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At least 127 records · Page 7

Determination of the Accomodation Coefficient Using Vapor/Gas Bubble Dynamics in an Acoustic Field

Non-equilibrium liquid/vapor phase transformations can occur in superheated or subcooled liquids in fast processes such as in evaporation in a vacuum, in processing of molten metals, and in vapor explosions. The rate at which such a phase transformation occurs, Xi, can be described by the Hertz-Knudsen-Langmuir formula. More than one century of the history of the accommodation coefficient measurements shows many problems with its determination. This coefficient depends on the temperature, is sensitive to the conditions at the interface, and is influenced by small amounts of impurities. Even recent measurements of the accommodation coefficient for water (Hagen et al, 1989) showed a huge variation in Beta from 1 for 1 micron droplets to 0.006 for 15 micron droplets. Moreover, existing measurement techniques for the accommodation coefficient are complex and expensive. Thus development of a relatively inexpensive and reliable technique for measurement of the accommodation coefficient for a wide range of substances and temperatures is of great practical importance.

Gumerov, Nail A.↗

A comparison between protein crystals grown with vapor diffusion methods in microgravity and protein crystals using a gel liquid-liquid diffusion ground-based method

Crystals of human serum albumin have been successfully grown in a variety of gels using crystallization conditions otherwise equivalent to those utilized in the popular hanging-drop vapor-equilibrium method. Preliminary comparisons of gel grown crystals with crystals grown by the vapor diffusion method via both ground-based and microgravity methods indicate that crystals superior in size and quality may be grown by limiting solutal convection. Preliminary X-ray diffraction statistics are presented.

Miller, Teresa Y.↗

Universal Two-Phase Convection Heat Transfer Correlations for Cryogenic Pipe Chilldown

This paper presents a set of universal two-phase convection heat transfer correlations for modeling boiling heat transfer during pipe chilldown fit over the widest available range of cryogenic fluids and thermodynamic conditions. The correlations improve upon prior correlations that were developed separately for liquid nitrogen (LN2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) pipe quenching datasets. The new correlations include equations to calculate the single-phase vapor heat transfer, film boiling heat transfer, transition boiling heat transfer, nucleate boiling heat transfer, single-phase liquid heat transfer, bulk vapor temperature during high quality film boiling, Leidenfrost temperature, critical heat flux, critical heat flux temperature, and the onset of nucleate boiling temperature. The correlations were validated against LH2, LN2, liquid methane, liquid oxygen, and liquid argon pipe quenching datasets. The eight datasets cover the following parameter ranges: pipe lengths of 0.1 to 6.5m; outer pipe diameters of 12.7 to 25.4 mm; pipe wall thicknesses from 0.51 to 1.64 mm; flow directions of upward, downward, and horizontal; gravity levels of 1g and 0g±0.01g. A numerical model assumes homogeneous mixing between the vapor and liquid and implicitly integrates the coupled energy equations for the pipe and fluid, as well as continuity for the fluid. The model was used to estimate the equilibrium quality and fluid mass accumulation along the pipes during chilldown from estimates of the fluid-pipe heat transfer extracted from temperature measurements. The correlations can be implemented in lumped parameter codes such as SINDA/FLUINT and the Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) to improve the accuracy of chilldown time and chilldown boiloff mass predictions. Such predictions are useful for designing ground or in-space cryogenic liquid transfer systems.

Universal Correlations↗

The Onset of Nucleate Boiling Prediction in a Mini Channel with the Eulerian Multiphase Flow

The prediction of boiling incipience is a critical issue for a reactor. Vapor lock causes operating instability and undesirable temperature rise, especially for small channels. This study uses the Eulerian multiphase flow boiling model to predict the onset of nucleate boiling in a millimeter scale rectangular channel. Two wall boiling models, namely the RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and the non-equilibrium sub cooled model are applied. Computational fluid dynamics is employed for this study to investigate the impact of operating conditions like liquid flow rate, operating pressure, heat flux, velocity profile, turbulence model, and inlet liquid temperature. Here, the effect of fundamental boiling parameters on the surface wall temperature and vapor volume fraction is also studied. The parameters under consideration are the bubble departure diameter, bubble departure frequency, nucleate site density, quenching time period, and interface heat transfer coefficients. A series of CFD calculations is conducted by varying the considered variables systematically in a wide range of flow conditions covering laminar, transition, and turbulent flows. The sub-component heat fluxes like the liquid convective, the vapor convective, the evaporative, and the quenching terms are monitored to infer the boiling dynamics in the transition region from the single-phase flow to the nucleate boiling zone. It is found that the CFD approach to detecting the boiling incipience point agrees reasonably with available experimental data. However, its limitations, like inaccuracy for lower flow rates and early transition to boiling flow, are also noticed due to the nature of the considered RPI model.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Pressure-coupled vaporization and combustion responses of liquid-fuel droplets in high-pressure environments

The dynamic responses of liquid-fuel droplet vaporization and combustion to ambient pressure oscillations are examined. The analysis is based on the complete sets of conservation equations for both gas and liquid phases, and accommodates detailed treatments of finite-rate chemical kinetics and variable properties. With a full account of thermodynamic phase equilibrium at the droplet surface, the model enables a systematic examination of the effects of ambient flow conditions on the droplet behavior. The responses of hydrocarbon fuel droplets in both sub- and super-critical environments are investigated. Results indicate that the droplet gasification and burning mechanisms depend greatly on the ambient pressure. In particular, a rapid enlargement of the vaporization and combustion responses occurs when the droplet surface reaches its critical point, mainly due to the strong variations of latent heat of vaporization and thermophysical properties at the critical state.

Yang, Vigor↗

Materials genome innovation for computational software (magics) center

Functional layered material (LM) architectures will dominate nanomaterials science in this century. We have developed theory, modeling, simulation, and software and data tools that enhance understanding and AI guide synthesis, enable characterization of complex structures, and improve capabilities in the predictive design and growth of LMs. Research at the Center has focused on: Computational synthesis and characterization: AI guided synthesis and experimental synthesis of stacked LMs with tailored properties via optimized chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth and liquid-phase exfoliation; study defects, edges, grain boundaries, wrinkling of atomic layers and their effects on chemical, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. Far-from-equilibrium processes: Joint experimental and simulation based probe of electronic processes with NAQMD and ultrafast X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) and ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) facilities at Stanford. Experimentally validate NAQMD by ultrafast electron diffraction and X-ray spectroscopy studies of structural and excited state dynamics, shape fluctuations, and phonon dynamics. Scalable software: Simulation engines for desktop-to-exascale platforms using low-overhead, linear-scaling QMD algorithms; divide-conquer-recombine NAQMD with electronic excitations; extended-Lagrangian reactive molecular dynamics (RMD), machine learning (ML) based neural-network quantum molecular dynamics (NNQMD), and super-state accelerated molecular dynamics (AMD) and kinetic Monte Carlo codes; thermal and electrical transport software; and design 3D architectures of LMs with desired functionality using scalable software. Distribution of software and data, and training: Software and simulation-experimental data generated within the Center are distributed to the materials science community via Berkeley Materials Project (MP) framework. We have also organized three workshops for software distribution and training at USC (Nov. 2017, Mar. 2018) and Gaithersburg, MD (Nov. 2018) to train researchers, with the last one in focused on underrepresented groups, in collaboration with Howard University which is one of the largest HBCUs. The Center supported a total of 46 personnel and 6 undergraduate students. These include 14 faculty, 11 postdoctoral research associates, 20 graduate research assistants, and mentored 6 undergraduate students. This resulted in the publications of 63 research papers that include 46 publications on Reactive and Quantum Dynamics Simulations, 13 publications on Machine Learning for Quantum Materials, and 4 publications on Quantum Computing.

2D Materials↗

Constraints on chondrule and CAI origins from vapor-liquid-solid experiments

It has been widely accepted that evaporation played an important role in the formation of chondritic constituents and elemental and isotopic fractionation in the solar nebula. Although many workers consider that evaporation is just the opposite of condensation, it is true only when the process is in equilibrium. When the process is not in equilibrium, e.g., local evaporation, where generated gas moves away from the residual solids, the fractionation path is quite different from the opposite of condensation of the gas with the solar system elemental abundances. The degree of elemental, particularly isotopic, fractionation is strongly dependent on the evaporation rate of the element when evaporation takes place from solid materials. The phase relations and the rate of evaporation of chondrite-forming minerals give constraints on partial pressure of the dust components, total pressure of the nebular gas, and heating rate of the materials.

Nagahara, H.↗

Single Crystalline GeSe Van Der Waals Ribbons With Uniform Layer Stacking, High Carrier Mobility, and Adjustable Edge Morphology

Abstract Performance of the group IV monochalcogenide GeSe in solar cells, electronic, and optoelectronic devices is expected to improve when high‐quality single crystalline material is used rather than polycrystalline films. Crystalline flakes represent an attractive alternative to bulk single crystals as their synthesis may be developed to be scalable, faster, and with higher overall yield. However, large – and especially large and thin – single crystal flakes are notoriously hard to synthesize. Here it is demonstrated that vapor‐liquid‐solid growth combined with direct lateral vapor‐solid incorporation produces high‐quality single crystalline GeSe ribbons with tens of micrometers size and controllable thickness. Electron microscopy shows that the ribbons exhibit perfect equilibrium (AB) van der Waals stacking order without extended defects across the entire thickness, in contrast to the conventional case of substrate‐supported flakes where material is added via layer‐by‐layer nucleation and growth on the basal plane. Electrical measurements show anisotropic transport and a high Hall mobility of 85 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , on par with the best single crystals to date. Growth from mixed GeSe and SnSe vapors, finally, yields ribbons with unchanged structure and composition but with jagged edges, promising for applications that rely on ample chemically active edge sites, such as catalysis or photocatalysis.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Nitrogen dioxide vapor penetration of chlorobutyl rubber SCAPE under operational conditions

Operational self contained atmospheric protective ensembles (SCAPE suits) and fabric from the suits were subjected to a series of tests designed to determine the amount of exposure a wearer of the suit would receive if a spill of the hypergolic oxidizer nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) should occur nearby. The results of these tests show that a wearer of a "stock" SCAPE suit equipped with a standard liquid air pack, if exposed to a spill resulting in a 26 percent increase of oxidizer in the surrounding atmosphere, will experiment no detectable concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) inside the suit for 15 minutes. Thereafter, the NO2 concentration within the suit will increase for 35 minutes at a rate of 0.07 ppm per minute and then at a gradually decreasing rate until an equilibrium concentration of 3.4 ppm is attained after 100 minutes. Momentary increases of as much as 1.6 ppm can be expected if the wearer were to rise quickly from a squatting position, but the additional NO2 would be dissipated within three minutes. The effect of liquid and vapor N2O4 and of liquid monomethylhydrazine on permeation rates and tensile strength of the SCAPE suit fabric was also investigated.

Schehl, T. A.↗

First-order wetting transition at a liquid-vapor interface

Evidence from reflectance and contact angle measurements is presented that three-phase mixtures of i-C3H7OH-C7F14 exhibit a first-order wetting phase transition at the liquid-vapor interface at 38 C. Equilibration phenomena support this interpretation. Ellipsometry was used to measure the apparent thickness of the intruding layer in the three-phase mixture. At temperatures slightly above the wetting temperature T(w), the intruding layer's thickness is several hundred angstroms and its variation with temperature is extremely weak. Below T(w), three-phase contact can occur between the vapor and both the upper and lower liquid phases; one of the angles which characterizes this contact has a very simple temperature dependence. The thickness of the intruding layer, monitored as the solutions approached equilibrium, is found to depend quite weakly on the height spanned by the upper liquid phase in the vicinity of a first-order wetting transition.

Schmidt, J. W.↗

Critical fluid thermal equilibration experiment (19-IML-1)

Gravity sometimes blocks all experimental techniques of making a desired measurement. Any pure fluid possesses a liquid-vapor critical point. It is defined by a temperature, pressure, and density state in thermodynamics. The critical issue that this experiment attempts to understand is the time it takes for a sample to reach temperature and density equilibrium as the critical point is approached; is it infinity due to mass and thermal diffusion, or do pressure waves speed up energy transport while mass is still under diffusion control. The objectives are to observe: (1) large phase domain homogenization without and with stirring; (2) time evolution of heat and mass after temperature step is applied to a one phase equilibrium sample; (3) phase evolution and configuration upon going two phase from a one phase equilibrium state; (4) effects of stirring on a low g two phase configuration; (5) two phase to one phase healing dynamics starting from a two phase low g configuration; and (6) effects of shuttle acceleration events on spatially and temporally varying compressible critical fluid dynamics.

Wilkinson, R. Allen↗

Supporting Data for "Pitfalls in Parameters: Practical Process Development in Chemical Vapor Processing of SiC"

CALculation of PHAse Diagrams (CALPHAD) was used to produce equilibrium phase diagrams of the MTS/H2 system. These were calculated in FactSage 8.2 using a combination of the FactPS and SGTE Solutions 2022 databases. Equilibrium was calculated for 185 gas species, 36 pure liquids, 8 pure solids, 1 liquid solution, and 22 solid solutions. Phase diagrams were calculated with 25 °C steps in temperature from 700 to 1325 °C and 10 torr steps in pressure from 20 to 760 torr.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Experimental Behavior of Pentaborane-Air Combustion Products During Expansion in a Convergent Divergent Nozzle

In order to evaluate the post combustion behavior of boric oxide, pentaborane-air mixtures, burned to completion at a combustor pressure of 3 atmospheres, were expanded through a 7.1-inch-long convergent-divergent nozzle having a 4-inch-diameter throat and an exit-to-throat area ratio of 1.68. The experimentally determined thrust performance was in good agreement with the ideal equilibrium performance at stagnation temperatures of 3300 deg R and lower. The boric oxide vapor at the combustor exit required about 400 F deg supercooling before any condensed phase was observed. For a given thrust, fuel consumption was as much as 20 percent greater than predicted from vapor-pressure data for combustor outlet temperatures i n the vicinity of 3600 deg R. A similar result could be expected in full-scale engines, since the test combustor provided an unusually long dwell time and a highly turbulent environment. During the expansion process, the vapor (when present) did not condense to the extent predicted for an equilibrium expansion process. Moreover, condensation was observed only i n the form of small, abrupt phase changes i n the subsonic flow near the throat. Friction, due to liquid boric oxide films on the nozzle surfaces, was negligible when the surface temperature was above 800 F.

PENTABORANE↗

Atmospheric limitations to clock synchronization at microwave frequencies

Clock synchronization schemes utilizing microwave signals that pass through the Earth's atmosphere are ultimately limited by our ability to correct for the variable delay imposed by the atmosphere. The atmosphere is non-dispersive at microwave frequencies and imposes a delay of roughly 8 nanosec times the cosecant of the elevation angle. This delay is composed of two parts, the delay due to water vapor molecules (i.e., the wet delay), and the delay due to all other atmospheric constituents (i.e., the dry delay). Water vapor contributes approximately 5 to 10% of the total atmospheric delay but is highly variable, not well mixed, and difficult to estimate from surface air measurements. However, the techniques of passive remote sensing using microwave radiometry can be used to estimate the line of sight delay due to water vapor with potential accuracies of 10 to 20 picosec. The devices that are used are called water vapor radiometers and simply measure the power emitted by the water vapor molecule at the 22.2 GHz spectral line. An additional power measurement is usually included at 31.4 GHz in order to compensate for the effect of liquid water (e.g., clouds). The dry atmosphere is generally in something close to hydrostatic equilibrium and its delay contribution at zenith can be estimated quite well from a simple barometric measurement. At low elevation angles one must compensate for refractive bending and possible variations in the vertical refractivity profile. With care these effects can be estimated with accuracies on the order of 30 picosec down to elevation angles of 10 degree.

Resch, G. M.↗

Discharge rate of cryogens in microgravity - What ground based experimentation cannot resolve

The discharge of cryogenic vapor and liquid from tanks to a vacuum is examined and the effects of the mass quality, length/diameter ratio, supply tank transient and gravitational environment are discussed. Existing model results and normal gravity experiments are presented which indicate that the homogeneous equilibrium model provides an accurate description of two-phase critical flow for a number of conditions likely to be encountered in practical microgravity systems. Nonequilibrium effects are shown to produce flow rates greater than homogeneous equilibrium model predictions for long tubes with low inlet pressure and short tubes with high inlet pressure.

Purwin, T. P.↗

Bubble behaviors in a slowly rotating helium dewar in a Gravity Probe-B spacecraft experiment

Potential problems for the Gravity Probe-B (GP-B) spacecraft design requirements and the operational considerations could arise because of the free surface configurations between liquid helium and helium vapor in the rotating dewar. This free surface is present in the partially filled liquid helium dewar. The liquid helium in the dewar is depleted as it is consumed as propellant for the spacecraft. In this study, the doughnut-shaped helium bubble equilibrium profiles in the rotating dewar have been numerically calculated. These calculations were performed under the conditions imposed during the period of the GP-B experiment instrument calibration (gyro spinup period) and also during the normal operational stages of the GP-B spacecraft.

Hung, R. J.↗

Cavitation in liquid cryogens. 3: Ogives

Experimental results for three, scaled, quarter-caliber ogives are given. Both desinent and developed cavity data, using liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen, are reported. The desinent data do not exhibit a consistent ogive size effect, but the developed cavity data were consistently influenced by ogive size; B-factor increases with increasing ogive diameter. The developed cavity data indicated that stable thermodynamic equilibrium exists throughout the vaporous cavities. These data were correlated by using the extended theory derived in NASA-CR-2156 (volume II of this report series). The new correlating parameter MTWO, improves data correlation for the ogives, hydrofoil, and venturi and appears attractive for future predictive applications. The cavitation coefficient and equipment size effects are shown to vary with specific equipment-fluid combinations. A method of estimating cavitation coefficient from knowledge of the noncavitating pressure coefficient is suggested.

Hord, J.↗