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At least 1,387 records · Page 77

Experimental evaluation of thermal ratcheting behavior in UO2 fuel elements

The effects of thermal cycling of UO2 at high temperatures has been experimentally evaluated to determine the rates of distortion of UO2/clad fuel elements. Two capsules were rested in the 1500 C range, one with a 50 C thermal cycle, the other with a 100 C thermal cycle. It was observed that eight hours at the lower cycle temperature produced sufficient UO2 redistribution to cause clad distortion. The amount of distortion produced by the 100 C cycle was less than double that produced by the 50 C, indicating smaller thermal cycles would result in clad distortion. An incubation period was observed to occur before the onset of distortion with cycling similar to fuel swelling observed in-pile at these temperatures.

Phillips, W. M.↗

A New Finite-Conductivity Droplet Evaporation Model Including Liquid Turbulence Effect

A new approach to account for finite thermal conductivity and turbulence effects within atomizing droplets of an evaporating spray is presented in this paper. The model is an extension of the T-blob and T-TAB atomization/spray model of Trinh and Chen [9]. This finite conductivity model is based on the two-temperature film theory in which the turbulence characteristics of the droplet are used to estimate the effective thermal diffusivity for the liquid-side film thickness. Both one-way and two-way coupled calculations were performed to investigate the performance cf this model against the published experimental data.

Balasubramanyam, M. S.↗

Effects of non-thermal termolecular chemistry on detonation development in hydrogen (H2) / methane (CH4) - air mixtures

In combustion simulations, it is usually assumed that highly-energized collision complexes (either radical or stable species) formed in exothermic reactions are always under thermal equilibrium as they evolve through competing networks of reactions. However, in practical flames, non-trivial amounts of reactive radicals such as H, O and OH are present apart from O2. As a result, collisions of these reactive species with the energized collision complexes have been shown in recent studies to induce non-thermal reactivity. These studies have also demonstrated that such non-thermal reactions can be suitably represented in macroscopic kinetics models as chemically termolecular reactions. The present work was focused on identifying and quantifying the effects of including such reactions on the evolution of an initial deflagration front to a developing detonation in H2/CH4-air mixtures under boosted internal combustion (IC) engine conditions. Specifically, fully resolved simulations, with and without non-thermal reactivity, were performed for a constant volume reactor containing stoichiometric H2/CH4-air mixture. It was found that inclusion of termolecular chemistry resulted in a delayed onset of end-gas auto-ignition. Concurrently, the developing detonation intensity was observed to be significantly higher. Chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA) was performed to identify the dominant species/reactions responsible for the observed variation in the results.

Detonation↗

Comparing temperature convergence of shocked thin films of tin and iron to a bulk temperature source

An outstanding challenge in developing a complete equation of state for materials at elevated pressure and temperature is a robust method of determining the bulk temperature state under dynamic conditions. In metals, the determination of bulk temperature states by optical pyrometry is complicated by the small optical depth and thermal conduction effects. These effects lead to observed temperatures differing by 20% or more from the bulk temperature state. In this work, we show the presence of thermal conduction effects in temperature measurements of tin and iron coatings during dynamic compression experiments. We demonstrate that tin, in contrast to iron, coatings can fail to converge to a bulk temperature source over the time scale of the experiment, requiring the experimenter to modify assumptions, design, or analysis. This work bounds thermal transport at shocked conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effective permittivity of saline ice under thermal variation

A model for calculating the effective permittivity of saline ice under thermal variation is presented. The model includes multiphase inhomogeneities with multiple species characterized by orientation, size and shape distributions. The model is used to derive the effective permittivity as a function of temperature under the strong fluctuation theory which is extended to account for the complexity. The results calculated from the model are compared with experimental data at 4.8 GHz for saline ice grown at the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). The comparison between measured and calculated complex permittivities is good for the imaginary part, and the difference is within 10 percent for the real part.

Nghiem, S. V.↗

Constitutive modeling for isotropic materials (HOST)

The results of the third year of work on a program which is part of the NASA Hot Section Technology program (HOST) are presented. The goals of this program are: (1) the development of unified constitutive models for rate dependent isotropic materials; and (2) the demonstration of the use of unified models in structural analyses of hot section components of gas turbine engines. The unified models selected for development and evaluation are those of Bodner-Partom and of Walker. A test procedure was developed for assisting the generation of a data base for the Bodner-Partom model using a relatively small number of specimens. This test procedure involved performing a tensile test at a temperature of interest that involves a succession of strain-rate changes. The results for B1900+Hf indicate that material constants related to hardening and thermal recovery can be obtained on the basis of such a procedure. Strain aging, thermal recovery, and unexpected material variations, however, preluded an accurate determination of the strain-rate sensitivity parameter is this exercise. The effects of casting grain size on the constitutive behavior of B1900+Hf were studied and no particular grain size effect was observed. A systematic procedure was also developed for determining the material constants in the Bodner-Partom model. Both the new test procedure and the method for determining material constants were applied to the alternate material, Mar-M247 . Test data including tensile, creep, cyclic and nonproportional biaxial (tension/torsion) loading were collected. Good correlations were obtained between the Bodner-Partom model and experiments. A literature survey was conducted to assess the effects of thermal history on the constitutive behavior of metals. Thermal history effects are expected to be present at temperature regimes where strain aging and change of microstructure are important. Possible modifications to the Bodner-Partom model to account for these effects are outlined. The use of a unified constitutive model for hot section component analyses was demonstrated by applying the Walker model and the MARC finite-element code to a B1900+Hf airfoil problem.

Chan, Kwai S.↗

The effect of interstitial gaseous pressure on the thermal conductivity of a simulated Apollo 12 lunar soil sample

The thermal conductivity of a simulated Apollo 12 soil sample is measured as a function of interstitial gas density, and implications for the thermal properties of lunar and Martian regolith are discussed. Measurements were performed for samples consisting of a mixture of Knippa and Berkely basalt powders with a grain size distribution identical to that of Apollo 12 lunar soil samples by the needle probe technique at interstitial pressures of He, N2, Ar and CO2 from 133,000 to 0.0133 Pa. It is shown that sample thermal conductivity decreases with decreasing interstitial gas pressure down to 1.0 Pa, due to the decreasing effective thermal conductivity of interstitial gas with decreasing gas pressure. Constant thermal conductivity values of 8.8 mW/m per K and 10.9 mW/m per K are obtained for sample densities of 1.70 and 1.85 g/cu cm, respectively, in agreement with in situ lunar regolith measurements. The results, which are greater than those obtained in previous soil studies, are explained by the dense packing of soil particles and enhanced intergranular thermal contact in the present experimental configuration, rather than the influence of interstitial gas pressure. The differences in conductivity between loose soils and packed regolith may also be used to account for the two peaks observed in Martian surface thermal inertia data.

Horai, K.-I.↗

Cooling Effectiveness Measurements for Air Film Cooling of Thermal Barrier Coated Surfaces in a Burner Rig Environment Using Phosphor Thermometry

While the effects of thermal barrier coating (TBC) thermal protection and air film cooling effectiveness are usually studied separately, their contributions to combined cooling effectiveness are interdependent and are not simply additive. Therefore, combined cooling effectiveness must be measured to achieve an optimum balance between TBC thermal protection and air film cooling. In this investigation, surface temperature mapping was performed using recently developed Cr-doped GdAlO3 phosphor thermometry. Measurements were performed in the NASA GRC Mach 0.3 burner rig on a TBC-coated plate using a scaled up cooling hole geometry where both the mainstream hot gas temperature and the blowing ratio were varied. Procedures for surface temperature and cooling effectiveness mapping of the air film-cooled TBC-coated surface are described. Applications are also shown for an engine component in both the burner rig test environment as well as an engine afterburner environment. The effects of thermal background radiation and flame chemiluminescence on the measurements are investigated, and advantages of this method over infrared thermography as well as the limitations of this method for studying air film cooling are discussed.

air film cooling↗

Linear and Non-linear Optical Characterization of Glass and Sapphire for Optical Instrumentation of Advanced Fission Reactors

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of glass and sapphire are investigated to determine the material’s suitability to support optical instrumentation for advanced fission reactors. A post-irradiation examination experiment consisting of a Z-scan, measuring nonlinear optical absorption and refraction, and a spectrometer, measuring linear optical absorption was developed and used. Radiation-induced negative nonlinear optical absorption was observed for the first time in fused silica, sapphire, and borosilicate glass under both types of thermal annealing conditions and the respective effects of thermal annealing are reported.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Performance of a Haynes 188 metallic standoff thermal protection system at Mach 7

A flight weight, metallic thermal protection system (TPS) model applicable to reentry and hypersonic vehicles was subjected to multiple cycles of both radiant and aerothermal heating to evaluate its aerothermal performance and structural integrity. The TPS was designed for a maximum operating temperature of 1255 K and featured a shingled, corrugation stiffened corrugated skin heat shield of Haynes 188, a cobalt base alloy. The model was subjected to 3 radiant preheat/aerothermal tests for a total of 67 seconds and to 15 radiant heating tests for a total of 85.9 minutes at 1255 K. The TPS limited the primary structure to temperatures below 430 K in all tests. No catastrophic failures occurred in the heat shields, supports, or insulation system. The TPS continued to function even after exposure to a differential temperature 4 times the design value produced thermal buckles in the outer skin. The shingled thermal expansion joint effectively allowed for thermal expansion of the heat shield without allowing any appreciable hot gas flow into the model cavity, even though the overlap gap between shields increased after several thermal cycles.

Avery, D. E.↗

Thermal expansion of graphite-epoxy between 116 K and 366 K

A Priest laser interferometer was developed to measure the thermal strain of composite laminates. The salient features of this interferometer are that: (1) it operates between 116 K and 366 K; (2) it is easy to operate; (3) minimum specimen preparation is required; (4) coefficients of thermal expansion in the range of 0-5 micro epsilon/K can be measured; and (5) the resolution of thermal strain is on the order of micro epsilon. The thermal response of quasi-isotropic, T300/5208, grahite-epoxy composite material was studied with this interferometer. The study showed that: (1) for the material tested, thermal cycling effects are negligible; (2) variability of thermal response from specimen to specimen may become significant at cryogenic temperatures; and (3) the thermal response of 0.6 cm and 2.5 cm wide specimens are the same above room temperature.

Short, J. S.↗

Shuttle environment database

The proceedings of a workshop on the development of a data base for the Space Shuttle environment are summarized. The data base is intended for use by experimenters in designing scientific payloads for Shuttle missions. The status of currently available data on the Shuttle environment is reviewed, with emphasis given to ten specific topics which are believed to be of concern to Shuttle experiment designers. These topics include: flight dynamics, vibration and acoustics, orbiter motion effects, EMI, and thermal and humidity effects. Attention is also given to: the Shuttle particulate environment; surface interactions inside and on the exterior of the spacecraft, and the natural Shuttle environment. Recent experimental results concerning Vehicle Glow on the spacecraft surface material are discussed in detail. A schematic diagram describing the functional organization of computer hardware for the Shuttle environment data base is provided.

Lauriente, M.↗

A modified pump laser system to pump the titanium sapphire laser

As a result of the wide tunability of the titanium sapphire laser NASA has sited it to be used to perform differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurements of H2O vapor in the upper and lower troposphere. The titanium sapphire laser can provide a spectrally narrow (0.3 to 1.0 pm), high energy (0.5 to 1.0 J) output at 727, 762, and 940 nm which are needed in the DIAL experiments. This laser performance can be obtained by addressing the line-narrowing issues in a master oscillator and the high energy requirement in a fundamental mode oscillator. By injection seeding, the single frequency property of the master oscillator can produce a line narrow high energy power oscillator. A breadboard model of the titanium sapphire laser that will ultimately be used in NASA lidar atmospheric sensing experiment is being designed. The task was to identify and solve any problem that would arise in the actual laser system. One such problem was encountered in the pump laser system. The pump laser that is designed to pump both the master oscillator and power oscillator is a Nd:YLF laser. Nd:YLF exhibits a number of properties which renders this material an attractive option to be used in the laser system. The Nd:YLF crystal is effectively athermal; it produces essentially no thermal lensing and thermally induced birefringence is generally insignificant in comparison to the material birefringence resulting from the uniaxial crystal structure. However, in application repeated fracturing of these laser rods was experience. Because Nd:YLF rods are not commercially available at the sizes needed for this application a modified pump laser system to replace the Nd:YLF laser rod was designed to include the more durable Nd:YAG laser rods. In this design, compensation for the thermal lensing effect that is introduced because of the Nd:YAG laser rods is included.

Petway, Larry B.↗