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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Notes on chiral hydrodynamics within the effective theory approach

We address the issue of evaluating chiral effects (such as the newly discovered chiral separation) in hydrodynamic approximation. The main tool we use is effective theory which defines interaction in terms of chemical potentials {mu}, {mu}{sub 5}. In the lowest order in {mu}, {mu}{sub 5} we reproduce recent results based on thermodynamic considerations. In higher orders the results depend on details of infrared cutoff. Another point of our interest is an alternative way of the anomaly matching through introduction of effective scalar fields arising in the hydrodynamic approximation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Probing Carbon Mineralization Mechanisms in Pore and Bulk Fluids by Harnessing Architected Calcium Silicates

The ability to synthesize materials with well-controlled pore structures gives us unprecedented control over probing fluid interactions with reactive interfaces and advancing calibrated insights into coupled chemo-morphological interactions. One of the primary challenges in developing crystalline silicate materials lies in achieving ordered pore structures. Existing approaches of producing amorphous mesoporous metal silicates via sol–gel methods and heat-treatment of these materials to produce crystalline phases cause the pore structures in the amorphous phases to collapse. To overcome this challenge, carbon coating of amorphous mesoporous calcium silicate particles is carried out to retain the pore structure, while the material is heated to produce crystalline calcium silicate with calcium sulfate inclusions. The pore diameter in these materials is about 3.9 nm, with a surface area and a pore volume of 28.75 m 2 /g and 0.092 cm 2 /g, respectively. The mechanisms of carbon mineralization are investigated by reacting architected calcium silicate with 1 M Na 2 CO 3 and monitoring the evolution in the structural phases using operando wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements. Formation of stable calcium carbonate polymorph or calcite and metastable calcium carbonate polymorph or vaterite in pore and bulk fluids, respectively, resulting from the reaction between Na 2 CO 3 and CaSiO 3 , are noted. The mechanisms associated with carbon mineralization are delineated using ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The surface dissolution reaction is initiated by 2H + ions that replace a Ca 2+ ion in the Ca–silicate matrix. Ca 2+ ions in the solution initially react with water to form calcium hydroxide and eventually form calcium (bi)carbonate. A slow and gradual increase in the formation of sodium silicate in the solution resulting from the reactions of silicic acid or the silicon dioxide reaction with sodium hydroxide is noted. When carbon mineralization occurs in environments bearing interfacial fluids, calcite is the dominant calcium carbonate polymorph, as determined using experiments with pore fluids and molecular-scale simulations. In conclusion, these studies provide fundamental insights into the mechanisms underlying the carbon mineralization of calcium silicate informed by experiments and molecular-scale simulations.

Calcium↗
DOE OSTI2013

Whipple Bumper Shield Simulations [Book Chapter]

The Whipple bumper is a space shield designed to protect a space station from the most hazardous orbital space debris environment. A series of numerical simulations has been performed using the multi-dimensional hydrodynamics code CTH to estimate the effectiveness of the thin Whipple bumper design. These simulations are performed for impact velocities of ~ 10 km/s which are now accessible by experiments using the Sandia hypervelocity launcher facility. For a ~ 10 km/s impact by a 0.7 gm aluminum flier plate, the experimental results indicate that the debris cloud resulting upon impact of the bumper shield by the flier plate, completely penetrates the sub-structure. The CTH simulations also predict complete penetration by the subsequent debris cloud.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Contribution of 3-D time-lapse ERT to the study of leachate recirculation in a landfill

Leachate recirculation is a key process in the operation of municipal waste landfills as bioreactors. It aims at increasing the moisture content to optimise the biodegradation. Because waste is a very heterogeneous and anisotropic porous media, the geometry of the leachate plume recirculation is difficult to delineate from the surface at the scale of the bioreactor site. In this study, 3-D time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used to obtain useful information for understanding leachate recirculation hydrodynamics. The ERT inversion methodology and the electrode arrays were optimised using numerical modelling simulating a 3-D leachate injection scenario. Time-lapse ERT was subsequently applied at the field scale during an experimental injection. We compared ERT images with injected volumes to evaluate the sensitivity of time-lapse ERT to delineate the plume migration. The results show that time-lapse ERT can accomplish the following: (i) accurately locate the injection plume, delineating its depth and lateral extension; (ii) be used to estimate some hydraulic properties of waste.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Derivation of Hydrodynamic Equations for Binary Gas Mixture

Velocities, densities, pressures, stresses, temperatures, heat fluxes and internal energies of each gas are individually defined. Moment equations for mass, momentum and energy of both gases are separately derived on basis of Boltzmann equations. Momentum equations have velocity relaxation terms between different gases and energy equations have velocity and temperature relaxation terms between those.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Regularized Grad equations for multicomponent plasmas

The moment method of Grad is used to derive macroscopic conservation equations for multicomponent plasmas for small and moderate Knudsen numbers, accounting for the electromagnetic field influence and thermal nonequilibrium. In the low Knudsen number limit, the equations derived are fully consistent with those obtained by means of the Chapman-Enskog method. In particular, we have retieved the Kolesnikov effect coupling electrons and heavy particles in the case of the Boltzmann moment systems. Finally, a regularization procedure is proposed to achieve continuous shock structures at all Mach numbers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Anisotropy induced wave birefringence in bounded supercritical plasma confined in a multicusp magnetic field

Laboratory observation of rotation of the polarization axis ({theta}{sub c{approx}}20 deg. - 40 deg. with respect to vacuum) of a penetrating electromagnetic wave through a bounded supercritical plasma (plasma frequency {omega}{sub p}>wave frequency {omega}), confined in a multicusp magnetic field is reported. Birefringence of the radial and polar wave electric field components (E{sub r} and E{sub {theta}}) has been identified as the cause for the rotation, similar to a magneto-optic medium, however, with distinct differences owing to the presence of wave induced resonances. Numerical simulation results obtained by solving the Maxwell's equations by incorporating the plasma and magnetostatic field inhomogeneities within a conducting boundary shows a reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Numerical solution of 2D wet steam flow with non-equilibrium condensation and real thermodynamics

An approach to modeling of wet steam flow with non-equilibrium condensation phenomenon is presented. The first part of our flow model is homogeneous Euler system of transport equations for mass, momentum and total energy of wet steam (mixture). The additional second part describes liquid phase via non-homogeneous system of transport equations for moments of droplets number distribution function and relies on corrected classical nucleation theory. Moment equations are closed by linearization of droplet growth rate model. All necessary relations for thermodynamic properties of steam are provided by IAPWS set of equations. However, properties of condensate are simply modeled by liquid saturation data. Two real equations of state are implemented. Recently developed CFD formulation for entropy (does not require iteration process) and so-called IAPWS special gas equation for Helmholtz energy (one iteration loop is necessary). Flow model is validated on converging-diverging supersonic nozzle with Barschdorff geometry. Simulations were performed by in-house CFD code based on finite volume method and stiff character of equations was solved by symmetrical time operator splitting. Achieved results satisfactorily agreed with experimental data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

COSMIC RAY TRANSPORT THROUGH GYRORESONANCE INSTABILITY IN COMPRESSIBLE TURBULENCE

We study the nonlinear growth of kinetic gyroresonance instability of cosmic rays (CRs) induced by large-scale compressible turbulence. This feedback of CRs on turbulence was shown to induce an important scattering mechanism in addition to direct interaction with the compressible turbulence. The linear growth is bound to saturate due to the wave-particle interactions. By balancing the increase of CR anisotropy via the large-scale compression and its decrease via the wave-particle scattering, we find the steady-state solutions. The nonlinear suppression due to the wave-particle scattering limits the energy range of CRs that can excite the instabilities and be scattered by the induced slab waves. The direct interaction with large-scale compressible modes still appears to be the dominant mechanism for isotropization of high-energy CRs (>100 GeV).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Alfven solitons in a Fermionic quantum plasma

The propagation of Alfven envelope solitons through a Fermionic quantum plasma is considered. Starting from the governing equations for Hall magnetohydrodynamics including quantum corrections, coupled Zakharov-type equations are derived for circularly polarized Alfven waves. The equations are numerically solved for time-independent and time-dependent cases. The time-independent case shows that variations in density take the form of dressed density solitons in which an approximately Gaussian peak is surrounded by smaller sinusoidal variations in the density envelope. The mathematical basis for this behavior is explained. A limited time-dependent case is obtained which uses the numerical time-independent soliton solutions as the initial conditions. This confirms that the soliton solutions retain the same profile as they propagate. The relevance of this work to dense astrophysical plasmas like the interiors of white dwarf stars is discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Effect of Current Sheets on the Solar Wind Magnetic Field Power Spectrum from the Ulysses Observation: From Kraichnan to Kolmogorov Scaling

The MHD turbulence theory developed by Iroshnikov and Kraichnan predicts a k{sup -1.5} power spectrum. Solar wind observations, however, often show a k{sup -5/3} Kolmogorov scaling. Based on 3 years worth of Ulysses magnetic field data where over 28 000 current sheets are identified, we propose that the current sheet is the cause of the Kolmogorov scaling. We show that for 5 longest current-sheet-free periods the magnetic field power spectra are all described by the Iroshnikov-Kraichnan scaling. In comparison, for 5 periods that have the most number of current sheets, the power spectra all exhibit Kolmogorov scaling. The implication of our results is discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Numerical investigation of the flow inside the helical coil steam generator test section - 18589

A Helical Coil Steam Generator (HCSG) is one type of heat exchangers used for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of heat transfer with low pressure drop in recent design of high temperature reactors (HTRs). To investigate the fluid phenomena around the coil bundle of HCSG, the experimental facility had been designed and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations had been conducted to compare the results of experimental ones. In this study, various types of turbulent models in the commercial CFD code (STAR-CCM+) were tested with various grid sizes on the target Reynolds number, Re{sub D} = 163,000, to enhance the validity of the simulation result. The computational domain used to run the CFD simulation had the same geometry of the experimental test section which had the half-coil shaped ribs on each curved channel wall. The working fluid properties employed in the simulation was scaled to the target Reynolds number at room temperature. The averaged static pressure drop induced by coil bundle inside the test section was obtained between the inlet and outlet of the test section. In addition, flow structures inside the flow channel were examined going through the velocity field distribution around the coil and the effect of vortical structures in the flow channel. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2011

CFD validation in OECD/NEA t-junction benchmark.

When streams of rapidly moving flow merge in a T-junction, the potential arises for large oscillations at the scale of the diameter, D, with a period scaling as O(D/U), where U is the characteristic flow velocity. If the streams are of different temperatures, the oscillations result in experimental fluctuations (thermal striping) at the pipe wall in the outlet branch that can accelerate thermal-mechanical fatigue and ultimately cause pipe failure. The importance of this phenomenon has prompted the nuclear energy modeling and simulation community to establish a benchmark to test the ability of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes to predict thermal striping. The benchmark is based on thermal and velocity data measured in an experiment designed specifically for this purpose. Thermal striping is intrinsically unsteady and hence not accessible to steady state simulation approaches such as steady state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models.1 Consequently, one must consider either unsteady RANS or large eddy simulation (LES). This report compares the results for three LES codes: Nek5000, developed at Argonne National Laboratory (USA), and Cabaret and Conv3D, developed at the Moscow Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety at (IBRAE) in Russia. Nek5000 is based on the spectral element method (SEM), which is a high-order weighted residual technique that combines the geometric flexibility of the finite element method (FEM) with the tensor-product efficiencies of spectral methods. Cabaret is a 'compact accurately boundary-adjusting high-resolution technique' for fluid dynamics simulation. The method is second-order accurate on nonuniform grids in space and time, and has a small dispersion error and computational stencil defined within one space-time cell. The scheme is equipped with a conservative nonlinear correction procedure based on the maximum principle. CONV3D is based on the immersed boundary method and is validated on a wide set of the experimental and benchmark data. The numerical scheme has a very small scheme diffusion and is the second and the first order accurate in space and time, correspondingly. We compare and contrast simulation results for three computational fluid dynamics codes CABARET, Conv3D, and Nek5000 for the T-junction thermal striping problem that was the focus of a recent OECD/NEA blind benchmark. The corresponding codes utilize finite-difference implicit large eddy simulation (ILES), finite-volume LES on fully staggered grids, and an LES spectral element method (SEM), respectively. The simulations results are in a good agreement with experimenatl data. We present results from a study of sensitivity to computational mesh and time integration interval, and discuss the next steps in the simulation of this problem.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Supercritical carbon dioxide tubular flow under temporally varying thermal boundary condition

During transient operation of fusion power plants the amount of thermal energy transferred from plasma to surrounding blanket modules will be varied over time, and will affect behavior of the working fluid inside the blanket and power conversion system where the coolant is in a supercritical state. Transient behavior of the power is in pulsed state in tokamak. The Optimized Supercritical Cycle Operation (OSCO) loop is constructed to investigate the thermohydraulic characteristics of the supercritical fluid under temporally varying thermal boundary condition. In this study the tube outer wall temperature data are measured for abrupt change in thermal power as a preliminary power transient test. The OSCO test conditions are selected to include the erratic behavior of the supercritical fluid under pseudo-critical condition during transient. In order to incorporate the delayed response of utilized thermocouples, a time constant is applied to adjust the obtained results. Along with the experimental study, computational fluid dynamic software is used to perform detailed analysis over the test section geometry. The preliminary test results are presented for comparison against the available correlations from the literature. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dissolution of a cylindrical disk in Hele-Shaw flow: a conformal-mapping approach

Here we apply conformal mapping to find the evolving shapes of a dissolving cylinder in a potential flow. Similar equations can be used to describe melting in a flowing liquid phase. Results are compared with microfluidic experiments and numerical simulations. Shapes predicted by conformal mapping agree almost perfectly with experimental observations, after a modest (20 %) rescaling of the time. Finite-volume simulations show that the differences with experiment are connected to the underlying assumptions of the analytical model: potential flow and diffusion-limited dissolution. Approximate solutions of the equations describing the evolution of the shape of the undissolved solid can be derived from a Laurent expansion of the mapping function from the unit circle. Asymptotic expressions for the evolution of the area of the disk and the shift in its centre of mass have been derived at low and high Péclet number. Analytic approximations to the leading-order Laurent coefficients provide additional insight into the mechanisms underlying pore-scale dissolution.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

ANALYTIC SOLUTIONS FOR CURRENT SHEET STRUCTURE DETERMINED BY SELF-CONSISTENT, ANISOTROPIC TRANSPORT PROCESSES IN A GRAVITATIONAL FIELD

A Harris sheet magnetic field with maximum magnitude B{sub 0} and length scale L is combined with the anisotropic electrical conductivity, viscosity, and thermoelectric tensors for an electron-proton plasma to define a magnetohydrodynamic model that determines the steady state of the plasma. The transport tensors are functions of temperature, density, and magnetic field strength, and are computed self-consistently as functions of position x normal to the current sheet. The flow velocity, magnetic field, and gravitational force lie along the z-axis. The plasma is supported against gravity by the viscous force. Analytic solutions are obtained for temperature, density, and velocity. They are valid over a broad range of temperature, density, and magnetic field strength, and so may be generally useful in astrophysical applications. Numerical examples of solutions in the parameter range of the solar atmosphere are presented. The objective is to compare Joule and viscous heating rates, determine the velocity shear that generates viscous forces that support the plasma and are self-consistent with a mean outward mass flux comparable to the solar wind mass flux, and compare the thermoelectric and conduction current contributions to the Joule heating rate. The ratio of the viscous to Joule heating rates per unit mass can exceed unity by orders of magnitude, and increases rapidly with L. The viscous heating rate can be concentrated outside the region where the current density is localized, corresponding to a resistively heated layer of plasma bounded by viscously heated plasma. The temperature gradient drives a thermoelectric current density that can have a magnitude greater than that of the electric-field-driven conduction current density, so thermoelectric effects are important in determining the Joule heating rate.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

BENCHMARKING FAST-TO-ALFVEN MODE CONVERSION IN A COLD MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC PLASMA

Alfven waves may be generated via mode conversion from fast magnetoacoustic waves near their reflection level in the solar atmosphere, with implications both for coronal oscillations and for active region helioseismology. In active regions this reflection typically occurs high enough that the Alfven speed a greatly exceeds the sound speed c, well above the a = c level where the fast and slow modes interact. In order to focus on the fundamental characteristics of fast/Alfven conversion, stripped of unnecessary detail, it is therefore useful to freeze out the slow mode by adopting the gravitationally stratified cold magnetohydrodynamic model c {yields} 0. This provides a benchmark for fast-to-Alfven mode conversion in more complex atmospheres. Assuming a uniform inclined magnetic field and an exponential Alfven speed profile with density scale height h, the Alfven conversion coefficient depends on three variables only: the dimensionless transverse-to-the-stratification wavenumber {kappa} = kh, the magnetic field inclination from the stratification direction {theta}, and the polarization angle {phi} of the wavevector relative to the plane containing the stratification and magnetic field directions. We present an extensive exploration of mode conversion in this parameter space and conclude that near-total conversion to outward-propagating Alfven waves typically occurs for small {theta} and large {phi} (80{sup 0}-90{sup 0}), though it is absent entirely when {theta} is exactly zero (vertical field). For wavenumbers of helioseismic interest, the conversion region is broad enough to encompass the whole chromosphere.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

SIMULATING WAVES IN THE UPPER SOLAR ATMOSPHERE WITH SURYA: A WELL-BALANCED HIGH-ORDER FINITE-VOLUME CODE

We consider the propagation of waves in a stratified non-isothermal magnetic atmosphere. The situation of interest corresponds to waves in the outer solar (chromosphere and corona) and other stellar atmospheres. The waves are simulated by using a high-resolution, well-balanced finite-volume-based massively parallel code named SURYA. Numerical experiments in both two and three space dimensions involving realistic temperature distributions, driving forces, and magnetic field configurations are described. Diverse phenomena such as mode conversion, wave acceleration at the transition layer, and driving-dependent wave dynamics are observed. We obtain evidence for the presence of coronal Alfven waves in some three-dimensional configurations. Although some of the incident wave energy is transmitted into the corona, a large proportion of it is accumulated in the chromosphere, providing a possible mechanism for chromospheric heating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗