The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability with arbitrarily oriented body force
Interfacial stability of two parallel superposed inviscid streams of fluid applied to stability of molten liquid-gas interface on ablating reentry body
INVISCID FLOW↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Interfacial flows”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Thin Films in Partial Wetting: Internal Selection of Contact-Line Dynamics
When 5 a liquid touches a solid surface, it spreads to minimize the system’s energy. The classic thin-film model describes the spreading as an interplay between gravity, capillarity and viscous forces, but cannot see an end to this process as it does not account for the nonhydrodynamic liquid–solid interactions. Even though these interactions are important only close to the contact line, where the liquid, solid and gas meet, they have macroscopic implications: in the partial-wetting regime, a liquid puddle ultimately stops spreading. We show that 10 by incorporating these intermolecular interactions, the free energy of the system at equilibrium can be cast in a Cahn–Hilliard framework with a height-dependent interfacial tension. Utilizing this free energy, we derive a mesoscopic thin-film model that describes statics and dynamics of liquid spreading in the partial-wetting regime. The height-dependence of the interfacial tension introduces a localized apparent slip in the contact-line region and leads to compactly-supported spreading states. In our model, the contact line dynamics emerge naturally as 15 part of the solution and are therefore nonlocally coupled to the bulk flow. Surprisingly, we find that even in the gravity-dominated regime, the dynamic contact angle follows the Cox–Voinov law.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Solidification in immiscible systems: The influence of processing conditions on resulting microstructures
Research carried out over the past two decades in which attempts have been made to produce desirable microstructures in immiscible alloys is reviewed. Factors affecting the formation of desirable microstructures in immiscible alloys are addressed and some of the techniques that have been successful in controlling these factors in order to produce useful structures are discussed. Some of the intended applications of these alloys require a dispersion of one phase in the other, while other applications favor the use of aligned, fibrous microstructures with continuity of both phases. The microstructures obtained in immiscible alloys are often strongly influenced by processing conditions. Perhaps the most well known effect is gravity induced sedimentation of the denser immiscible phase during solidification. This difficulty with sedimentation led to low gravity processing in attempts to produce dispersed microstructures. However, experimentation under low gravity conditions soon revealed that many other factors, including wetting of the crucible walls and surface tension driven flows, often resulted in complete separation and coalescence of the two immiscible phases. The production of aligned fibrous microstructures in hypermonotectic alloys appears to be even more difficult than the formation of a dispersion. Here, in addition to sedimentation and crucible wetting, convective and interfacial instabilities must be considered as well. Calculation of the limits of stability during directional solidification were carried out but require experimental verification.
Andrews, J. Barry↗
Multiphase computational fluid dynamics modeling of reacting flows in absorption columns for carbon capture
First-principles derived computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been proposed as a fundamental tool for investigating solvent-based CO 2 absorption in packed columns due to their ability to accurately represent the underlying nonlinear, multiscale dynamics. Numerous studies have previously utilized such CFD simulations to investigate hydrodynamics of columns with structured and random packings by assessing the key hydrodynamic metrics such as the interfacial and wetted areas. While mapping such metrics for different conditions is essential to the optimization of absorption columns, it is not sufficient, as the CO 2 capture rate depends also on the coupled, nonlinear dynamics from the underlying chemical reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and heat-transfer rates. In this work, we present detailed CFD simulation results augmented by incorporating the effects of interfacial physical mass transfer of CO 2 , heat release from chemical reaction kinetics, and thermophysical property variations from resulting temperature gradients. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach in numerically assessing the performance of packed columns by evaluating key hydrodynamic quantities, CO 2 absorption rates, and temperature rise in a reference column with packings that are structurally similar to the Sulzer Mellapak™ 250.Y packing, for different solvent inflow velocities and temperatures. Predictions from simulation results are found to be consistent with the trends in experimental observations from the literature, suggesting that the predictive capabilities of the simulation framework can be leveraged to guide the future development of absorber-column designs and optimized process flowsheets.
Absorption columns↗
Improvements to CTF Closure Models for Modelling of Two-Phase Flow
This report documents the efforts to improve the CTF prediction of void fraction and two-phase pressure drop by improving two-phase closure models. Previous validation activities have revealed that CTF tends to overpredict void fraction and two-phase pressure drop. In response to this, two approaches were taken to improve CTF’s predictive capabilities. Based on findings that the interfacial drag and subcooled boiling models significantly impact void prediction, alternative closure models for these physical effects were found and implemented into the code. An extensive assessment was performed by using the existing and newly added two-phase experimental data, which showed that void prediction, wall temperature, and two-phase pressure-drop results are improved by using the newly implemented models. A second approach for improving CTF modeling accuracy involved the use of a Bayesian calibration process that uses CTF validation data to optimize selected modeling coefficients and closure model multipliers to achieve a more accurate prediction of experimental results. A similar assessment was performed with calibrated models that improved the void and pressure-drop prediction for test cases that were both included and not included in the calibration dataset. Results of this study will be used to change the models used in CTF to achieve more accurate BWR analyses moving forward. This study also identified opportunities for improving additional closure models and other opportunities to use calibration techniques to improve CTF.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
An interface tracking model for droplet electrocoalescence.
This report describes an Early Career Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project to develop an interface tracking model for droplet electrocoalescence. Many fluid-based technologies rely on electrical fields to control the motion of droplets, e.g. microfluidic devices for high-speed droplet sorting, solution separation for chemical detectors, and purification of biodiesel fuel. Precise control over droplets is crucial to these applications. However, electric fields can induce complex and unpredictable fluid dynamics. Recent experiments (Ristenpart et al. 2009) have demonstrated that oppositely charged droplets bounce rather than coalesce in the presence of strong electric fields. A transient aqueous bridge forms between approaching drops prior to pinch-off. This observation applies to many types of fluids, but neither theory nor experiments have been able to offer a satisfactory explanation. Analytic hydrodynamic approximations for interfaces become invalid near coalescence, and therefore detailed numerical simulations are necessary. This is a computationally challenging problem that involves tracking a moving interface and solving complex multi-physics and multi-scale dynamics, which are beyond the capabilities of most state-of-the-art simulations. An interface-tracking model for electro-coalescence can provide a new perspective to a variety of applications in which interfacial physics are coupled with electrodynamics, including electro-osmosis, fabrication of microelectronics, fuel atomization, oil dehydration, nuclear waste reprocessing and solution separation for chemical detectors. We present a conformal decomposition finite element (CDFEM) interface-tracking method for the electrohydrodynamics of two-phase flow to demonstrate electro-coalescence. CDFEM is a sharp interface method that decomposes elements along fluid-fluid boundaries and uses a level set function to represent the interface.
Erickson, Lindsay Crowl↗
NASA Tech Briefs, March 2009
Topics covered include: Improved Instrument for Detecting Water and Ice in Soil; Real-Time Detection of Dust Devils from Pressure Readings; Determining Surface Roughness in Urban Areas Using Lidar Data; DSN Data Visualization Suite; Hamming and Accumulator Codes Concatenated with MPSK or QAM; Wide-Angle-Scanning Reflectarray Antennas Actuated by MEMS; Biasable Subharmonic Membrane Mixer for 520 to 600 GHz; Hardware Implementation of Serially Concatenated PPM Decoder; Symbolic Processing Combined with Model-Based Reasoning; Presentation Extensions of the SOAP; Spreadsheets for Analyzing and Optimizing Space Missions; Processing Ocean Images to Detect Large Drift Nets; Alternative Packaging for Back-Illuminated Imagers; Diamond Machining of an Off-Axis Biconic Aspherical Mirror; Laser Ablation Increases PEM/Catalyst Interfacial Area; Damage Detection and Self-Repair in Inflatable/Deployable Structures; Polyimide/Glass Composite High-Temperature Insulation; Nanocomposite Strain Gauges Having Small TCRs; Quick-Connect Windowed Non-Stick Penetrator Tips for Rapid Sampling; Modeling Unsteady Cavitation and Dynamic Loads in Turbopumps; Continuous-Flow System Produces Medical-Grade Water; Discrimination of Spore-Forming Bacilli Using spoIVA; nBn Infrared Detector Containing Graded Absorption Layer; Atomic References for Measuring Small Accelerations; Ultra-Broad-Band Optical Parametric Amplifier or Oscillator; Particle-Image Velocimeter Having Large Depth of Field; Enhancing SERS by Means of Supramolecular Charge Transfer; Improving 3D Wavelet-Based Compression of Hyperspectral Images; Improved Signal Chains for Readout of CMOS Imagers; SOI CMOS Imager with Suppression of Cross-Talk; Error-Rate Bounds for Coded PPM on a Poisson Channel; Biomorphic Multi-Agent Architecture for Persistent Computing; and Using Covariance Analysis to Assess Pointing Performance.
Source record↗
Comprehensive numerical methodology for direct numerical simulations of compressible Rayleigh-Taylor instability
A comprehensive numerical methodology has been developed that handles the challenges introduced by considering the compressive nature of Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) systems, which include sharp interfacial density gradients on strongly stratified background states, acoustic wave generation and removal at computational boundaries, and stratification-dependent vorticity production. The computational framework is used to simulate two-dimensional single-mode RTI to extreme late-times for a wide range of flow compressibility and variable density effects. The results show that flow compressibility acts to reduce the growth of RTI for low Atwood numbers, as predicted from linear stability analysis.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Dependence of wind-farm-induced gravity waves and wind farm performance on non-dimensional atmospheric parameters and simulation configuration
This large-eddy simulation (LES) study examines how wind-farm-induced atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) and wind farm performance depend on non-dimensional atmospheric parameters and simulation configuration. A hypothetical aligned wind farm of actuator disks is simulated under neutral surface conditions, with a stable capping inversion and a mildly stable free atmosphere, to assess the effects of stratification beyond the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) on ABL flow. Simulation set-ups fully resolving AGWs are validated to minimize spurious wave generation and reflection from the domain boundaries. The validated set-up is then used to analyze AGW types and characteristics, as well as stratification impacts under conventionally neutral boundary layer (CNBL) conditions. These conditions are governed by four non-dimensional parameters: the Froude numbers of the free atmosphere and capping inversion (Fr, Fr i ), and the aspect ratios of the ABL and wind farm (H̃ i , S h ). Simulation configurations that fully resolve AGWs – capturing at least one wavelength both horizontally and vertically – yield the most realistic stratification effects on ABL flow, whereas partial or unresolved configurations produce non-physical, channel-like behavior. A coherent description of the AGW phenomena is provided, highlighting the central role of capping inversion displacement in linking ABL fluctuations with AGWs. Trapped waves are confined within the capping inversion, while interfacial and internal waves aloft are identified as the AGW types most relevant to wind farm performance. The wavy inversion, analogous to an interfacial wave, forms converging and diverging zones that drive power fluctuations across the farm. The interfacial wavelength, measured over the wind farm, corresponds to one diverging, one converging, and one mildly diverging zone. As the interfacial wavelength decreases with Fr i , multiple convergence–divergence zones develop under sub-critical conditions (Fr i <1.0), while for super-critical conditions (Fr i > 1.0), the wavelength approaches the farm length. Wave amplitude increases with decreasing H̃ i (i.e., shallower capping inversions). Wind farm performance is most sensitive to H̃ i : shallow boundary layers increase blockage and reduce efficiency, while deeper layers enhance efficiency. Increasing Fr and Fr i mitigates blockage, and increasing S h mainly improves wake recovery. Although local power fluctuations arise from AGWs, overall wind farm efficiency remains nearly constant with Fr and Fr i , improving primarily with larger H̃ i and S h .
17 WIND ENERGY↗
In situ transmission electron microscopy investigation of the interfacial reaction between Ni and Al during rapid heating in a nanocalorimeter
The Al/Ni formation reaction is highly exothermic and of both scientific and technological significance. In this report, we study the evolution of intermetallic phases in this reaction at a heating rate of 830 K/s. 100-nm-thick Al/Ni bilayers were deposited onto nanocalorimeter sensors that enable the measurement of temperature and heat flow during rapid heating. Time-resolved transmission electron diffraction patterns captured simultaneously with thermal measurements allow us to identify the intermetallic phases present and reconstruct the phase transformation sequence as a function of time and temperature. The results show a mostly unaltered phase transformation sequence compared to lower heating rates.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Topological photonics
The application of topology, the mathematics of conserved properties under continuous deformations, is creating a range of new opportunities throughout photonics. This field was inspired by the discovery of topological insulators, in which interfacial electrons transport without dissipation, even in the presence of impurities. Similarly, the use of carefully designed wavevector-space topologies allows the creation of interfaces that support new states of light with useful and interesting properties. In particular, this suggests unidirectional waveguides that allow light to flow around large imperfections without back-reflection. This Review explains here the underlying principles and highlights how topological effects can be realized in photonic crystals, coupled resonators, metamaterials and quasicrystals.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Integral constraints in the study of Richtmyer-Meshkov turbulent mixing
An experimental study of the temporal evolution of the shock-induced Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in the turbulent regime with three-dimensional random interfacial perturbations is carried out. The primary interest is the growth rate of the turbulent mixing layer that develops after an impulsive acceleration of the perturbed interface between two gases (air/SF6) by a weak Ma = 1.2 incident shock wave. Planar Mie scattering is used to visualize the flow, and image sequences are captured using a high-speed video camera. The analysis of the total mixing width has been extended to study the growth behaviors of the bubbles and spikes, separately. A novel definition of the bubble and spike widths is introduced using the mass and linear momentum conservation laws. For the planar incident shock wave the newly defined bubble and spike widths increase in time as hb.s ∝ tθ, with a growth exponent θ = 1/2 that does not depend on either the initial conditions or the physical properties of the gases composing the interface.
Likhachev, Oleg A.↗
The effect of original and initial saturation on residual nonwetting phase capillary trapping efficiency
Injection of supercritical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into geological formations is a strategy for both atmospheric greenhouse gas reduction (climate change mitigation) and enhanced oil recovery. To understand CO 2 trapping efficiency, the capillary trapping behaviors that immobilize subsurface fluids were analyzed at the pore-scale using pairs of proxy fluids representing the range of in situ nonwetting and wetting fluid properties encountered in geologic storage reservoirs. The pairs of fluids were cycled through imbibition and drainage processes using a flow cell apparatus containing a sintered glass bead column. Computed x-ray microtomography (microCT) was used to identify immobilized nonwetting fluid after imbibition and drainage events. From microCT images, the trapped residual (post-secondary imbibition) nonwetting phase was spatially correlated to both the original (post-primary imbibition) and the initial (post-primary drainage) nonwetting phase; this relationship is referred to here as the original saturation dependence (SO-dependence) and initial saturation dependence (SI-dependence), respectively. Significant trends of decreasing SO- and SI-dependence with increasing wetting and nonwetting fluid phase viscosities were observed. This finding implies that the amount of CO 2 injected and ultimately trapped is dependent on the nonwetting phase (e.g. oil or gas) already present in the formation, as well as on the manner in which supercritical CO 2 is initially injected, which are factors not considered in current trapping models. To explore the potential effect that varying viscosity and interfacial tension (IFT) might have on this process, we report on a variety of fluid pairs with different viscosities and IFT.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Interfacial reactions of Cu( II ) adsorption and hydrolysis driven by nano-scale confinement
Spatial confinement is prevalent in sedimentary rocks and can lead to changes in the chemical behavior at mineral–water interfaces. This includes both deviations in the physico-chemical properties of confined water, when compared to the bulk liquid phase, and subsequent alterations in adsorption chemistry of ions inside nano-scale mineral pores. In this paper we document contrasting adsorption mechanisms and differences in local coordination environments of copper (Cu 2+ ), depending on whether the ion is adsorbed on non-porous silica surfaces, versus inside 8 nm and 4 nm pores in silica. X-ray absorption spectroscopy, flow micro-calorimetry, and batch adsorption methods together with molecular modeling are used to thoroughly describe the dependence of these adsorption processes on the pore size. We show that confinement within silica pores promotes Cu–Cu interactions and increases the formation of Cu–Cu polynuclear surface complexes. We also demonstrate that the mechanism of Cu 2+ adsorption on non-porous versus porous silica is vastly different. The adsorption of Cu 2+ on non-porous silica is an endothermic process, whereby Cu 2+ undergoes dehydration prior to surface complexation. In contrast, adsorption within nano-scale pores is preceded by only partial dehydration, and significant formation of Cu–Cu polynuclear complexes, which leads to an overall exothermic signal. Interfacial confinement leads to dramatic changes in the adsorption mechanism and speciation, which in turn controls the fate and transport of chemical species in natural environments.
58 GEOSCIENCES↗
An adaptive lattice Boltzmann scheme for modeling two-fluid-phase flow in porous medium systems
In this paper, we formulate a multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate two-fluid-phase flow in porous medium systems. The MRT LBM is applied to simulate the displacement of a wetting fluid by a nonwetting fluid in a system corresponding to a microfluidic cell. Analysis of the simulation shows widely varying time scales for the dynamics of fluid pressures, fluid saturations, and interfacial curvatures that are typical characteristics of such systems. Displacement phenomena include Haines jumps, which are relatively short duration isolated events of rapid fluid displacement driven by capillary instability. An adaptive algorithm is advanced using a level-set method to locate interfaces and estimate their rate of advancement. Because the displacement dynamics are confined to the interfacial regions for a majority of the relaxation time, the computational effort is focused on these regions. The proposed algorithm is shown to reduce computational effort by an order of magnitude, while yielding essentially identical solutions to a conventional fully coupled approach. Finally, the challenges posed by Haines jumps are also resolved by the adaptive algorithm. Possible extensions to the advanced method are discussed.
42 ENGINEERING↗
A novel lung-inspired 3D-printed desiccant-coated heat exchanger for high-performance humidity management in buildings
Offering an independent humidity management method for buildings, desiccant-coated heat exchangers (DCHXs) are deemed a promising approach to improve the overall energy efficiency of air conditioning (AC) systems. State-of-the-art DCHXs, however, are bound with conventional HX topologies either providing limited desiccant-air interfacial areas or introducing excessive pressure drop penalties. In this paper a novel 3D-printed DCHX concept inspired by the bronchi arrangement of a human lung is introduced to address the shortcomings inherent in existing DCHX designs. The proposed lung-inspired DCHX utilizes two intertwined bicontinuous flow networks enabling highly efficient heat and mass transfer characteristics for augmented adsorption and regeneration processes at low pressure drop penalties. While the first network evenly distributes an incoming air stream through the entire volume of the lung-inspired DCHX, the second network volumetrically splits a cooling water stream within and through the first network. Effects of various parameters including air flow rate, outdoor air humidity ratio, and regeneration temperature on dehumidification performance and energy efficiency of the proposed lung-inspired DCHX were investigated. Experimental results indicated the proposed lung-inspired 3D-printed DCHX outperforms existing DCHX systems by demonstrating an excellent balance between a high volumetric adsorption rate and a low pressure drop penalty. The volumetric adsorption rate of the proposed lung-inspired DCHX technology is 54.8 g/m 3 -s, a more than two-fold improvement compared with state-of-the-art DCHX systems. Additionally, the lung-inspired DCHX offers high thermal energy efficiency of 56% at a low regeneration temperature of 40 °C. Therefore, the proposed lung-inspired 3D-printed DCHX offers a new solid-desiccant-based air dehumidification pathway for next-generation high-performance AC systems.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Effects of initial microstructures on serrated flow features and fracture mechanisms of a nickel-based superalloy
Highlights: • Uniaxial tensile tests are performed on a nickel-based superalloy at 473 K–973 K and low strain rates. • Effects of initial microstructures on serrated flow features, and fracture characteristics are analyzed. • The dislocation across slip in the matrix is responsible for the serrated flow. • Nucleation and growth of micro-voids is the main fracture mechanism of ST and HS superalloys. • The better tensile ductility is obtained with raising the deformation temperatures for the SAT superalloy. - Abstract: The uniaxial tensile experiments are performed on a nickel-based superalloy with different initial microstructures at intermediate temperatures (473–973) K and low strain rates (0.0001–0.001) s{sup −1}. Effects of initial microstructures on plastic deformation mechanisms, serrated flow features, and fracture characteristics are analyzed. It is clearly demonstrated that the plastic deformation mechanism of serrated flow is irrelevant to the initial microstructures, and the dislocation across slip in the matrix is responsible for the serrated flow. However, the effects of initial microstructures on fracture mechanisms are obvious, i.e., the main fracture mechanism of the ST (solution treated) and HS (solution plus γ′/γ″ phases aging precipitation) superalloys are the nucleation and growth of micro-voids, which accelerates the break of carbides and interfacial failure of carbides/matrix. While for the SAT (solution plus δ phases aging precipitation) superalloy, δ phases and carbides play a significant role in the nucleation of micro-voids. Furthermore, the increase of the deformation temperature reduces the elongation to fracture of the ST and HS superalloys. However, the better tensile ductility is obtained with raising the deformation temperatures for the SAT superalloy.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Numerical Simulation of the Instability of an Inviscid Liquid Jet in a Coflowing Compressible Airstream
The nonlinear interfacial instability of a liquid jet in a coflowing compressible airstream is studied numerically. A high-resolution scheme which has second-order accuracy in space and time is coupled with a Lagrangian marker particle algorithm to visualize the large-scale motion of the interfaces in compressible flow. A numerical algorithm based on an approximate equation of state of a compressible liquid is developed to allow this two-fluid system to be governed by the nonlinear unsteady Euler equations in conservative form. The initial growth of small disturbances given by the simulations agrees well with linear theory. The process of jet disruption in compressible flow is demonstrated to consist of the formation of liquid spikes, interweaving of the gas and liquid and stretching and detachment of the liquid main center core.
Li, H. -S.↗