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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

The H + OCS hot atom reaction - CO state distributions and translational energy from time-resolved infrared absorption spectroscopy

Time-resolved infrared diode laser spectroscopy has been used to probe CO internal and translational excitation from the reaction of hot H atoms with OCS. Product distributions should be strongly biased toward the maximum 1.4 eV collision energy obtained from 278 nm pulsed photolysis of HI. Rotations and vibrations are both colder than predicted by statistical density of states theory, as evidenced by large positive surprisal parameters. The bias against rotation is stronger than that against vibration, with measurable population as high as v = 4. The average CO internal excitation is 1920/cm, accounting for only 13 percent of the available energy. Of the energy balance, time-resolved sub-Doppler line shape measurements show that more than 38 percent appears as relative translation of the separating CO and SH fragments. Studies of the relaxation kinetics indicate that some rotational energy transfer occurs on the time scale of our measurements, but the distributions do not relax sufficiently to alter our conclusions. Vibrational distributions are nascent, though vibrational relaxation of excited CO is unusually fast in the OCS bath, with rates approaching 3 percent of gas kinetic for v = 1.

Nickolaisen, Scott L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with decreased amplitude in their phototropic response

Two mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana have been identified with decreased phototropism to 450-nanometer light. Fluence-response relationships for these strains (ZR8 and ZR19) to single and multiple flashes of light show thresholds, curve shapes, and fluence for maximum curvature in first positive' phototropism which are the same as those of the wild type. Similarly, there is no alteration from the wild type in the kinetics of curvature or in the optimum dark period separating sequential flashes in a multiple flash regimen. In addition, in both strains, gravitropism is decreased compared to the wild type by an amount which is comparable to the decrease in phototropism. Based on reciprocal backcrosses, it appears that the alteration is due to a recessive nuclear mutation. It is suggested that ZR8 and ZR19 represent alterations in some step analogous to an amplifier, downstream of the photoreceptor pigment, and common to both phototropism and gravitropism.

NASA Discipline Number 29-20↗
NASA NTRS2015

DNS/LES Simulations of Separated Flows at High Reynolds Numbers

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) and large-eddy simulations (LES) simulations of flow through a periodic channel with a constriction are performed using the dynamic Smagorinsky model at two Reynolds numbers of 2800 and 10595. The LES equations are solved using higher order compact schemes. DNS are performed for the lower Reynolds number case using a fine grid and the data are used to validate the LES results obtained with a coarse and a medium size grid. LES simulations are also performed for the higher Reynolds number case using a coarse and a medium size grid. The results are compared with an existing reference data set. The DNS and LES results agreed well with the reference data. Reynolds stresses, sub-grid eddy viscosity, and the budgets for the turbulent kinetic energy are also presented. It is found that the turbulent fluctuations in the normal and spanwise directions have the same magnitude. The turbulent kinetic energy budget shows that the production peaks near the separation point region and the production to dissipation ratio is very high on the order of five in this region. It is also observed that the production is balanced by the advection, diffusion, and dissipation in the shear layer region. The dominant term is the turbulent diffusion that is about two times the molecular dissipation.

Balakumar, P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Production of oxygen from lunar ilmenite

The kinetics and the mechanism of reduction of synthetic ilmenite by hydrogen in the temperature range of 807 to 1014 C were investigated. At temperatures below 876 C, the temporal profiles of conversion have a sigmoidal shape and indicate the presence of three different stages (induction, acceleration, and deceleration) during the reduction reaction. The apparent activation energy for the reaction is 22.3 kcal/mole, whereas the intrinsic activation energy is 16.9 kcal/mole. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analyses show that the diffusion of Fe product away from the reaction front and through the TiO2 phase, followed by the nucleation and growth of a separate Fe phase is an important step affecting the process kinetics. X-ray diffraction and wavelength dispersive x-ray results indicate that the TiO2 can be reduced to lower oxides of titanium at temperatures higher than 876 C.

Shadman, F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sodium-sulfur Cell Technology Flight Experiment (SSCT)

The sodium-sulfur battery is emerging as a prime high-temperature energy storage technology for space flight applications. A Na-S cell demonstration is planned for a 1995-96 NASA Space Shuttle flight which focuses on the microgravity effects on individual cells. The experiment is not optimized for battery performance as such. Rather, it maximizes the variety of operating conditions which the Na-S cell is capable of in a relatively short 5-day flight. The demonstration is designed to reveal the effects of microgravity by comparison with ground test control cells experiencing identical test conditions but with gravity. Specifically, limitations of transport dynamics and associated cell performance characteristics should be revealed. The Na-S Cell Technology Flight Experiment consists of three separate experiments designed to determine cell operating characteristics, detailed electrode kinetics and reactant distributions.

Halbach, Carl R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Relating a Jet-Surface Interaction Experiment to a Commercial Supersonic Transport Aircraft Using Numerical Simulations

Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were performed for a commercial supersonic transport aircraft concept and experimental hardware models designed to represent the installed propulsion system of the conceptual aircraft in an upcoming test campaign. The purpose of the experiment is to determine the effects of jet-surface interactions from supersonic aircraft on airport community noise. RANS simulations of the commercial supersonic transport aircraft concept were performed to relate the representative experimental hardware to the actual aircraft. RANS screening simulations were performed on the proposed test hardware to verify that it would be free from potential rig noise and to predict the aerodynamic forces on the model hardware to assist with structural design. The simulations showed a large region of separated flow formed in a junction region of one of the experimental configurations. This was dissimilar with simulations of the aircraft and could invalidate the noise measurements. This configuration was modified and a subsequent RANS simulation showed that the size of the flow separation was greatly reduced. The aerodynamic forces found on the experimental models were found to be relatively small when compared to the expected loads from the model’s own weight.Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were completed for two configurations of a three-stream inverted velocity profile (IVP) nozzle and a baseline single-stream round nozzle (mixed-flow equivalent conditions). For the Sideline and Cutback flow conditions, while the IVP nozzles did not reduce the peak turbulent kinetic energy on the lower side of the jet plume, the IVP nozzles did significantly reduce the size of the region of peak turbulent kinetic energy when compared to the jet plume of the baseline nozzle cases. The IVP nozzle at Sideline conditions did suffer a region of separated flow from the inner stream nozzle splitter that did produce an intense, but small, region of turbulent kinetic energy in the vicinity of the nozzle exit. When viewed with the understanding that jet noise is directly related to turbulent kinetic energy, these IVP nozzle simulations show the potential to reduce noise to observers located below the nozzle. However, these RANS simulations also show that some modifications may be needed to prevent the small region of separated flow-induced turbulent kinetic energy from the inner stream nozzle splitter at Sideline conditions.

Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes↗
NASA NTRS2010

Fuel-Cell Water Separator

The main product of a typical fuel cell is water, and many fuel-cell configurations use the flow of excess gases (i.e., gases not consumed by the reaction) to drive the resultant water out of the cell. This two-phase mixture then exits through an exhaust port where the two fluids must again be separated to prevent the fuel cell from flooding and to facilitate the reutilization of both fluids. The Glenn Research Center (GRC) has designed, built, and tested an innovative fuel-cell water separator that not only removes liquid water from a fuel cell s exhaust ports, but does so with no moving parts or other power-consuming components. Instead it employs the potential and kinetic energies already present in the moving exhaust flow. In addition, the geometry of the separator is explicitly intended to be integrated into a fuel-cell stack, providing a direct mate with the fuel cell s existing flow ports. The separator is also fully scalable, allowing it to accommodate a wide range of water removal requirements. Multiple separators can simply be "stacked" in series or parallel to adapt to the water production/removal rate. GRC s separator accomplishes the task of water removal by coupling a high aspect- ratio flow chamber with a highly hydrophilic, polyethersulfone membrane. The hydrophilic membrane readily absorbs and transports the liquid water away from the mixture while simultaneously resisting gas penetration. The expansive flow path maximizes the interaction of the water particles with the membrane while minimizing the overall gas flow restriction. In essence, each fluid takes its corresponding path of least resistance, and the two fluids are effectively separated. The GRC fuel-cell water separator has a broad range of applications, including commercial hydrogen-air fuel cells currently being considered for power generation in automobiles.

Burke, Kenneth Alan↗
NASA NTRS1972

The Aladdin experiment. I - Dynamics.

A coordinated rocket experiment was carried out on Nov. 20, 1970 at Eglin AFB, Fla. (30 deg N) to determine atmospheric layering and density distributions of ions and neutrals. The program measured vertical profiles between 70 and 150 km altitude of total neutrals, ions and electrons, individual species, temperature, density, diffusion coefficients, horizontal winds, and turbulent structure. A dynamic computer code model using these parameters was compared with the observed profiles. Wind fields were measured from seven chemical trails, separated up to 60 km horizontally and 600 sec in time. Kinetic temperatures were measured from fluorescence of chemically-released AlO, ranging from 440 to 680 K between 126 and 161 km. Densities derived from diffusion of the AlO ranged from 10 to 5 times 10 to the -12th power per cu cm between 126 and 139 km. A rocket-borne pitot probe showed wavelike density deviations from current standard atmosphere models, amounting to -25% at 80 and 110 km and to +25% at 100 and 125 km. The derived temperature profile from the pitot probe showed a double minimum at 74 and 102 km.

Rosenberg, N. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A Realizable Reynolds Stress Algebraic Equation Model

The invariance theory in continuum mechanics is applied to analyze Reynolds stresses in high Reynolds number turbulent flows. The analysis leads to a turbulent constitutive relation that relates the Reynolds stresses to the mean velocity gradients in a more general form in which the classical isotropic eddy viscosity model is just the linear approximation of the general form. On the basis of realizability analysis, a set of model coefficients are obtained which are functions of the time scale ratios of the turbulence to the mean strain rate and the mean rotation rate. The coefficients will ensure the positivity of each component of the mean rotation rate. These coefficients will ensure the positivity of each component of the turbulent kinetic energy - realizability that most existing turbulence models fail to satisfy. Separated flows over backward-facing step configurations are taken as applications. The calculations are performed with a conservative finite-volume method. Grid-independent and numerical diffusion-free solutions are obtained by using differencing schemes of second-order accuracy on sufficiently fine grids. The calculated results are compared in detail with the experimental data for both mean and turbulent quantities. The comparison shows that the present proposal significantly improves the predictive capability of K-epsilon based two equation models. In addition, the proposed model is able to simulate rotational homogeneous shear flows with large rotation rates which all conventional eddy viscosity models fail to simulate.

Shih, Tsan-Hsing↗
NASA NTRS1982

Separated trailing-edge flow at a transonic Mach number

Results from an experimental investigation of a small-scale separated flow at a sharp trailing edge are presented. The separated flow was a result of sustained adverse pressure gradients. Experiments were carried out at a transonic Mach number, without any shock wave in the flow, and at a high Reynolds number. Measurements include surface pressure distributions, mean velocity, turbulent shear stress, turbulent kinetic energy, and some streamwise turbulence intensity profiles in the region from just upstream of separation to downstream into the near-wake, following wake-closure. The results show noticeable changes in the mean and turbulent quantities in the separated region although the wall adverse pressure gradients are relatively weak. Turbulent normal stress becomes important in the vicinity of separation and in the separated zone with regard to both mean-flow development and turbulence-energy production. The experimental data are used to assess the performance of two boundary-layer calculation methods.

Viswanath, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Effects of secondary electron emission on charging

Laboratory charging studies using two electron sources with different energies show that the charging behaviors of typical spacecraft thermal control dielectric surface are extremely sensitive to the shape of their secondary emission curves. The results also suggest that the electron spectrum in a natural charging environment can be separated into three distinct regions (noninteracting, discharging, and charging) depending on the kinetic energy of the incident electron relative to the charged surface, and on the secondary emission characteristics of the material. To a first order approximation, the relative number of electrons in these different regions determines the potential of the charged surface. Detailed measurements of the secondary electron emission characteristics of Kapton, the effects of bulk conductivity and secondary emission on surface charging of these materials is reported.

Leung, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

FNAS/advanced protein crystal growth

A scintillation method is presented for determination of the temperature dependence of the solubility, S(T), of proteins in 50-100 micro-l volumes of solution. S(T) data for lysozyme and horse serum albumin were obtained for various combinations of pH and precipitant concentrations. The resulting kinetics and equilibrium information was used for dynamic control, that is the separation of nucleation and growth stages in protein crystallization. Individual lysozyme and horse serum albumin crystals were grown in 15-20 micro-l solution volumes contained in x-ray capillaries.

Rosenberger, Franz↗
NASA NTRS2002

Theoretical Study of Decomposition Pathways for HArF and HKrF

To provide theoretical insights into the stability and dynamics of the new rare gas compounds HArF and HKrF, reaction paths for decomposition processes HRgF to Rg + HF and HRgF to H + Rg + F (Rg = Ar, Kr) are calculated using ab initio electronic structure methods. The bending channels, HRgF to Rg + HF, are described by single-configurational MP2 and CCSD(T) electronic structure methods, while the linear decomposition paths, HRgF to H + Rg + F, require the use of multi-configurational wave functions that include dynamic correlation and are size extensive. HArF and HKrF molecules are found to be energetically stable with respect to atomic dissociation products (H + Rg + F) and separated by substantial energy barriers from Rg + HF products, which ensure their kinetic stability. The results are compatible with experimental data on these systems.

Chaban, Galina M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-5: Phase Separation

The Binary Colloidal Alloy Test - 5: Phase Separation (BCAT-5-PhaseSep) experiment will photograph initially randomized colloidal samples onboard the ISS to determine their resulting structure over time. This allows the scientists to capture the kinetics (evolution) of their samples, as well as the final equilibrium state of each sample. BCAT-5-PhaseSep studies collapse (phase separation rates that impact product shelf-life); in microgravity the physics of collapse is not masked by being reduced to a simple top and bottom phase as it is on Earth.

Lynch, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS1990

Numerical computation of viscous flow about unconventional airfoil shapes

A new two-dimensional computer code was developed to analyze the viscous flow around unconventional airfoils at various Mach numbers and angles of attack. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved using an implicit, upwind, finite-volume scheme. Both laminar and turbulent flows can be computed. A new nonequilibrium turbulence closure model was developed for computing turbulent flows. This two-layer eddy viscosity model was motivated by the success of the Johnson-King model in separated flow regions. The influence of history effects are described by an ordinary differential equation developed from the turbulent kinetic energy equation. The performance of the present code was evaluated by solving the flow around three airfoils using the Reynolds time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Excellent results were obtained for both attached and separated flows about the NACA 0012 airfoil, the RAE 2822 airfoil, and the Integrated Technology A 153W airfoil. Based on the comparison of the numerical solutions with the available experimental data, it is concluded that the present code in conjunction with the new nonequilibrium turbulence model gives excellent results.

Ahmed, S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Numerical prediction of turbulent flow over airfoil sections with a new nonequilibrium turbulence model

A new nonequilibrium turbulence closure model has been developed for computing wall bounded two-dimensional turbulent flows. This two-layer eddy viscosity model was motivated by the success of the Johnson-King model in separated flow regions. The influence of history effects are described by an ordinary differential equation developed from the turbulent kinetic energy equation. The performance of the present model has been evaluated by solving the flow around three airfoils using the Reynolds time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Excellent results were obtained for both attached and separated turbulent flows about the NACA 0012 airfoil, the RAE 2822 airfoil, and the Integrated Technology A 153W airfoil. Based on the comparison of the numerical solutions with the available experimental data, it is concluded that the new nonequilibrium turbulence model accurately captures the history effects of convection and diffusion on turbulence.

Ahmed, S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Electrophoretic separation of cells and particles from rat pituitary and rat spleen

There are 3 parts to the IML-2 TX-101 experiment. Part 1 is a pituitary cell culture experiment. Part 2 is a pituitary cell separation experiment using the Japanese free flow electrophoresis unit (FFEU). Part 3 is a pituitary secretory granule separation experiment using the FFEU. The objectives of this three part experiment are: (1) to determine the kinetics of production of biologically active growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) in rat pituitary GH and PRL cells in microgravity (micro-g); (2) to investigate three mechanisms by which a micro-g-induced lesion in hormone production may occur; and (3) to determine the quality of separations of pituitary cells and organelles by continuous flow electrophoresis (CFE) in micro-g under conditions where buoyancy-induced convection is eliminated.

Hymer, Wesley C.↗