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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 1,765 records · Page 98
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Numerical study of supersonic combustors by multi-block grids with mismatched interfaces

A three dimensional, finite rate chemistry, Navier-Stokes code was extended to a multi-block code with mismatched interface for practical calculations of supersonic combustors. To ensure global conservation, a conservative algorithm was used for the treatment of mismatched interfaces. The extended code was checked against one test case, i.e., a generic supersonic combustor with transverse fuel injection, examining solution accuracy, convergence, and local mass flux error. After testing, the code was used to simulate the chemically reacting flow fields in a scramjet combustor with parallel fuel injectors (unswept and swept ramps). Computational results were compared with experimental shadowgraph and pressure measurements. Fuel-air mixing characteristics of the unswept and swept ramps were compared and investigated.

Moon, Young J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Numerical study of supersonic combustors by multi-block grids with mismatched interfaces

A three-dimensional, finite-rate chemistry, Navier-Stokes code has been extended to a multi-block with mismatched interface code for practical calculations of supersonic combustors. To ensure global conservation, a conservative algorithm was used for the treatment of mismatched interfaces. The extended code was checked against one test case, i.e., a generic supersonic combustor with transverse fuel injection, examining solution accuracy, convergence, and local mass flux error. After testing, the code was used to simulate the chemically reacting flow fields in a scramjet combustor with parallel fuel injectors (unswept and swept ramps). Computational results were compared with experimental shadowgraph and pressure measurements. Fuel-air mixing characteristics of the unswept and swept ramps were compared and investigated.

Moon, Young J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

An Analytical Comparison of the Acoustic Analogy and Kirchhoff Formulation for Moving Surfaces

The Lighthill acoustic analogy, as embodied in the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) equation, is compared with the Kirchhoff formulation for moving surfaces. A comparison of the two governing equations reveals that the main Kirchhoff advantage (namely nonlinear flow effects are included in the surface integration) is also available to the FW-H method if the integration surface used in the FW-H equation is not assumed impenetrable. The FW-H equation is analytically superior for aeroacoustics because it is based upon the conservation laws of fluid mechanics rather than the wave equation. This means that the FW-H equation is valid even if the integration surface is in the nonlinear region. This is demonstrated numerically in the paper. The Kirchhoff approach can lead to substantial errors if the integration surface is not positioned in the linear region. These errors may be hard to identify. Finally, new metrics based on the Sobolev norm are introduced which may be used to compare input data for both quadrupole noise calculations and Kirchhoff noise predictions.

Brentner, Kenneth S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Development of a Robust and Efficient Parallel Solver for Unsteady Turbomachinery Flows

The traditional design and analysis practice for advanced propulsion systems relies heavily on expensive full-scale prototype development and testing. Over the past decade, use of high-fidelity analysis and design tools such as CFD early in the product development cycle has been identified as one way to alleviate testing costs and to develop these devices better, faster and cheaper. In the design of advanced propulsion systems, CFD plays a major role in defining the required performance over the entire flight regime, as well as in testing the sensitivity of the design to the different modes of operation. Increased emphasis is being placed on developing and applying CFD models to simulate the flow field environments and performance of advanced propulsion systems. This necessitates the development of next generation computational tools which can be used effectively and reliably in a design environment. The turbomachinery simulation capability presented here is being developed in a computational tool called Loci-STREAM [1]. It integrates proven numerical methods for generalized grids and state-of-the-art physical models in a novel rule-based programming framework called Loci [2] which allows: (a) seamless integration of multidisciplinary physics in a unified manner, and (b) automatic handling of massively parallel computing. The objective is to be able to routinely simulate problems involving complex geometries requiring large unstructured grids and complex multidisciplinary physics. An immediate application of interest is simulation of unsteady flows in rocket turbopumps, particularly in cryogenic liquid rocket engines. The key components of the overall methodology presented in this paper are the following: (a) high fidelity unsteady simulation capability based on Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) in conjunction with second-order temporal discretization, (b) compliance with Geometric Conservation Law (GCL) in order to maintain conservative property on moving meshes for second-order time-stepping scheme, (c) a novel cloud-of-points interpolation method (based on a fast parallel kd-tree search algorithm) for interfaces between turbomachinery components in relative motion which is demonstrated to be highly scalable, and (d) demonstrated accuracy and parallel scalability on large grids (approx 250 million cells) in full turbomachinery geometries.

West, Jeff↗
NASA NTRS2018

Effect of Simulated Scalloped Ice on the Aerodynamics of a Swept-Wing at Low-Reynolds Number

This paper studied the aerodynamic effects of a single scalloped ice accretion and two lower fidelity ice-shape simulations. These data were compared to the aerodynamics of a clean 8.9% scale CRM65 semispan wing model at a Reynolds number of 1.6 x 10(exp 6). The clean wing experienced an aggressive, tip-first stall and showed a small, strong leading-edge vortex at lower angle-of-attack while the iced cases showed larger, seemingly weaker leading-edge vortices at similar angles. The size of these vortices is larger for the low-fidelity ice shape. The stall pattern for the iced cases was also tip-first, but more gradual than the clean wing. The high-fidelity ice shape produced streamwise flow features over the upper surface of the wing due to flow moving through gaps that exist in the ice shape geometry that disrupted the formation of the leading-edge vortices, changing the aerodynamics of the wing. These gaps do not exist in the low-fidelity shape. The low-fidelity scallop ice shape was non-conservative in its aerodynamic penalties compared to the full high-fidelity case.

Aircraft icing↗
NASA NTRS2021

Tonlé Sap Food Security & Agriculture III: Evaluating Changes in Ecosystem Vitality and Freshwater Health in the Tonlé Sap Basin using Remotely Sensed Data

Tonlé Sap Lake, located in Cambodia, Southeast Asia, is one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world. With the unique reverse flow hydrology of the Tonlé Sap River, this freshwater system contains rich biodiversity and provides critical freshwater resources for the local community. Overfishing, stronger seasonality, drought, dam construction, forest fires, and untreated industrial domestic sewage threaten the ecosystem vitality and economic success of Tonlé Sap. In collaboration with Conservation International and the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology’s Tonlé Sap Authority, we calibrated and finalized remotely-sensed proxies for sub-indicators of the Freshwater Health Index (FHI). We used NASA Earth observation data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). These datasets were used in RS proxies and a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model that previous teams developed for sub-indicators of FHI. They included landcover, bank modification, and water quality metrics. It was determined that the ground water storage in Tonlé Sap Lake exhibited a slight declining trend over from April 1st, 2002 to February 3rd, 2017. To calculate chlorophyll-a concentration in the Tonlé Sap Lake, we used Copernicus Global Land Service mission data which provided a Trophic State Index of the lake. Between January 1st, 2000 and December 31st, 2020, the lake and surrounding region within the study area boundary displayed a slight decrease in vegetation density and consistently high chlorophyll-a concentrations. The SWAT model calculated nitrogen and phosphorus content measured in outlet points of the lake. We demonstrated that remotely sensed data is valuable for providing additional information for the FHI, but is not fully capable of replacing its in situ counterpart. We also concluded the water quantity is on a slowly declining trend within the basin.

Joey Lindsay↗
DOE OSTI2013

WAVE PROPAGATION in the HOT DUCT of VHTR

In VHTR, helium from the reactor vessel is conveyed to a power conversion unit through a hot duct. In a hypothesized Depressurized Conduction Cooldown event where a rupture of the hot duct occurs, pressure waves will be initiated and reverberate in the hot duct. A numerical model is developed to quantify the transients and the helium mass flux through the rupture for such events. The flow path of the helium forms a closed loop but only the hot duct is modeled in this study. The lower plum of the reactor vessel and the steam generator are treated as specified pressure and/or temperature boundary to the hot duct. The model is based on the conservation principles of mass, momentum and energy, and on the equations of state for helium. The numerical solution is based on the method of characteristics with specified time intervals with a predictor and corrector algorithm. The rupture sub-model gives reasonable results. Transients induced by ruptures with break area equaling 20%, 10%, and 5% of the duct cross-sectional area are described.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Indirect evaporative coolers with enhanced heat transfer

A separator plate assembly for use in an indirect evaporative cooler (IEC) with an air-to-air heat exchanger. The assembly includes a separator plate with a first surface defining a dry channel and a second surface defining a wet channel. The assembly includes heat transfer enhancements provided on the first surface for increasing heat transfer rates. The heat transfer enhancements may include slit fins with bodies extending outward from the first surface of separator plate or may take other forms including vortex generators, offset strip fins, and wavy fins. In slit fin implementations, the separator plate has holes proximate to each of the slit fins, and the separator plate assembly may include a sealing layer applied to the second surface of the separator plate to block air flow through the holes. The sealing layer can be a thickness of adhesive, and a layer of wicking material is applied to the adhesive.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2013

Uranium Fate and Transport Modeling, Guterl Specialty Steel Site, New York - 13545

The Former Guterl Specialty Steel Corporation Site (Guterl Site) is located 32 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Buffalo, New York, in Lockport, Niagara County, New York. Between 1948 and 1952, up to 15,875 metric tons (35 million pounds) of natural uranium metal (U) were processed at the former Guterl Specialty Steel Corporation site in Lockport, New York. The resulting dust, thermal scale, mill shavings and associated land disposal contaminated both the facility and on-site soils. Uranium subsequently impacted groundwater and a fully developed plume exists below the site. Uranium transport from the site involves legacy on-site pickling fluid handling, the leaching of uranium from soil to groundwater, and the groundwater transport of dissolved uranium to the Erie Canal. Groundwater fate and transport modeling was performed to assess the transfer of dissolved uranium from the contaminated soils and buildings to groundwater and subsequently to the nearby Erie Canal. The modeling provides a tool to determine if the uranium contamination could potentially affect human receptors in the vicinity of the site. Groundwater underlying the site and in the surrounding area generally flows southeasterly towards the Erie Canal; locally, groundwater is not used as a drinking water resource. The risk to human health was evaluated outside the Guterl Site boundary from the possibility of impacted groundwater discharging to and mixing with the Erie Canal waters. This condition was evaluated because canal water is infrequently used as an emergency water supply for the City of Lockport via an intake located approximately 122 meters (m) (400 feet [ft]) southeast of the Guterl Site. Modeling was performed to assess whether mixing of groundwater with surface water in the Erie Canal could result in levels of uranium exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) established drinking water standard for total uranium; the Maximum Concentration Limit (MCL). Geotechnical test data indicate that the major portion of uranium in the soil will adsorb or remain bound to soil, yet leaching to groundwater appears as an on-site source. Soil leaching was modeled using low adsorption factors to replicate worst-case conditions where the uranium leaches to the groundwater. Results indicate that even after several decades, which is the period of time since uranium was processed at the Guterl Site, leaching from soil does not fully account for the currently observed levels of groundwater contamination. Modeling results suggest that there were historic releases of uranium from processing operations directly to the shallow fractured rock and possibly other geochemical conditions that have produced the current groundwater contamination. Groundwater data collected at the site between 1997 and 2011 do not indicate an increasing level of uranium in the main plume, thus the uranium adsorbed to the soil is in equilibrium with the groundwater geochemistry and transport conditions. Consequently, increases in the overall plume concentration or size are not expected. Groundwater flowing through fractures under the Guterl Site transports dissolved uranium from the site to the Erie Canal, where the groundwater has been observed to seep from the northern canal wall at some locations. The seeps discharge uranium at concentrations near or below the MCL to the Erie Canal. Conservative mixing calculations were performed using two worst-case assumptions: 1) the seeps were calculated as contiguous discharges from the Erie Canal wall and 2) the uranium concentration of the seepage is 274 micrograms per liter (μg/L) of uranium, which is the highest on-site uranium concentration in groundwater and nearly ten-fold the actual seep concentrations. The results indicate that uranium concentrations in the seep water would have to be more than 200 times greater than the highest observed on-site groundwater concentrations (or nearly 55,000 μg/L) to potentially exceed the drinking water standard (the MCL) for total uranium in the Erie Canal. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-dimensional maximum-entropy phase space tomography using normalizing flows

Particle accelerators generate charged-particle beams with tailored distributions in six-dimensional position-momentum space (phase space). Knowledge of the phase space distribution enables model-based beam optimization and control. In the absence of direct measurements, the distribution must be tomographically reconstructed from its projections. In this paper, we highlight that such problems can be severely underdetermined and that entropy maximization is the most conservative solution strategy. We leverage —invertible generative models—to extend maximum-entropy tomography to six-dimensional phase space and perform numerical experiments to validate the model's performance. Our numerical experiments demonstrate consistency with exact two-dimensional maximum-entropy solutions and the ability to fit complicated six-dimensional distributions to large measurement sets in reasonable time. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Symmetry Determining Equations of the Rankine-Hugoniot Equations for Variable Velocity Shock Waves

The “constant velocity piston” problem (Fig. 1), also known as the “piston problem,” is a standard model for a one dimensional, in our case linear, symmetric shock wave moving through an inviscid, perfect gas. The model can be divided into two regions - a perturbed section on the left and an unperturbed section on the right - by a moving shock wave moving left to right. Both the perturbed and unperturbed sections, i.e. the shocked and unshocked regions, respectively, obey the Eulerian conservation equations; however, at the exact location of the shock, there is a mathematical discontinuity not satisfied by the Euler equations. To ensure continuity and conservation of certain quantities when crossing between the unshocked and shocked regions, we evoke a series of equations derived from the Eulerian conservation equations, called the Rankine-Hugoniot equations, or “jump” equations as it is often referred to in the literature on the topic. The classical constant-velocity piston problem assumes the piston features a constant driving velocity (among many other willing suspensions of belief required in the pursuit of a first principles equation model); consequent to this assumption is a constant-velocity shock and a constant-velocity shocked flow state. However, using Lie Group Theory (LGT), also known as symmetry analysis, we can attempt to reinterpret the model with a shock wave of variable velocity in time and space. An extension of the model in this way opens up the possibility for obtaining new analytical solutions to the piston problem for certain shock velocity models. In this report, we use LGT to derive the symmetry determining equations (SDEs), whose solutions are Lie groups, which permit analytical solutions. In the future, we can then use the SDEs to define constraint equations on the shock velocity model and what the successive solutions to the Euler equations might be based off such constraints. This report is structured as follows: Section 2 provides a brief derivation of the Rankine-Hugoniot (“jump”) equations; Section 3 gives an overview of Lie group theory; Section 4 derives the SDEs of the jump equations; Section 5 derives the Euler conservation equations for fluids; and Section 6 presents concluding remarks and opportunities for future studies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1997

Combined Numerical/Analytical Perturbation Solutions of the Navier-Stokes Equations for Aerodynamic (Ejector Nozzle) Flows

In spite of the rapid advances in both scalar and parallel computational tools, the large number and breadth of variables involved in aerodynamic systems make the use of parabolized or even boundary layer fluid flow models impractical for both preliminary design and inverse design problems. Given this restriction, we have concluded that reduced or approximate models are an important family of tools for design purposes. This study of a combined perturbation/numerical modeling methodology with an application to ejector-mixer nozzles (shown schematically in the following figure) is nearing completion. The work is being funded by a grant from the NASA Lewis Research Center to Texas A&M University. These ejector-mixer nozzle models are designed to be of use to the High Speed Civil Transport Program and may be adopted by both NASA and industry. A computer code incorporating the ejector-mixer models is under development. This code, the Differential Reduced Ejector/Mixer Analysis (DREA), can be run fast enough to be used as a subroutine or to be called by a design optimization routine. Simplified conservation equations--x-momentum, energy, and mass conservation--are used to define the model. Unlike other preliminary design models, DREA requires minimal empirical input and includes vortical mixing and a fully compressible formulation among other features. DREA is being validated by comparing it with results obtained from open literature and proprietary industry data. Preliminary results for a subsonic ejector and a supersonic ejector are shown. In addition, dedicated experiments have been performed at Texas A&M. These experiments use a hydraulic/gas flow analog to provide information about the inviscid mixing interface structure. Final validation and documentation of this work is expected by May of 1997. However, preliminary versions of DREA can be expected in early 1997. In summary, DREA provides a sufficiently detailed and realistic ejector-mixer nozzle model at a computational cost compatible with preliminary design applications.

DeChant, Lawrence J.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Supercurrent Generation by Spin-Twisting Itinerant Motion of Electrons

Superconductivity is a phenomenon where an external feeding current flows through the system without voltage drop. This is explained if an energy minimum exists under the current feeding boundary condition. We have found such minima in the system exhibiting spin-twisting itinerant motion of electrons with the Rashba spin–orbit interaction due to constraints of the charge conservation and single-valued requirement of the wave function. The supercurrent is shown to have the London equation form that exhibits the flux quantum h/2e.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Diffusion-driven Fluid Dynamics in Ideal Gases and Plasmas

The classical transport theory based on Chapman-Enskog methods provides self-consistent approximations for the kinetic flux of mass, heat, and momentum in a fluid limit characterized with a small Knudsen number. The species mass fluxes relative to the center of mass, or “diffusive fluxes,” are expressed as functions of known gradient quantities with kinetic coefficients evaluated using similar analyses for mixtures of gases or plasma components. The sum over species of the diffusive mass fluxes is constrained to be zero in the Lagrange frame, and thus results in a non-zero molar flux leading to a pressure perturbation. At an interface between two species initially in pressure equilibrium, the pressure perturbation driven by the diffusive molar flux induces a center of mass velocity directed from the species of greater atomic mass towards the lighter atomic mass species. As the ratio of the species particle masses increases, this center of mass velocity carries an increasingly greater portion of the mass across the interface and for a particle mass ratio greater than about two, the center of mass velocity carries more mass than the gradient driven diffusion flux. Early time transients across an interface between two species in a 1D plasma regime and initially in equilibrium are compared using three methods; a fluid code with closure in a classical transport approximation, a particle in cell simulation, and an implicit Fokker-Planck solver for the particle distribution functions. The early time transient phenomenology is shown to be similar in each of the computational simulation methods, including a pressure perturbation associated with the stationary “induced” component of the center of mass velocity which decays to pressure equilibrium during diffusion. At early times, the diffusive process generates pressure and velocity waves which propagate outward from the interface and are required to maintain momentum conservation. The energy in the outgoing waves dissipates as heat in viscous regions, and it is hypothesized that these diffusion driven waves may sustain fluctuations in less viscid finite domains after reflections from the boundaries. Finally, these fluid dynamic phenomena are similar in gases or plasmas and occur in flow transients with a moderate Knudsen number. The analysis and simulation results show how the kinetic flux, represented in the fluid transport closure, directly modifies the mass averaged flow described with the Euler equations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Exploratory Project: A vegetative facies-based multiscale approach to modeling nutrient transport in the Columbia river Basin

The exploratory project titled “A vegetative facies-based multiscale approach to modeling nutrient transport in the Columbia river Basin” was a collaborative effort between Stanford University (PI: Ilenia Battiato) and University of Southern California (co-PI: Felipe de Barros). The primary objective of this project was to develop a predictive understanding of the impact that submerged vegetation has on flow and transport in riverine systems. This is based on the recognition that vegetation-mediated transport and its temporal and spatial coupling with hydrological and ecological responses is a critical component in achieving a predictive understanding of the future impact of, and the risks associated to, anthropogenic and climate change stressors on nutrient cycling in the Subsurface Interaction Zone (SIZ). Although the full project framework was focused on developing top-down and bottom-up coupling between processes at different scales as outlined in Figure 1, its exploratory counterpart was organized in two major thrusts: the first related to quantifying flow resistance in vegetated rivers (Level II) and the second connected to quantifying and predicting the coupling between vegetation growth and hydrodynamics in riverine systems (Level III). In this regard, we successfully used porous media theory to model flow and transport in vegetated channels at the canopy scale (Level II) and have demonstrated that the aforementioned models have predictive capabilities to model both mean flow and transport at the canopy scale. At Level III, we have developed a computational framework in OpenFOAM, CladoFOAM, that is able to model and predict submerged vegetation growth at the km-scale and to study the impact that climate stressors can have on algae blooms from basic conservation laws at the appropriate scale. In Section 2, we briefly outline the project objectives; in Section 3, we present our scientific findings of all manuscripts already published and in preparation. We conclude in Section 4 with comments about future lines of investigation that may be pursued in the context of a larger-scope project.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1972

Thermochemical nonequilibrium in atomic hydrogen at elevated temperatures

A numerical study of the nonequilibrium flow of atomic hydrogen in a cascade arc was performed to obtain insight into the physics of the hydrogen cascade arc. A rigorous mathematical model of the flow problem was formulated, incorporating the important nonequilibrium transport phenomena and atomic processes which occur in atomic hydrogen. Realistic boundary conditions, including consideration of the wall electrostatic sheath phenomenon, were included in the model. The governing equations of the asymptotic region of the cascade arc were obtained by writing conservation of mass and energy equations for the electron subgas, an energy conservation equation for heavy particles and an equation of state. Finite-difference operators for variable grid spacing were applied to the governing equations and the resulting system of strongly coupled, stiff equations were solved numerically by the Newton-Raphson method.

Scott, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Acoustic power balance in lined ducts

It is shown that the two common definitions of acoustic energy density and intensity in uniform unlined ducts carrying uniform flow are compatible to the extent that both energy densities can be used in an appropriate variational principle to derive the convected wave equation. When the duct walls are lined both energy densities must be modified to account for the wall energy density. This results in a new energy conservation equation which utilizes a modified definition of axial power and accounts for wall dissipation. Computations in specific cases demonstrate the validity of the modified acoustic energy relation.

Eversman, W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Documentation of the Fourth Order Band Model

A general circulation model is presented which uses quadratically conservative, fourth order horizontal space differences on an unstaggered grid and second order vertical space differences with a forward-backward or a smooth leap frog time scheme to solve the primitive equations of motion. The dynamic equations for motion, finite difference equations, a discussion of the structure and flow chart of the program code, a program listing, and three relevent papers are given.

Kalnay-Rivas, E.↗