Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “validation method”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6

Evaluating the feasibility of LA-ICP-TOF-MS for the analysis of environmental particle collections

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) was employed to rapidly analyze environmental particle samples collected using aerosol contaminate extractors (ACE). The ACE particle collectors were placed at various distances (0.5, 1.3, and 4.5 km) from a source that released Ru-bearing particles. Samples for measurement were then generated (as sub-samples) from the ACE collection plates via particle “lift off” with gunshot residue (GSR) tabs. The LA-ICP-TOF-MS method was employed such that 10+ samples could be analyzed in a single unattended analytical session. A 3 × 1 mm area of individual GSR tab samples were analyzed in less than 30 minutes. This provided spatially resolved elemental and isotopic measurements of the particulate content and confirmed the presence of Ru-bearing particles within the complex background environmental particle loading. As anticipated, measurements showed collectors closest to the source had the highest concentration of the released Ru-bearing particles, while all collectors, regardless of distance, contained similar levels of background particles (e.g., Fe and Sr). Sequential scanning electron microscopy – automated particle analysis (SEM-APA) and LA-ICP-TOF-MS analysis was employed for method validation and a demonstration of the multi-modal approach. The same 2-dimensional region was analyzed by both methods and the particles identified via SEM-APA were also detected using LA-ICP-TOF-MS, with 100% accuracy. Overall, LA-ICP-TOF-MS demonstrated its utility for rapid elemental and isotopic particle analysis from environmental air samples.

Manard, Benjamin T. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory↗

Utilization of Low Gravity Environment for Measuring Liquid Viscosity

The method of drop coalescence is used for determining the viscosity of highly viscous undercooled liquids. Low gravity environment is necessary in order to allow for examining large volumes affording much higher accuracy for the viscosity calculations than possible for smaller volumes available under 1 - g conditions. The drop coalescence method is preferred over the drop oscillation technique since the latter method can only be applied for liquids with vanishingly small viscosities. The technique developed relies on both the highly accurate solution of the Navier-Stokes equations as well as on data from experiments conducted in near zero gravity environment. Results are presented for method validation experiments recently performed on board the NASA/KC-135 aircraft. While the numerical solution was produced using the Boundary Element Method. In these tests the viscosity of a highly viscous liquid, glycerine at room temperature, was determined using the liquid coalescence method. The results from these experiments will be discussed.

Antar, Basil N.↗

TROPOMI Methane Validation in the GeoCarb Domain

Objective: GeoCarb validation •Purpose: •Do the four TCCON sites in the GeoCarb domain characterize satellite validation? •Method: •Assess the error estimates globally vs. in the GeoCarb domain •Assess the use of GML/DOE aircraft for CH4 validation •Systematic error estimate (from Kulawik, 2016): •+ regional bias (stdevof average bias versus validation at each station) •+ correlated error (stdev of daily average versus validation) •-co-location error (above quantities for model@satelliteminus model@valid) •-validation error (systematic error of validation estimates, e.g. model extension) Aircraft validation error •CH4 profile extension error estimate: 7 ppb •Extend aircraft observations to the top of the atmosphere with different model configurations •CAMS, scaling to stratosphere, then taking stratosphere •Extend by repeating top aircraft value to the troposphere, then taking CAMS •Extend with GEOS-Chem run (from 2010). •Difference CAMS-Scale vs. CAMS-Tropo: •3.6 +-5.5 ppb •Systematic error: 6.6 ppb •Extending aircraft to tropopause is blatantly wrong, but these two have the same stratosphere. •Difference CAMS-Scale vs. GEOS-Scale: •6.2 +-8.7 ppb •Do not consider bias since model is 10 years off. Systematic error ~8.7 ppb. •Estimate of systematic error from profile extension (possibly underestimated, resulting in possibly higher TROPOMI error estimate) •7 ppb •Would likely vary some by season, site, other conditions •Aircraft measurement error: 1 ppb •1 ppb from measurement error3

TROMPOMI↗

Validation of a High-Order Compact Code for Nonlinear Flows About Complex Geometric

The slides review computational requirements for nozzle exhaust flow and noise calculations and the current numerical method, validation of prefactored compact scheme on CAA benchmark problems, a curvilinear grid performance test of gust response of a Joukowski airfoil, airfoil surface RMS pressure distribution and far field noise radiation results for Joukowski airfoil in a vortical gust, boundary distance study for Joukowski airfoil problem, and performance of ICOMP parallel Macintosh cluster.

Hixon, Ray↗

An Investigation Into Transecting Satellites in Future Space Traffic Management Scenarios

The number of satellites expected to populate the near-Earth space environment is set to dramatically increase in the coming decade as new large constellations are approved and deployed. Current strategies for placing new batches of these satellites on orbit often involve launching into an initial orbit, and then performing apogee raising maneuvers to reach a target altitude. Similarly, end-of-life planning for these constellation satellites can consist of de-orbit burns that lower perigee to permit disposal via re-entry. Both the raising and de-orbiting maneuvers can result in the individual satellites traveling in high-eccentricity orbits that have the potential to transect other spacecraft trajectories. While individual large constellations may be able to coexist in separate altitude and inclination bands, having thousands of satellites moving between these bands as new satellites are replaced and old ones are removed could pose additional collision risks. Similar concerns have been raised regarding the impact that large numbers of university-class CubeSats might have in terms of their overall collision risk, especially as these satellites typically do not have propulsion systems for active maneuvering. To assess the impact that transecting satellites might have to future space traffic management strategies, this study explored a variety of future realistic scenarios using a high-fidelity simulation tool. The model can simulate the orbit of tens of thousands of resident space objects (RSOs) simultaneously, to include active satellites, debris, rocket bodies, or even future hypothetical scenarios, using a realistic force model that incorporates non-spherical gravity, atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure, and more. As the model is run forward in time, various statistics and meta-data are gathered on any predicted conjunction event, providing insight into the nature and frequency of potential collisions, e.g., what size are the two satellites, who operates the satellites, are they active or passive objects, etc. Additional customization is available in terms of how probability of collision is computed, and how the probability ellipsoids and screening volumes are determined. The simulation tool also allows for rule-based maneuvers for active satellites, e.g, given an advance conjunction “warning,” one or both of the satellites can maneuver to a safe distance. A wide range of maneuvers can be implemented using impulsive or low-thrust methods, and the latencies can also be varied, e.g., using maneuver lead times of 48 hours, 24 hours, or 12 hours. Validation of the simulation results is performed against current and historical datasets available, to include comparisons to prior conjunction data messages (CDMs), object properties (mass, volume, etc.), and two-line-element records from both public and internal sources. Using the simulation environment, an assessment on the general risks that transecting satellites might pose for hypothetical future space object environments will be presented. This will involve the simulation of approximately 50,000 new large constellation satellites, in addition to the existing catalog of approximately 20,000 known resident space objects (RSOs), over propagation periods of one month to one year. A description of the simulation methodologies, scenarios evaluated, and validation methods will also be presented, as well as a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of several candidate maneuver strategies that have the potential to reduce collision risk between active satellites.

Brian Gunter↗

Display format, highlight validity, and highlight method: Their effects on search performance

Display format and highlight validity were shown to affect visual display search performance; however, these studies were conducted on small, artificial displays of alphanumeric stimuli. A study manipulating these variables was conducted using realistic, complex Space Shuttle information displays. A 2x2x3 within-subjects analysis of variance found that search times were faster for items in reformatted displays than for current displays. Responses to valid applications of highlight were significantly faster than responses to non or invalidly highlighted applications. The significant format by highlight validity interaction showed that there was little difference in response time to both current and reformatted displays when the highlight validity was applied; however, under the non or invalid highlight conditions, search times were faster with reformatted displays. A separate within-subject analysis of variance of display format, highlight validity, and several highlight methods did not reveal a main effect of highlight method. In addition, observed display search times were compared to search time predicted by Tullis' Display Analysis Program. Benefits of highlighting and reformatting displays to enhance search and the necessity to consider highlight validity and format characteristics in tandem for predicting search performance are discussed.

Donner, Kimberly A.↗

Implications of Simulation Conceptual Model Development for Simulation Management and Uncertainty Assessment

A simulation conceptual model is a simulation developers way of translating modeling requirements (i. e., what is to be represented by the simulation or its modification) into a detailed design framework (i. e., how it is to be done), from which the software, hardware, networks (in the case of distributed simulation), and systems/equipment that will make up the simulation can be built or modified. A conceptual model is the collection of information which describes a simulation developers concept about the simulation and its pieces. That information consists of assumptions, algorithms, characteristics, relationships, and data. Taken together, these describe how the simulation developer understands what is to be represented by the simulation (entities, actions, tasks, processes, interactions, etc.) and how that representation will satisfy the requirements to which the simulation responds. Thus the conceptual model is the basis for judgment about simulation fidelity and validity for any condition that is not specifically tested. The more perspicuous and precise the conceptual model, the more likely it is that the simulation development will both fully satisfy requirements and allow demonstration that the requirements are satisfied (i. e., validation). Methods used in simulation conceptual model development have significant implications for simulation management and for assessment of simulation uncertainty. This paper suggests how to develop and document a simulation conceptual model so that the simulation fidelity and validity can be most effectively determined. These ideas for conceptual model development apply to all simulation varieties. The paper relates these ideas to uncertainty assessments as they relate to simulation fidelity and validity. The paper also explores implications for simulation management from conceptual model development methods, especially relative to reuse of simulation components.

Pace, Dale K.↗

Summary Report Of The FY25 Reactor Physics Verification And Validation Exercises In The Advanced Reactor Technologies - Gas-cooled Reactor Program

Valdiation and verification of numerical tools is critical for ensuring reasonable predictions for design scoping, licensing, and safety analsyis. In this report, two reactor physics verification and validation exercises are presented. The first of these exercises focuses on burnup analysis with data from the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program. Simulations are performed with Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) and are compared with the experimental measurements for the AGR 1 and 2 experiments that utilize both UCO and UO2 fuel. The second exercises utilizes data from the HTR-Proteus experiments to perform reactor physics validation. Specifications of the experimental facility are provdied, along with a demonstration of initial modeling efforts in Serpent for one of the determistic packing experiments. Both cases are part of the Generation-IV international forum (GIF) Very High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Computational Methods, Validation, and Benchmarking (CMVB) program, an international collaborative organization dedicated to the verification and validation of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) analysis. Participation in the CMVB allows the US Department of Energy (DOE) to leverage these existing validation activities to provide extra value through benchmarking activities with other CMVB members.

and Benchmarking (CMVB) program↗

Subcomponent Validation of Composite Joints for Marine Energy Structures

The Marine Energy Advanced Materials project addresses the barriers and uncertainties facing marine renewable energy developers in using composite materials for load-bearing structures. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office, the multiyear project comprises of collaborators from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Montana State University (MSU), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and industry stakeholders. As part of the Marine Energy Advanced Materials project, marine renewable energy industry surveys and assessments were conducted to identify key materials and knowledge gaps that hinder the adoption of composite materials in marine renewable energy structures. Specific knowledge gaps highlighted for composite materials were environmental effects, fatigue strengths, and bonded and bolted interconnects (composite/composite and composite/metal). It was concluded that many of these gaps could be addressed through subcomponent validation; consequently, a program was developed at NREL with the goals of developing subcomponent validation methods for appropriate marine energy materials, which would improve the understanding of design allowables for full-scale structural components and joints. Ultimately, the aim is to reduce timelines and costs associated with full-scale structural validation efforts while also providing near-net-scale static and fatigue data of composite/metal subcomponents for marine renewable energy systems. To approach these goals, a testing program was developed at NREL to investigate a variety of materials and structural design details at the subcomponent scale to understand (a) the effects of harsh and corrosive marine energy environments and (b) the static and fatigue strengths of the complex geometries. The recent study from this testing program is perhaps the largest that has ever been conducted with respect to specimen scale and geographic diversity of underwater environmental conditions that the specimens were subjected to. A variety of specimen geometries were designed by NREL to highlight key features of multimaterial (composite/composite or metal/composite) interconnects that may be used in marine renewable energy structural designs. The designs used several different composite matrices, adhesives, and marine-grade steels, which were highlighted in the surveys as being the most appropriate for harsh marine environments. Composite panels were then manufactured at MSU, and were subsequently manufactured into test specimens by NREL. The specimens were shipped to FAU and PNNL for conditioning in ocean water tanks at various temperatures for an extended period. The specimens were then returned to NREL for structural validation. This presentation will provide an overview of recent advances within the testing program in terms of specimen design and test methods, and will discuss results and key findings of the subcomponent testing program to date at NREL.

adhesives↗

Validation of Safety-Critical Systems for Aircraft Loss-of-Control Prevention and Recovery

Validation of technologies developed for loss of control (LOC) prevention and recovery poses significant challenges. Aircraft LOC can result from a wide spectrum of hazards, often occurring in combination, which cannot be fully replicated during evaluation. Technologies developed for LOC prevention and recovery must therefore be effective under a wide variety of hazardous and uncertain conditions, and the validation framework must provide some measure of assurance that the new vehicle safety technologies do no harm (i.e., that they themselves do not introduce new safety risks). This paper summarizes a proposed validation framework for safety-critical systems, provides an overview of validation methods and tools developed by NASA to date within the Vehicle Systems Safety Project, and develops a preliminary set of test scenarios for the validation of technologies for LOC prevention and recovery

Belcastro, Christine M.↗

Experimental validation of boundary element methods for noise prediction

Experimental validation of methods to predict radiated noise is presented. A combined finite element and boundary element model was used to predict the vibration and noise of a rectangular box excited by a mechanical shaker. The predicted noise was compared to sound power measured by the acoustic intensity method. Inaccuracies in the finite element model shifted the resonance frequencies by about 5 percent. The predicted and measured sound power levels agree within about 2.5 dB. In a second experiment, measured vibration data was used with a boundary element model to predict noise radiation from the top of an operating gearbox. The predicted and measured sound power for the gearbox agree within about 3 dB.

Seybert, A. F.↗

Validation of a fault-tolerant clock synchronization system

A validation method for the synchronization subsystem of a fault tolerant computer system is investigated. The method combines formal design verification with experimental testing. The design proof reduces the correctness of the clock synchronization system to the correctness of a set of axioms which are experimentally validated. Since the reliability requirements are often extreme, requiring the estimation of extremely large quantiles, an asymptotic approach to estimation in the tail of a distribution is employed.

Butler, R. W.↗

Validating the Autonomous Science Agent

This paper describes the validation process for the Autonomous Science Agent, a software agent that will fly onboard the EO-1 spacecraft from 2003-2004. This agent will recognize science events, retarget the spacecraft to respond to the science events, and reduce data downlink to only the highest value science data. The autonomous science agent has been designed using a layered architectural approach with specific redundant safeguards to reduce the risk of an agent malfunction to the EO-1 spacecraft. This 'safe' design is also in the process of being thoroughly validated by informal validation methods and extensive testing. This paper describes the analysis used to define agent safety, elements of the design that increase the safety of the agent, and the process being used to validate agent safety prior to the agent software controlling the spacecraft.

agent safety↗

Porosity Prediction and Detection During Composite Cure Using Simulation and Ultrasonic In-Situ Inspection Inside and Autoclave

Composite materials offer unique benefits in aerospace applications such as increased strength-to-weight ratio and improved fatigue properties. They are increasingly being used in major commercial aircraft programs. However, current processing methods can lead to defects in composite parts, which are currently identified using post-manufacturing inspection methods. A cure defects process model has been developed to predict the formation of manufacturing defects (e.g., porosity and fiber waviness) in composites based on the cure parameters and part geometry. However, a capability to directly validate porosity during cure did not exist. Validation methods included comparing resin pressure measured during cure with predictions by the process model and inspection/microscopy after cure. This study developed a high-temperature ultrasonic inspection system to detect porosity defects in composites during autoclave cure and experimentally verify the predictions of the model. The system operated inside an autoclave within an enclosure cooled by intermittent liquid nitrogen(LN2) injections. A high-temperature 2.25 MHz ultrasonic transducer was utilized to transmit ultrasonic waves through the tool plate and into the composite material and to measure the amplitude and time of flight of the reflected waves with a 1 mm × 1 mm resolution. Porosity was observed via the ultrasonic reflections, which experienced increased attenuation in regions of high porosity. Distinct regions of increased porosity were present due to uneven pressure across the panel, which was driven by an intentional misfit between the flat caul plate and the tapered composite panel with ply drops. These observations matched the predictions of the model using the inputs from the experiment (e.g., part material and geometry, cure cycle) and were validated by post-cure ultrasonic inspection and micrographs. The in-situ inspection system was able to successfully provide defect detection and localization and can be applied to future manufacturing of composite structure for aerospace applications.

Porosity↗

A Study into Validating a Coupled Method of Characteristics and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method Against Empirical Data

The following will outline the methodology and results of validating a coupled Method of Characteristics (MOC) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This research focused specifically on modeling plume impingement, induced by Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that flew on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) space shuttle Discovery. For each simulation, the continuum portion of the RCS thruster was simulated using MOC for solving hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and computed with the NASA code, Reacting and Multi-phase Program (RAMP). The solution was then implemented as a starting condition into the NASA DSMC code, Direct Simulation and Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC). Typically, DSMC models rely on code-to-code validation for fidelity. The significance of this research is in its ability to validate its models against empirical data. Prior to computing solutions for these simulations, the mesh size and structure were optimized and many variants of DSMC input parameters were iterated on in order to acquire a reliable, mesh-independent, fully optimized numerical solution. This research will discuss the mathematical formulation of MOC for nozzle flow and DSMC for rarefied gases. Additionally, it will provide an explanation of how to implement these mathematical concepts into the two solvers: RAMP and DAC. Ultimately, this research will demonstrate that the overall process illustrated produces results in good agreement with empirical data. As a consequence, the methodology presented is granted an increased level of confidence and will greatly contribute to the aerospace industry and its effort in understanding and predicting rarefied flow fields.

Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Analysis Code↗

A Study into Validating A Coupled Method of Characteristics And Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method Against Empirical Data

The following will outline the methodology and results of validating a coupled Method of Characteristics (MOC) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This research focused specifically on modeling plume impingement, induced by Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that flew on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) space shuttle Discovery. For each simulation, the continuum portion of the RCS thruster was simulated using MOC for solving hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and computed with the NASA code, Reacting and Multi-phase Program (RAMP). The solution was then implemented as a starting condition into the NASA DSMC code, Direct Simulation and Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC). Typically, DSMC models rely on code-to-code validation for fidelity. The significance of this research is in its ability to validate its models against empirical data. Prior to computing solutions for these simulations, the mesh size and structure were optimized and many variants of DSMC input parameters were iterated on in order to acquire a reliable, mesh-independent, fully optimized numerical solution. This research will discuss the mathematical formulation of MOC for nozzle flow and DSMC for rarefied gases. Additionally, it will provide an explanation of how to implement these mathematical concepts into the two solvers: RAMP and DAC. Ultimately, this research will demonstrate that the overall process illustrated produces results in good agreement with empirical data. As a consequence, the methodology presented is granted an increased level of confidence and will greatly contribute to the aerospace industry and its effort in understanding and predicting rarefied flow fields.

DAC↗

Summary Report Of The FY25 Computational Fluid Dynamics Verification And Validation Exercises In The Advanced Reactor Technologies - Gas-cooled Reactor Program

Verification and Validation (V&V) of numerical tools is critical for ensuring reasonable predictions during design, safety analysis, and licensing. Recent work in the Advanced Reactor Technologies - Gas-cooled Reactor (ART-GCR) program has focused on V&V of common Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools that are used within the Untied States. This report presents an update on these CFD V&V activities. These Generation IV Forum (GIF) Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Computational Methods, Validation, and Benchmarking (CMVB) is an international organization dedicated to the verification and validation of High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) simulation tools. Participation in the CMVB provides additional value to the V&V activities, as it allows for access to a wider range of data, and provides valuable benchmarking exercises. Three HTGR phenomena are targeted: Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) performance, core bypass flow, and lower plenum mixing. Simulations of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) RCCS facilities are performed with Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) in StarCCM+. Results are compared for both forced and natural convection conditions, with both exhibiting good agreement with experimental measurements. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) matched index of refraction (MIR) and Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) bypass flow expeirments are used to validation CFD predictions of bypass flow. Simulations are performed with RANS in StarCCM+ and with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) in NekRS. Finally, preliminary simulations of the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) lower plenum mixing facilities are presented. Initial work has developed models with LES, RANS, and porous media models. These preliminary models are presented and compared to each other to gauge differences in predictions with each of the three methods.

and Benchmarking (CMVB)↗

Validating the autonomous EO-1 science agent

This paper describes the validation process for the Autonomous Science Agent, a software agent that is currently flying onboard NASA EO-1 spacecraft. The agent autonomously collects, analyzes, and reacts to onboard science data. The Autonomous Science Agent has been designed using a layered architectural approach with specific redundant safeguards to reduce the risk of an agent malfunction to the EO-1 spacecraft. This safe design has been thoroughly validated by informal validation methods supplemented by sub-system and system-level testing. This paper describes the analysis used to define agent safety, elements of the design that increase the safety of the agent, and the process used to validate agent safety.

software↗