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We study an appearance of gravitational convection in a porous medium saturated by the double-diffusive fluid. The rectangle heated from below is considered with anisotropy of media properties. We analyze Darcy – Boussinesq equations for a binary fluid with Soret effect.

Resulting system for the stream function, the deviation of temperature and concentration is cosymmetric under some additional conditions for the parameters of the problem. It means that the quiescent state (mechanical equilibrium) loses its stability and a continuous family of stationary regimes branches off. We derive explicit formulas for the critical values of the Rayleigh numbers both for temperature and concentration under these conditions of the cosymmetry. It allows to analyze monotonic instability of mechanical equilibrium, the results of corresponding computations are presented.

A finite-difference discretization of a second-order accuracy is developed with preserving of the cosymmetry of the underlying system. The derived numerical scheme is applied to analyze the stability of mechanical equilibrium.

The appearance of stationary and nonstationary convective regimes is studied. The neutral stability curves for the mechanical equilibrium are presented. The map for the plane of the Rayleigh numbers (temperature and concentration) are displayed. The impact of the parameters of thermal diffusion on the Rayleigh concentration number is established, at which the oscillating instability precedes the monotonic instability. In the general situation, when the conditions of cosymmetry are not satisfied, the derived formulas of the critical Rayleigh numbers can be used to estimate the thresholds for the convection onset.

Numerical study of unsteady mixed convection in an open partially porous horizontal channel with a heatgenerating source was performed. The outer surfaces of horizontal walls of finite thickness were adiabatic. In the channel there was a Newtonian heat-conducting fluid with a temperature-dependent viscosity. The discrete heatconducting and heat-generating source is located inside the bottom wall. The temperature of the fluid phase was equal to the temperature of the porous medium, and calculations were performed using the local thermal equilibrium model. The porous insertion is isotropic, homogeneous and permeable to fluid. The Darcy–Brinkman model was used to simulate the transport process within the porous medium. Governing equations formulated in dimensionless variables “stream function – vorticity – temperature” using the Boussinesq approximation were solved numerically by the finite difference method. The vorticity dispersion equation and energy equation were solved using locally one-dimensional Samarskii scheme. The diffusive terms were approximated by central differences, while the convective terms were approximated using monotonic Samarskii scheme. The difference equations were solved by the Thomas algorithm. The approximated Poisson equation for the stream function was solved separately by successive over-relaxation method. Optimal value of the relaxation parameter was found on the basis of computational experiments. The developed computational code was tested using a set of uniform grids and verified by comparing the results obtained of other authors.

Numerical analysis of unsteady mixed convection of variable viscosity fluid in the horizontal channel with a heat-generating source was performed for the following parameters: $\mathrm{Pr} = 7.0$, $\varepsilon = 0.8$, $\mathrm{Gr} = 10^5$, $C = 0-1$, $10^{-5} < \mathrm{Da} < 10^{-1}$, $50 < \mathrm{Re} < 500$, $\delta = l/H = 0.6-3$. Distributions of the isolines of the stream function, temperature and the dependences of the average Nusselt number and the average temperature inside the heater were obtained in a steady-state regime, when the stationary picture of the flow and heat transfer is observed. As a result we showed that an addition of a porous insertion leads to an intensification of heat removal from the surface of the energy source. The increase in the porous insertion sizes and the use of working fluid with different thermal characteristics, lead to a decrease in temperature inside the source.

One of the promising technologies for enhanced oil recovery in the development of unconventional oil reservoirs is the thermo-gas method. The method is based on the injection of an oxygen-containing mixture into the formation and its transformation into a highly efficient displacing agent miscible with the formation of oil due to spontaneous in-situ oxidative processes. In some cases, this method has great potential compared to other methods of enhanced oil recovery. This paper discusses some issues of the propagation of in-situ combustion waves. Depending on the parameters of the reservoir and the injected mixture, such waves can propagate in different modes. In this paper, only the direct-flow inverse propagation mode is considered. In this mode, the combustion wave propagates in the direction of the oxidant flow and the reaction front lags behind the heatwave, in which the substance (hydrocarbon fractions, porous skeleton, etc.) is heated to temperatures sufficient for the oxidation reaction to occur. The paper presents the results of an analytical study and numerical simulation of the structure of the inverse wave of in-situ combustion. in two-phase flow in a porous layer. Some simplifying assumptions about the thermal properties of fluid phases was accepted, which allow, on the one hand, to modify the in-situ combustion model observable for analysis, and with another is to convey the main features of this process. The solution of the “running wave” type is considered and the conditions of its implementation are specified. Selected two modes of reaction trailing front regime in-situ combustion waves: hydrodynamic and kinetic. Numerical simulation of the in-situ combustion wave propagation was carried out with using the thermohydrodynamical simulator developed for the numerical integration of non-isothermal multicomponent filtration flows accompanied by phase transitions and chemical reaction.

The quasistatic deformation problem for shape memory alloys is reviewed within the phenomenological mechanics of solids without microphysics analysis. The phenomenological approach is based on comparison of two material deformation diagrams. The first diagram corresponds to the active proportional loading when the alloy behaves as an ideal elastoplastic material; the residual strain is observed after unloading. The second diagram is relevant to the case when the deformed sample is heated to a certain temperature for each alloy. The initial shape is restored: the reverse distortion matches deformations on the first diagram, except for the sign. Because the first step of distortion can be described with the variational principle, for which the existence of the generalized solutions is proved under arbitrary loading, it becomes clear how to explain the reverse distortion within the slightly modified theory of plasticity. The simply connected surface of loading needs to be replaced with the doubly connected one, and the variational principle needs to be updated with two laws of thermodynamics and the principle of orthogonality for thermodynamic forces and streams. In this case it is not difficult to prove the existence of solutions either. The successful application of the theory of plasticity under the constant temperature causes the need to obtain a similar result for a more general case of variable external forces and temperatures. The paper studies the ideal elastoplastic von Mises model at linear strain rates. Taking into account hardening and arbitrary loading surface does not cause any additional difficulties.

The extended variational principle of the Reissner type is defined. Together with the laws of thermal plasticity it enables to prove the existence of the generalized solutions for three-dimensional bodies made of shape memory materials. The main issue to resolve is a challenge to choose a functional space for the rates and deformations of the continuum points. The space of bounded deformation, which is the main instrument of the mathematical theory of plasticity, serves this purpose in the paper. The proving process shows that the choice of the functional spaces used in the paper is not the only one. The study of other possible problem settings for the extended variational principle and search for regularity of generalized solutions seem an interesting challenge for future research.

The paper presents the results of three-dimensional numerical simulation of thermal-hydraulic processes in the Intermediate Heat Exchanger of the advanced Sodium-Cooled Fast-Neutron (BN) Reactor considering a developed methodological approach.

The Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) is located in the reactor vessel and intended to transfer heat from the primary sodium circulating on the shell side to the secondary sodium circulating on the tube side. In case of an integral layout of the primary equipment in the BN reactor, upstream the IHX inlet windows there is a temperature stratification of the coolant due to incomplete mixing of different temperature flows at the core outlet. Inside the IHX, in the area of the input and output windows, a complex longitudinal and transverse flow of the coolant also takes place resulting in an uneven distribution of the coolant flow rate on the tube side and, as a consequence, in an uneven temperature distribution and heat transfer efficiency along the height and radius of the tube bundle.

In order to confirm the thermal-hydraulic parameters of the IHX of the advanced BN reactor applied in the design, a methodological approach for three-dimensional numerical simulation of the heat exchanger located in the reactor vessel was developed, taking into account the three-dimensional sodium flow pattern at the IHX inlet and inside the IHX, as well as justifying the recommendations for simplifying the geometry of the computational model of the IHX.

Numerical simulation of thermal-hydraulic processes in the IHX of the advanced BN reactor was carried out using the FlowVision software package with the standard $k-\varepsilon$ turbulence model and the LMS turbulent heat transfer model.

To increase the representativeness of numerical simulation of the IHX tube bundle, verification calculations of singletube and multi-tube sodium-sodium heat exchangers were performed with the geometric characteristics corresponding to the IHX design.

To determine the input boundary conditions in the IHX model, an additional three-dimensional calculation was performed taking into account the uneven flow pattern in the upper mixing chamber of the reactor.

The IHX computational model was optimized by simplifying spacer belts and selecting a sector model.

As a result of numerical simulation of the IHX, the distributions of the primary sodium velocity and primary and secondary sodium temperature were obtained. Satisfactory agreement of the calculation results with the design data on integral parameters confirmed the adopted design thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the IHX of the advanced BN reactor.

The work investigates the process of self-consistent relaxation of the region of disturbances created in a rarefied binary low-temperature plasma by a stationary charged ball or cylinder with an absorbing surface. A feature of such problems is their self-consistent kinetic nature, in which it is impossible to separate the processes of transfer in phase space and the formation of an electromagnetic field. A mathematical model is presented that makes it possible to describe and analyze the state of the gas, electric and thermal fields in the vicinity of the body. The multidimensionality of the kinetic formulation creates certain problems in the numerical solution, therefore a curvilinear system of nonholonomic coordinates was selected for the problem, which minimizes its phase space, which contributes to increasing the efficiency of numerical methods. For such coordinates, the form of the Vlasov kinetic equation has been justified and analyzed. To solve it, a variant of the large particle method with a constant form factor was used. The calculations used a moving grid that tracks the displacement of the distribution function carrier in the phase space, which further reduced the volume of the controlled region of the phase space. Key details of the model and numerical method are revealed. The model and the method are implemented as code in the Matlab language. Using the example of solving a problem for a ball, the presence of significant disequilibrium and anisotropy in the particle velocity distribution in the disturbed zone is shown. Based on the calculation results, pictures of the evolution of the structure of the particle distribution function, profiles of the main macroscopic characteristics of the gas — concentration, current, temperature and heat flow, and characteristics of the electric field in the disturbed region are presented. The mechanism of heating of attracted particles in the disturbed zone is established and some important features of the process of formation of heat flow are shown. The results obtained are well explainable from a physical point of view, which confirms the adequacy of the model and the correct operation of the software tool. The creation and testing of a basis for the development in the future of tools for solving more complex problems of modeling the behavior of ionized gases near charged bodies is noted.

The work will be useful to specialists in the field of mathematical modeling, heat and mass transfer processes, lowtemperature plasma physics, postgraduate students and senior students specializing in the indicated areas.

The development of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) constituting a part of nuclear power-and-process station and intended for large-scale hydrogen production is now in progress in the Russian Federation. One of the key objectives in development of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is the computational justification of the accepted design.

The article gives the procedure for the computational analysis of thermal and physical characteristics of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. The procedure is based on the use of the state-of-the-art codes for personal computer (PC).

The objective of thermal and physical analysis of the reactor as a whole and of the core in particular was achieved in three stages. The idea of the first stage is to justify the neutron physical characteristics of the block-type core during burn-up with the use of the MCU-HTR code based on the Monte Carlo method. The second and the third stages are intended to study the coolant flow and the temperature condition of the reactor and the core in 3D with the required degree of detailing using the FlowVision and the ANSYS codes.

For the purpose of carrying out the analytical studies the computational models of the reactor flow path and the fuel assembly column were developed.

As per the results of the computational modeling the design of the support columns and the neutron physical characteristics of the fuel assembly were optimized. This results in the reduction of the total hydraulic resistance of the reactor and decrease of the maximum temperature of the fuel elements.

The dependency of the maximum fuel temperature on the value of the power peaking factors determined by the arrangement of the absorber rods and of the compacts of burnable absorber in the fuel assembly is demonstrated.

The study of the structural characteristics of composites and nanostructures is of fundamental importance in materials science. Theoretical and numerical modeling and simulation of the mechanical properties of nanostructures is the main tool that allows for complex studies that are difficult to conduct only experimentally. One example of nanostructures considered in this work are carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have good thermal and electrical properties, as well as low density and high Young’s modulus, making them the most suitable reinforcement element for composites, for potential applications in aerospace, automotive, metallurgical and biomedical industries. In this review, we reviewed the modeling methods, mechanical properties, and applications of CNT-reinforced metal matrix composites. Some modeling methods applicable in the study of composites with polymer and metal matrices are also considered. Methods such as the gradient descent method, the Monte Carlo method, methods of molecular statics and molecular dynamics are considered. Molecular dynamics simulations have been shown to be excellent for creating various composite material systems and studying the properties of metal matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanomaterials under various conditions. This paper briefly presents the most commonly used potentials that describe the interactions of composite modeling systems. The correct choice of interaction potentials between parts of composites directly affects the description of the phenomenon being studied. The dependence of the mechanical properties of composites on the volume fraction of the diameter, orientation, and number of CNTs is detailed and discussed. It has been shown that the volume fraction of carbon nanotubes has a significant effect on the tensile strength and Young’s modulus. The CNT diameter has a greater impact on the tensile strength than on the elastic modulus. An example of works is also given in which the effect of CNT length on the mechanical properties of composites is studied. In conclusion, we offer perspectives on the direction of development of molecular dynamics modeling in relation to metal matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanomaterials.

The paper describes the results of computer simulation of time-dependent temperature fields arising in polar dielectrics irradiated by focused electron bunches with average electron energy when analyzing with electron microscopy techniques. The mathematical model was based on solving several-dimensional nonstationary heat conduction equation with use of numerical finite element method. The approximation of thermal source was performed taking into account the estimation of initial electron distribution determined by Monte-Carlo simulation of electron trajectories. The simulation program was designed in Matlab. The geometrical modeling and calculation results demonstrated the main features of model sample heating by electron beam were presented at the given experimental parameters as well as source approximation.

The article is dedicated to mathematic modeling of natural water desalination process by method of thermal distillation. The article gives the equations which allow describing the processes of film flowing and boiling of water, steam condensation and vacuum maintenance. The article presents the algorithm of calculation, implemented in MatLab computer mathematic system and Excel electronic tables, and the initial data required for the calculation. The model has been checked for adequacy. The calculation of ten-effect distillation system is given. The results of work can be used in design and optimization of process conditions for distillation systems.