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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
DOE OSTI2024

Applying colloidal silica suspensions injection and sequential gelation to block vertical water flow in well annulus: laboratory testing on rheology, gelation, and injection

We evaluated the application of silica suspension injection and sequential gelation to block vertical water flow in the annuli of long-screened wells. First, we studied the viscosity, rheological behavior, and gelation performance of colloidal silica suspensions in batch tests. Then, we tested the injection of silica suspensions and the water flow blocking efficiency of the later formed silica gel in column and bench-scale sandbox experiments. Micron-sized fumed powder silica suspensions and nanosized silica suspensions recovered from geothermal fluids were tested in this work. Fumed silica suspensions showed shear thinning, while nanosized silica suspensions exhibited Newtonian flow behavior. During the gelation process, the nanosized silica suspension changed from a Newtonian fluid to a shear thinning fluid while increasing its overall viscosity. At comparable concentrations, the nanosized silica suspensions have much lower viscosity than that of the fumed silica suspensions. Increases in the Na + concentration and silica particle concentration in these suspensions shortened the gelation time. Silica suspension gelation in sand columns completely blocked the water flow and sustained the injection pressure up to 50 psig (344.7 kPa). A silica suspension was successfully injected into the target zone in the annulus of a bench-scale sandbox mimicking long-screened wells in the field. The silica gel formed in the annulus effectively blocked chemical transport through the gelled zone. Our research reveals that a process using silica suspension injection and sequential gelation technology is promising for blocking the vertical water flow and chemical transport through the filter pack in targeted zones within the annulus of long-screened well systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A New Flow-Through Balance for Retropropulsion Testing

Supersonic retropropulsion is believed to be an enabling technology for large-scale human Mars lander vehicle concepts. Ground testing of such vehicles requires the development of new flow-through wind tunnel balances because no suitable balances exist. A new flow-through balance is designed that employs membranes in place of bellows, which have historically been used, and that passes the flow through load bearing parts of the balance. Flow through the balance is optimized via the addition of flow guides, which are manufactured as separate parts, and attached to the balance. Calibration of this new flow-through balance demonstrates that it can suitably characterize the load and pressure ranges it was designed for, which provides aero researchers a new tool to directly measure supersonic retropropulsion performance of powered descent vehicles.

Flow through balance↗
DOE OSTI2015

INVESTIGATION OF HELIUM FLOW LAMINARIZATION AT HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HIGH PRESSURES IN A GRAPHITE FLOW CHANNEL

Abstract: Forced convection experiments were performed with helium to investigate thermal hydraulic phenomena in a heated graphite test section. Flow regimes include turbulent, transition and laminar flows with Reynolds numbers between 500 and 5,000. Experiments were performed with upward flow at different helium temperatures and pressures up to 550 oC and 61 bar, respectively, various flow rates (50-500 SLPM), and heater power up to 6.5 kW. The analyses of the experimental data showed significant reductions in the Reynolds number of up to 50% over the 2.7 m test section between the gas inlet and outlet. Flow laminarization caused by intense heating was defined to occur when the local Nusselt number decreased below 20% of the Nusselt number based on the Gnielinski correlation. In this study, a flow laminarization criterion was considered based on a dimensionless acceleration parameter (Kv) and buoyancy parameter (Bo). Experiments involved high heating rates leading to the wall-to-bulk temperature ratios ranging from 1.8 to 3.4, dimensionless heat flux (q+) from 1x10^-4 to 7x10^-3 and buoyancy parameter (Bo) from 0.001 to 0.5. The latter range covers a value of Bo˜0.1 that has previously been suggested to correspond to the onset of the influence of the buoyancy force.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Investigation of CO 2 capture using solid sorbents in a fluidized bed reactor: Cold flow hydrodynamics

Both experimental tests and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the fluidization behavior of a solid CO 2 sorbent with a mean diameter of 100 μm and density of about 480 kg/m, which belongs to Geldart's Group A powder. A carefully designed fluidized bed facility was used to perform a series of experimental tests to study the flow hydrodynamics. Numerical simulations using the two-fluid model indicated that the grid resolution has a significant impact on the bed expansion and bubbling flow behavior. Due to the limited computational resource, no good grid independent results were achieved using the standard models as far as the bed expansion is concerned. In addition, all simulations tended to under-predict the bubble size substantially. Effects of various model settings including both numerical and physical parameters have been investigated with no significant improvement observed. The latest filtered sub-grid drag model was then tested in the numerical simulations. Compared to the standard drag model, the filtered drag model with two markers not only predicted reasonable bed expansion but also yielded realistic bubbling behavior. As a result, a grid sensitivity study was conducted for the filtered sub-grid model and its applicability and limitation were discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1986

Laminar Flow Aircraft Certification

Various topics telative to laminar flow aircraft certification are discussed. Boundary layer stability, flaps for laminar flow airfoils, computational wing design studies, manufacturing requirements, windtunnel tests, and flow visualization are among the topics covered.

Williams, Louis J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Experimental Investigation of Flow Through an Asymmetrical Plane Diffuser

The objective of this study is to provide careful qualification and detailed measurements in a re-creation of the Obi experiment. The work will include extensive documentation of the flow two-dimensionality and detailed measurements required for testing of flow computations. Also important to this study is the close interaction of the experimental and computational groups to improve the utility of the data obtained and the accuracy of computation.

Buice, Carl U.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Design and Testing of a Shell-Flow Hollow-Fiber Venting Gas Trap

A Venting Gas Trap (VGT) was designed, built, and tested at NASA Johnson Space Center to eliminate dissolved and free gas from the circulating coolant loop of the Orion Environmental Control Life Support System. The VGT was downselected from two different designs. The VGT has robust operation, and easily met all the Orion requirements, especially size and weight. The VGT has a novel design with the gas trap made of a five-layer spiral wrap of porous hydrophobic hollow fibers that form a cylindrically shaped curtain terminated by a dome-shaped distal plug. Circulating coolant flows into the center of the cylindrical curtain and flows between the hollow fibers, around the distal plug, and exits the VGT outlet. Free gas is forced by the coolant flow to the distal plug and brought into contact with hollow fibers. The proximal ends of the hollow fibers terminate in a venting chamber that allows for rapid venting of the free gas inclusion, but passively limits the external venting from the venting chamber through two small holes in the event of a long-duration decompression of the cabin. The VGT performance specifications were verified in a wide range of flow rates, bubble sizes, and inclusion volumes. Long-duration and integrated Orion human tests of the VGT are also planned for the coming year.

Bue, Grant C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Tests of a 2-Stage, Axial-Flow, 2-Phase Turbine

A two phase flow turbine with two stages of axial flow impulse rotors was tested with three different working fluid mixtures at a shaft power of 30 kW. The turbine efficiency was 0.55 with nitrogen and water of 0.02 quality and 94 m/s velocity, 0.57 with Refrigerant 22 of 0.27 quality and 123 m/s velocity, and 0.30 with steam and water of 0.27 quality and 457 m/s velocity. The efficiencies with nitrogen and water and Refrigerant 22 were 86 percent of theoretical. At that fraction of theoretical, the efficiencies of optimized two phase turbines would be in the low 60 percent range with organic working fluids and in the mid 50 percent range with steam and water. The recommended turbine design is a two stage axial flow impulse turbine followed by a rotary separator for discharge of separate liquid and gas streams and recovery of liquid pressure.

Elliott, D. G.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Numerical investigation of the flow inside the helical coil steam generator test section - 18589

A Helical Coil Steam Generator (HCSG) is one type of heat exchangers used for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of heat transfer with low pressure drop in recent design of high temperature reactors (HTRs). To investigate the fluid phenomena around the coil bundle of HCSG, the experimental facility had been designed and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations had been conducted to compare the results of experimental ones. In this study, various types of turbulent models in the commercial CFD code (STAR-CCM+) were tested with various grid sizes on the target Reynolds number, Re{sub D} = 163,000, to enhance the validity of the simulation result. The computational domain used to run the CFD simulation had the same geometry of the experimental test section which had the half-coil shaped ribs on each curved channel wall. The working fluid properties employed in the simulation was scaled to the target Reynolds number at room temperature. The averaged static pressure drop induced by coil bundle inside the test section was obtained between the inlet and outlet of the test section. In addition, flow structures inside the flow channel were examined going through the velocity field distribution around the coil and the effect of vortical structures in the flow channel. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterization of the Upgraded NASA GRC Single Stage Axial Compressor and Fan Facility

In order to meet the emissions and efficiency goals established by the aviation community, next generation aircraft engines will require low pressure ratio, distortion tolerant fans. Maturation of the necessary technologies will require facilities capable of accurately testing the fan performance are needed. To achieve this, the Single Stage Axial Compressor and Fan facility at NASA Glenn Research Center was upgraded. Details of the goals and upgrades undertaken were documented in the 2022 Turbo Expo paper, “Upgrades to the Single Stage Axial Compressor and Fan Facility for Low Pressure Ratio Boundary Layer Ingesting Fan Research.” The performance of the upgraded facility will be documented in this paper. This paper will review the challenges associated with testing low pressure ratio and distortion tolerant fans and briefly review the upgrades undertaken and their goals. Then the performance of the facility upgrades and the extent to which they were able to achieve the stated goals. This includes mass flow measurements, test section temperature, pressure, flow angle at two axial locations, and turbulence levels at the inlet and test section. The paper also documents the performance of distortion generating swirl vanes and total pressure screens to achieve desired distorted conditions at the Aerodynamic Interface Plane.

BLI↗
DOE OSTI2019

Subtask 1.1 – Advanced Characterization of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoirs to Enhance CO2 Storage Resource Estimates

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) developed methods and approaches for advanced characterization of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs to enhance CO2 storage resource estimates using samples collected from organic-rich shales of the Bakken Formation. The project was funded under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FE0024233, with nonfederal cost share provided by Hitachi High Technologies America. The project participants included the EERC, Hitachi High Technologies America, the team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL’s) computed tomography (CT) scanning laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia, and several NETL staff who have worked on CO2 storage resource estimation. Investigations on the use of subsurface geologic formations for CO2 storage have been ongoing for many years. In the last decade, improvements in directional drilling technology and hydraulic fracturing of organic-rich shale and other tight rock formations have opened new opportunities for CO2 storage, with the potential cobenefit of enhancing gas and oil recovery. Gas-bearing, organic-rich shales have been of particular interest as a carbon storage target because their ability to store large volumes of CO2 is implied by their ability to store methane; however, estimating the CO2 storage resource of organic-rich shales and other unconventional reservoirs is challenging because of the lack of detailed geologic and petrophysical data that are needed to develop improved volumetric equations. According to NETL’s method for estimating regional-scale CO2 storage resources, the key factors that control CO2 storage in geologic formations include void space within induced fractures, natural fractures and matrix pores, as well as the occurrence and distribution of organic matter (OM) and clay minerals. A key goal of this effort was to use field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis of fine-grain unconventional reservoir rocks coupled with advanced image analysis and machine learning techniques to quantify the occurrence and distribution of porosity, OM, and clay minerals. By better understanding the potential migration pathways of CO2 within tight rocks and quantifying the occurrence of sorptive components (OM and clays) along potential flow pathways, methods to estimate the CO2 storage resource of such rocks can be refined. The Bakken petroleum system (Bakken) was used as the source of rock samples for this effort because it includes organic-rich shales with contrasting degrees of thermal maturity as well as tight, nonshale clastic rocks with varying clay mineral content. To better understand the key components of interest in tight rock samples, the EERC worked closely with Hitachi to optimize the FESEM settings necessary to resolve the sample mineralogy, porosity and OM content at micro- to nanoscale resolution. The EERC also worked closely with Hitachi to apply and improve its advanced mineral identification and characterization system (AMICS) software so that it is better suited for mineral identification at the high resolution necessary to resolve features of interest in fine-grained rocks such as organic-rich shales. The EERC also applied advanced image analysis software packages, including Ilastik, to classify and quantify the key components of interest within the samples using FESEM imagery. These advanced techniques allowed for quantification and differentiation of the void space within fractures, pores and OM, as well as a technique to determine and quantify the key mineral and OM components surrounding pore spaces. Being able to better quantify the void space and the potential accessibility of CO2 to sorptive minerals or OM within tight rocks allows for improved estimation of the CO2 storage resource potential of organic-rich shales and other unconventional formations. The information derived from the image analysis techniques was used to refine NETL’s method for estimating regional-scale CO2 storage resources in collaboration with staff from NETL. An additional goal of this work was to better understand rates of CO2 permeation, flow pathways, and sorption in organic-rich shales and nonshale reservoir rocks and to evaluate potential changes in CO2 flow over time. The EERC conducted long-duration (several weeks) CO2 flow-through testing at reservoir conditions using Bakken shale and nonshale samples to assess CO2 permeation rates and retention/sorption within core plugs to represent bulk matrix behavior. Conventional isothermal adsorption testing over a range of pressure conditions was also performed on pulverized Bakken samples to better assess potential maximum sorptive capacity of the samples. The results of this testing illustrated the higher sorptive capacity of the Bakken shales when compared to the sorptive capacity of the nonshale reservoir rock, which contains very little OM when compared to the Bakken shales. The results also illustrate the differences in permeation behavior as a function of fracture flow versus matrix flow. In an attempt to visualize CO2 permeation and flow behavior in Bakken shale samples over time, the EERC collaborated with NETL’s CT Lab in Morgantown, West Virginia. A variety of tests were performed at the NETL lab on unfractured and fractured samples of the Bakken shale. The unfractured Bakken shale samples did not result in CO2 migration within the samples over the testing duration; thus imagery of CO2 migration pathways within the matrix of Bakken samples was not obtained. The results of the flow-through testing within fractured samples illustrate changes in CO2 permeation rates over time, with a trend of decreasing CO2 flow over time. The results of this effort suggest that FESEM analysis coupled with advanced image analysis and machine learning techniques are effective in characterizing and quantifying the mineralogy, porosity, fractures, and OM content of 2-D imagery at the high resolution needed to identify features of interest in tight rocks. In addition, the image analysis techniques allow for identification and quantification of different porosity types as well as the key mineral components and/or OM that CO2 would contact in the reservoir as it migrates through pores and fracture networks. This is key information needed to better estimate the CO2 storage resource potential of organic-rich shales and other tight reservoirs. Additional work is needed to determine the sorptive capacity of the individual sample components (OM and clay minerals) at reservoir conditions so that this approach and the refined CO2 storage resource equation can be applied to other shale and unconventional reservoirs. In addition, subsequent work should be performed to better understand the number of images needed to use stereological approaches to estimate the volume of sample components using 2-D imagery, to explore machine learning techniques to differentiate between induced vs. natural fractures, and to estimate the connectivity of pores and fracture networks using 2-D imagery. Being able to derive this information at the microscale would facilitate scaling up of the sample characterization data used for reservoir modeling and simulation to estimate the CO2 storage resource potential of tight formations.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterization of the Upgraded NASA GRC Single Stage Axial Compressor and Fan Facility

In order to meet the emissions and efficiency goals established by the aviation community, next generation aircraft engines will require low pressure ratio, distortion tolerant fans. Maturation of the necessary technologies will require facilities which are capable of accurately testing the fan performance. To achieve this, the Single Stage Axial Compressor and Fan facility at NASA Glenn Research Center was upgraded. Details of the goals and upgrades undertaken were documented in the 2022 Turbo Expo paper, “Upgrades to the Single Stage Axial Compressor and Fan Facility for Low Pressure Ratio Boundary Layer Ingesting Fan Research.” The performance of the upgraded facility will be documented in this paper. This paper will review the challenges associated with testing low pressure ratio and distortion tolerant fans and briefly review the upgrades undertaken and their goals. Then the performance of the facility upgrades and the extent to which they were able to achieve the stated goals will be discussed. This includes mass flow measurements, test section temperature, pressure, flow angle at two axial locations, and turbulence levels at the inlet and test section. The paper also documents the performance of distortion generating swirl vanes and total pressure screens to achieve desired distorted conditions at the Aerodynamic Interface Plane.

BLI↗
NASA NTRS1972

Effect of transient winds on the flow quality of an open-circuit wind-tunnel model

The effect of a transient wind on the test-section flow quality of an open-circuit wind tunnel was investigated experimentally. The investigation was restricted to transient wind effects associated with the inlet. A small open-circuit wind tunnel was placed outside in the real wind environment. Test-section speed and angularity as well as wind speed and direction was measured by high-response instrumentation. The inlet configuration was varied with a set of screens, a removable honeycomb, and a removable inlet lip. Acceptable flow was obtained at all wind angles and for wind- to test-section-velocity ratios up to 0.4 with an inlet configuration having five screens, a honeycomb, and a lip. With inlet configurations sensitive to winds, a transient wind parallel to the tunnel axis produced local fluctuations in test-section speed and angularity; however, oscillation of the average test-section speed was not evident. The effect of wind direction was negligible up to wind angles of 45 deg relative to the tunnel axis. At larger wind angles, flow distortions occurred primarily on the windward side of the test section.

Breunlin, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Electromagnetic probe technique for fluid flow measurements

The probes described herein, in various configurations, permit the measurement of the volume fraction of two or more fluids flowing through a pipe. Each probe measures the instantaneous relative dielectric constant of the fluid in immediate proximity. As long as separation of the relative dielectric constant of the fluid is possible, several or even many fluids can be measured in the same flow stream. By using multiple probes, the velocity of each fluid can generally be determined as well as the distribution of each constituent in the pipe. The values are determined by statistical computation. There are many potential applications for probes of this type in industry and government. Possible NASA applications include measurements of helium/hydrazine flow during rocket tests at White Sands, liquid/gas flow in hydrogen or oxygen lines in Orbiter engines, and liquid/gaseous Freon flow in zero gravity tests with the KS135 aircraft at JSC. Much interest has been shown recently by the oil industry. In this a good method is needed to measure the fractions of oil, water, and natural gas flowing in a pipeline and the velocity of each. This particular problem involves an extension of what has been developed to date and our plans to solve this problem will be discussed herein.

Arndt, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Electromagnetic Probe Technique for Fluid Flow Measurements

The probes described herein, in various configurations, permit the measurement of the volume fraction of two or more fluids flowing through a pipe. Each probe measures the instantaneous relative dielectric constant of the fluid in immediate proximity. As long as separation of the relative dielectric constants of each fluid is possible, several or even many fluids can be measured in the same flow steam. By using multiple probes, the velocity of each fluid can generally be determined as well as the distribution of each constituent in the pipe. The values are determined by statistical computation. There are many potential applications for probes of this type in industry and government. Possible NASA applications include measurements of helium/hydrazine flow during rocket tests at White Sands, liquid/gas flow in hydrogen or oxygen lines in Orbiter engines, and liquid/gaseous Freon flow in zero gravity tests with the KS135 aircraft at JSC. Much interest has been shown recently by the oil industry. In this industry, a good method is needed to measure the fractions of oil, water, and natural gas flowing in a pipeline and the velocity of each. This particular problem involves an extension of what has been developed to date and our plans and program to solve this problem will be discussed herein.

Arndt, G. D.↗