Dr. Nithin Panicker is a staff member in the Nuclear Systems Performance and Integration group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He specializes in developing and applying physics-based computational models, ranging from zero-dimensional (0D) and one-dimensional (1D) system and component models to high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. His expertise encompasses multiphase transport (gas/particle, gas/liquid) fluid flow, heat and mass transfer and coupled multiphysics processes (electrochemical, electromagnetic wave interaction) in energy and manufacturing applications. His work connects system-level performance and transient behavior with detailed spatial resolution of transport phenomena (multi-scale) to support engineering design, optimization, and scale-up.
At ORNL, Dr. Panicker leads modeling and simulation projects supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s High-Performance Computing for Energy Innovation program, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation and Office of Nuclear Energy. He collaborates with industry partners including Alcoa USA, EPRI, Spar Systems, CCAM, and Solid Power to address complex engineering challenges
He is currently working on applying modeling and simulation techniques in the following application areas to improve Energy, cost and manufacturing efficiency:
1. Nuclear Canisters disposal in geological repositories
2. Fuel cells and electrochemical material extraction
3. High power electromagnetic wave drilling and rock/mineral interaction
4. Data center waste heat recovery
He is also develops modeling and simulation tools flow, mass transfer and thermal problems in OpenFOAM for a variety of industrial applications
Education
- PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 2017
- MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, 2011
- BTech, Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, 2009
Technical skills
- Expert in 0D, 1D modeling and 3D CFD modeling and simulation of flows and heat transfer processes in industrial applications
- Expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics tools used in Industries: StarCCM+, OpenFOAM , ANSYS, GT-Power, SpaceClaim
- Experienced in system modeling and simulation using OpenModelica
- Experienced in solver development using OpenFOAM for various applications
- Experienced in designing multiphase experiments to validate CFD models
- Experienced in programming languages C/C++, JAVA, MATLAB, octave, Python scripting
Awards
- Recent Inductee of Marquis Who’s Who in America (https: //www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-service/498954)
- Recipient of ORNL Appreciation
- Recipient of University Graduate Scholarship from University of Cincinnati
- Best innovation award Boat modeling contest for Annual Technical Symposium, National Institute of Technology, India
Grants/proposals (> 5 mill.)
Mine of future DOE-Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation office (funded ~ 2 mill)
EERE-AMMTO-HPC4EI High Performance Computing to Optimize an Induced Flow Power Generator Device for Waste Heat recovery (funded $300, 000) ]
DOE-FECM-HPC4EI, ALTERNATIVE PATHS FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL (CDR) THROUGH SALT WATER UTILIZATION AND VENTURI SCRUBBER CAPTURE SYSTEMS (funded $400, 000)]
HPC4EI, HIGH PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION OF LIQUID PISTON COMPRESSION FOR LONG-DURATION ENERGY STORAGES (funded $400, 000)]
Induced Flow Generator System for Waste Heat Recovery from Drying Processes submitted to Energy Efficiency Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office, $500, 000 (accepted for first round, review in progress)
INDUCED FLOW GENERATOR SYSTEM FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE WASTE HEAT RECOVERY, EERE, CROSS-SECTOR DECARBONIZATION TECHNOLOGIES (to be submitted)
Publications
Panicker, Nithin, Chudhary, R., Rao, V., Delchini, M., & Jain, P. (2022). A Large Eddy Simulation study of Turbulence, Alumina transport and Heat transfer in Conventional Smelting Cell Using OpenFOAM. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, 4, e2205v1. doi:DOI:10.1007/s11663-022-02539-w
Panicker, Nithin, Delchini, M., Sambor, T., & Sabau, A. (2022). A high fidelity cfd study of oxidation in heat recovery steam generator tubes. Applied Thermal Engineering Preprints, 4, e2205v1. doi:DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.14561.38242
Panicker, Nithin, Passalacqua, A., & Fox, R. O. (2020a). Computational study of buoyancy driven turbulence in statistically homogeneous bubbly flows. Chemical Engineering Science, 216, 115546. doi:10.1016/j.ces.2020.115546
Panicker, Nithin, Passalacqua, A., & Fox, R. O. (2020b). Computational study of the effect of homogeneous and heterogeneous bubbly flows on bulk gas–liquid heat transfer. Journal of Fluids Engineering, 142(10). doi:10.1115/1.4047806
Panicker, Nithin, Passalacqua, A., & Fox, R. O. (2018). On the hyperbolicity of the two-fluid model for gas–liquid bubbly flows. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 57, 432–447. doi:10.1016/j.apm.2018.01.011
Panicker, Nithin, Chudhary, R., Rao, V., Delchini, M., & Jain, P. (2021). Computational modeling and simulation of aluminium smelting process using openfoam. In 5th thermal and fluids engineering conference (tfec) (pp. 789–802). doi:10.1615/TFEC2021.mpm.036670
Panicker, Nithin, Delchini, M., Sambor, T., Sabau, A., & Jain, P. (2021). Advanced thermal-hydraulic model of heat recovery steam generators. In 5th thermal and fluids engineering conference (tfec) (pp. 647–656). doi:10.1615/TFEC2021.fip.036547
Mathew, S., Santhosh, B., Panicker, Nithin, Davidson, G., Nicholas, K., Nole, M., . . . Gonzalez, E. (2021). Steady-state and time-dependent coupled simulations of a critical dual-purpose canister in a saturated repository.
Panicker, Nithin, Chaudhary, R., Delchini, M., Rao, V., & Jain, P. K. (2021). Computational fluid dynamics simulations to support efficiency improvements in aluminum smelting process. doi:10.2172/1844874
Panicker, Nithin, Delchini, M., Sambor, T., & Sabau, A. S. (2021). Computational fluid dynamics simulations to predict oxidation in heat recovery steam generator tubes. doi:10.2172/1844874
Panicker, Nithin, Nicholas, K., Mathew, S., & Davidson, G. (2021). Dual purpose canister thermal simulations in sub-cooled regime: Relap vs. cfd comparison.
Pointer, D., Santhosh, B., Delchini, M., Kwitae, C., Panicker, Nithin, & Turckson, B. (2021). Scalable coarse mesh cfd solver for large scale nuclear system simulations.
Presentations
Panicker, Nithin, Chaudhary, R., Delchini, M., Rao, V., & Jain, P. (2022). Large eddy simulation of aluminum smelting process using openFOAM, 7th Thermal Fluids Engineering Conference meeting, las vegas, nevada, may 16-18 2022. Virtual Conference.
Panicker, Nithin, Chaudhary, R., Delchini, M., Rao, V., & Jain, P. (2021). OpenFOAM based modeling and simulation of aluminum smelting process ,16th united states national congress on computational mechanics , 2021. Virtual Conference.
Panicker, Nithin. (2020). Aluminum smelting modeling and simulation, Oak Ridge National Lab CFD day meeting 2020. Virtual Conference.
Panicker, Nithin, Chaudhary, R., Delchini, M., Rao, V., & Jain, P. (2020). Computational modeling and simulation of aluminum smelting process using openFOAM, 5th Thermal Fluids Engineering Conference meeting, 2020. Virtual Conference.
Panicker, Nithin, Delchini, M., Sambor, T., Sabau, A., & Jain, P. (2020). Advanced thermal hydraulic model of heat recovery steam generator, 5th Thermal Fluids Engineering Conference meeting, 2020. Virtual Conference.
Panicker, Nithin, Passalacqua, A., & Fox, R. (2016). Computational study of turbulent bubbly flows, AIChE Annual meeting 2016.
Panicker, Nithin, Passalacqua, A., & Fox, R. (2014). Analysis and closure verification of multiphase turbulence models for gas -liquid flows, AIChE Annual meeting 2014.
Panicker, Nithin, Passalacqua, A., & Fox, R. (2013). Meso-scale direct numerical simulations of mono-disperse bubbly flows, AIChE Annual meeting 2013.
Panicker, Nithin. (2007a). Economical chemical engineering techniques to perform solar water desalination„ Annual Technical symposium Manipal Institute of Technology, 2007. 10 Panicker, Nithin. (2007b). Modeling and simulation of quenching of steel, Annual Technical symposium indian institute of technology, 2007
US Patent
Nozzles for entrainment driven flows (https://patents.google.com/patent/US20250099990A1/en)