DOT: A Nonlinear Heat-Transfer Code for Analysis of Two-Dimensional Planar and Axisymmetric Representations of Structures

摘要

One of the key issues related to location and design of a nuclear waste repository is the dissipation of the heat generated by the isolated waste. The Determination of Temperature (DOT) code is a general purpose finite element heat transfer code developed by Polivka and Wilson in 1976 at the University of California, Berkeley, that is appropriate for predicting thermal environments. The code deals with linear and nonlinear transient of steady-state heat conduction in two-dimensional planar or axisymmetric representations of structures. Capabilities are provided for modeling anisotropic heterogeneous materials with temperature-dependent thermal properties and time-dependent temperature, heat flux, convection and radiation boundary conditions, together with time-dependent internal heat generation. This documentation describes the mathematical model, solution techniques and computer code design. It also contains a detailed user manual. The use of DOT as an integrated part of the SCEPTER technology package has been emphasized throughout the report. Links with the thermomechanical codes MATLOC, VISCOT, and UTAH2 have been identified and described in detail, as have stand-alone applications of DOT and its use with the waste package performance assessment code WAPPA. Output from DOT consists of a steady-state temperature distribution or a set of nodal temperatures at various times for a transient problem. Strengths of the DOT code include its flexibility, wide range of possible boundary conditions, nonlinear material properties, and its efficient equation solution algorithm. Limitations include the lack of a three-dimensional analysis capability, no radiative or convective internal heat transfer, and the need to maintain a constant time step in each program execution. (ERA citation 08:031284)