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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 1,531 records · Page 85
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Computation of hypersonic viscous flow around three-dimensional bodies at high angles of attack

A parabolized Navier-Stokes code capable of predicting steady viscous supersonic flows with cross-flow separation is applied to three-dimensional arbitrary geometries at high angles of attack. The numerical procedure, which is implicit, noniterative, and of second-order accuracy in the marching direction, has been used to compute complicated flow fields containing a relatively thick sonic layer and regions of strong viscous-inviscid interaction. A consistent and accurate procedure has also been developed to provide the necessary starting data through timewise integration of the equations of motion near the nose-tip region of the body. Numerical results obtained from the present method compare well with experiment for both the surface pressures and heat transfer.

Rizk, Y. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes/Euler code for blunt-body flow computations

The formulation computation method of an improved version of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes/Euler computation algorithm of Li (1981) for the numerical simulation of blunt-body reentry flows are discussed, and results for five sample problems are presented graphically. The vector notation of the coordinate systems is defined; the governing equations are presented in full; the Jacobian matrices and damping terms of the factorization technique (based on the alternating-direction implicit procedure of Beam and Warming, 1978) are explained; and the capabilities, limitations and proper use of the code are summarized. Examples presented include the equilibrium-flow problem for Shuttle-orbiter reentry at Mach 22 and angle of attack 40.8 deg and the perfect-gas problem of an aerobraking orbital-transfer vehicle with an ellipsoidal/60-deg cone and a toroidal sonic shoulder. The advantages of the improved code in terms of accuracy and computation time are indicated.

Li, C. P.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cloud droplet diffusional growth in homogeneous isotropic turbulence: bin microphysics versus Lagrangian super-droplet simulations

The increase in the spectral width of an initially monodisperse population of cloud droplets in homogeneous isotropic turbulence is investigated by applying a finite-difference fluid flow model combined with either Eulerian bin microphysics or a Lagrangian particle-based scheme. The turbulence is forced applying a variant of the so-called linear forcing method that maintains the mean turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and the TKE partitioning between velocity components. The latter is important for maintaining the quasi-steady forcing of the supersaturation fluctuations that drive the increase in the spectral width. We apply a large computational domain (64 3 m 3 ), one of the domains considered in Thomas et al. (2020). The simulations apply 1 m grid length and are in the spirit of the implicit large eddy simulation (ILES), that is, with small-scale dissipation provided by the model numerics. This is in contrast to the scaled-up direct numerical simulation (DNS) applied in Thomas et al. (2020). Two TKE intensities and three different droplet concentrations are considered. Analytic solutions derived in Sardina et al. (2015), valid for the case when the turbulence integral timescale is much larger than the droplet phase relaxation timescale, are used to guide the comparison between the two microphysics simulation techniques. The Lagrangian approach reproduces the scalings relatively well. Representing the spectral width increase in time is more challenging for the bin microphysics because appropriately high resolution in the bin space is needed. The bin width of 0.5 µm is only sufficient for the lowest droplet concentration (26 cm -3 ). For the highest droplet concentration (650 cm -3 ), an order of magnitude smaller bin size is barely sufficient. The scalings are not expected to be valid for the lowest droplet concentration and the high-TKE case, and the two microphysics schemes represent similar departures. Finally, because the fluid flow is the same for all simulations featuring either low or high TKE, one can compare point-by-point simulation results. Such a comparison shows very close temperature and water vapor point-by-point values across the computational domain and larger differences between simulated mean droplet radii and spectral width. The latter are explained by fundamental differences in the two simulation methodologies, numerical diffusion in the Eulerian bin approach and a relatively small number of Lagrangian particles that are used in the particle-based microphysics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1995

Diabatic forcing and intialization with assimilation of cloud water and rainwater in a forecast model

In this study, diabatic forcing, and liquid water assimilation techniques are tested in a semi-implicit hydrostatic regional forecast model containing explicit representations of grid-scale cloud water and rainwater. Diabatic forcing, in conjunction with diabatic contributions in the initialization, is found to help the forecast retain the diabatic signal found in the liquid water or heating rate data, consequently reducing the spinup time associated with grid-scale precipitation processes. Both observational Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and model-generated data are used. A physical retrieval method incorporating SSM/I radiance data is utilized to estimate the 3D distribution of precipitating storms. In the retrieval method the relationship between precipitation distributions and upwelling microwave radiances is parameterized, based upon cloud ensemble-radiative model simulations. Regression formulae relating vertically integrated liquid and ice-phase precipitation amounts to latent heating rates are also derived from the cloud ensemble simulations. Thus, retrieved SSM/I precipitation structures can be used in conjunction with the regression-formulas to infer the 3D distribution of latent heating rates. These heating rates are used directly in the forecast model to help initiate Tropical Storm Emily (21 September 1987). The 14-h forecast of Emily's development yields atmospheric precipitation water contents that compare favorably with coincident SSM/I estimates.

Raymond, William H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Extending an Economical Third-Order Inviscid Nodal-Gradient Cell-Centered Finite-Volume Method to Mixed-Element Grids

In this paper, we extend an economical third-order nodal-gradient cell-centered finite-volume method, originally developed for tetrahedral grids, to mixed-element grids. It is shown that the efficient quadratic interpolation formula essential to eliminating second derivatives from a third-order accurate discretization can be easily extended to an arbitrary cell type. For the surface flux integration, we consider a split-face approach, where a quadrilateral face is split into two triangles, and the third-order method for tetrahedra is directly applied. Also, we derive a second-derivative-free, high-order, volume quadrature formula for an arbitrary cell. Numerical results are presented for accuracy verification and applications with three-dimensional nontetrahedral grids.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗
NASA NTRS1996

Multiresolution and Explicit Methods for Vector Field Analysis and Visualization

We first report on our current progress in the area of explicit methods for tangent curve computation. The basic idea of this method is to decompose the domain into a collection of triangles (or tetrahedra) and assume linear variation of the vector field over each cell. With this assumption, the equations which define a tangent curve become a system of linear, constant coefficient ODE's which can be solved explicitly. There are five different representation of the solution depending on the eigenvalues of the Jacobian. The analysis of these five cases is somewhat similar to the phase plane analysis often associate with critical point classification within the context of topological methods, but it is not exactly the same. There are some critical differences. Moving from one cell to the next as a tangent curve is tracked, requires the computation of the exit point which is an intersection of the solution of the constant coefficient ODE and the edge of a triangle. There are two possible approaches to this root computation problem. We can express the tangent curve into parametric form and substitute into an implicit form for the edge or we can express the edge in parametric form and substitute in an implicit form of the tangent curve. Normally the solution of a system of ODE's is given in parametric form and so the first approach is the most accessible and straightforward. The second approach requires the 'implicitization' of these parametric curves. The implicitization of parametric curves can often be rather difficult, but in this case we have been successful and have been able to develop algorithms and subsequent computer programs for both approaches. We will give these details along with some comparisons in a forthcoming research paper on this topic.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

Hyperbolic Prismatic Grid Generation and Solution of Euler Equations on Prismatic Grids

A hyperbolic grid generation method is used to generate prismatic grids and an approach using prismatic grids to solve the Euler equations is presented. The theory of the stability and feasibility of the hyperbolic grid generation method is presented. The hyperbolic grid generation method of Steger et al for structured grids is applied to a three dimensional triangularized surface definition to generate a grid that is unstructured on each successive layer. The grid, however, retains structure in the body-normal direction and has a computational cell shaped like a triangular prism. In order to take advantage of the structure in the normal direction, a finite-volume scheme that treats the unknowns along the normal direction implicitly is introduced and the flow over a sphere is simulated.

Pandya, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Thermal Response and Ablation Programs for TPS Sizing Computation

The computer programs developed at NASA Ames Research Center for TPS sizing computation have been applied to many NASA's space missions, such as Mars Pathfinder, StarDust, Mars 2001, DS-II, and Saturn Entry Probe. These computer programs include FIAT (Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal Response Program, MAT (Multi-component Ablation Thermochemistry Program), TPSX (Thermal Protection Systems Expert & Material Properties Database), and TPSGui (Thermal Protection Systems Graphical User Interface). For most planetary missions, the aerothermodynamics and material response are strongly coupled; thus a closed loop iteration technique between the FIAT and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) codes has been developed to obtain the high fidelity bench mark TPS sizing solution. The computer codes and predictive methods are presented and discussed in detail.

Chen, Y. K.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Human Reliability Analysis: An Overview

Human/process error is potentially a large contributor to failures of aerospace systems. For some systems, such as the space shuttle main engine, large amounts of data are available, and accurate failure rates can be determined empirically. For such systems, the human error is implicit in the empirical failure rate and does not need to be quantified separately. However, for other systems, such as the solid rocket boosters, large amounts of data are not available and the failure rates must be determined by more theoretical means. When empirical data is lacking, structural models and engineering judgment must be employed. In this case, the human/process error must be modeled explicitly. An extensive literature review was performed to determine what methods already exist for modeling human error for aerospace systems. No methods that apply directly were found, although there are a number of methods that have been developed specifically for the nuclear power industry that could probably be modified for space applications. The results of the literature review are presented, as well as recommendations for future research.

Navard, Sharon E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Numerical solutions of reactive fluid flows during postignition transients in hybrid rocket systems.

A computational method has been developed for the study of the post-ignition transients in hybrid rocket systems. The particular system chosen consisted of a gaseous oxidizer flowing within a tube of solid fuel, resulting in heterogeneous combustion. With the appropriate assumptions, two-dimensional, time-dependent conservation equations were derived for the reacting gas phase, and for the solid phase, in a cylindrical coordinate system. These were then programmed for numerical computation, using two implicit finite-difference schemes, the Lax-Wendroff scheme for the gas phase, and the Crank-Nicolson scheme for the solid phase. Appropriate initial and boundary conditions were represented, including heat and mass conservation at the interface between gas and solid. Initially, no attempt was made to relate the recession rate at the surface to the surface temperature, or to include heat transfer by radiation. A simple case was selected for preliminary calculations, with aluminum and oxygen as fuel and oxidizer, and aluminum oxide as the product.

Hung, W. S. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Navier-Stokes solutions for an oscillating double-delta wing

An upwind-biased implicit scheme is used to investigate steady-state and unsteady Navier-Stokes solutions of the vortical flow over a double-delta wing configuration. The governing equations are solved numerically with a fully upwind, implicit, iterative, and factorized numerical scheme. Steady-state solutions for fixed angles of attack and unsteady solutions for a sinusoidal oscillatory motion are obtained. The steady-state solutions on the baseline grid are in agreement with the experiment, and grid refinements show some improvements of the predictions. The higher-order accuracy of the present scheme yields equivalent solutions on smaller grid densities compared to solutions obtained with a second-order accurate method on larger grids. As the angle of attack increases, the grid resolution requirements for adequate resolution of the leeward-side vortical flowfield become very severe. The unsteady solutions are in general agreement with the measurements and show a qualitative correlation with the experiment.

Ekaterinaris, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Far-Field Turbulent Vortex-Wake/Exhaust Plume Interaction for Subsonic and HSCT Airplanes

Computational study of the far-field turbulent vortex-wake/exhaust plume interaction for subsonic and high speed civil transport (HSCT) airplanes is carried out. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are solved using the implicit, upwind, Roe-flux-differencing, finite-volume scheme. The two-equation shear stress transport model of Menter is implemented with the NS solver for turbulent-flow calculation. For the far-field study, the computations of vortex-wake interaction with the exhaust plume of a single engine of a Boeing 727 wing in a holding condition and two engines of an HSCT in a cruise condition are carried out using overlapping zonal method for several miles downstream. These results are obtained using the computer code FTNS3D. The results of the subsonic flow of this code are compared with those of a parabolized NS solver known as the UNIWAKE code.

Kandil, Osama A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Design of a Modular Monolithic Implicit Solver for Multi-Physics Applications

The design of a modular multi-physics high-order space-time finite-element framework is presented together with its extension to allow monolithic coupling of different physics. One of the main objectives of the framework is to perform efficient high- fidelity simulations of capsule/parachute systems. This problem requires simulating multiple physics including, but not limited to, the compressible Navier-Stokes equations, the dynamics of a moving body with mesh deformations and adaptation, the linear shell equations, non-re effective boundary conditions and wall modeling. The solver is based on high-order space-time - finite element methods. Continuous, discontinuous and C1-discontinuous Galerkin methods are implemented, allowing one to discretize various physical models. Tangent and adjoint sensitivity analysis are also targeted in order to conduct gradient-based optimization, error estimation, mesh adaptation, and flow control, adding another layer of complexity to the framework. The decisions made to tackle these challenges are presented. The discussion focuses first on the "single-physics" solver and later on its extension to the monolithic coupling of different physics. The implementation of different physics modules, relevant to the capsule/parachute system, are also presented. Finally, examples of coupled computations are presented, paving the way to the simulation of the full capsule/parachute system.

Carton De Wiart, Corentin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simultaneous material, shape and topology optimization

Using three design fields we develop an optimization environment that can simultaneously optimize material, shape and topology. We use the implicit representation of the boundaries with level-set functions that define the shape and topology. Differentiable R-functions allow us to combine these shapes and topology descriptions with Boolean operations. Additionally, we incorporate design dependent-stiffness materials with another design field. Notably, this framework accommodates design dependent loads, has the ability to introduce holes, and ensures the satisfaction of optimality criteria. It builds upon the fictitious domain, ersatz material, material interpolation and level-set methods. Additionally, it also borrows from parameterized density-based topology optimization methods. Since analytical sensitivities can be computed, we use efficient nonlinear programming algorithms to update the design instead of the Hamilton–Jacobi’s scheme of level-set methods. We illustrate the features of our framework by designing a cantilever beam with octet truss microlattice, a dam with design-dependent loads, and a composite clevis plate.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Time-explicit Darwin PIC algorithm

A new approach to Darwin particle-in-cell plasma simulation is described. Using a finite-element approach, the vector potential is assured to be exactly solenoidal. This allows writing the system of multi-species particles as an action-at-a-distance Hamiltonian system. Applying recently-developed explicit symplectic methods to this gives a time-explicit algorithm with all desired properties. Elliptic systems for the electrostatic and magneto-static portions of the problem are inverted efficiently by an algebraic multi-grid algorithm. The algorithm is implemented in a two-dimensional Cartesian-geometry code and tested by application to Weibel instability and to Alfvén wave dynamics. Results show the effectiveness of this approach. Extensions to arbitrary meshes and to a partially time-implicit scheme are briefly discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Generative adversarial networks (GAN) based efficient sampling of chemical composition space for inverse design of inorganic materials

A major challenge in materials design is how to efficiently search the vast chemical design space to find the materials with desired properties. One effective strategy is to develop sampling algorithms that can exploit both explicit chemical knowledge and implicit composition rules embodied in the large materials database. Here, we propose a generative machine learning model (MatGAN) based on a generative adversarial network (GAN) for efficient generation of new hypothetical inorganic materials. Trained with materials from the ICSD database, our GAN model can generate hypothetical materials not existing in the training dataset, reaching a novelty of 92.53% when generating 2 million samples. The percentage of chemically valid (charge-neutral and electronegativity-balanced) samples out of all generated ones reaches 84.5% when generated by our GAN trained with such samples screened from ICSD, even though no such chemical rules are explicitly enforced in our GAN model, indicating its capability to learn implicit chemical composition rules to form compounds. Our algorithm is expected to be used to greatly expand the range of the design space for inverse design and large-scale computational screening of inorganic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Decoupled Fréchet kernels based on a fractional viscoacoustic wave equation

We formulate the Fréchet kernel computation using the adjoint-state method based on a fractional viscoacoustic wave equation. We first numerically prove that both the 1/2- and the 3/2-order fractional Laplacian operators are self-adjoint. Using this property, we show that the adjoint wave propagator preserves the dispersion and compensates the amplitude, while the time-reversed adjoint wave propagator behaves identically as the forward propagator with the same dispersion and dissipation characters. Without introducing rheological mechanisms, this formulation adopts an explicit Q parameterization, which avoids the implicit Q in the conventional viscoacoustic/viscoelastic full waveform inversion (Q-FWI). In addition, because of the decoupling of operators in the wave equation, the viscoacoustic Fréchet kernel is separated into three distinct contributions with clear physical meanings: lossless propagation, dispersion, and dissipation. Here, we find that the lossless propagation kernel dominates the velocity kernel, while the dissipation kernel dominates the attenuation kernel over the dispersion kernel.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1977

An implicit shock-fitting scheme for unsteady transonic flow computations

The alternating-direction implicit scheme developed by NASA Ames for unsteady transonic flows has been modified to include a shock-fitting algorithm as well as an analytically stretched coordinate system. The shock-fitting procedure treats shock waves as discontinuities normal to the free stream. Improvements in shock position and the unsteady pressure distributions are obtained by this modification. The various types of shock motion observed experimentally by Tijdeman are well simulated in calculations using the modified computational scheme. The method of detecting shock wave formation and the procedure for fitting a moving shock wave are illustrated. Results for a pulsating parabolic arc airfoil and for an NACA 64A006 airfoil with oscillating quarter-chord flap are presented and discussed.

Yu, N. J.↗