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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Parametric Evaluation of SiC/SiC Composite Cladding with UO 2 Fuel for LWR Applications: Fuel Rod Interactions and Impact of Nonuniform Power Profile in Fuel Rod

SiC/SiC composites are candidates for accident tolerant fuel cladding in light water reactors. In the extreme nuclear reactor environment, SiC-based fuel cladding will be exposed to neutron damage, significant heat flux, and a corrosive environment. Here, to ensure reliable and safe operation of accident tolerant fuel cladding concepts such as SiC-based materials, it is important to assess thermo-mechanical performance under in-reactor conditions including irradiation and realistic temperature distributions. The effect of non-uniform dimensional changes caused by neutron irradiation with spatially varying temperatures, along with the closing of the fuel–cladding gap, on the stress development in the cladding over the course of irradiation were evaluated. The effect of non-uniform circumferential power profile in the fuel rod on the mechanical performance of the cladding is also evaluated. These analyses have been performed using the BISON fuel performance modeling code and the commercial finite element analysis code Abaqus. A constitutive model is constructed and solved numerically to predict the stress distribution in the cladding under normal operating conditions. The dependence of dimensions and thermophysical properties on irradiation dose and temperature has been incorporated into the models. Initial scoping results from parametric analyses provide time varying stress distributions in the cladding as well as the interaction of fuel rod with the cladding under different conditions of initial fuel rod-cladding gap and linear heat rate. It is found that a non-uniform circumferential power profile in the fuel rod may cause significant lateral bowing in the cladding, and motivates further analysis and evaluation.

Accident tolerant fuel↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modeling of rolling element bearing mechanics. Computer program user's manual

This report provides the user's manual for the Rolling Element Bearing Analysis System (REBANS) analysis code which determines the quasistatic response to external loads or displacement of three types of high-speed rolling element bearings: angular contact ball bearings, duplex angular contact ball bearings, and cylindrical roller bearings. The model includes the defects of bearing ring and support structure flexibility. It is comprised of two main programs: the Preprocessor for Bearing Analysis (PREBAN) which creates the input files for the main analysis program, and Flexibility Enhanced Rolling Element Bearing Analysis (FEREBA), the main analysis program. This report addresses input instructions for and features of the computer codes. A companion report addresses the theoretical basis for the computer codes. REBANS extends the capabilities of the SHABERTH (Shaft and Bearing Thermal Analysis) code to include race and housing flexibility, including such effects as dead band and preload springs.

Greenhill, Lyn M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Current research on shear buckling and thermal loads with PASCO - Panel analysis and sizing code

The stiffened composite structural panel analysis and sizing code designated 'PASCO' encompasses both the generality required for the exploitation of composite materials' design flexibility and an accurate buckling analysis for the detection of complex buckling modes. PASCO can accordingly design for buckling, frequency, material strength, and panel stiffness requirements. Attention is given to an additional thermal loading design capability. Design studies illustrate the importance of the multiple load condition capability when thermal loads are present.

Stroud, W. J.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Delayed Gamma Signature Accounting for Field Line Transport of Debris Ions after a Nuclear Explosion

Delayed gammas (DGs) are produced by the decay of radioactive fission fragments after a nuclear explosion. Currently, the time and energy profile of the delayed gamma signal is propagated in DIORAMA to the GEO satellite sensors by assuming a point source at the burst location for the production of the delayed gammas. However, in reality the production of delayed gammas is spread over some spatial extent. First, the debris ions are confined within an expanding region by the magnetic field and/or surrounding plasma. This expanding confinement bubble eventually collapses, at which point the debris ions can be trapped on magnetic field lines and transported away from the original burst location. In this work the effects of debris ion transport on the associated time profile of delayed gammas at a GEO satellite is presented. The first step was the development of the Delayed Gamma Source Model (DGSM), which is based on the analytical Electron Source Model (ESM) code developed at LANL that models the spatial distribution of energetic electrons produced after a high-altitude nuclear explosion (HANE) for use as a source term in LANL artificial belt diffusion code. This model creates a spatial grid in latitude, longitude, and altitude of the distribution of radioactive debris ions. The output of this code is combined with a separate analysis code also described, which produces the DG time profile signature at a GEO sensor faceplate when accounting for the spatial spread of delayed gamma production during field line transport. Some simple case studies are presented to show how the DG signature at GEO calculated with this higher-fidelity model and a simple point-source model, as is currently assumed in DIORAMA, compare.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling and Simulation Development Pathways to Accelerating KP-FHR Licensing (Final Report)

This project assembles a strong U.S. industry and national laboratory team to complete scope of work. Kairos Power (KP), headquartered in Alameda, CA, is the leader of this effort and has built an internal team of highly competent engineers and managers with extensive combined experience in nuclear power, conventional power, product development, and licensing. INL, ANL, and LANL bring unique capabilities in advanced reactor R&D and licensing. The project funding source is the result of FOA No. 0001817, U. S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development. There has been on-going work and this Access Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will cover the remaining work scope of FOA 0001817. KP is implementing innovative strategies that can reduce the cost and accelerate the initial demonstration of the Kairos Power Fluoride-salt-cooled, High-temperature Reactor (KP-FHR) to meet the needs of the U.S. electricity market by 2030. Licensing of the KP-FHR could be significantly accelerated using advanced computing methods with sufficient predictive capabilities to be able to extrapolate potential response of the structure in different scenarios. However, currently used computational methods heavily rely on empirical fits and cannot be used for extrapolation. The scope focuses on improving the modeling capability in the NEAMS Grizzly structural mechanics code and the NEAMS BISON fuel performance code and the NEAMS SAM systems analysis code. This work leverages the expertise and know-how gathered in three DOE National Laboratories – INL, ANL, and LANL.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Picometer-Precision Atomic Position Tracking through Electron Microscopy

The modern aberration-corrected scanning electron microscopes have successfully achieved direct visualization of atomic columns with sub-angstrom resolution. With this significant progress, advanced image quantification and analysis is still at its early stages. In this work, we present the complete pathway for the metrology of atomic resolution STEM images. This includes: 1) tips for acquiring high-quality STEM images; 2) denoising and drift-correction for enhancing measurement accuracy; 3) obtaining initial atom positions; 4) indexing the atoms based on unit cell vectors; 4) quantifying the atom column positions with either 2D-gaussian single peak fitting or 5) multi-peak fitting routines for slightly overlapping atomic columns; 6) quantification of lattice distortion/strain within the crystal structures or at the defects/interfaces where the lattice periodicity is disrupted, and 7) some common methods to visualize and present the analysis. Furthermore, a simple self-developed free MATLAB app (EASY-STEM) with a graphical user interface (GUI) will be introduced that can help with the analysis of STEM images without the need for writing dedicated analysis code or software. The advanced data analysis methods presented here can be applied for the local quantification of defect relaxations, local structural distortions, local phase transformations, and non-centrosymmetry in a wide range of materials.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1985

Probabilistic Finite Element Development

The probabilistic finite element computer program known as Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress (NESSUS) is being developed for the analysis of critical structural components for reusable space propulsion systems. First year efforts involve the formulation of the probabilistic analysis strategy and the development of a probabilistic linear analysis code. The ultimate goal of the 3-year program is the development of a finite element code capable of performing nonlinear dynamic analysis of structures having stochastic material properties, geometry, and boundary conditions and subjected to random loading. Three levels of sophistication are envisioned for the stochastic description of the structural problem, namely: (1) homogeneous random variable for stiffness, mass, damping, and external loading; (2) stochastic characterization of variables at the element level, with specified interelement correlations; and (3) stochastic interpolation of variables within a finite element. Two alternative probabilistic analysis methods will be developed, allowing for all three levels of modeling sophistication.

Nagtegaal, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computing Performance Of An Optical System

Collection of programs performs complicated ray-tracing and diffraction calculations. Optical Surface Analysis Code (OSAC) designed to provide comprehensive analysis of performance of optical system. Analyzes both conventional and x-ray systems. Composed of nine compatible programs executed in a sequence defined by user. Written in FORTRAN IV.

Glenn, P.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Reliability/Risk Methods and Design Tools for Application in Space Programs

Since 1984 NASA has funded several major programs to develop Reliability/Risk Methods and tools for engineers to apply in the design and assessment of aerospace hardware. Two probabilistic software tools that show great promise for practical application are the finite element code NESSUS and the system risk analysis code QRAS. This paper examines NASA's past, present, and future directions in reliability and risk engineering applications, Both the NESSUS and QRAS software tools are detailed.

Townsend, John S.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Probabilistic Study of Fluid Structure Interaction

A combustor liner was computationally simulated and probabilistically evaluated in view of the several uncertainties in the aerodynamic, structural, material and thermal variables that govern the combustor liner. The interconnection between the computational fluid dynamics code and the finite element structural analysis codes was necessary to couple the thermal profiles with structural design. The stresses and their variations were evaluated at critical points on the liner. Cumulative distribution functions and sensitivity factors were computed for stress responses due to the aerodynamic, mechanical and thermal random variables. It was observed that the inlet and exit temperatures have a lot of influence on the hoop stress. For prescribed values of inlet and exit temperatures, the Reynolds number of the flow, coefficient of thermal expansion, gas emissivity and absorptivity and thermal conductivity of the material have about the same impact on the hoop stress. These results can be used to quickly identify the most critical design variables in order to optimize the design and make it cost effective.

Gorla, Rama S. R.↗
NASA NTRS2009

SWIFT Code Assessment for Two Similar Transonic Compressors

One goal of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program is the assessment of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes used for the design and analysis of many aerospace systems. This paper describes the assessment of the SWIFT turbomachinery analysis code for two similar transonic compressors, NASA rotor 37 and stage 35. The two rotors have identical blade profiles on the front, transonic half of the blade but rotor 37 has more camber aft of the shock. Thus the two rotors have the same shock structure and choking flow but rotor 37 produces a higher pressure ratio. The two compressors and experimental data are described here briefly. Rotor 37 was also used for test cases organized by ASME, IGTI, and AGARD in 1994-1998. Most of the participating codes over predicted pressure and temperature ratios, and failed to predict certain features of the downstream flowfield. Since then the AUSM+ upwind scheme and the k- turbulence model have been added to SWIFT. In this work the new capabilities were assessed for the two compressors. Comparisons were made with overall performance maps and spanwise profiles of several aerodynamic parameters. The results for rotor 37 were in much better agreement with the experimental data than the original blind test case results although there were still some discrepancies. The results for stage 35 were in very good agreement with the data. The results for rotor 37 were very sensitive to turbulence model parameters but the results for stage 35 were not. Comparison of the rotor solutions showed that the main difference between the two rotors was not blade camber as expected, but shock/boundary layer interaction on the casing.

Chima, Rodrick V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

High-Speed Solution of Spacecraft Trajectory Problems Using Taylor Series Integration

It has been known for some time that Taylor series (TS) integration is among the most efficient and accurate numerical methods in solving differential equations. However, the full benefit of the method has yet to be realized in calculating spacecraft trajectories, for two main reasons. First, most applications of Taylor series to trajectory propagation have focused on relatively simple problems of orbital motion or on specific problems and have not provided general applicability. Second, applications that have been more general have required use of a preprocessor, which inevitably imposes constraints on computational efficiency. The latter approach includes the work of Berryman et al., who solved the planetary n-body problem with relativistic effects. Their work specifically noted the computational inefficiencies arising from use of a preprocessor and pointed out the potential benefit of manually coding derivative routines. In this Engineering Note, we report on a systematic effort to directly implement Taylor series integration in an operational trajectory propagation code: the Spacecraft N-Body Analysis Program (SNAP). The present Taylor series implementation is unique in that it applies to spacecraft virtually anywhere in the solar system and can be used interchangeably with another integration method. SNAP is a high-fidelity trajectory propagator that includes force models for central body gravitation with N X N harmonics, other body gravitation with N X N harmonics, solar radiation pressure, atmospheric drag (for Earth orbits), and spacecraft thrusting (including shadowing). The governing equations are solved using an eighth-order Runge-Kutta Fehlberg (RKF) single-step method with variable step size control. In the present effort, TS is implemented by way of highly integrated subroutines that can be used interchangeably with RKF. This makes it possible to turn TS on or off during various phases of a mission. Current TS force models include central body gravitation with the J2 spherical harmonic, other body gravitation, thrust, constant atmospheric drag from Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation pressure for a sphere under constant illumination. The purpose of this Engineering Note is to demonstrate the performance of TS integration in an operational trajectory analysis code and to compare it with a standard method, eighth-order RKF. Results show that TS is 16.6 times faster on average and is more accurate in 87.5% of the cases presented.

Scott, James R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

A Model to Assess the Risk of Ice Accretion Due to Ice Crystal Ingestion in a Turbofan Engine and its Effects on Performance

The occurrence of ice accretion within commercial high bypass aircraft turbine engines has been reported under certain atmospheric conditions. Engine anomalies have taken place at high altitudes that were attributed to ice crystal ingestion, partially melting, and ice accretion on the compression system components. The result was one or more of the following anomalies: degraded engine performance, engine roll back, compressor surge and stall, and flameout of the combustor. The main focus of this research is the development of a computational tool that can estimate whether there is a risk of ice accretion by tracking key parameters through the compression system blade rows at all engine operating points within the flight trajectory. The tool has an engine system thermodynamic cycle code, coupled with a compressor flow analysis code, and an ice particle melt code that has the capability of determining the rate of sublimation, melting, and evaporation through the compressor blade rows. Assumptions are made to predict the complex physics involved in engine icing. Specifically, the code does not directly estimate ice accretion and does not have models for particle breakup or erosion. Two key parameters have been suggested as conditions that must be met at the same location for ice accretion to occur: the local wet-bulb temperature to be near freezing or below and the local melt ratio must be above 10%. These parameters were deduced from analyzing laboratory icing test data and are the criteria used to predict the possibility of ice accretion within an engine including the specific blade row where it could occur. Once the possibility of accretion is determined from these parameters, the degree of blockage due to ice accretion on the local stator vane can be estimated from an empirical model of ice growth rate and time spent at that operating point in the flight trajectory. The computational tool can be used to assess specific turbine engines to their susceptibility to ice accretion in an ice crystal environment.

Jorgenson, Philip C. E.↗
NASA NTRS2021

A Study into Validating A Coupled Method of Characteristics And Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method Against Empirical Data

The following will outline the methodology and results of validating a coupled Method of Characteristics (MOC) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This research focused specifically on modeling plume impingement, induced by Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that flew on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) space shuttle Discovery. For each simulation, the continuum portion of the RCS thruster was simulated using MOC for solving hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and computed with the NASA code, Reacting and Multi-phase Program (RAMP). The solution was then implemented as a starting condition into the NASA DSMC code, Direct Simulation and Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC). Typically, DSMC models rely on code-to-code validation for fidelity. The significance of this research is in its ability to validate its models against empirical data. Prior to computing solutions for these simulations, the mesh size and structure were optimized and many variants of DSMC input parameters were iterated on in order to acquire a reliable, mesh-independent, fully optimized numerical solution. This research will discuss the mathematical formulation of MOC for nozzle flow and DSMC for rarefied gases. Additionally, it will provide an explanation of how to implement these mathematical concepts into the two solvers: RAMP and DAC. Ultimately, this research will demonstrate that the overall process illustrated produces results in good agreement with empirical data. As a consequence, the methodology presented is granted an increased level of confidence and will greatly contribute to the aerospace industry and its effort in understanding and predicting rarefied flow fields.

DAC↗
NASA NTRS1996

Observations Regarding Use of Advanced CFD Analysis, Sensitivity Analysis, and Design Codes in MDO

Observations regarding the use of advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, sensitivity analysis (SA), and design codes in gradient-based multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) reflect our perception of the interactions required of CFD and our experience in recent aerodynamic design optimization studies using CFD. Sample results from these latter studies are summarized for conventional optimization (analysis - SA codes) and simultaneous analysis and design optimization (design code) using both Euler and Navier-Stokes flow approximations. The amount of computational resources required for aerodynamic design using CFD via analysis - SA codes is greater than that required for design codes. Thus, an MDO formulation that utilizes the more efficient design codes where possible is desired. However, in the aerovehicle MDO problem, the various disciplines that are involved have different design points in the flight envelope; therefore, CFD analysis - SA codes are required at the aerodynamic 'off design' points. The suggested MDO formulation is a hybrid multilevel optimization procedure that consists of both multipoint CFD analysis - SA codes and multipoint CFD design codes that perform suboptimizations.

Newman, Perry A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modeling of rolling element bearing mechanics. Theoretical manual

This report documents the theoretical basis for the Rolling Element Bearing Analysis System (REBANS) analysis code which determines the quasistatic response to external loads or displacement of three types of high-speed rolling element bearings: angular contact ball bearings; duplex angular contact ball bearings; and cylindrical roller bearings. The model includes the effects of bearing ring and support structure flexibility. It is comprised of two main programs: the Preprocessor for Bearing Analysis (PREBAN) which creates the input files for the main analysis program; and Flexibility Enhanced Rolling Element Bearing Analysis (FEREBA), the main analysis program. A companion report addresses the input instructions for and features of the computer codes. REBANS extends the capabilities of the SHABERTH (Shaft and Bearing Thermal Analysis) code to include race and housing flexibility, including such effects as dead band and preload springs.

Merchant, David H.↗
DOE OSTI2026

SAM Finite Volume Method Development Status Update: GCR Application, Restart, and MultiApp

The System Analysis Module (SAM) is being developed as a modern system analysis code for advanced non-light-water-reactor safety analysis under the U.S. DOE NEAMS program. Previous feasibility studies have demonstrated that a staggered-grid finite volume method (SG-FVM), implemented under the MOOSE framework, can deliver more than an order of magnitude speedup over the existing continuous Galerkin finite element method (CG-FEM) solver for liquid-cooled, incompressible but thermally expandable flow systems. This work extends the previous effort to compressible, gas-cooled reactor applications, where pressure couples directly into the mass equation adding additional nonlinearity into the equation system. New code capabilities are implemented for pebble bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (PB-HTGR) analysis, including a pebble bed CoreChannel component, built-in pebble bed effective thermal conductivity model and channel-to-channel crossflow model. The capabilities are tested, benchmarked, and demonstrated for problems with increased level of model and physical complexities, including the HTTU effective thermal conductivity test, the SANA passive cooling test, and a demonstration case using the GPBR200 reactor design covering steady-state operation, DLOFC and PLOFC transients. Across all cases, the SG-FVM solver demonstrated strong robustness and efficiency, and the solutions agree well with reference results and data. The finding of this work proves that SG-FVM is a viable and efficient solver pathway for compressible, gas-cooled reactor system analysis in SAM. In addition, work has been done to successfully support SAM-FVM recover/restart code feature that is essential to reactor safety analysis applications, and MultiApp code feature that is essential to multi-scale and multi-physics simulations. In summary, this work continued from previous feasibility studies, and further demonstrated that the SG-FVM will serve as a strong foundation for SAM’s advanced solver algorithm for future deployment.

Zou, Ling↗
DOE OSTI2016

RELAP-7 Pressurizer Component Development Updates

RELAP-7 is a nuclear systems safety analysis code being developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). RELAP-7 development began in 2011 to support the Risk Informed Safety Margins Characterization (RISMC) Pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. The overall design goal of RELAP-7 is to take advantage of the previous thirty years of advancements in computer architecture, software design, numerical methods, and physical models in order to provide capabilities needed for the RISMC methodology and to support nuclear power safety analysis. The code is being developed based on Idaho National Laboratory’s modern scientific software development framework – MOOSE (the Multi-Physics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment). The initial development goal of the RELAP-7 approach focused primarily on the development of an implicit algorithm capable of strong (nonlinear) coupling of the dependent hydrodynamic variables contained in the 1-D/2-D flow models with the various 0-D system reactor components that compose various boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants (NPPs). As part of the efforts to expand the capability for PWR simulation, an equilibrium single-region pressurizer model has been implemented in RELAP-7. The pressurizer component can simulate pressure and water level change through insurge, spray, and heating processes. Two simple tests – one for insurge process and another for outsurge process – have been reported to demonstrate and verify the functions of the pressurizer model. The typical single-phase PWR system model presented in the first RELAP-7 milestone report has been updated, as part of system level test for the new pressurizer model. The updated PWR system model with the pressurizer component can be used for more realistic transient simulations. The addition of the equilibrium single-region pressurizer model represents the first step of developing a suite of pressurizer models with different levels of fidelities. Non-equilibrium two-region two-zone model and non-equilibrium five-region three zone model will be implemented in the near future. Cross comparison and validation will be pursued when higher fidelity pressurizer models are completed.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗