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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2020

Deployable sensor system using mesh networking and satellite communication

A sensor system may be configured for continuous operation in a low resource environment and/or in extreme environmental conditions. The sensor system may have sufficient processing capabilities to provide scientific computing for pre-processing, quality control, statistical analysis, event classification, data compression and corrections (e.g., spikes in the data), autonomous decisions and actions, triggering other nodes, and information assurance functions that provide data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation. The hardware may have both mesh networking and satellite and cellular communication capability, and may be available for relatively low cost. Such a network provides the flexibility to have potentially any number of nodes be completely independent from one another. Thus, the network may scale across a diverse terrain.

Frigo, Janette↗

NASA NTRS1976

Method of forming a wick for a heat pipe

A method of forming a tubular wick for a heat pipe is presented. The method is characterized by the steps of forming a wick blank of a predetermined thickness comprising a plurality of superimposed layers of stainless steel mesh screen, wet rolling the blank for reducing the thickness, wrapping the blank about an inner mandrel, compressing the blank into a rigid tubular structure, removing the tubular structure from the mandrel and sintering the tubular structure.

Arcella, F. G.↗

DOE OSTI2024

A discontinuous piecewise polynomial generalized moving least squares scheme for robust finite element analysis on arbitrary grids

A variational approach is developed with a meshless discretization to enable accurate and robust numerical simulation of partial differential equations for meshes that are of poor quality. Traditional finite element methods use the mesh to both discretize the geometric domain and to define the finite element shape functions. The latter creates a dependence between the quality of the mesh and the properties of the finite element basis that may adversely affect the accuracy of the discretized problem. Here, we propose a new approach for defining finite element shape functions that breaks this dependence and separates mesh quality from the discretization quality, which we call discontinuous piecewise polynomial generalized moving least squares (DPP-GMLS). At the core of the approach is a meshless definition of the shape functions, which limits the purpose of the mesh to representing the geometric domain and integrating the basis functions without having any role in their approximation quality. The resulting non-conforming space can be utilized within a standard discontinuous Galerkin framework, providing a rigorous foundation for solving partial differential equations on low-quality meshes. We present a collection of numerical experiments demonstrating our approach in a wide range of settings: strongly coercive elliptic problems, linear elasticity in the compressible regime, and the stationary Stokes problem. We demonstrate convergence for all problems and stability for element pairs for problems which usually require inf-sup compatibility for conforming methods, also referring to a minor modification possible through the symmetric interior penalty Galerkin framework for stabilizing element pairs that would otherwise be traditionally unstable. Mesh robustness is particularly critical for elasticity, and we provide an example that our approach provides a greater than 5 x improvement in accuracy and allows for taking an 8 x larger stable timestep for a highly deformed mesh, compared to the continuous Galerkin finite element method.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Regression Based Approach for Robust Finite Element Analysis on Arbitrary Grids. LDRD Final Report

This report summarizes the work performed under a one-year LDRD project aiming to enable accurate and robust numerical simulation of partial differential equations for meshes that are of poor quality. Traditional finite element methods use the mesh to both discretize the geometric domain and to define the finite element shape functions. The latter creates a dependence between the quality of the mesh and the properties of the finite element basis that may adversely affect the accuracy of the discretized problem. In this project, we propose a new approach for defining finite element shape functions that breaks this dependence and separates mesh quality from the discretization quality. At the core of the approach is a meshless definition of the shape functions, which limits the purpose of the mesh to representing the geometric domain and integrating the basis functions without having any role in their approximation quality. The resulting non-conforming space can be utilized within a standard discontinuous Galerkin framework providing a rigorous foundation for solving partial differential equations on low-quality meshes. We present a collection of numerical experiments demonstrating our approach in a wide range of settings: strongly coercive elliptic problems, linear elasticity in the compressible regime, and the stationary Stokes problem. We demonstrate convergence for all problems and stability for element pairs for problems which usually require inf-sup compatibility for conforming methods, also referring to a minor modification possible through the symmetric interior penalty Galerkin framework for stabilizing element pairs that would otherwise be traditionally unstable. Mesh robustness is particularly critical for elasticity, and we provide an example that our approach provides a greater than 5x improvement in accuracy and allows for taking an 8x larger stable timestep for a highly deformed mesh, compared to the continuous Galerkin finite element method. The report concludes with a brief summary of ongoing projects and collaborations that utilize or extend the products of this work.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1992

Adaptive remeshing for three-dimensional compressible flow computations

A practical solution algorithm for steady 3D Euler flows is presented. This algorithm employs coupling of a surface triangulator, an automatic tetrahedral mesh generator, an unstructured grid flow solver, and an error estimation procedure. The performance of the method is illustrated using a shock interaction problem in high Mach number flow over a swept circular cylinder.

Peraire, J.↗

DOE OSTI2025

The Alamo multiphysics solver for phase field simulations with strong-form mechanics and block structured adaptive mesh refinement

Alamo is a high-performance scientific code that uses block-structured adaptive mesh refinement to solve such problems as: the ignition and burn of solid rocket propellant, plasticity, damage and fracture in materials undergoing loading, and the interaction of compressible flow with eroding solid materials. Alamo is powered by AMReX, and provides a set of unique methods, models, and algorithms that enable it to solve solid-mechanics problems (coupled to other physical behavior such as fluid flow or thermal diffusion) using the power of block-structured adaptive mesh refinement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2017

Compression-based integral curve data reuse framework for flow visualization

Currently, by default, integral curves are repeatedly re-computed in different flow visualization applications, such as FTLE field computation, source-destination queries, etc., leading to unnecessary resource cost. We present a compression-based data reuse framework for integral curves, to greatly reduce their retrieval cost, especially in a resource-limited environment. In our design, a hierarchical and hybrid compression scheme is proposed to balance three objectives, including high compression ratio, controllable error, and low decompression cost. Specifically, we use and combine digitized curve sparse representation, floating-point data compression, and octree space partitioning to adaptively achieve the objectives. Results have shown that our data reuse framework could acquire tens of times acceleration in the resource-limited environment compared to on-the-fly particle tracing, and keep controllable information loss. Moreover, our method could provide fast integral curve retrieval for more complex data, such as unstructured mesh data.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2005

Influence of Compression and Shear on the Strength of Composite Laminates with Z-Pinned Reinforcement

The influence of compression and shear loads on the strength of composite laminates with z-pins is evaluated parametrically using a 2D Finite Element Code (FLASH). Meshes were generated for three unique combinations of z-pin diameter and density. A laminated plate theory analysis was performed on several layups to determine the bi-axial stresses in the zero degree plies. These stresses, in turn, were used to determine the magnitude of the relative load steps prescribed in the FLASH analyses. Results indicated that increasing pin density was more detrimental to in-plane compression strength than increasing pin diameter. FLASH results for lamina with z-pins were consistent with the closed form results, and FLASH results without z-pins, if the initial fiber waviness due to z-pin insertion was added to the fiber waviness in the material to yield a total misalignment. Addition of 10% shear to the compression loading significantly reduced the lamina strength compared to pure compression loading. Addition of 50% shear to the compression indicated shear yielding rather than kink band formation as the likely failure mode. Two different stiffener reinforced skin configurations with z-pins, one quasi-isotropic and one orthotropic, were also analyzed. Six unique loading cases ranging from pure compression to compression plus 50% shear were analyzed assuming material fiber waviness misalignment angles of 0, 1, and 2 degrees. Compression strength decreased with increased shear loading for both configurations, with the quasi-isotropic configuration yielding lower strengths than the orthotropic configuration.

O'Brien, T. Kevin↗

NASA NTRS1987

An adaptive finite element scheme for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations

The implementation of two explicit finite element schemes for the solution of the compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations is presented. The schemes can be employed with general unstructured triangular meshes in two dimensions. Either scheme can therefore be used as the basic solver in a solution adaptive mesh procedure in a direct manner. The particular adaptive approach which is advocated here is intended for the solution of steady state problems only and involves an adaptive regeneration of the grid at prescribed stages during the false transient. The grid regeneration is accomplished by a mesh generator which has the capability of generating triangular grids over computational domains of arbitrary shape. The procedure is illustrated by solving transonic flows over multi-airfoil configurations and high speed flows, involving shock interactions, past circular cylinders.

Morgan, K.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Convergence Acceleration for Multistage Time-Stepping Schemes

The convergence of a Runge-Kutta (RK) scheme with multigrid is accelerated by preconditioning with a fully implicit operator. With the extended stability of the Runge-Kutta scheme, CFL numbers as high as 1000 could be used. The implicit preconditioner addresses the stiffness in the discrete equations associated with stretched meshes. Numerical dissipation operators (based on the Roe scheme, a matrix formulation, and the CUSP scheme) as well as the number of RK stages are considered in evaluating the RK/implicit scheme. Both the numerical and computational efficiency of the scheme with the different dissipation operators are discussed. The RK/implicit scheme is used to solve the two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) compressible, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. In two dimensions, turbulent flows over an airfoil at subsonic and transonic conditions are computed. The effects of mesh cell aspect ratio on convergence are investigated for Reynolds numbers between 5.7 x 10(exp 6) and 100.0 x 10(exp 6). Results are also obtained for a transonic wing flow. For both 2-D and 3-D problems, the computational time of a well-tuned standard RK scheme is reduced at least a factor of four.

Swanson, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Algorithmic Enhancements to the VULCAN Navier-Stokes Solver

VULCAN (Viscous Upwind aLgorithm for Complex flow ANalysis) is a cell centered, finite volume code used to solve high speed flows related to hypersonic vehicles. Two algorithms are presented for expanding the range of applications of the current Navier-Stokes solver implemented in VULCAN. The first addition is a highly implicit approach that uses subiterations to enhance block to block connectivity between adjacent subdomains. The addition of this scheme allows more efficient solution of viscous flows on highly-stretched meshes. The second algorithm addresses the shortcomings associated with density-based schemes by the addition of a time-derivative preconditioning strategy. High speed, compressible flows are typically solved with density based schemes, which show a high level of degradation in accuracy and convergence at low Mach numbers (M less than or equal to 0.1). With the addition of preconditioning and associated modifications to the numerical discretization scheme, the eigenvalues will scale with the local velocity, and the above problems will be eliminated. With these additions, VULCAN now has improved convergence behavior for multi-block, highly-stretched meshes and also can solve the Navier-Stokes equations for very low Mach numbers.

Litton, D. K.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Time-Accurate, Unstructured-Mesh Navier-Stokes Computations with the Space-Time CESE Method

Application of the newly emerged space-time conservation element solution element (CESE) method to compressible Navier-Stokes equations is studied. In contrast to Euler equations solvers, several issues such as boundary conditions, numerical dissipation, and grid stiffness warrant systematic investigations and validations. Non-reflecting boundary conditions applied at the truncated boundary are also investigated from the stand point of acoustic wave propagation. Validations of the numerical solutions are performed by comparing with exact solutions for steady-state as well as time-accurate viscous flow problems. The test cases cover a broad speed regime for problems ranging from acoustic wave propagation to 3D hypersonic configurations. Model problems pertinent to hypersonic configurations demonstrate the effectiveness of the CESE method in treating flows with shocks, unsteady waves, and separations. Good agreement with exact solutions suggests that the space-time CESE method provides a viable alternative for time-accurate Navier-Stokes calculations of a broad range of problems.

Chang, Chau-Lyan↗

DOE OSTI2023

An autoencoder compression approach for accelerating large-scale inverse problems

Abstract Partial differential equation (PDE)-constrained inverse problems are some of the most challenging and computationally demanding problems in computational science today. Fine meshes required to accurately compute the PDE solution introduce an enormous number of parameters and require large-scale computing resources such as more processors and more memory to solve such systems in a reasonable time. For inverse problems constrained by time-dependent PDEs, the adjoint method often employed to compute gradients and higher order derivatives efficiently requires solving a time-reversed, so-called adjoint PDE that depends on the forward PDE solution at each timestep. This necessitates the storage of a high-dimensional forward solution vector at every timestep. Such a procedure quickly exhausts the available memory resources. Several approaches that trade additional computation for reduced memory footprint have been proposed to mitigate the memory bottleneck, including checkpointing and compression strategies. In this work, we propose a close-to-ideal scalable compression approach using autoencoders to eliminate the need for checkpointing and substantial memory storage, thereby reducing the time-to-solution and memory requirements. We compare our approach with checkpointing and an off-the-shelf compression approach on an earth-scale ill-posed seismic inverse problem. The results verify the expected close-to-ideal speedup for the gradient and Hessian-vector product using the proposed autoencoder compression approach. To highlight the usefulness of the proposed approach, we combine the autoencoder compression with the data-informed active subspace (DIAS) prior showing how the DIAS method can be affordably extended to large-scale problems without the need for checkpointing and large memory.

Mathematics↗

DOE OSTI2015

Modelling deformation and fracture in confectionery wafers

The aim of this research is to model the deformation and fracture behaviour of brittle wafers often used in chocolate confectionary products. Three point bending and compression experiments were performed on beam and circular disc samples respectively to determine the 'apparent' stress-strain curves in bending and compression. The deformation of the wafer for both these testing types was observed in-situ within an SEM. The wafer is modeled analytically and numerically as a composite material with a core which is more porous than the skins. X-ray tomography was used to generate a three dimensional volume of the wafer microstructure which was then meshed and used for quantitative analysis. A linear elastic material model, with a damage function and element deletion, was used and the XMT generated architecture was loaded in compression. The output from the FE simulations correlates closely to the load-deflection deformation observed experimentally.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Combining different 3-D global and regional seismic wave propagation solvers towards box tomography in the deep Earth

SUMMARY In previous publications, we presented a general framework, which we called ‘box tomography’, that allows the coupling of any two different numerical seismic wave propagation solvers, respectively outside and inside a target region, or ‘box’. The goal of such hybrid wavefield computations is to reduce the cost of computations in the context of full-waveform inversion for structure within the target region, when sources and/or receivers are located at large distances from the box. Previously, we had demonstrated this approach with sources and receivers outside the target region in a 2-D acoustic spherical earth model, and demonstrated and applied this methodology in the 3-D spherical elastic Earth in a continental scale inversion in which all stations were inside the target region. Here we extend the implementation of the approach to the case of a 3-D global elastic earth model in the case where both sources and stations are outside the box. We couple a global 3-D solver, SPECFEM3D_GLOBE, for the computation of the wavefield and Green’s functions in a reference 3-D model, with a regional 3-D solver, RegSEM, for the computation of the wavefield within the box, by means of time-reversal mirrors. We briefly review key theoretical aspects, showing in particular how only the displacement is needed to be stored at the boundary of the box. We provide details of the practical implementation, including the geometrical design of the mirrors, how we deal with different sizes of meshes in the two solvers, and how we address memory-saving through the use of B-spline compression of the recorded wavefield on the mirror. The proposed approach is numerically efficient but also versatile, since adapting it to other solvers is straightforward and does not require any changes in the solver codes themselves, as long as the displacement can be recovered at any point in time and space. We present benchmarks of the hybrid computations against direct computations of the wavefield between a source and an array of stations in a realistic geometry centred in the Yellowstone region, with and without a hypothetical plume within the ‘box’, and with a 1-D or a 3-D background model, down to a period of 20 s. The ultimate goal of this development is for applications in the context of imaging of remote target regions in the deep mantle, such as, for example, Ultra Low Velocity Zones.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗

DOE OSTI2023

Utah FORGE: 2023 Large Upscaled Discrete Fracture Network Models

This dataset includes the data and a report on the large upscaled discrete fracture network modeling done for the Utah FORGE project in 2023. The FORGE modeling team is making five discrete fracture network (DFN) realizations of a large reservoir model available to researchers. These models have been upscaled to a continuum mesh or grid at resolutions of 10 meters and 20 meters providing reservoir properties for fracture porosity, permeability, and compressibility. The models are available in both the reference global coordinate frame and a local coordinate frame aligned with principal stress directions.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

NEAMS TH CRAB

The MOOSE framework is a library designed to make it straightforward for physicists and engineers to model partial differential equations using finite element and finite volume methods. Finite elements have been a part of the framework library since MOOSE's inception over a decade ago. Initial finite volume capability, however, was added only as recently as May of 2020. Since that time, significant work has been conducted to develop fluid modeling capability based on the finite volume method. Much of this work has taken place in MOOSE's navier_stokes module and in the NEAMS program's coarse mesh CFD code Pronghorn. We report here on development in MOOSE and Pronghorn of incompressible, porous incompressible, and weakly compressible finite volume simulation capabilities and their application to modeling of MSR and FHR advanced reactor concepts.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

NASA NTRS1992

Method for improved prediction of bone fracture risk using bone mineral density in structural analysis

A non-invasive in-vivo method of analyzing a bone for fracture risk includes obtaining data from the bone such as by computed tomography or projection imaging which data represents a measure of bone material characteristics such as bone mineral density. The distribution of the bone material characteristics is used to generate a finite element method (FEM) mesh from which load capability of the bone can be determined. In determining load capability, the bone is mathematically compressed, and stress, strain force, force/area versus bone material characteristics are determined.

Cann, Christopher E.↗