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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 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Momentum and Heat Flux Measurements in the Exhaust of VASIMR Using Helium Propellant

Electromagnetic thrusters typically use electric and magnetic fields to accelerate and exhaust plasma through interactions with the charged particles in the plasma. The energy required to create the plasma, i.e. ionization energy, is potential energy between the electron and ion. This potential energy is typically lost since it is not recovered as the plasma is exhausted and is known as frozen flow loss. If the frozen flow energy is a small fraction of the total plasma energy, this frozen flow loss may be negligible. However, if the frozen flow energy is a major fraction of the total plasma energy, this loss can severely reduce the energy efficiency of the thruster. Recovery and utilization of this frozen flow energy can improve the energy efficiency of a thruster during low specific impulse operating regimes when the ionization energy is a large fraction of the total plasma energy. This paper quantifies the recovery of the frozen flow energy, i.e. recombination energy, via the process of surface recombination for helium. To accomplish this task the momentum flux and heat flux of the plasma flow were measured and compared to calculated values from electrostatic probe data. This information was used to deduce the contribution of recombination energy to the total heat flux on a flat plate as well as to characterize the plasma conditions. Helium propellant was investigated initially due to its high ionization potential and hence available recombination energy.

Chavers, D. Gregory↗
DOE OSTI2021

Durable and Highly Selective Ion Transport of a Sulfonated Diels Alder Poly(phenylene) for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

In order to improve the durability and ion selectivity of a hydrocarbon membrane for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) a polymer was rationally designed with an external hydrophobic shell and internal hydrophilic core. The polymer was designed to prevent hydrophilic polymer chain aggregation by functionalizing the external polymer shell with hydrophobic side chains and attaching acid moieties onto the polymer backbone. The hydrophobic shell is the result of pentafluorobenzoyl group functionalization on the pendent aryl rings in a Diels Alder poly(phenylene) backbone. The internal polymer chain contains sulfonic acid moieties to impart hydrophilic character. The physical and electrochemical characteristics of the membrane were systematically studied and compared with widely used Nafion-212. The synthesized membranes were found to be superior to Nafion-212 not only in terms of lower vanadium ion permeability (4.25 x 10 -8 vs. Nafion-212: 6.0 x 10 -6 cm 2 min -1 ) but also in higher VRFB performance (EE = 89% and vs. Nafion-212: 85.5% at 40 mA/cm 2 ). The membrane also showed over three times higher capacity retention than Nafion-212 (0.075 % vs. 0.25 % capacity loss per cycle respectively) and excellent ex situ and in situ chemical stability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Active Magnetic Regenerative Liquefier

This final report for the DOE Project entitled Active Magnetic Regenerative Liquefier (AMRL) funded under Grant DE-FG36-08GO18064 to Heracles Energy Corporation d.b.a. Prometheus Energy (Heracles/Prometheus) describes an active magnetic regenerative refrigerator (AMRR) prototype designed and built during the period from July 2008 through May 2011. The primary goal of this project was to make significant technical advances toward highly efficient liquefaction of hydrogen. Conventional hydrogen liquefiers at any scale have a maximum FOM of ~0.35 due primarily to the intrinsic difficulty of rapid, efficient compression of either hydrogen or helium working gases. Numerical simulation modeling of high performance AMRL designs indicates certain designs have promise to increase thermodynamic efficiency from a FOM of ~0.35 toward ~0.5 to ~0.6. The technical approach was the use of solid magnetic working refrigerants cycled in and out of high magnetic fields to build an efficient active regenerative magnetic refrigeration module providing cooling power for AMRL. A single-stage reciprocating AMRR with a design temperature span from ~290 K to ~120 K was built and tested with dual magnetic regenerators moving in and out of the conductively-cooled superconducting magnet subsystem. The heat transfer fluid (helium) was coupled to the process stream (refrigeration/liquefaction load) via high performance heat exchangers. In order to maximize AMRR efficiency a helium bypass loop with adjustable flow was incorporated in the design because the thermal mass of magnetic refrigerants is higher in low magnetic field than in high magnetic field. Heracles/Prometheus designed experiments to measure AMRR performance under a variety of different operational parameters such as cycle frequency, magnetic field strength, heat transfer fluid flow rate, amount of bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid while measuring work input, temperature span, cooling capability as a function of cold temperature as a function of the amount of bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid. The operational AMRR prototype can be used to answer key questions such as the best recipe for multiple layers of different magnetic refrigerants in one or more integrated regenerators with varying amounts of bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid. Layered regenerators are necessary to span the AMRR range from 290 K to 120K. Our AMRR performance simulation model predicts that ~10-15 % of bypass flow should significantly improve the thermodynamic performance. Initial results obtained with regenerators made of gadolinium spheres were very encouraging; a temperature span of ~ 50 K (between 295K and 245 K) across both regenerators was achieved with zero bypass flow of the heat transfer fluid and with the magnetic field strength of ~4 T.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2004

Design and Evaluation of Modifications to the NASA Langley Flow Impedance Tube

The need to minimize fan noise radiation from commercial aircraft engine nacelles continues to provide an impetus for developing new acoustic liner concepts. If the full value of such concepts is to be attained, an understanding of grazing flow effects is crucial. Because of this need for improved understanding of grazing flow effects, the NASA Langley Research Center Liner Physics Group has invested a large effort over the past decade into the development of a 2-D finite element method that characterizes wave propagation through a lined duct. The original test section in the Langley Grazing IncidenceTube was used to acquire data needed for implementation of this finite element method. This test section employed a stepper motor-driven axial-traversing bar, embedded in the wall opposite the test liner, to position a flush-mounted microphone at pre-selected locations. Complex acoustic pressure data acquired with this traversing microphone were used to educe the acoustic impedance of test liners using this 2-D finite element method and a local optimization technique. Results acquired in this facility have been extensively reported, and were compared with corresponding results from various U.S. aeroacoustics laboratories in the late 1990 s. Impedance data comparisons acquired from this multi-laboratory study suggested that it would be valuable to incorporate more realistic 3-D aeroacoustic effects into the impedance eduction methodology. This paper provides a description of modifications that have been implemented to facilitate studies of 3-D effects. The two key features of the modified test section are (1) the replacement of the traversing bar and its flush-mounted microphone with an array of 95 fixed-location microphones that are flush-mounted in all four walls of the duct, and (2) the inclusion of a suction device to modify the boundary layer upstream of the lined portion of the duct. The initial results achieved with the modified test section are provided in this report, and a comparison of these results with those achieved using the original test section is used to demonstrate that the data acquisition and analysis with the new test section can be confidently used for impedance eduction.

Jones, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Energy-Efficient, Continuous-Flow Ash Lockhopper

Pressure balance in control gas prevents loss of reactor gas. Energy efficiency of continuous-flow ash lockhopper increased by preventing hot gases from flowing out of reactor vessel through ash-hopper outlet and carrying away heat energy. Stopping loss of reactor gases also important for reasons other than energy efficiency; desired reaction product toxic or contained to prevent pollution. In improved continuous-flow ash lockhopper, pressure-driven loss of hot gas from reactor vessel through ash-hopper outlet prevented by using control gas in fluidic flow-control device to equalize pressure in reactor vessel. Also enables reactor to attain highest possible product yield with continuous processing while permitting controllable, continuous flow of ash.

Collins, Earl R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Multimillion Dollar Construction Project Completed in Glenn's Icing Research Tunnel

Over the last year, the Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) underwent a major $5.2 million rehabilitation project as part of the Construction of Facilities program. The scope of the project included redesign and replacement of the 55-yr-old heat exchanger, the addition of fan outlet guide vanes for flow conditioning downstream of the 25-ft-diameter fan, and redesign and replacement of the C and D corner-turning vanes. The purpose of the rehabilitation was to replace old portions of the infrastructure and to improve the aerodynamic flow quality in the tunnel.

Kevdzija, Susan L.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Strategic Planning as a Competitive Advantage by Using the BSC as a Management Tool: a Case Study in Application of Radioisotope Technology at IPEN - 16400

Strategic planning is one of the most important management tools for organizational decision making. The nuclear area represents a segment of energy production used by many countries in America, Europe and Asia. It is known that in the future nuclear energy can be a major exit to the global energy crisis. The aim of this research was to use the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a strategic tool for decision making in a teaching and research institution of the nuclear area - Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), located in the city of Sao Paulo, which belongs to the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) in Brazil. The methodology used in this academic doctoral study was a case study, which considered the period of research from December 2012 to December 2015. The main results expected from this case study are: the improvement of information flow, the view, the increased visibility of an organization providing education and especially research in relation to published works, increased interaction among IPEN and the main global research institutes and centers, increasing academic production of technical articles, indicator improvement, improving the monitoring of management actions, among others. Given the expected results one can conclude that this study will be of great value to the IPEN and also for the Brazilian energy sector, as it will allow and contribute to the dissemination and demystification of nuclear power as an energy source of mankind, its peaceful applications and for the management activity of knowledge and innovation production in the nuclear area of IPEN. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2018

Numerical Simulation of a Simplified High-Lift CRM Configuration Embedded with Fluidic Actuators

Numerical simulations have been performed for a simplified high-lift configuration that is representative of a modern transport airplane. This configuration includes a leading-edge slat, fuselage, wing, nacelle-pylon and a simple hinged flap. The suction surface of the flap is embedded with multiple rows of fluidic actuators to reduce the extent of reversed flow regions and improve the aerodynamic performance of the configuration with flap in a deployed state. In the current paper, a Lattice Boltzmann Method based high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, known as PowerFLOW® is used to simulate the entire flow field associated with this configuration, including the flow inside the actuators. A fully compressible version of the PowerFLOW® code that has been validated for high speed flows is used for the present simulations to accurately represent the transonic flow regimes that are encountered in the flow field generated by the actuators operating at higher mass flow (momentum) rates required to mitigate reverse flow regions on the suction surfaces of the main wing and the flap. The numerical solutions predict the expected trends in aerodynamic forces as the actuation levels are increased. More efficient active flow control (AFC) systems and actuator arrangement for lift augmentation are emerging based on the parametric studies conducted here prior to wind tunnel tests. These numerical solutions will be compared with experimental data, once such data becomes available.

Vatsa, Veer N.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Concentration‐dependent Cycling of Phenothiazine‐based Electrolytes in Nonaqueous Redox Flow Cells

Increasing redox-active species concentrations can improve viability for organic redox flow batteries by enabling higher energy densities, but the required concentrated solutions can become viscous and less conductive, leading to inefficient electrochemical cycling and low material utilization at higher current densities. To better understand these tradeoffs in a model system, we study a highly soluble and stable redox-active couple, N-(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)phenothiazine (MEEPT), and its bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide radical cation salt (MEEPT-TFSI). We measure the physicochemical properties of electrolytes containing 0.2–1 M active species and connect these to symmetric cell cycling behavior, achieving robust cycling performance. Specifically, for a 1 M electrolyte concentration, we demonstrate 94% materials utilization, 89% capacity retention, and 99.8% average coulombic efficiency over 435 h (100 full cycles). This demonstration helps to establish potential for high-performing, concentrated nonaqueous electrolytes and highlights possible failure modes in such systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1993

Three-dimensional modeling of diesel engine intake flow, combustion and emissions-2

A three-dimensional computer code, KIVA, is being modified to include state-of-the-art submodels for diesel engine flow and combustion. Improved and/or new submodels which have already been implemented and previously reported are: wall heat transfer with unsteadiness and compressibility, laminar-turbulent characteristic time combustion with unburned HC and Zeldo'vich NO(x), and spray/wall impingement with rebounding and sliding drops. Progress on the implementation of improved spray drop drag and drop breakup models, the formulation and testing of a multistep kinetics ignition model, and preliminary soot modeling results are described. In addition, the use of a block structured version of KIVA to model the intake flow process is described. A grid generation scheme was developed for modeling realistic (complex) engine geometries, and computations were made of intake flow in the ports and combustion chamber of a two-intake-value engine. The research also involves the use of the code to assess the effects of subprocesses on diesel engine performance. The accuracy of the predictions is being tested by comparisons with engine experiments. To date, comparisons were made with measured engine cylinder pressure, temperature and heat flux data, and the model results are in good agreement with the experiments. Work is in progress that will allow validation of in-cylinder flow and soot formation predictions. An engine test facility is described that is being used to provide the needed validation data. Test results were obtained showing the effect of injection rate and split injections on engine performance and emissions.

Reitz, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Heart Pump Design for Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Through a Lewis CommTech Program project with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the NASA Lewis Research Center is playing a key role in the design and development of a permanently implantable, artificial heart pump assist device. Known as the Innovative Ventricular Assist System (IVAS), this device will take on the pumping role of the damaged left ventricle of the heart. The key part of the IVAS is a nonpulsatile (continuous flow) artificial heart pump with centrifugal impeller blades, driven by an electric motor. Lewis is part of an industry and academia team, led by the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), that is working with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation to make IVAS a reality. This device has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year, since 80 percent of heart attack victims suffer irreversible damage to the left ventricle, the part of the heart that does most of the pumping. Impeller blade design codes and flow-modeling analytical codes will be used in the project. These codes were developed at Lewis for the aerospace industry but will be applicable to the IVAS design project. The analytical codes, which currently simulate the flow through the compressor and pump systems, will be used to simulate the flow within the blood pump in the artificial heart assist device. The Interdisciplinary Technology Office heads up Lewis' efforts in the IVAS project. With the aid of numerical modeling, the blood pump will address many design issues, including some fluid-dynamic design considerations that are unique to the properties of blood. Some of the issues that will be addressed in the design process include hemolysis, deposition, recirculation, pump efficiency, rotor thrust balance, and bearing lubrication. Optimum pumping system performance will be achieved by modeling all the interactions between the pump components. The interactions can be multidisciplinary and, therefore, are influenced not only by the fluid dynamics of adjacent components but also by thermal and structural effects. Lewis-developed flow-modeling codes to be used in the pump simulations will include a one-dimensional code and an incompressible three-dimensional Navier-Stokes flow code. These codes will analyze the prototype pump designed by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. With an improved understanding of the flow phenomena within the prototype pump, design changes to improve the performance of the pump system can be verified by computer prior to fabrication in order to reduce risks. The use of Lewis flow modeling codes during the design and development process will improve pump system performance and reduce the number of prototypes built in the development phase. The first phase of the IVAS project is to fully develop the prototype in a laboratory environment that uses a water/glycerin mixture as the surrogate fluid to simulate blood. A later phase of the project will include testing in animals for final validation. Lewis will be involved in the IVAS project for 3 to 5 years.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1980

The finite element duct eigenvalue problem - An improved formulation with Hermitian elements and no-flow condensation

Hermitian elements are used in a finite element solution for the eigenvalue problem in lined ducts with flow. These elements give significantly greater accuracy for reduced dimensionality when compared with Lagrangian elements. Spurious mode generation associated with the Lagrangian formulation is eliminated. A dramatic improvement in the ratio of the number of reliable eigenvalues to the total number of computed eigenvalues is effected by the use of a condensation scheme based on the no-flow eigenvectors. Results are presented for two dimensional and axisymmetric ducts. In the axisymmetric case good resolution is obtained even for high order, high frequency modes by the use of continuously graded meshes.

Astley, R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Integrated characterization of CO 2 storage reservoirs on the Rock Springs Uplift combining geomechanics, geochemistry, and flow modeling

This project improves understanding of the effects CO 2 injection and storage on geomechanical, petrophysical, and other properties on two potential reservoirs, the Madison Limestone and Weber Sandstone, at the Rock Springs Uplift, southwest Wyoming. Rock physics studies, laboratory experiments, and computer simulations were employed. Two groups of rock samples were prepared, one aged with formation brine and the second aged with CO 2 -saturated formation brine and subsequently used for geomechanical, geochemical, and petrophysical testing. Rock physics studies provided a facies classification to discriminate among different lithologies and to investigate the feasibility of predicting petrophysical properties using seismic inversion. By applying a zone-wise regression relation established in this facies analysis, a 3D reservoir model was developed. It was determined that time-lapse seismic data are not feasible for monitoring CO 2 displacement at the Rock Springs Uplift or to mitigate leakage-risks situations because pressure and fluid saturation have small effects on elastic velocities and synthetic seismograms. The small variations that do occur are due to the low porosity of the sandstone and the high stiffness of the dolomite. In the Madison Limestone, mineral dissolution due to reaction with CO 2 -saturated brine was observed in highly permeable pathways while mineral precipitation happened in intergranular or micropores. Changes in pore size were quantified via Time-Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance transverse relaxation time (T 2 ) and diffusion coefficient distributions. As opposed to continuous injection of CO 2 -saturated brine, a subtle increase in porosity after static ‘soaking’ with CO 2 -saturated brine increases permeability due to the heterogeneity of changes in pore and pore throat sizes. Porosity-permeability relationships are fitted using a power-law function that can be adopted to model time-evolved porosity and permeability in a transport-limited CO 2 injection process. The effect of CO 2 -saturated brine on the linear elastic properties of Weber Sandstone and Madison Limestone cannot be generally concluded. Considering horizontal and vertical orientations and different confining pressures, no consistent relationship between stress (or strain) data and reaction with CO 2 -saturated brine was observed in the nonlinear plastic and post-failure regime. The change of elastic constants due to reaction with CO 2 -saturated brine is more significant in Madison Limestone than in Weber Sandstone; however, no consistent trend was observed. Reservoir simulations suggest that injectivity for Weber Sandstone is adversely impacted by low permeability. Changes in confining pressure do not impact injection rate and can be ignored while the effect of changes to pore pressure cannot. The effect of confining pressure and pore pressure on the size of the CO 2 plume in the Madison Limestone is negligible because of higher permeability. Geomechanical and petrophysical properties induced by CO 2 -brine-rock reactions were time-dependent. Simulations considered these time-dependent properties and indicate that injectivity, porosity distribution, pressure distribution and CO 2 saturation were affected.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1978

Improved electron-beam probe for hypersonic flows

Probe uses differentially-pumped drift tube to connect high and low pressure regions thereby allowing higher gas densities to be studied. System uses higher beam voltages (50 kV) and currents (1 mA delivered to gas), and extends boundary layer penetration up to 15.2 cm, and test duration to one hour.

Mcronald, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Improved Euler analysis of advanced turboprop propeller flows

An implicit approximate factorization scheme in conjunction with a new boundary treatment was used to compute the inviscid flow field about an advanced high-speed propeller. The method of characteristics was used to apply impermeable boundary conditions. The convergence history of numerical calculations shows substantial decrease in the residual error decay. Euler solutions were computed for SR-3 propeller geometry and the results were compared with the experimental data and previous numerical results.

Yamamoto, O.↗
NASA NTRS1989

An improved algorithm for the modeling of vapor flow in heat pipes

A heat pipe vapor flow algorithm suitable for use in codes on microcomputers is presented. The incompressible heat pipe vapor flow studies of Busse are extended to incorporate compressibility effects. The Busse velocity profile factor is treated as a function of temperature and pressure. The assumption of a uniform saturated vapor temperature determined by the local pressure at each cross section of the pipe is not made. Instead, a mean vapor temperature, defined by an energy integral, is determined in the course of the solution in addition to the pressure, saturation temperature at the wall, and the Busse velocity profile factor. For alkali metal working fluids, local species equilibrium is assumed. Temperature and pressure profiles are presented for several cases involving sodium heat pipes. An example for a heat pipe with an adiabatic section and two evaporators in sequence illustrates the ability to handle axially varying heat input. A sonic limit plot for a short evaporator falls between curves for the Busse and Levy inviscid sonic limits.

Tower, Leonard K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Improved vortex methods for three-dimensional flows

Robust numerical methods are developed for three-dimensional incompressible vortical flows, using Lagrangian vortex elements. A successful scheme must be able to handle regions of intense vortex stretching and vortex reconnection with reasonable accuracy (without diverging). Here, consideration is given to vortex particles, also commonly called vortons or vortex sticks. The following issues are discussed: (1) use of delta-function elements and weak solutions of the vorticity equation; (2) use of smoothed elements and the choice of the smoothing function; (3) representation of viscous effects and the redistribution of element strength; and (4) conservation laws (are they satisfied?). The various proposed schemes have been tested on flows involving a strong interaction between two vortex rings.

Winckelmans, G.↗