Rinaldo Gonzalez Galdamez (Mechanical Engineering)

Rinaldo Gonzalez Galdamez (Mechanical Engineering)

About DOE Fellow
Rinaldo Gonzalez Galdamez received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida International University. Born and raised in El Salvador, Rinaldo moved to the U.S in 2008. Before transferring to FIU, he attended Miami Dade College and the Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon Cañas. Rinaldo is now a R&D mechanical engineer at Synrad.

Prior to start working at ARC, Rinaldo participated in a summer internship program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sriram Somasundaram, he developed a research project using the theme of a “Zero Energy Home”. He completed a report for DOE after having conducted computer simulations on a residential load profile of a typical home in the Tri-Cities area and analyzed how one could supply the electrical loads with a solar photovoltaic system. The goal of the study was to provide the local community with a technical assessment describing the potential of solar technologies for residential use in the region with the purpose of decreasing electricity consumption and developing energy self-sufficiency.

DOE Related Projects
Multiple-Relaxation-Time Lattice Boltzmann Model for Multiphase Flows in Three Dimensions
Recently at FIU a relatively new Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique that depends on the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has been developed that can simulate fluid flow and heat transfer in micro and macro geometries. Rinaldo is currently working on multiphase LBM with Mr. Merlin Ngachin and their mentors Dr. SeckinGokaltun and Dr. Michael Sukop, at ARC and the FIU Earth Sciences Department respectively. Rinaldo is collaborating in the mathematical modeling, validation and testing of computer programs that use Lattice Boltzmann Modeling which will help solve multiphase flow problems occurring in HLW retrieval and processing at the Hanford site.

As part of this project, a presentation titled “Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Bubble Dynamics under Gravity” was given by Mr. Ngachin at the 7th International Conference for Mesoscopic Methods in Engineering and Science (ICMMES) at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. As a result of this intensive research work, a manuscript is being prepared for journal submission, for which Rinaldo is one of the coauthors.

The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive 2D and 3D CFD model of a pulsed -air mixer, one of the mixing technologies used for Hanford’s HLW tanks. Within this project, Rinaldo’s tasks have includedthorough literature review on multiphase LBM and classical CFD models. Extensive simulations with LBM and mostly with COMSOL Multiphysics have been performed and analyzed. Rinaldo has validated multiphase flow simulations using the level set method in COMSOL and compared the results with an LBM code used in serial and parallel modes.

Bubble Dynamics under gravity:LBM

Bubble Dynamics under gravity:COMSOL Multiphysics

2D Simulation of pulsed-air mixing technology in COMSOL Multiphysics

Pipe Unplugging Technology
Rinaldo is currently working under the mentorship of Dr. SeckinGokaltun, in the design and development of a pipeline unplugging tool/technology that will be used at the DOE Hanford and Savannah River sites in the event of a plug taking place during the retrieval of High-Level Waste (HLW) from underground tanks. The availability of this tool is crucial to ensuring efficient, continued operation of waste transfers at both locations. This project intends to address the deficiencies associated with other commercially available unplugging technologies already tested at FIU.

Whirling Nozzle Sprayer Technology
Rinaldo collaborated with Mr. Mario Vargas on the Whirling Nozzle Sprayer test plan. This plan included the testing and performance measurements of a remote controlled platform carrying a 360° whirling nozzle that coats a hot cell mock up facility at the Technology Assessment Center at FIU. The objectives of this project are to propose a cost effective alternative technology for coating a hot cell with a fixative that holds radioactive contamination on the surface for successful D&D; and to develop a technology that would help to maintain worker radiation exposure as-low-as-reasonably-achievable.

Hot Cell Interior before and after Coating