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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

A Thermo‐Flow‐Mechanics‐Fracture Model Coupling a Phase‐Field Interface Approach and Thermo‐Fluid‐Structure Interaction

This work proposes a novel approach for coupling non-isothermal fluid dynamics with fracture mechanics to capture thermal effects within fluid-filled fractures accurately. This method addresses critical aspects of calculating fracture width in enhanced geothermal systems, where the temperature effects of fractures are crucial. The proposed algorithm features an iterative coupling between an interface-capturing phase-field fracture method and interface-tracking thermo-fluid-structure interaction using arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian coordinates. We use a phase-field approach to represent fractures and reconstruct the geometry to frame a thermo-fluid-structure interaction problem, resulting in pressure and temperature fields that drive fracture propagation. We developed a novel phase-field interface model accounting for thermal effects, enabling the coupling of quantities specific to the fluid-filled fracture with the phase-field model through the interface between the fracture and the intact solid domain. We provide several numerical examples to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed algorithm. In particular, we analyze mesh convergence of our phase-field interface model, investigate the effects of temperature on crack width and volume in a static regime, and highlight the method's potential for modeling slowly propagating fractures.

fracture↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modelling a compressible packed bed flow-through washing and deacetylation reactor for corn stover pretreatment

The deacetylation process is a key step in the lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment process that currently is done in batch reactors. A flow-through diffuser type reactor is a promising approach to make the process more efficient and economically favorable. A washing step before deacetylation can further reduce chemical usage and increase the process efficiency. However, the highly compacted biomass particles can cause significant pressure-drop for fluid flow through the bed, which in the worst case can cause self-enhancing pressure-drop leading to reactor blocking. Detailed understanding of the fundamentals of flow through a compressible packed bed is necessary to scale up the washing and deacetylation process. This work closely examines the classical Kozeny Carman equation and proposes modifications to accurately predict the pressure-drop at different compaction states. Here, a compressible packed bed model is further developed based on the interaction between solid mechanics and fluid dynamics. Experimental measurements of water flow through a packed bed of corn stover show good agreement with the developed model. Corn stover washing process scale up simulations show that smaller reactor diameter, higher friction lining material, lower process throughput, and higher process temperature is favorable in stabilizing the bed from extensive compression when the bed height is fixed.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Fallon FORGE: Analogue Outcrop Samples

Compilation of results for mechanical and fluid flow properties of analogue outcrop samples - experimental data for compressional and shear wave velocities, tensile strengths, and compressive strengths. Outcrop location and sample orientation data are documented in a separate csv file.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling the Nonlinear Rheology of Polymer Additive Manufacturing

This report summarizes molecular and continuum simulation studies focused on developing physics - based predictive models for the evolution of polymer molecular order during the nonlinear processing flows of additive manufacturing. Our molecular simulations of polymer elongation flows identified novel mechanisms of fluid dissipation for various polymer architectures that might be harnessed to enhance material processability. In order to predict the complex thermal and flow history of polymer realistic additive manufacturing processes, we have developed and deployed a high - performance mesh - free hydrodynamics module in Sandia's LAMMPS software. This module called RHEO – short for Reproducing Hydrodynamics and Elastic Objects – hybridizes an updated - Lagrange reproducing - kernel method for complex fluids with a bonded particle method (BPM) to capture solidification and solid objects in multiphase flows. In combination, our two methods allow rapid, multiscale characterization of the hydrodynamics and molecular evolution of polymers in realistic processing geometries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

MAGNETOROTATIONAL-INSTABILITY-DRIVEN ACCRETION IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

Non-ideal MHD effects play an important role in the gas dynamics in protoplanetary disks (PPDs). This paper addresses the influence of non-ideal MHD effects on the magnetorotational instability (MRI) and angular momentum transport in PPDs using the most up-to-date results from numerical simulations. We perform chemistry calculations using a complex reaction network with standard prescriptions for X-ray and cosmic-ray ionizations. We first show that whether or not grains are included, the recombination time is at least one order of magnitude less than the orbital time within five disk scale heights, justifying the validity of local ionization equilibrium and strong coupling limit in PPDs. The full conductivity tensor at different disk radii and heights is evaluated, with the MRI active region determined by requiring that (1) the Ohmic Elsasser number {Lambda} be greater than 1 and (2) the ratio of gas to magnetic pressure {beta} be greater than {beta}{sub min}(Am) as identified in the recent study by Bai and Stone, where Am is the Elsasser number for ambipolar diffusion. With full flexibility as to the magnetic field strength, we provide a general framework for estimating the MRI-driven accretion rate M-dot and the magnetic field strength in the MRI active layer. We find that the MRI active layer always exists at any disk radius as long as the magnetic field in PPDs is sufficiently weak. However, the optimistically predicted M-dot in the inner disk (r = 1-10 AU) appears insufficient to account for the observed range of accretion rates in PPDs (around 10{sup -8} M{sub sun} yr{sup -1}) even in the grain-free calculation, and the presence of solar abundance sub-micron grains further reduces M-dot by one to two orders of magnitude. Moreover, we find that the predicted M-dot increases with radius in the inner disk where accretion is layered, which would lead to runaway mass accumulation if disk accretion is solely driven by the MRI. Our results suggest that stronger sources of ionization and/or additional mechanisms such as magnetized wind are needed to explain the observed accretion rates in PPDs. In contrast, our predicted M-dot is on the order of 10{sup -9} M{sub sun} yr{sup -1} in the outer disk, consistent with the observed accretion rates in transitional disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Stochastic flux freezing and magnetic dynamo

Magnetic flux conservation in turbulent plasmas at high magnetic Reynolds numbers is argued neither to hold in the conventional sense nor to be entirely broken, but instead to be valid in a statistical sense associated to the ''spontaneous stochasticity'' of Lagrangian particle trajectories. The latter phenomenon is due to the explosive separation of particles undergoing turbulent Richardson diffusion, which leads to a breakdown of Laplacian determinism for classical dynamics. Empirical evidence is presented for spontaneous stochasticity, including numerical results. A Lagrangian path-integral approach is then exploited to establish stochastic flux freezing for resistive hydromagnetic equations and to argue, based on the properties of Richardson diffusion, that flux conservation must remain stochastic at infinite magnetic Reynolds number. An important application of these results is the kinematic, fluctuation dynamo in nonhelical, incompressible turbulence at magnetic Prandtl number (Pr{sub m}) equal to unity. Numerical results on the Lagrangian dynamo mechanisms by a stochastic particle method demonstrate a strong similarity between the Pr{sub m}=1 and 0 dynamos. Stochasticity of field-line motion is an essential ingredient of both. Finally, some consequences for nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, dynamo, and reconnection are briefly considered.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Structure and dynamics of the fast reconnection mechanism in an initially force-free current sheet

The present paper studies the three-dimensional structure and dynamics of the fast reconnection mechanism in an initially force-free current sheet. A large-scale plasmoid (current sheet bulge) is formed ahead of the Alfvenic fast reconnection jet (u{sub x{approx}}V{sub A}) generated in a narrow wedgelike region between a pair of slow shocks. The plasmoid structure is divided into the plasmoid reconnection region P and the plasmoid core region C. In the region P, the strongly sheared reconnected field lines are accumulated and the initial (low-beta) plasma pressure is remarkably enhanced to become comparable to the ambient magnetic pressure since the sheared field lines initially embedded in the current sheet are completely swept away by the reconnection jet. On the other hand, in the region C, the magnetized (low-beta) plasma with the sheared (B{sub z}) field lines, initially embedded in the current sheet, is accumulated without reconnection, and the magnitude of the accumulated sheared field becomes much larger than the ambient magnetic field strength. It is demonstrated that the fast reconnection mechanism in an initially force-free current sheet is so powerful to overcome the magnetic tension forces, which result from the large x-directional bent of the sheared field lines, and vitally proceed by effectively extending the fast reconnection jet region in the sheared field (z) direction.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS ON FINE STRUCTURE WITHIN RECONNECTING CURRENT SHEETS IN SOLAR FLARES

We perform resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations to study the internal structure of current sheets that form during solar eruptions. The simulations start with a vertical current sheet in mechanical and thermal equilibrium that separates two regions of the magnetic field with opposite polarity which are line-tied at the lower boundary representing the photosphere. Reconnection commences gradually due to an initially imposed perturbation, but becomes faster when plasmoids form and produce small-scale structures inside the current sheet. These structures include magnetic islands or plasma blobs flowing in both directions along the sheet, and X-points between pairs of adjacent islands. Among these X-points, a principal one exists at which the reconnection rate reaches maximum. A fluid stagnation point (S-point) in the sheet appeared where the reconnection outflow bifurcates. The S-point and the principal X-point (PX-point) are not co-located in space though they are very close to one another. Their relative positions alternate as reconnection progresses and determine the direction of motion of individual magnetic islands. Newly formed islands move upward if the S-point is located above the PX-point, and downward if the S-point is below the PX-point. Merging of magnetic islands was observed occasionally between islands moving in the same direction. Reconnected plasma flow was observed to move faster than blobs nearby.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SPONTANEOUS CURRENT-LAYER FRAGMENTATION AND CASCADING RECONNECTION IN SOLAR FLARES. I. MODEL AND ANALYSIS

Magnetic reconnection is commonly considered to be a mechanism of solar (eruptive) flares. A deeper study of this scenario reveals, however, a number of open issues. Among them is the fundamental question of how the magnetic energy is transferred from large, accumulation scales to plasma scales where its actual dissipation takes place. In order to investigate this transfer over a broad range of scales, we address this question by means of a high-resolution MHD simulation. The simulation results indicate that the magnetic-energy transfer to small scales is realized via a cascade of consecutively smaller and smaller flux ropes (plasmoids), analogous to the vortex-tube cascade in (incompressible) fluid dynamics. Both tearing and (driven) 'fragmenting coalescence' processes are equally important for the consecutive fragmentation of the magnetic field (and associated current density) into smaller elements. At the later stages, a dynamic balance between tearing and coalescence processes reveals a steady (power-law) scaling typical of cascading processes. It is shown that cascading reconnection also addresses other open issues in solar-flare research, such as the duality between the regular large-scale picture of (eruptive) flares and the observed signatures of fragmented (chaotic) energy release, as well as the huge number of accelerated particles. Indeed, spontaneous current-layer fragmentation and the formation of multiple channelized dissipative/acceleration regions embedded in the current layer appear to be intrinsic to the cascading process. The multiple small-scale current sheets may also facilitate the acceleration of a large number of particles. The structure, distribution, and dynamics of the embedded potential acceleration regions in a current layer fragmented by cascading reconnection are studied and discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

KINETIC ALFVEN WAVES EXCITED BY OBLIQUE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC ALFVEN WAVES IN CORONAL HOLES

Kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) are small-scale dispersive AWs that can play an important role in particle heating and acceleration of space and solar plasmas. An excitation mechanism for KAWs created by the coupling between large-scale oblique AWs and small-scale KAWs is presented in this paper. Taking into account both the collisional and Landau damping dissipations, the results show that the net growth rate of the excited KAWs increases with their perpendicular wavenumber k{sub perpendicular} and reaches maximum at {lambda}{sub e} k{sub perpendicular} {approx} 0.3, where {lambda}{sub e} is the electron inertial length. However, for KAWs with shorter perpendicular wavelengths, the net growth rate decreases rapidly due to dissipative effects. The evaluation of the threshold amplitude of the AW implies that for KAWs with {lambda}{sub e} k{sub perpendicular} < 0.3, the relative threshold amplitude is well below 10%, which is easy to satisfy. In particular, when applying this mechanism to the case of a solar coronal hole containing a dense plume structure, our results show that KAWs with {lambda}{sub e} k{sub perpendicular} < 0.3 can be not only efficiently excited in the interplume region but also strongly dissipated in the dense plume due to the Landau damping.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

JET ROTATION DRIVEN BY MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SHOCKS IN HELICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS

In this paper, we present a detailed numerical investigation of the hypothesis that a rotation of astrophysical jets can be caused by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks in a helical magnetic field. Shock compression of the helical magnetic field results in a toroidal Lorentz force component that will accelerate the jet material in the toroidal direction. This process transforms magnetic angular momentum (magnetic stress) carried along the jet into kinetic angular momentum (rotation). The mechanism proposed here only works in a helical magnetic field configuration. We demonstrate the feasibility of this mechanism by axisymmetric MHD simulations in 1.5 and 2.5 dimensions using the PLUTO code. In our setup, the jet is injected into the ambient gas with zero kinetic angular momentum (no rotation). We apply different dynamical parameters for jet propagation such as the jet internal Alfven Mach number and fast magnetosonic Mach number, the density contrast of the jet to the ambient medium, and the external sonic Mach number of the jet. The mechanism we suggest should work for a variety of jet applications, e.g., protostellar or extragalactic jets, and internal jet shocks (jet knots) or external shocks between the jet and the ambient gas (entrainment). For typical parameter values for protostellar jets, the numerically derived rotation feature looks consistent with the observations, i.e., rotational velocities of 0.1%-1% of the jet bulk velocity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mechanical response and microprocesses of reconsolidating crushed salt at elevated temperature

Design, analysis and performance assessment of potential salt repositories for heat-generating nuclear waste require knowledge of thermal, mechanical, and fluid transport properties of reconsolidating granular salt. So, to inform salt repository evaluations, we have undertaken an experimental program to determine Bulk and Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratio of reconsolidated granular salt as a function of porosity and temperature and to establish the deformational processes by which the salt reconsolidates. Our tests were conducted at 100, 175, and 250 °C. In hydrostatic tests, confining pressure is increased to 20 MPa with periodic unload/reload loops to determine K. Volume strain increases with increasing temperature. In shear tests at 2.5 and 5 MPa confining pressure, after confining pressure is applied, the crushed salt is subjected to a differential stress, with periodic unload/reload loops to determine E and ν. At predetermined differential stress levels the stress is held constant and the salt consolidates. Displacement gages mounted on the samples show little lateral deformation until the samples reach a porosity of ~10 %. Interestingly, vapor is vented only for 250 °C tests and condenses at the vent port. It is hypothesized that the brine originates from fluid inclusions, which were made accessible by heating and intragranular deformational processes including decrepitation. Furthermore, identification and documentation of consolidation processes are inferred from optical and scanning electron microstructural observations. As a result, densification at low porosity is enhanced by water film on grain boundaries that enables solution-precipitation phenomena.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Predicting Fluid Flow Regime, Permeability, and Diffusivity in Mudrocks from Multiscale Pore Characterisation

In geoenergy applications, mudrocks prevent fluids to leak from temporary (H 2 , CH 4 ) or permanent (CO 2 , radioactive waste) storage/disposal sites and serve as a source and reservoir for unconventional oil and gas. Understanding transport properties integrated with dominant fluid flow mechanisms in mudrocks is essential to better predict the performance of mudrocks within these applications. In this study, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments were conducted on 71 samples from 13 different sets of mudrocks across the globe to capture the pore structure of nearly the full pore size spectrum (2 nm–5 μm). We develop fractal models to predict transport properties (permeability and diffusivity) based on the SANS-derived pore size distributions. The results indicate that transport phenomena in mudrocks are intrinsically pore size-dependent. Depending on hydrostatic pore pressures, transition flow develops in micropores, slip flow in meso- and macropores, and continuum flow in larger macropores. Fluid flow regimes progress towards larger pore sizes during reservoir depletion or smaller pore sizes during fluid storage, so when pressure is decreased or increased, respectively. Capturing the heterogeneity of mudrocks by considering fractal dimension and tortuosity fractal dimension for defined pore size ranges, fractal models integrate apparent permeability with slip flow, Darcy permeability with continuum flow, and gas diffusivity with diffusion flow in the matrix. This new model of pore size-dependent transport and integrated transport properties using fractal models yields a systematic approach that can also inform multiscale multi-physics models to better understand fluid flow and transport phenomena in mudrocks on the reservoir and basin scale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of a new ultra-high pressure shock tube facility for combustion and propulsion studies

A new shock tube facility has been designed, constructed, and characterized at the University of Central Florida. This facility is capable of withstanding pressures of up to 1000 atm, allowing for combustion diagnostics of extreme conditions, such as in rocket combustion chambers or in novel power conversion cycles. For studies with toxic gas impurities, the high initial pressures required the development of a gas delivery system to ensure the longevity of the facility and the safety of the personnel. Data acquisition and experimental propagation were implemented with remote access to ensure safety, paired with a LabVIEW- and Python-based user interface. Thus far, test pressures of 270 atm, blast pressures of 730 atm, and temperatures approaching 10 000 K have been achieved. The extreme limitations of this facility allow for emission spectroscopy to be performed during the oxidation of fuel mixtures, e.g., alkanes diluted in argon and carbon dioxide. Ignition delay times were determined and compared to simulations using chemical kinetic mechanisms. The design, experimental procedures, processes of analysis, and uncertainty determination are outlined, and typical pressure profiles are compared with a new gas dynamics solver and empirical correlations developed across multiple shock tube facilities. Preliminary reactive mixture analyses are included with further investigation of the mixtures outlined.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2011

RADIATION-HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF THE FORMATION OF ORION-LIKE STAR CLUSTERS. I. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORIGIN OF THE INITIAL MASS FUNCTION

One model for the origin of typical Galactic star clusters such as the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is that they form via the rapid, efficient collapse of a bound gas clump within a larger, gravitationally unbound giant molecular cloud. However, simulations in support of this scenario have thus far not included the radiation feedback produced by the stars; radiative simulations have been limited to significantly smaller or lower-density regions. Here we use the ORION AMR code to conduct the first ever radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of the global collapse scenario for the formation of an ONC-like cluster. We show that radiative feedback has a dramatic effect on the evolution: once the first {approx}10%-20% of the gas mass is incorporated into stars, their radiative feedback raises the gas temperature high enough to suppress any further fragmentation. However, gas continues to accrete onto existing stars, and, as a result, the stellar mass distribution becomes increasingly top-heavy, eventually rendering it incompatible with the observed initial mass function (IMF). Systematic variation in the location of the IMF peak as star formation proceeds is incompatible with the observed invariance of the IMF between star clusters, unless some unknown mechanism synchronizes the IMFs in different clusters by ensuring that star formation is always truncated when the IMF peak reaches a particular value. We therefore conclude that the global collapse scenario, at least in its simplest form, is not compatible with the observed stellar IMF. We speculate that processes that slow down star formation, and thus reduce the accretion luminosity, may be able to resolve the problem.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

TURBULENT CELLS IN STARS: FLUCTUATIONS IN KINETIC ENERGY AND LUMINOSITY

Three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic simulations of shell oxygen burning exhibit bursty, recurrent fluctuations in turbulent kinetic energy. These are shown to be due to a general instability of the convective cell, requiring only a localized source of heating or cooling. Such fluctuations are shown to be suppressed in simulations of stellar evolution which use the mixing-length theory. Quantitatively similar behavior occurs in the model of a convective roll (cell) of Lorenz, which is known to have a strange attractor that gives rise to chaotic fluctuations in time of velocity and, as we show, luminosity. Study of simulations suggests that the behavior of a Lorenz convective roll may resemble that of a cell in convective flow. We examine some implications of this simplest approximation and suggest paths for improvement. Using the Lorenz model as representative of a convective cell, a multiple-cell model of a convective layer gives total luminosity fluctuations which are suggestive of irregular variables (red giants and supergiants), and of the long secondary period feature in semiregular asymptotic giant branch variables. This '{tau}-mechanism' is a new source for stellar variability, which is inherently nonlinear (unseen in linear stability analysis), and one closely related to intermittency in turbulence. It was already implicit in the 3D global simulations of Woodward et al. This fluctuating behavior is seen in extended two-dimensional simulations of CNeOSi burning shells, and may cause instability which leads to eruptions in progenitors of core-collapse supernovae prior to collapse.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Free Form Fluidics

This work introduces the concept of blending fluid power with mechanical structure through addictive manufacturing. Today, fluid-powered devices are manufactured using conventional fabrication practices. The additive process enables integrated structure, actuation, fluid passages, thermal management, and control within a single fabrication process. Fluid can be routed efficiently through the structure without the need for cross-drilled holes or plugs. Fluid passages can be optimized for heat dissipation and minimized head loss. One of the primary issues regarding parts manufactured using the additive manufacturing process is their mechanical properties. Results show that components made with Ti-6-4 powders have a minimum yield stress and ultimate strength that exceeds Grade 5 specifications. The Arcan system uses a powder bed that has an elevated temperature. Therefore, the part exhibits very little residual stress during the manufacturing process. This leads to improved mechanical strength but induces challenges in powder removal. The specific advantages are reduced weight, potential for lower cost, and reduced part counts.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Causes of fuel–ablator mix inferred from modeling of monochromatic time-gated radiography of OMEGA cryogenic implosions

Here, we present evidence, in the context of OMEGA cryogenic target implosions, that laser imprint, known to be capable of degrading laser-direct-drive target performance, plays a major role in generating fuel–ablator mix. OMEGA cryogenic target implosions show a performance boundary correlated with acceleration-phase shell stability; for sufficiently low adiabats (where the adiabat is the ratio of the pressure to the Fermi pressure) and high in-flight aspect ratios (IFAR's), the neutron-weighted shell areal density and neutron yield relative to the clean simulated values sharply decline. Direct evidence of Rayleigh–Taylor fuel–ablator mixing was previously obtained using a Si Heα backlighter driven by an ~20-ps short pulse generated by OMEGA EP. The shadow cast by the shell shortly prior to stagnation, as diagnosed using backlit radiographs, shows a softening near the limb, which is evidence of an ablator–fuel mix region for a low-adiabat implosion (α ~ 1.9, IFAR = 14) but not for a moderate adiabat implosion (α ~ 2.5, IFAR = 10). We find good agreement between experimental and synthetic radiographs in simulations that model laser imprint and account for uncertainty in the initial ablator thickness. Furthermore, we further explore the role of other mechanisms such as classical instability growth at the fuel–ablator interface, species concentration diffusion, and long-wavelength drive and target asymmetries.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗