Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “FLUID MECHANICS”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Elucidating the asymmetric behavior of the discharge in a dual magnetron sputter deposition system

A magnetron discharge is characterized by drifts of the charged particles' guiding center, caused by the magnetic field, in contrast to unmagnetized discharges. Because of these drifts, a pronounced asymmetry of the discharge can be observed in a dual magnetron setup. In this work, it is found that the shape of the discharge in a dual magnetron configuration depends on the magnetic field configuration. In a closed configuration, strong drifts were observed in one preferential direction, whereas in a mirror configuration the deflection of the discharge was not so pronounced. Our calculations confirm experimental observations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Variational symplectic algorithm for guiding center dynamics in the inner magnetosphere

Charged particle dynamics in magnetosphere has temporal and spatial multiscale; therefore, numerical accuracy over a long integration time is required. A variational symplectic integrator (VSI) [H. Qin and X. Guan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 035006 (2008) and H. Qin, X. Guan, and W. M. Tang, Phys. Plasmas 16, 042510 (2009)] for the guiding-center motion of charged particles in general magnetic field is applied to study the dynamics of charged particles in magnetosphere. Instead of discretizing the differential equations of the guiding-center motion, the action of the guiding-center motion is discretized and minimized to obtain the iteration rules for advancing the dynamics. The VSI conserves exactly a discrete Lagrangian symplectic structure and has better numerical properties over a long integration time, compared with standard integrators, such as the standard and adaptive fourth order Runge-Kutta (RK4) methods. Applying the VSI method to guiding-center dynamics in the inner magnetosphere, we can accurately calculate the particles'orbits for an arbitrary long simulating time with good conservation property. When a time-independent convection and corotation electric field is considered, the VSI method can give the accurate single particle orbit, while the RK4 method gives an incorrect orbit due to its intrinsic error accumulation over a long integrating time.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

An oscillation free shock-capturing method for compressible van der Waals supercritical fluid flows

Numerical solutions of the Euler equations using real gas equations of state (EOS) often exhibit serious inaccuracies. The focus here is the van der Waals EOS and its variants (often used in supercritical fluid computations). The problems are not related to a lack of convexity of the EOS since the EOS are considered in their domain of convexity at any mesh point and at any time. The difficulties appear as soon as a density discontinuity is present with the rest of the fluid in mechanical equilibrium and typically result in spurious pressure and velocity oscillations. This is reminiscent of well-known pressure oscillations occurring with ideal gas mixtures when a mass fraction discontinuity is present, which can be interpreted as a discontinuity in the EOS parameters. We are concerned with pressure oscillations that appear just for a single fluid each time a density discontinuity is present. As a result, the combination of density in a nonlinear fashion in the EOS with diffusion by the numerical method results in violation of mechanical equilibrium conditions which are not easy to eliminate, even under grid refinement.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Time reversal symmetry breaking and odd viscosity in active fluids: Green–Kubo and NEMD results

Active fluids, which are driven at the microscale by non-conservative forces, are known to exhibit novel transport phenomena due to the breaking of time reversal symmetry. Recently, Epstein and Mandadapu [arXiv:1907.10041 (2019)] obtained Green-Kubo relations for the full set of viscous coefficients governing isotropic chiral active fluids, including the so-called odd viscosity, invoking Onsager's regression hypothesis for the decay of fluctuations in active non-equilibrium steady states. In this Communication, we test these Green-Kubo relations using molecular dynamics simulations of a canonical model system consisting of actively torqued dumbbells. We find the resulting odd and shear viscosity values from the Green-Kubo relations to be in good agreement with values measured independently through non-equilibrium molecular dynamics flow simulations. This provides a test of the Green-Kubo relations and lends support to the application of the Onsager regression hypothesis in relation to viscous behaviors of active matter systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

EXTENDED SCALING LAWS IN NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC TURBULENCE

Magnetized turbulence is ubiquitous in astrophysical systems, where it notoriously spans a broad range of spatial scales. Phenomenological theories of MHD turbulence describe the self-similar dynamics of turbulent fluctuations in the inertial range of scales. Numerical simulations serve to guide and test these theories. However, the computational power that is currently available restricts the simulations to Reynolds numbers that are significantly smaller than those in astrophysical settings. In order to increase computational efficiency and, therefore, probe a larger range of scales, one often takes into account the fundamental anisotropy of field-guided MHD turbulence, with gradients being much slower in the field-parallel direction. The simulations are then optimized by employing the reduced MHD equations and relaxing the field-parallel numerical resolution. In this work we explore a different possibility. We propose that there exist certain quantities that are remarkably stable with respect to the Reynolds number. As an illustration, we study the alignment angle between the magnetic and velocity fluctuations in MHD turbulence, measured as the ratio of two specially constructed structure functions. We find that the scaling of this ratio can be extended surprisingly well into the regime of relatively low Reynolds number. However, the extended scaling easily becomes spoiled when the dissipation range in the simulations is underresolved. Thus, taking the numerical optimization methods too far can lead to spurious numerical effects and erroneous representation of the physics of MHD turbulence, which in turn can affect our ability to identify correctly the physical mechanisms that are operating in astrophysical systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

HYDROMAGNETIC INSTABILITIES IN RELATIVISTIC NEUTRON STARS

We model the nonlinear ideal magnetohydrodynamics of poloidal magnetic fields in neutron stars in general relativity assuming a polytropic equation of state. We identify familiar hydromagnetic modes, in particular the 'sausage/varicose' mode and 'kink' instability inherent to poloidal magnetic fields. The evolution is dominated by the kink instability, which causes a cataclysmic reconfiguration of the magnetic field. The system subsequently evolves to new, non-axisymmetric, quasi-equilibrium end states. The existence of this branch of stable quasi-equilibria may have consequences for magnetar physics, including flare generation mechanisms and interpretations of quasi-periodic oscillations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Linearly Coupled Electrostatic and Shear Alfven Waves in Dense Plasma in the Presence of Stationary Dust

Low frequency electrostatic and electromagnetic waves in a dense magnetoplasma are studied. The dispersive contribution of electron quantum effects in an electron-ion plasma in the presence of positively or negatively charged dust particles in the background is emphasized. By employing the quantum hydrodynamic model, a linear dispersion relation is derived which shows coupling of electrostatic and shear Alfven modes which shows influence of electron quantum effects and dust density.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Uranium mononitride as a potential commercial LWR fuel

This paper evaluated uranium mononitride (UN) as a potential replacement for 5% enriched UO{sub 2} fuel in Generation III and III+ commercial light water reactors (LWRs). Significant improvement in LWR performance depends on developing and implementing changes in the nuclear fuel used in these reactors. Compared to UO{sub 2}, UN offers several advantages such as higher uranium loading and better thermal conductivity. In this paper, the thermal safety margin of UN was evaluated at both normal and accident conditions using a readily available coupled CFD model developed for the US DOE CASL program. One of the prime technical challenges in utilization of UN as LWR fuel is the water compatibility because pure phase UN is not stable in water at 350 deg. C. The water corrosion resistance of UN and the corrosion mechanism were reviewed and mitigation methods were proposed. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2011

TOROIDAL FIELD REVERSALS AND THE AXISYMMETRIC TAYLER INSTABILITY

We present axisymmetric numerical simulations of the solar interior, including the convection zone and an extended radiative interior. We find that differential rotation in the convection zone induces a toroidal field from an initially purely poloidal field. This toroidal field becomes unstable to the axisymmetric Tayler instability and undergoes equatorward propagating toroidal field reversals. These reversals occur in the absence of a dynamo and without accompanying poloidal field reversals. The nature and presence of such reversals depends sensitively on the initial poloidal field strength imposed, with north-south symmetric reversals only seen at a particular initial field strength. Coupled with a dynamo mechanism which regenerates the poloidal field this could be one ingredient in the sunspot cycle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Numerical and Analytical Analysis of Thin Laser-Driven Flyer Plates

Computational and analytical investigations have been performed for laser-driven flyer plate experiments and compared with data. These have resulted in a more fundamental understanding of the physical processes in the laser absorption, and acceleration of the flyers by the expansion of laser produced plasma. The analytical work describes the dependences of final foil velocity, while the computational simulations permit a detailed look at energy coupling and foil acceleration issues.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2011

ICRF Mode Conversion Flow Drive Experiments on Alcator C-Mod

We have carried out a detailed study of the dependence of ICRF mode conversion flow drive (MCFD) on plasma and RF parameters. The flow drive efficiency is found to depend strongly on the {sup 3}He concentration in D({sup 3}He) plasmas, a key parameter separating the ICRF minority heating regime and mode conversion regime. At +90 deg. antenna phasing (waves in the co-I{sub p} direction) and dipole phasing, the driven flow is in the co-I{sub p} direction, and the change of the rotation velocity increases with both P{sub RF} and I{sub p}, and scales unfavorably vs. plasma density and antenna frequency. When MCFD is applied to I-mode plasmas, the plasma rotation increases until the onset of MHD modes triggered by large sawtooth crashes. Very high performance I-mode plasmas with H{sub ITER98,y2}{approx}1.4 and T{sub e0}{approx}8 keV have been obtained in these experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Understanding Subsurface Fracture Evolution Dynamics Using Time‐Lapse Full Waveform Inversion of Continuous Active‐Source Seismic Monitoring Data

Abstract Predicting the behavior, geometry, and flow properties of subsurface fractures remains a challenging problem. Seismic models that can characterize fractures usually suffer from low spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we develop a correlative double‐difference time‐lapse full waveform inversion of continuous active source seismic monitoring data for determining high‐spatiotemporal‐resolution time‐lapse V p models of in‐situ fracture evolution at a shallow contamination site in Wyoming, USA. Assisted by rock physics modeling, we find that (a) rapidly increasing pore pressure initializes and grows the fracture, increasing the porosity slightly (from ∼13.7% to ∼14.6%) in the tight clay formation, thus decreasing V p (∼50 m/s); (b) the fluid injection continues decreasing V p , likely through the introduction of gas bubbles in the injectate; and (c) final V p reductions reach over ∼150 m/s due to a posited ∼4.5% gas saturation. Our results demonstrate that high‐resolution V p changes are indicative of mechanical and fluid changes within the fracture zone during hydrofracturing.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

STATISTICAL STUDY OF CHROMOSPHERIC ANEMONE JETS OBSERVED WITH HINODE/SOT

The Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode has revealed numerous tiny jets in all regions of the chromosphere outside of sunspots. A typical chromospheric anemone jet has a cusp-shaped structure and bright footpoint, similar to the shape of an X-ray anemone jet observed previously with the Soft X-ray Telescope on board Yohkoh. The similarity in the shapes of chromospheric and X-ray anemone jets suggests that chromospheric anemone jets are produced as a result of the magnetic reconnection between a small bipole (perhaps a tiny emerging flux) and a pre-existing uniform magnetic field in the lower chromosphere. We examine various chromospheric anemone jets in the solar active region near the solar limb and study the typical features (e.g., length, width, lifetime, and velocity) of the chromospheric anemone jets. Statistical studies show that chromospheric anemone jets have: (1) a typical length {approx}1.0-4.0 Mm, (2) a width {approx}100-400 km, (3) a lifetime {approx}100-500 s, and (4) a velocity {approx}5-20 km s{sup -1}. The velocity of the chromospheric anemone jets is comparable to the local Alfven speed in the lower solar chromosphere ({approx}10 km s{sup -1}). The histograms of chromospheric anemone jets near the limb and near the disk center show similar averages and shapes of distributions, suggesting that the characteristic behavior of chromospheric anemone jets is independent of whether they are observed on the disk or at the limb. The observed relationship between the velocity and length of chromospheric anemone jets shows that the jets do not follow ballistic motion but are more likely accelerated by some other mechanism. This is consistent with numerical simulations of chromospheric anemone jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A SEMI-ANALYTIC FORMULATION FOR RELATIVISTIC BLAST WAVES WITH A LONG-LIVED REVERSE SHOCK

This paper performs a semi-analytic study of relativistic blast waves in the context of gamma-ray bursts. Although commonly used in a wide range of analytical and numerical studies, the equation of state (EOS) with a constant adiabatic index is a poor approximation for relativistic hydrodynamics. Adopting a more realistic EOS with a variable adiabatic index, we present a simple form of jump conditions for relativistic hydrodynamical shocks. Then we describe in detail our technique of modeling a very general class of GRB blast waves with a long-lived reverse shock. Our technique admits an arbitrary radial stratification of the ejecta and ambient medium. We use two different methods to find dynamics of the blast wave: (1) customary pressure balance across the blast wave and (2) the 'mechanical model'. Using a simple example model, we demonstrate that the two methods yield significantly different dynamical evolutions of the blast wave. We show that the pressure balance does not satisfy the energy conservation for an adiabatic blast wave while the mechanical model does. We also compare two sets of afterglow light curves obtained with the two different methods.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

USING FARADAY ROTATION TO PROBE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC INSTABILITIES IN INTRACLUSTER MEDIA

It has recently been suggested that conduction-driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities may operate at all radii within an intracluster medium (ICM) and profoundly affect the structure of a cluster's magnetic field. Where MHD instabilities dominate the dynamics of an ICM, they will re-orient magnetic field lines perpendicular to the temperature gradient inside a cooling core or parallel to the temperature gradient outside it. This characteristic structure of magnetic field could be probed by measurements of polarized radio emission from background sources. Motivated by this possibility we have constructed three-dimensional models of a magnetized cooling-core cluster and calculated Faraday rotation measure (RM) maps in the plane of the sky under realistic observing conditions. We compare a scenario in which magnetic field geometry is characterized by conduction-driven MHD instabilities to that where it is determined by isotropic turbulent motions. We find that future high-sensitivity spectropolarimetric measurements of RM, such as will be enabled by the Expanded Very Large Array and Square Kilometer Array, can distinguish between these two cases with plausible exposure times. Such observations will test the existence of conduction-driven MHD instabilities in dynamically relaxed cooling-core clusters. More generally, our findings imply that observations of Faraday RM should be able to discern physical mechanisms that result in qualitatively different magnetic field topologies, without a priori knowledge about the nature of the processes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Demonstration of Fully Coupled Calculations in Helical Steam Generator: Toward Predictions of Fluid Elastic Instability

The NEAMS program aims to develop an integrated multi-physics simulation capability “pellet-to-plant” for the design and analysis of future generations of nuclear power plants. In particular, the Reactor Product Line code suite's multi-resolution hierarchy is being designed to ultimately span the full range of length and time scales present in relevant reactor design and safety analyses, as well as scale from desktop to petaflop computing platforms. Flow-induced vibration (FIV) is widespread problem in energy systems because they rely on fluid movement for energy conversion. Vibrating structures may be damaged as fatigue or wear occurs. Given the importance of reliable components in the nuclear industry, flow-induced vibration has long been a major concern in safety and operation of nuclear reactors. In particular, nuclear fuel rods and steam generators have been known to suffer from flow-induced vibration and related failures. Advanced reactors, such as integral Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) considered for Small Modular Reactors (SMR), often rely on innovative component designs to meet cost and safety targets. One component that is the subject of advanced designs is the steam generator, some designs of which forego the usual shell-and-tube architecture in order to fit within the primary vessel. In addition to being more cost- and space-efficient, such steam generators need to be more reliable, since failure of the primary vessel represents a potential loss of coolant and a safety concern. A significant amount of data exists on flow-induced vibration in shell-and-tube heat exchangers, and heuristic methods are available to predict their occurrence based on a set of given assumptions. In contrast, advanced designs have far less data available. Advanced modeling and simulation based on coupled structural and fluid simulations have the potential to predict flow-induced vibration in a variety of designs, reducing the need for expensive experimental programs, especially at the design stage. Over the past seven years, the Reactor Product Line has developed the integrated multi-physics code suite SHARP. The goal of developing such a tool is to perform multi-physics neutronics, thermal/fluid, and structural mechanics modeling of the components inside the full reactor core or portions of it with a user-specified fidelity. In particular SHARP contains high-fidelity single-physics codes Diablo for structural mechanics and Nek5000 for fluid mechanics calculations. Both codes are state-of-the-art, highly scalable tools that have been extensively validated. These tools form a strong basis on which to build a flow-induced vibration modeling capability. In the last two years a significant effort was devoted to 1) develop and validate a fully coupled capability in SHARP for Fluid-Structure calculations (FSI) and 2) validate the use of SHARP for one-way coupled calculations in helical steam generators on legacy data available as well as novel experiments. In this report we discuss an extension of previous one-way coupled calculations performed with Nek5000 and Diablo aimed at simulating available FIV experiments in helical steam generators in the turbulent buffeting regime. It was demonstrated that in the buffeting regime one-way coupling was judged sufficient because the pressure loads do not cause substantial displacements. However, higher speeds led to a reduction in accuracy and the need for a fully coupled capability for velocity or approaching the critical velocity and fluid elastic instability. In this report we demonstrate such fully coupled capability on the Argonne test case discussed in previous reports.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Characterization of mechanical behavior of an epithelial monolayer in response to epidermal growth factor stimulation

Cell signaling often causes changes in cellular mechanical properties. Knowledge of such changes can ultimately lead to insight into the complex network of cell signaling. In the current study, we employed a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to characterize the mechanical behavior of A431 cells in response to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. From AFM, which probes the upper portion of an individual cell in a monolayer of cells, we observed increases in energy dissipation, Young's modulus, and hysteresivity. Increases in hysteresivity imply a shift toward a more fluid-like mechanical ordering state in the bodies of the cells. From QCM-D, which probes the basal area of the monolayer of cells collectively, we observed decreases in energy dissipation factor. This result suggests a shift toward a more solid-like state in the basal areas of the cells. The comparative analysis of these results indicates a regionally specific mechanical behavior of the cell in response to EGFR signaling and suggests a correlation between the time-dependent mechanical responses and the dynamic process of EGFR signaling. This study also demonstrates that a combination of AFM and QCM-D is able to provide a more complete and refined mechanical profile of the cells during cell signaling. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The EGF-induced cellular mechanical response is regionally specific. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The EGF-induced cellular mechanical response is time and dose dependent. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A combination of AFM and QCM-D provides a more complete mechanical profile of cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

MODELING SUPER-FAST MAGNETOSONIC WAVES OBSERVED BY SDO IN ACTIVE REGION FUNNELS

Recently, quasi-periodic, rapidly propagating waves have been observed in extreme ultraviolet by the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument in about 10 flare/coronal mass ejection (CME) events thus far. A typical example is the 2010 August 1 C3.2 flare/CME event that exhibited arc-shaped wave trains propagating in an active region (AR) magnetic funnel with {approx}5% intensity variations at speeds in the range of 1000-2000 km s{sup -1}. The fast temporal cadence and high sensitivity of AIA enabled the detection of these waves. We identify them as fast magnetosonic waves driven quasi-periodically at the base of the flaring region and develop a three-dimensional MHD model of the event. For the initial state we utilize the dipole magnetic field to model the AR and include gravitationally stratified density at coronal temperature. At the coronal base of the AR, we excite the fast magnetosonic wave by periodic velocity pulsations in the photospheric plane confined to a funnel of magnetic field lines. The excited fast magnetosonic waves have similar amplitude, wavelength, and propagation speeds as the observed wave trains. Based on the simulation results, we discuss the possible excitation mechanism of the waves, their dynamical properties, and the use of the observations for coronal MHD seismology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗