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At least 865 records · Page 48

On mercury clouds in the atmosphere of Venus.

Calculation of the reflectivity of Lewis' (1969) mercury cloud systems to determine the limits placed upon such models by the requirement that they reproduce the observed high albedo of Venus. In this way an upper limit is placed on the mercury droplet cloud mass. This limit is a function of the droplet size. If the droplets are less than 10 microns in radius, models with mercury clouds of mass greater than 0.005 g/sq cm are excluded the values for the masses of the Hg2Cl2 and HCl-H2O clouds given by Lewis are adopted. Relations are given which make it possible to determine whether a particular model satisfies the constraints imposed by the requirement that it produce the high albedo of Venus.

Potter, J. F.↗

Studies of oscillatory combustion and fuel vaporization

Research projects involving oscillatory combustion and fuel vaporization are reported. Comparisons of experimental and theoretical droplet vaporization histories under ambient conditions such that the droplet may approach its thermodynamic critical point are presented. Experimental data on instantaneous heat transfer from a gas to a solid surface under conditions of oscillatory pressure with comparisons to an unsteady one-dimensional model are analyzed. Droplet size and velocity distribution in a spray as obtained by use of a double flash fluorescent method were investigated.

Borman, G. L.↗

High pressure combustion of liquid fuels

Measurements were made of the burning rates and liquid surface temperatures for a number of alcohol and n-paraffin fuels under natural and forced convection conditions. Porous spheres ranging in size from 0.64-1.9 cm O.D. were emloyed to simulate the fuel droplets. The natural convection cold gas tests considered the combustion in air of methanol, ethanol, propanol-1, n-pentane, n-heptane, and n-decane droplets at pressures up to 78 atmospheres. The pressure levels of the natural convection tests were high enough so that near critical combustion was observed for methanol and ethanol vaporization rates and liquid surface temperature measurements were made of droplets burning in a simulated combustion chamber environment. Ambient oxygen molar concentrations included 13%, 9.5% and pure evaporation. Fuels used in the forced convection atmospheric tests included those listed above for the natural convection tests. The ambient gas temperature ranged from 600 to 1500 K and the Reynolds number varied from 30 to 300. The high pressure forced convection tests employed ethanol and n-heptane as fuels over a pressure range of one to 40 atmospheres. The ambient gas temperature was 1145 K for the two combustion cases and 1255 K for the evaporation case.

Canada, G. S.↗

Scanning electron microscope study of Apollo 15 green glass

Apollo 15 green glass droplets and related forms show a variety of low velocity impact features which occurred at the time of formation of the droplets. Composite forms, which consist of a crystallized core on which mounds of glass adhere, indicate a sequence of core formation and crystallization, followed by impact of molten droplets. The complicated and time dependent texture and morphology of the green glass forms are best explained by formation in a volcanic lava fountain rather than by meteorite impact.

Mckay, D. S.↗

Investigation of immiscible systems and potential applications

The droplet coalescence kinetics at 0 g and 1 g were considered for two systems which contained liquid droplets in a host liquid. One of these (Al-In) typified a system containing a liquid phase miscibility gap and the order (oil-water) a mixture of two essentially insoluble liquids. A number of coalescence mechanisms potentially prominent at low g in this system were analyzed and explanations are presented for the observed unusual stability of the emulsion. Ground base experiments were conducted on the coalescence of In droplets in and Al-In alloy during cooling through the miscibility gap at different cooling rates. These were in qualitative agreement with the computer simulation. Potential applications for systems with liquid phase miscibility gaps were explored. Possibilities included superconductors, electrical contact materials, superplastic materials, catalysts, magnetic materials, and others. The role of space processing in their production was also analyzed.

Markworth, A. J.↗

Combustion of liquid fuels in a flowing combustion gas environment at high pressures

The combustion of fuel droplets in gases which simulate combustion chamber conditions was considered both experimentally and theoretically. The fuel droplets were simulated by porous spheres and allowed to gasify in combustion gases produced by a burner. Tests were conducted for pressures of 1-40 atm, temperatures of 600-1500 K, oxygen concentrations of 0-13% (molar) and approach Reynolds numbers of 40-680. The fuels considered in the tests included methanol, ethanol, propanol-1, n-pentane, n-heptane and n-decane. Measurements were made of both the rate of gasification of the droplet and the liquid surface temperature. Measurements were compared with theory, involving various models of gas phase transport properties with a multiplicative correction for the effect of forced convection.

Canada, G. S.↗

The composition of the ultraviolet dark markings on Venus

The ultraviolet dark clouds are an ephemeral phenomenon in the Venus atmosphere, apparently just near the limit of stability. The UV dark material is moderately abundant, perhaps 10%, since the contrasts between light and dark material are some 20%. The material should absorb light between 3000-4000 A, and ideally should also have visible absorptions in the blue, as the overall spectral albedo of Venus indicates. Such a material is bromine dissolved in hydrobromic acid. Solar radiation near 2500 A is sufficient to partially photolyze HBr into Br2. HBr in the Venus atmosphere is inferred to have a mixing ratio of 0.0001 versus CO2. With a water vapor mixing ratio of 0.001, droplets of hydrobromic acid are possible. These droplets would eventually evaporate in the drier upper atmosphere. The refractive index of these hydrobromic acid droplets of 52% (by weight) composition is 1.46, within the limits set by polarization studies of Venus.

Sill, G. T.↗

Low-gravity processing of superconducting compounds

Low gravity conditions can be sustained on earth for several seconds in an evacuated drop tube. Because radiation cooling is most effective at high temperatures, the refractive metals and alloys are prime candidates for free fall solidification. The results of initial experiments on droplet formation, droplet release, critical size and evaporation losses are given. The time required for free fall solidification of different size droplets is calculated. The materials studied were copper, niobium and vanadium, and a niobium-tin alloys. Improvements in purity, composition, homogeneity and stoichiometry are expected during free fall solidification of niobium based alloys which should become evident in an increase in the superconducting transition temperature.

Otto, G. H.↗

The Response of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance to a Liquid Deposit

A theory was developed for predicting the loss of response of a QCM (Quartz Crystal Microbalance) to a liquid deposit due to viscous effects in the deposit. The loss of response is expressed by a response factor, equal to the response of the QCM to a liquid film divided by its response to a solid film of the same mass per unit area. The theory assumes a droplet-type deposit morphology, and considers the influence of droplet distribution parameters. Experiments were conducted to examine the validity of the theory, using DC 704 silicone oil as the subject deposit material. Experiments were made in two series: one with constant deposit mass and variable temperature, the other with variable deposit mass and constant temperature. Interpretation of the data using the theory has enabled information on droplet area coverage and number density to be deduced.

Glassford, A. P. M.↗

Modeling of premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages

The development of a computer program for the analytical prediction of the distribution of liquid and vapor fuel in the premixing-prevaporizing passage by the direct injection method is described. The technical approach adopted for this program is to separate the problem into three parts each with its own computer code. These three parts are: calculation of the two-dimensional or axisymmetric air flow; calculation of the three-dimensional fuel droplet evaporation; and calculation of the fuel vapor diffusion. This method of approach is justified because premixing passages operate at lean equivalence ratios. Hence, a weak interaction assumption can be made wherein the airflow can affect the fuel droplet behavior but the fuel droplet behavior does not affect the airflow.

Anderson, O. L.↗

Petrology of a sequence of pyroclastic rocks from the valley of Taurus-Littrow /Apollo 17 landing site/

Thirteen samples of core 74001/2, collected at Shorty Crater by Apollo 17, have been analyzed. The samples, taken from the core section below 5.5 cm and representing most of the major stratigraphic units described by Nagle (1978), consist entirely of whole and fragmented orange and black droplets. The grain shape, degree of crystallinity, breakage, vesicularity, predominant olivine shapes, and phenocryst content of about 18,000 droplets were investigated. The crystalline droplets were found to contain olivine and ilmenite as major phases and pyroxene, Cr-spinel and metallic Fe as minor phases. The grain shape, degree of crystallization, olivine shape and olivine composition suggest that a wide range of cooling rates is represented. The upper part of the core section (above 5.5 cm) has undergone in situ reworking by micrometeorites. The 74001/2 samples are believed to be from an ultramafic pyroclastic deposit brought to the surface by the Shorty Crater impact and originally formed by a lava fountain active in the Taurus-Littrow valley 3.5 b.y. ago. The sequence represented in the sample was most likely deposited over a very short period of time.

Heiken, G.↗

Studies of volatiles in Apollo 17 samples and their implication to vapor transport processes

Flameless atomic absorption (FLAA), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and grain size separation techniques were adopted to analyze Pb, Cd, Zn and S in orange and black droplets from Apollo 17 samples. The FLAA and XPS investigations show volatile trace metal enrichment in smaller grain fractions (broken droplets); thus a part of the volatiles was probably deposited after break-up of the droplets. In addition, redistribution of the volatiles by a cratering event is indicated by continuous decreases in Pb and Cd with core depth. Studies of Zn on individual regolith grains are also reported.

Cirlin, E. H.↗

Analysis of effect of flameholder characteristics on lean, premixed, partially vaporized fuel-air mixtures quality and nitrogen oxides emissions

An analysis was conducted of the effect of flameholding devices on the precombustion fuel-air characteristics and on oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions for combustion of premixed partially vaporized mixtures. The analysis includes the interrelationships of flameholder droplet collection efficiency, reatomization efficiency and blockage, and the initial droplet size distribution and accounts for the contribution of droplet combustion in partially vaporized mixtures to NOx emissions. Application of the analytical procedures is illustrated and parametric predictions of NOx emissions are presented.

Cooper, L. P.↗

Protoplanetary core formation by rain-out of minerals

Models of giant protoplanets computed by DeCampli and Cameron (1979) show that Fe and other minerals in the planet interior are in a liquid state during one of the stages of protoplanet evolution. A model of coalescence of liquid drops was developed using the 'stochastic' collection equation of Slattery (1978); the growth times to droplets was much shorter than the period during which the drops are in a liquid state. Brownian collection quickly coalesced the tiny droplets to a radius of 0.005 cm; gravitational collection was required to form droplets of radii greater than 0.005 cm.

Slattery, W. L.↗

Correlations Among Ice Measurements, Impingement Rates Icing Conditions, and Drag Coefficients for Unswept NACA 65A004 Airfoil

An empirical relation has been obtained by which the change in drag coefficient caused by ice formations on an unswept NACA 65AO04 airfoil section can be determined from the following icing and operating conditions: icing time, airspeed, air total temperature, liquid-water content, cloud droplet impingement efficiencies, airfoil chord length, and angles of attack. The correlation was obtained by use of measured ice heights and ice angles. These measurements were obtained from a variety of ice formations, which were carefully photographed, cross-sectioned, and weighed. Ice weights increased at a constant rate with icing time in a rime icing condition and at progressively increasing rates in glaze icing conditions. Initial rates of ice collection agreed reasonably well with values predicted from droplet impingement data. Experimental droplet impingement rates obtained on this airfoil section agreed with previous theoretical calculations for angles of attack of 40 or less. Disagreement at higher angles of attack was attributed to flow separation from the upper surface of the experimental airfoil model.

Gray, Vernon H.↗

Determination of surface tension at the phase interface

A method was developed for determining the surface tension coefficient at the interface of two immiscible liquids or of a gas and a liquid. Basic in this method is the measurement of the capillary rise of a droplet of one of the phases placed on the surface of the other phase. It is shown that the capillary rise is a function of the surface energy of the droplet and the viscous friction of the phases. A mathematical model of the dynamics of a liquid droplet is supported by experiments.

Dobychin, Y. I.↗

Rime ice accretion and its effect on airfoil performance

A methodology was developed to predict the growth of rime ice, and the resulting aerodynamic penalty on unprotected, subcritical, airfoil surfaces. The system of equations governing the trajectory of a water droplet in the airfoil flowfield is developed and a numerical solution is obtained to predict the mass flux of super cooled water droplets freezing on impact. A rime ice shape is predicted. The effect of time on the ice growth is modeled by a time-stepping procedure where the flowfield and droplet mass flux are updated periodically through the ice accretion process. Two similarity parameters, the trajectory similarity parameter and accumulation parameter, are found to govern the accretion of rime ice. In addition, an analytical solution is presented for Langmuir's classical modified inertia parameter. The aerodynamic evaluation of the effect of the ice accretion on airfoil performance is determined using an existing airfoil analysis code with empirical corrections. The change in maximum lift coefficient is found from an analysis of the new iced airfoil shape. The drag correction needed due to the severe surface roughness is formulated from existing iced airfoil and rough airfoil data. A small scale wind tunnel test was conducted to determine the change in airfoil performance due to a simulated rime ice shape.

Bragg, M. B.↗

Experimental program on nucleation and structure in undercooled melts

Undercooling and structural refinements in droplets of molten metal levitated in an induction field and/or by dispersion in a fluid carrier were studied. Nickel base and lower melting point alloys levitated in molten carrier fluids are considered. The dispersion of molten alloy droplets in a high temperature fluid following the procedures developed by Perepezko and co-workers for lower melting point alloys; obtaining a similar dispersion by room temperature mechanical mixing of particles of the metal and solidified liquid carrier; and solidification of single relatively large droplets in a transparent fluid carrier, enabling high-speed temperature measurement of the recalescence and subsequent cooling behavior are described.

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