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At least 91 records · Page 5

Computational Study of Fluidic Thrust Vectoring using Separation Control in a Nozzle

A computational investigation of a two- dimensional nozzle was completed to assess the use of fluidic injection to manipulate flow separation and cause thrust vectoring of the primary jet thrust. The nozzle was designed with a recessed cavity to enhance the throat shifting method of fluidic thrust vectoring. The structured-grid, computational fluid dynamics code PAB3D was used to guide the design and analyze over 60 configurations. Nozzle design variables included cavity convergence angle, cavity length, fluidic injection angle, upstream minimum height, aft deck angle, and aft deck shape. All simulations were computed with a static freestream Mach number of 0.05. a nozzle pressure ratio of 3.858, and a fluidic injection flow rate equal to 6 percent of the primary flow rate. Results indicate that the recessed cavity enhances the throat shifting method of fluidic thrust vectoring and allows for greater thrust-vector angles without compromising thrust efficiency.

Deere, Karen↗

Contrasting Stratospheric Smoke Mass and Lifetime From 2017 Canadian and 2019/2020 Australian Megafires: Global Simulations and Satellite Observations

Stratospheric injections of carbonaceous aerosols and combustion gases by extreme wildfires have become increasingly common. Recent “megafires,” particularly large and intense fires, delivered particulate burdens to the lower stratosphere comparable to those of moderate volcanic eruptions. The 2017 Canadian megafire generated four large Pyrocumulonimbi (pyroCbs), injecting up to ≈0.3 Tg of smoke in the lower stratosphere. Even more extreme, the 2019/2020 Australian event produced a pyroCb activity resulting in stratospheric smoke intrusions of ≈1 Tg. To understand their contrasting behavior, we present global climate simulations of the atmospheric response to these events, applying smoke burdens informed by remote observations. Model outcomes, compared to satellite data of smoke transport, reproduce reasonably well the initial plume rise, at 0.2–0.3 km/day, attaining heights of ≈20 km in Canada and above 30 km in Australia. Global dispersal of the plume occurs within about 3 weeks in both cases, consistent with observations. Smoke removal timescales, ≈5 months for the Canadian megafire, agree with remote measurements. During the Australian megafire, observations indicate stratospheric injections three times as large, and models predict comparatively longer smoke lifetimes, ≈16 months. After the latter event, atmospheric optical depths and radiative cooling achieved values close to those measured following the Pinatubo eruption. Sensitivity tests of model assumptions indicate, in accord with prior studies, that smoke burden, injection heights, and black carbon content can determine plume evolution and possible climate impacts. An empirical relation between peak heights of stratospheric plumes and lifetimes is derived that can help assess megafire impacts on the stratosphere, climate and the Earth system

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Stabilising falling liquid film flows using feedback control

Falling liquid films become unstable due to inertial effects when the fluid layer is sufficiently thick or the slope sufficiently steep. This free surface flow of a single fluid layer has industrial applications including coating and heat transfer, which benefit from smooth and wavy interfaces, respectively. Here, we discuss how the dynamics of the system are altered by feedback controls based on observations of the interface height, and supplied to the system via the perpendicular injection and suction of fluid through the wall. In this study, we model the system using both Benney and weighted-residual models that account for the fluid injection through the wall. We find that feedback using injection and suction is a remarkably effective control mechanism: the controls can be used to drive the system towards arbitrary steady states and travelling waves, and the qualitative effects are independent of the details of the flow modelling. Furthermore, we show that the system can still be successfully controlled when the feedback is applied via a set of localised actuators and only a small number of system observations are available, and that this is possible using both static (where the controls are based on only the most recent set of observations) and dynamic (where the controls are based on an approximation of the system which evolves over time) control schemes. This study thus provides a solid theoretical foundation for future experimental realisations of the active feedback control of falling liquid films.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Numerical Investigation and Optimization of a Flushwall Injector for Scramjet Applications at Hypervelocity Flow Conditions

An investigation utilizing Reynolds-averaged simulations (RAS) was performed in order to find optimal designs for an interdigitated flushwall injector suitable for scramjet applications at hypervelocity conditions. The flight Mach number, duct height, spanwise width, and injection angle were the design variables selected to maximize two objective functions: the thrust potential and combustion efficiency. A Latin hypercube sampling design-of-experiments method was used to select design points for RAS. A methodology was developed that automated building geometries and generating grids for each design. The ensuing RAS analysis generated the performance database from which the two objective functions of interest were computed using a one-dimensional performance utility. The data were fitted using four surrogate models: an artificial neural network (ANN) model, a cubic polynomial, a quadratic polynomial, and a Kriging model. Variance-based decomposition showed that both objective functions were primarily driven by changes in the duct height. Multiobjective design optimization was performed for all four surrogate models via a genetic algorithm method. Optimal solutions were obtained at the upper and lower bounds of the flight Mach number range. The Kriging model obtained an optimal solution set that predicted high values for both objective functions. Additionally, three challenge points were selected to assess the designs on the Pareto fronts. Further sampling among the designs of the Pareto fronts are required in order to lower the errors and perform more accurate surrogate-based optimization. sed optimization.

Shenoy, Rajiv R.↗

Numerical Investigation and Optimization of a Flushwall Injector for Scramjet Applications at Hypervelocity Flow Conditions

An investigation utilizing Reynolds-averaged simulations (RAS) was performed in order to demonstrate the use of design and analysis of computer experiments (DACE) methods in Sandia’s DAKOTA software package for surrogate modeling and optimization. These methods were applied to a flow- path fueled with an interdigitated flushwall injector suitable for scramjet applications at hyper- velocity conditions and ascending along a constant dynamic pressure flight trajectory. The flight Mach number, duct height, spanwise width, and injection angle were the design variables selected to maximize two objective functions: the thrust potential and combustion efficiency. Because the RAS of this case are computationally expensive, surrogate models are used for optimization. To build a surrogate model a RAS database is created. The sequence of the design variables comprising the database were generated using a Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method. A methodology was also developed to automatically build geometries and generate structured grids for each design point. The ensuing RAS analysis generated the simulation database from which the two objective functions were computed using a one-dimensionalization (1D) of the three-dimensional simulation data. The data were fitted using four surrogate models: an artificial neural network (ANN), a cubic polynomial, a quadratic polynomial, and a Kriging model. Variance-based decomposition showed that both objective functions were primarily driven by changes in the duct height. Multiobjective design optimization was performed for all four surrogate models via a genetic algorithm method. Optimal solutions were obtained at the upper and lower bounds of the flight Mach number range. The Kriging model predicted an optimal solution set that exhibited high values for both objective functions. Additionally, three challenge points were selected to assess the designs on the Pareto fronts. Further sampling among the designs of the Pareto fronts may be required to lower the surrogate model errors and perform more accurate surrogate-model-based optimization.

Shenoy, Rajiv R.↗

Transplantation of dedifferentiation fat cells promotes intervertebral disc regeneration in a rat intervertebral disc degeneration model

Our group has reported that mature adipocyte-derived dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells show multilineage differentiation potential similar to that observed in mesenchymal stem cells. In the present study, we examined whether DFAT cell transplantation could contribute to intervertebral disc regeneration using a rat intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) model. The IDD was created in Sprague-Dawley rats by puncturing at level of caudal intervertebral disc under fluoroscopy. One week after injury, rat DFAT cells (5 × 10{sup 4}, DFAT group, n = 13) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, control group, n = 13) were injected into the intervertebral disc. Percent disc height index (%DHI) was measured every week and histology of injured disc was evaluated at 8 weeks after transplantation. Radiographic analysis revealed that the %DHI in the DFAT group significantly higher than that in the control group at 2–3 weeks after transplantation. Histological analysis revealed that ectopic formation of nucleus pulposus (NP)-like tissue at the outer layer of annulus fibrosus was frequently observed in the DFAT group but not in the control group. Transplantation experiments using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled DFAT cells revealed that the ectopic NP-like tissue was positive for GFP, suggesting direct differentiation of DFAT cells into NP-like cells. In conclusion, DFAT cell transplantation promoted the regeneration of intervertebral disc and improved intervertebral disc height in the rat IDD model. Because adipose tissue is abundant and easily accessible, DFAT cell transplantation may be an attractive therapeutic strategy against IDD. - Highlights: • Dedifferentiated fat cells (DFATs) are adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem-like cells. • DFAT injection increases disc height in a rat intervertebral disc degeneration model. • Transplanted DFATs directly differentiate into the nucleus pulposus-like tissue. • DFATs may be an attractive cell source for intervertebral disc degeneration.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Simulating Droplet-Resolved Haze and Cloud Chemistry Forming Secondary Organic Aerosols in Turbulent Conditions within Laboratory and Cloud Parcels

Most of our existing knowledge of cloud chemistry in regards to forming secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is based on measurements in bulk aqueous solutions. However, SOA reaction kinetics derived from bulk solution measurements might differ from the kinetics in actual cloud droplets, since turbulent mixing and ionic strengths, and ratio of surface area to volume in individual cloud droplets might vary substantially from bulk solutions in the real atmosphere. Three-dimensional models at various scales have been used to simulate aqueous chemistry. However, most of these models do not resolve turbulence down to the smallest length scales of 1 mm and do not simulate cloud chemistry in individual cloud droplets due to large computational costs. Here we incorporate the formation of isoprene epoxydiol SOA (IEPOX-SOA) in individual droplets within a one-dimensional explicit mixing parcel model (EMPM-Chem). We apply EMPM-Chem to simulate turbulence and droplet-resolved IEPOX-SOA formation using a configuration based on the Michigan Tech Pi chamber. We find that the dissolution of IEPOX gases is weighted more towards larger cloud droplets due to their large liquid water content (compared to smaller droplets), while the conversion of dissolved IEPOX to IEPOX-SOA is much greater within smaller deliquesced haze particles due to their higher acidity and ionic strengths compared to cloud droplets. We also find that as droplet residence times increase in the chamber, e.g., due to increasing ammonium bisulfate seed aerosol injection rates and/or increasing heights of the chamber, formation of IEPOX-SOA increases substantially. Thus, our EMPM-Chem model could be used to design future cloud chambers to maximize SOA production from cloud chemistry. We also apply the EMPM-Chem model to simulate how IEPOX-SOA formation evolves in individual cloud droplets within rising cloudy parcels in the atmosphere. We find that as subsaturated air is entrained into and turbulently mixed with the cloud parcel, evaporation causes a reduction in droplet sizes, which leads to corresponding increases in per droplet ionic strength and acidity. Increased droplet acidity in turn greatly accelerates the kinetics of IEPOX-SOA formation. In conclusion, our results provide key insights into single-cloud-droplet chemistry, suggesting that entrainment mixing may be an important process that increases SOA formation in the real atmosphere.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The electronic states of ITO–MoS2: Experiment and theory

Abstract We report a combination of experimental results with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to understand electronic structure of indium tin oxide and molybdenum disulfide (ITO–MoS 2 ) interface. Our results indicate ITO and MoS 2 conform an n-type Schottky barrier of c.a. − 1.0 eV due to orbital interactions; formation of an ohmic contact is caused by semiconducting and metal behavior of ITO as a function of crystal plane orientation. ITO introduces energy levels around the Fermi level in all interface models in the Γ-Μ-Κ-Γ path. The resulted Van der Waals interface and the values of Schottky barrier height enhance electron carrier injection. Graphical abstract

López-Galán, Oscar A. (ORCID:0000000292912562)↗

A systematic experimental and computational investigation of a class of contoured wall fuel injectors

The performance of contoured wall fuel injectors for scramjet engine applications is considered. These fuel injectors were aimed at augmenting mixing through axial vorticity production arising from interaction of the fuel/air interface with an oblique shock. The effects of incoming boundary layer height, injector spacing, and injectant to freestream pressure and velocity ratios are examined. Results from 3D flow field surveys and Navier-Stokes simulations are presented.

Waitz, Ian A.↗

Surrogate Modeling and Optimization of a Combustor with an Interdigitated Flushwall Injector

Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments (DACE) methods are applied and used to perform surrogate modeling and optimization of a simplified combustor flowpath with an interdigitated flushwall injector. The objectives of the optimization are the thrust potential and combustion efficiency, which are evaluated across a range of flight Mach numbers, duct heights, spanwise spacings, and injection angles. The focus of this work is to highlight the application of a sequential learning approach, in order to learn about the responses of the objective functions over the design space and to identify local regions of interest for further analysis. This approach is contrasted to a previous effort where only a single sampling set was used to fit surrogate models and perform optimization. The optimal solutions resulting from the previous and present approaches are different, due to surrogate model-guided local refinement of the design space allowed by the sequential learning method. The values of the global error estimates between the previous and present approaches are comparable, but the sequential method proved more computationally cost-effective. Further refinement in the optimal regions might be needed to improve predictive capability of surrogate models and to obtain the optimal solutions sets.

Rajiv R Shenoy↗

Quantifying the Source Term and Uniqueness of the August 12, 2017 Pacific Northwest PyroCb Event

A pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) firestorm event known as the Pacific Northwest Event (PNE), on August 12, 2017, is examined with a focus on newly reported details of the pyroconvective injections, transport pathway, and young-plume altitude. Because PNE and a subsequent pyroCb event in Australia have been compared to classic stratospheric volcanic plumes, a prime motivation for this work was to exhaustively characterize the beginning of PNE, and to show how it compared to major stratospheric plumes from prior events. We find and report direct evidence that PNE pyroconvection involved seven discrete storms, at least two of which injected a plume to at least 13.7 km, up to 2.5 km above the local tropopause. The morning after, stratospheric smoke was observed above the tropopause to altitudes as great as 16 km. We also quantify for the first time that PNE was preceded by a pyroCb injection one day earlier, generating a plume noteworthy on its own but overwhelmed by the PNE smoke. Our comparison of PNE with five earlier pyroCb events reveals that PNE was not distinctive with respect to its injection and nascent plume height. However, it did produce the greatest known ultraviolet absorbing aerosol index and plume longevity as of 2017.

MISR↗

Schottky barrier height measurements of Cu/Si(001), Ag/Si(001), and Au/Si(001) interfaces utilizing ballistic electron emission microscopy and ballistic hole emission microscopy

The Schottky barrier heights of both n and p doped Cu/Si(001), Ag/Si(001), and Au/Si(001) diodes were measured using ballistic electron emission microscopy and ballistic hole emission microscopy (BHEM), respectively. Measurements using both forward and reverse ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) and (BHEM) injection conditions were performed. The Schottky barrier heights were found by fitting to a linearization of the power law form of the Bell-Kaiser BEEM model. The sum of the n-type and p-type barrier heights are in good agreement with the band gap of silicon and independent of the metal utilized. The Schottky barrier heights are found to be below the region of best fit for the power law form of the BK model, demonstrating its region of validity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Line spread instrumentation for propagation measurements

A line spread device capable of yielding direct measure of a laser beam's line spread function (LSF) was developed and employed in propagation tests conducted in a wind tunnel to examine optimal acoustical suppression techniques for laser cavities exposed to simulated aircraft aerodynamic environments. Measurements were made on various aerodynamic fences and cavity air injection techniques that effect the LSF of a propagating laser. Using the quiescent tunnel as a control, the relative effect of each technique on laser beam quality was determined. The optical instrument employed enabled the comparison of relative beam intensity for each fence or mass injection. It was found that fence height had little effect on beam quality but fence porosity had a marked effect, i.e., 58% porosity alleviated cavity resonance and degraded the beam the least. Mass injection had little effect on the beam LSF. The use of a direct LSF measuring device proved to be a viable means of determining aerodynamic seeing qualities of flow fields.

Bailey, W. H., Jr.↗

The Long-term Transport and Radiative Impacts of the 2017 British Columbia Pyrocumulonimbus Smoke Aerosols in the Stratosphere

Interactions of meteorology with wildfires in British Columbia, Canada during August 2017 led to three major pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) events that resulted in the injection of large amounts of smoke aerosols and other combustion products at the local upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). These plumes of UTLS smoke with elevated values of aerosol extinction and backscatter compared to the background state were readily tracked by multiple satellite-based instruments as they spread across the Northern Hemisphere (NH). The plumes were observed in the lower stratosphere for about 8-10 months following the fire injections, with a stratospheric aerosol e-folding time of about 5 months. To investigate the radiative impacts of these events on the Earth system, we performed a number of simulations with the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). Observations from multiple remote-sensing instruments were used to calibrate the injection parameters (location, amount, composition and heights) and optical properties of the smoke aerosols in the model. The resulting simulations of three-dimensional smoke transport were evaluated for a year from the day of injections using daily observations from OMPS-LP (Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite Limb Profiler). The model simulated rate of ascent, hemispheric spread and residence time (or e-folding time) of the smoke aerosols in the stratosphere are in close agreement with OMPS-LP observations. We found that both aerosol self-lofting and the large-scale atmospheric motion play important roles in lifting the smoke plumes from near the tropopause altitudes (~12 km) to about 22-23 km into the atmosphere. Further, our estimations of the radiative impacts of the pyroCb-emitted smoke aerosols showed that the smoke caused an additional warming of the atmosphere by about 0.6-1 W/m2 (zonal mean) that persisted for about 2-3 months after the injections in regions north of 40oN. The surface experienced a comparable magnitude of cooling. The atmospheric warming is mainly located in the stratosphere, coincident with the location of the smoke plumes, leading to an increase in zonal mean shortwave (SW) heating rates of 0.02-0.04 K/day during September 2017.

pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) events↗

Molybdenum Contacts to MoS 2 Field‐Effect Transistors: Schottky Barrier Extraction, Electrical Transport, and Low‐Frequency Noise

MoS 2 has great interest for nanoscale electronic devices, including transistors and sensors. Defect‐free structure, clean interface with the gate dielectric, and metals with suitable metal–semiconductor junctions are key for reliable devices. Molybdenum is shown as an excellent electrode for MoS 2 field‐effect transistors (FETs), but the correlation among device current, field‐effect mobility, and the low‐frequency noise (LFN) with number of atomic layers is not studied. Furthermore, the impact of Mo/MoS 2 Schottky barrier on electronic injection and scattering in the device needs to be understood. Herein, by studying the FETs with channels of different numbers of atomic‐layer thicknesses, it is shown that a molybdenum metal contact to MoS 2 provides reliable current injection with low Schottky barrier height, low contact resistance, low electron–phonon scattering, and negligible impurity scattering. The mobility and LFN are optimal at a channel thickness of ≈12 atomic layers, which is consistent with the “mobility maximum window” in MoS 2 transistors with prior studies using other contact metals.

Kwon, Jiseok↗

Conduction of Metal–Thin Organic Film–Metal Junctions at Low Bias

A model for the low bias electric conductance of junctions, consisting of a thin organic film (TOF) positioned between two metallic electrodes (M), has been created. In contrast with other theoretical studies, the proposed model relies on the energy band picture of M–TOF–M systems. Theoretical analysis of the band-like transport has shown that the electronic flow between metallic electrodes can exist in M–TOF–M junctions only if injected charge carriers are able to overcome the potential barrier with the thickness-dependent height. Such an obstacle to the motion of injected charges in the TOF conduction band arises due to the bending of this band caused by carriers localized in structural traps. Two regimes of the zero bias conductance of M–TOF–M junctions have been studied theoretically for situations, where charges overcome the thickness-dependent barrier undergoing either thermally activated or tunneling transitions. Analytical expressions derived for the zero bias conduction in these two regimes enable us to specify key physical parameters controlling charge transport across the film and provide results consistent with observations. On the basis of our findings, we infer that thermally activated and tunneling conductances can be distinguished by temperature and thickness dependencies. Theoretical results obtained for the electric conductance of M–TOF–M systems in the tunneling regime are compared with those obtained for assemblies in which TOF has been replaced by a single molecule. Furthermore, distinctions between transport properties of these two systems and their similarities resulting from the present model are reported on.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of metal contacts for two-dimensional MoS{sub 2} nanoflakes

While layered materials are increasingly investigated for their potential in nanoelectronics, their functionality and efficiency depend on charge injection into the materials via metallic contacts. This work explores the characteristics of different metals (aluminium, tungsten, gold, and platinum) deposited on to nanostructured thin films made of two-dimensional (2D) MoS{sub 2} flakes. Metals are chosen based on their work functions relative to the electron affinity of MoS{sub 2}. It is observed, and analytically verified that lower work functions of the contact metals lead to smaller Schottky barrier heights and consequently higher charge carrier injection through the contacts.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Some new results on electron transport in the atmosphere

The penetration, diffusion and slowing down of electrons in a semi-infinite air medium has been studied by the Monte Carlo method. The results are applicable to the atmosphere at altitudes up to 300 km. Most of the results pertain to monoenergetic electron beams injected into the atmosphere at a height of 300 km, either vertically downwards or with a pitch-angle distribution isotropic over the downward hemisphere. Some results were also obtained for various initial pitch angles between 0 deg and 90 deg. Information has been generated concerning the following topics: (1) the backscattering of electrons from the atmosphere, expressed in terms of backscattering coefficients, angular distributions and energy spectra of reflected electrons, for incident energies T(o) between 2 keV and 2 MeV; (2) energy deposition by electrons as a function of the altitude, down to 80 km, for T(o) between 2 keV and 2 MeV; (3) the corresponding energy depostion by electron-produced bremsstrahlung, down to 30 km; (4) the evolution of the electron flux spectrum as function of the atmospheric depth, for T(o) between 2 keV and 20 keV. Energy deposition results are given for incident electron beams with exponential and power-exponential spectra.

Berger, M. J.↗