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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 1,297 records · Page 72
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

The Fluid Interface Reactions Structures and Transport (FIRST) EFRC (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

"The Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures and Transport (FIRST) EFRC" was submitted by FIRST to the "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. FIRST, an EFRC directed by David J. Wesolowski at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a partnership of scientists from nine institutions: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (lead), Argonne National Laboratory, Drexel University, Georgia State University, Pennsylvania State University, Vanderbilt University, University of California Davis and Riverside, University of Delaware and University of Minnesota. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges. The mission of Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures and Transport (FIRST) Center is 'to develop quantitative and predictive models of the unique nanoscale environment at fluid-solid interfaces that will enable transformational advances in electrical energy storage and heterogeneous catalysis for solar fuels.' Research topics are: catalysis (biomass, CO2, water), electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, solar fuels, solar electrodes, electrical energy storage, batteries, capacitors, battery electrodes, electrolytes, extreme environment, CO2 (convert), greenhouse gas, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), interfacial characterization, matter by design, novel materials synthesis, and charge transport.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Building Reconfigurable Devices Using Complex Liquid–Fluid Interfaces

Liquid-fluid interfaces provide a platform both for structuring liquids into complex shapes and assembling dimensionally confined, functional nanomaterials. Historically, attention in this area has focused on simple emulsions and foams, in which surface-active materials such as surfactants or colloids stabilize structures against coalescence and alter the mechanical properties of the interface. In recent decades, however, a growing body of work has begun to demonstrate the full potential of the assembly of nanomaterials at liquid-fluid interfaces to generate functionally advanced, biomimetic systems. In this work, a broad overview is given, from fundamentals to applications, of the use of liquid-fluid interfaces to generate complex, all-liquid devices with a myriad of potential applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Verification of numerical models for seismic fluid-structure interaction analysis of internal components in liquid-filled advanced reactors

Earthquake shaking of a liquid-filled advanced reactor induces fluid-structure interaction (FSI) between the reactor vessel (tank), its internal components, and the contained liquid. Seismic design, qualification, and risk assessment of such reactors must consider fluid-structure responses, their geometries and support conditions, and three-directional seismic inputs, all of which require numerical simulations. Numerical models used for analysis of safety-related nuclear equipment must be verified and validated. Here, this paper verifies numerical models of submerged components using analytical solutions. Seismic FSI analysis of the numerical models is performed using the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) and Incompressible Computational Fluid Dynamics (ICFD) solvers in LS-DYNA. Prior analytical solutions are reworked in this paper, and calculation errors are identified and corrected. The solutions address frequencies of two concentric cylindrical pipes filled with liquid: the inner pipe is a submerged component, and the outer pipe contains the liquid. A unitless frequency coefficient is defined and presented for pipes of different materials, filled with different liquids, and with a range of dimensions for application to advanced reactors. The numerical models are verified here by comparing the lateral frequencies of submerged components with those calculated using the corrected analytical solutions. Recommendations for verification of numerical models of internal components in advanced reactors for seismic FSI analysis are provided. Although the unitless frequency coefficients and verification procedures are developed for application to advanced nuclear reactors, they are broadly applicable to FSI analysis of submerged components in liquid-filled vessels such as storage tanks, boilers, and steam generators.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ECO2N V2.0: A TOUGH2 fluid property module for modeling CO 2 -H 2 O-NACL systems to elevated temperatures of up to 300°C

Here, we have improved ECO2N, the TOUGH2 fluid property module of the CO 2 -H 2 O-NaCl system. The major enhancements include: (i) the upper temperature limit is increased from 110 to about 300°C; (ii) the thermophysical properties of the CO 2 -rich phase are more accurately calculated as a non-ideal mixture of CO 2 and H 2 O; (iii) the approach to calculate the specific enthalpy of dissolved CO 2 has been improved to make the code more robust in modeling phase transitions under non-isothermal conditions; and (iv) more sophisticated models for effective heat conductivity of formations saturated with supercritical CO 2 have been provided. The new module includes a comprehensive description of the thermodynamic and thermophysical properties of H 2 O–NaCl–CO 2 mixtures, that reproduces fluid properties largely within experimental error for the temperature, pressure and salinity conditions 10°C < T < 300°C, P < 600 bar, and salinity up to halite saturation. This includes density, viscosity, and specific enthalpy of fluid phases as functions of temperature, pressure, and composition, as well as partitioning of mass components H 2 O, NaCl and CO 2 among the different phases. ECO2N with the TOUGH2 reservoir simulator can be applied to a wide range of problems in geologic sequestration of CO 2 in saline aquifers, and in enhanced geothermal reservoirs. Finally, ECO2N can describe both sub- and supercritical states of CO 2 , but applications that involve subcritical conditions are limited to systems in which there is no change of phase between liquid and gaseous CO 2 , and in which no mixtures of liquid and gaseous CO 2 occur.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A mineral precipitation model based on the volume of fluid method

A novel volume of fluid method is presented for mineral precipitation coupled with fluid flow and reactive transport. The approach describes the fluid-solid interface as a smooth transitional region, which is designed to provide the same precipitation rate and viscous drag force as a sharp interface. Specifically, the governing equation of mineral precipitation is discretized by an upwind scheme, and a rigorous effective viscosity model is derived around the interface. The model is validated against analytical solutions for mineral precipitation in channel and ring-shaped structures. It also compares well with interface tracking simulations of advection-diffusion-reaction problems. Here, the methodology is finally employed to model mineral precipitation in fracture networks, which is challenging due to the low porosity and complex geometry. Compared to other approaches, the proposed model has a concise algorithm and contains no free parameters. In the modeling, only the pore space requires meshing, which improves the computational effciency especially for low-porosity media.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Vibrations of a Fluid Containing a Wide Spaced Net with Floats Under Its Free Surface

We consider the problem of low-frequency vibrations of a heavy viscous incompressible fluid occupying a vessel. Under the free surface of the fluid, there is a wide spaced net with floats forming a nonperiodic structure. On the walls of the vessel and the surface of the floats the adhesion condition (zero Dirichlet condition) is imposed. For this problem, which is formulated in terms of a quadratic operator pencil, we construct a limit (homogenized) pencil and establish a homogenization theorem in the case of a “fairly small” number of floats. It is shown that asymptotically, this structure does not affect free vibrations of the fluid.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Effect of Temperature and Fluid Flow on Dendrite Growth During Solidification of Al-3 Wt Pct Cu Alloy by the Two-Dimensional Cellular Automaton Method

A two-dimensional cellular automaton–finite volume model was developed to simulate dendrite growth of Al-3 wt pct Cu alloy during solidification to investigate the effect of temperature and fluid flow on dendrite morphology, solute concentration distribution, and dendrite growth velocity. Different calculation conditions that may influence the results of the simulation, including temperature and flow, were considered. The model was also employed to study the effect of different undercoolings, applied temperature fields, and forced flow velocities on solute segregation and dendrite growth. The initial temperature and fluid flow have a significant impact on the dendrite morphologies and solute profiles during solidification. The release of energy is operated with solidification and results in the increase of temperature. A larger undercooling leads to larger solute concentration near the solid/liquid interface and solute concentration gradient at the same time-step. Solute concentration in the solid region tends to increase with the increase of undercooling. Four vortexes appear under the condition when natural flow exists: the two on the right of the dendrite rotate clockwise, and those on the left of the dendrite rotate counterclockwise. With the increase of forced flow velocity, the rejected solute in the upstream region becomes easier to be washed away and enriched in the downstream region, resulting in acceleration of the growth of the dendrite in the upstream and inhibiting the downstream dendrite growth. The dendrite perpendicular to fluid flow shows a coarser morphology in the upstream region than that of the downstream. Almost no secondary dendrite appears during the calculation process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Making a Magnetorheological Fluid from Mining Tailings

We have obtained magnetite mining tailings and used it to fabricate a magnetorheological fluid (MRF). Mineralogical and morphological characteristics were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), as well as size and geometry for the obtained magnetite. Finally, the fabricated MRF was rheologically characterized in a device attached to a rheometer. The application of a magnetic field of 0.12 Tesla can increase the viscosity of the MRF by more than 400 pct. A structural formation should occur within the fluid by a reordering of particles into magnetic columns, which are perpendicular to the flow direction. These structures give the fluid an increased viscosity. As the magnetic field increases, the structure formed is more resistant, resulting in an increased viscosity. One can appreciate that with a value equal to or less than 0.06 Tesla of applied magnetic field, many viscosity values associated with the work area of the oils can be achieved (0.025 and 0.34 Pa s).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Fluid Flow, Thermal Stratification, and Inclusion Motion During Holding Period in Steel Ladles

In the current study, the fluid flow and thermal stratification during the holding period are numerically simulated. The standard k–ε two-equation turbulence model is adopted to describe the turbulence. The trajectories of inclusions are calculated by the discrete phase model (DPM) considering the stochastic effect of turbulence. Two different initial conditions for the flow field are compared: the quiescent state of flow and the fluid flow induced by gas stirring. Significant differences are observed between these cases. In practice, the holding period starts from the shut-off of the gas blowing. Thus, it is proposed that the flow field at the terminal of gas stirring should be considered for the simulation of the fluid flow, heat transfer, and inclusion motion during the holding period.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Dynamic Frictional Characteristics of TP2 Copper Tubes during Hydroforming under Different Loading and Fluid Velocities

Tube hydroforming (THF) experiments were performed on TP2 copper tubes under different loading velocities and fluid velocities using a self-developed measurement system to investigate dynamic frictional characteristics in the guiding zone. The results show that the coefficient of friction (COF) dynamically changes during forming experiments and decreases with tube deformation. The average descending rate and amplitude of the COF increase with increasing loading velocity. Microscopically, the micro-protrusions on the tubular surface are flattened, and the surface scratches are finer and more uniform, as the loading velocity increases, resulting in a decrease in COF. At the same external loading velocity, the COF increases with increasing fluid velocity and is also extremely sensitive to it. Moreover, improving and predicting the formability of such tubes by accurately adjusting and controlling fluid velocity in THF is valuable and critical for the future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of 730 °C Supercritical Fluid Exposure on the Fatigue Threshold of Ni-Based Superalloy Haynes 282

Driven by the need to reduce CO{sub 2} emissions from fossil power generation, new turbine working fluids are being investigated. One such fluid, supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO{sub 2}), offers potential for improved energy conversion efficiency. In situ corrosion studies on precipitate-hardened nickel superalloys in sCO{sub 2} have shown potentially dangerous subsurface depletion of gamma prime phase. In the present work, the ex situ effect of supercritical fluid exposure on fatigue crack growth thresholds was measured for the Ni-based superalloy Haynes 282. After exposure of 500 h at 730 °C, there was a small measurable and repeatable reduction in fatigue thresholds at room temperature from 13 to 11 MPa√m after exposure. This reduction in fatigue crack growth threshold occurred irrespective of the exposure environment and was attributed to a decrease in roughness-induced crack closure.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Impact of the Rastall parameter on perfect fluid spheres

We examine the effects of the Rastall parameter on the behaviour of spherically symmetric static distributions of perfect fluid matter. It was claimed by Visser [Physics Letters B, 782, 83, (2018)] that the Rastall proposition is completely equivalent to the Einstein theory. While many authors have raised contrary arguments, our intention is to analyse the properties of Rastall gravity through variation of the Rastall parameter in the context of perfect fluids spheres that may be used to model neutron stars or cold fluid planets. This analysis also serves to counter the claim that Rastall gravity is equivalent to the standard Einstein theory. It turns out that the condition of pressure isotropy is exactly the same as for Einstein gravity and hence that any known solution of the Einstein equations may be used to study the effects of the Rastall dynamical quantities. Moreover, by choosing the well studied Tolman metrics, we discover that in the majority of cases there is substantial deviation from the Einstein case when the Rastall parameter vanishes and in cases where the Einstein model displays defective behaviour, certain Rastall models obey the well known elementary requirements for physical plausibility. These empirical findings do not support the idea that Rastall theory is equivalent to Einstein theory as several deviations in physical behaviour are displayed as counter-examples.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Analysis of a Solid Particle Light-Trapping Planar Cavity Receiver Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is one of the most effective ways of harnessing solar power to create efficient, durable, and resilient energy systems. This study entails thermal modeling and analysis of a novel central tower receiver configuration. This receiver uses solid particles as the heat transfer fluid (HTF), a promising option for third-generation CSP systems. The configuration considered here is the light-trapping planar cavity receiver (LTPCR) introduced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. While heat transfer studies of various LTPCR subsystems have been done, system-level thermal analysis of the LTPCR receiver has not been attempted. This study also presents important sensitivity analyses of the operating parameters of the CSP system, which can help guide the design of future central tower receivers. This study employs Ansys Fluent as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool to model fluid dynamics and heat transfer in the receiver, intending to quantify its thermal performance. The model seamlessly integrates Monte Carlo ray tracing data, which generates absorbed solar flux profiles from the heliostat field design, with the heat transfer characteristics of the fluidized particle bed. This unified model is designed to accurately predict the thermal behavior of the LTPCR. Analysis of preliminary results reveals that the primary loss mechanisms are radiative and natural convective losses, in that order. Based on observations from a baseline case, several strategies are suggested and numerically tested. These solutions include selective cooling of high-temperature regions and manipulation of particle bed parameters. Selective cooling of high-temperature regions reduced the peak temperature by 151 degrees C and decreased thermal losses by 0.9%. Improving the particle-wall heat transfer coefficient (P-W HTC) of the particle bed decreased the thermal losses by 1.7% and decreased the peak temperatures by 57 degrees C. Decreasing the particle inlet temperature (PIT) also reduced thermal losses by 3.5% and decreased peak temperatures by 29 degrees C. Compounding these strategies improved the thermal losses of the receiver from 13.5% in the baseline case to 7.5%. Additionally, the study explores the variation in thermal performance across different locations of the receiver, where a variation of thermal losses from 12.9% to 17.3% is found. This allows a comprehensive evaluation of potential improvements in efficiency and temperature management.

computational fluid dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2018

The relationship between Aquaporin-2 protein levels in amniotic fluid and the fetal kidney in humans

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is an important water channel protein that is expressed in the renal collecting duct and plays a key role in urine concentration and body water homeostasis. It has been demonstrated that the urinary excretion of AQP2 correlates strongly with its expression in the kidney in adult humans and rats. However, there have been no studies on the urinary excretion of AQP2 in human fetuses during development. Fetal urine is the main source of the amniotic fluid; we speculate that the level of AQP2 in the amniotic fluid could reflect the expression level of the AQP2 protein in the fetal kidney. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between AQP2 in the amniotic fluid and that in the fetal kidney.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Geochemical evolution in Cacapon member: Fluid-rock interaction experiments and model insights for Appalachian Basin geothermal development

Here, this study combines recirculated flow-through experimental results conducted for 17 days at 90C and 200 PSI with reactive transport modeling to estimate fluid-rock interactions occurring in a sandy mudstone using an interbedded sandstone-shale sample from the Cacapon Member of the upper Tuscarora Sandstone/lower Rose Hill Formation for the purpose of geothermal exploration. Results suggest that the fluid and rock are likely to be in or near partial-equilibrium after approximately one year. In addition, after >400 h of continuous injection at 0.05 mL/min (5*10 −8 m 3 /min) the reactive front is restricted to the first ∼13% of the 4 cm*1.6 cm experimental rock length, whereas after >9100 h (∼1 year), the reactive front extends to 30% total length. The rate of changes in dissolution or precipitation are however, very minimal, with all major rock-forming minerals having rates <10 −11 mol/L porous media/s. Reservoir rock in the presence of dilute brine as may be the case during operation of an enhanced geothermal system would experience little alteration during the shut-in phase, and possibly up to one year. These results have utility in geothermal exploration for reservoirs at similar temperatures as well as general fluid-sandy mudstone rock interaction geochemistry.

Appalachian Basin↗
DOE OSTI2016

Pressure and fluid-driven fracture propagation in porous media using an adaptive finite element phase field model

This work presents phase field fracture modeling in heterogeneous porous media. We develop robust and efficient numerical algorithms for pressure-driven and fluid-driven settings in which the focus relies on mesh adaptivity in order to save computational cost for large-scale 3D applications. In the fluid-driven framework, we solve for three unknowns pressure, displacements and phase field that are treated with a fixed-stress iteration in which the pressure and the displacement–phase-field system are decoupled. The latter subsystem is solved with a combined Newton approach employing a primal–dual active set method in order to account for crack irreversibility. Numerical examples for pressurized fractures and fluid filled fracture propagation in heterogeneous porous media demonstrate our developments. Finally in particular, mesh refinement allows us to perform systematic studies with respect to the spatial discretization parameter.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

GaMin’11 – an international inter-laboratory comparison for geochemical CO₂ - saline fluid - mineral interaction experiments

Due to the strong interest in geochemical CO₂-fluid-rock interaction in the context of geological storage of CO₂ a growing number of research groups have used a variety of different experimental ways to identify important geochemical dissolution or precipitation reactions and – if possible – quantify the rates and extent of mineral or rock alteration. In this inter-laboratory comparison the gas-fluid-mineral reactions of three samples of rock-forming minerals have been investigated by 11 experimental labs. The reported results point to robust identification of the major processes in the experiments by most groups. The dissolution rates derived from the changes in composition of the aqueous phase are consistent overall, but the variation could be reduced by using similar corrections for changing parameters in the reaction cells over time. The comparison of experimental setups and procedures as well as of data corrections identified potential improvements for future gas-fluid-rock studies.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Review of analytical studies on seismic fluid-structure interaction of base-supported cylindrical tanks

Analytical solutions for seismic fluid-structure interaction (FSI) of tanks are used by analysts and engineers for a number of purposes, including preliminary sizing, risk assessment, and verification of numerical models. Analytical solutions for seismic FSI of tanks were first developed in the 1930s and have been extended and/or modified in the following nine decades to accommodate different seismic inputs and boundary conditions. This report reviews published analytical solutions for rigid and flexible, base-supported, cylindrical tanks subjected to unidirectional horizontal motion of a small amplitude. The studies parsed the fluid-structure (FSI) response into an impulsive and a convective component, and addressed frequencies of lateral motions of the tank (i.e., impulsive frequencies), hydrodynamic pressures, frequencies of waves (i.e., convective frequencies), wave heights, and reactions at the base. The solutions were categorized into exact and approximate solutions based on the methodologies used. Herein, FSI responses are calculated and compared for a range of tank dimensions using the analytical solutions from the different studies. The responses presented here are normalized to be unitless, and can be used for tanks with different dimensions and mechanical properties, and subjected to different input motions. A sample steel water tank is analyzed using the normalized solutions for two earthquake ground motions with different frequency contents. Ignoring tank flexibility may significantly underestimate seismic responses of the tank and its contained fluid. The approximate solutions, which have been widely used for decades, may not be sufficiently accurate in the modern era. Calculation errors in the reviewed studies are identified and corrected, and differences are quantified for the sample tank.

42 ENGINEERING↗