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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 433 records · Page 24

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NASA NTRS1979

Convective instability when the temperature gradient and rotation vector are oblique to gravity. I - Fluids without diffusion

A linear stability analysis of fluid layers under uniform rotation (generally oblique to gravity) which possess both vertical and horizontal temperature gradients is made by considering ideal fluids without diffusion within a Boussinesq approximation. This simplified configuration is used to assess the preferred convective modes as a function of latitude on a planet like Jupiter. The tilted rotation vector introduces a preference for roll-like disturbances with north-south orientations, while the horizontal temperature gradient produces a thermal wind shear which favors convective rolls oriented parallel to the flow in an east-west direction. It is found that the horizontal temperature gradient needed to produce a preference for the axisymmetric or east-west rolls increases with an increasing rotation rate and a decreasing latitude. The parameter values for Jupiter are estimated with the use of a simple radiative convective model, indicating a preference for axisymmetric rolls at nearly all latitudes if the convection zone depth is greater than about 200 km below the one atmosphere pressure level and convective roll characteristics which contribute to an equatorial acceleration.

Hathaway, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Simulation of atmospheric turbulent gusts and gust gradients

An improved three-dimensional, nonrecursive model for atmospheric turbulence has been developed which provides for simulation of both instantaneous gusts and gust gradients along the flight path of the Space Shuttle. The one-dimensional gust and gust gradient spectral models, which form the basis for the simulation scheme, are developed from three-dimensional, von Karman spectra, integrated over finite limits based on the characteristic dimensions (length, width, and thickness) of the flight vehicle. By means of the simulation process nondimensional time series for both gusts and gust gradients have been generated and stored on a series of magnetic tapes for four altitude bands ranging from 0 to 10,000 meters. These Shuttle Simulated Turbulence Tapes (SSTT) have been validated by means of spectral and statistical analyses with satisfactory results. The dimensionless form of the time series coupled with the use of a von Karman spectral model (as opposed to a Dryden model) distinguish the SSTT from earlier turbulence simulation concepts.

Tatom, F. B.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Cosmic ray gradients in the heliosphere and particle drifts

K-coronameter, solar wind, and neutron monitor data are used to estimate the latitudinal gradient of protons of approximately 5 GeV in the heliosphere at 1 AU during 1965 and 1975. The reversal of sign of the gradient between 1965 and 1975 and the strong positive latitudinal gradient in 1975 predicted by models in which drifts are dominant are not observed.

Newkirk, G., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Galactic cosmic ray gradients, field-aligned and latitudinal, among Voyagers 1/2 and IMP-8

The present investigation represents a summary of a comprehensive analysis of the same subject conducted by Roelof et al. (1981). It is pointed out that the tandem earth-Jupiter trajectories of the Voyager 1/2 spacecraft, combined with baseline measurements from the earth-orbiting IMP 7/8 spacecraft, provide the first opportunity for unambiguously separating latitude from radial or field-aligned effects in galactic cosmic ray gradients. Attention is given to the method of data analysis, and the separation of field-aligned and latitudinal gradients. It is found that latitudinal gradients approximately equal to or greater than 1 percent per deg in the cosmic ray intensity were a common feature of the interplanetary medium between 1 and 5 AU in 1977-78. Except in the most disturbed periods, cosmic ray intensities are well-ordered in field-aligned structures.

Roelof, E. C.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Calculations of the quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity gradient from climatological data

Climatological data (5-year sets) are used in calculating the quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity meridional gradient between 10 and 1000 mb for latitudes from 25 to 65 deg N in the months of January, April, July, and October. The data comprise zonal and one-month averaged values of the zonal velocity and temperature and represent seasonal transitions and extremes. It is noted that previous papers have shown that zeros of the meridional gradient are important in determining the stability properties of the atmosphere. It is shown that the profiles of the meridional gradient generated from the climatological data possess zero in all seasons and at many latitudes and levels. In all seasons, therefore, the atmosphere is shown to have a wide variety of potential sources of baroclinic instability.

Fullmer, J. W. A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Minimizing inner product data dependencies in conjugate gradient iteration

The amount of concurrency available in conjugate gradient iteration is limited by the summations required in the inner product computations. The inner product of two vectors of length N requires time c log(N), if N or more processors are available. This paper describes an algebraic restructuring of the conjugate gradient algorithm which minimizes data dependencies due to inner product calculations. After an initial start up, the new algorithm can perform a conjugate gradient iteration in time c*log(log(N)).

Vanrosendale, J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Vertical gradients of sunspot magnetic fields

The results of a Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) guest investigation to determine the vertical gradients of sunspot magnetic fields for the first time from coordinated observations of photospheric and transition-region fields are described. Descriptions are given of both the photospheric vector field of a sunspot, derived from observations using the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center vector magnetograph, and of the line-of-sight component in the transition region, obtained from the SMM Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter instrument. On the basis of these data, vertical gradients of the line-of-sight magnetic field component are calculated using three methods. It is found that the vertical gradient of Bz is lower than values from previous studies and that the transition-region field occurs at a height of approximately 4000-6000 km above the photosphere.

Hagyard, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Investigation of the effects of pressure gradient, temperature and wall temperature ratio on the stagnation point heat transfer for circular cylinders and gas turbine vanes

Low and high pressure shock tubes were designed and constructed for the purpose of obtaining heat transfer data over a temperature range of 390 to 2500 K, pressures of 0.3 to 42 atm, and Mach numbers of 0.15 to 1.5 with and without pressure gradient. A square test section with adjustable top and bottom walls was constructed to produce the favorable and adverse pressure gradient over the flat plate with heat gages. A water cooled gas turbine nozzle cascade which is attached to the high pressure shock tube was obtained to measuse the heat flux over pressure and suction surfaces. Thin-film platinum heat gages with a response time of a few microseconds were developed and used to measure the heat flux for laminar, transition, and turbulent boundary layers. The laminar boundary heat flux on the shock tube wall agreed with Mirel's flat plate theory. Stagnation point heat transfer for circular cylinders at low temperature compared with the theoretical prediction, but for a gas temperature of 922 K the heat fluxes were higher than the predicted values. Preliminary flat plate heat transfer data were measured for laminar, transition, and turbulent boundary layers with and without pressure gradients for free-stream temperatures of 350 to 2575 K and flow Mach numbers of 0.11 to 1.9. The experimental heat flux data were correlated with the laminar and turbulent theories and the agreement was good at low temperatures which was not the case for higher temperatures.

Nagamatsu, H. T.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Visualization of gust gradients and aircraft response as measured by the NASA B-57B aircraft

A program to obtain gust gradient measurements over the span of an airfoil is being conducted by NASA. Data have been collected from four areas of the United States (Denver, Colorado; Edwards, California; Huntsville, Alabama; and Norman, Oklahoma). The background program development data collection, and some data analysis efforts of the gust gradient effort have previously been presented (Houbolt, 1979; Camp, et al., 1983; Campbell, 1983; Campbell, et al., 1983; Frost, et al., 1983; and Painter and Camp, 1983). The purpose of this paper is to discuss briefly the animation of a gust gradient data set that was collected during the summer of 1982 at Denver, Colorado.

Camp, D.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Integral radial cosmic ray gradients in the solar system from 1972 to 1982

The cosmic-ray telescope data on IMP 8, Voyagers 1 and 2, and Pioneer 10 have been used to determine the integral radial cosmic-ray intensity gradients for energies greater than 60 MeV per nucleon. When the 26 day average counting rates are time-shifted for the effects of the outward propagation speed of the solar modulation, the average integral radial gradients (Gr) are 3.0 + or - 0.35 (percent/AU) from 1975 to 1982. Gr is independent to the first order of the cosmic-ray intensity and radial heliocentric distance out to about 30 AU. After the large transient variations in the cosmic-ray intensity in mid-1982, the integral gradients returned to their original values.

Lockwood, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Salt-gradient Solar Ponds: Summary of US Department of Energy Sponsored Research

The solar pond research program conducted by the United States Department of Energy was discontinued after 1983. This document summarizes the results of the program, reviews the state of the art, and identifies the remaining outstanding issues. Solar ponds is a generic term but, in the context of this report, the term "solar pond" refers specifically to salt-gradient solar pond. Several small research solar ponds have been built and successfully tested. Procedures for filling the pond, maintaining the gradient, adjusting the zone boundaries, and extracting heat have been developed. Theories and models have also been developed and verified. The major remaining unknowns or issues involve the physical behavior of large ponds; i.e., wind mixing of the surface, lateral range or reach of horizontally injected fluids, ground thermal losses, and gradient zone boundary erosion caused by pumping fluid for heat extraction. These issues cannot be scaled and must be studied in a large outdoor solar pond. This report has been subdivided into three parts. Part One presents the results of the DOE research program. The major contributing institutions include Solar Energy Research Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Part Two presents related independent research conducted by universities. Part Three is a selected bibliography with abstracts.

R.L. French↗

NASA NTRS1985

High-thermal-gradient Superalloy Crystal Growth

Single, (001)-oriented crystals of PWA 1480 were processed in alumina/silica shell molds in a laboratory high gradient furnace. The furnace employs a graphite resistance heated element, a radiation baffle, and a water cooled radiation trap below the baffle. All crystals were grown in vacuum (10 torr) and all heat transfer was radiative. The element is constructed with a variable cross section that is tapered just above the baffle to maximize heat input and therefore thermal gradient. A maximum alloy temperature of 1600 C was used. A thermal gradient of 130 deg C/cm was recorded at 1370 C just above the solidus of the PWA 1480 alloys. Crystal bars with 14.4 and 17.5 mm diameters were grown in alumina/silica shell molds. Each crystal was started from a 1.6 mm pencil seed at a rate of 76 mm/hr and slowly accelerated to a rate of 200 mm/hr under computer control. Volume percent porosity and average pore size were measured as functions of distance in representative bars. Low cycle fatigue behavior and stress rupture properties were determined.

Pearson, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer undergoing transverse strain and streamwise pressure gradient

Results from an experimental investigation designed to provide data on both mean and turbulence quantities in the axisymmetric, swirling boundary layer (with and without pressure gradient) flowing over a stationary cylinder downstreams of a spinning cylindrical section are presented. The pressure gradient was introduced into the flow field by a 25.4 mm-high, forward-facing, circular step mounted on the stationary cylinder, the step height being nearly equal to the thickness of the approaching boundary layer. All the measurements were made at a nominal upstream reference Reynolds number of 2.4 x 10 to the 6th power/m (corresponding to an upstream reference velocity of 36 to 37 m/sec) with the rotation of the spinner set to make its peripheral speed equal the reference velocity. The data reported included measurements of surface pressure and the mean surface shear-stress vector taken with a miniature, directional, surface-fence gage. These measurements were supplemented by oil-flow visualization studies of the stationary cylinder. The data indicates that the streamwise pressure gradient controls the development of the streamwise component of wall shear, but leaves the peripheral component of wall shear practically unaffected.

Hebbar, S. K.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Time and energy dependence of the cosmic ray gradient in the outer heliosphere

Pioneers 10 and 11, now 35 and 18 AU from the Sun, continue to extend our knowledge of the spatial dependence of cosmic ray intensities in the heliosphere. Radial gradients measured from these spacecraft by UCSD detectors which have integral energy responses above thresholds of 80 and 500 MeV/nucleon are reported. An average gradient of 2%/AU typifies the data set as a whole, but there are time and energy dependences that deviate from this value. With operating lifetimes of 13 and 12 years, respectively, for the two spacecraft, the time dependence was followed for over a solar cycle. The higher energy channel shows less modulation on all time scales. At the start of the present cycle, the gradient is lower than the average value during the last solar cycle.

Fillius, W.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The influence of ocean surface temperature gradient and continentality on the Walker circulation. II - Prescribed global changes

The series of experiments presently used to investigate the mechanisms responsible for forcing the global Walker circulation features worldwide changes in ocean surface temperatures (OSTs), topography, and/or continents. The primary factor affecting circulation is noted to be the global distribution of continents and oceans; while OST gradients are also important, topography emerges as comparatively unimportant. Continentality and OST gradients force the model atmosphere through the introduction of zonal variations in surface heating. The vertical motions to which they give rise yield moisture convergence and condensation variations which reinforce vertical motions. The forcing by OST gradients is partly nonlocal, and the atmospheric response is effected by continentality. In all cases, vertical motion zonal variations correlate with precipitation.

Stone, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

An experimental investigation of a swirling, axisymmetric, turbulent boundary layer with pressure gradient

The results of an experimental investigation designed to document data on both mean and turbulence quantities in the axisymmetric, swirling boundary layer (with and without a pressure gradient) flowing over a stationary cylinder downstream of a spinning cylindrical section are discussed. The pressure gradient was introduced into the flow field by a 25.4-mm-high, forward-facing circular step mounted on the stationary cylinder, the step height being nearly equal to the approaching boundary-layer thickness. All the measurements were made at upstream reference velocity of 36-37 m/sec, with the rotation of the spinner set to make its peripheral speed equal to the reference velocity. The data reported include measurements of surface pressure and the mean surface-shear-stress vector (using a miniature directional surface-fence gage) and oil-flow visualization studies of the stationary cylinder. The data indicate that the streamwise pressure gradient controls the development of the streamwise component of wall shear but leaves the peripheral component of wall shear practically unaffected.

Hebbar, S. K.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The effects of density gradients on the convective amplification of upper hybrid waves in the magnetosphere

Intense (at least 10 mV/m) electrostatic plasma waves have been detected near the upper hybrid frequency between + or -50 deg MLAT during recent GEOS-1 crossings. Wave growth rate and convective amplification calculations were carried out in order to explain the occurrence of intense upper hybrid (IUH) events over such a wide range of latitudes. The effects of wave refractions were taken into account in the convective amplification calculations. Specific results are presented for the upper hybrid wave growth of an IUH event occurring at 10 deg MLAT. It is shown that a density gradient may be necessary to explain the observed amplification at 10 deg MLAT. At the equator, however, the long scale length of the magnetic field gradient enables large amplitudes to be attained without a density gradient. The results of a UH ray tracing analysis are discussed within the framework of current theories concerning magnetospheric continuum radiation.

Engel, J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Gravity gradient torque for an arbitrary potential function

To permit investigation of the relative effects of higher-order terms in the potential function and allow computation of the gravity gradient torques consistent with the gravitational acceleration for a given potential function, a simple formula is derived for computing the gravity gradient torque on a vehicle in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the gravity gradient matrix and the inertia properties of the vehicle. The formulation is applicable to any potential function for which the gravity matrix can be computed for a given point in the potential field.

Glandorf, D. R.↗