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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Efficient Multi-Stage Time Marching for Viscous Flows via Local Preconditioning

A new method has been developed to accelerate the convergence of explicit time-marching, laminar, Navier-Stokes codes through the combination of local preconditioning and multi-stage time marching optimization. Local preconditioning is a technique to modify the time-dependent equations so that all information moves or decays at nearly the same rate, thus relieving the stiffness for a system of equations. Multi-stage time marching can be optimized by modifying its coefficients to account for the presence of viscous terms, allowing larger time steps. We show it is possible to optimize the time marching scheme for a wide range of cell Reynolds numbers for the scalar advection-diffusion equation, and local preconditioning allows this optimization to be applied to the Navier-Stokes equations. Convergence acceleration of the new method is demonstrated through numerical experiments with circular advection and laminar boundary-layer flow over a flat plate.

Kleb, William L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Guidance and Control System for a Satellite Constellation

A distributed guidance and control algorithm was developed for a constellation of satellites. The system repositions satellites as required, regulates satellites to desired orbits, and prevents collisions. 1. Optimal methods are used to compute nominal transfers from orbit to orbit. 2. Satellites are regulated to maintain the desired orbits once the transfers are complete. 3. A simulator is used to predict potential collisions or near-misses. 4. Each satellite computes perturbations to its controls so as to increase any unacceptable distances of nearest approach to other objects. a. The avoidance problem is recast in a distributed and locally-linear form to arrive at a tractable solution. b. Plant matrix values are approximated via simulation at each time step. c. The Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) method is used to compute perturbations to the controls that will result in increased miss distances. 5. Once all danger is passed, the satellites return to their original orbits, all the while avoiding each other as above. 6. The delta-Vs are reasonable. The controller begins maneuvers as soon as practical to minimize delta-V. 7. Despite the inclusion of trajectory simulations within the control loop, the algorithm is sufficiently fast for available satellite computer hardware. 8. The required measurement accuracies are within the capabilities of modern inertial measurement devices and modern positioning devices.

Bryson, Jonathan Lamar↗
NASA NTRS2012

Localization Using Visual Odometry and a Single Downward-Pointing Camera

Stereo imaging is a technique commonly employed for vision-based navigation. For such applications, two images are acquired from different vantage points and then compared using transformations to extract depth information. The technique is commonly used in robotics for obstacle avoidance or for Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, (SLAM). Yet, the process requires a number of image processing steps and therefore tends to be CPU-intensive, which limits the real-time data rate and use in power-limited applications. Evaluated here is a technique where a monocular camera is used for vision-based odometry. In this work, an optical flow technique with feature recognition is performed to generate odometry measurements. The visual odometry sensor measurements are intended to be used as control inputs or measurements in a sensor fusion algorithm using low-cost MEMS based inertial sensors to provide improved localization information. Presented here are visual odometry results which demonstrate the challenges associated with using ground-pointing cameras for visual odometry. The focus is for rover-based robotic applications for localization within GPS-denied environments.

Swank, Aaron J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Nonlinear Response of Layer Growth Dynamics in the Mixed Kinetics-Bulk-Transport Regime

In situ high-resolution interferometry on horizontal facets of the protein lysozyme reveal that the local growth rate R, vicinal slope p, and tangential (step) velocity v fluctuate by up to 80% of their average values. The time scale of these fluctuations, which occur under steady bulk transport conditions through the formation and decay of step bunches (macrosteps), is of the order of 10 min. The fluctuation amplitude of R increases with growth rate (supersaturation) and crystal size, while the amplitude of the v and p fluctuations changes relatively little. Based on a stability analysis for equidistant step trains in the mixed transport-interface-kinetics regime, we argue that the fluctuations originate from the coupling of bulk transport with nonlinear interface kinetics. Furthermore, step bunches moving across the interface in the direction of or opposite to the buoyancy-driven convective flow increase or decrease in height, respectively. This is in agreement with analytical treatments of the interaction of moving steps with solution flow. Major excursions in growth rate are associated with the formation of lattice defects (striations). We show that, in general, the system-dependent kinetic Peclet number, Pe(sub k) , i.e., the relative weight of bulk transport and interface kinetics in the control of the growth process, governs the step bunching dynamics. Since Pe(sub k) can be modified by either forced solution flow or suppression of buoyancy-driven convection under reduced gravity, this model provides a rationale for the choice of specific transport conditions to minimize the formation of compositional inhomogeneities under steady bulk nutrient crystallization conditions.

Vekilov, Peter G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Implementation of variable time step stochastic dynamics for electronically inelastic gas-surface collisions

A variable time step algorithm has been implemented for solving the stochastic equations of motion for gas-surface collisions. It has been tested for a simple model of electronically inelastic collisions with an insulator surface in which the phonon manifold acts as a heat bath and electronic states are localized. In addition to reproducing the accurate nuclear dynamics of the surface atoms, numerical calculations have shown the algorithm to yield accurate ensemble averages of physical observables such as electronic transition probabilities and total energy loss of the gas atom to the surface. This new algorithm offers a gain in efficieny of up to an order of magnitude compared to fixed time step integration.

Garrett, Bruce C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Unsteady Navier-Stokes computations past oscillating delta wing at high incidence

The unsteady, thin-layer, compressible Navier-Stokes equations, written in the moving frame of reference for the flow relative motion, is solved for the steady and unsteady supersonic flow around a round-edged delta wing. For supersonic flow, local conical flow solution has been obtained from the three-dimensional equations. Pseudotime stepping is used for the steady flow, while time-accurate stepping is used for the unsteady flow. The computational scheme is an implicit approximately-factored finite volume scheme which uses explicit and implicit dissipation terms. The scheme is verified for the steady flow solution. The scheme is then applied to a delta wing undergoing rolling oscillation at a reduced frequency of 1.137 with 15- deg maximum amplitude about a mean angle of attack of 10 deg for a Mach number of 2 and a Reynolds number of 500,000.

Kandil, Osama A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Matching Multistage Schemes to Viscous Flow

Multistage, explicit time stepping can be tailored to accelerate convergence for scalar advection-diffusion problems by using optimized multistage coefficients that vary with the local cell Reynolds number. And, when combined with local preconditioning, variable-coefficient multistage schemes for computational fluid dynamics codes can also provide an order of magnitude faster convergence, relative to standard, fixed-coefficient schemes, for the Navier-Stokes system of equations.

Kleb, William L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Separation of lithospheric, external, and core components of the south polar geomagnetic field at satellite altitudes

We present a new approach to producing scalar Magsat magnetic anomaly maps based on correlation coefficient filtering and the use of almost all of the available orbits. Our method differs from earlier techniques with respect to the following: (1) Passes are selected based on their variance properties rather than planetary indices such as Kp. (2) The core field model is least squares fit to individual passes and subsequently removed instead of substracting the model directly. This technique replaces band pass filtering or polynomial trend removal methods. (3) Each selected pass is sorted geographically and by local time, placed into one of four different altitude bands, and correlation coefficient filtered with the two adjacent passes. The filtering is the second step toward isolating the static lithospheric signal from the more dynamic external field signals. (4) Least squares collocation is used to grid the correlated passes; subsequently, the dawn and dusk maps are also correlation filtered providing another step toward removal of external fields. (5) The four resultant total field maps are continued to a common altitude and again correlation filtered for the static lithospheric anomalies. (6) The filtered results are then averaged together to provide a new total field map of the lithosphere south of 40 deg S latitude. Our total field map differs from previous efforts over the crustal blocks of West Antarctica. We obtained a positive anomaly over Edward VII Peninsula, extending into the Byrd subglacial basin and obtained a negative anomaly over the Ellsworth Mountains and parts of the Byrd subglacial basin. Also, a positive anomaly extending from the Ross Sea to offshore Wilkes Land is present in our map; however, this feature is absent in other maps. Positive anomalies marking the Weddell Sea in previous efforts are not present in our map. Prominent external field anomalies in the quadrant offshore of Wilkes Land are present in all previous efforts; however, these signatures are reduced in our total field map. This map significantly advances efforts for the identification and interpretation of magnetic anomalies of the south polar lithosphere.

Alsdorf, Douglas E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Design and Testing of an Automated System using Thermochromatic Liquid Crystals to Determine Local Heat Transfer Coefficients for an Impinging Jet

Using thermochromatic liquid crystal to measure surface temperature, an automated transient method with time-varying free-stream temperature is developed to determine local heat transfer coefficients. By allowing the free-stream temperature to vary with time, the need for complicated mechanical components to achieve a step temperature change is eliminated, and by using the thermochromatic liquid crystals as temperature indicators, the labor intensive task of installing many thermocouples is omitted. Bias associated with human perception of the transition of the thermochromatic liquid crystal is eliminated by using a high speed digital camera and a computer. The method is validated by comparisons with results obtained by the steady-state method for a circular Jet impinging on a flat plate. Several factors affecting the accuracy of the method are evaluated.

Tan, Benjamin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Time-History Statistics of Soot Formation in A Model Gas Turbine Combustor

Soot formation is a complex dynamic and intermittent process determined by properties of the fuel, combustor design, and combustor operation. Although the major steps in soot formation (i.e., formation of precursors, inception, growth and evolution) are similar for a variety of carbonaceous fuels, applications, and operating conditions, it remains unclear when the temporal transition between these steps occurs. An engineering prediction tool coupled with computational fluid physics (CFD), therefore needs to accurately model all these complex steps. To develop such a model, we propose the time-history concept for understanding the time dependency of soot formation as a function of local properties (i.e., temperature, velocity, local fuel air ratio, etc.). We continue our previous work with modeling the DLR aero-combustor [1] with our updated in-house CFD code, Open National Combustion Code (OpenNCC), that now includes a Multiple Time-Scale Flamelet Progress Variable approach and a the semi-empirical two-equation soot model. We injected massless tracer particles upstream of the injector region of the combustor to collect time-history statistics of the solution variables. The correlations between the collected statistics with respect to the experimental soot volume fraction data showed that time-history effect of certain flow variables, including turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and multiple species is indeed important for soot formation. We then conducted a time-history based correlation analysis to determine the key species and the concentration ranges critical for soot formation (C6H5-based nucleation, acetylene-based surface growth, and oxidation with OH and O2). Based on the time-history correlation coefficient (THCC) analysis, we propose possible modifications to improve the current two-equation model.

LES↗
NASA NTRS1986

An adaptive characteristic Petrov-Galerkin finite element method for convection-dominated linear and nonlinear parabolic problems in one space variable

The present adaptive FEM technique for convection-dominated problems is based on a Petrov-Galerkin scheme for spatial approximation, whose typical time-step employs test functions chosen to yield an approximate solution coinciding with the exact solutions at the finite element grid nodes. The derivation of truly local a posteriori error estimates is made possible by this procedure, which is also shown to be a very effective solver by the numerical examples presented.

Demkowicz, L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A coupled fluid-structure dynamic analysis for water impact loads

In this paper a nonlinear transient, hydroelastic method is developed for response analysis of the Space Shuttle recoverable booster on water impact. At each time step, coupled equations of fluid flow and structure dynamics are solved with an iterative, self-correcting process. Rigid body motions are represented by large angle equations. Local deformations are represented by a NASTRAN-generated model of the three-dimensional structure. The fluid is represented by series solutions of the potential flow equation which include the effects of the local structure motions. The resulting water loads and structural stresses obtained will aid in qualification of the final structural design. Comparisons are made to experimental impact data to validate the method.

Herting, D. N.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computerized reduction of elementary reaction sets for combustion modeling

If the entire set of elementary reactions is to be solved in the modeling of chemistry in computational fluid dynamics, a set of stiff ordinary differential equations must be integrated. Some of the reactions take place at very high rates, requiring short time steps, while others take place more slowly and make little progress in the short time step integration. The goal is to develop a procedure to automatically obtain sets of finite rate equations, consistent with a partial equilibrium assumptions, from an elementary set appropriate to local conditions. The possibility of computerized reaction reduction was demonstrated. However, the ability to use the reduced reaction set depends on the ability of the CFD approach in incorporate partial equilibrium calculations into the computer code. Therefore, the results should be tested on a code with partial equilibrium capability.

Wikstrom, Carl V.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Detection and Correction of Step Discontinuities in Kepler Flux Time Series

PDC 8.0 includes an implementation of a new algorithm to detect and correct step discontinuities appearing in roughly one of every 20 stellar light curves during a given quarter. The majority of such discontinuities are believed to result from high-energy particles (either cosmic or solar in origin) striking the photometer and causing permanent local changes (typically -0.5%) in quantum efficiency, though a partial exponential recovery is often observed [1]. Since these features, dubbed sudden pixel sensitivity dropouts (SPSDs), are uncorrelated across targets they cannot be properly accounted for by the current detrending algorithm. PDC detrending is based on the assumption that features in flux time series are due either to intrinsic stellar phenomena or to systematic errors and that systematics will exhibit measurable correlations across targets. SPSD events violate these assumptions and their successful removal not only rectifies the flux values of affected targets, but demonstrably improves the overall performance of PDC detrending [1].

Kolodziejczak, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The simulation of complete 11 and 12 year modulation cycles for cosmic rays in the heliosphere using a drift model with global merged interaction regions

Two-dimensional, time-dependent drift models have done exceptionally well in explaining major modulation features, especially during the A less than 0 magnetic polarity cycle of the heliospheric magnetic field when positively charge particles are drifting in along the heliospheric neutral sheet (HNS). These models were found to do well when the heliospheric 'tilt angles' alpha less than approximately 30 deg (le Roux & Potgeiter). However, they seem to do less well when alpha greater than approximately 30 deg during A less than 0 cycles seem to fail when this happens in A greater than 0 cycles. Progress was made in understanding these phases of the modulation cycle when merged interaction regions (MIRs) were incorporated in time-dependent drift models (Potgieter et al.). It was also explicitly shown that in obtaining large step decreases in cosmic rays, the MIRs had to be global, i.e., having a latitudinal extent of more than approximately 60 deg. Other classes of MIRs, such as local MIRs and co-rotating MIRs were found to be of secondary importance for establishing long-term modulation. In a previous paper we studied the effects of two consecutive, identical global MIRs, together with a changing wavy HNS, on long-term modulation (Potegieter & le Roux). This approach gave a very natural and convincing explanation for the observed step decreases in cosmic-ray modulation. Emphasis was placed in the declining and recovery phases of the 11 yr modulation cycle. In this paper, four consecutive, nonidentical global MIRs, in combination with a varying wavy HNS, were included in our time-dependent drift model in order to do simulations closer to what was observed between 1977 and 1987. By doing this we could model, for the first time, complete 11 and 22 yr cycles in the heliospheric modulation of galactic cosmic-rays, including the solar magnetic polarity reversals.

Le Roux, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Unconditionally stable concurrent procedures for transient finite-element analysis

A family of algorithms was outlined which would appear to be particularly well-suited for implementation in a parallel environment. This is due to the fact that for any partition of the mesh each subdomain in the partition can be processed over a time step simultaneously and independently of the rest. The method eliminates the need for assembling and factorizing large global arrays while retaining the unconditional stability properties of the algorithms used at the local level. To critically appraise the proposed methodology, two limiting cases were considered: element-by-element mesh partitions, and coarse mesh partitions. It was concluded that while the proposed methodology can be useful in sequential machines, it would appear to be promising as it bears on computation. It should also be emphasized that extensions of the method to nonlinear problems are possible.

Ortiz, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1989

Vortex-dominated conical-flow computations using unstructured adaptively-refined meshes

A conical Euler/Navier-Stokes algorithm is presented for the computation of vortex-dominated flows. The flow solver involves a multistage Runge-Kutta time stepping scheme which uses a finite-volume spatial discretization on an unstructured grid made up of triangles. The algorithm also employs an adaptive mesh refinement procedure which enriches the mesh locally to more accurately resolve the vortical flow features. Results are presented for several highly-swept delta wing and circular cone cases at high angles of attack and at supersonic freestream flow conditions. Accurate solutions were obtained more efficiently when adaptive mesh refinement was used in contrast with refining the grid globally. The paper presents descriptions of the conical Euler/Navier-Stokes flow solver and adaptive mesh refinement procedures along with results which demonstrate the capability.

Batina, John T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Theoretical study of nonadiabatic boundary-layer stabilization times in a cryogenic wind tunnel for typical stainless steel wing and fuselage models

The time varying effect of nonadiabatic wall conditions on boundary layer properties was studied for a two dimensional wing section and an axisymmetric fuselage. The wing and fuselage sections are representative of the wing root chord and fuselage of a typical transport model for the National Transonic Facility. The analysis was made with a solid wing and three fuselage configurations (one solid and two hollow with varying skin thicknesses) all made from AISI type 310S stainless steel. The displacement thickness and local skin friction were investigated at a station on the model in terms of the time required for these two boundary layer properties to reach an adiabatic wall condition after a 50 K step change in total temperature. The analysis was made for a free stream Mach number of 0.85, a total temperature of 117 K, and stagnation pressures of 2, 6, and 9 atm.

Johnson, C. B.↗