The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is a senior scientific and technical federal institute with responsibility to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. It tests, researches, and advises to protect people, the environment and material goods.
The Safety of Transport Containers division is engaged with research, testing and assessment of transport containers for radioactive materials. This includes mechanical and thermal safety verifications and the development of experimental and computational test methods for the analysis of transport containers.
As part of the experimental work, we perform a variety of load tests at our BAM Test Site for Technical Safety (BAM-TTS) close to Berlin. We offer good and close supervision of the work in a scientific environment.
Topic of the Thesis
At the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, the division "Safety of Transport Containers" deals, among other things, with the topic of heat input and heat dissipation in containers for dangerous goods. According to the regulations, accident conditions in which a fire scenario occurs must be analysed during the development and the approval process of transport containers. Various subsequent scenarios must be analysed in which wood-filled impact limiters, among other things, can lead to a fire. The sheet metal encapsulated structures do not cause an open wood fire, but rather a long-lasting smouldering fire. A specific academic study aims to analyse smouldering processes in encased metal sheets using Ansys® Fluent, OpenFOAM or other suitable software. The aim is to investigate the smouldering fire in more detail with the aid of numerical methods and to compare it with existing literature.
Task of the Thesis
This project entails the development and parameterization of a model for a generic smouldering process in an encapsulated metal sheet. Key parameters will be identified and analysed through an examination of an existing fire testing apparatus. A literature search will be conducted to identify suitable modelling approaches and relevant boundary conditions that align with the specific requirements of the study. Characteristics of the smouldering process such as heat release rate, mass loss rate and temperature development over time will be analysed and categorized as part of the numerical investigations. The smouldering propagation will be displayed and the thermal impact on the metal encapsulation will be modelled.
Agenda
- The thesis can be written in English or German
- A poster should be designed at the end of the work
- Literature research for materials, boundary conditions, modelling, validation
- Creation of a suitable generic model and boundary conditions for validation with experimental test results
- Convergence studies
- Parameterisation of important variables for simple variation of the model
Qualifications
- Experience in the field of combustion processes
- Essential: Application of the simulation software Ansys® Fluent, OpenFOAM or another suitable software package
- Basic knowledge with Python
Contact:
Dr. Tobias Gleim
Safety of Transport Containers division
Phone: +49 30 8104-3168
Email: Tobias.Gleim@bam.de
Address:
Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Division 3.3 Safety of Transport Containers
Unter den Eichen 44-46
12203 Berlin