SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “CONVECTION”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,459 records · Page 81

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1987

Coupled morphological and convective instabilities in a microgravity environment

The role of convection during crystal growth from the melt is discussed in terms of dimensionless groups of material parameters and control variables. The limitations of such analyses and of models in which the crystal-melt interface is treated as a rigid boundary are reviewed. The interaction of thermosolutal convective instabilities with morphological instabilities is discussed for unidirectional solidification, emphasizing suppression of convective instabilities in a microgravity environment and/or a static magnetic field.

Sekerka, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Ground-based experiments on the minimization of convection during the growth of crystals from solution

Crystals were grown from solution in the earth's gravitational field with the substantial absence of convection by (1) downward unidirectional growth in an isothermally cooled solution and (2) upward unidirectional growth in a positive vertical thermal gradient. Growth rates were 1.3 to 1.8 times the predictions for convectionless growth, and an order of magnitude less than for growth with vigorous convection. Crystals grown in the isothermal configuration were of comparable or superior quality to those grown with substantial convection. The imposition of a 0.5 to 0.8 C/mm gradient greatly stabilized the growth interface so that flat (001) surfaces could be grown on KDP. Crystals grown in a thermal gradient, however, were filled with far more fluid inclusions than crystals grown isothermally.

Nerad, B. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Simulation of mesoscale convective response

Results are reported from a transfer of thermodynamic and dynamic data downscale from a two-dimensional mesoscale model to a two-dimensional cloud model and a subsequent examination of the differential convective response of the cloud model to a mesoscale structure. The mesoscale model included a high resolution PBL formulation, with convective forces expressed in a profile of exchange coefficients over the height of the PBL and the magnitude of the surface heat flux. Account was also taken of forcing by long- and short-wave radiation, surface forcing by the surface energy budget, the terrain shape, and possible wave reflection at the top boundary. The slab-symmetric cloud model possessed subgrid-scale features, five types of moisture terms, and a subroutine for accretion processes. The mesoscale environment was observed to have a significant impact on convective response, i.e., the vertical velocity and the cloud water. Various factors which were not included in the study and which must be considered are discussed.

Mcnider, R. T.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Analyses of convective flows and spatial gradients in energetic ion observations

Based on the measured anisotropy of three-dimensional energetic ion distributions obtained from the Medium Energy Particle Instrument experiment of the ISEE 1 spacecraft, bulk flow, epsilon x B convection, and pressure gradients in magnetospheric plasmas are measured with two techniques. In the first technique, using a Compton-Getting transform into the appropriate rest frame in an iterative fashion and converging to the unique velocity that removes the first-order anisotropy from the flux angular distribution, the actual measured angular distribution, and spectrum at each angle, are employed. The second technique uses a first moment of the distribution function in which the shift in velocity space of the distribution function is obtained at two phase space density values. The convection contribution to the velocity shift is assumed to be perpendicular to the pressure gradient contribution if an MHD generator condition is assumed, rendering the two shifts separable, and a gradient scale and a lower limit to the convection electric field are derived in one calculation.

Mitchell, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

The detection of global convective wave flows on the sun

Global convective flows in the solar convection zone have been predicted by theoretical interpretations of the global-scale ordering of magnetic fields and activity centers and by theoretical analyses of rotating convection zones. Direct evidence of these flows in the photosphere has not previously been found despite several long-term efforts. The signatures of such flows have now been detected by analyzing the daily series of low-resolution Dopplergrams obtained at the Wilcox Solar Observatory at Stanford University. The signatures are patterns of alternating east and west flows with amplitudes on the order of 25 m/s and longitudinal extent of about 30 degrees. The patterns move across the disc at approximately the solar rotation rate and have lifetimes of at least several rotations. Boundaries of the fast and slow flows are often associated with large magnetic active regions.

Scherrer, Philip H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

On the absence of convective stability in materials preparation on earth

The yield in the production and the performance of electronic and optical solid state devices is frequently limited by nonuniformities in the composition and structure of the underlying crystalline material. The formation of such inhomogeneities can be favored by convective heat and mass transfer during the preparation. Hence, it is often desirable to establish purely diffusive conditions in materials preparation. It has been thought that buoyancy-driven convection can be readily excluded by appropriate orientation of the density gradient with respect to the gravity vector. Such expectations overlook, however, that materials preparation processes are inherently associated with multidimensional density gradients. Hence, it is concluded, there will always be convective contributions to transport in materials processing on earth.

Rosenberger, Franz↗

NASA NTRS1986

Rocket and satellite observations of electric fields and ion convection in the dayside auroral ionosphere

The electric field and convection pattern of the dayside auroral ionosphere are analyzed using electric-field data from two high-altitude rocket flights in the polar cusp and satelltie observations of ion drifts and energetic particles. The geophysical conditions for December 1 and 13, 1981 are described. The flow reversals for the two events are studied, and a dayside convection pattern is characterized. It is observed that this convection pattern is in qualitative agreement with the predictions of a geometrical model of Crooker (1979), when the IMF is oriented towards dawn.

Marklund, G. T.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Steady bimodal convection in a cylinder at large Prandtl numbers

Steady bimodal convection of an infinite Prandtl-number Boussinesq fluid in a cylinder is considered. An asymptotic analysis similar to the one used by Buell and Catton (1986) for axisymmetric convection yields a solvability condition that determines the radial wavenumber. The analysis is valid for convection far away from the origin, the lateral boundary, and any pattern dislocations. The azimuthal wave number is treated as a parameter, although in real systems it is dependent on the initial and boundary conditions. Results are presented for Rayleigh numbers between 14,000 and 60,000, and for azimuthal wave numbers between 5 and 7. It is shown that for increasing Rayleigh numbers, the selected radial wave number and the heat transfer tend to become independent of the azimuthal wave number. No quantitative experimental data are available, but one qualitative comparison is good.

Buell, Jeffrey C.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Sondrestrom radar observations of the effect of the IMF B(y) component on polar cap convection

Sondrestrom incoherent-scatter radar measurements of plasma drift in the auroral oval and the polar cap are used to examine the effect of the IMF B(y) component in the dusk, midnight, and dawn sectors. The individual radar observations are briefly reviewed, and the average convection patterns obtained by binning the drift data for the two orientations of the IMF B(y) component are shown. These patterns are compared to the various models of convection that have been proposed. None of the models seem to reproduce the observed convections well, although some features of the models are seen in the radar data.

De La Beaujardiere, O.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Experiments on thermoacoustic convection heat transfer in gravity and zero-gravity environments

The results of an experimental study of thermoacoustic convection (TAC) heat transfer in gravity and zero-gravity environments are presented. The experimental apparatus consisted of a cylinder containing air as the compressible fluid. The enclosed air was heated electrically at the top surface which consisted of a thin high-resistance steel foil connected to a power source. Thermocouples were used to measure the transient temperature of the air on the axis of the cylinder and the heated surface in the both zero-gravity and gravity environments. The zero-gravity tests were performed in the Zero-Gravity Drop Tower Facility of NASA-Lewis Research Center. The experimental results were corrected for the error due to radiation absorption by the thermocouples. A conduction-only numerical heat transfer model was developed to compute the transient air temperature in the cylindrical geometry. The results were compared to the experimental data to determine the significance of the thermoacoustic convection heat transfer mechanism. It is observed that the rate of heat transfer to the air measured during the experiments is consistently higher than that obtained by the conduction-only solution indicating a significant presence of the TAC heat transfer. Further experiments are planned to measure directly (1) the radiative heat transfer contribution to the rise in the air temperature, and (2) the air pressure oscillations within the cylinder that are responsible for the convective heat transfer mode.

Parang, Masood↗

NASA NTRS1986

Time-dependent mixed convection heat transfer from a sphere in a micro-gravity environment

A fundamental problem of interest for crystal growth in micro-gravity applications involves the mixed convection heat transfer from a sphere in a uniform flow of fluid at a differing temperature. Under the combined influence of the imposed free stream as well as an induced buoyancy force due to thermal expansion of the fluid, the heat transfer from the sphere will be different from that of either the pure forced convection flow or the pure free convection flow. For the present study, the method of matched asymptotic expansions is applied to the laminar flow problem of an impulsively heated, impulsively started sphere in an originally quiescent fluid. Time series expansions are developed for the dependent variables by acknowledging the existence of two distinct regions: one, an inner region, near the sphere, in which viscous effects are significant; and two, an outer region in which the fluid may be treated as inviscid. The time series expansions are developed in terms of the Reynolds number and Richardson number (Buoyancy Parameter), and the relevant heat transfer and drag coefficients are calculated and plotted.

Hommel, Mark J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Cloud-to-ground lightning activity in mesoscale convective complexes

An analysis of the evolution of cloud-to-ground lightning discharges attending convective storms in mesoscale convective systems was conducted in the framework of the mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs) life cycle. The lightning discharge data were acquired by a commercially available lightning detection and location system. Peak rates averaged 42/min for the MCCs analyzed; these rates are comparable to the highest observed rates within other mesoscale storm systems and are greater than 20 times the rates previously observed in isolated thunderstorms. Lightning damage occurs with half of the MCCs and is most frequent between the development and the mature phases of the MCC life cycle. The most active period is also characterized by the greatest average number of discrete strokes and largest fraction of multiple-stroke discharges. The total cloud-to-ground lightning activity and maximum flashing rate do not appear to be directly related to either the size of the cloud shield or total duration of the MCC.

Goodman, S. J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Effect of a forced Couette flow on coupled convective and morphological instabilities during unidirectional solidification

The effect of a forced Couette flow, parallel to a horizontal crystal-melt interface during directional solidification of an alloy of lead containing tin, on the onset of convective and morphological instabilities, is calculated numerically via a linear stability analysis. Such a flow does not affect perturbations with wave vectors perpendicular to the flow. For perturbations with wave vectors parallel to the flow, the onset of morphological instability is somewhat suppressed and thermosolutal convection is greatly suppressed. When instabilities occur, they are oscillatory and correspond to travelling waves. For values of the crystal growth velocity for which mixed morphological and convective modes occur, the presence of a forced flow produces sufficient decoupling to allow otherwise degenerate branches to be identified.

Coriell, S. R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The detection of global convection on the sun by an analysis of line shift data of the John M. Wilcox Solar Observatory at Stanford University

An analysis of the absorption line shift data of the John M. Wilcox Solar Observatory at Stanford University has yielded signatures of the existence of global convection on the sun. These include persistent periodic time variations in the east-west component of the velocity fields defined by fitting a slope to the line shift data in a certain longitude window at a specified latitude and longitude by the least squares method. The amplitude of the velocity fields estimated from these variations is of the order of 100 m/s. The results of the analysis also suggest that several modes of global convection coexist in the solar convection zone. Details of the analysis are given.

Yoshimura, Hirokazu↗

NASA NTRS1988

Computer modeling of convection in the liquid metal during solidification

Numerical methods are used to study thermally/gravitationally induced convection during solidification. The primary object is aimed at understanding the flow field in the liquid metal pool due to convection. An Al-0.5Fe weight percent alloy is assumed to fill a small scale vertical rectangular enclosure model for this study. The Alternating Direction Implicit method and Successive Overrelaxation method are employed to solve these equations, which include the energy balance equation coupled with the mass and momentum equations. Both transient and steady state conditions under 1 g and low gravity (0.001 g) are investigated. The solutions for the two-dimensional isotherms and streamlines under 1 g conditions are graphically presented. The quantitative results show that the convection which occurs in the liquid metal pool is very small and is likely to have a negligible effect on the solute redistribution ahead of the solid-liquid interface.

Lott, R. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Influence of high and low gravity on convection around growing crystals

Crystals growing from solution lead to changes in solution concentration which normally lead to convection in a gravitational field. This enhances local supersaturation and changes the growth rate and shape of the crystal. Experiments are described where velocity is enhanced by moving the crystal through the solution, and reduced to low values by performing the growth experiments in the low g environment of a KC-135 aircraft parabola. Differences of refractive index enable the convection to be viewed in an optical system. Results show the importance of even low convection on growth, and the ultimate composition and habit of the crystal.

Hallett, J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Remote sensing of water vapor convergence, deep convection, and precipitation over the tropical Pacific Ocean during the 1982-1983 El Nino

Using data collected by SMMR on board the Nimbus 7 satellite, estimates of atmospheric water vapor were obtained over the tropical Pacific Ocean during the 1982-1983 El Nino. A parameterization that physically relates the synoptic and convective scales was employed, making it possible to explicitly resolve convective elements and rain cells for poorly resolvable measurements. The derived water vapor flux convergences were analyzed during the El Nino episode to map the inferred deep convection and estimated rainfall over regions impacted by the event, and the inferred monthly rainfall amounts were compared with observations for 14 island and coastal stations in the Pacific Ocean.

Ardanuy, Philip E.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Vertical temperature gradients on Uranus - Implications for layered convection

Analyses of Voyager IR spectroscopy and radio occultation measurements confirm ground-based observations that the deep lapse rate of Uranus exceeds that for an adiabat of H2 in thermodynamic equilibrium. However, in approximately the same region of the atmosphere, Voyager IR and ground-based observations also indicate that the ratio of ortho to para hydrogen is near the equilibrium value. These two sets of observations can be reconciled by postulating the existence of rapid convective overturning within layers which are thin in comparison to a pressure scale height. Two forms of layered convection are examined. In one case, deposition of kinetic energy results in thin, rapidly overturning layers. Possible kinetic energy sources include braking waves and local instabilities. In the second case considered, molecular-weight discontinuities due to CH4 stratification stabilize the interfaces of thin layers. It is argued that both forms may be important in the convective portion of the Uranus atmosphere.

Gierasch, Peter J.↗