynamics software are used as the base code for advanced model development.
Contact: Tanju Sofu
| Fax: +1 630-252-4500

COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS

Development of parallel finite element based software that would be used to resolve structural integrity issues arising in the design of next generation reactor plants. The work would include the extension of current software to include additional nonlinear mechanics, contact-impact phenomena and heat conduction.
Knowledge of engineering mechanics and/or heat conduction, numerical methods, Fortran 90/95, MPI, parallel programming and Linux would be desirable.
Contact: Phil Pfeiffer
| Fax: +1 630-252-4978