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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 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Heat Transfer and Flow on the First Stage Blade Tip of a Power Generation Gas Turbine: Experimental Results - Part 1

A combined computational and experimental study has been performed to investigate the detailed distribution of convective heat transfer coefficients on the first stage blade tip surface for a geometry typical of large power generation turbines(>100MW). This paper is concerned with the design and execution of the experimental portion of the study. A stationary blade cascade experiment has been run consisting of three airfoils, the center airfoil having a variable tip gap clearance. The airfoil models the aerodynamic tip section of a high pressure turbine blade with inlet Mach number of 0.30, exit Mach number of 0.75, pressure ratio of 1.45, exit Reynolds number based on axial chord of 2.57 x 10(exp 6), and total turning of about 110 degrees. A hue detection based liquid crystal method is used to obtain the detailed heat transfer coefficient distribution on the blade tip surface for flat, smooth tip surfaces with both sharp and rounded edges. The cascade inlet turbulence intensity level took on values of either 5% or 9%. The cascade also models the casing recess in the shroud surface ahead of the blade. Experimental results are shown for the pressure distribution measurements on the airfoil near the tip gap, on the blade tip surface, and on the opposite shroud surface. Tip surface heat transfer coefficient distributions are shown for sharp-edge and rounded-edge tip geometries at each of the inlet turbulence intensity levels.

Bunker, Ronald S.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Quantification of rat retinal growth and vascular population changes after single and split doses of proton irradiation: translational study using stereology methods

This study quantified architectural and population changes in the rat retinal vasculature after proton irradiation using stereology. A 100 MeV conformal proton beam delivered 8, 14, 20 and 28 Gy as single and split doses to the whole eye. The vascular networks were prepared from retinal digests. Stereological methods were used to obtain the area of the retina and unbiased estimates of microvessel/artery/vein endothelial, pericyte and smooth muscle population, and vessel length. The retinal area increased progressively in the unirradiated, age-matched controls and in the retinas irradiated with 8 and 14 Gy, indicating uniform progressive retinal growth. No growth occurred after 20 and 28 Gy. Regression analysis of total endothelial cell number in all vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) after irradiation documented a progressive time- and dose-dependent cell loss occurring over 15 to 24 months. The difference from controls was significant (P<0.01) after 28 Gy given in single and split doses and after 20 Gy given as a split dose (P<0.05). Total vessel length in microvessel was significantly shortened at 20 and 28 Gy compared to that of controls (P<0.05). No evident dose recovery was observed in the endothelial populations after split doses. At 10 Gy, the rate of endothelial cell loss, a dose parameter used to characterize the time- and dose-dependent loss of the endothelial population, was doubled.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS2023

Effects of Strain Rate and Surface Finish on Tensile Properties in High Pressure Hydrogen — A Case Study for LP-DED NASA HR-1

NASA has advanced NASA HR-1 as a solution for liquid rocket engine components that operate in hydrogen rich environments using various AM techniques. The NASA HR-1 for AM applications was specifically formulated for high ductility in high pressure gaseous hydrogen environment in addition to high strength and low cycle fatigue (LCF) resistance. NASA HR-1 meets materials requirements for liquid rocket engine components, including good hydrogen resistance, high conductivity, good LCF performance, and high elongation and strength for components in medium heat flux environments. NASA has completed fabrication of several subscale and full-scale channel wall nozzles in LP-DED NASA HR-1 and completed hot-fire testing. This includes refinement of the process to produce thin-walls and various channel geometries to meet the requirements for channel wall nozzle applications. The main objective of this investigation is to better understand the effects of tensile test strain rate and specimen surface finish on the amount of tensile ductility degradation in high pressure gaseous hydrogen environments. Performing smooth tensile tests in high pressure hydrogen and nitrogen environments can serve as a rapid and economical screening method to determine the relative susceptibility of materials to HEE. This paper presents the tensile test results for LP-DED NASA HR-1 in hydrogen and details the material evaluation on the effects of strain rate and surface finish condition on surface cracking behavior and fracture characteristics. The resistance to HEE for LP-DED NASA HR-1 and the wrought alloy is compared under the same testing conditions. Loss of tensile ductility is quantified in terms of changes in elongation at failure in hydrogen to compare HEE susceptibility. The most suitable strain rate and specimen surface finish condition for future HEE screening testing at MSFC are recommended.

Additive manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS1992

Unsteady transonic Euler solutions using finite elements

A finite element solution of the unsteady Euler equations is presented and demonstrated for 2D airfoil configurations oscillating in transonic flows. Computations are performed by spatially discretizing the conservation equations using the Galerkin weighted residual method and then employing a multistage Runge-Kutta scheme to march forward in time. A mesh deformation scheme has been developed to efficiently move interior points in a smooth fashion as the airfoil undergoes rigid body pitch and plunge motion. Both steady and unsteady results are presented, and a comparison is made with solutions obtained using finite-volume techniques. The effects of using either a lumped or consistent mass matrix are presented; the finite element method provides an accurate solution for unsteady transonic flows about isolated airfoils.

Davis, Gary A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Synthesis Method to Auralize Rotor Noise During Transitional Flight

This paper describes a new capability to synthesize Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle rotor/propeller loading and thickness noise and broadband self noise for transitional flight auralization. A vehicle smoothly transitioning between flight states is approximated here as transitioning in time through a series of trimmed steady-state flight conditions. To generate information that helps synthesize loading and thickness noise for transitional flight, this paper describes the development of a tool that combines blade loading, motion, and geometry data from a series of separate trimmed flight states. This paper also describes a method to combine broadband self noise acoustic predictions, each representing a separate trimmed flight state, to synthesize broadband self noise for transitional flight. Different flight profiles of the six-passenger NASA UAM Quadrotor reference vehicle demonstrate these capabilities, with each profile specified by a series of trimmed flight states.

Auralization↗
NASA NTRS1999

Growth of Homoepitaxial ZnO Semiconducting Films

As a high temperature semiconductor, ZnO has been used for many applications such as wave-guide, solar cells, and surface acoustic wave devices. Since the ZnO material has an energy gap of 3.3 eV at room temperature and an excitonic binding energy (60 meV) that is possible to make excitonic lasering at room temperature a recent surge of interest is to synthesize ZnO films for electro-optical devices. These applications require films with a smooth surface, good crystal quality, and low defect density. Homoepitaxial films have been studied in terms of morphology, crystal structure, and electrical and optical properties. ZnO single crystals are grown by the hydrothermal method. Substrates are mechanically polished and annealed in air for four hours before deposited films. The annealing temperature-dependence of ZnO substrates is studied. Films are synthesized by the off-axis reactive sputtering deposition. The films have very smooth surface with a roughness </= 5 nm on a 5 micrometers x 5 micrometers area. The full width at half maximum of film theta rocking curves measured by the x-ray diffraction is slightly larger than the crystal substrate. The film quality is determined by measuring the film resistivity, the Hall mobility, carrier densities and the energy band gap. The properties of ZnO films grown of (0001) ZnO and (0001) sapphire substrates will be also compared and discussed in the presentation.

Zhu, Shen↗
NASA NTRS1994

On Bi-Grid Local Mode Analysis of Solution Techniques for 3-D Euler and Navier-Stokes Equations

A procedure is presented for utilizing a bi-grid stability analysis as a practical tool for predicting multigrid performance in a range of numerical methods for solving Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Model problems based on the convection, diffusion and Burger's equation are used to illustrate the superiority of the bi-grid analysis as a predictive tool for multigrid performance in comparison to the smoothing factor derived from conventional von Neumann analysis. For the Euler equations, bi-grid analysis is presented for three upwind difference based factorizations, namely Spatial, Eigenvalue and Combination splits, and two central difference based factorizations, namely LU and ADI methods. In the former, both the Steger-Warming and van Leer flux-vector splitting methods are considered. For the Navier-Stokes equations, only the Beam-Warming (ADI) central difference scheme is considered. In each case, estimates of multigrid convergence rates from the bi-grid analysis are compared to smoothing factors obtained from single-grid stability analysis. Effects of grid aspect ratio and flow skewness are examined. Both predictions are compared with practical multigrid convergence rates for 2-D Euler and Navier-Stokes solutions based on the Beam-Warming central scheme.

Ibraheem, S. O.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Orbiter Boundary Layer Transition Stability Modeling at Flight Entry Conditions

State of the art boundary layer stability modeling capabilities are increasingly seeing application to entry flight vehicles. With the advent of user friendly and robust implementations of two-dimensional chemical nonequilibrium stability modeling with the STABL/PSE-CHEM software, the need for flight data to calibrate such analyses capabilities becomes more critical. Recent efforts to perform entry flight testing with the Orbiter geometry related to entry aerothermodynamics and boundary layer transition is allowing for a heightened focus on the Orbiter configuration. A significant advancement in the state of the art can likely be achieved by establishing a basis of understanding for the occurrence of boundary layer transition on the Orbiter due to discrete protruding gap fillers and the nominal distributed roughness of the actual thermal protection system. Recent success in demonstrating centerline two-dimensional stability modeling on the centerline of the Orbiter at flight entry conditions provides a starting point for additional investigations. The more detailed paper will include smooth Orbiter configuration boundary layer stability results for several typical orbiter entry conditions. In addition, the numerical modeling approach for establishing the mean laminar flow will be reviewed and the method for determining boundary layer disturbance growth will be overviewed. In addition, if actual Orbiter TPS surface data obtained via digital surface scans become available, it may be possible to investigate the effects of an as-flown flight configuration on boundary layer transition compared to a smooth CAD reference.

Bartkowicz, Matt↗
DOE OSTI2022

Error analysis of numerical methods for thick diffusive neutron transport problems on Shishkin mesh

A thin layer will develop at the boundary if the incoming angular flux is anisotropic in thick diffusive neutron transport problems. Solving such singularly perturbed problems, which have non-smooth solutions with singularity near the boundary, is computationally challenging. Standard finite difference schemes on a uniform mesh cannot yield ε-uniform convergence, where ε is a small parameter, while it can be achieved on a suitable piecewise-uniform Shishkin mesh. We present a formal error analysis of the diamond difference (DD) method and step difference (SD) method for solving the S{sub N} neutron transport equation. The analysis can be extended to other finite difference methods. Numerical results are presented to confirm the error estimates and the advantages of the Shishkin mesh. (author)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1987

An adaptive grid, unsteady model for two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow

An adaptive grid finite difference method for solving multi-dimensional, time-dependent, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations is developed. The method is capable of solving problems that include high gradients due to geometry, propagation of shock waves and unsteady boundary conditions. The grid generation technique is based on variational principles with direct control over grid concentration, smoothness and skewness. An example for a two-dimensional MHD simulation of the propagation of a solar-flare-generated shock wave in solar wind flow in the heliographic equatorial plane is selected for illustration of this method.

Panitchob, Supat↗
NASA NTRS2010

Vibration Response Predictions for Heavy Panel Mounted Components from Panel Acreage Environment Specifications

The development of new launch vehicles in the Aerospace industry often relies on response measurements taken from previously developed vehicles during various stages of liftoff and ascent, and from wind tunnel models. These measurements include sound pressure levels, dynamic pressures in turbulent boundary layers and accelerations. Rigorous statistical scaling methods are applied to the data to derive new environments and estimate the performance of new skin panel structures. Scaling methods have proven to be reliable, particularly for designs similar to the vehicles used as the basis for scaling, and especially in regions of smooth acreage without exterior protuberances or heavy components mounted to the panel. To account for response attenuation of a panel-mounted component due to its apparent mass at higher frequencies, the vibroacoustics engineer often reduces the acreage vibration according to a weight ratio first suggested by Barrett. The accuracy of the reduction is reduced with increased weight of the panel-mounted component, and does not account for low-frequency amplification of the component/panel response as a system. A method is proposed that combines acreage vibration from scaling methods with finite element analysis to account for the frequency-dependent dynamics of heavy panel-mounted components. Since the acreage and mass-loaded skins respond to the same dynamic input pressure, such pressure may be eliminated in favor of a frequency-dependent scaling function applied to the acreage vibration to predict the mass-loaded panel response. The scaling function replaces the Barrett weight ratio, and contains all of the dynamic character of the loaded and unloaded skin panels. The solution simplifies for spatially uncorrelated and fully correlated input pressures. Since the prediction uses finite element models of the loaded and unloaded skins, a rich suite of response data are available to the design engineer, including interface forces, stress and strain, as well as acceleration and displacement. An extension of the method is also developed to incorporate the effect of a local protuberance near a heavy component. Acreage environments from traditional scaling methods with and without protuberance effects serve as the basis for the extension. Authors:

Harrison, Phillip↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational considerations for the simulation of shock-induced sound

The numerical study of aeroacoustic problems places stringent demands on the choice of a computational algorithm, because it requires the ability to propagate disturbances of small amplitude and short wavelength. The demands are particularly high when shock waves are involved, because the chosen algorithm must also resolve discontinuities in the solution. The extent to which a high-order-accurate shock-capturing method can be relied upon for aeroacoustics applications that involve the interaction of shocks with other waves has not been previously quantified. Such a study is initiated in this work. A fourth-order-accurate essentially nonoscillatory (ENO) method is used to investigate the solutions of inviscid, compressible flows with shocks in a quasi-one-dimensional nozzle flow. The design order of accuracy is achieved in the smooth regions of a steady-state test case. However, in an unsteady test case, only first-order results are obtained downstream of a sound-shock interaction. The difficulty in obtaining a globally high-order-accurate solution in such a case with a shock-capturing method is demonstrated through the study of a simplified, linear model problem. Some of the difficult issues and ramifications for aeroacoustics simulations of flows with shocks that are raised by these results are discussed.

Casper, Jay↗
DOE OSTI2022

FSISPH: An SPH formulation for impacts between dissimilar materials

Here, we present an SPH formulation with several new features designed to better model the fully-compressible interaction of dissimilar materials. We developed the new method to simulate the atmospheric entry and break-up of small celestial bodies in planetary atmospheres. The formulation uses a unity-based, density-energy discretization of the hydrodynamic conservation laws with linear-corrected kernel gradients. To account for variations in compressibility, we use an HLLC approximate Riemann solver to adjust the velocity gradient at material interfaces. To handle large transverse velocity discontinuities, we introduce a simple slip interface model that limits the artificial viscosity at material interfaces. Diffusion is optionally applied through the velocity gradient and this allows the density and specific thermal energy to evolve in a manner more consistent with the first law of thermodynamics in comparison to other more direct diffusion schemes. We also introduce a material-local second-order artificial conduction scheme used to smooth the specific thermal energy field. Material damage fits neatly under this framework by treating the damage front as a material interface. The method has been implemented as a solver, FSISPH, within the code, Spheral++, and is publicly available on github. We test our new solver on a number of classic shock, mixing, and multi-material problem. The components we outline can significantly improve accuracy of SPH for problems with sharp contact discontinuities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2004

Using High Resolution Design Spaces for Aerodynamic Shape Optimization Under Uncertainty

This paper explains why high resolution design spaces encourage traditional airfoil optimization algorithms to generate noisy shape modifications, which lead to inaccurate linear predictions of aerodynamic coefficients and potential failure of descent methods. By using auxiliary drag constraints for a simultaneous drag reduction at all design points and the least shape distortion to achieve the targeted drag reduction, an improved algorithm generates relatively smooth optimal airfoils with no severe off-design performance degradation over a range of flight conditions, in high resolution design spaces parameterized by cubic B-spline functions. Simulation results using FUN2D in Euler flows are included to show the capability of the robust aerodynamic shape optimization method over a range of flight conditions.

Li, Wu↗
NASA NTRS1990

An adaptive grid algorithm for one-dimensional nonlinear equations

Richards' equation, which models the flow of liquid through unsaturated porous media, is highly nonlinear and difficult to solve. Step gradients in the field variables require the use of fine grids and small time step sizes. The numerical instabilities caused by the nonlinearities often require the use of iterative methods such as Picard or Newton interation. These difficulties result in large CPU requirements in solving Richards equation. With this in mind, adaptive and multigrid methods are investigated for use with nonlinear equations such as Richards' equation. Attention is focused on one-dimensional transient problems. To investigate the use of multigrid and adaptive grid methods, a series of problems are studied. First, a multigrid program is developed and used to solve an ordinary differential equation, demonstrating the efficiency with which low and high frequency errors are smoothed out. The multigrid algorithm and an adaptive grid algorithm is used to solve one-dimensional transient partial differential equations, such as the diffusive and convective-diffusion equations. The performance of these programs are compared to that of the Gauss-Seidel and tridiagonal methods. The adaptive and multigrid schemes outperformed the Gauss-Seidel algorithm, but were not as fast as the tridiagonal method. The adaptive grid scheme solved the problems slightly faster than the multigrid method. To solve nonlinear problems, Picard iterations are introduced into the adaptive grid and tridiagonal methods. Burgers' equation is used as a test problem for the two algorithms. Both methods obtain solutions of comparable accuracy for similar time increments. For the Burgers' equation, the adaptive grid method finds the solution approximately three times faster than the tridiagonal method. Finally, both schemes are used to solve the water content formulation of the Richards' equation. For this problem, the adaptive grid method obtains a more accurate solution in fewer work units and less computation time than required by the tridiagonal method. The performance of the adaptive grid method tends to degrade as the solution process proceeds in time, but still remains faster than the tridiagonal scheme.

Gutierrez, William E.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Robust Airfoil Optimization in High Resolution Design Space

The robust airfoil shape optimization is a direct method for drag reduction over a given range of operating conditions and has three advantages: (1) it prevents severe degradation in the off-design performance by using a smart descent direction in each optimization iteration, (2) it uses a large number of B-spline control points as design variables yet the resulting airfoil shape is fairly smooth, and (3) it allows the user to make a trade-off between the level of optimization and the amount of computing time consumed. The robust optimization method is demonstrated by solving a lift-constrained drag minimization problem for a two-dimensional airfoil in viscous flow with a large number of geometric design variables. Our experience with robust optimization indicates that our strategy produces reasonable airfoil shapes that are similar to the original airfoils, but these new shapes provide drag reduction over the specified range of Mach numbers. We have tested this strategy on a number of advanced airfoil models produced by knowledgeable aerodynamic design team members and found that our strategy produces airfoils better or equal to any designs produced by traditional design methods.

Li, Wu↗
DOE OSTI2021

Six-dimensional matching of intense beam with linear accelerating structure

Beam matching is a common technique that is routinely employed in accelerator design with the aim of minimizing beam losses and preservation of beam brightness. Despite being widely used, a full theoretical understanding of beam matching in 6D remains elusive. In this work, we present an analytical treatment of 6D beam matching of a high-intensity beam onto an RF structure. We begin our analysis within the framework of a linear model, and apply the averaging method to a set of 3D beam envelope equations. Accordingly, we obtain a matched solution that is comprised of smoothed envelopes and periodic terms, describing envelope oscillations with the period of the focusing structure. We then consider the nonlinear regime, where the beam size is comparable with the separatrix size. Stating with a Hamiltonian analysis in 6D phase space, we attain a self-consistent beam profile and show that it is significantly different from the commonly used ellipsoidal shape. Subsequently, we analyze the special case of an equilibrium with equal space charge depression between all degrees of freedom. Comparison of beam dynamics for equipartitioned, equal space charge depression, and equal emittances beams is given. Finally, we present experimental results on beam matching in the LANSCE linac.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗