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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulation-Aided Design and Interpretation of Results of Microgravity-Based Solidification Experiments

The preparation and interpretation of microgravity experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) can be challenging because of the remote location of the equipment. Although a “ground unit” is typically available on Earth, it is not located in the laboratory of the principal investigator. Furthermore, test experiments in the ground unit cannot fully duplicate heat transfer conditions of the weightless environment, and thus be a reliable reference for experiment design. Under such conditions, numerical simulations are a valuable tool both for preparing the experiments and interpreting the results obtained under terrestrial and micro-gravity conditions. In this work, we developed a detailed 3D model of the “SUBSA” furnace located at the ISS, and demonstrate its use in our present investigation which includes melt growth and vapor growth of InI crystals on the ISS. In 2002, the SUBSA furnace was designed and built for the growth of InSb crystals in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) at the ISS. The SUBSA furnace features a transparent section without heating elements, where the axial temperature gradient is high. In our present investigation, we have used the same furnace to grow four InI crystals from the melt, and two InI crystals from the vapor phase (2018-2021). InI crystals have ~20 times lower thermal conductivity than InSb crystals. As a result, during melt growth, the InI crystals were exposed to extremely high temperature gradients. To reduce the axial temperature gradient, we added external jackets made from high thermal conductivity material to the growth ampoules. The SUBSA furnace could not be modeled as asymmetric because of its rectangular shape and right-angled transparent section, which contains a convoluted geometry. The rectangular shape of the transparent section further complicates modelling of radiative heat transfer, which dominates in the zone. At present, numerical simulations are being conducted to resolve an apparent discrepancy between the readings of the 5 thermocouples located in the SUBSA furnace, and the observed position of the solid and molten material. The 3D simulation will be presented, along with the calibration and growth experiment results conducted in microgravity and in the SUBSA ground unit. The developed model should be useful for upcoming microgravity investigations planned to be conducted in the SUBSA facility.

V Riabov↗
NASA NTRS2017

Design, Manufacture and Test of Cryotank Components

On the composite cryotank technology development (CCTD) project, the Boeing Company built two cryotanks as a means of advancing technology and manufacturing readiness levels (TRL and MRL) and lowering the risk of fabricating full-scale fuel containment vessels.1 CCTD focused on upper stage extended duration applications where long term storage of propellants is required. The project involved the design, analysis, fabrication, and test of manufacturing demonstration units (MDU), a 2.4 m (precursor) and a 5.5 m composite cryotank. Key design features included one-piece wall construction to minimize overall weight (eliminating the need for a bellyband joint), 3-dimensionally (3D) reinforced y-joint material to alleviate stress concentrations at the tank to skirt interface and a purge-able fluted core skirt to carry high axial launch loads. The tanks were made with OoA curing pre-impregnated (prepreg) carbon/epoxy (C/E) slit-tape tow (STT) that contained thin micro-crack resistant plies in the tank wall center to impede permeation. The tanks were fabricated at Boeing's Seattle-based Advanced Development Center (ADC) using RAFP and multipiece break-down tooling. The tooling was designed and built by Janicki Industries (JI) at Sedro Woolley, Washington. Tank assemblage consisted of co-bonded dome covers, one-piece fluted core skirts and mechanical fastened cover/sump. Ultrasonic inspection was performed after every cure or bond and a structural health monitoring system (SHMS) was installed to identify potential impact damage events (in-process and/or during transportation). The tanks were low temperature tested at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. The testing, which consisted of a sequence of fill/drain pressure and thermal cycles using LH2, was successfully concluded in 2012 on the 2.4 m tank and in 2014 on the 5.5 m tank. Structural, thermal, and permeation performance data was obtained. 2 Critical design features and manufacturing advancements, which helped to validate 25% weight and 30% cost reduction projections, were matured. These advancements will help to guide future composite tank integration activities on next generation long duration aircraft and space launch vehicles. Because CCTD addressed innovative design features, heavy lift size scale-up, multipiece captured tooling, new generation automated material placement (AMP) equipment and OoA materials, this chapter should be of interest to educators, students and manufacturers of composite hardware and flight vehicles.

McCarville, Douglas A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

1016516285-AA - Handling Frame Assembly Table Structural and Seismic Analysis

Within the NIF (National Ignition Facility) sustainment project, LLNL is replacing all 1,728 blast shields with new ones. Before the new blast shield glass can be installed on NIF, it must pass through the AMOL (Amplifier Main Optics Loop). The AMOL process involves cleaning and coating the glass, assembling it into a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU), and performing testing and inspection. This work will be conducted in the OPFX cleanroom facility (Building 391, Room 1250) and requires several pieces of custom equipment. One key piece of equipment within the loop is the Handling Frame Assembly Table (see Figure 1.1). Its purpose is to assist operators in installing the blast shield glass into handling frames (1014442709) (see Figure 1.2). The table is also used to store handling frame assembly components. The primary components stored are the L-frames (1015208271), which are kept in a drawer underneath the table (see Figure 1.3). The purpose of this safety note is to ensure that the system does not pose a risk of injury to personnel during a seismic event. The system owner is OMST Engineering & Maintenance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1990

Synoptic/planetary-scale interactions and blocking over the North Atlantic Ocean

Work was completed on the height tendency diagnoses of two extratropical cyclones that occurred upstream from the blocking event studied previously. One developed explosively over water 60 to 36 hours before the block first appeared, while the second developed explosively over the southeastern United States during the time of block formation. In both cases, both vorticity and temperature advection were consistently important forcing mechanisms. This is in contrast to the block itself, in which vorticity advection was easily the dominant forcing mechanism. Latent heat release was also significant, accounting for about 50 percent of the total height falls in the cyclone below 850 mb. Estimates of latent heat release were greatly enhanced by coupling parameterized estimates with values derived from GOES IR data using an algorithm developed by Marshall's F. R. Robertson. Among the difficulties encountered in this work was the identification of an appropriate lower boundary condition for the solution of the height tendency equation. The zero value currently used tends to yield underestimates of the lower troposphere height tendencies. To address this problem a new diagnostic technique was developed in cooperation with Dr. Peter Zwack of the University of Quebec at Montreal. Based on an equation Dr. Zwack had previously developed (the Zwack-Okossi development equation), researchers now have a relationship that is completely consistent with the height tendency equation and provides estimates of lower boundary geostrophic vorticity or height tendencies. Finally, comparison of the SAT (satellite data) and NOSAT (no satellite data) analyses is progressing well. The present focus is on both the new diagnostic technique and the SAT/NOSAT comparisons. The former is being tested on the southeastern United States cyclone case previously mentioned and compared with the height tendency diagnoses already completed. The latter are being examined for the blocking case described in the publications cited in this summary. In addition to obtaining statistics that will allow general comparison of the two analyses, it will be possible to determine whether conclusions about the dynamics of the block development are influenced by the analysis set used.

Smith, Phillip J.↗
NASA NTRS2022

X-Ray Amorphous Sulfur-Bearing Phases in Sedimentary Rocks of Gale Crater, Mars

The Curiosity rover in Gale crater is investigating a mineral transition observed from orbit—an older “clay unit” to a younger “sulfate unit”—hypothesized to reflect the aridification of Mars' climate. Below this transition, the rover detected crystalline Ca-sulfates with minor Fe-sulfates but also found that some fraction of a rock's bulk SO 3 is often in the poorly constrained X-ray amorphous component. Here, we characterize the abundances and compositions of the X-ray amorphous sulfur-bearing phases in 19 drilled samples using a mass balance approach, and in a subset of 5 samples using evolved SO 2 gas measured using the SAM instrument. We find that ∼20–90 wt% of a sample's bulk SO 3 is in the X-ray amorphous state and that X-ray amorphous sulfur-bearing phase compositions are consistent with mixtures of Mg-S, Fe-S, and possibly Ca-S phases, likely sulfates or sulfites. These phases reside in the bedrock, perhaps as cementing agents deposited with detrital sediments or during early diagenesis, and in diagenetic alteration halos deposited after lithification during late diagenesis. The likely presence of highly soluble Mg-sulfates in the rocks suggests negligible fluid flow through the bedrock post-Mg-sulfate deposition. The X-ray amorphous sulfur-bearing phases probably became amorphous through dehydration in the current Martian atmosphere or inside the CheMin instrument. X-ray amorphous sulfur-bearing materials likely contribute to orbital spectral detections of sulfates, and so our results help form multiple hypotheses to be tested in the sulfate unit and are important for understanding the evolution of the Martian surface environment at Gale crater.

R. J. Smith↗
NASA NTRS1980

Thermal energy storage test facility

The thermal behavior of prototype thermal energy storage units (TES) in both heating and cooling modes is determined. Improved and advanced storage systems are developed and performance standards are proposed. The design and construction of a thermal cycling facility for determining the thermal behavior of full scale TES units is described. The facility has the capability for testing with both liquid and air heat transport, at variable heat input/extraction rates, over a temperature range of 0 to 280 F.

Ternes, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Graphical Representation of the Effects of Antenna Locations on Path Loss Data

The use of portable wireless technology has increased dramatically over the past few years. This increased use has caused a heightened concern for electromagnetic interference from wireless-enabled technologies, such as laptop computers and cellular phones to aircraft communication and navigation radios. Researchers at NASA Langley Research Center, United Airlines and Eagles Wings Incorporated, have tested and collected interference path loss data on a United Airlines out-of-service B737 aircraft near Victorville, CA. This paper summarizes the results found from the measured data sets as well as includes graphical representations of the interference path loss data on a B737 plane with different system antennas.

Jafri, Madiha↗
NASA NTRS2012

CRYogenic Orbital TEstbed Ground Test Article Thermal Analysis

The purpose of this study was to anchor thermal and fluid system models to CRYOTE ground test data. The CRYOTE ground test artide was jointly developed by Innovative Engineering Solutions, United Launch Alliance and NASA KSC. The test article was constructed out of a titanium alloy tank, Sapphire 77 composite skin (similar to G10), an external secondary payload adapter ring, thermal vent system, multi layer insulation and various data acquisition instrumentation. In efforts to understand heat loads throughout this system, the GTA (filled with liquid nitrogen for safety purposes) was subjected to a series of tests in a vacuum chamber at Marshall Space Flight Center. By anchoring analytical models against test data, higher fidelity thermal environment predictions can be made for future flight articles which would eventually demonstrate critical cryogenic fluid management technologies such as system chilldown, transfer, pressure control and long term storage. Significant factors that influenced heat loads included radiative environments, multi-layer insulation performance, tank fill levels and pressures and even contact conductance coefficients. This report demonstrates how analytical thermal/fluid networks were established and includes supporting rationale for specific thermal responses.

Piryk, David↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

4BCO2 Model Validation and Comparisons Between Simulation and Ground and ISS Telemetry Data

The 4-bed CO2Scrubber (4BCO2), used to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of the International Space Station(ISS), was built to improve upon its predecessors to meet the air revitalization needs of future missions. During this internship session, a Matlab wrapper of COMSOL models used to simulate the operation of the 4BCO2 unit was improved upon and validated against both ground test data and flight test data from the currently operating 4BCO2 unit. This presentation details the results of the activities and exercises performed during this internship session, such as the discussion on the plots generated from least squares minimization of the simulation linear driving force and sorbent bed dispersion correction factor multiplier. Plots derived from the collection and processing of telemetry data from the 4BCO2 unit aboard the ISS are discussed in relation to the work processing work performed, and comparisons between real-time CO2 removal rates and simulation removal rates are also discussed.

Larissa Lagria↗
NASA NTRS2026

Overview of Past and Future EVA Suit Testing and Training in Chamber B at NASA JSC

The Crew and Thermal System Division’s Chamber B has received an increase in demand for next generation suit testing. Chamber B is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center’s only human-rated thermal vacuum (TVAC) chamber. Historically it was used in Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS) suit tests. Recently, the chamber has been returned to service with new capabilities for suit testing. In 2023, The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) underwent a 5-day, extensive thermal vacuum test that included both a full-bodied Exploration Pressure Garment Suit (xPGS) as well as a high fidelity Short xEMU. SpaceX has also used the chamber for human-in-the-loop (HITL) qualification and acceptance testing on their flight Polaris Dawn suits for the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA). Current chamber Manlock B2 upgrades include the support of two test subjects at the same time with updated chamber interface and support systems for the next generation of suits. This paper will discuss the history of spacesuit testing in the chamber, the recent testing for commercial and NASA suits, and upgrades to accommodate new test requirements.

Polaris Dawn↗
NASA NTRS2026

Overview of Past and Future EVA Suit Testing and Training in Chamber B at NASA JSC

The Crew and Thermal System Division’s Chamber B has received an increase in demand for next generation suit testing. Chamber B is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center’s only human-rated thermal vacuum (TVAC) chamber. Historically it was used in Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS) suit tests. Recently, the chamber has been returned to service with new capabilities for suit testing. In 2023, The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) underwent a 5-day, extensive thermal vacuum test that included both a full-bodied Exploration Pressure Garment Suit (xPGS) as well as a high fidelity Short xEMU. SpaceX has also used the chamber for human-in-the-loop (HITL) qualification and acceptance testing on their flight Polaris Dawn suits for the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA). Current chamber Manlock B2 upgrades include the support of two test subjects at the same time with updated chamber interface and support systems for the next generation of suits. This paper will discuss the history of spacesuit testing in the chamber, the recent testing for commercial and NASA suits, and upgrades to accommodate new test requirements.

Human-in-the-loop↗
DOE OSTI2018

Personnel Certifications for the Design, Installation and Maintenance of Photovoltaic Systems. Final Technical Report

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the most respected, well-established, and widely recognized national certification organization for professionals in the field of renewable energy. NABCEP’s certifications were created to facilitate consumer protection, improve quality assurance, and help employers judge the skills of existing or potential employees. The certifications also allow individuals to differentiate themselves from others in their field and advance their careers while fostering increased recognition of the profession. Since NABCEP’s founding in 2002, all of its certification exams have been administered in paper-and-pencil format twice per year at 30 exam sites around the United States. The biannual test administration and relatively low number of exam sites make it challenging for many qualified renewable energy professionals to take NABCEP’s certification exams. The rigorous nature of the exam, which leads to many candidates failing the exam on their first and sometimes second attempts, combined with the low number of annual test administrations means that anyone who fails will need to wait another six months for the chance to retake the exam. These factors limited the potential growth of NABCEP’s certification programs and the resultant quality assurance within the renewable energy industry. Thanks to a generous grant by the Department of Energy’s Solar Training and Education for Professional (STEP) program, NABCEP recently began updating its Photovoltaic (PV) Installation Professional Exam and developing three new specialty certifications in PV design, PV installation, and PV commissioning & maintenance. One of the primary objectives of this STEP-funded project was to develop the exams using a computer-based testing (CBT) model to increase the number of exam administrations and available exam sites for NABCEP’s certification exams. To successfully complete this project, NABCEP partnered with Castle Worldwide, Inc. With more than 25 years of experience in test development, test administration, analysis of examinations, and has a staff of 70 experienced personnel, NABCEP was confident that Castle’s team was more than qualified to help NABCEP make the transition to CBT examinations. NABCEP and Castle Worldwide jointly developed a project management plan that included key deliverables, scope management, a work breakdown structure, roles and responsibilities, and a project schedule with milestones. The project schedule was carefully monitored to ensure that activities along the critical path were not delayed and, when deemed necessary, the project was crashed to add resources so that activities could occur in parallel. NABCEP and Castle Worldwide staff met weekly to discuss any potential schedule variances and activities which might delay the closing of the project. NABCEP also recruited 46 subject matter experts (SMEs) to work with Castle’s staff on this project. NABCEP staff, SME’s, and Castle staff worked together to develop the Job Task Analyses that form the basis for the certification exams, create new examination forms, conduct passing score studies, and complete a psychometrical analysis of potential exam items. NABCEP’s SMEs utilized Castle’s item development platform during face-to-face meetings, webinars, and remote item authoring to write, review, and approve exam items. Castle also used their software to psychometrically analyze existing exam items to confirm the reliability and validity of the NABCEP’s certification exams. On January 3rd, 2018, NABCEP’s began offering its PV Installation Professional certification exam via CBT. The exam was available at Castle’s nearly 600 exam sites in the United States. A large number of sites will help to ensure better access for solar professionals in rural and remote areas, which drives down the implicit costs of taking the certification exams. Thanks to the STEP grant and the robust partnership between NABCEP and Castle Worldwide, Inc., personnel certifications will be much more accessible and affordable for renewable energy professionals.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Development and application of a standardized flow measurement uncertainty analysis framework to various low-head short-converging intake types across the United States federal hydropower fleet

Turbine discharges at low-head short converging intakes are difficult to measure accurately. The proximity of the measurement section to the intake entrance admits large uncertainties related to asymmetry of the velocity profile, swirl, and turbulence. Existing turbine performance codes [10, 24] do not address this special case and published literature is largely silent on rigorous evaluation of uncertainties associated with this measurement context. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Committee investigated the use of Acoustic transit time (ATT), Acoustic scintillation (AS), and Current meter (CM) in a short converging intake at the Kootenay Canal Generating Station in 2009. Based on their findings, a standardized uncertainty analysis (UA) framework for velocity-area method (specifically for CM measurements) is presented in this paper given the fact that CM is still the most fundamental and common type of measurement system. Typical sources of systematic and random errors associated with CM measurements are investigated, and the major sources of uncertainties associated with turbulence and velocity fluctuations, numerical velocity integration technique (bi-cubic spline), and the number and placement of current meters are being considered for an evaluation. Since the velocity measurements in a short converging intake are associated with complex nonlinear and time varying uncertainties (e.g., Reynolds stress in fluid dynamics), simply applying the law of propagation of uncertainty is known to overestimate the measurement variance while the Monte Carlo method does not. Therefore, a pseudo-Monte Carlo simulation method (random flow generation technique [8]) which was initially developed for the purpose of establishing upstream or initial conditions in the Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) and the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) is used to statistically determine uncertainties associated with turbulence and velocity fluctuations. This technique is then combined with a bi-cubic spline interpolation method which converts point velocities into a continuous velocity distribution over the measurement domain. Subsequently the number and placement of current meters are simulated to investigate the accuracy of the estimated flow rates using the numerical velocity-area integration method outlined in ISO 3354 [12]. The authors herein consider that statistics on generated flow rates processed with bi-cubic interpolation and sensor simulations are the combined uncertainties which already accounted for the effects of all those three uncertainty sources. A preliminary analysis based on the current meter data obtained through an upgrade acceptance test of a single unit located in a mainstem plant has been presented.

Smith, Brennan T↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advanced Manufacturing of the SLS Block 1B Payload Adapter: Engineering Development Unit

The Payload Adapter (PLA) for the Space Launch System Block 1B configuration (SLS B1B) is a structural frustum that interfaces with the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) and the Universal Stage Adapter (USA) or the cargo fairing at the aft end and interfaces with the primary or co-manifested payload at the forward end. The primary structure is composed of a single piece aluminum forward ring, a segmented aluminum aft ring, eight carbon composite sandwich panels, and composite bonded longitudinal joints. The PLA is designed and fabricated in-house at MSFC. Development and flight article builds are joint efforts between the Materials & Processes Laboratory (EM), the Spacecraft & Vehicle Systems Department (EV), the Space Systems Department (ES), and the Test Laboratory (ET). The large-scale manufacturing efforts associated with this task include the fabrication of pathfinder panels; the fabrication and assembly of a full-scale Manufacturing Demonstration Article (MDA); the fabrication, assembly, and test of an Engineering Demonstration Unit (EDU); the fabrication, assembly, and test of a qualification Article; and the fabrication, assembly, and proof test of subsequent flight articles. The PLA team recently completed assembly of the EDU. The final assembly included the instillation of the co-manifested secondary payload, NEST, and the instillation and tensioning of the Payload Separation System (PSS). This poster will detail the assembly process which includes: (1) composite panel to ring assembly, (2) adhesive bonding for the longitudinal joints, and (3) instillation of the NEST and PSS. The PLA EDU is prepared to undergo modal and static load testing.

Monique Wallace↗
NASA NTRS1993

Hollow cathode heater development for the Space Station plasma contactor

A hollow cathode-based plasma contactor has been selected for use on the Space Station. During the operation of the plasma contactor, the hollow cathode heater will endure approximately 12000 thermal cycles. Since a hollow cathode heater failure would result in a plasma contactor failure, a hollow cathode heater development program was established to produce a reliable heater design. The development program includes the heater design, process documents for both heater fabrication and assembly, and heater testing. The heater design was a modification of a sheathed ion thruster cathode heater. Three heaters have been tested to date using direct current power supplies. Performance testing was conducted to determine input current and power requirements for achieving activation and ignition temperatures, single unit operational repeatability, and unit-to-unit operational repeatability. Comparisons of performance testing data at the ignition input current level for the three heaters show the unit-to-unit repeatability of input power and tube temperature near the cathode tip to be within 3.5 W and 44 degrees C, respectively. Cyclic testing was then conducted to evaluate reliability under thermal cycling. The first heater, although damaged during assembly, completed 5985 ignition cycles before failing. Two additional heaters were subsequently fabricated and have completed 3178 cycles to date in an on-going test.

Soulas, George C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A report on laboratory performance of the spectroscopic detector arrays for SPIRE/HSO

We report the performance of the flight bolometer arrays for the Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE) instrument to be on board of the Herschel Space Observatory (HSO). We describe the test setup for the flight Bolometric Detector Assembly (BDA) that allows the characterization of its performance, both dark and optical, in one instrument’s cool down. We summarize the laboratory procedure to measure the basic bolometer parameters, optical response time, optical efficiency of bolometer and feedhorn, dark and optical noise, and the overall thermal conductance of the BDA unit. Finally, we present the test results obtained from the two flight units, Spectroscopic Long Wavelength (SLW) and Spectroscopic Short Wavelength (SSW).

Hargrave, P. C.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Reactor Simulator Integration and Testing

As part of the Nuclear Systems Office Fission Surface Power Technology Demonstration Unit (TDU) project, a reactor simulator (RxSim) test loop was designed and built to perform integrated testing of the TDU components. In particular, the objectives of RxSim testing were to verify the operation of the core simulator, the instrumentation and control system, and the ground support gas and vacuum test equipment. In addition, it was decided to include a thermal test of a cold trap purification design and a pump performance test at pump voltages up to 150 V because the targeted mass flow rate of 1.75 kg/s was not obtained in the RxSim at the originally constrained voltage of 120 V. This Technical Memorandum summarizes RxSim testing. The gas and vacuum ground support test equipment performed effectively in NaK fill, loop pressurization, and NaK drain operations. The instrumentation and control system effectively controlled loop temperature and flow rates or pump voltage to targeted settings. The cold trap design was able to obtain the targeted cold temperature of 480 K. An outlet temperature of 636 K was obtained, which was lower than the predicted 750 K but 156 K higher than the cold temperature, indicating the design provided some heat regeneration. The annular linear induction pump tested was able to produce a maximum flow rate of 1.53 kg/s at 800 K when operated at 150 V and 53 Hz.

Schoenfield, M. P.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Progress and investigation on lattice Boltzmann modeling of multiple immiscible fluids or components with variable density and viscosity ratios

Lattice Boltzmann models for simulating multiphase flows are relatively new, and much work remains to be done to demonstrate their ability to solve fundamental test cases before they are considered for engineering problems. From this perspective, a hydrodynamic lattice Boltzmann model for simulating immiscible multiphase flows with high density and high viscosity ratios, up to O(1000) and O(100) respectively, is presented and validated against analytical solutions. The method is based on a two phase flow model with operators extended to handle N immiscible fluids. The current approach is O(N) in computational complexity for the number of different gradient approximations. This is a major improvement, considering the O(N{sup 2}) complexity found in most works. A sequence of systematic and essential tests have been conducted to establish milestones that need to be met by the proposed approach (as well as by other methods). First, the method is validated qualitatively by demonstrating its ability to address the spinodal decomposition of immiscible fluids. Second, the model is quantitatively verified for the case of multilayered planar interfaces. Third, the multiphase Laplace law is studied for the case of three fluids. Fourth, a quality index is developed for the three-phase Laplace–Young’s law, which concerns the position of the interfaces between the fluids resulting from the different surface tensions. The current model is compatible with the analytical solution, and is shown to be first order accurate in terms of this quality index. Finally, the multilayered Couette’s flow is studied. In this study, numerical results can recover the analytical solutions for all the selected test cases, as long as unit density ratios are considered. For high density and high viscosity ratios, the analytical solution is recovered for all tests, except that of the multilayered Couette’s flow. Numerical results and a discussion are presented for this unsuccessful test case. It is believed that other LB models may have the same problem in addressing the simulation of multiphase flows with variable density ratios.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗