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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 865 records · Page 48
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

Multiphase flow and phase change in microgravity: Fundamental research and strategic research for exploration of space

NASA is preparing to undertake science-driven exploration missions. The NASA Exploration Team's vision is a cascade of stepping stones. The stepping-stone will build the technical capabilities needed for each step with multi-use technologies and capabilities. An Agency-wide technology investment and development program is necessary to implement the vision. The NASA Exploration Team has identified a number of areas where significant advances are needed to overcome all engineering and medical barriers to the expansion of human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. Closed-loop life support systems and advanced propulsion and power technologies are among the areas requiring significant advances from the current state-of-the-art. Studies conducted by the National Academy of Science's National Research Council and Workshops organized by NASA have shown that multiphase flow and phase change play a crucial role in many of these advanced technology concepts. Lack of understanding of multiphase flow, phase change, and interfacial phenomena in the microgravity environment has been a major hurdle. An understanding of multiphase flow and phase change in microgravity is, therefore, critical to advancing many technologies needed. Recognizing this, the Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) has initiated a strategic research thrust to augment the ongoing fundamental research in fluid physics and transport phenomena discipline with research especially aimed at understanding key multiphase flow related issues in propulsion, power, thermal control, and closed-loop advanced life support systems. A plan for integrated theoretical and experimental research that has the highest probability of providing data, predictive tools, and models needed by the systems developers to incorporate highly promising multiphase-based technologies is currently in preparation. This plan is being developed with inputs from scientific community, NASA mission planners and industry personnel. The fundamental research in multiphase flow and phase change in microgravity is aimed at developing better mechanistic understanding of pool boiling and ascertaining the effects of gravity on heat transfer and the critical heat flux. Space flight experiments conducted in space have shown that nucleate pool boiling can be sustained under certain conditions in the microgravity environment. New space flight experiments are being developed to provide more quantitative information on pool boiling in microgravity. Ground-based investigations are also being conducted to develop mechanistic models for flow and pool boiling. An overview of the research plan and roadmap for the strategic research in multiphase flow and phase change as well as research findings from the ongoing program will be presented.

Singh, Bhim S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Thermal Analysis on Cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen Tank on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System

Thermal analyses are performed on the liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank designed for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) powered by solar arrays and a regenerative proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. A 14-day cruise mission at a 65,000 ft altitude is considered. Thermal analysis provides the thermal loads on the tank system and the boiling-off rates of LH2. Different approaches are being considered to minimize the boiling-off rates of the LH2. It includes an evacuated multilayer insulation (MLI) versus aerogel insulation on the LH2 tank and aluminum versus stainless steel spacer rings between the inner and outer tank. The resulting boil-off rates of LH2 provided by the one-dimensional model and three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) on the tank system are presented and compared to validate the results of the three-dimensional FEA. It concludes that heat flux through penetrations by conduction is as significant as that through insulation around the tank. The tank system with MLI insulation and stainless steel spacer rings result in the lowest boiling-off rate of LH2.

Wang, Xiao-Yen↗
NASA NTRS2007

Pad B Liquid Hydrogen Storage Tank

Kennedy Space Center is home to two liquid hydrogen storage tanks, one at each launch pad of Launch Complex 39. The liquid hydrogen storage tank at Launch Pad B has a significantly higher boil off rate that the liquid hydrogen storage tank at Launch Pad A. This research looks at various calculations concerning the at Launch Pad B in an attempt to develop a solution to the excess boil off rate. We will look at Perlite levels inside the tank, Boil off rates, conductive heat transfer, and radiant heat transfer through the tank. As a conclusion to the research, we will model the effects of placing an external insulation to the tank in order to reduce the boil off rate and increase the economic efficiency of the liquid hydrogen storage tanks.

Hall, Felicia↗
NASA NTRS2019

Integrated Refrigeration and Storage of LNG for Compositional Stability

Growing interest in liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a rocket fuel necessitates a greater technical understanding of the compositional changes due to preferential boil-off (or weathering) that occurs during long duration storage. The purity of methane in LNG can range from 90 to 98%, and is subject to preferential boil-off due to its low boiling point compared to other constituents despite the use of high-performance thermal insulation systems. Active heat extraction (i.e. refrigeration) is required to completely eliminate weathering. For future operational safety and reliability, and to better understand the quality and efficiency of the LNG as a cryofuel, a 400-liter Cryostat vessel was designed and constructed to measure the composition and temperatures of the LNG at a number of different liquid levels over long durations. The vessel is the centerpiece of a custom-designed lab-scale integrated refrigeration and storage (IRaS) system employing a pulse tube cryocooler capable of roughly 50 W of lift at 100 K. Instrumentation includes ten temperature sensors mounted on a vertical rake and five liquid sample tubes corresponding to five liquid levels. Two modes of operation are studied. The first is without refrigeration in order to determine a baseline in the change in composition, and to study stratification of the LNG. The second is performed with the cryocooler active to determine the operational parameters of the IRaS system for eliminating the weathering as well as stratification effects in the bulk liquid. The apparatus design and test method, as well as preliminary test results are presented in this paper. As a bonus in cost-saving and operational efficiency, the capability of the IRaS system to provide zero-loss capabilities such as zero boil-off (ZBO) keeping of the LNG and zero-loss filling/transfer operations are also discussed.

Rose, Laura P.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Integrated Refrigeration and Storage of LNG for Compositional Stability

Growing interest in liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a rocket fuel necessitates a greater technical understanding of the compositional changes due to preferential boil-off (or weathering) that occurs during long duration storage. The purity of methane in LNG can range from 90 to 98%, and is subject to preferential boil-off due to its low boiling point compared to other constituents despite the use of high-performance thermal insulation systems. Active heat extraction (i.e. refrigeration) is required to completely eliminate weathering. For future operational safety and reliability, and to better understand the quality and efficiency of the LNG as a cryofuel, a 400-liter Cryostat vessel was designed and constructed to measure the composition and temperatures of the LNG at a number of different liquid levels over long durations. The vessel is the centerpiece of a custom-designed lab-scale integrated refrigeration and storage (IRaS) system employing a pulse tube cryocooler capable of roughly 50 W of lift at 100 K. Instrumentation includes ten temperature sensors mounted on a vertical rake and five liquid sample tubes corresponding to five liquid levels. Two modes of operation are studied. The first is without refrigeration in order to determine a baseline in the change in composition, and to study stratification of the LNG. The second is performed with the cryocooler active to determine the operational parameters of the IRaS system for eliminating the weathering as well as stratification effects in the bulk liquid. The apparatus design and test method, as well as preliminary test results are presented in this paper. As a bonus in cost-saving and operational efficiency, the capability of the IRaS system to provide zero-loss capabilities such as zero boil-off (ZBO) keeping of the LNG and zero-loss filling/transfer operations are also discussed.

Rose, L.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Gravity Effects in Two-Phase Microgap Flow

The high power density of emerging electronic devices is driving the transition from remote cooling, which relies on conduction and spreading, to embedded cooling, which extracts dissipated heat on-site. Two-phase microgap coolers employ the forced flow of dielectric fluids undergoing phase change in a heated channel within or between devices. Such coolers must work reliably in all orientations for a variety of applications (e.g., vehicle-based equipment), as well as in microgravity and high-g for aerospace applications, but the lack of acceptable models and correlations for orientation- and gravity-independent operation has limited their use. Reliable criteria for achieving orientation- and gravity-independent flow boiling would enable emerging systems to exploit this thermal management technique and streamline the technology development process. As a first step toward understanding the effect of gravity in two-phase microgap flow and transport, in an earlier effort, the authors studied the effects of evaporator orientation, mass flux, and heat flux on flow boiling of HFE7100 in a 1.01 mm tall by 13.0 mm wide by 12.7 mm long microgap channel. Orientation-independence, defined as achieving similar critical heat fluxes, heat transfer coefficients, and flow regimes across orientations, was achieved for mass fluxes of 400 kg/sq.m-s and greater (corresponding to a Froude number of about 0.8). In the present effort, the authors have studied the effects of gravity, mass flux, and subcooling on flow boiling of HFE7100 in a 0.17 mm tall by 13.0 mm wide by 12.7 mm long microgap channel. The Flow Boiling in Microgap Coolers payload experienced about three minutes of weightlessness and shorter periods of high-g (up to about 5 g) during two recent flights aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard reusable launch vehicle. The results from the flight experiments will be presented and compared with published criteria for achieving gravity-independence.

Robinson, Franklin L.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Demonstration of Multilayer Insulation, Vapor Cooling of Structure, and Mass Gauging for Large Scale Upper Stages: Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) Final Report

Testing was completed on the Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) between August 2019 and January 2020. SHIIVER was designed to be a test bed for the scaling of cryogenic fluid management technologies as applied to large upper stages and long duration in-space stages. The hardware consists of a 4 meter diameter stainless steel tank, structural skirts supporting the tank in the aft direction, and an aluminum forward skirt with vapor cooling channels bolted to it. The initial testing of the SHIIVER hardware was with liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen (as a substitute fluid for liquid oxygen and liquid methane) and sought to demonstrate the use of boil-off vapor to intercept heat on a structural skirt, multilayer insulation (MLI) on the tank domes, and the radio frequency mass gauge (RFMG). Testing was completed in four stages: a baseline thermal vacuum test prior to installation of the MLI, a thermal vacuum test after the MLI installation, a reverberant acoustic test, and a subsequent thermal vacuum test to verify that no damage occurred during the reverberant acoustic testing. Each thermal vacuum test with chamber wall at ambient temperature and vacuum level in the 10-6 torr range was conducted continuously between approximately 90% full and 25% full. Test results showed that the vapor cooling reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 10%, but the boil-off by less than 3% at 50% full with no MLI on the domes. It reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 10%, but the boil-off was essentially unchanged at 50% full whether or not vapor cooling was operational with MLI on the domes. The MLI reduced the heat load to the tank by approximately 40% at all fill levels, but the boil-off by approximately 25% at 90% full and 45% below 65% full. The RFMG performed well over all fill ranges, and several RF tank modes were used to gauge the mass of fluid in the tank. SHIIVER was then exposed to an acoustic environment of 147 dB OASPL (overall sound pressure level) in a reverberant chamber. The acoustic environment and profile envelopes the upper stage internal acoustic level of several different modern launch vehicles. No structural or thermal performance changes were observed as a result of acoustic testing. Final thermal vacuum testing after the acoustic testing showed no degradation to the MLI due to the acoustic environment as measured via system heat loads.

SHIIVER↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct production of fractionated and upgraded hydrocarbon fuels from biomass

Multistage processing of biomass to produce at least two separate fungible fuel streams, one dominated by gasoline boiling-point range liquids and the other by diesel boiling-point range liquids. The processing involves hydrotreating the biomass to produce a hydrotreatment product including a deoxygenated hydrocarbon product of gasoline and diesel boiling materials, followed by separating each of the gasoline and diesel boiling materials from the hydrotreatment product and each other.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Solubility predictions for sodium nitrate from water activity for Hanford tank concentrates - 15551

Space in Hanford waste tanks is very limited and therefore active evaporation of tank liquids continues to provide a means to conserve tank space. Prior to each evaporator campaign, a boil-down of a sample of tank liquid provides a basis for planning by measuring density, solids precipitation, and water activity as a function of concentration and temperature. We have found these datasets also provide opportunities to validate and calibrate various solubility models on actual waste. Previous work has shown the solubilities of minor electrolytes in these five boil-downs follow rather simple power law solubility products. Each of five boil-downs concentrated liquids from five waste tanks and tank blends and have been reported from Hanford's 222-S laboratory. All concentrates eventually showed the precipitation of the dominant electrolyte, NaNO{sub 3}, and solution activity largely drives this solubility. Although there are many well established techniques for calculating solution activity, the complexity of Hanford electrolyte mixtures has proven challenging for such solution activities. Accurate predictions of water activity for these concentrates provides an alternative method for calculating solution activity and previous work has validated a relatively simply model for predicting the water activity of even complex electrolyte mixtures. Given such a water activity, a Gibbs-Duhem integration of that water activity accurately predicts the solution activity and therefore the solubility of NaNO{sub 3} at 18 deg. C with a correlation coefficient of 0.94 over a wide range of liquid waste compositions for these boil-down studies. To our knowledge, no other solubility prediction has correlated as highly with measured solubility points of NaNO{sub 3} in any complex electrolyte mixture. Better predictions of NaNO{sub 3} solubility in complex waste mixtures improve planning for recovery of waste tank space and reduce the need for new tank space. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Development of New Antifoam for High Level Waste Processing in DWPF

During processing in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the evaporation of sludge leads to large amounts of foaming. This foaming can cause a foam-over, which contaminates other parts of the facility, most importantly the condensate. Currently, the antifoam being used is not sufficient at more extreme pH values and relatively high concentrations are required to minimize foaming. This means that a foam-over is more likely in parts of the process where the pH moves away from the neutral point and antifoam is needed in large quantities to prevent such occurrences. Adding this antifoam can also double processing time. The current antifoam also degrades into flammable byproducts, which creates a hazard in the processing. There are two main ideas proposed in order to solve the problems with the current antifoam: A new antifoam; A mechanical solution (sprays, agitator, etc). The focus of this summer was to develop a new antifoam that works across a broader range of pH values, can be added in lower concentrations, and does not degrade into flammable byproducts. This solution was pursued by obtaining different superspreaders and antifoams from companies across the country in order to perform a series of tests on them; these tests include superspreader testing, Foamscan testing, boiling testing, and Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) process testing. To begin testing, four different superspreaders were tested on their ability to spread. The four superspreaders include: Y-17112, Y-17309, Antifoam 747 (the old antifoam), and Silwet L77 (the main component in Antifoam 747). These superspreaders were tested across a range of pH values and concentrations from 100 ppm to 5000 ppm. After completion of the tests, the results indicated that Y-17112 spread across a wider pH range than the others, even at lower concentrations. This is ideal for developing a new antifoam, as the pH throughout processing in DWPF varies and the lower the necessary concentration, the less antifoam that must be added per cycle. In order to test whether or not the superspreaders work as an antifoam, they have to be tested on real foam. In order to test this, a foamy simulant similar to the foaminess of the sludge in DWPF needed to be developed. This required testing many different sludges and designing our own simulant with different concentrations of insoluble solids. Eventually, a simulant similar enough to what is seen in DWPF was identified. Each superspreader will be tested on the simulant at different pH values and at different concentrations. The simulant will be allowed to foam and small amounts of the superspreader will be added while the Foamscan software tracks the height of the foam column; this allows us to know if the superspreader decreased the foam or not. Next, boiling testing in the Foamscan will be completed. This is testing identical to the Foamscan testing at room temperature, only at boiling conditions similar to DWPF. After boiling testing, the superspreader that is deemed most successful will be tested in a real, scaled-down SRAT/SME cycle. This will ensure it works with all the real chemicals that are added in DWPF and that it will remain successful in all the conditions that it may face. After the SRAT/SME testing, a decision will be made on whether or not the superspreader is successful and it may or may not be chosen as the new antifoam for DWPF.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulation of DWPF Chemical Process Cell Using a Reaction Calorimeter

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) converts liquid radioactive waste into glass using a Sludge Receipt Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) in addition to other processes. The SRAT and SME processes can be simulated on a small-scale using the Mettler-Toledo Reaction Calorimeter (RC1). This equipment is able to automate the execution and monitoring of experiments involving nonradioactive chemical simulants. During the chemical processing of sludge in the SRAT process, foam begins to form and can foam over the reaction vessel. The current antifoam used at DWPF creates a risk of increased flammability and has a limited pH range. Usually, mercury is circulated back into the reaction vessel during the SRAT process, making it difficult to remove. To combat foam over, novel antifoams will be tested during the boil-up process using the RC1. To improve mercury extraction, 3D-printed coalescer columns will be tested within the Mercury Water Wash Tank (MWWT) of the RC1. Testing of Simulant Sludge Batch 6 (SB6) was performed to ensure: the sludge would form a stable foam at boiling during full SRAT/SME runs; the antifoam would reduce the amount of foam within the vessel The sludge and a Precipitate Reactor Feed Tank (PRFT) simulant with monosodium titanate (MST) were mixed separately, combined, and then heated to boiling. As shown below, the antifoam used was able to eliminate the foam within the vessel, as expected. The FormLabs Form2 3D Printer can be used to create roughly 3-inch tall and 1-inch diameter columns from clear and ceramic resins. The columns will utilize chemical and physical forces to draw the mercury out of a condensed offgas stream leaving the RC1 reaction vessel. These columns will be tested during full SRAT/SME runs on the basis of how well they are able to collect elemental mercury. In preparation for full-scale runs, the RC1 equipment was assembled onto a custom table and tested with water runs. The software used to control automation, iControl, has a user-friendly interface that allows the experiment to be altered as needed. An example of the data recorded during an experimental run is represented in Figure 1 below. Water runs were utilized as a way to prove if the RC1 system was functioning in the following areas: Boil-up rates, Chemical additions using pumps, Temperature readings, Balance readings, Probe readings, Offgas system, Agitation. Future Plans: Five novel antifoams will be tested during full SRAT/SME runs. The most effective antifoam will be utilized in DWPF's Chemical Process Cell. The design of the Mercury Extraction Coalescer can be further manipulated to increase the extraction of not only elemental mercury, but other heavy metals in environmental remediation processes as well.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

A User's Guide to the PLTEMP/ANL Code

PLTEMP/ANL V4.2 is a FORTRAN program that obtains a steady-state flow and temperature solution for a nuclear reactor core, or for a single fuel assembly. It is based on an evolutionary sequence of ''PLTEMP'' codes in use at ANL for the past 20 years. Fueled and non-fueled regions are modeled. Each fuel assembly consists of one or more plates or tubes separated by coolant channels. The fuel plates may have one to five layers of different materials, each with heat generation. The width of a fuel plate may be divided into multiple longitudinal stripes, each with its own axial power shape. The temperature solution is effectively 2-dimensional. It begins with a one-dimensional solution across all coolant channels and fuel plates/tubes within a given fuel assembly, at the entrance to the assembly. The temperature solution is repeated for each axial node along the length of the fuel assembly. The geometry may be either slab or radial, corresponding to fuel assemblies made of a series of flat (or slightly curved) plates, or of nested tubes. A variety of thermal-hydraulic correlations are available with which to determine safety margins such as Onset-of- Nucleate boiling (ONB), departure from nucleate boiling (DNB), and onset of flow instability (FI). Coolant properties for either light or heavy water are obtained from FORTRAN functions rather than from tables. The code is intended for thermal-hydraulic analysis of research reactor performance in the sub-cooled boiling regime. Both turbulent and laminar flow regimes can be modeled. Options to calculate both forced flow and natural circulation are available. A general search capability is available (Appendix XII) to greatly reduce the reactor analyst’s time.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Gen-0 BWR Modeling Application and Validation (L3 Milestone THM.P18.01)

This milestone report describes the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) work conducted for completion of the thermal hydraulics Methods (THM) Level 3 milestone L3:THM.P18.01 Gen-0 BWR Modeling Application and Validation. The extension of existing boiling closure designed for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) to the high void fraction condition of Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) is one of the challenges for Multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics (M-CFD) applications. In the efforts aimed at developing the advanced boiling closure for BWRs, the baseline closure model, so-called ‘Zero’ closure, has been developed by leveraging the experience gained through the Numerical Nuclear Reactor project. This baseline closure model is physics-based, simplest and robust, but it does not contain any explicit descriptions of the complex high void fraction mechanisms. This is a continuation of the CASL thermal-hydraulic study to develop and assess the CFD-BWR models. In FY-17, the applicability has been evaluated against the international OECD/NRC BFBT benchmark data. In the present work, we assessed the capability of CFD-BWR model for void drift phenomena in the modern BWR fuel designs which make use of both full-length and part-length rods.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Recent progresses on thermal–hydraulics evaluations of accident tolerant fuel cladding materials

Thermal–hydraulics (T-H) experiments have been on the progress to evaluate boiling heat transfer characteristics of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) candidates for further supporting the core-loading of these advanced ATF concepts in light water reactors (LWRs). Here this study covers recent experimental studies of ATF claddings and summarizes some significant results. Recent T-H experimental results of ATF cladding candidates demonstrated that the material thermal–physical properties have pronounced effects on critical heat flux (CHF). Such effects have not been well resolved in the current physics-governing models. These effects of cladding materials on CHF could be potentially rationalized by the material-conjugated boiling heat transfer, where the material-dominated heat conduction competes with the flow boiling-dominated heat convection. As progressively increasing the mass flux and/or liquid subcooling, CHF differences between different materials gradually decrease, which is in agreement with the recent T-H experimental results of ATF claddings. This is because the dominance of heat convection over heat conduction is primarily improved by liquid subcooling and/or mass flow rate. It is noteworthy that surface oxidization of claddings may have unknown impacts on T-H performances because the formation of oxide layers on cladding surfaces introduces variations of material thermal–physical properties and then changes the surface morphological features, which results in some difficulties in evaluating the thermal safety margins of ATF claddings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flow instabilities in helical-coil steam generators for small modular reactors: A review

Here, this study covers the research and discoveries in two-phase flow-boiling instabilities available in the literature—specifically for a helical-coil steam generator (HCSG), including experimental findings, theoretical research, computational models, and system code analyses—supporting research and development of representative small modular reactors (SMRs). Like other new and advanced reactor systems, water-cooled SMRs require experimental data from both integral and separate thermal-hydraulics test facilities for the verification and validation (V&V) of the computational models and computer codes in order to design and obtain regulatory approval. The complex dynamics of two-phase flow-boiling instabilities includes flow regimes physics phenomena, flow-channel geometries, heat-transfer behavior, and interactions among the solid–liquid-gas within the system boundary, all of which are pivotal for understanding the design and operational challenges of SMRs. This study focuses on identifying the relevant knowledge gaps on boiling instabilities—specifically for a HCSG—and provides insights about future research direction optimizing the transport of thermal energy, mass-flow rates, and boundary conditions that ensure the adequate heat-transfer performance, operational stability, and safety associated with SMR systems.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Nonlinear dynamics of a vapor bubble expanding in a superheated region of finite size

Growth of a vapor bubble in a superheated liquid is studied theoretically. Contrary to the typical situation of boiling, when bubbles grow in a uniformly heated liquid, here the superheated region is considered in the form of a millimeter-sized spherical hot spot. An initial micron-sized bubble is positioned at the hot spot center and a theoretical model is developed that is capable of studying bubble growth caused by vapor pressure inside the bubble and corresponding hydrodynamic and thermal processes in the surrounding liquid. Such a situation is relevant to the dynamics of vapor cavities that are created in soft biological tissue in the focal region of a high-intensity focused ultrasound beam with a shocked pressure waveform. Such beams are used in the recently proposed treatment called boiling histotripsy. Knowing the typical behavior of vapor cavities during boiling histotripsy could help to optimize the therapeutic procedure.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Investigation of Homogeneous Relaxation Model Parameters and their Implications for Gasoline Injectors

Flash boiling is known to be a common phenomenon for gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine sprays. The Homogeneous Relaxation Model has been adopted in many recent numerical studies for predicting cavitation and flash boiling. The Homogeneous Relaxation Model is assessed in this study. Sensitivity analysis of the model parameters has been documented to infer the driving factors for the flash-boiling predictions. The model parameters have been varied over a range and the differences in predictions of the extent of flashing have been studied. Apart from flashing in the near nozzle regions, mild cavitation is also predicted inside the gasoline injectors. The variation in the predicted time scales through the model parameters for predicting these two different thermodynamic phenomena (cavitation, flash) have been elaborated in this study. Turbulence model effects have also been investigated by comparing predictions from the standard and Re-Normalization Group (RNG) k-ε turbulence models.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Development of a Mechanistic Model for Predicting Sliding Vapor Bubble Growth

A new mechanistic model for predicting the growth of sliding vapor bubble in subcooled boiling flows has been developed. This model employs a physical base that the fundamental mechanisms applied to the bubble growth at a nucleation site can also be applied to the growth of sliding bubble. The heat transfer mechanisms considered are microlayer evaporation, evaporation of superheated liquid, and condensation. Modifications were made to the physical assumptions/reasoning applied to the existing growth models to reflect the intrinsic physics associated with the growth of sliding bubble. The present model has been successfully validated against a broad set of subcooled flow boiling data generated by three separate research groups using different working fluids and heater surfaces. The physical dependency of bubble growth during sliding on the relevant flow boiling parameters (i.e., mass flux, wall superheat, and subcooling level) observed in these experiments was well reproduced by the present model.

42 ENGINEERING↗