All issues

At present, the accelerator complex NICA is being built at JINR (Dubna). It is intended for performing experiments to study interactions of relativistic nuclei and polarized particles (protons and deuterons). One of the experimental facilitues MPD (MultiPurpose Detector) was designed to investigate nucleus-nucleus, protonnucleus and proton-proton interactions. The existing plans of future MPD upgrade consider a possibility to install an inner tracker made of the new generation silicon pixel sensors. It is expected that such a detector will considerably enhance the research capability of the experiment both for nucleus-nucleus interactions (due to a high spatial resolution near the collision region) and proton-proton ones (due to a fast detector response).

This paper presents main characteristics of such a tracker, obtained using a Monte-Carlo simulation of the detector for proton-proton collisions. In particular, the detector ability to reconstruct decay vertices of short-lived particles and perform a selection of rare events of such decays from much more frequent “common” interactions are evaluated. Also, the problem of a separation of multiple collisions during the high luminosity accelerator running and the task of detector triggering on rare events are addressed. The results obtained can be used to justify the necessity to build such a detector and to develop a high-level trigger system, possibly based on machine learning techniques.

The paper studies the determination for one of the dynamic quality parameter (PDK) of railway vehicles — car body lateral acceleration — by using of computer simulation system for railway vehicles dynamic Simpack Rail. This provide the complex simulation environment with variable velocity depending on the train schedule. The rail vehicle model of typical 1520 mm gauge fright locomotive section used for simulation has been verified by means of the chair “Electric multiple unit cars and locomotives” in the Russian University of Transport (RUT (MIIT)). Due to this homologation the questions of model creating and verification in preprocessor are excluded in this paper. The paper gives the detail description of cartographic track modeling in situation plane, heights plane and superelevation plane based on the real operating data. The statistic parameters (moments) for the rail related track excitation and used cartographic track data of the specified track section in this simulation are given as a numeric and graphical results of reading the prepared data files. The measurement of the car body residual lateral acceleration occur under consideration of the earth gravity acceleration part like the accelerometer measurement in the real world. Finally the desired quality parameter determined by simulation is compared with the same one given by a test drive. The calculation method in both cases is based on the middle value of the absolute maximums picked up within the nonstationary realizations of this parameter. Compared results confirm that this quality factor all the first depends on the velocity and track geometry properties. The simulation of the track in this application uses the strong conformity original track data of the test ride track section. The accepted simplification in the rail vehicle model of fright electric locomotive section (body properties related to the center of gravity, small displacements between the bodies) by keeping the geometric and force law characteristics of the force elements and constraints constant allow in Simpack Rail the simulation with necessary validity of system behavior (reactions).

In the work modeling method of anthropomorphic platforms is presented. An elastostatic stiffness model is used to determine positioning errors in the robot’s lower limbs. One of the main problems in achieving a fast and stable gait are deflections caused by the flexibility in the elements of the robot. This problem was solved using virtual joint modeling to predict stiffness and deformation caused by the robot weight and external forces.

To simulate a robot in the single-support phase, the robot is represented as a serial kinematic chain with a base at the supporting leg point of contact and an end effector in the swing leg foot. In the double support phase robot modeled as a parallel manipulator with an end effector in the pelvis. In this work, two cases of stiffness modeling are used: taking into account the compliance of the links and joints and taking into account only the compliance of joints. In the last case, joint compliances also include part of the link compliances. The joint stiffness parameters have been identified for two anthropomorphic robots: a small platform and a full-sized AR-601M.

Deflections maps were calculated using identified stiffness parameters and showing errors depending on the position of the robot end effector in the workspace. The errors in Z directions have maximum amplitude, due to the influence of the robot mass on its structure.

The paper presents the results of numerical simulation of the effect of a long spark discharge on the mixing dynamics of an injected gas jet with supersonic air flow. The calculations were performed using the CFD software package FlowVision. The fuel was supplied using an injector located on the channel wall, and the discharge was organized near the wall downstream of the injector. Simulation of electrical spark discharge was performed using a volumetric heat source. In order to describe the principal specifications of a plasma actuator to accelerate mixing in a supersonic flow (Mach number M = 2), the research involved varying the energy impact to the discharge in the range of 100–500 mJ per pulse, determining the influence of the shape and location of the discharge. A study of the fuel injection modes in a supersonic air flow has been carried out and an optimal gas jet outflow regime has been found to study the effect of a spark discharge. A method has been developed for analyzing the disturbance pattern of the fuel-oxidant interface caused by the operation of a pulsed spark discharge. A program was prepared in the LabView software environment for obtaining quantitative characteristics for further comparison with the results obtained in the experiment.

The simulation results allow us to conclude that the long spark discharge located along the flow downstream of the injector provides the maximum increase in the interface between the jet of fuel and the main flow. A typical repetition frequency of discharge pulses in a pulse-periodic mode should be more than 6 kHz with a discharge length of ~10 mm to ensure a continuous effect on the mixing at a flow velocity of 500 m/s.

As part of the paper, a physical and theoretical analysis of the impact processes of various factors of a highaltitude and high-energy nuclear explosion on the asteroid in extra-atmospheric conditions of open space is done. It is shown that, in accordance with the energy and permeability of the plasma of explosion products, X-ray and gamma-neutron radiation, a layered structure with a different energy density depending on angular coordinates is formed on the surface of the asteroid. The temporal patterns of the energy transformation for each layer is clarified and the roles of various photo- and collision processes are determined. The effect of a high-speed plasma flow is erosive in nature, and the plasma pulse is transmitted to the asteroid. The paper presents that in a thin layer of x-ray absorption, the asteroid substance is heated to high temperatures and as a result of its expansion, a recoil impulse is formed, which is not decisive due to the small mass of the expanding high-temperature plasma. Calculations shows that the main impulse received by an asteroid is associated with the entrainment of a heated layer of a substance formed by a neutron flux (7.5 E 10¹⁴ g E cm/s). It is shown that an asteroid with a radius of ~100 m acquires a velocity of . 100 cm/s. The calculations were performed taking into account the explosion energy spent on the destruction of the amorphous structure of the asteroid material (~1 eV/atom = 3.8 E 10¹⁰ erg/g) and ionization in the region of the high-temperature layer. Based on a similar analysis, an approximation is obtained for estimating the average size of fragments in the event of the possible destruction of the asteroid by shock waves generated inside it under the influence of pressure impulses. A physical experiment was conducted in laboratory conditions, simulating the fragmentation of a stone asteroid and confirming the validity of the obtained dependence on the selected values of certain parameters. As a result of numerical studies of the effects of the explosion, carried out at different distances from the surface of the asteroid, it is shown that taking into account the real geometry of the spallation layer gives the optimal height for the formation of the maximum asteroid momentum by a factor of 1.5 greater than similar estimates according to the simplified model. A two-stage concept of the impact of nuclear explosions on an asteroid using radar guidance tools is proposed. The paper analyzes the possible impact of the emerging ionization interference on the radar tracking of the movement of large fragments of the asteroid in the space-time evolution of all elements of the studied dynamic system.

While modeling seismic wave propagation, it is important to take into account nontrivial topography, as this topography causes multiple complex phenomena, such as diffraction at rough surfaces, complex propagation of Rayleigh waves, and side effects caused by wave interference. The primary goal of this research is to construct a method that implements the free surface on topography, utilizing an overset curved grid for characterization, while keeping the main grid structured rectangular. For a combination of the regular and curve-linear grid, the workability of the grid characteristics method using overset grids (also known as the Chimera grid approach) is analyzed. One of the benefits of this approach is computational complexity reduction, caused by the fact that simulation in a regular, homogeneous physical area using a sparse regular rectangle grid is simpler. The simplification of the mesh building mechanism (one grid is regular, and the other can be automatically built using surface data) is a side effect. Despite its simplicity, the method we propose allows us to increase the digitalization of fractured regions and minimize the Courant number. This paper contains various comparisons of modeling results produced by the proposed method-based solver, and results produced by the well-known solver specfem2d, as well as previous modeling results for the same problems. The drawback of the method is that an interpolation error can worsen an overall model accuracy and reduce the computational schema order. Some countermeasures against it are described. For this paper, only two-dimensional models are analyzed. However, the method we propose can be applied to the three-dimensional problems with minimal adaptation required.

In this paper, a time-dependent natural convective heat transfer in a closed square cavity filled with non- Newtonian fluid was considered in the presence of an isothermal energy source located on the lower wall of the region under consideration. The vertical boundaries were kept at constant low temperature, while the horizontal walls were completely insulated. The behavior of a non-Newtonian fluid was described by the Ostwald de Ville power law. The process under study was described by transient partial differential equations using dimensionless non-primitive variables “stream function – vorticity – temperature”. This method allows excluding the pressure field from the number of unknown parameters, while the non-dimensionalization allows generalizing the obtained results to a variety of physical formulations. The considered mathematical model with the corresponding boundary conditions was solved on the basis of the finite difference method. The algebraic equation for the stream function was solved by the method of successive lower relaxation. Discrete analogs of the vorticity equation and energy equation were solved by the Thomas algorithm. The developed numerical algorithm was tested in detail on a class of model problems and good agreement with other authors was achieved. Also during the study, the mesh sensitivity analysis was performed that allows choosing the optimal mesh.

As a result of numerical simulation of unsteady natural convection of a non-Newtonian power-law fluid in a closed square cavity with a local isothermal energy source, the influence of governing parameters was analyzed including the impact of the Rayleigh number in the range 104–106, power-law index $n = 0.6–1.4$, and also the position of the heating element on the flow structure and heat transfer performance inside the cavity. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the obtained distributions of streamlines and isotherms in the cavity, as well as on the basis of the dependences of the average Nusselt number. As a result, it was established that pseudoplastic fluids $(n < 1)$ intensify heat removal from the heater surface. The increase in the Rayleigh number and the central location of the heating element also correspond to the effective cooling of the heat source.

The paper provides the mathematical and numerical models of the interrelated thermo- and hydrodynamic processes in the operational mode of development the unified oil-producing complex during the hydrogel flooding of the non-uniform oil reservoir exploited with a system of arbitrarily located injecting wells and producing wells equipped with submersible multistage electrical centrifugal pumps. A special feature of our approach is the modeling of the special ground-based equipment operation (control stations of submersible pumps, drossel devices on the head of producing wells), designed to regulate the operation modes of both the whole complex and its individual elements.

The complete differential model includes equations governing non-stationary two-phase five-component filtration in the reservoir, quasi-stationary heat and mass transfer in the wells and working channels of pumps. Special non-linear boundary conditions and dependencies simulate, respectively, the influence of the drossel diameter on the flow rate and pressure at the wellhead of each producing well and the frequency electric current on the performance characteristics of the submersible pump unit. Oil field development is also regulated by the change in bottom-hole pressure of each injection well, concentration of the gel-forming components pumping into the reservoir, their total volume and duration of injection. The problem is solved numerically using conservative difference schemes constructed on the base of the finite difference method, and developed iterative algorithms oriented on the parallel computing technologies. Numerical model is implemented in a software package which can be considered as the «Intellectual System of Wells» for the virtual control the oil field development.

Flexible woven composites are classified as high-tech innovative materials. Due to the combination of various components of the filler and reinforcement elements, such materials are used in construction, in the defense industry, in shipbuilding and aircraft construction, etc. In the domestic literature, insufficient attention is paid to woven composites that change their geometric structure of the reinforcing layer during deformation. This paper presents an analysis of the previously proposed complex approach to modeling the behavior of flexible woven composites under static uniaxial tension for further generalization of the approach to biaxial tension. The work is aimed at qualitative and quantitative description of mechanical deformation processes occurring in the structure of the studied materials under tension, which include straightening the strands of the reinforcing layer and increasing the value of mutual pressure of the cross-lying reinforcement strands. At the beginning of the deformation process, the straightening of the threads and the increase in mutual pressure of the threads are most intense. With the increase in the level of load, the change of these parameters slows down. For example, the bending of the reinforcement strands goes into the Central tension, and the value of the load from the mutual pressure is no longer increased (tends to constant). To simulate the described processes, the basic geometrical and mechanical parameters of the material affecting the process of forming are introduced, the necessary terminology and description of the characteristics are given. Due to the high geometric nonlinearity of the all processes described in the increments, as in the initial load values there is a significant deformation of the reinforcing layer. For the quantitative and qualitative description of mechanical deformation processes occurring in the reinforcing layer, analytical dependences are derived to determine the increment of the angle of straightening of reinforcement filaments and the load caused by the mutual pressure of the cross-lying filaments at each step of the load increment. For testing of obtained dependencies shows an example of their application for flexible woven composites brands VP4126, VP6131 and VP6545. The simulation results confirmed the assumptions about the processes of straightening the threads and slowing the increase in mutual pressure of the threads. The results and dependences presented in this paper are directly related to the further generalization of the previously proposed analytical models for biaxial tension, since stretching in two directions will significantly reduce the straightening of the threads and increase the amount of mutual pressure under similar loads.

The paper describes an analytical study of hydrodynamic processes taking place in the course of coolant flow through a fuel assembly of the core of a fast neutron sodium-cooled reactor. Within the framework of the study, a procedure and an analytical model were developed based on program complex FlowVision of computational fluid dynamics, which, using proved simplifications, permits to obtain a coefficient of rod lifting margin of a fuel assembly and to study hydrodynamic characteristics of processes taking place in the course of simulation of different initial events influencing motion of a reactor core fuel assembly.

For analytical justification a fuel assembly model was developed, which is equivalent by hydraulic resistance values and permits not to simulate explicitly a complicated full-scale fuel assembly design, thus, decreasing a number of computational cells in the model and, as a result, reducing computational and time resources.

Hydraulic parameters of the equivalent fuel assembly model in program complex FlowVision were analyzed in two stages. At the first stage, to determine the minimum rod lifting margin coefficient of a fuel assembly, steady-state analyses were performed, where various flowrate values were assigned at the model inlet and forces acting upon the assembly were analyzed. A series of dynamic mode analyses was performed at the second stage. Jump-like pressure increase being the initial event which could occur hypothetically in the fast neutron sodium cooled reactor plant was assigned in these modes. Hydrodynamic parameters and forces acting upon the fuel assembly were determined.

The results of the first stage of the analytical study proved the minimum coefficient of rod lifting margin of a fuel assembly of the fast neutron reactor justified in reactor plant design documentation. As a result of the second stage of the study, conclusions were made on impossibility for the fuel assembly to move at the initial event associated with jump-like pressure increase in the reactor pressure chamber.