Multiscale simulation of non-isothermal microchannel gas flows

AbstractThis paper describes the development and application of an efficient hybrid continuum-molecular approach for simulating non-isothermal, low-speed, internal rarefied gas flows, and its application to flows in Knudsen compressors. The method is an extension of the hybrid continuum-molecular approach presented by Patronis et al. (2013) [4], which is based on the framework originally proposed by Borg et al. (2013) [3] for the simulation of micro/nano flows of high aspect ratio. The extensions are: 1) the ability to simulate non-isothermal flows; 2) the ability to simulate low-speed flows by implementing a molecular description of the gas provided by the low-variance deviational simulation Monte Carlo (LVDSMC) method; and 3) the application to three-dimensional geometries. For the purposes of validation, the multiscale method is applied to rarefied gas flow through a periodic converging-diverging channel (driven by an external acceleration). For this flow problem it is computationally feasible to obtain a solution by the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method for comparison: very close agreement is observed.The efficiency of the multiscale method, allows the investigation of alternative Knudsen-compressor channel configurations to be undertaken. We characterise the effectiveness of the single-stage Knudsen-compressor channel by the pressure drop that can be achieved between two connected reservoirs, for a given temperature difference. Our multiscale simulations indicate that the efficiency is surprisingly robust to modifications in streamwise variations of both temperature and cross-sectional geometry

Simulation of the head-disk interface gap using a hybrid multi-scale method

We present a hybrid multi-scale method that provides a capability to capture the disparate scales associated with modelling flow in micro- and nano-devices. Our model extends the applicability of an internal-flow multi-scale method by providing a framework to couple the internal (small scale) flow regions to the external (large scale) flow regions. We demonstrate the application of both the original methodology and the new hybrid approach to model the flow field in the vicinity of the head-disk interface gap of a hard disk drive enclosure. The internal flow regions within the gap are modelled by an extended internal-flow multi-scale method that utilises a finite-difference scheme for non-uniform grids. Our proposed hybrid multi-scale method is then employed to couple the internal micro-flow region to the flow external to the gap, to capture entrance/exit effects. We also demonstrate the successful application of the method in capturing other localised phenomena (e.g. those due to localised wall heating)

Direct measurements of neutron capture on radioactive isotopes

We simulated the response of a 4p calorimetric g-detector array to decays of radioactive isotopes on the s-process path. The GEANT 3.21 simulation package was used. The main table contains estimates on the maximum sample size and required neutron flux based on the latest available neutron capture cross section at 30 keV. The results are intended to be used to estimate the feasibility of neutron capture measurements with 4p arrays using the time of flight technique

Digital pulse-shape discrimination of fast neutrons and gamma rays

Discrimination of the detection of fast neutrons and gamma rays in a liquid scintillator detector has been investigated using digital pulse-processing techniques. An experimental setup with a 252Cf source, a BC-501 liquid scintillator detector, and a BaF2 detector was used to collect waveforms with a 100 Ms/s, 14 bit sampling ADC. Three identical ADC's were combined to increase the sampling frequency to 300 Ms/s. Four different digital pulse-shape analysis algorithms were developed and compared to each other and to data obtained with an analogue neutron-gamma discrimination unit. Two of the digital algorithms were based on the charge comparison method, while the analogue unit and the other two digital algorithms were based on the zero-crossover method. Two different figure-of-merit parameters, which quantify the neutron-gamma discrimination properties, were evaluated for all four digital algorithms and for the analogue data set. All of the digital algorithms gave similar or better figure-of-merit values than what was obtained with the analogue setup. A detailed study of the discrimination properties as a function of sampling frequency and bit resolution of the ADC was performed. It was shown that a sampling ADC with a bit resolution of 12 bits and a sampling frequency of 100 Ms/s is adequate for achieving an optimal neutron-gamma discrimination for pulses having a dynamic range for deposited neutron energies of 0.3-12 MeV. An investigation of the influence of the sampling frequency on the time resolution was made. A FWHM of 1.7 ns was obtained at 100 Ms/s.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research

Simulation of the Head-disk Interface Gap Using a Hybrid Multi-scale Method

We present a hybrid multi-scale method that provides a capability to capture the disparate scales associated with modelling flow in micro- and nano-devices. Our model extends the applicability of an internal-flow multi-scale method by providing a framework to couple the internal (small scale) flow regions to the external (large scale) flow regions. We demonstrate the application of both the original methodology and the new hybrid approach to model the flow field in the vicinity of the head-disk interface gap of a hard disk drive enclosure. The internal flow regions within the gap are modelled by an extended internal-flow multi-scale method that utilises a finite-difference scheme for non-uniform grids. Our proposed hybrid multi-scale method is then employed to couple the internal micro-flow region to the flow external to the gap, to capture entrance/exit effects. We also demonstrate the successful application of the method in capturing other localised phenomena (e.g. those due to localised wall heating)

Position resolution and efficiency measurements with large scale Thin Gap Chambers for the super LHC

New developments in Thin Gap Chambers (TGC) detectors to provide fast trigger and high precision muon tracking under sLHC conditions are presented. The modified detectors are shown to stand a high total irradiation dose equivalent to 6 Coulomb/cm of wire, without showing any deterioration in their performance. Two large (1.2 x 0.8 m^2) prototypes containing four gaps, each gap providing pad, strips and wires readout, with a total thickness of 50 mm, have been constructed. Their local spatial resolution has been measured in a 100 GeV/c muon test beam at CERN. At perpendicular incidence angle, single gap position resolution better than 60 microns has been obtained. For incidence angle of 20 degrees resolution of less than 100 micron was achieved. TGC prototypes were also tested under a flux of 10^5 Hz/cm^2 of 5.5-6.5 MeV neutrons, showing a high efficiency for cosmic muons detection.Comment: Presented at the 12 Vienna conference on Instrumentation, February 201

The 14C(n,g) cross section between 10 keV and 1 MeV

The neutron capture cross section of 14C is of relevance for several nucleosynthesis scenarios such as inhomogeneous Big Bang models, neutron induced CNO cycles, and neutrino driven wind models for the r process. The 14C(n,g) reaction is also important for the validation of the Coulomb dissociation method, where the (n,g) cross section can be indirectly obtained via the time-reversed process. So far, the example of 14C is the only case with neutrons where both, direct measurement and indirect Coulomb dissociation, have been applied. Unfortunately, the interpretation is obscured by discrepancies between several experiments and theory. Therefore, we report on new direct measurements of the 14C(n,g) reaction with neutron energies ranging from 20 to 800 keV

Asynchronous coupling of hybrid models for efficient simulation of multiscale systems

We present a new coupling approach for the time advancement of multi-physics models of multiscale systems. This extends the method of E et al. (2009) [5] to deal with an arbitrary number of models. Coupling is performed asynchronously, with each model being assigned its own timestep size. This enables accurate long timescale predictions to be made at the computational cost of the short timescale simulation. We propose a method for selecting appropriate timestep sizes based on the degree of scale separation that exists between models. A number of example applications are used for testing and benchmarking, including a comparison with experimental data of a thermally driven rarefied gas flow in a micro capillary. The multiscale simulation results are in very close agreement with the experimental data, but are produced almost 50,000 times faster than from a conventionally-coupled simulation

Generalizing Murray's law : an optimization principle for fluidic networks of arbitrary shape and scale

Murray's law states that the volumetric flow rate is proportional to the cube of the radius in a cylindrical channel optimized to require the minimum work to drive and maintain the fluid. However, application of this principle to the biomimetic design of micro/nano fabricated networks requires optimization of channels with arbitrary cross-sectional shape (not just circular) and smaller than is valid for Murray's original assumptions. We present a generalized law for symmetric branching that (a) is valid for any cross-sectional shape, providing that the shape is constant through the network; (b) is valid for slip flow and plug flow occurring at very small scales; and (c) is valid for networks with a constant depth, which is often a requirement for lab-on-a-chip fabrication procedures. By considering limits of the generalized law, we show that the optimum daughter-parent area ratio Γ, for symmetric branching into N daughter channels of any constant cross-sectional shape, is Γ=N−2/3Γ=N−2/3 for large-scale channels, and Γ=N−4/5Γ=N−4/5 for channels with a characteristic length scale much smaller than the slip length. Our analytical results are verified by comparison with a numerical optimization of a two-level network model based on flow rate data obtained from a variety of sources, including Navier-Stokes slip calculations, kinetic theory data, and stochastic particle simulations