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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 1,171 records · Page 65
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Computational characterization of the secondary droplets formed during the impingement of a train of ethanol drops

This paper uniquely characterizes the secondary droplets formed during the impingement of a train of ethanol drops, using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations performed under conditions studied experimentally by Yarin and Weiss. Our numerical results have been previously validated against experimental data demonstrating the ability to accurately capture the splashing dynamics. In this work, the predictive ability of the model is leveraged to gain further insight into secondary droplet formation. We present a robust post-processing algorithm, which scrutinizes the liquid volume fraction field in the volume-of-fluid method and quantifies the number, volume and velocity of secondary droplets. The high-resolution computational simulations enable secondary droplet characterization within close proximity of the impingement point at small length and time scales, which is extremely challenging to achieve experimentally. By studying the temporal evolution of secondary droplet formation, direct connections are made between liquid structures seen in the simulation and the instantaneous distribution of secondary droplets, leading to detailed insight into the instability-driven breakup process of lamellae. Time-averaged secondary droplet characteristics are also studied to describe the global distribution of secondary droplets. Such analysis is vital to understanding fuel drop impingement in direct injection engines, facilitating the development of highly accurate spray–wall interaction models for use in Lagrangian solvers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ultrafast high-harmonic spectroscopy of solids

High-harmonic spectroscopy, an ultrafast all-optical technique initially conceptualized in atomic and molecular systems, has now emerged as a powerful platform for studying the structure and dynamics of condensed matter. Unlike that in the gas phase, solid-state high-harmonic generation relies on the fundamental response from high atomic density and periodicity, leading to interband transitions and coherent driving of electrons and holes in their respective bands. These mechanisms make high-harmonic spectroscopy particularly sensitive to the electronic band structure, topological properties and many-body correlations in condensed media. An advantage of high-harmonic spectroscopy over other spectroscopic methods is its ability to probe ultrafast phenomena, capturing femto- to attosecond dynamics of multi-band and strongly correlated electron interactions in solids. Furthermore, in this Review, we discuss the latest experimental and theoretical advances in ultrafast high-harmonic spectroscopy of solids and provide perspectives for future research in this field.

High-harmonic generation↗
NASA NTRS2012

Prediction of BVI Noise for an Active Twist Rotor Using a Loosely Coupled CFD/CSD Method and Comparison to Experimental Data

Numerical predictions of the acoustic characteristics of an Active Twist Rotor (ATR), using two methods to compute the rotor blade aerodynamics and elastic blade motion are compared to experimental data from a wind tunnel test in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) in 2000. The first method, a loosely coupled iterative method, utilizes the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code OVERFLOW 2 and the Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD) code CAMRAD II. The second method utilizes the CAMRAD II free-wake model only. The harmonic active-twist control to the main rotor blade system is identified with three parameters - harmonic actuation frequency, actuation amplitude, and control phase angle. The resulting aerodynamics and blade motion data from the two methods are then used in the acoustics code PSU-WOPWOP to predict acoustic pressure on a spherical array of equally spaced observers surrounding the rotor. This spherical distribution of pressure is used to compute the sound power level representing baseline and actuated conditions. Sound power levels for three categories of noise are defined as - blade-vortex interaction sound power level (BVIPWL), low frequency sound power level (LFPWL), and overall sound power level, OAPWL. Comparisons with measured data indicate the CFD/CSD analysis successfully captures the trends in sound power levels and the effects of active-twist control at advance ratios of 0.14 and 0.17. The free-wake model predictions show inconsistent sound power levels relative to the trends in the experimental and CFD data. This paper presents the first ever comparison between CFD/CSD acoustic predictions for an active-twist rotor and experimental measurements.

Fogarty, David E.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The HART II International Workshop: An Assessment of the State-of-the-Art in Comprehensive Code Prediction

Significant advancements in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and their coupling with computational structural dynamics (CSD, or comprehensive codes) for rotorcraft applications have been achieved recently. Despite this, CSD codes with their engineering level of modeling the rotor blade dynamics, the unsteady sectional aerodynamics and the vortical wake are still the workhorse for the majority of applications. This is especially true when a large number of parameter variations is to be performed and their impact on performance, structural loads, vibration and noise is to be judged in an approximate yet reliable and as accurate as possible manner. In this article, the capabilities of such codes are evaluated using the HART II International Workshop database, focusing on a typical descent operating condition which includes strong blade-vortex interactions. A companion article addresses the CFD/CSD coupled approach. Three cases are of interest: the baseline case and two cases with 3/rev higher harmonic blade root pitch control (HHC) with different control phases employed. One setting is for minimum blade-vortex interaction noise radiation and the other one for minimum vibration generation. The challenge is to correctly predict the wake physics-especially for the cases with HHC-and all the dynamics, aerodynamics, modifications of the wake structure and the aero-acoustics coming with it. It is observed that the comprehensive codes used today have a surprisingly good predictive capability when they appropriately account for all of the physics involved. The minimum requirements to obtain these results are outlined.

vanderWall, Berend G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multimode turbulent flow measurements using magnetic resonance imaging- and laser-based techniques and computational fluid dynamics simulations

We studied the flow field characteristics of a turbulent flow over a regularized cube array with a perpendicular injection flow through the floor between the second and third cubical elements, representing the complex flow interactions of a 3D jet and the wake flows behind cubical obstacles. Four different experimental measurements were performed: two magnetic resonance imaging-based measurements for three-dimensional three-component velocity (MRV) and concentration (MRC) and two laser-based techniques, particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), for two-dimensional two-component velocity and concentration measurement, respectively. The mainstream Reynolds number is Re = 15 000⁠, based on the primary inlet velocity U m and channel height D H ⁠, whereas the injector Reynolds number is Re j = 3400⁠, based on the injector velocity U j and the injector's exit width D j ⁠. Numerical simulations were performed for the studied flow configuration of turbulent flow over a regularized cube array using Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) approaches. Results obtained from experimental measurements—including MRV, MRC, PIV, and PLIF—as well as RANS and LES simulations are discussed and compared along several horizontal and vertical planes of the studied configuration. In addition, 3D turbulent flow structures, such as leading-edge vortex, horseshoe vortex, and jet shear-layer vortex, and the isosurfaces of scalar concentration successfully revealed by MRV and MRC techniques were found to be in very good agreement with those 3D features extracted from RANS and LES simulations. In conclusion, the high-resolution experimental and numerical database obtained from this study could be useful for validation and verification of numerical codes.

Computational fluid dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Uncovering a miltiradiene biosynthetic gene cluster in the Lamiaceae reveals a dynamic evolutionary trajectory

The spatial organization of genes within plant genomes can drive evolution of specialized metabolic pathways. Terpenoids are important specialized metabolites in plants with diverse adaptive functions that enable environmental interactions. Here, we report the genome assemblies of Prunella vulgaris, Plectranthus barbatus, and Leonotis leonurus. We investigate the origin and subsequent evolution of a diterpenoid biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) together with other seven species within the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Based on core genes found in the BGCs of all species examined across the Lamiaceae, we predict a simplified version of this cluster evolved in an early Lamiaceae ancestor. The current composition of the extant BGCs highlights the dynamic nature of its evolution. We elucidate the terpene backbones generated by the Callicarpa americana BGC enzymes, including miltiradiene and the terpene (+)-kaurene, and show oxidization activities of BGC cytochrome P450s. Our work reveals the fluid nature of BGC assembly and the importance of genome structure in contributing to the origin of metabolites.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1989

Multi-grid for structures analysis

In structural analysis the amount of computational time necessary for a solution is proportional to the number of degrees of freedom times the bandwidth squared. In implicit time analysis, this must be done at each discrete point in time. If, in addition, the problem is nonlinear, then this solution must be iterated at each point in time. If the bandwidth is large, the size of the problem that can be analyzed is severely limited. The multi-grid method is a possible algorithm which can make this solution much more computationally efficient. This method has been used for years in computational fluid mechanics. It works on the fact that relaxation is very efficient on the high frequency components of the solution (nearest neighbor interactions) and not very good on low frequency components of the solution (far interactions). The multi-grid method is then to relax the solution on a particular model until the residual stops changing. This indicates that the solution contains the higher frequency components. A coarse model is then generated for the lower frequency components to the solution. The model is then relaxed for the lower frequency components of the solution. These lower frequency components are then interpolated to the fine model. In computational fluid mechanics the equations are usually expressed as finite differences.

Kascak, Albert F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Buoyancy-driven flows of a radiatively participating fluid in a vertical cylinder heated from below

The effect of radiative energy transport on the onset and evolution of natural convective flows is studied in a Rayleigh-Benard system. Steady, axisymmetric flows of a radiatively participating fluid contained in a rigid-walled, vertical cylinder which is heated on the base, cooled on top, and insulated on the side wall are calculated by using the Galerkin FEM. Bifurcation analysis techniques are used to investigate the changes in the flow structure due to internal radiation. The results of this two-parameter study - where the Rayleigh number, Ra and optical thickness, tau, are varied - apply to fluids ranging from opaque to nearly transparent with respect to IR radiation. For any nonopaque fluid, internal radiation eliminates the static state that without radiation, exists for all values of the Rayleigh number. This heat transfer mechanism also destroys a symmetry of the system that relates clockwise and counterclockwise flows. The connectivity between characteristic flow families and the range of Ra where families are stable are found to depend greatly on tau. Results demonstrate the inadequacy of characterizing the behavior of this system using simple notions of radiative transfer in optically thick or thin media; the nonlinear interaction of radiation and flow are far more complicated than these asymptotic limits would imply.

Salinger, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

On the role of secondary instabilities in laminar-turbulent transition of 2D and 3D boundary layers

The accurate prediction of laminar/turbulent transition is one of the fundamental problems in engineering fluid mechanics. There is almost unanimous consent that such a transition criterion should come from stability theory. Linear primary stability theory describes the initial stage of transition, but falls short of predicting transition. Only in conjunction with empirical correlations, the widely used e(sup n) method is obtained, which, however, lacks a solid physical base. Three-dimensional secondary instabilities are known to play an important role in the transition process. However, no use has been made so far of secondary instabilities, instability interactions or wave resonances to define a 'transition location'. The paper summarizes new attempts to identify certain interaction and resonance phenomena within the laminar-turbulent transition regime in two and three-dimensional boundary layers which are associated with rapid structural and temporal changes of fluctuations beyond their exponential growths.

Dallman, Uwe↗
NASA NTRS1995

A procedure for automating CFD simulations of an inlet-bleed problem

A procedure was developed to improve the turn-around time for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of an inlet-bleed problem involving oblique shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions on a flat plate with bleed into a plenum through one or more circular holes. This procedure is embodied in a preprocessor called AUTOMAT. With AUTOMAT, once data for the geometry and flow conditions have been specified (either interactively or via a namelist), it will automatically generate all input files needed to perform a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes simulation of the prescribed inlet-bleed problem by using the PEGASUS and OVERFLOW codes. The input files automatically generated by AUTOMAT include those for the grid system and those for the initial and boundary conditions. The grid systems automatically generated by AUTOMAT are multi-block structured grids of the overlapping type. Results obtained by using AUTOMAT are presented to illustrate its capability.

Chyu, Wei J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Structured Grid Based Solution-Adaptive Technique for Complex Separated Flows

The objective of this work was to enhance the predictive capability of widely used computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes through the use of solution adaptive gridding. Most problems of engineering interest involve multi-block grids and widely disparate length scales. Hence, it is desirable that the adaptive grid feature detection algorithm be developed to recognize flow structures of different type as well as differing intensity, and adequately address scaling and normalization across blocks. In order to study the accuracy and efficiency improvements due to the grid adaptation, it is necessary to quantify grid size and distribution requirements as well as computational times of non-adapted solutions. Flow fields about launch vehicles of practical interest often involve supersonic freestream conditions at angle of attack exhibiting large scale separate vortical flow, vortex-vortex and vortex-surface interactions, separated shear layers and multiple shocks of different intensity. In this work, a weight function and an associated mesh redistribution procedure is presented which detects and resolves these features without user intervention. Particular emphasis has been placed upon accurate resolution of expansion regions and boundary layers. Flow past a wedge at Mach=2.0 is used to illustrate the enhanced detection capabilities of this newly developed weight function.

Thornburg, Hugh↗
DOE OSTI2016

Nonlinear structures: Cnoidal, soliton, and periodical waves in quantum semiconductor plasma

Properties and emerging conditions of various nonlinear acoustic waves in a three dimensional quantum semiconductor plasma are explored. A plasma fluid model characterized by degenerate pressures, exchange correlation, and quantum recoil forces is established and solved. Our analysis approach is based on the reductive perturbation theory for deriving the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation from the fluid model and solving it by using Painlevé analysis to come up with different nonlinear solutions that describe different pulse profiles such as cnoidal, soliton, and periodical pulses. The model is then employed to recognize the possible perturbations in GaN semiconductor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Gaseous jet through an outward opening injector: Details of mixing characteristic and turbulence scales

Direct injection (DI) strategy of natural gas (NG) into internal combustion engines (ICE) has led to higher thermal efficiency and lower exhaust emissions. In order to thoroughly understand the most relevant phenomena affecting the performances of such engines, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) plays a key role as an accurate description of the jet evolution and interaction within the combustion chamber is required to that aim. Accurate description of high-pressure gaseous jets is rather challenging at high Mach numbers, as the injected gas is strongly under-expanded once in the ambient, giving room to shocks due to compressibility effects. Also the interaction between shock waves and mixing layers needs to be carefully represented with a multi-dimensional model, calling for substantial computational resources requirements. In this paper a numerical investigation of the behavior of a gaseous jet (Argon) through an outward opening injector has been carried out. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach has been used in order to track the structures derived by the interaction of the injected fuel with the surrounding ambient. Although already good results were obtained using a Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach, the adoption of LES is required to characterize more accurately the jet properties in terms of vortex structures and mixing effectiveness. Finally, the effect of the Nozzle Pressure Ratio (NPR) on the jet evolution has been highlighted in the paper, showing how a higher NPR would give a faster injection process, compromising however the homogeneity of the mixture.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surface chemistry-mediated modulation of adsorbed albumin folding state specifies nanocarrier clearance by distinct macrophage subsets

Controlling nanocarrier interactions with the immune system requires a thorough understanding of the surface properties that modulate protein adsorption in biological fluids, since the resulting protein corona redefines cellular interactions with nanocarrier surfaces. Albumin is initially one of the dominant proteins to adsorb to nanocarrier surfaces, a process that is considered benign or beneficial by minimizing opsonization or inflammation. Here, we demonstrate the surface chemistry of a model nanocarrier can be engineered to stabilize or denature the three-dimensional conformation of adsorbed albumin, which respectively promotes evasion or non-specific clearance in vivo. Interestingly, certain common chemistries that have long been considered to convey stealth properties denature albumin to promote nanocarrier recognition by macrophage class A1 scavenger receptors, providing a means for their eventual removal from systemic circulation. We establish that the surface chemistry of nanocarriers can be specified to modulate adsorbed albumin structure and thereby tune clearance by macrophage scavenger receptors.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Simulation of bubble expansion and collapse in the vicinity of a free surface

The present paper focuses on the numerical simulation of the interaction of laser-generated bubbles with a free surface, including comparison of the results with instances from high-speed videos of the experiment. The Volume Of Fluid method was employed for tracking liquid and gas phases while compressibility effects were introduced with appropriate equations of state for each phase. Initial conditions of the bubble pressure were estimated through the traditional Rayleigh Plesset equation. The simulated bubble expands in a non-spherically symmetric way due to the interference of the free surface, obtaining an oval shape at the maximum size. During collapse, a jet with mushroom cap is formed at the axis of symmetry with the same direction as the gravity vector, which splits the initial bubble to an agglomeration of toroidal structures. Overall, the simulation results are in agreement with the experimental images, both quantitatively and qualitatively, while pressure waves are predicted both during the expansion and the collapse of the bubble. Minor discrepancies in the jet velocity and collapse rate are found and are attributed to the thermodynamic closure of the gas inside the bubble.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Observational tests of non-adiabatic Chaplygin gas

In a previous paper [1] it was shown that any dark sector model can be mapped into a non-adiabatic fluid formed by two interacting components, one with zero pressure and the other with equation-of-state parameter ω = -1. It was also shown that the latter does not cluster and, hence, the former is identified as the observed clustering matter. This guarantees that the dark matter power spectrum does not suffer from oscillations or instabilities. It applies in particular to the generalised Chaplygin gas, which was shown to be equivalent to interacting models at both background and perturbation levels. In the present paper we test the non-adiabatic Chaplygin gas against the Hubble diagram of type Ia supernovae, the position of the first acoustic peak in the anisotropy spectrum of the cosmic microwave background and the linear power spectrum of large scale structures. We consider two different compilations of SNe Ia, namely the Constitution and SDSS samples, both calibrated with the MLCS2k2 fitter, and for the power spectrum we use the 2dFGRS catalogue. The model parameters to be adjusted are the present Hubble parameter, the present matter density and the Chaplygin gas parameter α. The joint analysis best fit gives α ≈ - 0.5, which corresponds to a constant-rate energy flux from dark energy to dark matter, with the dark energy density decaying linearly with the Hubble parameter. The ΛCDM model, equivalent to α = 0, stands outside the 3σ confidence interval.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Soft-sphere simulations of a planar shock interaction with a granular bed

Here we consider the problem of shock propagation through a layer of spherical particles. A point particle force model is used to capture the shock-induced aerodynamic force acting upon the particles. The discrete element method (DEM) code liggghts is used to implement the shock-induced force as well as to capture the collisional forces within the system. A volume-fraction-dependent drag correction is applied using Voronoi tessellation to calculate the volume of fluid around each individual particle. A statistically stationary frame is chosen so that spatial and temporal averaging can be performed to calculate ensemble-averaged macroscopic quantities, such as the granular temperature. A parametric study is carried out by varying the coefficient of restitution for three sets of multiphase shock conditions. A self-similar profile is obtained for the granular temperature that is dependent on the coefficient of restitution. A traveling wave structure is observed in the particle concentration downstream of the shock and this instability arises from the volume-fraction-dependent drag force. The intensity of the traveling wave increases significantly as inelastic collisions are introduced. Downstream of the shock, the variance in Voronoi volume fraction is shown to have a strong dependence upon the coefficient of restitution, indicating clustering of particles induced by collisional dissipation. Statistics of the Voronoi volume are computed upstream and downstream of the shock and compared to theoretical results for randomly distributed hard spheres.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Environmental impact of solution pH on the formation and migration of iron colloids in deep subsurface energy systems

Deep subsurface stimulation processes often promote fluid-rock interactions that can lead to the formation of small colloidal particles that are suspected to migrate through the rock matrix, partially or fully clog pores and microfractures, and promote the mobilization of contaminants. Thus, the goal of this work is to understand the geochemical changes of the host rock in response to reservoir stimulation that promote the formation and migration of colloids. Two different carbonate-rich shales were exposed to different solution pHs (pH = 2 and 7). In this study, iron and other mineral transformations at the shale-fluid interface were first characterized by synchrotron-based XRF mapping. Then, colloids that were able to migrate from the shale into the bulk fluid were characterized by synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption structure (EXAFS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and single-particle inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (sp-icpTOF-MS). When exposed to the pH = 2 solution, extensive mineral dissolution and secondary precipitation was observed; iron-(oxyhydr)oxide colloids colocated with silicates were observed by SEM at the fluid-shale interfaces, and the mobilization of chromium and nickel with these iron colloids into the bulk fluid was detected by sp-icpTOF-MS. Iron EXAFS spectra of the solution at the shale-fluid interface suggests the rapid (within minutes) formation of ferrihydrite-like nanoparticles. Thus, we demonstrate that the pH neutralization promotes the mobilization of existing silicate minerals and the rapid formation of new iron colloids. These Fe colloids have the potential to migrate through the shale matrix and mobilize other heavy metals (such as Cr and Ni, in this study) and impacting groundwater quality, as well produced waters from these hydraulic fracturing operations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗