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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 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Investigation of tidal displacements of the Earth's surface by laser ranging to GEOS-3

An analysis of laser ranging data from three stations was carried out in an attempt to measure the geometric Earth tide. Two different approaches to the problem were investigated. The dynamic method computes pass to pass apparent movements in stations height relative to short arcs fitted to several passes of data from the same station by the program GEODYNE. The quasi-geometric method reduces the dependence on unmodelled satellite dynamics to a knowledge of only the radial position of the satellite by considering two station simultaneous ranging at the precise time that the satellite passes through the plane defined by two stations and the center of mass of the Earth.

Bower, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Unsteady aerodynamics - Physical issues and numerical predictions

The current status of computational methods for unsteady aerodynamics is reviewed. The need to match the fluid dynamic flow equation level to the complexity of the type of unsteady flow under consideration is discussed. Comparisons of computational predictions with experimental unsteady pressures and flutter boundaries are presented. The treatment of complex aircraft geometries is also described.

Edwards, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Turbulent/Non-Turbulent Interface Bounding a Far-Wake

The velocity fields of a turbulent wake behind a flat plate obtained from the direct numerical simulations of Moser et al. are used to study the structure of the flow in the intermittent zone where there are, alternately, regions of fully turbulent flow and non-turbulent velocity fluctuations either side of a thin randomly moving interface. Comparisons are made with a wake that is 'forced' by amplifying initial velocity fluctuations. There is also a random temperature field T in the flow; T varies between constant values of 0.0 and 1.0 on the sides of the wake. The value of the Reynolds number based on the centreplane mean velocity defect and halfwidth b of the wake is Re approx. = 2000. It is found that the thickness of the continuous interface is about equal to 0.07b, whereas the amplitude of fluctuations of the instantaneous interface displacement y(sub I)(t) is an order of magnitude larger, being about 0.5b. This explains why the mean statistics of vorticity in the intermittent zone can be calculated in terms of the probability distribution of y(sub I) and the instantaneous discontinuity in vorticity across the interface. When plotted as functions of y - y(sub I), the conditional mean velocity (U) and temperature (T) profiles show sharp jumps Delta(U) and Delta(T) at the interface adjacent to a thick zone where (U) and (T) vary much more slowly. Statistics for the vorticity and velocity variances, available in such detail only from DNS data, show how streamwise and spanwise components of vorticity are generated by vortex stretching in the bulges of the interface. Flow fields around the interface, analyzed in terms of the local streamline pattern, confirm previous results that the advancement of the vortical interface into the irrotational flow is driven by large-scale eddy motion. It is argued that because this is an inviscid mechanism the entrainment process is not sensitive to the value of Re, and that small-scale nibbling only plays a subsidiary role. While mean Reynolds stresses decrease gradually in the intermittent zone, conditional stresses are found to decrease sharply towards zero at the interface. Using one-point turbulence models applied to either unconditional or conditional statistics for the turbulent region and then averaged, the entrainment rate E(sub b) would, if calculated exactly, be zero. But if computed with standard computational methods, E(sub b) would be non-zero because of numerical diffusion. It is concluded that the current practice in statistical models of approximating entrainment by a diffusion process is computationally arbitrary and physically incorrect. An analysis shows how E(sub b) is related to Delta(U) and the jump in shear stress at the interface, and correspondingly to Delta(T) and the heat flux.

Bisset, David K.↗
NASA NTRS2002

An Interactive Excel Program for Tracking a Single Droplet in Crossflow Computation

Spray jet in crossflow has been a subject of research because of its wide application in systems involving pollutant dispersion, jet mixing in the dilution zone of combustors, and fuel injection strategies. The focus of this work is to investigate dispersion of a 2-dimensional atomized spray jet into a 2-dimensional crossflow. A quick computational method is developed using available software. The spreadsheet can be used for any 2D droplet trajectory problem where the drop is injected into the free stream eventually coming to the free stream conditions. During the transverse injection of a spray into high velocity airflow, the droplets (carried along and deflected by a gaseous stream of co-flowing air) are subjected to forces that affect their motion in the flow field. Based on the Newton's Second Law of motion, four ordinary differential equations were used. These equations were then solved by a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method using Excel software. Visual basic programming and Excel macrocode to produce the data facilitate Excel software to plot graphs describing the droplet's motion in the flow field. This program computes and plots the data sequentially without forcing users to open other types of plotting programs. A user's manual on how to use the program is also included in this report.

Urip, E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Biotelemetry and computer analysis of sleep processes on earth and in space.

Developments in biomedical engineering now permit study of states of sleep, wakefulness, and focused attention in man exposed to rigorous environments, including aerospace flight. These new sensing devices, data acquisition systems, and computational methods have also been extensively applied to clinical problems of disordered sleep. A 'library' of EEG data has been prepared for sleep in normal man, and characterized for its group features by computational analysis. Sleep in an astronaut in space flight has been examined for the first and second 'nights' of space flight. Normal 90-min cycles were detected during the second night. Sleep patterns in quadriplegic patients deprived of all sensory inputs below the neck have indicated major deviations.

Adey, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

An unsteady helicopter rotor-fuselage aerodynamic interaction analysis

A computational method has been developed to treat the unsteady aerodynamic interaction between a helicopter rotor, wake, and fuselage. Two existing codes, a lifting line-prescribed wake rotor analysis and a source panel fuselage analysis, were modified and coupled to allow prediction of unsteady fuselage pressures and airloads. A prescribed displacement technique was developed to position the rotor wake about the fuselage. Also coupled into the method were optional blade dynamics or rigid blade performance analyses to set the rotor operating conditions. Sensitivity studies were performed to determine the influence of the wake and fuselage geometry on the computational results. Solutions were computed for an ellipsoidal fuselage and a four bladed rotor at several advance ratios, using both the classical helix and the generalized distorted wake model. Results are presented that describe the induced velocities, pressures, and airloads on the fuselage and the induced velocities and bound circulation at the rotor. The ability to treat arbitrary geometries was demonstrated using a simulated helicopter fuselage. Initial computations were made to simulate the geometry of an experimental rotor-fuselage interaction study performed at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Lorber, Peter F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

On the vortical-flow-prediction capability of an unstructured-grid Euler solver

The results from a concentrated computational effort are presented with the primary objective being directed at evaluating the vortical-flow-prediction capability of an unstructured-grid Euler solver. Both viscous and inviscid solutions, obtained from an established structured-grid method, along with experimental wind-tunnel data are used as benchmark measures to assess the validity of the unstructured-grid Euler results. Viscous effects on vortical flows are first identified by comparing the viscous and inviscid solutions obtained from the structured-grid method. Computational data analysis is then presented which reveals excellent correlations between the inviscid structured and unstructured-grid results in terms of off-surface flow structures, surface pressure distribution, and the predicted longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics. The sensitivity of the unstructured-grid inviscid solutions to grid refinement is also discussed along with an analysis of the convergence and performance characteristics for each method.

Unstructured grid↗
NASA NTRS1994

On the Vortical-Flow Prediction Capability of an Unstructured-Grid Euler Solver

The results from a concentrated computational effort are presented with the primary objective being directed at evaluating the vortical-flow-prediction capability of an unstructured-grid Euler solver. Both viscous and inviscid solutions, obtained from an established structured-grid method, along with an experimental wind-tunnel data are used as bench-mark measures to assess the validity of the unstructured-grid Euler results. Viscous effects on vortical flows are first identified by comparing the viscous and inviscid solutions obtained form the structured-grid method. Computational data analysis are then presented which reveal excellent correlations between the inviscid structured and unstructured-grid results in terms of off-surface flow structures, surface pressure distribution and the predicted longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics. The sensitivity of the unstructured-grid inviscid solutions to grid refinement is also discussed along with an analysis of the convergence and performance characteristics for each method.

Unstructured grid↗
NASA NTRS1991

Theoretical models for duct acoustic propagation and radiation

The development of computational methods in acoustics has led to the introduction of analysis and design procedures which model the turbofan inlet as a coupled system, simultaneously modeling propagation and radiation in the presence of realistic internal and external flows. Such models are generally large, require substantial computer speed and capacity, and can be expected to be used in the final design stages, with the simpler models being used in the early design iterations. Emphasis is given to practical modeling methods that have been applied to the acoustical design problem in turbofan engines. The mathematical model is established and the simplest case of propagation in a duct with hard walls is solved to introduce concepts and terminologies. An extensive overview is given of methods for the calculation of attenuation in uniform ducts with uniform flow and with shear flow. Subsequent sections deal with numerical techniques which provide an integrated representation of duct propagation and near- and far-field radiation for realistic geometries and flight conditions.

Eversman, Walter↗
NASA NTRS1992

A brief overview of computational structures technology related activities at NASA Lewis Research Center

The presentation gives a partial overview of research and development underway in the Structures Division of LeRC, which collectively is referred to as the Computational Structures Technology Program. The activities in the program are diverse and encompass four major categories: (1) composite materials and structures; (2) probabilistic analysis and reliability; (3) design optimization and expert systems; and (4) computational methods and simulation. The approach of the program is comprehensive and entails exploration of fundamental theories of structural mechanics to accurately represent the complex physics governing engine structural performance, formulation, and implementation of computational techniques and integrated simulation strategies to provide accurate and efficient solutions of the governing theoretical models by exploiting the emerging advances in computer technology, and validation and verification through numerical and experimental tests to establish confidence and define the qualities and limitations of the resulting theoretical models and computational solutions. The program comprises both in-house and sponsored research activities. The remainder of the presentation provides a sample of activities to illustrate the breadth and depth of the program and to demonstrate the accomplishments and benefits that have resulted.

Hopkins, Dale A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Frequency and Time Domain Modeling of Acoustic Liner Boundary Conditions

As part of a research program directed at the acoustics of advanced subsonic propulsion systems undertaken at NASA Langley, Duke University was funded to develop a boundary condition model for bulk-reacting nacelle liners. The overall objective of the Langley program was to understand and predict noise from advanced subsonic transport engines and to develop related noise control technology. The overall technical areas included: fan and propeller source noise, acoustics of ducts and duct liners, interior noise, subjective acoustics, and systems noise prediction. The Duke effort was directed toward duct liner acoustics for the development of analytical methods to characterize liner behavior in both frequency domain and time domain. A review of duct acoustics and liner technology can be found in Reference [1]. At that time, NASA Langley was investigating the propulsion concept of an advanced ducted fan, with a large diameter housed inside a relatively short duct. Fan diameters in excess of ten feet were proposed. The lengths of both the inlet and exhaust portions of the duct were to be short, probably less than half the fan diameter. The nacelle itself would be relatively thin-walled for reasons of aerodynamic efficiency. The blade-passage frequency was expected to be less than I kHz, and very likely in the 200 to 300 Hz range. Because of the design constraints of a short duct, a thin nacelle, and long acoustic wavelengths, the application of effective liner technology would be especially challenging. One of the needs of the NASA Langley program was the capability to accurately and efficiently predict the behavior of the acoustic liner. The traditional point impedance method was not an adequate model for proposed liner designs. The method was too restrictive to represent bulk reacting liners and to allow for the characterization of many possible innovative liner concepts. In the research effort at Duke, an alternative method, initially developed to handle bulk reacting layers as described in Reference [2], was extended to apply to a broad range of liner types. This method included the effect of local gradients along the liner surface, and was particularly appropriate for situations with flow over the liner and grazing incidence acoustic fields. In order to utilize time domain computational methods to solve for the propfan acoustic field, corresponding liner boundary conditions were developed for time domain solutions rather than frequency domain solutions.

Bliss, Donald B.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Experimental Investigation of Water Droplet Impingement on Airfoils, Finite Wings, and an S-duct Engine Inlet

Validation of trajectory computer codes, for icing analysis, requires experimental water droplet impingement data for a wide range of aircraft geometries as well as flow and icing conditions. This report presents improved experimental and data reduction methods for obtaining water droplet impingement data and provides a comprehensive water droplet impingement database for a range of test geometries including an MS(1)-0317 airfoil, a GLC-305 airfoil, an NACA 65(sub 2)-415 airfoil, a commercial transport tail section, a 36-inch chord natural laminar flow NLF(1)-0414 airfoil, a 48-inch NLF(1)-0414 section with a 25 percent chord simple flap, a state-of-the-art three-element high lift system, a NACA 64A008 finite span swept business jet tail, a full-scale business jet horizontal tail section, a 25 percent-scale business jet empennage, and an S-duct turboprop engine inlet. The experimental results were obtained at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) for spray clouds with median volumetric diameter (MVD) of 11, 11.5, 21, 92, and 94 microns and for a range of angles of attack. The majority of the impingement experiments were conducted at an air speed of 175 mph corresponding to a Reynolds number of approximately 1.6 million per foot. The maximum difference of repeated tests from the average ranged from 0.24 to 12 percent for most of the experimental results presented. This represents a significant improvement in test repeatability compared to previous experimental studies. The increase in test repeatability was attributed to improvements made to the experimental and data reduction methods. Computations performed with the LEWICE-2D and LEWICE-3D computer codes for all test configurations are presented in this report. For the test cases involving median volumetric diameters of 11 and 21 microns, the correlation between the analytical and experimental impingement efficiency distributions was good. For the median volumetric diameters of 92 and 94-micron cases, however, the analysis produced higher impingement efficiencies and larger impingement limits than the experiment. It is speculated that this discrepancy is due to droplet splashing and breakup experienced by large droplets during impingement.

Papadakis, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1993

Evolution of EF-hand calcium-modulated proteins. IV. Exon shuffling did not determine the domain compositions of EF-hand proteins

In the previous three reports in this series we demonstrated that the EF-hand family of proteins evolved by a complex pattern of gene duplication, transposition, and splicing. The dendrograms based on exon sequences are nearly identical to those based on protein sequences for troponin C, the essential light chain myosin, the regulatory light chain, and calpain. This validates both the computational methods and the dendrograms for these subfamilies. The proposal of congruence for calmodulin, troponin C, essential light chain, and regulatory light chain was confirmed. There are, however, significant differences in the calmodulin dendrograms computed from DNA and from protein sequences. In this study we find that introns are distributed throughout the EF-hand domain and the interdomain regions. Further, dendrograms based on intron type and distribution bear little resemblance to those based on protein or on DNA sequences. We conclude that introns are inserted, and probably deleted, with relatively high frequency. Further, in the EF-hand family exons do not correspond to structural domains and exon shuffling played little if any role in the evolution of this widely distributed homolog family. Calmodulin has had a turbulent evolution. Its dendrograms based on protein sequence, exon sequence, 3'-tail sequence, intron sequences, and intron positions all show significant differences.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
DOE OSTI2022

Physics makes the difference: Bayesian optimization and active learning via augmented Gaussian process

Abstract Both experimental and computational methods for the exploration of structure, functionality, and properties of materials often necessitate the search across broad parameter spaces to discover optimal experimental conditions and regions of interest in the image space or parameter space of computational models. The direct grid search of the parameter space tends to be extremely time-consuming, leading to the development of strategies balancing exploration of unknown parameter spaces and exploitation towards required performance metrics. However, classical Bayesian optimization (BO) strategies based on the Gaussian process (GP) do not readily allow for the incorporation of the known physical behaviors or past knowledge. Here we explore a hybrid optimization/exploration algorithm created by augmenting the standard GP with a structured probabilistic model of the expected system’s behavior. This approach balances the flexibility of the non-parametric GP approach with a rigid structure of physical knowledge encoded into the parametric model. The fully Bayesian treatment of the latter allows additional control over the optimization via the selection of priors for the model parameters. The method is demonstrated for a noisy version of a standard univariate test function used to evaluate optimization algorithms and further extended to physical lattice models. This methodology is expected to be universally suitable for injecting prior knowledge in the form of physical models and past data in the BO framework.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Accelerating catalytic advancements through the precision of high-throughput experiments & calculations

The growing demand for energy-efficient processes to support a sustainable future drives the need for research to rapidly explore chemical and material space through accelerated catalyst discovery initiatives. Recent breakthroughs in high-throughput experimental and computational methods are transforming the catalysis field, surpassing traditional approaches to manipulating variables in catalytic processes. Key advancements in innovation include the integration of machine learning for efficient catalyst screening, high-throughput experimentation, data-driven methodologies employing comprehensive databases, and in situ and in operando techniques for realistic observations. This progress has undoubtedly been intertwined with a collaborative framework across disciplines, reshaping catalyst discovery methods in both industry and academia. This Opinion article presents a multifaceted perspective from coauthors with expertise spanning various stages of the Technology Readiness Level spectrum, highlighting both opportunities and persistent challenges in integrating computational and experimental approaches in catalysis. These challenges span from obtaining high-quality experimental data, scaling simulations to industrially relevant materials and process conditions to navigating the complexity and predictive accuracy of computational models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Anomaly Detection in Gamma Spectra Using Hopfield Neural Network with B-SAT and Grover’s Algorithm on a Quantum Computing Simulator

Environmental screening of gamma radiation consists of detecting weak nuisance and anomaly signal in the presence of strong and highly varying background. In a typical scenario, a mobile detector-spectrometer continuously measures gamma radiation spectra in short, e.g., one-second, signal acquisition intervals. In principle, gamma radiation sources can be detected and identified by their unique spectral lines. However, detecting sources from data measured in a search scenario is difficult due to the highly varying background because of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of spectral signal measured during one-second acquisition intervals. In recent prior work, we have developed a Hopfield Neural Network (HNN) in conjunction with an image processing algorithm to detect a weak signal anomaly hidden among the highly fluctuating background spectra. The objective of this work is to explore quantum computing methods to increase the speed of HNN. The approach is based on the Grover’s search algorithm in conjunction with a 3-SAT problem formalism. The Grover’s algorithm is implemented on a quantum computing simulator using Qiskit software. Performance of HNN algorithm is benchmarked using search data from an environmental screening campaign, where the anomaly is a subset of measurements containing a 137 Cs source. Results indicate that using Grover’s algorithm on a quantum simulator reduces runtime of HNN by two orders of magnitude.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
NASA NTRS1983

A perspective of theoretical and applied computational fluid dynamics

The present effectiveness and future promise of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are discussed. The CFD ideal of computer-designed flight vehicles and the progress that has been made toward its achievement, expressed in terms of primary and secondary pacing items, are also addressed. The primary pacing items listed by Chapman - grid generation, turbulence modeling, solution methodology development, and mainframe computer methods and architecture - are modified and reviewed. Important secondary pacing items in CFD development are also examined: algorithm development, complex geometry definition, and predata and postata processing. In addition, user requirements placed on CFD computer codes are defined and some problems associated with the dissemination of CFD technology are identified.

Kutler, P.↗