SMS:Q&A RMA4

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Q: Can English units be used with RMA2?

A: RMA4 includes support of the SI card which controls what units the engine will use. If SI is set to 0, the model runs with English units. If it is set to 1, the model runs in metric units. SMS saves the SI card based on the coordinate system (projection) specified. However, it is recommended that metric units be used for RMA4. This applies to the hydrodynamics that are fed into RMA4 as well.

Q: What boundary angles should be used?

A: RMA4 is more sensitive to mass gain/loss than RMA2 across large closed boundary angles. The suggested minimum boundary angle between any two adjacent elements is 10°. This becomes a very great concern, as this applies simply to the wet/dry interface and not to the outer mesh boundary.

Q: What sort of constituents can be used?

A: RMA4 should not be used to evaluate highly volatile materials such as gasoline, nor materials that do not mix with water, such as oil. Although RMA4 has been used to measure temperature effects from such locations as power plant discharges, this is not a recommended application. Although the documentation claims to be able to model up to 6 constituents, the SMS developers have never had success with more than a single constituent at a time. Multiple constituents require multiple boundary condition files, each with values for one of the constituents. Multiple constituents can be named and joined through the Data Calculator and exported to a single file for future use.

Q: What cards need to be used in RMA4?

A: Card order matters. The RMA4 run control and full print files are very helpful for determining what options are being used.