Access profile

There are a range of entrance qualifications. The most suitable prior learning to enter the doctoral programme is that of graduates with a scientific or technological background who have taken one of the following master’s degrees:

– master's degree in Nuclear Engineering
– master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering.

In addition, students with a master’s degree related to the scientific area of the programme may be accepted, with the academic committee's approval. Other characteristics that are considered important are general interest in the subject areas developed in the programme, analytical capacity and capacity to communicate well in spoken and written English.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society;
g) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds.

Number of places

10

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is three years, counted from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is five years, counting from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. For calculating these periods, the date of admission is considered to be the date of the first enrolment for tutorials, and the date of submission the moment in which the Doctoral School officially deposits the doctoral thesis.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years. When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the minimum period of study requirement.

The calculation of periods of study will not include periods of absence due to illness, pregnancy or any other reason provided for in the regulations in force. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which, where appropriate, must inform the Doctoral School. Doctoral candidates may also temporarily withdraw from the programme for up to one year, and this period may be extended for an additional year. Doctoral candidates who wish to interrupt their studies must submit a justified request to the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which will decide whether or not to approve the request. Each programme will establish conditions for readmission to doctoral studies.

Extension
If full-time doctoral candidates have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, the academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year. In exceptional circumstances, a further one-year extension may be granted, subject to the conditions established by the corresponding doctoral programme. In the case of part-time doctoral candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

Organization

• Cortes Rossell, Guillem

• Calviño Tavares, Francisco
• Cortes Rossell, Guillem
• Vargas Drechsler, Arturo

• Institute of Energy Technologies (PROMOTORA)
• Department of Physics

Doctoral Area, UTGAEIB-ETSEIB. Pavelló I (South Campus)
Tel.: (+34) 934 016 562
E-mail: doctoratd.utgaeib@upc.edu

Agreements with other institutions

C1. University of Barcelona: research on dosimetry and medical radiation physics. Public.
C2. Universität Duisburg-Essen: research on medical radiation physics. Public.
C3. Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN): student exchanges in the field of nuclear medicine. Public.
C4. Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics: collaboration in the field of accelerator physics and to construct a microtron. Public.
C5. Spanish Nuclear Safety Council: collaboration to create the Argos Chair in Nuclear Safety at the ETSEIB of Barcelona.

Other collaborations:

Participating institution: Cooperation for Higher Education on Radiological and Nuclear Engineering.

Description of the collaboration: CHERNE is an open European academic network for cooperation in Higher Education on Radiological and Nuclear Engineering.
Nature of the institution: public.

Participating institution: Joint Universities Accelerator School (JUAS).
Description of the collaboration: courses on physics and particle accelerator technology.
Nature of the institution: private.

Participating institution: International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
Description of the collaboration: studies on plasmas and fusion reactors (several contracts).
Nature of the institution: public.

Participating institution: Asociación Nuclear Ascó-Vandellòs II.
Description of the collaboration: research to develop probabilistic analysis methods on security in the valuation of economic and technological risks in nuclear power stations (several contracts). Nature of the institution: private.

Access profile

There are a range of entrance qualifications. The most suitable prior learning to enter the doctoral programme is that of graduates with a scientific or technological background who have taken one of the following master’s degrees:

– master's degree in Nuclear Engineering
– master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering.

In addition, students with a master’s degree related to the scientific area of the programme may be accepted, with the academic committee's approval. Other characteristics that are considered important are general interest in the subject areas developed in the programme, analytical capacity and capacity to communicate well in spoken and written English.

Access requirements

Applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a Spanish master’s degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February)

In addition, the following may apply:

• Holders of an official degree awarded by a university in Spain or any other country in the European Higher Education Area, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes official university course regulations, who have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on official university degrees, of which at least 60 must be at the master's degree level.
• Holders of an official Spanish bachelor’s degree comprising at least 300 credits, as provided for by EU regulations. Holder of degrees of this kind must complete bridging courses unless the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in question included research training credits equivalent in value to those which would be earned on a master's degree.
• Holders of an official university qualification who, having passed the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have completed at least two years of a training course leading to an official degree in a health-sciences specialisation.
• Holders of a degree issued under a foreign education system. In these cases, homologation is not required, but the UPC must verify that the degree certifies a level of training equivalent to an official Spanish master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies in the country where it was issued. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
• Holders of a Spanish doctoral qualification issued under previous university regulations.

Note 1: Doctoral studies entrance regulations for holders of an undergraduate degree awarded before the introduction of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014)

Note 2: Governing Council Decision 64/2014, which approves the procedure and criteria for assessing the fulfilment of academic admission requirements for doctoral studies by holders of non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

Students who wish to enter the programme must have taken at least 60 credits of a master’s degree whose subject area is related to nuclear engineering or ionising radiations.

In any case, the academic committee of the programme is responsible for making the admission decision. Applicants who do not meet the aforementioned requirements should be consulted by the committee. Some exceptions can be made if there are justified reasons and if considered appropriate.

Training complements

The natural route to enter the doctoral programme is via the master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering at the UPC or the master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at the UPC. In these two cases, applicants will not be required to take bridging courses if they have obtained at least 60 ECTS of the above degrees. Students who enter the programme from other master’s degrees will carry out specific research bridging courses according to the academic committee’s criteria. In this case, the bridging courses that are taken will be monitored. Doctoral students cannot be required to enrol for more than 60 ECTS.

The academic committee of the programme will be the body responsible for stipulating the bridging courses for each student, depending on the subjects they have taken in their master's degrees and the research line selected for the thesis. Subjects that the student could take are indicated depending on the prior learning.

For example:

– Students who come from the area of biology, medicine or the life sciences general will be channelled preferentially towards research lines associated with the field of medical radiophysics. The bridging courses could be selected from subjects related to this field.

– Students who have a background in physics, chemistry or engineering will be preferentially channelled towards research lines associated with medical radiophysics or nuclear engineering.

Subjects of master’s degrees that are associated with the programme have well-defined objectives, methodologies and assessment processes so that they prepare students to gain the competencies defined in previous sections. In any case, depending on each student’s curriculum, the academic committee could adapt the bridging courses that need to be taken. Considering the doctoral student activity report (DAD), the academic committee of the programme could propose additional measure to those established in the regulations that lead to the withdrawal of doctoral students who do not meet the established criteria.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

The enrolment period for new doctoral students will be in September.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

After the first year, the enrolment period for doctoral students will run from September to mid-October.

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

Activity: Tutorial.
Hours: 144.

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year for full-time doctoral candidates who have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, in the terms outlined in the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In the case of part-time candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

International Mention

The doctoral degree certificate may include International Doctorate mention. In this case, the doctoral candidate must meet the following requirements:

a) During the period of study leading to the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months at a respected higher education institution or research centre outside Spain to complete courses or do research work. The stays and activities carried out must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorised by the academic committee of the programme. The candidate must provide a certifying document issued by the person responsible for the research group of the body or bodies where the stay or activity was completed. This information will be added to the doctoral student’s activity report.
b) Part of the thesis (at least the summary and conclusions) must be written and presented in one of the languages commonly used for science communication in the relevant field of knowledge, which must not be an official language of Spain. This rule does not apply to stays and reports in Spanish or to experts from Spanish-speaking countries.
c) At least two PhD-holding experts belonging to a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain must have issued officially certified reports on the thesis.
d) The thesis examination committee must have included at least one PhD-holding expert from a higher education or research institution outside Spain who was not responsible for the candidate’s stay abroad (point a) above).
e) The thesis defence must have taken place on UPC premises or, in the case of joint programmes, at the location specified in the collaboration agreement.

List of authorized thesis for defense

Last update: 04/10/2023 04:45:29.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 04/10/2023 04:30:30.

List of defended theses by year

• NAVARRO FERNÁNDEZ, ARACELI: Understanding Secondary Emission Processes and Beam Matter interactions for Optimization of Diagnostic Wire Grid System in Particle Accelerators
  
  Author: NAVARRO FERNÁNDEZ, ARACELI
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN NUCLEAR AND IONISING RADIATION ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Physics (FIS)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 21/03/2023
  Thesis director: RONCAROLO, FEDERICO | CALVIÑO TAVARES, FRANCISCO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: SAPINSKI, MARIUSZ
       SECRETARI: CORTES ROSSELL, GUILLEM PERE
       VOCAL: FORCK, PETER
  Thesis abstract: Thin targets, in form of foils, stripes or wires, are widely used in beam instrumentation to measure various beam parameters,such as intensity, position and size. All these monitors can differ in geometry and material. Depending on beam parameters suchas intensity, energy, transverse and longitudinal size, the detector can suffer thermomechanical stresses. This can potential lyperturb the measurement accuracy and degrade the integrity of the detector. The core of this c ontribution presents thedevelopment of a finite finite-difference model, developed to simulate the particle particle-detector interactions and predict the detector material heating and damage.This work has been mainly performed in the context of LINAC4, which is the first accelerator at CERN's accelerator chain. Some other facilities (CERN PS Booster, CERN SPS, GSI facility) will also be mentioned in this document. However, the majority of thestudies and conclusions will refer to the energy range (45 keV - 160 MeV) an d detector types available at LINAC4 (SEM grids and wire scanners).To understand the purpose, functionality and limitation of thin target detectors, this document introduces the basic principles of transverse beam dynamics and beam matter interactions, focusing on processes such as: energy deposition, secondary electron emission (SEE), electron backscattering, etc. The thermal model implemented during this work (PyTT) to simulate the thermal evolution of thin target detectors is presented and detailed di scussed. To assess the reliability of the simulated results, an experiment performed at LINAC4 is presented. This experiment heavily relied on the theory of thermionic emission to indirectl indirectly measure the temperature of the detectors during operation.The performance of the simulation tool is discussed, in terms of results sensitivity to parameter uncertainty. Uncertainties in material parameters, such as the emissivity, yield uncertainties in simulation results. To improve our knowledge of the emissivity values of thin tungsten wires, an experimental setup, based on the calorimetric method, was implemented for this work. Theexperimental setup, emissivity calculation and results are detailed described.Some examples of how this work has been useful for CERN operations, and other facilities (like GSI) are presented in these pages. This include, beam power limit calculations for the CERN Linac4 and SPS diagnostics, beam intensity and profile measurements at LINAC4, thin foil detector calibration (H0H H0H- Monito rs), SEM grid prototype testing at GSI, etc.
  

• SABOUNCHI, SAEED: Cylindrical Microplane Model for Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
  
  Author: SABOUNCHI, SAEED
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN NUCLEAR AND IONISING RADIATION ENGINEERING
  Department: Institute of Energy Technologies (INTE)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 13/04/2023
  Thesis director: CANER BASKURT, FERHUN CEM
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: MAIMÍ VERT, PERE
       SECRETARI: TURON TRAVESA, ALBERT
       VOCAL: LLANES PITARCH, LUIS MIGUEL
  Thesis abstract: Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) are the most used composite materials in many applications, from broom handle to the main structure of advanced aircraft. Despite the enormous research done on these materials, many aspects of their behavior need more study. The progress of computers and their calculation power provides opportunities for developing new constitutive models with more capability in terms of accuracy and applicability. On the one hand, most of the existing models are limited to the specific loading situations and cannot perform beyond the limitations in the loading path. Furthermore, these models have not been sufficiently verified in general three-dimensional loading condition. This study presents a constitutive model based on microplane approach in which a cylindrical geometry is adopted for general three-dimensional stress analysis of transversely isotropic fiber-reinforced polymers. The axis of the cylinder coincides with the fibers direction in the lamina, which allows decoupling of fiber and matrix behaviors. The model has been easily implemented in finite element software called Abaqus/Explicit using the VUMAT interface. Unlike the other microplane models for predicting fracture and behavior of fiber-reinforced polymers, this model is more intuitive and easier to calibrate. The microplane constitutive laws between microplane stress and strain components are developed for inelastic and fracturing behavior of such materials in tension,compression, and shear. The micro-macro stress equilibrium equation for the cylindrical geometry is employed to calculate the macroscopic stress tensor using the microplane stress components. An explicit computational algorithm for the cylindrical microplane model is developed. A user-friendly calibration procedure is presented for adjustable parameters in the microplane constitutive laws. The full calibration of the model needs simple uniaxial test data in tension and compression in the isotropy plane and in the fiber direction for any given fiber-reinforced polymer. The model is calibrated using experimental data obtained from literature for four different types of fiber reinforced polymer composites. The model is verified using biaxial failure envelopes and 3 point bending size effect tests obtained from literature.
  

• SUAREZ I CAMBRA, DANIEL: Heat transfer correlations for liquid metal flows under nuclear fusion conditions
  
  Author: SUAREZ I CAMBRA, DANIEL
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN NUCLEAR AND IONISING RADIATION ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Physics (FIS)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 06/07/2023
  Thesis director: BATET MIRACLE, LLUIS | MAS DE LES VALLS ORTIZ, ELISABET
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: KHODAK, ANDREI
       SECRETARI: RAPISARDA SOCORRO, DAVID
       VOCAL: DEL NEVO, ALESSANDRO
  Thesis abstract: This thesis focuses on modeling the circulation of liquid metal through the breeding blanket channels of a tokamak fusion reactor. Apart from extracting the heat produced by the nuclear reactions of the plasma, the liquid metal performs two additional functions: producing fuel (tritium), and shielding external components such as the tokamak magnet coils from radiation damage.Currently, different research centers are investigating the best designs to build an economically viable fusion reactor that allows society to be supplied with clean energy. These designs take into account the heat transfer mechanisms that are established between the liquid metal flows that capture the heat by radiation from the nuclear reactions and their surrounding walls.Liquid metal flows that receive this strong radiation are simultaneously exposed to the magnetic field that sustains the plasma and to a forced convection that drives them through the cooling channels. As a good electrical conductor, the circulation of a liquid metal under magnetic fields induces electric currents that produce Lorentz forces affecting the flow. The study of these effects is called magnetohydrodynamics (MHD4).When the channel through which an MHD flow circulates contains electrically conductive walls, the induced electric currents can bypass the fluid and cause a characteristic ¿M-shaped¿ velocity profile. The combination of the effects of forced convection, natural convection, MHD effect, fluid-solid interaction, heat transfer between different materials and heat deposition makes this discipline worthy of study. This dissertation proposes a methodology for the study of heat transfer between the liquid metal and outer walls of tokamak breeding blankets taking into account all the phenomena mentioned above. Its objective is to obtain a correlation for the prediction of heat transfer in the flow of liquid metal. The methodology utilizes numerical experiments based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD5) calculations using as a starting point the OpenFOAM code developed in Mas de les Valls 2011.Three-dimensional MHD calculations under nominal design conditions may represent an unaffordable consumption of computing resources within the scope of the present work. For this reason, simplified methods are studied that would allow a large number of cases to be calculated in order to determine trends or correlations.This work systematically analyzes the validity of three-dimensional liquid metal MHD flow models, simplifications in the fully-developed plane, simplifications in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field and, finally, a simplification that reduces the problem to a fully-developed one-dimensional flow profile in a poloidal channel. Indeed, demonstrating the validity of flow simplifications is crucial to enable CFD researchers to efficiently study the breeding blanket performance and improve its design. For this reason, the proposed methodology to obtain this simplified model is one of the most important outcomes of this thesis.Finally, a heat transfer correlation based on the dimensionless parameters that characterize the flow is proposed and its error is quantified with the available set of cases.Mas de les Valls, E. (2011). ¿Development of a simulation tool for MHD flows under nuclear fusion conditions¿. PhD dissertation. Dept. of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
  

Last update: 04/10/2023 05:01:11.

Research groups

• ANT-Advanced Nuclear Technologies Research Group
• IONHE-Ionising Radiation, Health and Environment
• NEMEN-Nanoengineering of Materials Applied to Energy

Teachers

• Batet Miracle, Lluis
• Blas del Hoyo, Alfredo de
• Calviño Tavares, Francisco
• Caner, Ferhun Cem
• Casanova Hormaechea, Ignasi
• Cortes Rossell, Guillem
• Duch Guillen, M. Amor
• Freixa Terradas, Jordi
• Futatani, Shimpei
• Ginjaume Egido, Merce
• Koubychine Merkulov, Youri
• Llorca Pique, Jordi
• Pretel Sanchez, Maria del Carmen
• Sempau Roma, Josep
• Vargas Drechsler, Arturo

• Martinez Quiroga, Victor Manuel
• Mas de les Valls Ortiz, Elisabet
• Pericas Casals, Raimon
• Sedano Miguel, Luis Angel
• Tarifeño Saldivia, Ariel Esteban