Bio
Dr. Nguyen is a Senior R&D Staff at the Energy Systems Development Group, Advanced Reactor Engineering and Development Section, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is an accomplished leader and researcher with extensive experience in thermal-fluid dynamics, advanced instrumentation, and computational modeling for advanced nuclear reactors and energy systems. Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary technical projects, secure competitive funding and mentor emerging scientists and students. Over the course of his career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Texas A&M University, and other prestigious institutions, Dr. Nguyen has successfully contributed to advancing technical knowledge, delivering actionable insights, fostering talent, and producing solutions for high-priority energy challenges.
He has extensive experience in the development and application of advanced instrumentation and innovative measurement techniques, such as:
- Laser-diagnostics: laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV), laser-induced fluorescent (LIF), particle image velocimetry (PIV), stereoscopic-PIV, and Tomographic PIV,
- High-speed thermography, shadowgraphy and Schlieren imaging,
- Ultrasound imaging, optical fiber sensor, and optical sensors.
Dr. Nguyen also has a strong background in computational fluid dynamics modeling (RANS and LES) for investigating coupled fluid flow and heat transfer in single- and multiphase-flow applications, laminar to turbulent flows, in-compressible and compressible flows under normal and critical conditions. He has performed high-fidelity simulations for
- Thermal-hydraulics studies of turbulent flows over complex geometries of nuclear reactor systems and components, such as fuel rod bundles, steam generators, randomly packed beds, and
- Single- and multiphase heat & mass transfer of flow mixing within various energy systems, such as heat pump technologies, energy storage, and transport of aerosol in nonreactor nuclear facilities.
- Hydrodynamics characterizations of turbulent flows around underwater vehicles.
Dr. Nguyen is also an expert in turbulent flow analysis via mode decomposition approach (POD, DMD), Validation and Verification, and Uncertainty Quantification.
Professional Experience
During his time at Texas A&M University as an Assistant Research Professor and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a Senior R&D staff, he has been awarded and served as the Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI, and Investigator for several funded projects from U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, NSUF, and sub-contracts from U.S. National Laboratories, and Industries. These projects investigate thermal-hydraulics effects in nuclear engineering applications such as HTGR Pebble Bed Reactor, NGNP Reactor Building Response to Depressurization Accidents, Nuclear Fuel Assemblies (Light Water Reactors, Sodium Fast Reactors), Reactor Passive Cooling System, and Transport of Fission Products in Gas-cooled Fast Reactors.
Below is the list of research projects awarded:
- Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Seed Program, FY2024-2025.
- Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Seed Program, FY2023-2024.
- Department of Energy - High-Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI), Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), FY2023-2025.
- Department of Energy - Office of Environment, Health, Safety & Security FY2022-2025.
- Department of Energy - Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) FY2023.
- Department of Energy - Nuclear Energy University Programs (DOE-NEUP) 2021 (2 awards).
- Department of Energy - Nuclear Energy University Programs (DOE-NEUP) 2020.
- Department of Energy - Office of Nuclear Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor program FY2018-2020.
- Department of Energy (DOE) General Scientific Infrastructure Grants FY2017.
- Department of Energy - Nuclear Energy University Programs (DOE-NEUP) FY2016-2017.
Other related research topics:
- To support the design of ITER precooler design using CFD (RANS),
- To support the thermal-hydraulics designs of molten salt facilities (Unsteady RANS),
- To characterize structural performances of metal and composite materials in HydroPower Pumped Storage Penstock design coupling Fluid-Structure calculations (CFD-FSI),
- To support the hydrodynamics design of modular fish passage modules used in hydropower stations using URANS and LES approaches,
- To develop an experimental facility of vortex ring and produce validation data for nuclear detonation model using Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) and PIV techniques,
- To characterize thermal-fluid behaviors of energy storage featuring liquid pump and droplet injection (RANS, URANS, LES with VOF and Lagrangian modeling).