This document focuses on the procedure and results of creating a thermohydraulic model of the secondary cooling system of the SAFARI-1 research reactor at the Pelindaba facility of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) to the west of Pretoria, South Africa. The secondary cooling system is an open recirculating cooling system that comprises an array of parallel-coupled heat exchangers between the primary systems and the main heat sink system, which consists of multiple counterflow-induced draught cooling towers. The original construction of the reactor was a turnkey installation, with no theoretical/technical support or verifiability. The design baseline is therefore not available and it is necessary to reverse-engineer a system that could be modelled and characterised. For the nuclear operator, it is essential to be able to make predictions and systematically implement modifications to improve system performance, such as to understand and modify the control system. Another objective is to identify the critical performance areas of the thermohydraulic system or to determine whether the cooling capacity of the secondary system meets the optimum original design characteristics. The approach was to perform a comprehensive one-dimensional modelling of all the available physical components, which was followed by using existing performance data to verify the accuracy and validity of the developed model. Where performance data is not available, separate analysis through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling is performed to generate the required inputs. The results yielded a model that is accurate within 10%. This is acceptable when compared to the variation within the supplied data, generated and assumed alternatives, and when considering the compounding effect of the large amount of interdependent components, each with their own characteristics and associated performance uncertainties. The model pointed to potential problems within the current system, which comprised either an obstruction in a certain component or faulty measuring equipment. Furthermore, it was found that the current spray nozzles in the cooling towers are underutilised. It should be possible to use the current cooling tower arrangement to support a similar second reactor, although slight modifications would be required to ensure that the current system is not operated beyond its current limits. The interdependent nature of two parallel systems and the variability of the conditions that currently exist would require a similar analysis as the current model to determine the viability of using the existing cooling towers for an additional reactor. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

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Computer vision tasks such as three dimensional (3D) registration, 3D modelling, and 3D object recognition are becoming more and more useful in industry, and have application such as reverse CAD engineering, and robot navigation. Each of these applications use correspondence algorithms as part of their processes. Correspondence algorithms are required to compute accurate mappings between artificial surfaces that represent actual objects or scenes. In industry, inaccurate correspondence is related to factors such as expenses in time and labour, and also safety. Therefore, it is essential to select an appropriate correspondence algorithm for a given surface matching task. However, current research in the area of surface correspondence is hampered by an abundance of applications specific algorithms, and no uniform terminology of consistent model for selecting and/or comparing algorithms. This dissertation presents a correspondence framework for surface matching algorithms. The framework is a conceptual model that is implementable. It is designed to assist in the analysis, comparison, development, and implementation of correspondence algorithms, which are essential tasks when selecting or creating an algorithm for a particular application. The primary contribution of the thesis is the correspondence framework presented as a conceptual model for surface matching algorithms. The model provides a systematic method for analysing, comparing, and developing algorithms. The dissertation demonstrates that by dividing correspondence computation into five stages: region definition, feature extraction, feature representation, local matching, and global matching, the task becomes smaller and more manageable. It also shows that the same stages of different algorithms are directly comparable. Furthermore, novel algorithms can be created by simply connecting compatible stages of different algorithms. Finally, new ideas can be synthesised by creating only the stages to be tested, without developing a while new correspondence algorithm. The secondary contribution that is outlined is the correspondence framework presented as a software design tool for surface matching algorithms. The framework is shown to reduce the complexity of implementing existing algorithms within the framework. This is done by encoding algorithms in a stage-wise procedure, whereby an algorithm is separated into the five stages of the framework. The software design tool is shown to validate the integrity of restructuring existing algorithms within it, and also provide an efficient basis for creating new algorithms. The third contribution that is made is the specification of a quality metric for algorithms comparison. The metric is used to assess the accuracy of the outcomes of a number of correspondence algorithms, which are used to match a wide variety of input surface pairs. The metric is used to demonstrate that each algorithm is application specific, and highlight the types of surfaces that can be matched by each algorithm. Thus, it is shown that algorithms that are implemented within the framework can be selected for particular surface correspondence tasks. The final contribution made is this dissertation is the expansion of the correspondence framework beyond the surface matching domain. The correspondence framework is maintained in its original form, and is used for image matching algorithms. Existing algorithms from three image matching applications are implemented and modified using the framework. It is shown how the framework provides a consistent means and uniform terminology for developing both surface and image matching algorithms. In summary, this thesis presents a correspondence framework for surface matching algorithms. The framework is general, encompassing a comprehensive set of algorithms, and flexible, expanding beyond surface matching to major image matching applications.

Yes / Reverse osmosis (RO) has found extensive applications in industry as an efficient separation process in comparison with thermal process. In this study, a one-dimensional distributed model based on a wastewater treatment spiral-wound RO system is developed to simulate the transport phenomena of solute and water through the membrane and describe the variation of operating parameters along the x-axis of membrane. The distributed model is tested against experimental data available in the literature derived from a chlorophenol rejection system implemented on a pilot-scale cross-flow RO filtration system with an individual spiral-wound membrane at different operating conditions. The proposed model is then used to carry out an optimisation study using a genetic algorithm (GA). The GA is developed to solve a formulated optimisation problem involving two objective functions of RO wastewater system performance. The model code is written in MATLAB, and the optimisation problem is solved using an optimisation platform written in C++. The objective function is to maximize the solute rejection at different cases of feed concentration and minimize the operating pressure to improve economic aspects. The operating feed flow rate, pressure and temperature are considered as decision variables. The optimisation problem is subjected to a number of upper and lower limits of decision variables, as recommended by the module’s manufacturer, and the constraint of the pressure loss along the membrane length to be within the allowable value. The algorithm developed has yielded a low optimisation execution time and resulted in improved unit performance based on a set of optimal operating conditions.

Yes / N-nitrosamine in wastewater treatment processes can contribute to several public health impacts including human carcinogens even at very low concentration. In this work, spiral-wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) process is used to remove N-nitrosamine compounds from wastewater. Effects of operating parameters of the SWRO process on the removal of N-nitrosamine, total water recovery, and specific energy consumption for a SWRO configurations are evaluated via simulation and optimisation. For this purpose, the one-dimensional distributed model developed earlier by the authors is modified by including different mass transfer coefficient correlation, temperature dependent water and solute permeability correlations and energy equations. The model is first validated by estimating a new set of model parameters using eight set of experimental data from the literature and is then used to simulate the process with and without energy recovery device to facilitate deeper insight of the effect of operating conditions on the process performance. The model is then embedded within an optimisation framework and optimisation problems to maximise N-nitrosamine rejections and to minimise specific energy consumption are formulated and solved while the operating conditions are optimized simultaneously.

This thesis relates to research and development in the field of 3D mesh data for computer graphics. A review of existing storage and manipulation techniques for mesh data is given followed by a framework for mesh editing. The proposed framework combines complex mesh editing techniques, automatic level of detail generation and mesh compression for storage. These methods work coherently due to the underlying data structure. The problem of storing and manipulating data for 3D models is a highly researched field. Models are usually represented by sparse mesh data which consists of vertex position information, the connectivity information to generate faces from those vertices, surface normal data and texture coordinate information. This sparse data is sent to the graphics hardware for rendering but must be manipulated on the CPU. The proposed framework is based upon geometry images and is designed to store and manipulate the mesh data entirely on the graphics hardware. By utilizing the highly parallel nature of current graphics hardware and new hardware features, new levels of interactivity with large meshes can be gained. Automatic level of detail rendering can be used to allow models upwards of 2 million polygons to be manipulated in real time while viewing a lower level of detail. Through the use of pixels shaders the high detail is preserved in the surface normals while geometric detail is reduced. A compression scheme is then introduced which utilizes the regular structure of the geometry image to compress the floating point data. A number of existing compression schemes are compared as well as custom bit packing. This is a TIF funded project which is partnered with Unlimited Realities, a Palmerston North software development company. The project was to design a system to create, manipulate and store 3D meshes in a compressed and easy to manipulate manner. The goal is to create the underlying technologies to allow for a 3D modelling system to become integrated into the Umajin engine, not to create a user interface/stand alone modelling program. The Umajin engine is a 3D engine created by Unlimited Realities which has a strong focus on multimedia. More information on the Umajin engine can be found at www.umajin.com. In this project we propose a method which gives the user the ability to model with the high level of detail found in packages aimed at creating offline renders but create models which are designed for real time rendering.

Two-stroke poppet-valved engines may combine the high power density of two - stroke engines and the low emissions of poppet-valved engines. A two-stroke diesel engine can generate the same power as a four-stroke engine of the same size, but at higher (leaner) air/fuel ratios. Diesel combustion at high air/fuel ratios generally means hydrocarbons, soot and carbon monoxide are oxidised more completely to water and carbon dioxide in the cylinder, and the opportunity to increase the rate of exhaust gas recirculation should reduce the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The concept is being explored as a means of economically modifying diesel engines to make them cleaner and/or more powerful. This study details the application of two computational models to this problem. The first model is a relatively simple thermodynamic model created by the author capable of rapidly estimating the behaviour of entire engine systems. It was used to estimate near-optimum engine system parameters at single engine operating points and over a six-mode engine cycle. The second model is a detailed CFD model called KIVA-ERC. It is a hybrid of the KIVA engine modelling package developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and combustion and emissions subroutines developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Engine Research Center. It was used for detailed scavenging and combustion simulations and to provide estimates of emissions levels. Both models were calibrated and validated for four-stroke cycle operation using experimental data. The thermodynamic model was used to provide initial and boundary conditions to the KIVA-ERC model. Conversely, the combustion simulations were used to adjust zero-dimensional combustion correlations when experimental data was not available. Scavenging simulations were performed with shrouded and unshrouded intake valves. A new two-zone scavenging model was proposed and validated using multidimensional scavenging simulations. A method for predicting the behaviour of the two-stroke engine system based on four-stroke data has been proposed. The results using this method indicate that a four-stroke diesel engine with minor modifications can be converted to a two-stroke cycle and achieve substantially the same fuel efficiency as the original engine. However, emissions levels can not be predicted accurately without experimental data from a physical prototype. It is therefore recommended that such a prototype be constructed, based on design parameters obtained from the numerical models used in this study.

There is a constant struggle to increase the efficiency in gas turbines, where one method is to have a higher inlet temperature to the turbine. Often, this results in temperatures higher than the critical temperature of the materials, which makes cooling of the components an important part of the turbine. The cooling air is tapped from the compressor, and has hence required work while being compressed, but since it is removed from the thermodynamic cycle it will not provide any work in the turbine stages. Therefore, it is important to understand the losses in the cooling system to be able to use the smallest amount of cooling air possible, while still cool sufficiently to not decrease the turbine’s lifetime. The pressure losses in the cooling and secondary air systems are due to either friction or minor losses; contractions, expansions and bends. The losses can be described by a discharge coefficient, ; a rate of how close the actual mass flow is to the ideal mass flow, or a pressure loss coefficient, ; a rate of the pressure drop. In the cooling and secondary air systems there are orifices and cooling geometries. These can have different geometrical properties depending on application, and thereby have different heat transfer performances and causing a higher or lower pressure drop. At Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB, SIT AB, a one-dimensional in-house program named C3D is used for thermal calculations and calculations of flow properties of internal cooling flow networks. The program uses hydraulic networks consisting of nodes and branches to simulate the flow inside the components. Correlations used for describing pressure losses have been collected and divided depending on their valid ranges, with the aim to make pressure loss calculations easier. A MATLAB code have been developed, which, depending on input parameters, separates the correlations and returns a plot with the correlations that can be used. In order to make the code as useful as possible, a few assumptions were made; curve fitting of correlations which were only available as plots and interpolation to get larger valid ranges for some cases. These assumptions will influence the results, but the code will still be able to give an indication of which correlation to use, and hence, the objective is fulfilled. Simulations in one dimension are commonly used, since it is less time consuming than three-dimensional modelling. Therefore, with focus on the pressure losses, a one-dimensional model of a blade in the in-house program C3D has been evaluated using a three-dimensional model in the CFD program Ansys CFX. Also, two new models were created in C3D; both with geometrical properties and pressure loss coefficients adjusted to the CFX model, but the first model is using the same hydraulic network as in the evaluated, reference, model while the second is using a new network, built according to the streamlines in CFX. The resulting mass flows in the C3D models were compared to the mass flows in the CFX model, which ended in the conclusion that it is hard for the one-dimensional models to understand the complex, three-dimensional flow situations, even when adjusting them to the CFX model. Anyhow, the adjustments made the model somewhat closer to the three-dimensional case, and hence CFX should be used in an earlier stage when developing C3D models.

The Bergslagen ore province, located in the Fennoscandian shield in the south-central part of Sweden hosts several metallic mineral deposits, one of them being the Källfallsgruvan iron-oxide deposit in the Riddarhyttan ore field, situated in a high-strain shear belt denoted as the West Bergslagen Boundary Zone (WBBZ).  An accurate 3D geological model of the Källfallsgruvan iron-oxide deposit has been generated to aid understanding of the ore body geometries and calculating volume and tonnage. The methodology of this study consisted of assessing existing data in the form of legacy mine maps and to integrate new data from field work, drill core logging and 3D geological modelling. The work has resulted in structural interpretations that are put in the context of the regional structural framework in Bergslagen consisting of three deformation events (D1, D2 and D3) and two metamorphic events (M1 and M2). The field work resulted in six rock units being defined used to construct a geological map, in addition the structural measurements resulted in a hypothetical semi-regional fold and evidence of ductile strike-slip/dip-slip shearing. Logging of drill cores resulted in three rock units being defined, two of them related to the mineralization and one characterizing the host rock (± local variations), correlating to the observed host rock from the field work. The rock units discovered from both the field work and drill core logging are all interpreted to be the metamorphic products of volcanic rocks subjected to alteration of varying degree. Based upon geological field observations with subsurface data and 3D geological modelling it is concluded that, 1) The deposit comprises multiple ore bodies that jointly resemble an S-shaped synform that is steeply inclined-upright, moderately-steeply plunging towards the southwest with an axial plane striking northeast-southwest. The deposit is interpreted to be geometrically controlled by an F2 fold, possibly displaying an interference pattern of type 1, favouring progressive shearing and deformation solely related to D2, 2) Evidence of at least one generation of transpressional tectonic regime exists, interpreted to be D2, 3) The estimated tonnage of 4 938 610 tons of the massive magnetite and semi-massive mineralization revealed that a deposit of such tonnage is presently not economically viable. However, if the Källfallsgruvan iron-oxide deposit or similar is determined to have a significant REE content, such deposit may then be of economic interest and, 4) Possible mineral exploration indicators around Källfalls-like deposits are intensely altered rocks related to magnesium alteration, consisting dominantly of quartz, biotite (increasing towards mineralization), muscovite, chlorite, anthophyllite and cordierite, affected by parasitic folding. / Bergslagen malmprovins, belägen i den Fennoskandiska skölden i sydcentrala delen av Sverige innehåller flera metall mineralfyndigheter, varav en av dem är Källfallsgruvan järnoxidfyndighet i Riddarhyttan malmfält, belägen i en skjuvzon kallat för ”West Bergslagen Boundary Zone (WBBZ)”. En representativ 3D geologisk model av Källfallsgruvan järnoxidfyndighet har genererats för att öka förståelsen av malmkroppens geometrier samt beräkna volym och tonnage. Metodiken bestod av att bedöma existerande data så som gruvkartor och integrera nya data genom fältarbete, borrkärnekartering och 3D geologisk modellering. Arbetet resulterade i strukturella tolkningar som sattes i kontexten av den regionala strukturella bilden i Bergslagen bestående av tre deformations event (D1, D2 och D3) och två metamorfa event (M1 och M2). Fältarbetet resulterade i att sex bergartsenheter definierades som användes för att konstruera en geologisk karta samt så har de strukturella mätningarna resulterat i ett hypotetiskt semi-regionalt veck och bevis för duktil strike-slip-/normal-skjuvning. Borrkärnekarteringen resulterade i att tre bergartsenheter definierades, varav två var relaterade till mineraliseringen och en kännetecknade värdbergarten (± lokala variationer) som korrelerar med den observerade värdbergarten från fältarbetet. Bergartsenheterna som upptäcktes från både fältarbetet och borrkärnekarteringen har tolkats vara metamorfa produkter av vulkaniska bergarter som omvandlats i varierande grad. Baserat på de geologiska fältobservationerna med underjordsdata och 3D geologisk modellering dras följande slutsatser, 1) Fyndigheten består av multipla malmkroppar som gemensamt liknar en S-formad synform som är brant lutande-upprätt, måttligt-brant stupande mot sydväst med ett axialplan som stryker nordost-sydväst. Fyndigheten tolkas vara geometriskt kontrollerat av ett F2 veck, som möjligtvis påvisar ett interferensmönster av typ 1 bildat genom progressiv skjuvning och deformation endast relaterat till D2, 2) Bevis för minst en generation av transpressionstektonisk miljö existerar vilket tolkats vara D2, 3) Det estimerade tonnaget på 4 938 610 ton för den massiva magnetit och semi-massiva mineraliseringen visade att en fyndighet av sådant tonnage är för nuvarande inte ekonomiskt hållbart. Om Källfallsgruvan järnoxidfyndighet eller liknande fyndighet bestäms att ha ett betydande REE innehåll så skulle en sådan fyndighet vara av ekonomiskt intresse och, 4) Möjliga prospekteringsindikatorer runt Källfalls-liknande fyndigheter är intensivt omvandlade bergarter relaterad till magnesiumomvandling främst bestående av kvarts, biotit (ökar mot mineraliseringen), muskovit, klorit, antofyllit och kordierit, påverkad av parasitisk veckning.

When building tunnels in rock, an inflow of groundwater is likely induced. Depending on the hydraulic properties of the rock and the surrounding soils, the inflow may cause a decline in the groundwater level above the tunnel line with possible consequences for nearby well facilities or groundwater dependent environments. Discharge of the inflowing groundwater represents an operation of water (vattenverksamhet in Swedish) according to the Swedish environmental law, meaning that permission must be applied for at the Environmental Court. In the application, the operator presents an area of influence for groundwater, which defines the area where the groundwater levels could change due to the planned operation. In this work, the area of influence has been defined as the area where the groundwater level is lowered by more than five centimeters. As part of the project Tvärförbindelse Södertörn in southern Stockholm, the Swedish Transport Administration is planning for the construction of a tunnel in rock adjacent to Glömstadalen in Huddinge municipality. The aim of this master thesis was to investigate the extension of the area of influence of the tunnel through two-dimensional groundwater modelling. A site-specific model was created in the program SEEP/W by establishing a cross-section orthogonal to the tunnel and through examination of the hydrogeological conditions in the area. Steady-state modelling of both unsaturated and saturated flow was then carried out including and excluding the tunnel. Through this, the change in groundwater levels due to the tunnel could be reviewed. Since the development of the model required simplifications and assumptions of the site-specific conditions, a simple sensitivity analysis was also performed where a few model parameters were altered to examine how the area of influence changed. The modelling results showed that the tunnel, when sealed suitably, at most changed the groundwater levels 680 meters north and 840 meters south along the studied cross-section. The smallest effect on the groundwater levels was observed 400 meters north and 560 meters south of the tunnel. Differences in the extension of the area of influence were noticed depending on how the outflow of groundwater in Glömstadalen was represented, and which sealing properties around the tunnel were used. Furthermore, the modelling showed that the hydraulic conductivity of the rock is of major importance for the location of the groundwater table, and therefore it is considered relevant to perform hydraulic tests in the rock to increase the reliability of the model.