Want to learn about Nek5000? In this hands-on workshop, Dr. Elia Merzari (PSU) and PSU students will guide attendees as they explore this open-source computational fluid dynamics code known for its scalability and precision. Nek5000 combines spectral methods with finite element techniques, making it versatile for various nuclear energy applications. It can conduct DNS, LES, and unsteady RANS simulations and accommodates both incompressible and low-Mach models. All attendees are expected to bring their personal computers. No prior experience with using the software is required.

Speaker

Speaker photo

Elia Merzari

Dr. Elia Merzari received his Ph.D. from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with a thesis on the use of advanced computational fluid dynamics techniques for the simulation of flows in rod bundles. After graduation, he remained at the same institute as a Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science fellow. In 2009, he joined Argonne National Laboratory, first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a regular staff in 2010. At Argonne, Dr. Merzari served in several roles in the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program, for which he currently is the thermal-fluids lead. In 2019, he joined the faculty at Penn State as an associate professor. Dr. Merzari’s research relies on predictive large-scale simulations of turbulence to improve our physical understanding of complex flows and to ultimately design safer and more efficient nuclear reactors.