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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 1,261 records · Page 70

Radiation protective structure alternatives for habitats of a lunar base research outpost

The solar and galactic cosmic radiation levels on the Moon pose a hazard to extended manned lunar missions. Lunar soil represents an available, economical material to be used for radiation shielding. Several alternatives have been suggested to use lunar soil to protect the inhabitants of a lunar base research outpost from radiation. The Universities Space Research Association has requested that a comparative analysis of the alternatives be performed, with the purpose of developing the most advantageous design. Eight alternatives have been analyzed, including an original design which was developed to satisfy the identified design criteria. The original design consists of a cylindrical module and airlock, partially buried in the lunar soil, at a depth sufficient to achieve adequate radiation shielding. The report includes descriptions of the alternatives considered, the method of analysis used, and the final design selected.

Bell, Fred J.↗

Comparison of 3D computation and experiment for non-axisymmetric nozzles

Three dimensional solutions of a single expansion ramp nozzle are computed with the existing PARC computer code by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations. The computations are performed to simulate the non-axisymmetric nozzle flowfield in both the internal/external expansion regions and the exhaust plume in a quiescent ambient environment. Two different configurations of the nozzle at a pressure ratio NPR = 10 are examined. Numerical results of laminar flows are presented, and the wall pressure distributions are compared with the experimental data.

Lai, H.↗

Tunable diode laser measurements of absolute line strengths in the 2nu2 band of N2O near 8 microns

The absolute intensities of five rotational transitions in the 2nu2 band of N2O near 8 microns have been measured with a tunable-diode laser-spectrometer. Measurements were reproducible within an average deviation of about 3 percent, and the experimental and calculated line strengths differed by only 1.5 percent. An analysis of the line strengths has yielded a band strength of S(v) = 6.98 + or - 0.26/sq cm per atm at 296 K. The band and line strengths are in excellent agreement with two recently reported values obtained by using Fourier transform-IR spectroscopy.

Tang, Lai-Wa↗

Comparison of 3D computation and experiment for non-axisymmetric nozzles

Three-dimensional solutions of a single expansion ramp nozzle are computed with the existing PARC computer code by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations. The computations are performed to simulate the non-axisymmetric nozzle flowfield in both the internal/external expansion regions and the exhaust plume in a quiescent ambient environment. Two different configurations of the nozzle at a pressure ratio NPR = 10 are examined. Numerical results of laminar flows are presented, and the wall pressure distributions are compared with the experimental data.

Lai, H.↗

Viscous three-dimensional analyses for nozzles for hypersonic propulsion

A Navier-Stokes computer code was validated using a number of two- and three-dimensional configurations for both laminar and turbulent flows. The validation data covers a range of freestream Mach numbers from 3 to 14, includes wall pressures, velocity profiles, and skin friction. Nozzle flow fields computed for a generic scramjet nozzle from Mach 3 to 20, wall pressures, wall skin friction values, heat transfer values, and overall performance are presented. In addition, three-dimensional solutions obtained for two asymmetric, single expansion ramp nozzles at a pressure ratio of 10 consists of the internal expansion region in the converging/diverging sections and the external supersonic exhaust in a quiescent ambient environment. The fundamental characteristics that were captured successfully include expansion fans; Mach wave reflections; mixing layers; and nonsymmetrical, multiple inviscid cell, supersonic exhausts. Comparison with experimental data for wall pressure distributions at the center planes shows good agreement.

Harloff, G. J.↗

Instabilities and subharmonic resonances of subsonic heated round jets, volume 2

When a jet is perturbed by a periodic excitation of suitable frequency, a large-scale coherent structure develops and grows in amplitude as it propagates downstream. The structure eventually rolls up into vortices at some downstream location. The wavy flow associated with the roll-up of a coherent structure is approximated by a parallel mean flow and a small, spatially periodic, axisymmetric wave whose phase velocity and mode shape are given by classical (primary) stability theory. The periodic wave acts as a parametric excitation in the differential equations governing the secondary instability of a subharmonic disturbance. The (resonant) conditions for which the periodic flow can strongly destabilize a subharmonic disturbance are derived. When the resonant conditions are met, the periodic wave plays a catalytic role to enhance the growth rate of the subharmonic. The stability characteristics of the subharmonic disturbance, as a function of jet Mach number, jet heating, mode number and the amplitude of the periodic wave, are studied via a secondary instability analysis using two independent but complementary methods: (1) method of multiple scales, and (2) normal mode analysis. It is found that the growth rates of the subharmonic waves with azimuthal numbers beta = 0 and beta = 1 are enhanced strongly, but comparably, when the amplitude of the periodic wave is increased. Furthermore, compressibility at subsonic Mach numbers has a moderate stabilizing influence on the subharmonic instability modes. Heating suppresses moderately the subharmonic growth rate of an axisymmetric mode, and it reduces more significantly the corresponding growth rate for the first spinning mode. Calculations also indicate that while the presence of a finite-amplitude periodic wave enhances the growth rates of subharmonic instability modes, it minimally distorts the mode shapes of the subharmonic waves.

Ng, Lian Lai↗

A decoupled recursive approach for constrained flexible multibody system dynamics

A variational-vector calculus approach is employed to derive a recursive formulation for dynamic analysis of flexible multibody systems. Kinematic relationships for adjacent flexible bodies are derived in a companion paper, using a state vector notation that represents translational and rotational components simultaneously. Cartesian generalized coordinates are assigned for all body and joint reference frames, to explicitly formulate deformation kinematics under small deformation kinematics and an efficient flexible dynamics recursive algorithm is developed. Dynamic analysis of a closed loop robot is performed to illustrate efficiency of the algorithm.

Lai, Hao-Jan↗

A monochromator based on W/C multilayers of 40 A layer spacing

The design and preliminary performance data are presented for a monochromator based on two multilayer X-ray mirrors. The monochromator is based on mirrors with a d-spacing of 40 A and is designed to operate in the 5-75 A wavelength regime which can be varied by interchanging the mirrors with ones of different d-spacing. The multilayer mirrors are fabricated using sputter deposition and typically consist of 40 layer pairs of W and C. Except for W/Si, which shows 1-2 percent better reflectivities over the 7-40 A range but 4-10 percent poorer reflectivities for wavelengths longer than 40 A and shorter than 7 A, calculations performed using other combinations of materials generally show poorer reflectivities over the wavelength range of interest. Plans for a four-mirror version of the monochromator that will have increased resolution are also presented.

Smith, A.↗

Laboratory studies of wave-current interaction - Kinematics of the strong interaction

Controlled laboratory experiments have been conducted to study the kinematics of wave-current interactions. The results confirm the conservation of waves under the steady state condition. The data also show that the kinematic effect of the current on waves can be treated as a simple Doppler shift. After the Doppler correction, the kinematics of the waves (either breaking or nonbreaking) follow the linear theory very well.

Lai, Ronald J.↗

Spacecraft charging during ion beam emissions in sunlight

During ion beam emissions from the SCATHA satellite, the potential of the negatively charged satellite body shows a sinusoidal oscillation frequency of once-per-spin of the satellite. The minimum occurs when the ion beam is sunward. The processes that may be responsible for the voltage modulation are considered. Neutralization of ion beam space charge by photoelectrons is examined. The photoelectrons are accelerated by the negative potential of the satellite. Effects of electron impact ionization, excitation of metastable states, and photoionization of xenon neutral atoms in the ion beam are studied in detail. Critical ionization velocity interaction is unlikely under the condition considered.

Lai, S. T.↗

Computer-generated 3D ultrasound images of the carotid artery

A method is under development to measure carotid artery lesions from a computer-generated three-dimensional ultrasound image. For each image, the position of the transducer in six coordinates (x, y, z, azimuth, elevation, and roll) is recorded and used to position each B-mode picture element in its proper spatial position in a three-dimensional memory array. After all B-mode images have been assembled in the memory, the three-dimensional image is filtered and resampled to produce a new series of parallel-plane two-dimensional images from which arterial boundaries are determined using edge tracking methods.

Selzer, Robert H.↗

Rapid mix concepts for low emission combustors in gas turbine engines

NASA LeRC has identified the Rich burn/Quick mix/Lean burn (RQL) combustor as a potential gas turbine combustor concept to reduce NOx emissions in High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft. To demonstrate reduced NOx levels, NASA LeRC soon will test a flametube version of an RQL combustor. The critical technology needed for the RQL combustor is a method of quickly mixing combustion air with rich burn gases. Two concepts were proposed to enhance jet mixing in a circular cross-section: the Asymmetric Jet Penetration (AJP) concept; and the Lobed Mixer (LM) concept. In Phase 1, two preliminary configurations of the AJP concept were compared with a conventional 12-jet radial-inflow slot design. The configurations were screened using an advanced 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code named REFLEQS. Both non-reacting and reacting analyses were performed. For an objective comparison, the conventional design was optimized by parametric variation of the jet-to-mainstream momentum flux (J) ratio. The optimum J was then employed in the AJP simulations. Results showed that the three-jet AJP configuration was superior in overall mixedness compared to the conventional design. However, in regards to NOx emissions, the AJP configuration was inferior. The higher emission level for AJP was caused by a single hot spot located in the wake of the central jet as it entered the combustor. Ways of maintaining good mixedness while eliminating the hot spot were identified for Phase 2 study. Overall, Phase 1 showed the viability of using CFD analyses to evaluate quick-mix concepts. A high probability exists that advancing mixing concepts will reduce NOx emissions in RQL combustors, and should be explored in Phase 2, by parallel numerical and experimental work.

Talpallikar, Milind V.↗

The 3D computation of single-expansion-ramp and scramjet nozzles

A description of the computations for three-dimensional nonaxisymmetric nozzles and an analysis of the flowfields are presented. Two different types of nozzles are investigated for compressible flows at high Reynolds numbers. These are the single-expansion-ramp and scramjet nozzles. The computation for the single-expansion-ramp nozzle focuses on the condition of low pressure ratio, which requires the simulation for turbulent flow that is not needed at high pressure ratios. The flowfield contains the external quiescent air, and the internal regions of subsonic and low supersonic flows. The second type is the scramjet nozzle, which typically has a very large area ratio and is designed to operate at high speeds and pressure ratios. The freestream external flow has a Mach number of 6, and the internal flow leaving the combustion chamber is at a Mach number of 1.62. The flowfield is mostly supersonic except in the viscous region near walls. The computed results from both cases are compared with experimental data for the surface pressure distributions.

Lai, H. T.↗

A review of near-wall Reynolds-stress

The advances made in second-order near-wall turbulence closures are summarized. All closures examined are based on some form of high Reynolds number models for the Reynolds stress and the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate equations. Consequently, most near-wall closures proposed to data attempt to modify the high Reynolds number models for the dissipation rate equation so that the resultant models are applicable all the way to the wall. The near-wall closures are examined for their asymptotic behavior so that they can be compared with the proper near-wall behavior of the exact equations. A comparison of the closure's performance in the calculation of a low Reynolds number plane channel flow is carried out. In addition, the closures are evaluated for their ability to predict the turbulence statistics and the limiting behavior of the structure parameters compared to direct simulation data.

So, R. M. C.↗

Viscous three-dimensional analyses for nozzles for hypersonic propulsion

A Navier-Stokes computer code was validated using a number of two- and three-dimensional configurations for both laminar and turbulent flows. The validation data covers a range of freestream Mach numbers from 3 to 14, including wall pressures, velocity pressure, and skin friction. Nozzle flow fields computed for a generic scramjet nozzle from Mach 3 to 20, wall pressures, wall skin friction values, heat transfer values, and overall performance are presented. In addition, three-dimensional solutions obtained for two asymmetric, single expansion ramp nozzles at a pressure ratio of 10 consists of the internal expansion region in the converging/diverging sections and the external superonic exhaust in a quiescent ambient environment. The fundamental characteristics that were captured successfully include expansion fans; Mach wave reflections; mixing layers; and nonsymmetrical, multiple inviscid cell, supersonic exhausts. Comparison with experimental data for wall pressure distributions at the center planes shows good agreement.

Harloff, G. J.↗

CFD analysis of jet mixing in low NOx flametube combustors

The Rich-burn/Quick-mix/Lean-burn (RQL) combustor was identified as a potential gas turbine combustor concept to reduce NO(x) emissions in High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft. To demonstrate reduced NO(x) levels, cylindrical flametube versions of RQL combustors are being tested at NASA Lewis Research Center. A critical technology needed for the RQL combustor is a method of quickly mixing by-pass combustion air with rich-burn gases. Jet mixing in a cylindrical quick-mix section was numerically analyzed. The quick-mix configuration was five inches in diameter and employed twelve radial-inflow slots. The numerical analyses were performed with an advanced, validated 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code named REFLEQS. Parametric variation of jet-to-mainstream momentum flux ratio (J) and slot aspect ratio was investigated. Both non-reacting and reacting analyses were performed. Results showed mixing and NO(x) emissions to be highly sensitive to J and slot aspect ratio. Lowest NO(x) emissions occurred when the dilution jet penetrated to approximately mid-radius. The viability of using 3-D CFD analyses for optimizing jet mixing was demonstrated.

Talpallikar, M. V.↗

W-band monolithic oscillator using InAlAs/InGaAs HEMT

A W-band monolithic integrated oscillator circuit was designed and fabricated using submicron HEMT technology. The oscillation frequency was around 81 GHz and the power was -7 dBm at the chip level. This is the first report of an InAlAs/InGaAs monolithic oscillator operating at the W-band.

Kwon, Y.↗

3D computation of hypersonic nozzle

Numerical results of a NASP-like nozzle configuration are presented. The nozzle has characteristically a very large area ratio designed to operate in the hypersonic regime. The overall flowfield consists of the internal expansion from a stagnation reservoir and the external exhaust plume in a quiescent environment. The solutions were obtained for two experimental conditions at an underexpanded pressure ratio of 44000 and an overexpanded pressure ratio of 2495. These conditions produce flows expanding to high Mach numbers in the hypersonic range. At the nozzle entrance, the flow has a supersonic Mach number of 4.3 in the inviscid region. In the external expansion and exhaust regions, the flow expands to a maximum Mach number of 12.3 for the case of high pressure ratio, whereas a shock wave exists for the low pressure ratio case. The solutions from these three-dimensional calculations were compared to the experimental data for pressure distributions.

Lai, H. T.↗