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At least 379 records · Page 21

Cross-Effects in Microgravity Flows

Film growth by chemical/physical vapor deposition is a process of considerable interest in microgravity experiments. The absence of natural convection should allow better control of film growth processes but, in highly non-isothermal ampoules, thermal slip (creep) can become a matter of significant concern. The reported research is a theoretical and experimental investigation of the flow of gas/vapor mixtures under non-continuum conditions. The Boltzmann equation has been solved for a monatomic gas under non-condensing conditions and the various phenomenological coefficients have been computed. Computations for realistic potentials as well as for velocity and creep slip have been completed and the creep slip has been found to be dependent on the type of gas confirming the accuracy of previous variational results. The variational technique has been extended and planar flows calculated via the Burnett solutions. Velocity, diffusion and creep slips have been computed for gas mixtures and previously unknown dependencies of the creep slip on the mixture properties have been observed. Also for gas mixtures, an integral representation of the linearized Boltzmann operator has been developed for use in numerical and variational calculations for all intermolecular force laws. Two, two-bulb capillary systems have been designed, built and tested for the measurements of cross-flows; one of glass for isothermal measurements and one of stainless steel for non-isothermal measurements. Extensive data have been collected for Ar-He and N2-He mixtures at a variety of pressures and mole ratios. Viscosity, velocity slip coefficients and tangential momentum accommodation coefficients have been obtained from measurements with a spinning rotor gauge via a new theory that has been formulated for the spinning rotor gauge in the slip regime. The FIDAP fluid dynamics code has been applied to condensing flows in ampoules in the continuum regime and agreement obtained with the earlier work of Duval.

Loyalka, Sudarshan K.↗

Two-Dimensional Energy Histograms as Features for Machine Learning to Predict Adsorption in Diverse Nanoporous Materials

A major obstacle for machine learning (ML) in chemical science is the lack of physically informed feature representations that provide both accurate prediction and easy interpretability of the ML model. In this work, we describe adsorption systems using novel two-dimensional energy histogram (2D-EH) features, which are obtained from the probe-adsorbent energies and energy gradients at grid points located throughout the adsorbent. The 2D-EH features encode both energetic and structural information of the material and lead to highly accurate ML models (coefficient of determination R2 ~ 0.94–0.99) for predicting single-component adsorption capacity in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Here, we consider the adsorption of spherical molecules (Kr and Xe), linear alkanes with a wide range of aspect ratios (ethane, propane, n-butane, and n-hexane), and a branched alkane (2,2-dimethylbutane) over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The interpretable 2D-EH features enable the ML model to learn the basic physics of adsorption in pores from the training data. We show that these MOF-data-trained ML models are transferrable to different families of amorphous nanoporous materials. We also identify several adsorption systems where capillary condensation occurs, and ML predictions are more challenging. Nevertheless, our 2D-EH features still outperform structural features including those derived from persistent homology. The novel 2D-EH features may help accelerate the discovery and design of advanced nanoporous materials using ML for gas storage and separation in the future.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Endothelial Cell Morphology and Migration are Altered by Changes in Gravitational Fields

Many of the physiological changes of the cardiovascular system during space flight may originate from the dysfunction of basic biological mechanisms caused by microgravity. The weightlessness affects the system when blood and other fluids move to the upper body causing the heart to enlarge to handle the increased blood flow to the upper extremities and decrease circulating volume. Increase arterial pressure triggers baroreceptors which signal the brain to adjust heart rate. Hemodynarnic studies indicate that the microgravity-induced headward fluid redistribution results in various cardiovascular changes such as; alteration of vascular permeability resulting in lipid accumulation in the lumen of the vasculature and degeneration of the the vascular wall, capillary alteration with extensive endothelial invagination. Achieving a true microgravity environment in ground based studies for prolonged periods is virtually impossible. The application of vector-averaged gravity to mammalian cells using horizontal clinostat produces alterations of cellular behavior similar to those observed in microgravity. Similarly, the low shear, horizontally rotating bioreactor (originally designed by NASA) also duplicates several properties of microgravity. Additionally, increasing gravity, i.e., hypcrgravity is easily achieved. Hypergravity has been found to increase the proliferation of several different cell lines (e.g., chick embryo fibroblasts) while decreasing cell motility and slowing liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy. The effect of altered gravity on cells maybe similar to those of other physical forces, i.e. shear stress. Previous studies examining laminar flow and shear stress on endothelial cells found that the cells elongate, orient with the direction of flow, and reorganize their F-actin structure, with concomitant increase in cell stiffness. These studies suggest that alterations in the gravity environment will change the behavior of most cells, including vascular cells. However, few studies have been directed at assessing the effect of altered gravitational field on vascular cell fiction and metabolism, Using image analysis we examined how bovine aortic endothelial cells altered their morphological characteristics and their response to a denudation injury when cells were subjected to simulated microgravity and hypergravity.

Melhado, Caroline↗

The Stationary Condensation and Radial Outflow of a Liquid Film on a Horizontal Disk

The application of capillary screen liquid acquisition devices to space-based cryogenic propulsion systems is expected to necessitate thermodynamic conditioning in order to stabilize surface tension retention characteristics. The present results have been obtained in the framework of the research of low gravity condensation-flow processes for conditioning cryogenic liquid acquisition devices. The following system is studied: On the top of a subcooled horizontal disk, a liquid film condenses from the ambient saturated vapor. The liquid is forcedly removed at the disk edge, and there is an outward radial flow of the film. Stationary regimes of the flow are uncovered such that (i) the gravity is negligible, being eclipsed by the capillary forces; (ii) the film thickness is everywhere much smaller than the disk radius; and (iii) the slow-flow lubrication approximation is valid. A nonlinear differential equation for the film thickness as a function of the radial coordinate is obtained. The (two-dimensional) fields of velocities, temperature and pressure in the film are explicitly determined by the radial profile of its thickness. The equilibrium is controlled by two parameters: (i) the vapor-disk difference of temperatures and (ii) the liquid exhaust rate. For the flow regimes with a nearly uniform film thickness, the governing equation linearizes, and the film interface is analytically predicted to have a concave-up quartic parabola profile. Thus, perhaps counter-intuitively, the liquid film is thicker at the edge and thinner at the center of the disk.

Bolshinskiy, Leonid↗

Vapor flow into a capillary propellant-acquisition device

An analytical model is described that specifies the conditions needed to cause a flow of vapor through the screens of a start basket. The analytical model is composed of several original submodels that interrelate the evaporation of the liquid in the basket, the bubble-point change of a screen in the presence of wicking, the drying out of a screen through a combination of evaporation and pressure difference, the vapor flow rate across a wet screen as a function of pressure difference, and the effect on wicking of a difference between the static pressure of the liquid reservoir and the vapor surrounding the screen. Most of the interrelations were demonstrated by a series of separate-effects tests, which were also used to determine certain empirical constants. The equations of the model were solved numerically for typical start basket designs. A simplified start basket was constructed and tested to verify these predictions, using both volatile and non-volatile liquids. The test results verified the trends predicted by the model.

Dodge, F. T.↗

CO2 hydrate crystal thickening, morphology, and Raman spectroscopy in a microfluidic device

Gas hydrates are a solid, crystalline form of water that often form at low temperatures and high pressures. Carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrates may form during carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) processes. These solid compounds may form in CO2 pipelines, potentially leading to a full blockage and process shutdown for plug removal. On the other hand, formation of CO2 hydrates may be desired for CO2 capture and separation. In either case, understanding the growth behavior and nature of the hydrates is vital to managing these CCS processes. Using a high-pressure, transparent microfluidic reactor, the crystalline film thickening of CO2 hydrates was observed and measured through visual microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The impact of subcooling, pressure, and CO2 flow rate was investigated, and only CO2 flow rate was found to have a significant impact on the overall thickness of the film. Visual observations and Raman spectroscopy measurements confirmed that two distinct hydrate layers formed during thickening, one which was more porous than the other. The capillary-like channels in the porous layer indicated a mechanism for mass transfer of water through the hydrate layer. A model was developed based on this observation, and it was fit to the thickening data in order to obtain mass transfer coefficients. Results of this study can be applied to CO2 hydrate formation in pipelines and near porous media used for CO2 capture.

Wadsworth, Lindsey [Colorado School of Mines, Gold↗

Study of vapor flow into a capillary acquisition device

An analytical model was developed that prescribes the conditions for vapor flow through the window screen of a start basket. Several original submodels were developed as part of this model. The submodels interrelate such phenomena as the effect of internal evaporation of the liquid, the bubble point change of a screen in the presence of wicking, the conditions for drying out of a screen through a combination of evaporation and pressure difference, the vapor inflow rate across a wet screen as a function of pressure difference, and the effect on wicking of a difference between the static pressure of the liquid reservoir and the surrounding vapor. Most of these interrelations were verified by a series of separate effects tests, which were also used to determine certain empirical constants in the models. The equations of the model were solved numerically for typical start basket designs, and a simplified start basket was constructed to verify the predictions, using both volatile and nonvolatile test liquids. The test results verified the trends predicted by the model.

Dodge, F. T.↗

Impact of organic solutes on capillary phenomena in water-CO2-quartz systems

Hypothesis: The migration of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injected into underground reservoirs as part of carbon capture and storage is influenced by organic contamination affecting mineral wettability. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of relevant systems that incorporate representative organic solutes allow detailed investigation of changes in fundamental interfacial and capillary properties. Experiments: We use MD simulations to explore the effects of four organic solutes (quinoline, decanoic acid, coronene, sorgoleone) on the wettability of quartz by water in the presence of scCO2. We examine the impacts of polar, alkyl, and aromatic moieties as well as fluid flow velocity at elevated temperatures and pressures. Findings: Organic molecules accumulate at the water-CO2 interface, where they distribute according to their size and functional groups. Certain organics penetrate the adsorbed water film at the quartz-CO2 interface, revealing two modes of hydrogen bonding between polar organic functional group, water, and quartz surface –OH groups. Interfacial energies and contact angles are minimally impacted by organic adsorption at the water-CO2 interface, possibly due to simultaneous CO2 desorption. Non- equilibrium MD simulations reveal that flow-induced redistribution of organic compounds modulates the radii of curvature of the advancing and receding water-CO2 interfaces. Our results indicate that organic adsorption on water surfaces is likely ubiquitous during multi-phase flow in soils and sedimen- tary rocks, with implications for the mobilization and transport of organic compounds.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Testing Various Cement Formulations under Temperature Cycles and Drying Shrinkage for Low-Temperature Geothermal Wells

Low-enthalpy geothermal wells are considered a sustainable energy source, particularly for district heating in the Netherlands. The cement sheath in these wells experiences thermal cycles. The stability of cement recipes under such conditions is not well understood. In this work, thermal cycling experiments for intermediate- and low-temperature geothermal well cements have been conducted. The samples were cured either under ambient conditions or under realistic pressure and temperature for 7 days. The samples did not show any signs of failure after performing 10 cycles of thermal treatment between 100 °C and 18 °C. We also tested cement formulations under drying conditions. Drying shrinkage is caused by a reduction in the water content of cement, which leads to capillary forces that can damage cement. Such circumstances lead to tensile stresses causing radial cracks. Most samples exhibited cracks under low humidity conditions (drying). Fiber reinforcement, especially using short PP fibers, improved the cement’s resilience to temperature and humidity changes. Such additives can improve the longevity of cement sheaths in geothermal wells.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Metallurgical processing in space

Research in metallurgical processing to study the effects of reduced gravity started with Apollo 14 and advanced with Skylab. Experiments provided specimens for analysis which solidified while constrained and while freely floating, which contained a mixture of normally immiscible materials, demonstrated enhanced capillary flow, solubility and ordered growth of a directionally solidified eutectic. The smaller, equiaxed grain structure obtained in reduced gravity compared to the larger, elongated grains obtained in one gravity indicate a difference in convection due to gravity in constrained solidification. Freely floating nickel alloy specimens showing metallic gas evolution at low pressure and reduced gravity suggest reduced pressure reactions which cannot occur on earth even in high vacuum chambers due to the hydrostatic head in the molten metal. Directionally solidified eutectics showed fewer termination defects when grown in reduced gravity. These are a few of the differences observed due to reduced gravity which could have important consequences on the future of metallurgy. In this paper we attempt to correlate the results of several Skylab solidification experiments.

Mckannan, E. C.↗

A bi-directional two-phase/two-phase heat exchanger

This paper describes the design and test of a heat exchanger that transfers heat from one two-phase thermal loop to another with very small drops in temperature and pressure. The heat exchanger condenses the vapor in one loop while evaporating the liquid in the other without mixing of the condensing and evaporating fluids. The heat exchanger is bidirectional in that it can transfer heat in reverse, condensing on the normally evaporating side and vice versa. It is fully compatible with capillary pumped loops and mechanically pumped loops. Test results verified that performance of the heat exchanger met the design requirements. It demonstrated a heat transfer rate of 6800 watts in the normal mode of operation and 1000 watts in the reverse mode with temperature drops of less than 5 C between two thermal loops.

Ku, Jentung↗

Testing of a controller for a hybrid capillary pumped loop thermal control system

A controller for a series hybrid capillary pumped loop (CPL) system that requires no moving parts does not resrict fluid flow has been tested and has demonstrated improved performance characteristics over a plain CPL system and simple hybrid CPL systems. These include heat load sharing, phase separation, self-regulated flow control and distribution, all independent of most system pressure drop. In addition, the controlled system demonstrated a greater heat transport capability than the simple CPL system but without the large fluid inventory requirement of the hybrid systems. A description of the testing is presented along with data that show the advantages of the system.

Schweickart, Russell↗

Capillary Two-Phase Thermal Devices for Space Applications

This is the presentation file for an invited seminar for Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Case Western Reserve University. The seminar is scheduled for April 1, 2016.Description: This presentation will discuss operating principles and performance characteristics of heat pipes (HPs) and loop heat pipes (LHPs) and their application for spacecraft thermal control. Topics include: 1) HP operating principles; 2) HP performance characteristics; 3) LHP pressure profiles; 4) LHP operating temperature; 5) LHP operating temperature control; and 6) Examples of using HPs and LHPs on NASA flight projects.

Thermal Contgrol↗

A dual membrane-adsorption evaporator for solar-powered lithium extraction from complex brines

A reliable supply of lithium is required to meet the increased demand for batteries over the coming decades. In this work, we demonstrated the potential to effectively extract lithium from brines by coupling solar-powered evaporation, adsorption, and membrane technologies together. We first synthesized a three-dimensional adsorptive evaporator by coating a lithium manganese oxide material onto a cotton stick using an easily scalable, one-step method. An osmotic membrane was then installed at the root of the evaporator to enhance the lithium to magnesium selectivity, prevent scaling caused by divalent cations, and thus further increase the water evaporation flux. The operation of the dual membrane-adsorption evaporator is entirely driven by osmosis and capillary force, demanding no extra energy input. The integration of the osmotic membrane was found to increase the lithium to magnesium selectivity over 10-fold to higher than 40. The dual process also produced high lithium to calcium selectivity and proved to sustain long-term stability by self-managing its internal osmotic pressure. Last, a test was done in three simulated brine solutions with varied brine chemistry and the evaporation rate stayed high and consistent throughout the long-term test. This illustrates that this technology can be used in varied brine solutions throughout the world providing efficient lithium capture and separation from competing divalent cations.

Eskafi, Aydin F. [University of California, Berkel↗

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2009

Topics covered include: Valve-"Health"-Monitoring System; Microstrip Antenna for Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture and Sea Surface Salinity; Biomedical Wireless Ambulatory Crew Monitor; Wireless Avionics Packet to Support Fault Tolerance for Flight Applications; Aerobot Autonomy Architecture; Submillimeter Confocal Imaging Active Module; Traveling-Wave Maser for 32 GHz; System Synchronizes Recordings from Separated Video Cameras; Piecewise-Planar Parabolic Reflectarray Antenna; Reducing Interference in ATC Voice Communication; EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing, Version 2.2; Auto-Generated Semantic Processing Services; Geospatial Authentication; Maneuver Automation Software; Event Driven Messaging with Role-Based Subscriptions; Estimating Relative Positions of Outer-Space Structures; Fabricating PFPE Membranes for Capillary Electrophoresis; Linear Actuator Has Long Stroke and High Resolution; Installing a Test Tap on a Metal Battery Case; Fabricating PFPE Membranes for Microfluidic Valves and Pumps; Room-Temperature-Cured Copolymers for Lithium Battery Gel Electrolytes; Catalysts for Efficient Production of Carbon Nanotubes; Amorphous Silk Fibroin Membranes for Separation of CO2; "Zero-Mass" Noninvasive Pressure Transducers; Radial-Electric-Field Piezoelectric Diaphragm Pumps; Ejector-Enhanced, Pulsed, Pressure-Gain Combustor; Suppressing Ghost Diffraction in E-Beam-Written Gratings; Target-Tracking Camera for a Metrology System; Polarimetric Imaging using Two Photoelastic Modulators; Miniature Wide-Angle Lens for Small-Pixel Electronic Camera; Modal Filters for Infrared Interferometry; Mo(3)Sb(7-x)Te(x) for Thermoelectric Power Generation; Two-Dimensional Quantum Model of a Nanotransistor; Scanning Miniature Microscopes without Lenses; Manipulating Neutral Atoms in Chip-Based Magnetic Traps; Expansion Compression Contacts for Thermoelectric Legs; Processing Electromyographic Signals to Recognize Words; Physical Principle for Generation of Randomness; DSN Beowulf Cluster-Based VLBI Correlator; Hybrid NN/SVM Computational System for Optimizing Designs; Criteria for Modeling in LES of Multicomponent Fuel Flow; Computerized Machine for Cutting Space Shuttle Thermal Tiles; Orbiting Depot and Reusable Lander for Lunar Transportation; FPGA-Based Networked Phasemeter for a Heterodyne Interferometer; Aquarius Digital Processing Unit; Three-Dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography; Benchtop Antigen Detection Technique using Nanofiltration and Fluorescent Dyes; Isolation of Precursor Cells from Waste Solid Fat Tissue; Identification of Bacteria and Determination of Biological Indicators; Further Development of Scaffolds for Regeneration of Nerves; Chemically Assisted Photocatalytic Oxidation System; Use of Atomic Oxygen for Increased Water Contact Angles of Various Polymers for Biomedical Applications; Crashworthy Seats Would Afford Superior Protection; Open-Access, Low-Magnetic-Field MRI System for Lung Research; Microfluidic Mixing Technology for a Universal Health Sensor; Microfluidic Extraction of Biomarkers using Water as Solvent; Microwell Arrays for Studying Many Individual Cells; Droplet-Based Production of Liposomes; and Identifying and Inactivating Bacterial Spores

Source record↗

An application of miniscale experiments on Earth to refine microgravity analysis of adiabatic multiphase flow in space

Adiabatic two-phase flow is of interest to the design of multiphase fluid and thermal management systems for spacecraft. This paper presents original data and unifies existing data for capillary tubes as a step toward assessing existing multiphase flow analysis and engineering software. Comparisons of theory with these data once again confirm the broad accuracy of the theory. Due to the simplicity and low cost of the capillary tube experiments, which were performed on earth, we were able to closely examine for the first time a flow situation that had not previously been examined appreciably by aircraft tests. This is the situation of a slug flow at high quality, near transition to annular flow. Our comparison of software calculations with these data revealed overprediction of pipeline pressure drop by up to a factor of three. In turn, this finding motivated a reexamination of the existing theory, and then development of a new analytical and is in far better agreement with the data. This sequence of discovery illustrates the role of inexpensive miniscale modeling on earth to anticipate microgravity behavior in space and to complete and help define needs for aircraft tests.

Rothe, Paul H.↗

Modeling Efforts to Gain Insight into Historical Leak Events from the Single-Shell Tank A-105 in the Hanford 241-A Tank Farm - 20113

The 241-A Tank Farm is a single-shell tank (SST) farm constructed to store process waste from Hanford nuclear operations. Millions of gallons of nuclear waste were stored in the 241-A Tank Farm SSTs and some of the SSTs leaked in the past. In addition, spills and pipeline leaks during transfers and storage and intentional discharges to cribs and trenches resulted in releasing waste to the ground. Tank liner leaks are referred to as 'leaks' and all other discharges to the soil are referred to as 'releases.' Liquid waste that could be removed by pumping has been removed from all of the SSTs to reduce the potential for future leaks. The most significant historical leak event in 241-A Tank Farm occurred in 1965 when tank A-105 experienced a pressurized steam event. This event resulted in damage to the inner steel liner flooring of A-105, which was separated from the sidewalls over part of its circumference and buckled up to 2.5 m, vertically. During this event up to 7,570 L of contaminated liquid may have leaked to the adjacent soil. This leak occurred under extreme temperature and pressure conditions. Modeling efforts to better understand the nature and extent of historical leaks from subsurface SSTs that were used to store highly radioactive, self-boiling liquid wastes at 241-A Tank Farm have recently been undertaken. These efforts have compiled the available historical information to support a preliminary non-isothermal, multiphase flow and chemical transport modeling effort to re-create the conditions under which the leaks occurred and to formulate a conceptual model as to the extent and distribution of leaked radioactive contaminants in the adjacent soil material. The focus of this work was on developing an understanding of the key features, processes and bounding conditions related to tank A-105 leak events that occurred in the 1960's. The activities include estimation of leak composition, non-isothermal multiphase flow and transport modeling, and geochemical modeling. The STOMP{sup C} Water-Air-Energy modeling code was utilized to implement the three-dimensional representation of the subsurface tank and the surrounding flow field. Once constructed, the model was used to evaluate the conceptual understanding of leaks originating from different parts of the tank under the elevated temperature boundary conditions that were imposed by surrounding tanks at the time of the historical leaks. The chemical evolution of the liquid waste was also evaluated as it leaked from the tank under transient pressure and temperature gradients. The results of the preliminary evaluation suggested the presence of a heat-pipe effect beneath tank A-105 in which water vapor at an elevated temperature is driven away from the base of the tank to a position where water vapor cools, condenses and is then drawn back toward the tank by the strong capillary attraction of the dry soil. A non-sorbing contaminant (Tc-99) was introduced into this flow field to better understand the potential distribution patterns of leaked contaminants that may have occurred during the historical leak events. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Method and apparatus for the collection, storage, and real time analysis of blood and other bodily fluids

The present invention provides a simple, portable, relatively inexpensive apparatus for accurately and efficiently collecting, separating, testing, and even storing between about 1-20 ml, preferably about 1-10 ml, of blood or other bodily fluid in situ. The apparatus includes a collection chamber bounded on its sides by an opening in a sheet of material, preferably clear plastic, abutting a filter card. The filter card is made of fibrous material, preferably less than about a millimeter thick, having an average pore size of less than about 3 microns. Preferably, the fibers are glass and the fibrous material has an average pore size of about 1 micron. The fibrous material is treated with a carbohydrate/protein mixture which contains between about 1-40 percent wt/vol carbohydrate and about 0.1-15 percent wt/vol nonspecific protein, preferably between about 10-20 percent carbohydrate and about 5-8 percent protein. A preferred carbohydrate/protein mixture comprises about 10 percent mannitol and about 6 percent albumin. The blood or other fluid moves through the filter card by capillary action aided by an absorbent matrix with a high Klemm factor which abuts the filter card. The absorbent matrix and/or filter card can be treated with a wide spectrum of test reagents. The speed, cleanliness, and efficiency of the separation process can be altered by: (a) changing the absolute concentration of the carbohydrate/protein mixture; (b) applying positive or negative pressure to one side of the filter; and/or (c) varying the relative density and pore size of the filter card and absorbent matrix.

Whitson, Peggy A.↗