Tritium Extraction from Molten Salt using Heat Exchanger Geometries
Aug. 2024 - June 2025
Exploring the potential of heat exchanger geometries for the extraction of tritium from FLiBe molten salt due to the close relationship of heat and mass transfer.
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STAR-CCM+ CFD Modeling
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Thermodynamics
Project One-pager

My research results:
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Introduced the idea of breaking down and separating the velocity and passive scalar simulations to reduce computation runtime while increasing model fidelity by 36.6%
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Demonstrated bend angle could improve mass transfer as much as 20x
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Presented evidence that fluid flow impingement and stagnation points also greatly improve mass transfer
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Ran initial literature review on accessible papers on heat transfer using Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers (PCHEs)
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Implemented fluid-to-solid continuity boundary conditions for mass transfer in turbulent and laminar flows
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Utilized spreadsheets to verify results, tabulate data, and track simulation versions among three teammates
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Presented the project research at the 2025 American Nuclear Society Student Conference

Bend angle geometries I studied

Velocity flow profiles of each bend geometry

Mass transfer coefficient (MTC, similar to heat transfer coefficient) as a function of channel length

MTC behavior (top) in relation to the velocity profile (bottom)


Plots showing increasing Reynolds Number and pressure drop for decreasing bend angle