Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “oscillatory flows”

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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Rheological behavior of neat and carbon fiber-reinforced poly(ether ketone ketone) for extrusion deposition additive manufacturing

To develop new materials for extrusion additive manufacturing (AM) systems, a fundamental understanding of rheological properties is essential to correlate the effect of processing on material structure and its properties. In this work, the rheological properties of five different grades of neat and carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced poly(ether ketone ketone) are reported. Rheological properties are essential to understand the effect of reinforcing fibers and AM process parameters such as time, temperature, environment, and shear rate on flow behavior during processing. Small-amplitude oscillatory shear tests and steady shear tests indicated neat grades to exhibit less increase in viscosity over time when processed in air than the CF-filled grades. The filled grades showed greater shear thinning and lower sensitivity to temperature. Altogether, this rheological analysis provides a broad framework for determining appropriate processing conditions for extrusion deposition AM of such high-temperature polymer systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Mean Flow from Phase Averages in the 2D Boussinesq Equations

The atmosphere and ocean are described by highly oscillatory PDEs that challenge both our understanding of their dynamics and their numerical approximation. This paper presents a preliminary numerical study of one type of phase averaging applied to mean flows in the 2D Boussinesq equations that also has application to numerical methods. The phase averaging technique, well-known in dynamical systems theory, relies on a mapping using the exponential operator, and then an averaging over the phase. The exponential operator has connections to the Craya–Herring basis pioneered by Jack Herring to study the fluid dynamics of oscillatory, nonlinear fluid dynamics. In this paper, we perform numerical experiments to study the effect of this averaging technique on the time evolution of the solution. We explore its potential as a definition for mean flows. We also show that, as expected from theory, the phase-averaging method can reduce the magnitude of the time rate of change in the PDEs, making them potentially suitable for time stepping methods.

Wingate, Beth A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coriolis forces modify magnetostatic ponderomotive potentials

It is possible to produce a ponderomotive effect in a plasma system without time-varying fields, if the plasma flows over spatial oscillations in the field. This can be achieved by superimposing a spatially oscillatory perturbation on a guide field, then setting up an electric field perpendicular to the guide field to drive flow over the perturbation. However, subtle distinctions in the structure of the resulting electric field can entirely change the behavior of the resulting ponderomotive force. Previous work has shown that, in slab models, these distinctions can be explained in terms of the polarization of the effective wave that appears in the co-moving frame. Here, we consider what happens to this picture in a cylindrical system, where the transformation to the co-moving (rotating) frame is not inertial. It turns out that the non-inertial nature of this frame transformation can lead to counterintuitive behavior, partly due to the appearance of parallel (magnetic-field-aligned) electric fields in the rotating frame even in cases where none existed in the laboratory frame. Apart from the academic interest of this study, the practical impact lies in being better able to anticipate the antenna configuration on the plasma periphery of a cylindrical plasma that will lead to optimal ponderomotive barrier formation in the interior plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Topological Data Analysis for Particulate Gels

Soft gels, formed via the self-assembly of particulate materials, exhibit intricate multiscale structures that provide them with flexibility and resilience when subjected to external stresses. Here, this work combines particle simulations and topological data analysis (TDA) to characterize the complex multiscale structure of soft gels. Our TDA analysis focuses on the use of the Euler characteristic, which is an interpretable and computationally scalable topological descriptor that is combined with filtration operations to obtain information on the geometric (local) and topological (global) structure of soft gels. We reduce the topological information obtained with TDA using principal component analysis (PCA) and show that this provides an informative low-dimensional representation of the gel structure. We use the proposed computational framework to investigate the influence of gel preparation (e.g., quench rate, volume fraction) on soft gel structure and to explore dynamic deformations that emerge under oscillatory shear in various response regimes (linear, nonlinear, and flow). Our analysis provides evidence of the existence of hierarchical structures in soft gels, which are not easily identifiable otherwise. Moreover, our analysis reveals direct correlations between topological changes of the gel structure under deformation and mechanical phenomena distinctive of gel materials, such as stiffening and yielding. In summary, we show that TDA facilitates the mathematical representation, quantification, and analysis of soft gel structures, extending traditional network analysis methods to capture both local and global organization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Strain shift measured from stress-controlled oscillatory shear: Evidence for a continuous yielding transition and new techniques to determine recovery rheology measures

Understanding the yielding of complex fluids is an important rheological challenge that affects our ability to engineer and process materials for a wide variety of applications. Common theoretical understandings of yield stress fluids follow the Oldroyd–Prager formalism in which the material behavior below the yield stress is treated as solidlike, and above the yield stress as liquidlike, with an instantaneous transition between the two states. This formalism was built on a quasi-static approach to the yield stress, while most applications, ranging from material processing to end user applications, involve a transient approach to yielding over a finite timescale. Using stress-controlled oscillatory shear experiments, we show that yield stress fluids flow below their yield stresses. This is quantified through measuring the strain shift, which is the value about which the strain oscillates during a stress-controlled test and is a function of only the unrecoverable strain. Measurements of the strain shift are, therefore, measurements of flow having taken place. These experimental results are compared to the Herschel–Bulkley form of the Saramito model, which utilizes the Oldroyd–Prager formalism, and the recently published Kamani–Donley–Rogers (KDR) model, in which one constitutive equation represents the entire range of material responses. Scaling relationships are derived, which allow us to show why yield stress fluids will flow across all stresses, above and below their yield stress. Finally, derivations are presented that show strain shift can be used to determine average metrics previously attainable only through recovery rheology, and these are experimentally verified.

Mechanics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Apparatus and method for visualization of particles suspended in a fluid and fluid flow patterns using ultrasound

An apparatus and method for real-time visualization of particulate matter suspended in a static or flowing fluid and fluid flow patterns in a pipe, tube, conduit, or other container, are described. Ultrasonic scanning and detection of scattered sound from the particles in the fluid create a real-time image of the particles, or of flow patterns in the liquid. A mechanical wobbler directs a piezoelectric transducer over a chosen angle in an oscillatory manner. The transducer is operated in a pulse-echo mode wherein the same transducer detects the return signal from the target region through which particles are passing and/or a flow is present. The pulse-echo measurements are made rapidly and continuously during a single sweep of the transducer over the chosen angle. Received signals are processed in the ultrasound scanner electronics module and displayed as an image in real-time.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Egg yolk as a model for gelation: From rheometry to flow physics

Egg yolks are an excellent model for studying sol-gel transitions, particularly the power law viscoelasticity that defines the critical point of gelation. However, prior studies lack comprehensive datasets and fail to visualize flow behavior linked to temperature and time-dependent linear and nonlinear rheology. Here, we present a detailed dataset characterizing egg yolk viscoelasticity across temperature, time, and forcing amplitude using oscillatory shear, step strain, step stress, and constant high strain rate. Novel protorheology visualizations link rheological properties with observable flow behavior. Our findings highlight the nuanced determination of the critical gel point, emphasizing observation timescale dependencies. We compare methods to identify critical temperatures for gelation, including power law viscoelasticity, moduli crossover, diverging zero-shear viscosity, and emerging equilibrium elastic modulus, while visualizing flow consequences near these transitions. Egg yolk is an accessible, realistic, and nontoxic material relevant to the physicist and the chef alike, making it ideal for understanding the rheology of critical gels. By integrating protorheology photos and videos with rigorous rheometric data, we deepen the understanding of critical gels, with broader impacts for studying other materials with sol-gel transitions.

Marsh, Maxwell C. [Department of Mechanical Scienc↗
DOE OSTI2023

Influence of Blood Rheology and Turbulence Models in the Numerical Simulation of Aneurysms

An aneurysm is a vascular malformation that can be classified according to its location (cerebral, aortic) or shape (saccular, fusiform, and mycotic). Recently, the study of blood flow interaction with aneurysms has gained attention from physicians and engineers. Shear stresses, oscillatory shear index (OSI), gradient oscillatory number (GON), and residence time have been used as variables to describe the hemodynamics as well as the origin and evolution of aneurysms. However, the causes and hemodynamic conditions that promote their growth are still under debate. The present work presents numerical simulations of three types of aneurysms: two aortic and one cerebral. Simulation results showed that the blood rheology is not relevant for aortic aneurysms. However, for the cerebral aneurysm case, blood rheology could play a relevant role in the hemodynamics. The evaluated turbulence models showed equivalent results in both cases. Lastly, a simulation considering the fluid–structure interaction (FSI) showed that this phenomenon is the dominant factor for aneurysm simulation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modeling and Analysis of Wind Turbine Wake Vortex Evolution Due to Time-Constant Spatial Variations in Atmospheric Flow

Modern utility-scale wind turbines are evolving toward larger, lighter, and more flexible designs to meet the growing demand for renewable energy while minimizing logistical costs. However, these advancements in lightweight design result in heightened aeroelastic sensitivity, leading to complex interactions which affect the rotor’s capacity to withstand aerodynamic loading and the cascading effects that manifest in the wake’s vortex-structure evolution under variable atmospheric conditions. In this paper, we analyze the influence of stream-wise fluctuating atmospheric flow conditions on wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas. The Common Ordinary Differential Equation Framework (CODEF) modeling suite is used to simulate wind turbine aeroelastic oscillatory behavior and wind farm vortex–wake interactions for a range of conditions with spatially variant atmospheric flow. CODEF solutions for turbine operation in wind conditions featuring only one parameter fluctuation are compared to wind conditions with several wind parameter variations in combination. By isolating individual inflow variations and comparing them to multi-parameter scenarios, we determine the contributions of each atmospheric factor to rotor dynamics, wake evolution, and downstream wind farm interactions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of spatial variations in atmospheric flow on the topological evolution of wind turbine vortex wakes, which constitutes a gap in the current understanding of wind turbine wake dynamics. The insights gained from this study are particularly valuable for the development of wind farm control strategies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of wake interactions, enhancing energy capture, and improving the overall stability of wind farm operations. With these insights, we aim to contribute to the development of modeling and simulation tools to optimize utility-scale wind power plants operating in diverse atmospheric environments.

Farrell, Alayna (ORCID:000000023555720X)↗
DOE OSTI2021

A high-order WENO-limited finite-volume algorithm for atmospheric flow using the ADER-differential transform time discretization

A high-order-accurate weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) limited upwind finite-volume scheme is detailed for the compressible, nonhydrostatic, inviscid Euler equations using an arbitrary derivatives (ADER) time-stepping scheme based on differential transforms (DTs). A second-order-accurate alternating Strang dimensional splitting is compared against multidimensional simulation with 2D transport using solid body rotation of various data. The two were found to give nearly identical accuracy in orthogonal, Cartesian coordinates. Orders of convergence are demonstrated at up to ninth-order accuracy with 2D transport. 1D transport is used to confirm that error decreases monotonically with increasing order of accuracy with WENO limiting even for discontinuous data. Further, WENO limiting always decreased the error compared with simulation without limiting in the L 1 norm. A series of standard 2D compressible nonhydrostatic Euler equation test cases were validated against previous results from literature. Finally, it was demonstrated that increasing the order of accuracy led to better resolved features and increased power for kinetic energy at small wavelengths.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Non-Stationary Power System Forced Oscillation Analysis using Synchrosqueezing Transform

Non-stationary forced oscillations (FOs) have been observed in power system operations. However, most detection methods assume that the frequency of FOs is stationary. In this paper, we present a methodology for the analysis of nonstationary FOs. Firstly, Fourier synchrosqueezing transform (FSST) is used to provide a concentrated time-frequency representation of the signals that allows identification and retrieval of non-stationary signal components. To continue, the Dissipating Energy Flow (DEF) method is applied to the extracted components to locate the source of forced oscillations. The methodology is tested using simulated as well as real PMU data. In conclusion, the results show that the proposed FSST-based signal decomposition provides a systematic framework for the application of DEF Method to non-stationary FOs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tuning the dynamics of imidazolium-based ionic liquids via hydrogen bonding. I. The viscous regime

Combining results from impedance spectroscopy and oscillatory shear rheology, this study focuses on the relation between the mass and charge flows and on how these are affected by the H-bonding in viscous ionic liquids (ILs). In particular, we compare the relaxational behaviors of the paradigmatic IL 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMIM-TFSI) and its OH-functionalized counterpart 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (OHEMIM-TFSI). Our results and their analysis demonstrate that the presence of cationic OH-groups bears a strong impact on the overall dynamics of OHEMIM-TFSI, although no signatures of suprastructural relaxation modes could be identified in their dielectric and mechanical responses. To check whether at the origin of this strong variation is the H-bonding or merely the difference between the corresponding cation sizes (controlling both the hydrodynamic volume and the inter-charge distance), the present study includes 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (PMIM-TFSI), mixtures of EMIM-TFSI and PMIM-TFSI with lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Li-TFSI), and mixtures of OHEMIM-TFSI with PMIM-TFSI. Their investigation clearly reveals that the dynamical changes induced by H-bonding are significantly larger than those that can be attributed to the change in the ion size. Moreover, in the mixtures of OHEMIM-TFSI with PMIM-TFSI, a dilution of the OH-groups leads to strong deviations from ideal mixing behavior, thus highlighting the common phenomenological ground of hydroxy-functionalized ILs and other H-bonded liquids.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Near-wake dynamics of a vertical-axis turbine

Cross-flow, or vertical-axis, turbines are a promising technology for capturing kinetic energy in wind or flowing water and their inherently unsteady fluid mechanics present unique opportunities for control optimization of individual rotors or arrays. To explore the potential for beneficial interactions between turbines in an array, as well as to characterize important cycle-to-cycle variations, coherent structures in the wake of a single two-bladed cross-flow turbine are examined using planar stereo particle image velocimetry in a water channel experiment. There are three main objectives in the present work. First, the mean wake structure of this high chord-to-radius ratio rotor is described, compared with previous studies, and a simple explanation for observed wake deflection is presented. Second, the unsteady flow is then analysed via the triple decomposition, with the periodic component extracted using a combination of traditional techniques and a novel implementation of the optimized dynamic mode decomposition. The latter method is shown to outperform conditional averaging and Fourier methods, as well as uncover frequencies suggesting a transition to bluff-body shedding in the far wake. Third, vorticity and finite-time Lyapunov exponents are then employed to further analyse the oscillatory wake component. Vortex streets on both sides of the wake are identified, and their formation mechanisms and effects on the mean flow are discussed. Strong axial (vertical) flow is observed in vortical structures shed on the retreating side of the rotor where the blades travel downstream. Time-resolved tracking of these vortices is performed, which demonstrates that vortex trajectories have significant rotation-to-rotation variation within one diameter downstream. This variability suggests it would be challenging to harness or avoid such structures at greater downstream distances.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analytical closure to the spatially-filtered Euler equations for shock-dominated flows

To ensure numerical stability in the vicinity of shocks, a variety of methods have been used, including shock-capturing schemes such as weighted essentially non-oscillatory schemes, as well as the addition of artificial diffusivities to the governing equations. Centered finite difference schemes are often avoided near discontinuities due to the tendency for significant oscillations. However, such schemes have desirable conservation properties compared to many shock-capturing schemes. The objective of this work is to derive all necessary viscous/diffusion terms from first principles and then demonstrate the performance of these analytical terms within a centered differencing framework. The physical Euler equations are spatially-filtered with a Gaussian-like filter. Sub-filter scale (SFS) terms arise in the momentum and energy equations. Analytical closure is provided for each of them by leveraging the jump conditions for a shock. No SFS terms are present in the continuity or species equations. Here, this approach is tested for several problems involving shocks in one and two dimensions. Implemented within a centered difference code, the SFS terms perform well for a range of flow conditions without introducing excessive diffusion.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulations of vertical displacement oscillatory modes and global Alfvén Eigenmodes in JET geometry

Vertical Displacement Oscillatory Modes (VDOM), with frequency in the Alfvén range, are natural modes of oscillation of magnetically confined laboratory plasmas with elongated cross-section. These axisymmetric modes arise from the interaction between the plasma current, which is in equilibrium with currents flowing in external coils, and perturbed currents induced on a nearby conducting wall. The restoring force exerted by these perturbed currents on the vertical motion of the plasma column leads to its oscillatory behavior. An analytic model for VDOM was proposed based on an idealized 'straight tokamak' equilibrium with uniform equilibrium current density. This article introduces the first numerical simulations of VDOM in a realistic JET tokamak configuration, using the extended-MHD code NIMROD and drawing comparisons with Global Alfvén Eigenmodes (GAE). The results show qualitative agreement with analytic predictions regarding mode frequency and radial structure, supporting the identification of VDOM as a fundamental oscillation mode in tokamak plasmas. VDOM and GAE are modeled in a representative JET discharge, where axisymmetric perturbations with toroidal mode number n = 0 driven unstable by fast ions were observed. The two modes are examined separately using a forced oscillator within the NIMROD code, which enables a comparison of their characteristics and helps identify the experimentally observed mode possibly as a GAE.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ensuring Σ s Y s = 1 in transport of species mass fractions

When transporting species mass fractions in reacting flow simulations, there are physical constraints that must be met. Unfortunately, nonlinear transport schemes such as weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes do not ensure that the sum of mass fractions equals 1. In detonation simulations, errors in the sum of mass fractions are observed to worsen over time when the standard WENO scheme is used. To prevent this, typically one species is forced to absorb all or most of the error in the sum of mass fractions. Here, this work presents an alternative method for correcting the WENO-interpolated mass fractions such that inert species do not change. The method is demonstrated for both argon and nitrogen-diluted hydrogen detonations in one dimension. Using the modified WENO interpolations, the error in the sum is reduced significantly. In addition, the new approach is better able to capture the physical instability expected for nitrogen-diluted detonations.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The weakly nonlinear response and nonaffine interpretation of the Johnson–Segalman/Gordon–Schowalter model

We derive new analytical solutions for the non-affine Johnson-Segalman/Gordon-Schowalter (JS/GS) constitutive equation with a general relaxation kernel in medium-amplitude oscillatory shear (MAOS) deformation. The results show time-strain separable (TSS) nonlinearity, therefore providing new physically-meaningful interpretation to the heuristic TSS nonlinear parameter in MAOS. The upper-convected, lower-convected, and corotational Maxwell models are all subsets of the results presented here. The model assumes that the microscale elements causing stress in the material slip compared to the continuum deformation. We introduce a visualization of the non-affine deformation field that acts on stress-generating elements to reinforce the hysical interpretation of the JS/GS class of models. Lastly, a case study is presented where previously published results, from fitting TSS models to MAOS data, can be re-interpreted based on the concept of non-affine motion of the JS/GS framework.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing the Effects of Atmospheric Turbulent Fluctuations on the Wake Structure of Wind Turbines and Their Blade Vibrational Dynamics

In recent trends, a rising demand for renewable energy has driven wind turbines to larger proportions, where lighter blade designs are often adopted to reduce the costs associated with logistics and production. This causes modern utility-scale wind turbine blades to be inherently more flexible, and their amplified aeroelastic sensitivity results in complex multi-physics reactions to variant atmospheric conditions, including dynamic patterns of aerodynamic loading at the rotor and vortex structure evolutions within the wake. In this paper, we analyze the influence of inflow variance for wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas. The Common Ordinary Differential Equation Framework (CODEF) modeling suite is used to simulate wind turbine aeroelastic oscillatory behavior and wind farm vortex wake interactions for a range of flexible NRT blade variations, operating in differing conditions of variant atmospheric flow. CODEF solutions of turbine operation in Steady-In-The-Average (SITA) wind conditions are compared to SITA wind conditions featuring a controlled gust-like pulse overimposed, to isolate the effects of typical wind fluctuations. Finally, simulations of realistic time-varying wind conditions from SWiFT meteorological tower measurements are compared to the solutions of SITA wind conditions. These increasingly complex atmospheric inflow variations are tested to show the differing effects evoked by various patterns of spatiotemporal atmospheric flow fluctuations. An analysis is presented for solutions of wind turbine aeroelastic response and vortex wake evolution, to elucidate the consequences of variant inflow, which pertain to wind turbine dynamics at an individual and farm-collective scale. The comparisons of simulated farm flow for SITA and measured fluctuating wind conditions show that certain regions of the wake contain up to a 12% difference in normalized axial velocity, due to the introduction of wind fluctuations. The findings of this study prove valuable for practical applications in wind farm control and optimization strategies, with particular significance for modern utility-scale wind power plants operating in variant atmospheric conditions.

Farrell, Alayna (ORCID:000000023555720X)↗