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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Blunt-Body Aerothermodynamic Database from High-Enthalpy CO2 Testing in an Expansion Tunnel

An extensive database of heating, pressure, and flow field measurements on a 70-deg sphere-cone blunt body geometry in high-enthalpy, CO2 flow has been generated through testing in an expansion tunnel. This database is intended to support development and validation of computational tools and methods to be employed in the design of future Mars missions. The test was conducted in an expansion tunnel in order to avoid uncertainties in the definition of free stream conditions noted in previous studies performed in reflected shock tunnels. Data were obtained across a wide range of test velocity/density conditions that produced various physical phenomena of interest, including laminar and transitional/turbulent boundary layers, non-reacting to completely dissociated post-shock gas composition and shock-layer radiation. Flow field computations were performed at the test conditions and comparisons were made with the experimental data. Based on these comparisons, it is recommended that computational uncertainties on surface heating and pressure, for laminar, reacting-gas environments can be reduced to +/-10% and +/-5%, respectively. However, for flows with turbulence and shock-layer radiation, there were not sufficient validation-quality data obtained in this study to make any conclusions with respect to uncertainties, which highlights the need for further research in these areas.

Hollis, Brian R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Growth and properties of amorphous silicon films grown using pulsed-flow reactive plasma beam epitaxy

The growth and properties of a-Si:H films grown using a novel deposition technique, reactive plasma beam epitaxy, are discussed. In this technique, a remote H plasma produced in a microwave-ECR reactor is used to grow a-Si:H films at low pressures. The H ions react with SiH4 introduced near the substrate to produce the film. The flow of SiH4 is pulsed on or off, thereby achieving in-situ annealing of the film during growth by H ions and radicals. The films produced by this technique appear to have good electronic quality, and are more stable than the standard glow discharge films.

Dalal, Vikram L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Laboratory Anion Chemistry: Implications for the DIBs, and a Potential Formation Mechanism for a Known Interstellar Molecule

Due to recent interest in molecular anions as possible interstellar species, we have carried out several laboratory studies of anion chemistry. The reactions of the series C(sub n)(sup -); and C(sub n)H(sup -) with H and H2 were studied to address the viability of such species in the diffuse interstellar medium and to address their ability to be carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). These same molecules were also reacted with N and O to show possible heteroatomic products. C(sub m)N(sup - was a particularly stable product from the reaction of C(sub n)(sup -) + N. C3N(sup -) was further reacted with H to study chemistry that could produce HC3N, a known interstellar species. The reactions were done in a flowing afterglow selected ion flow tube apparatus (FA-SIFT). The anions were generated in an electron impact or cold cathode discharge source and the anion of interest was then selected by a quadrupole mass filter. The selected ion was then reacted with the atomic or molecular species in the flow tube and products were detected by another quadrupole. While the C(sub n)(sup -) species do not appear to be viable DIB carriers, their possible presence could provide a mechanism for the formation of known heteroatomic neutral molecules detected in the interstellar medium (ISM).

Eichelberger, B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The flame structure and vorticity generated by a chemically reacting transverse jet

An analytical model describing the behavior of a turbulent fuel jet injected normally into a cross flow is developed. The model places particular emphasis on the contrarotating vortex pair associated with the jet, and predicts the flame length and shape based on entrainment of the oxidizer by the fuel jet. Effects of buoyancy and density variations in the flame are neglected in order to isolate the effects of large-scale mixing. The results are compared with a simulation of the transverse reacting jet in a liquid (acid-base) system. For a wide range of ratios of the cross flow to jet velocity, the model predicts flame length quite well. In particular, the observed transitional behavior in the flame length between cross-flow velocity to jet velocity of orifice ratios of 0.0 to 0.1, yielding an approximate minimum at the ratio 0.05, is reproduced very clearly by the present model. The transformation in flow structure that accounts for this minimum arises from the differing components of vorticity dominant in the near-field and far-field regions of the jet.

Karagozian, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Time accurate simulations of compressible shear flows

The objectives of this research are to employ direct numerical simulation (DNS) to study the phenomenon of mixing (or lack thereof) in compressible free shear flows and to suggest new means of enhancing mixing in such flows. The shear flow configurations under investigation are those of parallel mixing layers and planar jets under both non-reacting and reacting nonpremixed conditions. During the three-years of this research program, several important issues regarding mixing and chemical reactions in compressible shear flows were investigated.

Givi, Peyman↗
NASA NTRS1988

Thermal and pressure diffusion effects in high altitude flows

An apparently anomalous change in composition adjacent to a non-catalytic surface in an earlier DSMC calculation of a non-reacting gas mixture is shown to have been due to thermal diffusion. Both thermal and pressure diffusion can lead to species separation effects in the flow of gas mixtures, but are not generally included in Navier-Stokes formulations. Additional DSMC calculations are made for blunt-body and plume expansion flows using both a simple gas and an otherwise identical gas mixture. These test calculations indicate that the pressure distribution on the forward face of a blunt body is largely unaffected by the species separation in the stagnation region. The gas density in this region is significantly affected and there is a slight change in the heat transfer to the surface. The pressure distribution around the shoulder of the body is affected. Very large separations occur in the plume expansion of the gas mixtures and there is an order of magnitude increase in density in the backflow region for the mixture.

Bird, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Ignition dynamics of a laminar diffusion flame in the field of a vortex embedded in a shear flow

The role of streamwise-spanwise vorticity interactions that occur in turbulent shear flows on flame/vortex interactions is examined by means of asymptotic analysis and numerical simulation in the limit of small Mach number. An idealized model is employed to describe the interaction process. The model consists of a one-step, irreversible Arrhenius reaction between initially unmixed species occupying adjacent half-planes which are then allowed to mix and react in the presence of a streamwise vortex embedded in a shear flow. It is found that the interaction of the streamwise vortex with shear gives rise to small-scale velocity oscillations which increase in magnitude with shear strength. These oscillations give rise to regions of strong temperature gradients via viscous heating, which can lead to multiple ignition points and substantially decrease ignition times. The evolution in time of the temperature and mass-fraction fields is followed, and emphasis is placed on the ignition time and structure as a function of vortex and shear strength.

Macaraeg, Michele G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Collisionless conduction in a high-beta plasma: a collision operator for whistler turbulence

The regulation of electron heat transport in high-β, weakly collisional, magnetized plasma is investigated. A temperature gradient oriented along a mean magnetic field can induce a kinetic heat-flux-driven whistler instability (HWI), which back-reacts on the transport by scattering electrons and impeding their flow. Previous analytical and numerical studies have shown that the heat flux for the saturated HWI scales as β$^{-1}_{e}$. These numerical studies, however, had limited scale separation and consequently large fluctuation amplitudes, which calls into question their relevance at astrophysical scales. To this end, we perform a series of particle-in-cell simulations of the HWI across a range of β$_e$ and temperature-gradient length scales under two different physical set-ups. The saturated heat flux in all of our simulations follows the expected β$^{-1}_{e}$ scaling, supporting the robustness of the result. We also use our simulation results to develop and implement several methods to construct an effective collision operator for whistler turbulence. The results point to an issue with the standard quasi-linear explanation of HWI saturation, which is analogous to the well-known 90° scattering problem in the cosmic-ray community. Despite this limitation, the methods developed here can serve as a blueprint for future work seeking to characterize the effective collisionality caused by kinetic instabilities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1986

Thermodynamics and combustion modeling

Modeling fluid phase phenomena blends the conservation equations of continuum mechanics with the property equations of thermodynamics. The thermodynamic contribution becomes especially important when the phenomena involve chemical reactions as they do in combustion systems. The successful study of combustion processes requires (1) the availability of accurate thermodynamic properties for both the reactants and the products of reaction and (2) the computational capabilities to use the properties. A discussion is given of some aspects of the problem of estimating accurate thermodynamic properties both for reactants and products of reaction. Also, some examples of the use of thermodynamic properties for modeling chemically reacting systems are presented. These examples include one-dimensional flow systems and the internal combustion engine.

Zeleznik, Frank J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Combustion characteristics of gas turbine alternative fuels

An experimental investigation was conducted to obtain combustion performance values for specific heavyend, synthetic hydrocarbon fuels. A flame tube combustor modified to duplicate an advanced gas turbine engine combustor was used for the tests. Each fuel was tested at steady-state operating conditions over a range of mass flow rates, fuel-to-air mass ratio, and inlet air temperatures. The combustion pressure, as well as the hardware, were kept nearly constant over the program test phase. Test results were obtained in regards to geometric temperature pattern factors as a function of combustor wall temperatures, the combustion gas temperature, and the combustion emissions, both as affected by the mass flow rate and fuel-to-air ratio. The synthetic fuels were reacted in the combustor such that for most tests their performance was as good, if not better, than the baseline gasoline or diesel fuel tests. The only detrimental effects were that at high inlet air temperature conditions, fuel decomposition occurred in the fuel atomizing nozzle passages resulting in blockage. And the nitrogen oxide emissions were above EPA limits at low flow rate and high operating temperature conditions.

Rollbuhler, R. James↗
NASA NTRS1994

Self-Calibrating, Variable-Flow Pumping System

Pumping system provides accurate, controlled flows of two chemical liquids mixed in spray head and react to form rigid or flexible polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam. Compatible with currently used polyurethane-based coating materials and gas-bubble-forming agents (called "blowing agents" in industry) and expected to be compatible with materials that used in near future. Handles environmentally acceptable substitutes for chlorofluorocarbon foaming agents.

Walls, Joe T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Development and Validation of a Supersonic Helium-Air Coannular Jet Facility

Data are acquired in a simple coannular He/air supersonic jet suitable for validation of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) codes for high speed propulsion. Helium is employed as a non-reacting hydrogen fuel simulant, constituting the core of the coannular flow while the coflow is composed of air. The mixing layer interface between the two flows in the near field and the plume region which develops further downstream constitute the primary regions of interest, similar to those present in all hypersonic air breathing propulsion systems. A computational code has been implemented from the experiment's inception, serving as a tool for model design during the development phase.

Carty, Atherton A.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Quantitative Gas Property Measurements By Filtered Rayleigh Scattering: A Review

Filtered Rayleigh scattering (FRS) is a laser-based diagnostic technique used to nonintrusively quantify various thermodynamic properties of a light-scattering gas. The backbone of FRS is the molecular filtering of Rayleigh scattered light. This concept was initially introduced by the atmospheric LIDAR community before being adopted within the aerospace research field in the early 1990s. Since then, FRS has matured into a versatile quantitative diagnostic tool and has found use in a variety of flow regimes ranging from sub- to supersonic speeds in both reacting and nonreacting environments. This adoption can be attributed to the wealth of information that can be obtained via FRS, including the gas density, pressure, temperature, velocity, species composition, or, in some cases, several of these properties at once. This article reviews the current state of FRS methodology in recovering such gas properties. As knowledge of the fundamentals of Rayleigh scattering and spectral light filtering is crucial to the design of an FRS experiment, we begin by briefly reviewing these areas. Subsequently, we conduct a survey of experimental design strategies, assumptions, and data reduction methods used to measure different gas properties using FRS. We conclude the review with a short discussion on quantification of experimental uncertainty and future trends in FRS.

filtered Rayleigh scattering↗
NASA NTRS2001

Velocity Measurement in a Dual-Mode Supersonic Combustor using Particle Image Velocimetry

Temporally and spatially-resolved, two-component measurements of velocity in a supersonic hydrogen-air combustor are reported. The combustor had a single unswept ramp fuel injector and operated with an inlet Mach number of 2 and a flow total temperature approaching 1200 K. The experiment simulated the mixing and combustion processes of a dual-mode scramjet operating at a flight Mach number near 5. The velocity measurements were obtained by seeding the fuel with alumina particles and performing Particle Image Velocimetry on the mixing and combustion wake of the ramp injector. To assess the effects of combustion on the fuel air-mixing process, the distribution of time-averaged velocity and relative turbulence intensity was determined for the cases of fuel-air mixing and fuel-air reacting. Relative to the mixing case, the near field core velocity of the reacting fuel jet had a slower streamwise decay. In the far field, downstream of 4 to 6 ramp heights from the ramp base, the heat release of combustion resulted in decreased flow velocity and increased turbulence levels. The reacting measurements were also compared with a computational fluid dynamics solution of the flow field. Numerically predicted velocity magnitudes were higher than that measured and the jet penetration was lower.

Goyne, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A numerical method for predicting hypersonic flowfields

The flow about a body traveling at hypersonic speed is energetic enough to cause the atmospheric gases to chemically react and reach states in thermal nonequilibrium. The prediction of hypersonic flowfields requires a numerical method capable of solving the conservation equations of fluid flow, the chemical rate equations for specie formation and dissociation, and the transfer of energy relations between translational and vibrational temperature states. Because the number of equations to be solved is large, the numerical method should also be as efficient as possible. The proposed paper presents a fully implicit method that fully couples the solution of the fluid flow equations with the gas physics and chemistry relations. The method flux splits the inviscid flow terms, central differences of the viscous terms, preserves element conservation in the strong chemistry source terms, and solves the resulting block matrix equation by Gauss Seidel line relaxation.

Maccormack, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Hypersonic chemically reacting viscous shock layers over sphere-cones and cylinder-wedges

Hypersonic, nonequilibrium viscous flow over nonanalytic blunt bodies is considered. The equations which govern the viscous shock-layer flow are presented and the method by which the equations are solved is discussed. The predictions of the present finite-difference method are compared with other numerical predictions as well as with experimental data. Three flow conditions are considered; the experimental, wind tunnel conditions of Pappas and Lee for a 7.5 deg sphere-cone at Mach 13 and two cases considered by Kang and Dunn, a 9 deg sphere-cone at 233,000 ft and a 20 deg sphere-cone at 280 and 310 Kft. The predictions of the present method agreed well with the experimental heat-transfer data, but substantial differences were found between the present predictions and the more approximate predictions of Kang and Dunn for heat-transfer distributions and temperature profiles.

Miner, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A numerical method for predicting hypersonic flowfields

The flow about a body traveling at hypersonic speed is energetic enough to cause the atmospheric gases to react chemically and reach states in thermal nonequilibrium. In this paper, a new procedure based on Gauss-Seidel line relaxation is shown to solve the equations of hypersonic flow fields containing finite reaction rate chemistry and thermal nonequilibrium. The method requires a few hundred time steps and small computer times for axisymmetric flows about simple body shapes. The extension to more complex two-dimensional body geometries appears straightforward.

Maccormack, Robert W.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Reactive Flow Characteristic Equations

The characteristic equations are derived for the reactive flow PDEs in 1-dimension with 1 irreversible reaction. They differ from the non-reacting case only by source terms proportional to the reaction rate.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗