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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Cosmic-ray heating of cooling flows - A critical analysis

It is shown that a combination of MHD wave-mediated cosmic ray heating and thermal conduction could balance cooling in intracluster media and substantially reduce the rate of inflow. The appropriate system of steady state equations is solved, including a new self-consistent formulation for the cosmic-ray diffusivity. Models which can produce substantial positive temperature gradients in static configurations are found when conduction is reduced by a factor of 10 or more. These models have too-flat thermal pressure profiles compared with observations. It is found that cosmic-ray heating is unlikely either to stabilize positive density perturbations against condensation or to contribute appreciably to the powering of the optical filaments.

Loewenstein, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1973

Computer programs for predicting supersonic and hypersonic interference flow fields and heating

This report describes computer codes which calculate two-dimensional shock interference patterns. These codes compute the six types of interference flows as defined by Edney (Aeronaut. Res. Inst. of Sweden FAA Rep. 115). Results include properties of the inviscid flow field and the inviscid-viscous interaction at the surface along with peak pressure and peak heating at the impingement point.

Morris, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Approximate convective heating equations for hypersonic flows

Laminar and turbulent heating-rate equations appropriate for engineering predictions of the convective heating rates about blunt reentry spacecraft at hypersonic conditions are developed. The approximate methods are applicable to both nonreacting and reacting gas mixtures for either constant or variable-entropy edge conditions. A procedure which accounts for variable-entropy effects and is not based on mass balancing is presented. Results of the approximate heating methods are in good agreement with existing experimental results as well as boundary-layer and viscous-shock-layer solutions.

Zoby, E. V.↗
NASA NTRS1953

Analogy Between Mass and Heat Transfer with Turbulent Flow

An analysis of combined heat and mass transfer from a flat plate has been made in terms of Prandtl t s simplified physical concept of the turbulent boundary layer. The results of the analysis show that for conditions of reasonably small heat and mass transfer, the ratio of the mass-and heat-transfer coefficients is dependent on the Reynolds number of the boundary layer, the Prandtl number of the medium of diffusion, and the Schmidt number of the diffusing fluid in the medium of diffusion. For the particular case of water evaporating into air, the ratio of mass-transfer coefficient to heat-transfer coefficient is found to be slightly greater than unity.

Callaghan, Edmund E.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Ground-Based Studies of Thermocapillary Flows in Levitated Laser-Heated Drops

The fluid flow phenomena are studied together with the thermal effects on drops levitated in acoustic and/or electrostatic fields. While the study is concerned primarily with particles in strong acoustic fields to overcome gravity, some results for microgravity have also been obtained. The study also includes an analysis and an experimental investigation of the thermocapillary flow in a spot-heated drop. Results of a Glovebox experiment on the MSL-1 mission, one of whose objectives was to evaluate the acoustic stability criteria in microgravity, are also discussed.

Sadhai, S. S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Verification and Validation of Spectral Element Code for Supercritical CO2 Flow in Vertical Heated Tubes

The investigation of heat transfer in supercritical CO2 (sCO2) has garnered considerable attention in recent decades, given sCO2's potential as a promising working fluid for advanced power conversion cycles. Despite previous research efforts, there are still gaps in our understanding of sCO2 heat transfer, particularly in conditions associated with heat transfer deterioration. To delve into sCO2 heat transfer more comprehensively, we propose employing the high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics code NekRS to simulate sCO2 flow using the large eddy simulation technique. Through graphics processing unit acceleration, NekRS achieves a higher computational speed than traditional CPU-based systems. However, before using NekRS in practical applications involving sCO2, it is imperative to perform verification and validation. Here, this paper presents our efforts to verify and validate the NekRS code's capability for simulating sCO2 using heated vertical tubes, where heat transfer deterioration usually happens. To accommodate the unique properties of sCO2, we have modified the NekRS code by integrating third-party property modules, such as REFPROP and PROPATH. Our simulations are compared with experimental and numerical data from the literature, instilling confidence in leveraging NekRS for future engineering applications. Our simulations also reveal that the accuracy of the property module significantly impacts the results, with REFPROP outperforming PROPATH for sCO2 properties. Additionally, we observed that, depending on the flow direction, buoyancy can either enhance or suppress turbulence in sCO2 flow. In upward flow, under certain conditions, the suppressed turbulence leads to heat transfer deterioration, resulting in elevated wall temperatures.

NekRS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Heat transfer in oscillating flows with sudden change in cross section

Oscillating fluid flow (zero mean) with heat transfer, between two parallel plates with a sudden change in cross section, was examined computationally. The flow was assumed to be laminar and incompressible with inflow velocity uniform over the channel cross section but varying sinusoidally with time. Over 30 different cases were examined; these cases cover wide ranges of Re sub max (187.5 to 30000), Va (1 to 350), expansion ratio (1:2, 1:4, 1:8, and 1:12) and A sub r (0.68 to 4). Three different geometric cases were considered (asymmetric expansion and/or contraction, symmetric expansion/contraction, and symmetric blunt body). The heat transfer cases were based on constant wall temperature at higher (heating) or lower (cooling) value than the inflow fluid temperature. As a result of the oscillating flow, the fluid undergoes sudden expansion in one half of the cycle and sudden contraction in the other half. One heating case is examined in detail, and conclusions are drawn from all the cases (documented in detail elsewhere). Instantaneous friction factors and heat transfer coefficients, for some ranges of Re sub max and Va, deviated substantially from those predicted with steady state correlations.

Ibrahim, Mounir↗
NASA NTRS1977

Shuttle elevon cove aerodynamic heating by internal flow

The thermal response of the cove seal area of the Shuttle elevon wing junction is investigated in an arc heated supersonic duct. The temperature response of the seal area is measured for various seal gap widths, ambient pressures, and enthalpies to determine the dependence of internal heating on these parameters. A correlation of the results shows that the internal heating to the seal is proportional to the product of the external pressure, the gap width and the square root of the total enthalphy. Temperatures at the end of a simulated Shuttle entry compare well with predictions based on this correlation for the narrower gap widths where there is only a small pressure drop at the cove inlet. Similar predictions are made for Shuttle flight as a function of seal gap widths to determine the maximum gap width allowable, yet not exceed design temperatures on the structure.

Scott, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Heat transfer in oscillating flows with sudden change in cross section

Oscillating fluid flow (zero mean) with heat transfer, between two parallel plates with a sudden change in cross section, was examined computationally. Over 30 different cases were examined; these cases cover wide ranges of Re sub max (187.5 to 30,000), Va (1 to 350), expansion ratio (1:2, 1:4, 1:8, and 1:12) and A sub r (0.68 to 4). Three different geometric cases were considered (asymmetric expansion and/or contraction, symmetric expansion/contraction, and symmetric blunt body). The heat transfer cases were based on constant wall temperature at higher (heating) or lower (cooling) value than the inflow fluid temperature. As a result of the oscillating flow, the fluid undergoes sudden expansion in one half of the cycle and sudden contraction in the other half. Instantaneous friction factors and heat transfer coefficients, for some ranges of Re sub max and Va, deviated substantially from those predicted with steady state correlations.

Ibrahim, Mounir↗
NASA NTRS1984

Gas flow environmental and heat transfer nonrotating 3D program

The experimental contract objective is to provide a complete set of benchmark quality data for the flow within a large rectangular turning duct. The data are to be used to evaluate and verify three-dimensional internal viscous flow models and computational codes. The analytical contract objective is to select such a computational code and define the capabilities of this code to predict the experimental results. Details of the proper code operation will be defined and improvements to the code modeling capabilities will be formulated.

Crawford, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Direct Numerical Simulation of Transitional and Turbulent Flow Over a Heated Flat Plate Using Finite-Difference Schemes

The work in this report was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center during the period from August 1993 to January 1995 deals with the direct numerical simulation of transitional and turbulent flow at low Mach numbers using high-order-accurate finite-difference techniques. A computation of transition to turbulence of the spatially-evolving boundary layer on a heated flat plate in the presence of relatively high freestream turbulence was performed. The geometry and flow conditions were chosen to match earlier experiments. The development of the momentum and thermal boundary layers was documented. Velocity and temperature profiles, as well as distributions of skin friction, surface heat transfer rate, Reynolds shear stress, and turbulent heat flux were shown to compare well with experiment. The numerical method used here can be applied to complex geometries in a straightforward manner.

Madavan, Nateri K.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Machine learning based prediction of airflow maldistribution in air-to-refrigerant heat exchangers

Flow maldistribution is a common challenge in heat exchanger (HX) design and particularly important for air-to-refrigerant geometries where capacity losses can approach 65%. This has a major impact on central air conditioning systems, as compact duct design motivates the use of A-type HXs which are known to be affected by airflow maldistribution. Because velocity profiles are difficult to predict, components are often oversized leading to increased material cost, system footprint, and refrigerant charge. Several studies detail airflow maldistribution for individual HXs and packages, but findings cannot always be extrapolated to new designs. In this work, a machine learning (ML) based flow profile prediction framework is developed and applied to two common package configurations: (i) A-type and (ii) U-type HXs, across a broad range of HX geometries and flow rates. Porous media CFD simulations are validated against independent data for both package types as well as comprehensive in house measurements for a finless geometry with shape optimized non-round tubes, which validates the framework for new heat transfer surfaces. The ML models are trained on the porous media CFD simulations, predicting volumetric flow rate (VFR) within 1.1% and 1.9% with maximum relative L 2 norm errors of 0.48 and 0.65, respectively, while also delivering 10 5 speed up factor compared to full porous media CFD. HX level simulations show an up to 9% reduction in heat transfer from flow maldistribution, with greater losses occurring at smaller half apex angles. This framework enables rapid and highly accurate prediction of airflow maldistribution induced capacity degradation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1982

Preliminary design of flight hardware for two-phase fluid research

This study defined the preliminary designs of flight software for the Space Shuttle Orbiter for three two-phase fluid research experiments: (1) liquid reorientation - to study the motion of liquid in tanks subjected to small accelerations; (2) pool boiling - to study low-gravity boiling from horizontal cylinders; and (3) flow boiling - to study low-gravity forced flow boiling heat transfer and flow phenomena in a heated horizontal tube. The study consisted of eight major tasks: reassessment of the existing experiment designs, assessment of the Spacelab facility approach, assessment of the individual carry-on approach, selection of the preferred approach, preliminary design of flight hardware, safety analysis, preparation of a development plan, estimates of detailed design, fabrication and ground testing costs. The most cost effective design approach for the experiments is individual carry-ons in the Orbiter middeck. The experiments were designed to fit into one or two middeck lockers. Development schedules for the detailed design, fabrication and ground testing ranged from 15 1/2 to 18 months. Minimum costs (in 1981 dollars) ranged from $463K for the liquid reorientation experiment to $998K for the pool boiling experiment.

Hustvedt, D. C.↗