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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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Optimization of a two stage light gas gun

Performance characteristics of the Texas A&M University light gas gun are presented along with a review of basic gun theory and popular prediction methods. A computer routine based on the simple isentropic compression method is discussed. Results from over 60 test shots are given which demonstrate an increase in gun muzzle velocity from 9.100 ft/sec. to 19,000 ft/sec. The data gathered indicated the Texas A&M light gas gun more closely resembles an isentropic compression gun rather than a shock compression gun.

Rynearson, R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Efficient turbine engine using integrated ammonia fuel processing

A gas turbine engine includes a core engine that includes a core flow path where air is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with an ammonia based fuel and ignited to generate a high energy combusted gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section. The turbine section is mechanically coupled to drive the compressor section. An ammonia flow path communicates an ammonia flow to the combustor section. A cracking device is disposed in the ammonia flow path. The cracking device is configured to decompose the ammonia flow into a fuel flow containing hydrogen (H2). At least one heat exchanger is upstream of the cracking device that provides thermal communication between the ammonia flow and a working fluid flow such that the ammonia fluid flow accepts thermal energy from the working fluid flow.

Smith, Lance L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Advanced onboard storage concepts for natural gas-fueled automotive vehicles

The evaluation of several advanced concepts for storing natural gas at reduced pressure is presented. The advanced concepts include adsorption on high surface area carbon, adsorption in high porosity zeolite, storage in clathration compounds, and storage by dissolution in liquid solvents. High surface area carbons with high packing density are the best low pressure storage mediums. A simple mathematical model is used to compare adsorption storage on a state of the art carbon with compression storage. The model indicates that a vehicle using adsorption storage of natural gas at 3.6 MPa will have 36 percent of the range, on the EPA city cycle, of a vehicle operating on a compression storage system having the same physical size and a peak storage pressure of 21 MPa. Preliminary experiments and current literature suggest that the storage capacity of state of the art carbons could be improved by as much as 50 percent, and that adsorption systems having a capacity equal to compression storage at 14 MPa are possible without exceeding a maximum pressure of 3.6 MPa.

Remick, R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigating anode off-gas under spark-ignition combustion for SOFC-ICE hybrid systems

Solid oxide fuel cell – internal combustion engine (SOFC-ICE) hybrid systems are an attractive solution for electricity generation. The system can achieve up to 70% theoretical electric power conversion efficiency through energy cascading enabled by utilizing the anode off-gas from the SOFC as the fuel source for the ICE. Experimental investigations were conducted with a single cylinder Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine by altering fuel-air equivalence ratio (φ), and compression ratio (CR) to study the engine load, combustion characteristics, and emissions levels of dry SOFC anode off-gas consisting of 33.9% H 2 , 15.6% CO, and 50.5% CO 2 . The combustion efficiency of the anode off-gas was directly evaluated by measuring the engine-out CO emissions. The highest net-indicated fuel conversion efficiency of 31.3% occurred at φ = 0.90 and CR = 13:1. These results demonstrate that the anode off-gas can be successfully oxidized using a spark ignition combustion mode. The fuel conversion efficiency of the anode tail gas is expected to further increase in a more modern engine architecture that can achieve increased burn rates in comparison to the CFR engine. NO x emissions from the combustion of anode off-gas were minimal as the cylinder peak temperatures never exceeded 1800 K. This experimental study ultimately demonstrates the viability of an ICE to operate using an anode off-gas, thus creating a complementary role for an ICE to be paired with a SOFC in a hybrid power generation plant.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lasergate: A windowless gas target for enhanced laser preheat in magnetized liner inertial fusion

At the Z Facility at Sandia National Laboratories, the magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) program aims to study the inertial confinement fusion in deuterium-filled gas cells by implementing a three-step process on the fuel: premagnetization, laser preheat, and Z-pinch compression. In the laser preheat stage, the Z-Beamlet laser focuses through a thin polyimide window to enter the gas cell and heat the fusion fuel. However, it is known that the presence of the few μm thick window reduces the amount of laser energy that enters the gas and causes window material to mix into the fuel. These effects are detrimental to achieving fusion; therefore, a windowless target is desired. The Lasergate concept is designed to accomplish this by “cutting” the window and allowing the interior gas pressure to push the window material out of the beam path just before the heating laser arrives. In this work, we present the proof-of-principle experiments to evaluate a laser-cutting approach to Lasergate and explore the subsequent window and gas dynamics. Further, an experimental comparison of gas preheat with and without Lasergate gives clear indications of an energy deposition advantage using the Lasergate concept, as well as other observed and hypothesized benefits. While Lasergate was conceived with MagLIF in mind, the method is applicable to any laser or diagnostic application requiring direct line of sight to the interior of gas cell targets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

ECAR-1943 AGC-1 INDIVIDUAL SPECIMEN FLUENCE, TEMPERATURE, AND LOAD CALCULATION AND TABULATION

This ECAR calculates the fluence and temperature of the AGC-1 specimens as they change elevation through the course of the experiment. The specimen elevation varies as the specimen stack shrinks due to irradiation and load induced creep. The compressed specimen stacks (S-1 thru S-6) have a graphite pushrod that applies a gas cylinder load. The top of the pushrod position is measured and recorded in the NGNP Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS). The bottom of each of these compressed stacks is supported by the lower specimen holder which also shrinks as a result of irradiation and load. The specimen holder post-irradiation length was recorded during post-irradiation examination (PIE). Assuming the specimen holder shrinkage is linear with respect to the fluence received, the position of the top of the specimen holder can be calculated with respect to reactor integrated power. Assuming that individual specimen shrinkage is proportional to the fluence received, and that the shrinkage behavior is similar in all the specimens, the individual specimen position can be calculated.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1987

A Comparison of Experimental and Theoretical Results for Labyrinth Gas Seals

The basic equations are derived for a two control volume model for compressible flow in a labyrinth seal. The flow is assumed to be completely turbulent and isoenergetic. The wall friction factors are determined using the Blasius formula. Jet flow theory is used for the calculation of the recirculation velocity in the cavity. Linearized zeroth and first order perturbation equations are developed for small motion about a centered position by an expansion in the eccentricity ratio. The zeroth order pressure distribution is found by satisfying the leakage equation. The circumferential velocity distribution is determined by satisfying the momentum equations. The first order equations are solved by a separation of variable solution. Integration of the resultant pressure distribution along and around the seal defines the reaction force developed by the seal and the corresponding dynamic coefficients. The results of this analysis are compared to experimental test results.

Scharrer, Joseph Kirk↗
NASA NTRS2005

Factorization of the Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations

The Navier-Stokes equations for a Newtonian ideal gas are examined to determine the factorizable form of the equations relevant to the construction of a factorizable relaxation scheme. The principal linearization of the equations is found by examining the relative magnitude of the terms for short-wavelength errors. The principal part of the operator is then found. Comparison of the factors of the Navier-Stokes and Euler equations differ qualitatively because of the coupling of entropy and pressure through thermal diffusion. Special cases of the factorization are considered.

Roberts, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Computation of Thermally Perfect Oblique Shock Wave Properties

A set of compressible flow relations describing flow properties across oblique shock waves, derived for a thermally perfect, calorically imperfect gas, is applied within the existing thermally perfect gas (TPG) computer code. The relations are based upon the specific heat expressed as a polynomial function of temperature. The updated code produces tables of compressible flow properties of oblique shock waves, as well as the original properties of normal shock waves and basic isentropic flow, in a format similar to the tables for normal shock waves found in NACA Rep. 1135. The code results are validated in both the calorically perfect and the calorically imperfect, thermally perfect temperature regimes through comparisons with the theoretical methods of NACA Rep. 1135. The advantages of the TPG code for oblique shock wave calculations, as well as for the properties of isentropic flow and normal shock waves, are its ease of use and its applicability to any type of gas (monatomic, diatomic, triatomic, polyatomic, or any specified mixture thereof).

Tatum, Kenneth E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Behavior of some singly ionized, heavy-ion impurities during compression in a theta-pinch plasma

The introduction of a small percentage of an impurity gas containing a desired element into a theta-pinch plasma is a standard procedure used to investigate the spectra and atomic processes of the element. This procedure assumes that the mixing ratio of impurity-to-fill gases remains constant during the collapse and heating phase. Spectroscopic investigations of the constant-mixing-ratio assumption for a 2% neon and argon impurity verifies the assumption only for the neon impurity. However, for the 2% argon impurity, only 20 to 25% of the argon is in the high-temperature compressed plasma. It is concluded that the constant-mixing-ratio assumption is not applicable to the argon impurity.

Jalufka, N. W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Epoxy-based vitrimeric semi-interpenetrating network/MXene nanocomposites for hydrogen gas barrier applications

Herein, we report MXene-filled epoxy-based vitrimeric nanocomposites featuring a semi-interpenetrating network (S-IPN) to develop a hydrogen gas (H 2 ) barrier coating with self-healing characteristics for compressed H 2 storage applications. The reversible epoxy network was formed by synthesizing linear epoxy chains with pendent bis-hydroxyl groups using amino diol, which were then crosslinked with 1,4-benzenediboronic acid to generate dynamic boronic ester linkages. To achieve the S-IPN-type molecular arrangement, the epoxy chains were in situ crosslinked in the presence of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH), giving rise to a self-healing network (EEP) with a healing efficiency of 87%. Into the S-IPN vitrimer (EEP), a 2D platelet-type nanofiller MXene was incorporated to introduce a tortuous path for H 2 gas diffusion along with improved mechanical properties. The nanocomposite coating was applied to nylon 6 liner material, which is conventionally used in all-composite H 2 storage vessels. Further, the application of a 2 wt% MXene/EEP nanocomposite coating showed a permeability coefficient of 0.062 cm 3 mm m -2 d -1 atm -1 exhibiting ~96% reduction in gas permeability compared to uncoated nylon 6. The same nanocomposite exhibited a healing efficiency of 79%. Increasing the MXene loading to 10 wt% further reduced the permeability coefficient to 0.002 cm 3 mm m -2 d -1 atm -1 ; however, the healing efficiency decreased due to restricted chain mobility. In essence, the current work highlights the potential of vitrimeric S-IPN nanocomposite coatings for H 2 gas-barrier applications, enhancing safety and performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1971

The three-dimensional steady radial expansion of a viscous gas from a sonic source into a vacuum.

The three-dimensional steady radial expansion of a viscous, heat-conducting, compressible fluid from a spherical sonic source into a vacuum is analyzed using the Navier-Stokes equations as a basis. It is assumed that the model fluid is a perfect gas having constant specific heats, a constant Prandtl number of order unity, and viscosity coefficients varying as a power of the absolute temperature. Limiting forms for the flow variable solutions are studied for the Reynolds number based on the sonic source conditions, going to infinity and the Newtonian parameter both fixed and going to zero. For the case of the viscosity-temperature exponent between .5 and 1, it is shown that the velocity as well as the pressure approach zero as the radial distance goes to infinity. The formulations of the distinct regions that span the domain extending from the sonic source to the vacuum are presented.

Bush, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Effect of heat release on the stability of compressible reacting mixing layer

Reacting free shear layers are of fundamental importance in many industrial systems including gas turbine combustors and rockets. Efficient propulsion systems are essential for air breathing supersonic ramjets in the high Mach number range. A limiting factor in these engines is the time for fuel and oxidizer to mix in the combustion chamber; for fast mixing, the flow must be vigorously turbulent which requires the laminar flow to be unstable. Understanding the stability characteristics of compressible reacting free shear layers is, therefore, very important and may allow one to control the flow. Low speed shear layers are highly unstable but, as chemical reaction and compressibility effects tend to stabilize them, it is important to investigate the stability of high speed reacting mixing layers. The latter consists of two fluid streams containing fuel and oxidizer respectively, and the conclusions are expected to apply, with quantitative modifications, to other shear flows, e.g., jets. Since low speed reacting cases have been studied earlier, we concentrate on the effects of Mach number and heat release. We are primarily interested in solving the stability problem over a large range of Mach number and heat release. In order to understand the effect of the heat release on the stability of this flow, one must first study the characteristics of the non-reacting flow. Inviscid theory is a reliable guide for understanding stability of compressible shear flows at moderate and large Reynolds numbers and is the basis for this work.

Shin, Dong-Shin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Impacts of advanced diesel combustion operation and fuel formulation on soot nanostructure and reactivity

Advanced diesel combustion, accomplished via a single pulse fuel injection and high levels of exhaust gas recirculation (referred to as “PCCI”, partially-premixed charge compression ignition), is shown to be a path to reduce oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter simultaneously. This is well established in the literature. Less established is the extent to which such dilute combustion processes influence soot formation and affect soot that is emitted from diesel engines under such combustion modes. This work focuses on characterization of the nanostructure and oxidative reactivity of soot generated by a light-duty turbodiesel engine operating under a PCCI combustion mode, a dilute, low-temperature combustion process. Previous work on a type of PCCI combustion, referred to as high-efficiency clean combustion (HECC), showed soot samples having a fullerenic nanostructure, characterized by high levels of tortuosity of the fringe layers as seen in transmission electron micrograph images and as quantified using an image processing algorithm. Thermogravimetric analysis of the HECC mode soot samples showed that they displayed higher rates of oxidation than soot samples from a conventional diesel combustion mode. The present work returns to PCCI combustion, considering the timing of the main fuel injection, and the effects of operating on fuels rich in n-alkanes, particularly a fuel produced from a low temperature Fischer-Tropsch process (LTFT) and a renewable diesel fuel (RD) produced via hydrodeoxygenation of a plant oil. PCCI combustion conditions yield soot that shows higher reactivity compared to soot from the conventional combustion mode regardless of fuel type. LTFT and RD fuels produce soots with lower reactivity compared to ULSD. Soots produced from PCCI combustion have higher surface oxygen concentration and higher proportion of amorphous carbon. In addition, TEM images show that PCCI soots from all three fuels have smaller primary particle and particle aggregate sizes, and smaller graphene layers. These properties explain the higher reactivity of soot from PCCI combustion. The less reactive soots, which are produced from LTFT and RD fuel under conventional combustion, show internal burning during oxidation. However, soots with higher reactivity which are produced from late injection PCCI combustion and ULSD show shrinking core oxidation, most likely because of their overall amorphous structure.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cost details from front-end engineering design of piperazine with the advanced stripper

This Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to estimate the cost to capture and compress 90% of the CO 2 from an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) in Denver City, Texas, USA. The FEED used the PZAS (Piperazine with the Advanced Stripper) 2G amine scrubbing technology developed and modeled by The University of Texas at Austin. This FEED is unique in providing more public cost details than other FEEDs funded by DOE. The primary objective of the FEED was to provide a comprehensive estimate for the total installed cost of the capture plant. The estimated capital cost of NGCC at the Mustang Station is $\$727$ million for a capacity of 460 MW and 1.6 million tonnes CO 2 /yr. This includes a contingency of $\$104.6$ million and a contractor’s profit of $\$60.1$ million. The total direct field cost is $\$384.1$ million. With an optimistic fuel value of $\$3$/MMBtu, the estimated cost of capture varies from $\$85$/t at 4% IRR/85% load to $\$170$/t at 10% IRR/52% load. Air cooling is technically feasible but expensive. The air cooling systems for the water wash and pump-around intercooling account for 23.4% of the direct cost. The gas-fired boilers represent only 4% of the direct costs, but steam extraction would reduce energy cost, free up cooling water, and reduce the direct costs of processing additional flue gas and CO 2 from the boilers. The absorbers represent 9.6% of the direct cost in this FEED with no direct contact cooler and only 7.6 m of packing. Furthermore, the solvent cross exchangers are less expensive than expected (2.5% of direct costs). Doubling the number of these exchangers could reduce the heat duty from 3.0 to 2.5 GJ/t CO 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Experimental and Numerical Investigation to Characterize the Low-Temperature Heat Release in Stoichiometric and Lean Combustion

This work reports on an experimental and modeling study on the low-temperature heat release (LTHR) characteristics for three RON 90 binary blends (n-heptane blended with isooctane, toluene and ethanol) in a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine at lean and stoichiometric conditions that are representative of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and spark-ignition (SI) end-gas combustion conditions, respectively. An analysis of the end-gas temperature-pressure (T-P) trajectories was performed to identify the intake conditions leading to similar T-P trajectories between the two lambdas for each fuel blend. A heat release analysis was then conducted for the identified cases, where fuel-to-fuel differences in LTHR were identified and found to be sensitive to the operating condition. Simulations were conducted for these cases using a recently updated chemical kinetic model and a 0-D engine model, where good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreements in LTHR were obtained. Sensitivity analysis was also performed directly on the rates of LTHR, to understand the controlling chemical reactions of LTHR, providing further insights into the fuel-to-fuel differences. The results demonstrate the significant promoting effect of n-heptane on LTHR rates, while inhibiting effects were seen for ethanol and toluene. Also highlighted was the importance of H atom abstraction reactions from the chemistry of each fuel component, which could lead to contradictory fuel behavior depending on the locations of the H site of the abstraction reaction due to the different ensuing pathways for the primary fuel radicals.

LTHR, RON 90 binary blends, sensitivity analysis↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Liquid–Vapor Two-Phase Model of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells With Platinum Group Metal-Free Cathode Catalyst

Abstract This study has developed a two-dimensional, two-phase transport model to investigate the transport characteristics in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) using platinum group metal (PGM)-free cathode catalysts. The model considered anisotropic properties of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) caused by current collector’s mechanical compression, the interfacial mass transfer of water and methanol between liquid and vapor, and unique properties of the cathode PGM-free catalyst layer. Results showed that the liquid methanol solution from the anode could provide sufficient water to hydrate the proton exchange membrane (PEM), and the relative humidity of the cathode air did not impact the membrane hydration. Fully hydrating the cathode air may deteriorate the fuel cell performance, especially when the operating temperature is close to 100 °C because the exponential increase of the saturated water pressure with temperature decreased the partial pressure of oxygen. The optimized operating temperature increased with the increase of air pressure and was about 80 °C at 1.5 atm cathode pressure. To achieve the US Department of Energy’s performance target of 300 mW/cm2 peak power density, catalytic activities of both the anode and cathode catalysts need to be improved by one order of magnitude compared with the state-of-the-art commercial catalysts.

Electrochemistry↗