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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 OSTI2022

Inviscid damping of an elliptical vortex subject to an external strain flow

Inviscid spatial Landau damping is studied experimentally for the case of oscillatory motion of a two-dimensional vortex about its elliptical equilibrium in the presence of an applied strain flow. Here, the experiments are performed using electron plasmas in a Penning–Malmberg trap. They exploit the isomorphism between the two-dimensional Euler equations for an ideal fluid and the drift-Poisson equations for the plasma, where plasma density is the analog of vorticity. Perturbed elliptical vortex states are created using E x B strain flows, which are generated by applying voltages to electrodes surrounding the plasma. Measurements of spatial Landau damping (also called critical-layer damping) are in agreement with previous studies in the absence of an applied strain, where the damping is due to a resonance between the local fluid motion and the vortex oscillations. Interestingly, the damping rate does not change significantly over a wide range of applied strain rates. This can be accurately predicted from the initial vorticity profile, even though the resonant frequency is reduced substantially due to the applied strain. For higher amplitude perturbations, nonlinear trapping oscillations also exhibit behavior similar to the strain-free case. In principle, higher-order effects of the applied strain, such as separatrix crossing of peripheral vorticity and interactions with harmonics of the fundamental resonance, are expected to change the damping rate. However, this occurs only for conditions that are not realized in the experiments described here. Vortex-in-cell simulations are used to investigate the possible roles of these effects.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Calculating shock Hugoniot and isentropes using multiphase equation of state tables and application to shock and release of diamond ablators in inertial confinement fusion implosions

Advances in shock and ramp compression techniques now allow experimental access to unprecedented extreme conditions of pressure and temperature, providing a means to test theoretical models. Here, we describe a simple methodology to compute multi-phase shock Hugoniot and isentropes using multiphase equation of state tables. We treat explicitly the phase coexistence along the phase boundary to reveal the evolution of the sample as it undergoes the phase transformation in adiabatic conditions. We illustrate the method by calculating the predicted shock and shock-and-release behavior of diamond at conditions relevant for the initial stage of inertial confinement fusion implosions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design of nematic liquid crystals to control microscale dynamics

The dynamics of small particles, both living such as swimming bacteria and inanimate, such as colloidal spheres, has fascinated scientists for centuries. If one could learn how to control and streamline their chaotic motion, that would open technological opportunities in the transformation of stored or environmental energy into systematic motion, with applications in micro-robotics, transport of matter, guided morphogenesis. This review presents an approach to command microscale dynamics by replacing an isotropic medium with a liquid crystal. Orientational order and associated properties, such as elasticity, surface anchoring, and bulk anisotropy, enable new dynamic effects, ranging from the appearance and propagation of particle-like solitary waves to self-locomotion of an active droplet. By using photoalignment, the liquid crystal can be patterned into predesigned structures. In the presence of the electric field, these patterns enable the transport of solid and fluid particles through nonlinear electrokinetics rooted in anisotropy of conductivity and permittivity. Director patterns command the dynamics of swimming bacteria, guiding their trajectories, polarity of swimming, and distribution in space. This guidance is of a higher level of complexity than a simple following of the director by rod-like microorganisms. Namely, the director gradients mediate hydrodynamic interactions of bacteria to produce an active force and collective polar modes of swimming. The patterned director could also be engraved in a liquid crystal elastomer. When an elastomer coating is activated by heat or light, these patterns produce a deterministic surface topography. The director gradients define an activation force that shapes the elastomer in a manner similar to the active stresses triggering flows in active nematics. Finally, the patterned elastomer substrates could be used to define the orientation of cells in living tissues. The liquid-crystal guidance holds a major promise in achieving the goal of commanding microscale active flows.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Threshold Heat-Flux Reduction by Near-Resonant Energy Transfer

Near-resonant energy transfer to large-scale stable modes is shown to reduce transport above the linear critical gradient, contributing to the onset of transport at higher gradients. This is demonstrated for a threshold fluid theory of ion temperature gradient turbulence based on zonal-flow-catalyzed transfer. Furthermore, the heat flux is suppressed above the critical gradient by resonance in the triplet correlation time, a condition enforced by the wave numbers of the interaction of the unstable mode, zonal flow, and stable mode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Numerical Analysis of Offshore Wind-Farm-Induced Drag Effects on Coastal Upwelling Dynamics

Wind farms extract momentum from the atmospheric flow, generating wind-speed deficits both within the plant, and extending downstream. When located offshore, these deficits modulate air-sea coupling, potentially impacting coastal upwelling in sensitive regions. We investigate impacts of wind farms on coastal upwelling using kilometre-scale, three-way-coupled simulations with the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport system for the US West Coast. Wind-farm effects are represented by a generalised turbine drag formulation, an idealised, height-dependent body force whose magnitude is systematically varied. This approach isolates the leading-order fluid-dynamical response in a realistic coastal configuration. The atmospheric adjustment exhibits an approximately linear relation between drag force and wind-speed deficit, with wakes that expand downstream and increase in magnitude as drag increases. An empirical orthogonal function analysis of sea-surface-temperature anomalies reveals the emergence of a canonical dipole pattern under strong drag forcing. Subsurface diagnostics show consistent shoaling of the mixed layer and suppressed upward velocities in areas near wind-farm region, accompanied by compensating enhancements of shoaling closer to the coast. These results identify turbine drag as a control parameter in assessing interactions between wind-farm wake and coastal upwelling and provide scaling relationships for understanding offshore wind-farm effects on the coastal circulation dynamics.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Explosively driven Richtmyer–Meshkov instability jet suppression and enhancement via coupling machine learning and additive manufacturing

The ability to control the behavior of fluid instabilities at material interfaces, such as the shock-driven Richtmyer–Meshkov instability, is a grand technological challenge with a broad number of applications ranging from inertial confinement fusion experiments to explosively driven shaped charges. In this work, we use a linear-geometry shaped charge as a means of studying methods for controlling material jetting that results from the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability. A shaped charge produces a high-velocity jet by focusing the energy from the detonation of high explosives. The interaction of the resulting detonation wave with a hollowed cavity lined with a thin metal layer produces the unstable jetting effect. By modifying the characteristics of the detonation wave prior to striking the lined cavity, the kinetic energy of the jet can be enhanced or reduced. Modifying the geometry of the liner material can also be used to alter jetting properties. We apply optimization methods to investigate several design parameterizations for both enhancing or suppressing the shaped-charge jet. This is accomplished using 2D and 3D hydrodynamic simulations to investigate the design space that we consider. We also apply new additive manufacturing methods for producing the shaped-charge assemblies, which allow for the experimental testing of complicated design geometries obtained through computational optimization. We present a direct comparison of our optimized designs with experimental results carried out at the High Explosives Application Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental and numerical studies of seismic fluid-structure interaction in a base-supported cylindrical vessel

Seismic design and qualification of advanced reactors will rely heavily on the use of verified and validated numerical models capable of capturing the interaction of the vessel, its contained fluid, and the internal equipment: fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis. Analytical solutions can be used for preliminary sizing and design of such vessels but their application is limited to simple geometries and boundary conditions, and small amplitude, translational (and rotational) inputs. To validate numerical models for seismic FSI analysis in finite element codes, a comprehensive set of experiments was performed on a liquid-filled cylindrical vessel, using a 6 degree-of-freedom earthquake simulator. Results in terms of sloshing frequency, damping ratio in sloshing modes, and hydrodynamic responses (wave height, hydrodynamic pressure, base shear, and base moment) for multi-directional earthquake simulator inputs are reported and compared with analytical solutions for liquid-filled vessels. The impact of seismic (base) isolation on hydrodynamic responses was studied using earthquake simulator inputs generated using a virtual isolation system. Data from the experiments are used to validate a numerical model of the fluid-filled vessel using the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) solver in the commercial finite element program LS-DYNA. Validation studies are presented for multi-directional seismic inputs, including rocking motions. Lagrangian modeling approaches using an elastic material formulation for the fluid are also investigated and their limitations and possible applications are identified. Here, the results are broadly applicable to the seismic response of base supported, liquid-filled vessels.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A kinetic study of fusion burn waves in compressed deuterium–tritium and proton–boron plasmas

We present particle-in-cell simulations with Monte Carlo collisions of fusion burn waves in compressed deuterium–tritium and proton–boron plasmas. We study the energy balance in the one-dimensional expansion of a hot-spot by simulating Coulomb collisions, fusion reactions, and bremsstrahlung emission with a Monte Carlo model and inverse bremsstrahlung absorption using a new PIC model. This allows us to self-consistently capture the alpha particle heating and radiative losses in the expanding hot-spot and surrounding cold fuel. After verifying our model in a code-to-code comparison with both kinetic and fluid codes for the case of a deuterium–tritium hot-spot, we simulate the expansion of a proton–boron hot-spot initialized at 200 keV and 1,000 g/cm 3 . Our model predicts that energy radiated by the hot-spot is recaptured by the surrounding high-density opaque fuel reducing the expansion work done by the propagating burn wave. As a result, we find the net fusion energy produced over the course of $20$~ps is twice the initial hot-spot energy independent of whether radiation physics is included.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerical Model Development of a Variable-Geometry Attenuator Wave Energy Converter: Preprint

Because the wave energy industry is still in its infancy, an optimal design for wave energy converters (WECs) has yet to be established; more work is needed to explore various cost reduction pathways. The primary cost-reduction pathway considered for this work is the optimization of the geometric profile on an attenuator WEC to maximize power production while, at the same time, minimizing capital expenditures through the use of variable-geometry modules. In this investigation, the variable geometry modules consist of inflatable bags placed on either side of a base central steel cylinder that would be inflated in low moderate sea states to maximize power capture and then deflated in moderate-extreme sea states to minimize wave loading. The numerical model and simulation of the attenuator WEC were developed and completed using WEC-Sim, which is an open-source code that is appropriate for use in evaluating the dynamic response of the different WEC models in operational seas. The power production estimates were obtained from the Wave Energy Prize (WEP) sea states, which are representative of U. S. deployment sites, to calculate the average climate capture width that is used in the WEP ACE calculation. Preliminary capital expenditure costs were obtained assuming the base central steel cylinder mass was equal to the fluid displaced mass, minus the mass of the variable-geometry bags. The additional weight required to offset the additional buoyancy from the variable-geometry bags was assumed to come from the addition of seawater ballast. The variable-geometry attenuator model was found to have a similar power capture efficiency as a fixed-body model, but is expected to have a lower characteristic capital expenditure given its more streamlined profile, which demonstrates that variable-geometry modules may provide a realistic cost-reduction pathway to help design a more cost-competitive WEC.

50 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Water (EE-4↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electron heating in kinetic-Alfvén-wave turbulence

We report analytical and numerical investigations of subion-scale turbulence in low-beta plasmas using a rigorous reduced kinetic model. We show that efficient electron heating occurs and is primarily due to Landau damping of kinetic Alfvén waves, as opposed to Ohmic dissipation. This collisionless damping is facilitated by the local weakening of advective nonlinearities and the ensuing unimpeded phase mixing near intermittent current sheets, where free energy concentrates. The linearly damped energy of electromagnetic fluctuations at each scale explains the steepening of their energy spectrum with respect to a fluid model where such damping is excluded (i.e., a model that imposes an isothermal electron closure). In conclusion, the use of a Hermite polynomial representation to express the velocity-space dependence of the electron distribution function enables us to obtain an analytical, lowest-order solution for the Hermite moments of the distribution, which is borne out by numerical simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerical Model Development of a Variable-Geometry Attenuator Wave Energy Converter

Because the wave energy industry is still in its infancy, an optimal design for wave energy converters (WECs) has yet to be established; more work is needed to explore various cost-reduction pathways. The primary cost-reduction pathway considered for this work is the optimization of the geometric profile on an attenuator WEC to maximize power production while, at the same time, minimizing capital expenditures through the use of variable-geometry modules. In this investigation, the variable-geometry modules consist of inflatable bags placed on either side of a base central steel cylinder that would be inflated in low-moderate sea states to maximize power capture and then deflated in moderate-extreme sea states to minimize wave loading. The numerical model and simulation of the attenuator WEC were developed and completed using WEC-Sim, which is an open-source code that is appropriate for use in evaluating the dynamic response of the different WEC models in operational seas. The power production estimates were obtained from the Wave Energy Prize (WEP) sea states, which are representative of U. S. deployment sites, to calculate the average climate capture width that is used in the WEP ACE calculation. Preliminary capital expenditure costs were obtained assuming the base central steel cylinder mass was equal to the fluid displaced mass, minus the mass of the variable-geometry bags. The additional weight required to offset the additional buoyancy from the variable-geometry bags was assumed to come from the addition of seawater ballast. The variable-geometry attenuator model was found to have a similar power capture efficiency as a fixed-body model, but is expected to have a lower characteristic capital expenditure given its more streamlined profile, which demonstrates that variable-geometry modules may provide a realistic cost-reduction pathway to help design a more cost-competitive WEC.

50 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Water (EE-4↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tomographic X-ray particle tracking velocimetry

We investigate the feasibility of in-laboratory tomographic X-ray particle tracking velocimetry (TXPTV) and consider creeping flows with nearly density matched flow tracers. Specifically, in these proof-of-concept experiments we examined a Poiseuille flow, flow through porous media and a multiphase flow with a Taylor bubble. For a full 360° computed tomography (CT) scan we show that the specially selected 60 micron tracer particles could be imaged in less than 3 seconds with a signal-to-noise ratio between the tracers and the fluid of 2.5, sufficient to achieve proper volumetric segmentation at each time step. In the pipe flow, continuous Lagrangian particle trajectories were obtained, after which all the standard techniques used for PTV or PIV (taken at visible wave lengths) could also be employed for TXPTV data. And, with TXPTV we can examine flows inaccessible with visible wave lengths due to opaque media or numerous refractive interfaces. In the case of opaque porous media we were able to observe material accumulation and pore clogging, and for flow with Taylor bubble we can trace the particles and hence obtain velocities in the liquid film between the wall and bubble, with thickness of liquid film itself also simultaneously obtained from the volumetric reconstruction after segmentation. While improvements in scan speed are anticipated due to continuing improvements in CT system components, we show that for the flows examined even the presently available CT systems could yield quantitative flow data with the primary limitation being the quality of available flow tracers.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Full fluid moment modeling of rotating spokes in Penning-type configuration

Rotating spokes are observed in a partially magnetized plasma using a two-dimensional full fluid moment (FFM) model. In the present setup, where the radial electric field and plasma density gradient exist in opposite directions, it is observed that the spokes propagate in the direction of the diamagnetic drift and not the E × B drift. This is contrary to the modified Simon–Hoh instability, and the results suggest that the spokes can be driven by a strong diamagnetic drift. Different parameters, including magnetic field amplitude and physical domain size, influence the growth of the rotational instability as well as the dominant wave modes that arise. Furthermore, the propagation speed of the rotating spokes obtained from the FFM simulation are in good agreement with the observations in experimental and other computational work.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Perfectly Matched Layers and Characteristic Boundaries in Lattice Boltzmann: Accuracy vs Cost

Artificial boundary conditions (BCs) play a ubiquitous role in numerical simulations of transport phenomena in several diverse fields, such as fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, acoustics, geophysics, and many more. They are essential for accurately capturing the behavior of physical systems whenever the simulation domain is truncated for computational efficiency purposes. Ideally, an artificial BC would allow relevant information to enter or leave the computational domain without introducing artifacts or unphysical effects. Boundary conditions designed to control spurious wave reflections are referred to as nonreflective boundary conditions (NRBCs). Another approach is given by the perfectly matched layers (PMLs), in which the computational domain is extended with multiple dampening layers, where outgoing waves are absorbed exponentially in time. Here, in this work, the definition of PML is revised in the context of the lattice Boltzmann method. The impact of adopting different types of BCs at the edge of the dampening zone is evaluated and compared, in terms of both accuracy and computational costs. It is shown that for sufficiently large buffer zones, PMLs allow stable and accurate simulations even when using a simple zeroth-order extrapolation BC. Moreover, employing PMLs in combination with NRBCs potentially offers significant gains in accuracy at a modest computational overhead, provided the parameters of the BC are properly tuned to match the properties of the underlying fluid flow.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Assessing physics of ion temperature gradient turbulence via hierarchical reduced-model representations

In this work, the saturation physics of ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence is probed by studying how amplitudes and scalings with key parameters vary across a hierarchy of reduced models. The models derive from nonlinear fluid equations for toroidal ITG turbulence under approximations to the mode coupling interactions in wavenumber space and the representation of turbulent decorrelation. Mode coupling approximations include local-in-wavenumber treatments like the spectral density of flux in quasilinear theory, a truncation to three nonlinearly interacting waves, and the interactions in a cascade to high radial wavenumber mediated by a single zonal flow. Turbulent decorrelation treatments are based on the triplet correlation time with and without eddy damping. Model fidelity is assessed by the scalings and magnitudes of the squared amplitudes of unstable mode, stable mode, and zonal flow with respect to the flow-damping rate and temperature gradient. It is shown that all models reproduce fundamental scalings, provided they incorporate the coupling of unstable mode, stable mode, and zonal flow. Accurate amplitude prediction requires eddy damping in the triplet correlation time and proper representation of the zonal-flow drive by interactions associated with the radial wavenumber cascade.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cross-beam energy transfer in direct-drive ICF. II. Theory and simulation of mitigation through increased laser bandwidth

The response of the cross-beam energy transfer instability (CBET) to laser bandwidth is investigated through a combination of theory and simulation. Existing linear theory is generalized to treat broadband lasers, demonstrating that CBET is most effectively suppressed when the bandwidth exceeds the ion-acoustic wave (IAW) frequency. It is shown that for such bandwidths, reverse (seed to pump) transfer becomes possible, which reduces the net energy transfer rapidly as bandwidth is increased. The CBET gain exponent in this regime scales with bandwidth (Δω) as Δω−3 for Gaussian or Lorentzian laser spectra with different scalings possible for other spectra. Comparison of our theory with linearized fluid and particle-in-cell simulations, performed with the laser-plasma simulation environment (LPSE) and vector particle in cell (VPIC) codes, respectively, finds that the model is accurate in the absence of nonlinear processes. However, linear analysis also finds that the IAW energy density scales as Δω−1, implying that nonlinear effects may be more difficult to control than the CBET scaling would suggest. Indeed, nonlinear effects are found to be present in VPIC simulations with high-intensity lasers, despite minimal apparent CBET. Nonlinear processes in the VPIC cases include particle trapping, the two-ion wave decay, and ion wave self-focusing. In some high intensity VPIC cases, these effects lead to net energy transfer from seed to pump and increases to backscatter stimulated Brillouin scattering reflectivities. Finally, for a given bandwidth, we show that improved control of nonlinear processes can be achieved via smoothing by spectral dispersion.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Determining fast-S and slow-S propagation directions with SV-P data produced by buried explosives and recorded with vertical geophones

We have evaluated the concept of practicing S-wave reflection seismology with legacy 3D seismic data generated by a P-wave source and recorded with only vertical geophones. This type of S-wave imaging is based on the principle that seismic P-wave sources not only produce a downgoing illuminating P wavefield, but they also simultaneously produce a downgoing illuminating SV wavefield that, in almost all cases, is suitable for S-wave reflection imaging. The S-mode used in this study is the SV-P, or converted-P, mode. This mode involves a downgoing illuminating SV wavefield and an upgoing reflected P-mode that is recorded by vertical geophones. In flat-layered stratigraphy, the lengths of the SV and P raypaths in SV-P imaging are identical to the lengths of the SV and P raypaths in P-SV imaging with P-sources and 3C geophones. P-SV imaging of deep rocks has been practiced for more than two decades; SV-P imaging is a new concept. SV-P data should provide the same options for investigating deep rocks as do P-SV data. We have determined one of the equivalences between SV-P data extracted from vertical-geophone data and P-SV data extracted from horizontal geophones: that both modes react to azimuth-dependent variations in the S velocity in anisotropic rocks. Azimuthal variations in the SV-P traveltime can be used to define the polarization direction of the fast-S-wave mode, which is also the azimuth of the maximum horizontal stress (SHmax). Our investigation demonstrates a noninvasive method for monitoring changes in the SHmax azimuth across a CO 2 storage reservoir, or any targeted porous rock, as fluids are cycled into, and then out of, that rock’s pore space.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Utah FORGE Friction-Permeability-Seismicity Laboratory Experiments with Non-Linear Acoustics

Laboratory experimental data on saw-cut interface of Westerly Granite and Utah Forge granitoid rocks. Experiments include velocity-stepping and fluid pressure stepping experiments. Mechanical data from 3 ISCO pumps connected to a Temco pressure vessel measure axial, confining and fault: fluid pressure (kPa), fluid flow rate (mL/min) and volume remaining in pump (mL). Non-linear acoustic data acquired via Verasonics systems connected to PZTs inside the pressure vessel give the timeshift, amplitude and RMS amplitude of the passing P-wave.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗