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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Flow-induced vibration analysis of a helical coil steam generator experiment using large eddy simulation

This paper describes a numerical study of flow-induced vibration in a helical coil steam generator experiment conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in the 1980s. In the experiment, a half-scale sector model of a steam generator helical coil tube bank was subjected to still and flowing air and water, and the vibrational characteristics were recorded. The research detailed in this document utilizes the multi-physics simulation toolkit SHARP developed at Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to simulate the experiment. SHARP uses the spectral element code Nek5000 for fluid dynamics analysis and the finite element code DIABLO for structural analysis. The flow around the coil tubes is modeled in Nek5000 by using a large eddy simulation turbulence model. Transient pressure data on the tube surfaces is sampled and transferred to DIABLO for the structural simulation. The structural response is simulated in DIABLO via an implicit time-marching algorithm and a combination of continuum elements and structural shells. Tube vibration data (acceleration and frequency) are sampled and compared with the experimental data. Currently, only one-way coupling is used, which means that pressure loads from the fluid simulation are transferred to the structural simulation but the resulting structural displacements are not fed back to the fluid simulation

CFD↗
DOE OSTI2015

EsxB, a secreted protein from B acillus anthracis forms two distinct helical bundles: Structure of Secreted EsxB and its Variants

The EsxB protein from Bacillus anthracis belongs to the WXG100 family, a group of proteins secreted by a specialized secretion system. We have determined the crystal structures of recombinant EsxB and discovered that the small protein (~10 kDa), comprised of a helix-loop-helix (HLH) hairpin, is capable of associating into two different helical bundles. The two basic quaternary assemblies of EsxB are an antiparallel (AP) dimer and a rarely observed bisecting U (BU) dimer. This structural duality of EsxB is believed to originate from the heptad repeat sequence diversity of the first helix of its HLH hairpin, which allows for two alternative helix packing. The flexibility of EsxB and the ability to form alternative helical bundles underscore the possibility that this protein can serve as an adaptor in secretion and can form hetero-oligomeric helix bundle(s) with other secreted members of the WXG100 family, such as EsxW. The highly conserved WXG motif is located within the loop of the HLH hairpin and is mostly buried within the helix bundle suggesting that its role is mainly structural. The exact functions of the motif, including a proposed role as a secretion signal, remain unknown.

antiparallel dimer↗
DOE OSTI2018

Structures of the fungal dynamin-related protein Vps1 reveal a unique, open helical architecture

Dynamin-related proteins (DRPs) are large multidomain GTPases required for diverse membrane-remodeling events. DRPs self-assemble into helical structures, but how these structures are tailored to their cellular targets remains unclear. We demonstrate that the fungal DRP Vps1 primarily localizes to and functions at the endosomal compartment. We present crystal structures of a Vps1 GTPase–bundle signaling element (BSE) fusion in different nucleotide states to capture GTP hydrolysis intermediates and concomitant conformational changes. Using cryoEM, we determined the structure of full-length GMPPCP-bound Vps1. The Vps1 helix is more open and flexible than that of dynamin. This is due to further opening of the BSEs away from the GTPase domains. A novel interface between adjacent GTPase domains forms in Vps1 instead of the contacts between the BSE and adjacent stalks and GTPase domains as seen in dynamin. Disruption of this interface abolishes Vps1 function in vivo. Hence, Vps1 exhibits a unique helical architecture, highlighting structural flexibilities of DRP self-assembly.

Varlakhanova, Natalia V.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transport in magnetically doped one-dimensional wires: can the helical protection emerge without the global helicity?

We study the phase diagram and transport properties of arbitrarily doped quantum wires functionalized by magnetic adatoms. The appropriate theoretical model for these systems is a dense one-dimensional Kondo lattice (KL) which consists of itinerant electrons interacting with localized quantum magnetic moments. We discover the novel phase of the locally helical metal where transport is protected from a destructive influence of material imperfections. Paradoxically, such a protection emerges without a need of the global helicity, which is inherent in all previously studied helical systems and requires breaking the spin-rotation symmetry. We explain the physics of this protection of the new type, find conditions, under which it emerges, and discuss possible experimental tests. Our results pave the way to the straightforward realization of the protected ballistic transport in quantum wires made of various materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

A synthetic diagnostic for beam emission spectroscopy in the helically symmetric experiment stellarator

The Helically Symmetric Experiment (HSX) has a number of active spectroscopy diagnostics. Due to the relatively large beam width compared to the plasma minor radius, it is difficult to achieve good spatial resolution at the core of the HSX plasma. This is due to the fact that the optical sightline cuts through many flux surfaces with varying field vectors within the beam. In order to compare the experimental results with theoretical models it is important to accurately model the beam width effects. A synthetic diagnostic has been developed for this purpose. This synthetic diagnostic calculates the effect of spot size and beam width on the measurements of quantities of interest, including radial electric field, flow velocity, and Stark polarization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

Glue Spin and Helicity in the Proton from Lattice QCD

We report the first lattice QCD calculation of the glue spin in the nucleon. The lattice calculation is carried out with valence overlap fermions on 2+1 flavor DWF gauge configurations on four lattice spacings and four volumes including an ensemble with physical values for the quark masses. The glue spin S_G in the Coulomb gauge in the MSbar scheme is obtained with the 1-loop perturbative matching. We find the results fairly insensitive to lattice spacing and quark masses. We also find that the proton momentum dependence of S_G in the range 0≤|p|<1.5 GeV is very mild, and we determine it in the large momentum limit to be S_G= 0.251(47)(16) at the physical pion mass in the MSbar scheme at μ^2= 10 GeV^2. If the matching procedure in large momentum effective theory is neglected, S_G is equal to the glue helicity measured in high-energy scattering experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Helicity-Selective Enhancement and Polarization Control of Attosecond High Harmonic Waveforms Driven by Bichromatic Circularly Polarized Laser Fields

High harmonics driven by two-color counter-rotating circularly-polarized laser fields are a unique source of bright, circularly-polarized, extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray beams, where the individual harmonics themselves are completely circularly polarized. Here, we demonstrate the ability to preferentially select either the right or left circularly polarized harmonics simply by adjusting the relative intensity ratio of the bichromatic circularly polarized driving laser field. In the frequency domain, this significantly enhances the harmonic orders that rotate in the same direction as the higher intensity driving laser. In the time domain, this helicity-dependent enhancement corresponds to control over the polarization of the resulting attosecond waveforms. Here, this helicity control enables the generation of circularly-polarized high harmonics with a user-defined polarization of the underlying attosecond bursts. In the future, this technique should allow for the production of bright highly elliptical harmonic supercontinua as well as the generation of isolated elliptically polarized attosecond pulses.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Graphical representation of three-dimensional vortical flows by means of helicity density and normalized helicity

The helicity density and normalized helicity are introduced as important tools for the graphical representation of three-dimensional flowfields that contain concentrated vortices. The use of these two quantities filters out the graphical representation of the flowfield regions of low vorticity, as well as regions of high vorticity but low speed where the angle between the velocity and vorticity vectors is large (such as in the boundary layer). Their use permits the researcher to identify and accentuate the concentrated vortices, differentiate between primary and secondary vortices and mark their separation and reattachment lines. The method allows locating the singular points in type I primary separations and tracing the vortex-core streamlines that emanate from them. It also allows locating the vortex-core axes in flows of other types.

Seginer, Arnan↗
NASA NTRS1991

Helicity-Density And Normalized-Helicity Maps Of Flows

Maps of helicity density and normalized helicity useful as graphical representations of important features of three-dimensional flow fields containg vortexes. Emphasize complicated and important parts of flow field, identify vortexes, differentiate between primary and secondary vortexes, indicate sense of swirling motion, locate free singular points, and trace vortex-core streamlines emanating from these points.

Degani, David↗
DOE OSTI2015

A mechanism for the dynamo terms to sustain closed-flux current, including helicity balance, by driving current which crosses the magnetic field

An analysis of imposed dynamo current drive (IDCD) [T.R. Jarboe et al., Nucl. Fusion 52 083017 (2012)] reveals: (a) current drive on closed flux surfaces seems possible without relaxation, reconnection, or other flux-surface-breaking large events; (b) the scale size of the key physics may be smaller than is often computationally resolved; (c) helicity can be sustained across closed flux; and (d) IDCD current drive is parallel to the current which crosses the magnetic field to produce the current driving force. In addition to agreeing with spheromak data, IDCD agrees with selected tokamak data.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Chaotic coordinates for the Large Helical Device

The theory of quadratic-flux-minimizing (QFM) surfaces is reviewed, and numerical techniques that allow high-order QFM surfaces to be efficiently constructed for experimentally relevant, non-integrable magnetic fields are described. As a practical example, the chaotic edge of the magnetic field in the Large Helical Device (LHD) is examined. A precise technique for finding the boundary surface is implemented, the hierarchy of partial barriers associated with the near-critical cantori is constructed, and a coordinate system, which we call chaotic coordinates, that is based on a selection of QFM surfaces is constructed that simplifies the description of the magnetic field, so that flux surfaces become “straight” and islands become “square.”.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Profile stiffness measurements in the Helically Symmetric experiment and comparison to nonlinear gyrokinetic calculations

Stiffness measurements are presented in the quasi-helically symmetric experiment (HSX), in which the neoclassical transport is comparable to that in a tokamak and turbulent transport dominates throughout the plasma. Electron cyclotron emission is used to measure the local electron temperature response to modulated electron cyclotron resonant heating. The amplitude and phase of the heat wave through the steep electron temperature gradient (ETG) region of the plasma are used to determine a transient electron thermal diffusivity that is close to the steady-state diffusivity. The low stiffness in the region between 0.2 ≤ r/a ≤ 0.4 agrees with the scaling of the steady-state heat flux with temperature gradient in this region. These experimental results are compared to gyrokinetic calculations in a flux-tube geometry using the gyrokinetic electromagnetic numerical experiment code with two kinetic species. Linear simulations show that the ETG mode may be experimentally relevant within r/a ≤ 0.2, while the Trapped Electron Mode (TEM) is the dominant long-wavelength microturbulence instability across most of the plasma. The TEM is primarily driven by the density gradient. Non-linear calculations of the saturated heat flux driven by the TEM and ETG bracket the experimental heat flux.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Gyrokinetic studies of trapped electron mode turbulence in the Helically Symmetric eXperiment stellarator

Gyrokinetic simulations of plasma microturbulence in the Helically Symmetric eXperiment are presented. Using plasma profiles relevant to experimental operation, four dominant drift wave regimes are observed in the ion wavenumber range, which are identified as different flavors of density-gradient-driven trapped electron modes. For the most part, the heat transport exhibits properties associated with turbulence driven by these types of modes. Additionally, long-wavelength, radially localized, nonlinearly excited coherent structures near the resonant central flux surface, not predicted by linear simulations, can further enhance flux levels. Integrated heat fluxes are compatible with experimental observations in the corresponding density gradient range. Despite low shearing rates, zonal flows are observed to regulate turbulence but can be overwhelmed at higher density gradients by the long-wavelength coherent structures.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗