Bio
Vivek M. Rao Ph.D. is a Nuclear CFD Development Engineer in the Thermal Hydraulics Group. With specialized interest in applied fluid mechanics, he has participated in various programs of the U.S. Department of Energy to develop, extend and adapt computational tools on high-performance computing resources to challenges in energy engineering, materials interactions, and large-scale chemical manufacturing processes. Vivek brings 10+ years of inter-disciplinary experience in computational fluid dynamics for reacting flows (gasification, combustion), equipment design (pressure vessel, heat exchangers, turbomachinery), and process intensification. He has participated in experimental investigations relating to synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for energy storage, surfactant-enhanced soil remediation, and flow visualization.
At ORNL, Vivek has supported mission-aligned research for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), Building Technologies Research & Integration Center, and the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX).
Certifications
Engineer Intern (EIT), State of Missouri
Technical Skills
Multiphysics simulation tools: Simcenter STAR-CCM+ | ANSYS Workbench | FLOWNEX
CAD tools: Simcenter NX, Solid Works, Space Claim, nTopology
Research Focus
- Pyrometallurgical process intensification
- Melt-pool dynamics in reverberatory lead furnaces
- Optimization of natural gas burner set points
- Effect of addition of petrochemical reductants
- Modular nuclear energy
- Light-water cooled reactors, pressure vessel design
- High-temperature gas-cooled reactors, core design
- Decarbonization applications
- Direct air capture (equipment design, element cycles)
- Waste heat recovery (multi-pass, phase-change systems)
- Design development for marine, hydro-kinetic energy
- Station-keeping, passive gliding, active propulsion
- Equipment design
- Thermal design of vacuum/plasma-facing components
- Advanced heat exchanger design with topology optimization
- Annular multi-fluid heat exchangers
- Two-fluid boilers
Funds Procured
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- HPC4 Energy Innovation (PI | $300,000 | FY22 | 12 months)
- HPC4 Manufacturing (Co-I | $1,200,000 | FY19 - FY21 | 12-18 months)
- Water Power Technologies Office
- TEAMER (PI | $75,000 | FY22 | 12 months)
Collaborators
- Industry
- Gopher Resource
- Gridtential Energy
- Siemens
- Pyro-E
- Spar Energy
- Alcoa USA
- Linde Group
- Brayton Energy
- Eaton
- University
- Missouri University of Science & Technology (Chemical Engineering)
- University of New Mexico (Chemical and Nuclear Engineering)
- University of Toronto (Materials Science and Engineering)
Education
Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO USA - PhD, Chemical Engineering, 2018
Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO USA - MS, Chemical Engineering, 2012
Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, KA India - BE, Chemical Engineering, 2010
Specialized Equipment
Particle Image Velocimetry
FTIR, UV-VIS
TEM, SEM
Other Publications
Rao, V.M., Kumar, V., Anderson, A., Grogan, J., Jain, P.K. (2022). “Computational Methodology to Simulate Pyrometallurgical Processes in a Secondary Lead Furnace”. In: Lazou, A., Daehn, K., Fleuriault, C., Gökelma, M., Olivetti, E., Meskers, C. (eds) REWAS 2022: Developing Tomorrow’s Technical Cycles (Volume I). The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92563-5_53
Hussain, A., Rao, V.M., Branch, N., Gray, T., Kubik, A., Aaron, A., Logan, K., Stewart, S., Lumsdaine, A., Showers, G.S., Romesberg, R.L., and Wolfe, D.E. “Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment High Heat Flux Microwave Absorbers Design, Manufacture, and Articles Test”, TOFE 2022 – Fusion Science & Technology, 2022
Anderson, A., Rao, V.M., and Kumar, V. “High-Performance Computing to Model Pyrometallurgical Processes in a Secondary Lead Furnace”. TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition, 2022.
Panicker, N.S., Chaudhary, R., Jain, P.K., Rao, V.M., and Delchini, M-O.G. “OpenFOAM Based Modeling and Simulation of Aluminium Smelting Process”. 16th U.S. National Congress on Computational Mechanics, July 25-29, 2021.
Panicker, N.S., Chaudhary, R., Jain, P.K., Rao, V.M., and Delchini, M-O.G. “Computational Modeling and Simulation of Aluminum Smelting Process Using OpenFOAM”. 5th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), pp. 1-14. 2021.
Rao, V., Delchini M-O, Jain, P.K., and Ahmed, M. B. 2020. High-Performance Computing to Enable Next-Generation Low-Temperature Waste Heat Recovery. ICONE28-POWER2020-16374.
Smith, J. D., Rao, V., and Landon, M. Advanced Design Optimization of Combustion Equipment for BioEnergy Systems Using Sculptor® w. CFD Tools – American Flame Research Committee (AFRC). Safe and Responsible Development for the 21st Century, Sheraton Kauai, Hawaii – September 22-25, 2013
Smith, J.D., Sreedharan, V., Rao, V., Landon, M., Smith, Z. P. 2014. Advanced Design Optimization of Combustion Equipment Using Sculptor® with CFD Tools. American Flame Research Committee. 2014 Industrial Combustion Symposium (Hyatt Regency Hotel, Houston TX, September 7-10, 2014)
Rao, V. 2019. Simulation and Analysis of Thermal-Hydraulics in PPU Test Target #1 Under Incidence of Nominal and PPU Beams. SNS-106010101-DA0044-R00
Rao, V. 2019. Preliminary Simulation of Conjugate Heat Transfer in the Core Vessel of the Spallation Neutron Source. SNS-10603010102-DA0004-R00
Rao, V. 2019. Simulation of a Helium Surge in the Mercury Storage Tank. SNS-106010200-DA0014-R00
Rao V.M., Castaño, C. H., Rojas, J., Abdulghani, A. J., 2013. Synthesis of nickel nanoparticles on multi-walled carbon nanotubes by gamma irradiation. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 89, 51-56