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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 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Collisionless isotropization of the solar-wind protons by compressive fluctuations and plasma instabilities

Compressive fluctuations are a minor yet significant component of astrophysical plasma turbulence. In the solar wind, long-wavelength compressive slow-mode fluctuations lead to changes in β{sub ∥p}≡8πn{sub p}k{sub B}T{sub ∥p}/B{sup 2} and in R{sub p}≡T{sub ⊥p}/T{sub ∥p}, where T{sub ⊥p} and T{sub ∥p} are the perpendicular and parallel temperatures of the protons, B is the magnetic field strength, and n{sub p} is the proton density. If the amplitude of the compressive fluctuations is large enough, R{sub p} crosses one or more instability thresholds for anisotropy-driven microinstabilities. The enhanced field fluctuations from these microinstabilities scatter the protons so as to reduce the anisotropy of the pressure tensor. We propose that this scattering drives the average value of R{sub p} away from the marginal stability boundary until the fluctuating value of R{sub p} stops crossing the boundary. We model this “fluctuating-anisotropy effect” using linear Vlasov–Maxwell theory to describe the large-scale compressive fluctuations. We argue that this effect can explain why, in the nearly collisionless solar wind, the average value of R{sub p} is close to unity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Origin of Compressible Magnetic Turbulence in the Very Local Interstellar Medium

Voyager 1 observed compressible magnetic turbulence in the very local interstellar medium (VLISM). We show that inner heliosheath (IHS) fast- and slow-mode waves incident on the heliopause (HP) generate VLISM fast-mode waves only that propagate into the VLISM. We suggest that this is the origin of compressible turbulence in the VLISM. We show that fast- and slow-mode waves transmitted across a tangential discontinuity such as the HP are strongly refracted on crossing the HP and subsequently propagate at highly oblique angles to the VLISM magnetic field. Thus, fast-mode waves in the VLISM contribute primarily to the compressible and not the transverse components of the VLISM fluctuating magnetic field variance 〈δ B-hat {sup 2}〉 since 〈δ B-hat {sub fz}{sup 2}〉≠0 and 〈δ B-hat {sub fx,fy}{sup 2}〉≃0. If the fast- and slow-mode waves in the IHS exhibit a Kolmogorov-like k{sup −5/3} power spectral density, as appears to be observed by Voyager 1, then the corresponding transmitted spectral density in the VLISM forms an amplified k{sup −5/3} power law. Consequently, the HP “radiates” fast-mode fluctuations into the VLISM, and the heliosphere therefore mediates the character of turbulence in the VLISM. In particular, we predict the form of the VLISM magnetic turbulence power spectral density to be a superposition of the background pristine interstellar turbulence spectrum and the fast-mode spectrum generated by the interaction of fast- and slow-mode IHS waves with the HP, i.e., a power law with an enhanced feature or “bump” corresponding to the contribution by fast-mode turbulence radiated by the HP. We note the applicability of these results to the generation of compressible turbulence in the local interstellar medium surrounding the asterospheres of stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Roles of Fluid Compression and Shear in Electron Energization during Magnetic Reconnection

Particle acceleration in space and astrophysical reconnection sites is an important unsolved problem in studies of magnetic reconnection. Earlier kinetic simulations have identified several acceleration mechanisms that are associated with particle drift motions. Here, we show that, for sufficiently large systems, the energization processes due to particle drift motions can be described as fluid compression and shear, and that the shear energization is proportional to the pressure anisotropy of energetic particles. By analyzing results from fully kinetic simulations, we show that the compression energization dominates the acceleration of high-energy particles in reconnection with a weak guide field, and the compression and shear effects are comparable when the guide field is 50% of the reconnecting component. Spatial distributions of those energization effects reveal that reconnection exhausts, contracting islands, and island-merging regions are the three most important regions for compression and shear acceleration. This study connects particle energization by particle guiding-center drift motions with that due to background fluid motions, as in the energetic particle transport theory. It provides foundations for building particle transport models for large-scale reconnection acceleration such as those in solar flares.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the Existence of Fast Modes in Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

Abstract We study the existence and properties of fast magnetosonic modes in 3D compressible MHD turbulence by carrying out a number of simulations with compressible and incompressible driving conditions. We use two approaches to determine the presence of fast modes: mode decomposition based on spatial variations only and spatio-temporal 4D fast Fourier transform (4D FFT) analysis of all fluctuations. The latter method enables us to quantify fluctuations that satisfy the dispersion relation of fast modes with finite frequency. Overall, we find that the fraction of fast modes identified via the spatio-temporal 4D FFT approach in total fluctuation power is either tiny with nearly incompressible driving or ∼2% with highly compressible driving. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding the compressible fluctuations in space and astrophysical plasmas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nature and Scalings of Density Fluctuations of Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence with Applications to the Solar Wind

Abstract The solar wind is a magnetized and turbulent plasma. Its turbulence is often dominated by Alfvénic fluctuations and often deemed as nearly incompressible far away from the Sun, as shown by in situ measurements near 1 au. However, for solar wind closer to the Sun, the plasma β decreases (often lower than unity) while the turbulent Mach number M t increases (can approach unity, e.g., transonic fluctuations). These conditions could produce significantly more compressible effects, characterized by enhanced density fluctuations, as seen by several space missions. In this paper, a series of 3D MHD simulations of turbulence are carried out to understand the properties of compressible turbulence, particularly the generation of density fluctuations. We find that, over a broad range of parameter space in plasma β , cross helicity, and polytropic index, the turbulent density fluctuations scale linearly as a function of M t , with the scaling coefficients showing weak dependence on parameters. Furthermore, through detailed spatiotemporal analysis, we show that the density fluctuations are dominated by low-frequency nonlinear structures, rather than compressible MHD eigenwaves. These results could be important for understanding how compressible turbulence contributes to solar wind heating near the Sun.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

DME-Propane Ignition Delay Time Measurements at Mixing Controlled Compression Ignition Engine-Relevant Conditions

The blend of dimethyl ether (DME, CH 3 OCH 3 ) and propane (C 3 H 8 ) is a potentially renewable fuel mixture that has the potential to replace diesel in compression ignition engines. The combination can potentially reduce particulate and greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional diesel engine operating under similar conditions. However, detailed conceptual and simulation studies must be conducted before adopting a new fuel on a compression ignition engine. For these simulations, accurate chemical kinetic models are necessary. However, the validity of chemical kinetic mechanisms in the literature is unknown for mixing controlled compression ignition (MCCI) engine operating conditions. Hence, in this work, we studied the ignition of dimethyl ether (DME) and propane blends in a shock tube at MCCI engine conditions. Ignition delay time (IDT) data was collected behind the reflected shock for DME-propane mixtures for heavy-duty compression ignition (CI) engine parameters. Undiluted experiments spanning temperatures of 700 to 1100 K and pressures of 55 to 84 bar for various blends (100% CH 3 OCH 3 / 0% C 3 H 8, 100% C 3 H 8 / 0% CH 3 OCH 3 , 60% CH 3 OCH 3 / 40% C 3 H 8 ) of DME and propane were combusted in synthetic air (21% O 2 / 79% N 2 ). Some experiments were conducted at higher pressures (90-120 bar) to understand model performance at these conditions. Comparisons of IDT were made with the predictions of recent chemical kinetic mechanisms for DME-propane mixture, including the Aramco3.0, NUIG, and Dames et al. mechanisms. All mechanisms overpredicted IDT compared to experimental values. Sensitivity analysis was conducted with Dames et al. model, and critical reactions sensitive to IDT of DME-propane mixture near 100 bar are outlined.

Mohammed, Zuhayr Pasha↗
DOE OSTI2023

Soot Formation and Ignition Characteristics of Ethanol/Gasoline Blends in a Rapid Compression Machine

With the ever-increasing demand for sustainable energy, alcohol fuels have garnered interest for use in heavy duty engines. The significant infrastructure for ethanol production and blending of ethanol with gasoline make these fuels/fuel blends desirable candidates. However, development of heavy duty engine technology that is capable of burning alcohol fuels while retaining the advantages of traditional diesel combustion requires an improved understanding of the soot formation for these fuels under conditions relevant to mixing-controlled combustion. This work uses an extinction diagnostic to study the sooting tendency of ethanol and gasoline/ethanol blends ranging from E10 to E98 during ignition in a homogeneous environment. Experiments were conducted in a rapid compression machine (RCM) for compressed conditions of 20 ± 1 bar and an approximately constant temperature (± 10K) which was unique for each fuel. For a given soot volume fraction, a linear relationship was observed between ethanol content and the equivalence ratio in which that soot volume fraction was formed. Accounting for the oxygenated nature of ethanol, E85 and E98 fuels produced similar amounts of soot at a given Φ ox, , suggesting other factors outside of fuel oxygen content, such as fuel morphology, impact soot formation. Ignition delay data is reported for compressed pressures of 20 ± 1 bar and compressed temperatures ranging from 633 – 670 K for E10 and 771 – 789 K for E98. Varying pressures for E10 and E98 at conditions producing similar soot volume fractions demonstrated a linear dependence of soot formation on pressure, regardless of if the pressure considered was at top dead center or peak combustion pressure. Furthermore, the data gleaned from this work will be used to select soot models and chemical kinetic mechanisms for RCM simulations to ultimately model heavy duty engine technology with the studied fuels.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1971

Data compression system

A data compression system is described in which TV PCM data for each line scan is received in the form of a succession of multibit pixel words. All or selected bits of each word are compressed by providing difference values between successive pixel words and coding the difference values of a selected number of pixel words forming a block into a fundamental sequence (FS). The FS, based on its length and the number of words per block, is either transmitted as the compressed data or is used to generate a code FS or its complement is used to generate a code FS bar. When the code FS is generated, its length is compared with the original block PCM and only if the former is the shorter of the two is the code transmitted. Selected bits per pixel word may be compressed, while the remaining bits may be transmitted directly, or some of them may be omitted altogether.

Rice, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Data compression preserving statistical independence

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum points of evaluation of data compressed by means of polynomial smoothing. It is shown that a set y of m statistically independent observations Y(t sub 1), Y(t sub 2), ... Y(t sub m) of a quantity X(t), which can be described by a (n-1)th degree polynomial in time, may be represented by a set Z of n statistically independent compressed observations Z (tau sub 1), Z (tau sub 2),...Z (tau sub n), such that The compressed set Z has the same information content as the observed set Y. the times tau sub 1, tau sub 2,.. tau sub n are the zeros of an nth degree polynomial P sub n, to whose definition and properties the bulk of this report is devoted. The polynomials P sub n are defined as functions of the observation times t sub 1, t sub 2,.. t sub n, and it is interesting to note that if the observation times are continuously distributed the polynomials P sub n degenerate to legendre polynomials. The proposed data compression scheme is a little more complex than those usually employed, but has the advantage of preserving all the information content of the original observations.

Morduch, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

ERTS image data compression technique evaluation

The background and results of an investigation concerning the use of multispectral data compression in the ERTS program are presented. An average compression of greater than 2:1 has been achieved under the constraint of zero distortion in the reconstructed image, and four MSS tapes can be compressed to fill less than one reel of magnetic tape. A preliminary study of the hardware implementation of this processor proves the feasability of compression at input bit rates of over 100Mbs.

May, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Real time telemetry and data compression

The generation of telemetry and data compression by the flight program was verified. The adequacy of flight program telemetry control and timing is proven by the analysis of simulation laboratory runs of past programs through the use of telemetry. The telemetry data are correctly issued using specific tags called process input/output (P10) tags. Verification is accomplished by ensuring that a specific P10 tag and mode register setting identifies the correct parameter and that the data are properly scaled for subsequent ground station reduction. It was checked that the LVDC telemetry correctly adheres to the general requirements specified by the EDD. Data compression specifications are verified using compressed data from nominal flight simulations and from a series of perturbations designed to test data table overflows, data dump rates, and compression of data for occurrence events.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Super high compression of line drawing data

Models which can be used to accurately represent the type of line drawings which occur in teleconferencing and transmission for remote classrooms and which permit considerable data compression were described. The objective was to encode these pictures in binary sequences of shortest length but such that the pictures can be reconstructed without loss of important structure. It was shown that exploitation of reasonably simple structure permits compressions in the range of 30-100 to 1. When dealing with highly stylized material such as electronic or logic circuit schematics, it is unnecessary to reproduce configurations exactly. Rather, the symbols and configurations must be understood and be reproduced, but one can use fixed font symbols for resistors, diodes, capacitors, etc. Compression of pictures of natural phenomena such as can be realized by taking a similar approach, or essentially zero error reproducibility can be achieved but at a lower level of compression.

Cooper, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Thermally generated magnetic fields in laser-driven compressions and explosions

The evolution of thermally generated magnetic fields in a plasma undergoing a nearly spherically symmetric adiabatic compression or expansion is calculated. The analysis is applied to obtain approximate results for the development of magnetic fields in laser-driven compression and explosion of a pellet of nuclear fuel. Localized sources, such as those occurring at composition boundaries in structured pellets or at shock fronts, give stronger fields than those deriving from smoothly distributed asymmetries. Although these fields may approach 10 million G in the late stages of compression, this is not expected to present difficulties for the compression process. Assuming ignition of a nuclear explosion occurs, the sources become much stronger, and values of approximately 10 billion G are obtained at tamper boundaries assuming a 20% departure from spherical symmetry during the explosion.

Tidman, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Lunar topography and the limb compression source regions

Data from the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 laser altimeters have been used to study slopes, elevations, and roughness in the identifiable regions on the moon which sporadically produce plasma compressions and magnetic-field enhancements in the solar wind/lunar void boundary when those regions are at a flow limb. It is found that occurrence rates for such 'limb compressions' derived from Explorer 35 satellite measurements are significantly correlated with peak, average, and RMS slopes in the source regions, whereas rates derived from Apollo 15 and 16 subsatellite data are not correlated with topography. This suggests that two or more mechanisms operate in the source regions to produce limb compressions. Together with the known correlation between limb compressions and local surface remanent magnetic fields, the results indicate that lunar magnetization is not strongly related to surface features.

Srnka, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A bandwidth-compressive modulation system

The phrase 'bandwidth-compressive modulation' means that the compression is achieved not by removing redundancy from the data (data compression), but rather by modulating the carrier phase and amplitude with blocks of data bits. The modulation described here is quadrature amplitude shift keying (QASK), a logical extension of quadrature phase shift keying, (QPSK, or quadriphase). QASK is a cost-effective form of combined phase-and-amplitude modulation. That is, n-bit QASK, like most phase-amplitude forms of modulation, requires considerably less transmitter power than comparably performing n-PSK, while among the class of all n-bit phase-modulation types, n-bit QASK performs nearly optimally but requires the least circuit complexity. A simple, unique microwave transmitter is described which provides high-rate QASK modulation with 4:1 bandwidth compression. A suppressed carrier multiple-loop QASK receiver provides the necessary phase tracking, automatic gain control (AGC), and symbol timing.

Smith, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Real-time video compression algorithm for Hadamard transform processing

A real-time digital video processor using Hadamard transform techniques to reduce video bandwidth is described. The processor can be programmed with different parameters to investigate various algorithms for bandwidth compression. The processor is also adaptive in that it can select different parameter sets to tradeoff spatial resolution for temporal resolution in the regions of the picture that are moving. Algorithms used in programming the system are described along with results achieved at various levels of compression. The algorithms relate to spatial compression, temporal compression, and the adaptive selection of parameter sets.

Knauer, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Sources of lunar limb compressions - Topographic correlations

Apollo 15 and 16 subsatellite observations of lunar limb compressions in the solar wind have been studied statistically by correlating occurrence rates for the compressions with seven topographic parameters derived from Apollo laser altimetry, with the use of a 5-deg x 5-deg selenographic grid. Maximum, rms, and average sunset-facing slopes are significantly correlated with occurrence rates in the source regions, but no correlation with elevation differences is found. Variance percentages suggest that a slope-related source mechanism generates about 6-8% of the limb compressions originating in source areas covered by the laser altimetry. These results confirm the preliminary conclusions of an earlier statistical study, based on Explorer 35 limb-compression observations, which used a coarser 15-deg x 15-deg grid

Srnka, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Real-time video compression algorithm for Hadamard transform processing

A real-time digital video processor using Hadamard transform techniques to reduce video bandwidth is described. The processor can be programmed with different parameters to investigate various algorithms for bandwidth compression. The processor is also adaptive in that it can select different parameter sets to trade off spatial resolution for temporal resolution in the regions of the picture that are moving. Algorithms used in programming the system are described along with results achieved at various levels of compression. The algorithms relate to spatial compression, temporal compression, and the adaptive selection of parameter sets.

Knauer, S. C.↗