Selected Publications of Dudley J. Benton, Ph.D., Knoxville, Tennessee dudley.benton@gmail.com

A Digital Method for Analyzing Droplets on Sensitive Paper.pdf This CTI paper deals with the analysis of water droplets on sensitive paper used for cooling tower drift testing.

A Microscopic Perspective on Availability and Irreversibility.pdf This ASME paper deals with availability and irreversibility from a microscopic perspective, two foundational concepts often thought to be limited to classical thermodynamics.

A More Nearly Exact Representation of Cooling Tower Theory.pdf This CTI paper deals with the governing equations for evaporative cooling towers.

A Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfer in Evaporative Cooling Towers.pdf This TVA Report presents a numerical model for the heat and mass transfer processes occurring in cooling towers.

A Reynolds Number Correction for Pitot Measurements final.pdf This CTI paper deals with the impact of Reynolds number on probes used to measure velocity.

A Simplified Approach for Modeling a Thermal Plume in a Stratified Ambient.pdf This paper describes a 1D plume model that accounts for variations in temperature of the receiving medium.

A Turbulent Burst Model for Boundary Layer Flows with Pressure Gradient.pdf This paper describes a remarkable connection between the time domain of turbulence to the spatial domain of boundary layers through the Laplace transform. The primary author, Lindon Thomas, is a mentor and very influential in my education.

A Proposed Unified Approach to the Thermochemistry of Fluids.pdf This paper describes an approach unifying microscopoc and macroscopic properties of fluids to obtain a single representation.

An Experimental Investigation of Droplet Film Boiling on Macro-Roughened Surfaces.pdf This is a technical paper documenting the results presented in my dissertation, which is also available below.

An Improved Cooling Tower Algorithm for the CoolTools Simulation Model.pdf This ASHRAE paper presents an algorithm for estimating the performance of a cooling tower.

Analysis of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers for Use in OTEC Systems.pdf This paper is a summary of my thesis, which can be found below.

Analysis of the Paradise Fossil Plant Cooling System.pdf This TVA Report deals with the cooling system at TVA's Paradise Steam Power Plant.

Applications of a Hybrid Derivative Free Algorithm for Locating Extrema.pdf This SIAM paper presents a derivative-free method for locating minimums and maximums.

Browns Ferry Thermal Discharge Model.pdf This paper describes the diffuser model, plant heat rejection model, and thermal discharge mixing calculations for a three-unit nuclear plant.

Comparison of Methods for Numerical Integration in Computing Cooling Tower Demand Curves.pdf This CTI paper deals with various methods of numerical integration applied to the cooling tower demand integral.

Computer Simulation of Hybrid Fill in Crossflow Mechanical Induced Draft Cooling Towers.pdf This ASME paper presents a numerical model for analyzing the heat and mass transfer process in complex cooling tower fills.

Computer Simulation of Transport Phenomena in Evaporative Cooling Towers.pdf This JEGTP paper presents a numerical model for the heat and mass transfer processes occurring in cooling towers.

Contaminant Transport in Granular Media.pdf This paper presents a very interesting case study in which the mathematics was originally incorrect and inadequate, leading to grossly erroneous results. A more accurate computational approach yielded results substantially in agreement with observations. The cleanup would have been vastly less expensive if the original study had been adequate.

Contamination of An Isolation Cap Due to Retardation This paper first alerted the USEPA to an unavoidable consequence of the usual low permiable cap solution to containing certain contaminants (e.g., PCPs) in situ.

Cooling Tower Performance.pdf This paper deals with various aspects of cooling tower performance and presents a novel design for increasing the performance of natural-draft cooling towers.

Development of the Fast 3D Particle Tracker PTRAX.pdf This TWRS paper presents a particle tracking program based on the Hamiltonian approach, which is orders of magnitude faster than the Lagrangian approach. The program handles diffusion and dispersion as well as fractures, which are used to model karst formations.

Description and Verification of PTRAX.pdf This report details how the model was developed and the validation process in which it is compared to known valid (analytical) solutions.

Development of a Two-Dimensional Plume Model for Positively and Negatively Buoyant Discharges into a Stratified Flowing Ambient.pdf This paper was presented at the Tennessee Water Resources Symposium in Nashville October 1989.

Development of the Finite Integral Method.pdf This TVA Report presents the finite integral model, which is different from the finite difference and finite volume models, though similar to both in some ways.

Evaluation of Plume Capture Alternatives for A Heterogeneous Fluvial Aquifer This report describes how groundwater flow modeling plus particle tracking was used to design an optimal arrangement of wells and pumping schedules to capture a contaminant plume.

Impact of Atmospheric Lapse Rate on Power Plant Performance.pdf This APC paper presents the impact of atmospheric lapse rate on cooling tower performance. Computer model predictions are compared to large-scale field data.

Influence of Fill Type and Flow Orientation on the Lewis Number.pdf This CTI paper presents the impact of Lewis number (that is, the split between sensible and latent heat transfer) in evaporative cooling towers based on laboratory-scale fill data.

Liquid-Solid Contact and Its Relationship to Improved Film Boiling Heat Transfer Rates.pdf This paper was presented at the 7th International Heat Transfer Conference held in Munich, West Germany, 1982.

Liquid-Solid Contact Phenomenon in Film Boiling of Leidenfrost Drops Updated.pdf This is an updated version of my dissertation.

Mass Transfer and Pressure Drop in Sprays Falling in a Freestream at Various Angles.pdf This IAHR paper presents a numerical and experimental analysis of mass transfer involving drops falling within a cooling tower.

Modeling Nitrogen Supersaturation at Jennings Randolph.pdf This paper was prepared for the US Army Corps of Engineers and addresses fish kills at 4 locations due to nitrogen supersaturation. Fish kills were due to the "bends", a condition usually associated with divers experiencing rapid decompression.

Modeling of the Sorption Process.pdf This paper was prepared for the USDoE and provides an introduction to sorption modeling.

Modeling the Response of a Multi-Unit Electric Power Plant to a Changing Environment.pdf This paper describes a versatile power plant heat rejection model and how it has been used to evaluate impacts on the environment and impacts of environmental changes on plant operation and performance.

Modeling Transport of PCBS in a Sorbing and Retarding Medium Updated.pdf This is a detailed description of contaminant transport through complex media via. multiple pathways.

On the Use of Hermite Polynomials.pdf This paper prepared for the USTVA introduces the Use of Hermite Polynomials to Test Integration Techniques for Mass Recovery in Groundwater Tracer Experiments. The same can also be used for similar phenomena which vanish far away from the source (i.e., in the far field).

Oriented Spray Assisted Cooling Tower.pdf This CTI paper presents a novel design to improve the performance of natural-draft cooling towers.

Results of Analysis of the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant Heat Rejection System.pdf This paper describes the thermal model, including the heat rejection system, and the impact of environmental changes on generation.

Results of Analysis of the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Heat Rejection System.pdf same thing as the preceding, only a different plant design. I still have the models and data if you're interested in performing your own study.

Running Large Models on a PC Platform.pdf This TWRS paper deals with the problems of running large models on a PC during the transition time before gigabytes of memory were available.

Sensitivity of Power Supply to Extreme Meteorology.pdf This joint TVA/DOE Report presents an analysis of the potential impact of climate change on power production. Then President George H. W. Bush quoted from this Report in a 1992 debate with then presidential-hopeful Bill Clinton.

Solution of Complex Thermochemical Equilibria in Symbolic Form.pdf This ASME paper presents a method and computer program for analyzing chemical equilibria (i.e., reactions). The method presented is a modification of the RAND algorithm, except that it can handle non-ideal properties.

Steam Cycle Analysis Specifically for the Microcomputer.pdf This ASME paper presents the first--and only--computer model able to solve complex thermodynamic systems using only 64kB code + 64kB data. It still works and is part of a new Windows-based model under construction: CyclePro https://cyclepro.altervista.org/

Theoretical Analysis of Heat Exchangers in an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion System Updated.pdf This is an updated version of my thesis.

The Usefulness of Multi-Well Aquifer Tests in Heterogeneous Aquifers.pdf This paper describes the importance of designing groundwater pumped well tests so as to obtain the most accurate results.  Thanks to co-authors Steven C. Young, Joost C. Herweijer, and Paul Sims for bringing me onto the project as an applied mathematician.

Total Solar Field DNI Measurement Method for ASME PTC 52.pdf This POWER2012 paper deals with the uncertainty associated with DNI measurements and the associated calculations for evaluating passive solar power generation systems.

Watts Bar Cooling Tower Performance Evaluation.pdf This TVA Report deals with the performance of the natural draft cooling towers at TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Plant.

return to home page