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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 145 records · Page 8

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NASA NTRS1992

Systematic study of Reynolds stress closure models in the computations of plane channel flows

The roles of pressure-strain and turbulent diffusion models in the numerical calculation of turbulent plane channel flows with second-moment closure models are investigated. Three turbulent diffusion and five pressure-strain models are utilized in the computations. The main characteristics of the mean flow and the turbulent fields are compared against experimental data. All the features of the mean flow are correctly predicted by all but one of the Reynolds stress closure models. The Reynolds stress anisotropies in the log layer are predicted to varying degrees of accuracy (good to fair) by the models. None of the models could predict correctly the extent of relaxation towards isotropy in the wake region near the center of the channel. Results from the directional numerical simulation are used to further clarify this behavior of the models.

Demuren, A. O.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Calculations of hot gas ingestion for a STOVL aircraft model

Hot gas ingestion problems for STOVL (Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing) aircraft are typically approached with empirical methods and experience. In this study, the hot gas environment around a STOVL aircraft was modeled as multiple jets in crossflow with inlet suction. The flow field was calculated with a Navier-Stokes, Reynolds-averaged, turbulent, 3D CFD code using a multigrid technique. A simple model of a STOVL aircraft with four choked jets at 1000 K was studied at various heights, headwind speeds, and thrust splay angles in a modest parametric study. Scientific visualization of the computed flow field shows a pair of vortices in front of the inlet. This and other qualitative aspects of the flow field agree well with experimental data.

Fricker, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Perspective - Systematic study of Reynolds stress closure models in the computations of plane channel flows

Demuren, A. O.↗

NASA NTRS1955

Application of the Generalized Shock-expansion Method to Inclined Bodies of Revolution Traveling at High Supersonic Airspeeds

The generalized shock-expansion method is applied to obtain solutions to the flow field about pointed bodies of revolution at high supersonic airspeeds and small angles of attack. Simple explicit expressions are obtained for the surface Mach numbers and surface pressures in the special case of slender bodies. In the case of inclined cones, algebraic solutions are obtained defining the entire flow field. Experimental pressure-distribution data for cones and ogives at Mach numbers from 3 to 5 are included. (author)

Savin, Raymond C↗

NASA NTRS1993

Comparisons of calculated and measured helicopter noise near instrument hill

The polar parabolic equation (POPE) method solves for the diffraction of sound by a curved surface including a realistic sound speed profile. POPE is outlined briefly to describe diffraction which propagates the field over a hill. Experimental data are compared with POPE predictions using the measured sound speed profile and ground impedance. Two trial cases are considered for the comparisons: the helicopter located at the base of the hill and far away from the base of the hill, respectively. The physical mechanisms for sound propagation over a hill are examined with and of POPE calculations and experimental data. The shedding of rays from the hillside gives an interference effect with a wave along the flat surface beyond the base of a hill.

Bass, Henry E.↗

NASA NTRS1999

A Hysteresis Model for Piezoceramic Materials

This paper addresses the modeling of nonlinear constitutive relations and hysteresis inherent to piezoceramic materials at moderate to high drive levels. Such models are, necessary to realize the, full potential of the materials in high performance control applications, and a necessary prerequisite is the development of techniques which permit control implementation. The approach employed here is based on the qualification of reversible and irreversible domain wall motion in response to applied electric fields. A comparison with experimental data illustrates that because the resulting ODE model is physics-based, it can be employed for both characterization and prediction of polarization levels throughout the range of actuator operation. Finally, the ODE formulation is amenable to inversion which facilitates the development of an inverse compensator for linear control design.

Smith, Ralph C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Eo-1 Hyperion Measures Canopy Drought Stress In Amazonia

The central, south and southeast portions of the Amazon Basin experience a period of decreased cloud cover and precipitation from June through November. There are likely important effects of seasonal and interannual rainfall variation on forest leaf area index, canopy water stress, productivity and regional carbon cycling in the Amazon. While both ground and spaceborne studies of precipitation continue to improve, there has been almost no progress made in observing forest canopy responses to rainfall variability in the humid tropics. This shortfall stems from the large stature of the vegetation and great spatial extent of tropical forests, both of which strongly impede field studies of forest responses to water availability. Those few studies employing satellite measures of canopy responses to seasonal and interannual drought (e.g., Bohlman et al. 1998, Asner et al. 2000) have been limited by the spectral resolution and sampling available from Landsat and AVHRR sensors. We report on a study combining the first landscape-level, managed drought experiment in Amazon tropical forest with the first spaceborne imaging spectrometer observations of this experimental area. Using extensive field data on rainfall inputs, soil water content, and both leaf and canopy responses, we test the hypothesis that spectroscopic signatures unique to hyperspectral observations can be used to quantify relative differences in canopy stress resulting from water availability.

Asner, Gregory P.↗

NASA NTRS2014

High-Lift OVERFLOW Analysis of the DLR-F11 Wind Tunnel Model

In response to the 2nd AIAA CFD High Lift Prediction Workshop, the DLR-F11 wind tunnel model is analyzed using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver OVERFLOW. A series of overset grids for a bracket-off landing configuration is constructed and analyzed as part of a general grid refinement study. This high Reynolds number (15.1 million) analysis is done at multiple angles-of-attack to evaluate grid resolution effects at operational lift levels as well as near stall. A quadratic constitutive relation recently added to OVERFLOW for improved solution accuracy is utilized for side-of-body separation issues at low angles-of-attack and outboard wing separation at stall angles. The outboard wing separation occurs when the slat brackets are added to the landing configuration and is a source of discrepancy between the predictions and experimental data. A detailed flow field analysis is performed at low Reynolds number (1.35 million) after pressure tube bundles are added to the bracket-on medium grid system with the intent of better understanding bracket/bundle wake interaction with the wing's boundary layer. Localized grid refinement behind each slat bracket and pressure tube bundle coupled with a time accurate analysis are exercised in an attempt to improve stall prediction capability. The results are inconclusive and suggest the simulation is missing a key element such as boundary layer transition. The computed lift curve is under-predicted through the linear range and over-predicted near stall, and the solution from the most complete configuration analyzed shows outboard wing separation occurring behind slat bracket 6 where the experiment shows it behind bracket 5. These results are consistent with most other participants of this workshop.

High-lift↗

DOE OSTI2020

Gasification and Techno-Economic Analysis of High-Impact Biomass Feedstocks for the Synthesis of High-Octane Gasoline

Five economically advantaged biomass feedstocks identified in the US Department of Energy's 2016 Billion Ton Study were gasified and the syngas reformed at the bench scale to study the feedstock price-performance relationship. The distribution of reformed syngas compositions, heating values, and yields were similar across the different feedstocks and blends thereof, which ranged from inexpensive residual wastes to more expensive and higher quality biomass, revealing that feedstock performance was mostly insensitive to its price. Custom blended feedstocks produced syngas with characteristics resembling linear combinations of syngas from single-component feedstocks, supporting the ability to customize and predict blended properties based on single-feedstock data. A techno-economic analysis of specific feedstock costs for producing high-octane gasoline showed that miscanthus and forest residues were the most cost-effective with gas yields consistent with experimental gasification data. A field-to-wheels life-cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions showed that forest residues was the most environmentally benign feedstock of those studied.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

NASA NTRS1984

A model for reaction rates in turbulent reacting flows

To account for the turbulent temperature and species-concentration fluctuations, a model is presented on the effects of chemical reaction rates in computer analyses of turbulent reacting flows. The model results in two parameters which multiply the terms in the reaction-rate equations. For these two parameters, graphs are presented as functions of the mean values and intensity of the turbulent fluctuations of the temperature and species concentrations. These graphs will facilitate incorporation of the model into existing computer programs which describe turbulent reacting flows. When the model was used in a two-dimensional parabolic-flow computer code to predict the behavior of an experimental, supersonic hydrogen jet burning in air, some improvement in agreement with the experimental data was obtained in the far field in the region near the jet centerline. Recommendations are included for further improvement of the model and for additional comparisons with experimental data.

Chinitz, W.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Computational Analyses in Support of Sub-scale Diffuser Testing for the A-3 Facility: Aero-Acoustic Analyses and Experimental Validation - Part 3

A unique assessment of acoustic similarity scaling laws and acoustic analogy methodologies in predicting the far-field acoustic signature from a sub-scale altitude rocket test facility at the NASA Stennis Space Center was performed. A directional, point-source similarity analysis was implemented for predicting the acoustic far-field. In this approach, experimental acoustic data obtained from "similar" rocket engine tests were appropriately scaled using key geometric and dynamic parameters. The accuracy of this engineering-level method is discussed by comparing the predictions with acoustic far-field measurements obtained. In addition, a CFD solver was coupled with a Lilley's acoustic analogy formulation to determine the improvement of using a physics-based methodology over an experimental correlation approach. In the current work, steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes calculations were used to model the internal flow of the rocket engine and altitude diffuser. These internal flow simulations provided the necessary realistic input conditions for external plume simulations. The CFD plume simulations were then used to provide the spatial turbulent noise source distributions in the acoustic analogy calculations. Preliminary findings of these studies will be discussed.

Allgood, Daniel C.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Pressure Distribution and Air Data System for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment

The Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) is designed to provide critical flight data necessary for the design of future Aeroassist Space Transfer Vehicles (ASTV). This flight experiment will provide aerodynamic, aerothermodynamic, and environmental data for verification of experimental and computational flow field techniques. The Pressure Distribution and Air Data System (PD/ADS), one of the measurement systems incorporated into the AFE spacecraft, is designed to provide accurate pressure measurements on the windward surface of the vehicle. These measurements will be used to determine the pressure distribution and air data parameters (angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and free-stream dynamic pressure) encountered by the blunt-bodied vehicle over an altitude range of 76.2 km to 94.5 km. Design and development data are presented and include: measurement requirements, measurement heritage, theoretical studies to define the vehicle environment, flush-mounted orifice configuration, pressure transducer selection and performance evaluation data, and pressure tubing response analysis.

Gibson, Lorelei S.↗

DOE OSTI2021

An integrated approach to understanding RF vacuum arcs

Although used in the design and costing of large projects such as linear colliders and fusion tokamaks, the theory of vacuum arcs and gradient limits is not well understood. Almost 120 years after the isolation of vacuum arcs, the exact mechanisms of the arcs and the damage they produce are still being debated. We describe our simple and general model of the vacuum arc that can incorporate all active mechanisms and aims to explain all relevant data. Our four stage model, is based on experiments done at 805 MHz with a variety of cavity geometries, magnetic fields, and experimental techniques as well as data from Atom Probe Tomography and failure analysis of microelectronics. The model considers the trigger, plasma formation, plasma evolution and surface damage phases of the RF arc. This paper also examines how known mechanisms can explain the observed sharp field dependence, fast breakdown times and observed surface damage. We update the model and discuss new features while also pointing out where new data would be useful in extending the model to a wider range of frequencies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Global root traits (GRooT) database

Motivation: Trait data are fundamental to the quantitative description of plant form and function. Although root traits capture key dimensions related to plant responses to changing environmental conditions and effects on ecosystem processes, they have rarely been included in large-scale comparative studies and global models. For instance, root traits remain absent from nearly all studies that define the global spectrum of plant form and function. Thus, to overcome conceptual and methodological roadblocks preventing a widespread integration of root trait data into large-scale analyses we created the Global Root Trait (GRooT) Database. GRooT provides readyto- use data by combining the expertise of root ecologists with data mobilization and curation. Specifically, we (a) determined a set of core root traits relevant to the description of plant form and function based on an assessment by experts, (b) maximized species coverage through data standardization within and among traits, and (c) implemented data quality checks. Main types of variables contained: GRooT contains 114,222 trait records on 38 continuous root traits. Spatial location and grain: Global coverage with data from arid, continental, polar, temperate and tropical biomes. Data on root traits were derived from experimental studies and field studies. Time period and grain: Data were recorded between 1911 and 2019. Major taxa and level of measurement: GRooT includes root trait data for which taxonomic information is available. Trait records vary in their taxonomic resolution, with subspecies or varieties being the highest and genera the lowest taxonomic resolution available. It contains information for 184 subspecies or varieties, 6,214 species, 1,967 genera and 254 families. Owing to variation in data sources, trait records in the database include both individual observations and mean values. Software format: GRooT includes two csv files. A GitHub repository contains the csv files and a script in R to query the database.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2001

Scalar Measurements and Analysis of Helium Jets in Earth Gravity and Microgravity using Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry

Recent experiments have shown that low-density gas jets injected into a high-density gas undergo an instability mode leading to highly periodic oscillations in the flow field. The transition from laminar to turbulent flow in these jets is abrupt, without a gradual change in scales. Although this type of instability at high Richardson numbers has been attributed to buoyancy, direct physical evidence was not acquired through experiments. In this study, several experiments were conducted in Earth gravity and microgravity to acquire qualitative data on near field flow structure of helium jets injected into air. Microgravity conditions were simulated in the 2.2-second drop tower at NASA Glenn Research Center. The operating parameters of this study included the tube inside diameter, the jet Reynolds number, and the jet Richardson number. Tubes with inside diameters of 19.05 mm and 31.75 mm were used in the experiments conducted in the drop tower. The jet flow was analyzed using quantitative rainbow schlieren deflectometry, a non-intrusive line of sight measurement technique for the whole field. The flow structure was characterized by distributions of angular deflection and the resulting helium mole fraction obtained from color schlieren images taken at 60 Hz. Three sets of experimental data with respect to three schlieren fields of view were acquired for each tube. Results show that the jet in microgravity was up to 70 percent wider than that in Earth gravity. The global jet flow oscillations observed in Earth gravity were absent in microgravity, providing direct experimental evidence that the flow instability in the low-density jet was buoyancy-induced. This study provides quantitative details of temporal flow evolution as the experiments undergo change in gravity in the drop tower.

Yep, Tze Wing↗

NASA NTRS1994

Vehicle integration effects on hypersonic waveriders

The integration of a class of hypersonic high-lift configurations known as waveriders into hypersonic cruise vehicles was evaluated. Waveriders offer advantages in aerodynamic performance and propulsion/airframe integration (PAI) characteristics over conventional hypersonic shapes. A wind-tunnel model was developed which integrates realistic vehicle components with two waverider shapes, referred to as the 'straight-wing' and 'cranked-wing' shapes. Both shapes were conical-flow-derived waveriders at a design Mach number of 4.0. The cranked-wing shape was designed to provide advantages in subsonic performance and directional stability over conventional waveriders. Experimental data and limited computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions were obtained over a Mach number range of 2.3 to 4.63 at a Reynolds number of 2.0x10(exp 6) per foot. The CFD predictions and flow visualization data confirmed the shock attachment characteristics of the baseline waverider shapes and illustrated the waverider flow-field properties. Both CFD predictions and experimental data showed that no significant performance degradations occur at off-design Mach numbers for the waverider shapes and the integrated configurations. The experimental data showed that the effects of adding a realistic canopy were minimal. The effects of adding engine components were to increase the drag and thus degrade the aerodynamic performance of the configuration. A significant degradation in aerodynamic performance was observed when 0 degree control surfaces were added to close the blunt base of the waverider to a sharp trailing edge. A comparison of the fully-integrated waverider models to the baseline shapes showed that the performance was significantly degraded when all of the components were added to the waveriders. The fully-integrated configurations studied here do not offer significant performance advantages over conventional hypersonic vehicles, but still offer advantages in air-breathing propulsion integration. Additionally, areas are identified in this study where improvements could be made to enhance the performance. Both fully-integrated configurations are longitudinally unstable over the Mach number range studied for unpowered conditions. The cranked-wing fully-integrated configuration provided significantly better lateral-directional stability characteristics than the straight-wing configuration.

Cockrell, Charles Edward, Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2023

CrysFieldExplorer : rapid optimization of the crystal field Hamiltonian

A new approach to the fast optimization of crystal electric field (CEF) parameters to fit experimental data is presented. This approach is implemented in a lightweight Python-based program, CrysFieldExplorer. The main novelty of the method is the development of a unique loss function, referred to as the spectrum characteristic loss (L Spectrum ), which is based on the characteristic polynomial of the Hamiltonian matrix. Particle swarm optimization and a covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy are used to find the minimum of the total loss function. It is demonstrated that CrysFieldExplorer can perform direct fitting of CEF parameters to any experimental data such as a neutron spectrum, susceptibility or magnetization measurements etc. CrysFieldExplorer can handle a large number of non-zero CEF parameters and reveal multiple local and global minimum solutions. Crystal field theory, the loss function, and the implementation and limitations of the program are discussed within the context of two examples.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2022

Three-dimensional simulations of reshocked inclined Richtmyer-Meshkov instability: Effects of initial perturbations

The effect of initial perturbations on the evolution of the inclined Richtmyer-Meshkov turbulent mixing layer before and after reshock initiated by a shock wave with Mach number 1.55 is investigated through three-dimensional (3D) simulations using the flash code. The 3D simulations aim to reproduce both predominantly single-mode and multimode interfaces between light and heavy gases (N 2 -CO 2 , Atwood number, A≈0.22; amplitude to wavelength ratio of 0.088) which were created in an inclined shock tube facility to analyze the effects of initial conditions on mixing development in the entire flow field. The two-dimensional center slices of 3D simulations are compared with the experimental results to validate the computational code. Mixing width, mixed mass, mixed-mass thickness, and circulation in addition to concentration fields are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data. The three-dimensional density and vorticity fields are first presented to qualitatively describe the flow behavior before and after reshock. Several measured density/velocity-related quantities indicate that the growth of the mixing material is strongly dependent on initial conditions. Before reshock and at early times after reshock, flow is clearly maintaining the memory of initial perturbations. However, at late time after reshock, although the large wavelength feature still dominates the flow motion, and the morphology of the two different interfaces indicates several differences, by breakdown of large-scale coherent structures to much finer scales, the memory of small scales of the multimode initial perturbation is not as clear as pre-reshock. Regarding three-dimensionality of the flow, before reshock in the multimode case, the baroclinic vorticity production, circulation, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent mass flux suggest that the small-scale roll-up features along the large inclined wavelength quickly evolves in all three dimensions. The coherent vortex tubes break down to smaller wormlike vortex structures, and turbulent fluctuations in the out-of-plane dimension are comparable to the spanwise direction. After reshock, this three-dimensionality of mixing growth was observed in the flow for both initial conditions. The results of this work represent a significant extension of previous computational studies performed on this specific topic. A different code with a different numerical method is validated through comparison with the experimental data. The initial perturbations are directly measured from the experimental results. Moreover, the entire three-dimensional experimental shock tube domain is simulated, and more quantities are investigated to understand the mixing mechanism and instability evolution in all three dimensions.

42 ENGINEERING↗