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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

A comparative study of advanced shock-capturing schemes applied to Burgers' equation

A systematic evaluation is conducted of all extant numerical schemes for nonlinear scalar transport problems, and several advanced shock-capturing schemes are used to solve the nonlinear Burgers' equation in order to characterize their ability to resolve the sharp discontinuity, expansion zone, and propagation and collision features of shocks. For discontinuous functions, the Warming-Beam scheme generates preshock wiggles, while the Lax-Wendroff scheme generates postshock ones. Such limiters as the MUSCL or the superbee are more compressive than minimod or monotonic limiters. The performance of such TVD schemes as the upwind, the symmetric, and the Roe-Sweby, resemble each other.

Yang, H. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The application of the principles of invariance to the radiative transfer equation in plant canopies

Solutions of the radiative transfer equation describing photon interactions with vegetation canopies are important in remote sensing since they provide the canopy reflectance distribution required in the interpretation of satellite acquired information. The general one-dimensional two-angle transport problem for a finite copy of arbitrary leaf angle distribution is considered. Analytical solutions are obtained in terms of generalized Chandrasekhar's X- and Y-functions by invoking the principles of invariance. A critical step in the formulation involves the decomposition of the integral of the scattering phase function into a product of known functions of the incident and scattered photon directions. Several simplified cases previously considered in the literature are derived from the generalized solution. Various symmetries obeyed by the scattering operator and reciprocity relations are formally proved.

Ganapol, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of isotope selection on solution convergence in HZE transport

A fragmenting iron ion produces hundreds of isotopes during nuclear reactions. These isotopes are represented in the solution of the transport problem. A reduced set of isotopes is selected to minimize the computational burden but introduces error in the final result. A minimum list of 122 isotopes is required for adequate representation of the mass and charge distributions of the secondary radiation fields. A reduced set of 80 isotopes is sufficient to represent the charge distribution alone and represents reasonably well the linear energy transfer properties of the iron beam. Because iron fragmentation produces nearly every isotope lighter than iron, the resulting 122-isotope list should be adequate for ion beams with charges equal to or less than 26.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗
NASA NTRS1994

New description of charged particle propagation in random magnetic fields

When charged particles spiral along a large constant magnetic field, their trajectories are scattered by random components that are superposed on the guiding field. In the simplest analysis of this situation, scattering causes the particles to diffuse parallel to the guiding field. At the next level of approximation, moving pulses that correspond to a coherent mode of propagation are present, but they are represented by delta-functions whose infinitely narrow width makes no sense physically and is inconsistent with the finite duration of coherent pulses observed in solar energetic particle events. To derive a more realistic description, the transport problem is formulated in terms of 4 x 4 matrices, which derive from a representation of the particle distribution function in terms of eigenfunctions of the scattering operator, and which lead to useful approximations that give explicit predictions of the detailed evolution not only of the coherent pulses, but also of the diffusive wake. More specifically, the new description embodies a simple convolution of a narrow Gaussian with the solutions above that involve delta-functions, but with a slightly reduced coherent velocity. The validity of these approximations, which can easily be calculated on a desktop computer, has been exhaustively confirmed by comparison with results of Monte Carlo simulations which kept track of 50 million particles and which were carried out on the Maspar computer at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Earl, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Parallel Multilevel Spectral Element Scheme

A parallel multilevel strategy is developed using spectral (p) finite elements. Hierarchic bases are particularly well suited since the element matrices and vectors are nested and the multilevel projections easiliy performed. Since the basis degree is used to specify the multigrid level, an EBE strategy is natural br the multilevel technique. Results are presented for two candidate nonlinear elliptic transport problems: the augmented drift-diffusion equations of semiconductor device modeling and the stream function-vorticity equations of incompressible fluid dynamics.

Davis, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The History of the XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft: From Concept to Flight

This monograph is a testament to the efforts of many people overcoming multiple technical challenges encountered while developing the XV-15 tilt rotor research aircraft. The Ames involvement with the tilt rotor aircraft began in 1957 with investigations of the performance and dynamic behavior of the Bell XV-3 tilt rotor aircraft. At that time, Ames Research Center was known as the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). As we approach the new millennium, and after more than 40 years of effort and the successful completion of our initial goals, it is appropriate to reflect on the technical accomplishments and consider the future applications of this unique aircraft class, the tilt rotor. The talented engineers, technicians, managers, and leaders at Ames have worked hard with their counterparts in the U.S. rotorcraft industry to overcome technology barriers and to make the military and civil tilt rotor aircraft safer, environmentally acceptable, and more efficient. The tilt rotor aircraft combines the advantages of vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, inherent to the helicopter, with the forward speed and range of a fixed wing turboprop airplane. Our studies have shown that this new vehicle type can provide the aviation transportation industry with the flexibility for highspeed, long-range flight, coupled with runway-independent operations, thus having a significant potential to relieve airport congestion. We see the tilt rotor aircraft as an element of the solution to this growing air transport problem.

Maisel, Martin D.↗
NASA NTRS2002

A Robust Magnetic Resonance Imager For Ground and Flight Based Measurements of Fluid Physics Phenomena

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful and versatile, noninvasive method for studying fluid transport problems, However, its applications to these types of investigations have been limited. A primary factor that limits the application of NMR has been the lack of a user-friendly, versatile, and inexpensive NMR imaging apparatus that can be used by scientists who are not familiar with sophisticated NMR. To rectify this situation, we developed a user-friendly, NMR imager for projects of relevance to the MRD science community. To that end, we performed preliminary collaborative experiments between NASA, NCMR, and New Mexico Resonance in the high field NMR set up at New Mexico Resonance to track wetting front dynamics in foams under gravity. The experiments were done in a 30 cm, 1.9T Oxford magnet with a TECMAG Libra spectrometer (Tecmag, Inc., Houston, TX). We used two different imaging strategies depending on whether the water in the foam sample was static or moving. Stationary water distributions were imaged with the standard Fourier imaging method, as used in medical MRI, in which data are acquired from all parts of the region of interest at all times and Fourier transformed into a static spatial image.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Space Transportation and the Computer Industry: Learning from the Past

Since the space shuttle began flying in 1981, NASA has made a number of attempts to advance the state of the art in space transportation. In spite of billions of dollars invested, and several concerted attempts, no replacement for the shuttle is expected before 2010. Furthermore, the cost of access to space has dropped very slowly over the last two decades. On the other hand, the same two decades have seen dramatic progress in the computer industry. Computational speeds have increased by about a factor of 1000 and available memory, disk space, and network bandwidth has seen similar increases. At the same time, the cost of computing has dropped by about a factor of 10000. Is the space transportation problem simply harder? Or is there something to be learned from the computer industry? In looking for the answers, this paper reviews the early history of NASA's experience with supercomputers and NASA's visionary course change in supercomputer procurement strategy.

Merriam, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Transport of Mass, Energy, and Entropy in Cryogenic Support Struts for Engineering Design

Engineers working to understand and reduce cryogenic boil-off must solve a. variety of transport problems. An important class of nonlinear problems involves the thermal and mechanical design of cryogenic struts. These classic problems are scattered about the literature and typically require too many resources to obtain. So, to save time for practicing engineers, the author presents this essay. Herein, a variety of new, old, and revisited analytical and finite difference solutions of the thermal problem are covered in this essay, along with commentary on approach and assumptions, This includes a few thermal radiation and conduction combined mode solution with a discussion on insulation, optimum emissivity, and geometrical phenomenon. Solutions to cooling and heat interception problems are also presented, including a discussion of the entropy generation. And the literature on the combined mechanical and thermal design of cryogenic support struts is reviewed with an introduction to the associated numerical methods.

Elchert, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Transport of Mass, Energy, and Entropy in Cryogenic Support Struts for Engineering Design

Engineers working to understand and reduce cryogenic boil-off must solve a variety of transport problems. An important class of nonlinear problems involves the thermal and mechanical design of cryogenic struts. These classic problems are scattered about the literature and typically require too many resources to obtain. So, to save time for practicing engineers, the author presents this essay. Herein, a variety of new, old, and revisited analytical and finite difference solutions of the thermal problem are covered in this essay, along with commentary on approach and assumptions. This includes a few thermal radiation and conduction combined mode solutions with a discussion on insulation, optimum emissivity, and geometrical phenomenon. Solutions to cooling and heat interception problems are also presented, including a discussion of the entropy generation. The literature on the combined mechanical and thermal design of cryogenic support struts is reviewed with an introduction to the associated numerical methods.

Elchert, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Exploration of Impinging Water Spray Heat Transfer at System Pressures Near the Triple Point

The heat transfer of a water spray impinging upon a surface in a very low pressure environment is of interest to cooling of space vehicles during launch and re-entry, and to industrial processes where flash evaporation occurs. At very low pressure, the process occurs near the triple point of water, and there exists a transient multiphase transport problem of ice, water and water vapor. At the impingement location, there are three heat transfer mechanisms: evaporation, freezing and sublimation. A preliminary heat transfer model was developed to explore the interaction of these mechanisms at the surface and within the spray.

Heat Transfer↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From the Knowledge-based Digital Platform (KbDP) Concept for Advanced Air Mobility Research to a Preliminary Prototype

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) encompasses a range of innovative operational and technological changes to aviation (electric aircraft, increasingly automated aircraft, increasingly automated airspace operations, etc.) that are transforming aviation’s role in everyday movement of people and goods. There are multiple associated concepts and use cases for AAM, all interrelated, including small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM), Upper-Class E Traffic Management (ETM), Extensible Traffic Management (xTM), Regional Air Mobility (RAM), and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). These AAM operations must integrate with traditional Air Traffic Management (ATM) operations, as well as non-aviation modes of transportation and logistics. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is spearheading an innovative digital engineering approach to integrate, communicate, and facilitate the research of multi-modal transportation systems. The Knowledge-based Digital Platform (KbDP) is a concept being developed that ties the workflows of Project Managers (PM), Principal Investigators (PI), and System Engineers together across organizational boundaries. It does so through the management of an information database defined by mathematical, data science, and system engineering principles. Machine Learning (ML) algorithms play a key role in this concept by extracting meaningful knowledge from the information database, which the human user leverages to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their research. Expected benefits of this concept include improved technology transfers from research to production, improved research portfolio investments, and research outcomes that are more integrated with all aspects of the multi-modal transportation problem. The preliminary KbDP prototype has been realized using UAM as a pathfinder use case and developed by a team of system engineer, software developer, data scientist, and interns.

Systems Engineering↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sherlock Data Warehouse

Technical Interchange Meeting 2 of 2, with two linked events. Overall Purpose of the Technical Interchange Meeting was to facilitate collaboration on NAS data analytics between FAA and NASA teams, leveraging the great tool developed by NASA, Sherlock Data Warehouse. Conducted the two TIM events, next step is for the leadership to meet and discuss potential future collaborations. Purpose for Technical Interchange Meeting #2 (TIM 2o2); NASA presented data science related use-cases and applications where they have leveraged the NASA Sherlock Data Warehouse to address aviation transportation problems, with priority on aviation safety.

Two TIMs↗
DOE OSTI2024

On the convergence of the fixed point method for solving neutron transport alpha eigenvalue problems

It was shown that the Fixed Point Method (also known as the Rayleigh Quotient Method) is several times faster than the Critical Search Method for solving neutron transport alpha eigenvalue problems. It was also shown that the Fixed Point Method is able to determine the alpha eigenvalues of sub-critical systems that are beyond the reach of the Critical Search Method. Despite these significant advances, the Fixed Point Method remains an unproven algorithm. Here, this report provides a proof.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1975

Survey of projected growth and problems facing air transportation, 1975 - 1985

Results are presented of a survey conducted to determine the current opinion of people working in air transportation demand forecasting on the future of air transportation over the next ten years. In particular, the survey included questions on future demand growth, load factor, fuel prices, introduction date for the next new aircraft, the priorities of problems facing air transportation, and the probability of a substantial change in air transportation regulation. The survey participants included: airlines, manufacturers, universities, government agencies, and other organizations (financial institutions, private research companies, etc.). The results are shown for the average responses within the organization represented as well as the overall averages.

Williams, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A transportronic solution to the problem of interorbital transportation

An all-electronic transportation system described by the term 'transportronics' is examined as a means of solving the current problem of the high cost of transporting material from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to geostationary orbit (GEO). In this transportation system, low cost electric energy at the surface of the Earth is efficiently converted into microwave power which is then efficiently formed into a narrow beam which is kept incident upon the orbital transfer vehicles (OTV's) by electronic tracking. The incident beam is efficiently captured and converted into DC power by a device which has a very high ratio of DC power output to its mass. Because the mass of the electric thruster is also low, the resulting acceleration is unprecedented for electric-propelled vehicles. However, the performance of the system in terms of transit times from LEO to GEO is penalized by the short time of contact between the beam and the vehicle in low-Earth orbits. This makes it necessary to place the Earth based transmitters and the vehicles in the equatorial plane thus introducing many geopolitical factors. Technically, however, such a system as described in the report may out-perform any other approach to transportation in the LEO to GEO regime. The report describes and analyzes all portions of the beamed microwave power transmission system in considerable detail. An economic analysis of the operating and capital costs is made with the aid of a reference system capable of placing about 130,000 kilograms of payload into GEO each year. More mature states of the system are then examined, to a level in which 60,000 metric tons per year could be placed into GEO.

Brown, William C.↗