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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 1,009 records · Page 56
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

A theoretical study of non-adiabatic surface effects for a model in the NTF cryogenic wind tunnel

A theoretical analysis was made of the severity and effect of nonadiabatic surface conditions for a model in the NTF cryogenic wind tunnel. The nonadiabatic condition arises from heaters that are used to maintain a constant thermal environment for instrumentation internal to the model. The analysis was made for several axi-symmetric representations of a fuselage cavity, using a finite element heat conduction code. Potential flow and boundary layer codes were used to calculate the convection condition for the exterior surface of the model. The results of the steady state analysis show that it is possible to maintain the surface temperature very near the adiabatic value, with the judicious use of insulating material. Even for the most severe nonadiabatic condition studied, the effects on skin friction drag and displacement thickness were only marginally significant. The thermal analysis also provided an estimate of the power required to maintain a specified cavity temperature.

Macha, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Instabilities in decelerating supersonic flows with applications to cosmic ray shocks

The nature of instabilities in cosmic ray shocks is investigated by using two distinct models for the shock wave. For wavelengths which are short relative to the thickness of the shock wave, the shock is treated as a smoothly decelerating low, and an appropriate JWKB type expansion is used to describe the perturbations to the flow. In this, the short wavelength regime, the presence of squeezing and an effective g renders strong cosmic ray shocks unstable in a way which is similar to instabilities in other supersonic flows, such as in de Laval nozzle flow or a heat conduction dominated shock wave. In the long wavelength limit, where the shock is treated as a discontinuous transition, a stability function is derived which, if negative, corresponds to unstable disturbances growing exponentially in time. In this case, it was found that if the cosmic ray fluid is relativistic (gamma sub c = 4/3) and the background plasma ideal (gamma = 5/3), then strong shocks are unstable.

Zank, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Global excitation of wave phenomena in a dissipative multiconstituent medium. I - Transfer function of the earth's thermosphere. II - Impulsive perturbations in the earth's thermosphere

A transfer function approach is taken in constructing a spectral model of the acoustic-gravity wave response in a multiconstituent thermosphere. The model is then applied to describing the thermospheric response to various sources around the globe. Zonal spherical harmonics serve to model the horizontal variations in propagating waves which, when integrated with respect to height, generate a transfer function for a vertical source distribution in the thermosphere. Four wave components are characterized as resonance phenomena and are associated with magnetic activity and ionospheric disturbances. The waves are either trapped or propagate, the latter becoming significant when possessing frequencies above 3 cycles/day. The energy input is distributed by thermospheric winds. The disturbances decay slowly, mainly due to heat conduction and diffusion. Gravity waves appear abruptly and are connected to a sudden switching on or off of a source. Turn off of a source coincides with a reversal of the local atmospheric circulation.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Observational evidence for thermal wave fronts in solar flares

Images in 3.5-30 keV X-rays obtained during the first few minutes of seven solar flares show rapid motions. In each case X-ray emission first appeared at one end of a magnetic field structure, and then propagated along the field at a velocity between 800 and 1700 km/s. The observed X-ray structures were 45,000-230,000 km long. Simultaneous H-alpha images were available in three cases; they showed brightenings when the fast-moving fronts arrived at the chromosphere. The fast-moving fronts are interpreted as electron thermal conduction fronts since their velocities are consistent with conduction at the observed temperatures of 1-3 x 10 to the 7th K. The inferred conductive heat flux of up to 10-billion ergs/s sq cm accounts for most of the energy released in the flares, implying that the flares were primarily thermal phenomena.

Rust, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Exercise thermoregulation in men after 6 hours of immersion

The present investigation is concerned with thermoregulation at rest and during exercise after water-immersion deconditioning, giving particular attention to the effects of fluid shifts and negative water balance on sweat rate and rectal temperature. Six healthy males 20-35 years old were used in the experiments. Rectal and mean skin temperature, skin heat conductance, heart rate, and total body sweat rate were measured during 70 min of supine leg exercise at 50 percent of peak O2 uptake. The data were taken after a 6-h control period in air and after immersion to the neck in water (34.5 C) for 6 h after overnight food and fluid restriction. Attention is given to end exercise heart rates and data during exercise. The obtained results suggest that, compared with control responses, the equilibrium level of core temperature during submaximal exercise is regulated at a higher level after immersion.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Holder for Tinning Microcircuit Leads

Heat-sinking tool holds microcircuits for lead tinning while protecting circuits from heat of tinning solder. Microcircuit holder dips leads in molten solder. Holder shields microcircuit from solder heat while leads immersed and absorbs heat conducted through leads. Thus keeps microcircuit relatively cool. Application tool was developed for requires tinning not closer than 0.02 in. (0.5 mm) from package body or its glass seals.

Gilbert, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Numerical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for a Butler wing

The flow field is simulated on the surface of a given delta wing (Butler wing) at zero incident in a uniform stream. The simulation is done by integrating a set of flow field equations. This set of equations governs the unsteady, viscous, compressible, heat conducting flow of an ideal gas. The equations are written in curvilinear coordinates so that the wing surface is represented accurately. These equations are solved by the finite difference method, and results obtained for high-speed freestream conditions are compared with theoretical and experimental results. In this study, the Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically. These equations are unsteady, compressible, viscous, and three-dimensional without neglecting any terms. The time dependency of the governing equations allows the solution to progress naturally for an arbitrary initial initial guess to an asymptotic steady state, if one exists. The equations are transformed from physical coordinates to the computational coordinates, allowing the solution of the governing equations in a rectangular parallel-piped domain. The equations are solved by the MacCormack time-split technique which is vectorized and programmed to run on the CDC VPS 32 computer.

Abolhassani, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Modeling the curing process of thick-section autoclave cured composites

Temperature gradients are significant during cure of large area, thick-section composites. Such temperature gradients result in nonuniformly cured parts with high void contents, poor ply compaction, and variations in the fiber/resin distribution. A model was developed to determine the temperature distribution in thick-section autoclave cured composites. Using the model, long with temperature measurements obtained from the thick-section composites, the effects of various processing parameters on the thermal response of the composites were examined. A one-dimensional heat transfer model was constructed for the composite-tool assembly. The governing differential equations and associated boundary conditions describing one-dimensional unsteady heat-conduction in the composite, tool plate, and pressure plate are given. Solution of the thermal model was obtained using an implicit finite difference technique.

Loos, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the destruction of graphites in a flow of dissociated air

A method is presented for calculating the heating and erosion of blunt bodies made of graphite in a high-enthalpy flow of dissociated air, assuming chemical equilibrium on the surface and taking account of the thermal effects of combustion and sublimation of graphite. The analysis involves the use of a finite difference scheme to solve an equation of unsteady heat conduction. Attention is given to the equilibrium vaporization of C, C2 and C3 molecules. The calculations agree well with experimental data for a wide range of temperatures and stagnation pressures.

Bovina, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A monthly forecast experiment: Preliminary report

An experiment on monthly forecasts with eight winter cases is being carried out, using a 1980 general circulation model (GCM), which incorporates a set of dubgrid-scale physics characterized by the Mellon-Yamada turbulence closure (hierarchy level 2.5), the Monin-Obukhov parameterization for the layer next to the ground surface, Manabe's cumulus parameterization, and the soil heat conduction. The sample cases adopted are for the month of January in the years from 1977 to 1983, which include the extraordinarily severe winter of 1977 and the most pronounced E1 Nino year of 1983. Each case is predicted by prescribing the climatologically normal sea surface temperature as the lower boundary conditions and by using an ensemble means of three individual integrations. These integrations start with three different initial conditions based on the Level data generated separately at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, the National Meteorological Center, and the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts.

Miyakoda, K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Tectonic determinations of lithospheric thickness on Ganymede and Callisto

The concept of the Maxwell time of a viscoelastic material (4.5) is used in conjunction with calculated thermal profiles to evaluate the significance of tectonic estimates of lithospheric thickness. Thermal lithospheric thicknesses provide fundamental constraints on planetary thermal histories that complement the constraints provided by dateable surface deposits of endogenic origin. Lithospheric constraints are of particular value on the icy satellites where our understanding of both rheology and surface ages is considerably poorer than it is for the terrestrial planets. Certain extensional tectonic features can and have been used to estimate lithospheric thicknesses on Ganymede and Callisto. These estimates, however, refer to the depth of the elastic lithosphere defined by the zone of brittle failure. The relation between the elastic lithosphere and the thermal lithosphere (generally defined by the zone of conductive heat transport) is not straightforward, because the depth of brittle failure depends not only on the thermal profile, but also on rheology and strain rate (or the characteristic time over which stresses build towards failure). Characteristic time considerations are not trivial in this context because stresses generating brittle failure on the icy satellites may be produced by impacts, with characteristic times of seconds to days, or by geologic processes with time scales of hundreds of millions of years.

Croft, S. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Orbital maneuvering vehicle thermal design and analysis techniques

This paper describes the OMV thermal design that is required to maintain components within temperature limits for all mission phases. A key element in the OMV thermal design is the application of a motorized thermal shade assembly that is a replacement for the more conventional variable conductance heat pipes or louvers. The thermal shade assembly covers equipment module radiator areas, and based upon the radiator temperature input to onboard computer, opens and closes the shade, varying the effective radiator area. Thermal design verification thermal analyses results are presented. Selected thermal analyses methods, including several unique subroutines, are discussed. A representation of enclosure Script F equations, in matrix form, is also included. Personal computer application to the development of the OMV thermal design is summarized.

Chapter, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Finite element algorithms for compressible flow computation on a supercomputer

Methods of applying computational fluid dynamics techniques to engineering problems are discussed. The linking factors between theoretical and applied research are the shape and weight functions which produce the Galerkin finite element schemes. The flow is unsteady, viscous, heat conducting and compressible, and steady-state flows are the asymptotic limit of unsteady flows. All flows are described by the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) with mass and energy conservation. Local curvilinear intrinsic coordinates are applied to discretize the NSE in arbitrary geometric domains. A modified weighted residuals approach defines the discrete analogs of the physical systems modeled and a general interpolants method is used to derive families of numerical models, both implicit and explicit, finite difference and finite elemnt, from a single point of departure. Time-dependent element approximations are achieved with a progressive assembly of generalized elements method. Hyperbolic steady-state Euler algorithms and quasi-parabolic are spatial marching algorithms for solving the discretized equations. Application of the techniques is illustrated through calculation of the compressible flow around a hypersonic flight vehicle at 100,000 ft at zero angle of attack at speeds of Mach 4-10.

Spradley, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Heat balance of the ionosphere - Implications for the International Reference Ionosphere

Theoretical considerations can be helpful tools in modeling ionospheric parameters in regions and for times where not enough experimental data are available. This study asks whether results of heat balance calculations should be introduced to supplement the data base for the International Reference Ionosphere. The present status of the theoretical understanding is discussed and the influence of the following unresolved or neglected times are examined: (1) electron heating rate, (2) electron cooling by fine structure excitation of atomic oxygen, and (3) height-dependent Coulomb Logarithm. The ambiguity introduced by these terms leads to up to 30 percent uncertainty in the electron temperature of the lower ionosphere. The electron temperature in the upper ionosphere is largely determined by heat conduction from above and depends critically on the conditions assumed at the boundary between ionosphere and plasmasphere.

Bilitza, D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Keeping Floodlight Temperature Low

Safety in explosive atmospheres enhanced. Retainer for floodlight designed to undergo relatively small temperature rise. Reaches no more than 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with lamp operating at about 4,700 degrees F (2,600 degrees C). Satisfies 352 degrees F (188 degrees C) requirement for operation in some explosive atmospheres. Made of thermally conductive metal with coating of material having low thermal absorptivity/emissivity ratio so it conducts heat away from lamp and radiates to surroundings efficiently.

Kiss, John↗
NASA NTRS1987

Thermally Insulating Support for Cryogenic Tanks

Passive alternate-load-path support scheme keeps weight low while conserving cryogenic liquid. Method of supporting inner vessel of large Dewar container minimizes heat conductance and weight but ensures high strength and impact resistance. Accommodates thermal expansion and contraction of vessel while introducing minimal stresses in structure. Inner vessel hangs from struts in outer vessel. Thin wall graphite/epoxy tube protected from high loads by close tolerance stops.

Parmley, Richard T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Lightweight, direct-radiating nickel hydrogen batteries

Two battery module configurations were developed which, in addition to integrating cylindrical nickel hydrogen (NiH2) cells into batteries, provide advances in the means of mounting, monitoring and thermal control of these cells. The main difference between the two modules is the physical arrangement of the cells: vertical versus horizontal. Direct thermal radiation to deep space is accomplished by substituting the battery structure for an exterior spacecraft panel. Unlike most conventional nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and NiH2 batteries, the cells are not tightly packed together; therefore ancillary heat conducting media to outside radiating areas, and spacecraft deck reinforcements for high mass concentration are not necessary. Testing included electrical characterization and a comprehensive regime of environmental exposures. The designs are flexible with respect to quantity and type of cells, orbit altitude and period, power demand profile, and the extent of cell parameter monitoring. This paper compares the characteristics of the two battery modules and summarizes their performance.

Metcalfe, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Crystal growth and furnace analysis

A thermal analysis of Hg/Cd/Te solidification in a Bridgman cell is made using Continuum's VAST code. The energy equation is solved in an axisymmetric, quasi-steady domain for both the molten and solid alloy regions. Alloy composition is calculated by a simplified one-dimensional model to estimate its effect on melt thermal conductivity and, consequently, on the temperature field within the cell. Solidification is assumed to occur at a fixed temperature of 979 K. Simplified boundary conditions are included to model both the radiant and conductive heat exchange between the furnace walls and the alloy. Calculations are performed to show how the steady-state isotherms are affected by: the hot and cold furnace temperatures, boundary condition parameters, and the growth rate which affects the calculated alloy's composition. The Advanced Automatic Directional Solidification Furnace (AADSF), developed by NASA, is also thermally analyzed using the CINDA code. The objective is to determine the performance and the overall power requirements for different furnace designs.

Dakhoul, Youssef M.↗