The modeling of nuclear reactors involves the solution of a multi-physics problem with widely varying time and length scales. This translates mathematically to solving a system of coupled, non-linear, and stiff partial differential equations (PDEs). Multi-physics applications possess the added complexity that most of the solution fields participate in various physics components, potentially yielding spatial and/or temporal coupling errors. This dissertation deals with the verification aspects associated with such a multi-physics code, i.e., the substantiation that the mathematical description of the multi-physics equations are solved correctly (both in time and space). Conventional paradigms used in reactor analysis problems employed to couple various physics components are often non-iterative and can be inconsistent in their treatment of the non-linear terms. This leads to the usage of smaller time steps to maintain stability and accuracy requirements, thereby increasing the overall computational time for simulation. The inconsistencies of these weakly coupled solution methods can be overcome using tighter coupling strategies and yield a better approximation to the coupled non-linear operator, by resolving the dominant spatial and temporal scales involved in the multi-physics simulation. A multi-physics framework, KARMA (K(c)ode for Analysis of Reactor and other Multi-physics Applications), is presented. KARMA uses tight coupling strategies for various physical models based on a Matrix-free Nonlinear-Krylov (MFNK) framework in order to attain high-order spatio-temporal accuracy for all solution fields in amenable wall clock times, for various test problems. The framework also utilizes traditional loosely coupled methods as lower-order solvers, which serve as efficient preconditioners for the tightly coupled solution. Since the software platform employs both lower and higher-order coupling strategies, it can easily be used to test and evaluate different coupling strategies and numerical methods and to compare their efficiency for problems of interest. Multi-physics code verification efforts pertaining to reactor applications are described and associated numerical results obtained using the developed multi-physics framework are provided. The versatility of numerical methods used here for coupled problems and feasibility of general non-linear solvers with appropriate physics-based preconditioners in the KARMA framework offer significantly efficient techniques to solve multi-physics problems in reactor analysis.

We propose novel methods to utilize orthogonal polynomial approximation in higher dimension spaces, which enable us to modify classical differential equation solvers to perform high precision, long-term orbit propagation. These methods have immediate application to efficient propagation of catalogs of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) and improved accounting for the uncertainty in the ephemeris of these objects. More fundamentally, the methodology promises to be of broad utility in solving initial and two point boundary value problems from a wide class of mathematical representations of problems arising in engineering, optimal control, physical sciences and applied mathematics. We unify and extend classical results from function approximation theory and consider their utility in astrodynamics. Least square approximation, using the classical Chebyshev polynomials as basis functions, is reviewed for discrete samples of the to-be-approximated function. We extend the orthogonal approximation ideas to n-dimensions in a novel way, through the use of array algebra and Kronecker operations. Approximation of test functions illustrates the resulting algorithms and provides insight into the errors of approximation, as well as the associated errors arising when the approximations are differentiated or integrated. Two sets of applications are considered that are challenges in astrodynamics. The first application addresses local approximation of high degree and order geopotential models, replacing the global spherical harmonic series by a family of locally precise orthogonal polynomial approximations for efficient computation. A method is introduced which adapts the approximation degree radially, compatible with the truth that the highest degree approximations (to ensure maximum acceleration error < 10^−9ms^−2, globally) are required near the Earths surface, whereas lower degree approximations are required as radius increases. We show that a four order of magnitude speedup is feasible, with both speed and storage efficiency op- timized using radial adaptation. The second class of problems addressed includes orbit propagation and solution of associated boundary value problems. The successive Chebyshev-Picard path approximation method is shown well-suited to solving these problems with over an order of magnitude speedup relative to known methods. Furthermore, the approach is parallel-structured so that it is suited for parallel implementation and further speedups. Used in conjunction with orthogonal Finite Element Model (FEM) gravity approximations, the Chebyshev-Picard path approximation enables truly revolutionary speedups in orbit propagation without accuracy loss.

Orientador: Masayoshi Tsuchida / Banca: José Manoel Balthazar / Banca: Elso Drigo Filho / Resumo: Neste trabalho estuda-se alguns sistemas dinâmicos utilizando um novo método para aproximar a matriz de transição de estados (STM) para sistemas periódicos no tempo. Este método é baseado na transformação de Lyapunov-Floquet (L-F), e utiliza a expansão polinomial de Chebyshev para aproximar o termo periódico. O método iterativo de Picard é usado para aproximar a STM. Os multiplicadores de Floquet, determinados através deste método, permitem construir o diagrama de estabilidade do sistema dinâmico. Esta técnica é aplicada para analisar a estabilidade e os pontos de bifurcação do sistema dinâmico formado por um pêndulo elástico com excitação vertical periódica no suporte. Além dessa aplicação, é analisada também a equação de Mathieu e a estabilidade do sistema dinâmico constituído por partículas carregadas e imersas em um campo magnético perturbado. / Abstract: In this work some dynamic systems are studied using a new method to approach state transition matrix (STM) for time-periodic systems. This method is based on Lyapunov- Floquet transformation (transformation L-F) and uses the Chebyshev polynomial expansion to approach the periodical term. The Picard iterative method is used to approach the STM. The Floquet multipliers determined through this method, allow to draw the stability diagram of the dynamic system. This technique is applied to analyze the stability and bifurcation points of the dynamic system formed by an elastic pendulum with periodic vertical excitation on support. Besides this application, the Mathieu equation is analyzed and also the stability of the dynamical system constituted by charged particle in a perturbed magnetic field is discussed. / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-06-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:55:46Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 mesquita_ajn_me_sjrp.pdf: 655612 bytes, checksum: cb512103d01edb2f09f992e6cca22bdc (MD5) / Neste trabalho estuda-se alguns sistemas dinâmicos utilizando um novo método para aproximar a matriz de transição de estados (STM) para sistemas periódicos no tempo. Este método é baseado na transformação de Lyapunov-Floquet (L-F), e utiliza a expansão polinomial de Chebyshev para aproximar o termo periódico. O método iterativo de Picard é usado para aproximar a STM. Os multiplicadores de Floquet, determinados através deste método, permitem construir o diagrama de estabilidade do sistema dinâmico. Esta técnica é aplicada para analisar a estabilidade e os pontos de bifurcação do sistema dinâmico formado por um pêndulo elástico com excitação vertical periódica no suporte. Além dessa aplicação, é analisada também a equação de Mathieu e a estabilidade do sistema dinâmico constituído por partículas carregadas e imersas em um campo magnético perturbado. / In this work some dynamic systems are studied using a new method to approach state transition matrix (STM) for time-periodic systems. This method is based on Lyapunov- Floquet transformation (transformation L-F) and uses the Chebyshev polynomial expansion to approach the periodical term. The Picard iterative method is used to approach the STM. The Floquet multipliers determined through this method, allow to draw the stability diagram of the dynamic system. This technique is applied to analyze the stability and bifurcation points of the dynamic system formed by an elastic pendulum with periodic vertical excitation on support. Besides this application, the Mathieu equation is analyzed and also the stability of the dynamical system constituted by charged particle in a perturbed magnetic field is discussed.