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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Modified ICED-ALE method for astrogeophysical plasma flows

The Implicit-Continuous-Eulerian-Difference Mesh-Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian (ICED-ALE) algorithm of Brackbill and Pracht (1973) is modified for the study of astrophysical plasma flows in which dynamical effects are important. In the present study the general-energy-conservation law is directly applied to the iteration process, with the total (kinetic-, specific-internal-, and magnetic-) energy density being obtained implicitly at the end of the process. An example is computed in which the convergence speed of the latter method is substantially faster than that of the former. The initializing calculation, or explicit phase, in which the electric current density, magnetic diffusion of field, energy augmentation, and zero-order approximation of the flow velocity are given, is described. Consideration is given to the iteration process, or implicit phase, from which the exact Lagrangian solution for energy density, velocity, and a magnetic field is obtained.

Wu, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Performance evaluation of a mobile satellite system modem using an ALE method

Experimental performance of a newly designed demodulation concept is presented. This concept applies an Adaptive Line Enhancer (ALE) to a carrier recovery circuit, which makes pull-in time significantly shorter in noisy and large carrier offset conditions. This new demodulation concept was actually developed as an INMARSAT standard-C modem, and was evaluated. On a performance evaluation, 50 symbol pull-in time is confirmed under 4 dB Eb/No condition.

Ohsawa, Tomoki↗
NASA NTRS2003

Deployment Simulation Methods for Ultra-Lightweight Inflatable Structures

Two dynamic inflation simulation methods are employed for modeling the deployment of folded thin-membrane tubes. The simulations are necessary because ground tests include gravity effects and may poorly represent deployment in space. The two simulation methods are referred to as the Control Volume (CV) method and the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method. They are available in the LS-DYNA nonlinear dynamic finite element code. Both methods are suitable for modeling the interactions between the inflation gas and the thin-membrane tube structures. The CV method only considers the pressure induced by the inflation gas in the simulation, while the ALE method models the actual flow of the inflation gas. Thus, the transient fluid properties at any location within the tube can be predicted by the ALE method. Deployment simulations of three packaged tube models; namely coiled, Z-folded, and telescopically-folded configurations, are performed. Results predicted by both methods for the telescopically-folded configuration are correlated and computational efficiency issues are discussed.

Wang, John T.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Dynamic Deployment Simulations of Inflatable Space Structures

The feasibility of using Control Volume (CV) method and the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method in LSDYNA to simulate the dynamic deployment of inflatable space structures is investigated. The CV and ALE methods were used to predict the inflation deployments of three folded tube configurations. The CV method was found to be a simple and computationally efficient method that may be adequate for modeling slow inflation deployment sine the inertia of the inflation gas can be neglected. The ALE method was found to be very computationally intensive since it involves the solving of three conservative equations of fluid as well as dealing with complex fluid structure interactions.

Wang, John T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

An Extended Lagrangian Method

A unique formulation of describing fluid motion is presented. The method, referred to as 'extended Lagrangian method,' is interesting from both theoretical and numerical points of view. The formulation offers accuracy in numerical solution by avoiding numerical diffusion resulting from mixing of fluxes in the Eulerian description. The present method and the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method have a similarity in spirit-eliminating the cross-streamline numerical diffusion. For this purpose, we suggest a simple grid constraint condition and utilize an accurate discretization procedure. This grid constraint is only applied to the transverse cell face parallel to the local stream velocity, and hence our method for the steady state problems naturally reduces to the streamline-curvature method, without explicitly solving the steady stream-coordinate equations formulated a priori. Unlike the Lagrangian method proposed by Loh and Hui which is valid only for steady supersonic flows, the present method is general and capable of treating subsonic flows and supersonic flows as well as unsteady flows, simply by invoking in the same code an appropriate grid constraint suggested in this paper. The approach is found to be robust and stable. It automatically adapts to flow features without resorting to clustering, thereby maintaining rather uniform grid spacing throughout and large time step. Moreover, the method is shown to resolve multi-dimensional discontinuities with a high level of accuracy, similar to that found in one-dimensional problems.

Liou, Meng-Sing↗
NASA NTRS2007

Simulating Space Capsule Water Landing with Explicit Finite Element Method

A study of using an explicit nonlinear dynamic finite element code for simulating the water landing of a space capsule was performed. The finite element model contains Lagrangian shell elements for the space capsule and Eulerian solid elements for the water and air. An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) solver and a penalty coupling method were used for predicting the fluid and structure interaction forces. The space capsule was first assumed to be rigid, so the numerical results could be correlated with closed form solutions. The water and air meshes were continuously refined until the solution was converged. The converged maximum deceleration predicted is bounded by the classical von Karman and Wagner solutions and is considered to be an adequate solution. The refined water and air meshes were then used in the models for simulating the water landing of a capsule model that has a flexible bottom. For small pitch angle cases, the maximum deceleration from the flexible capsule model was found to be significantly greater than the maximum deceleration obtained from the corresponding rigid model. For large pitch angle cases, the difference between the maximum deceleration of the flexible model and that of its corresponding rigid model is smaller. Test data of Apollo space capsules with a flexible heat shield qualitatively support the findings presented in this paper.

Wang, John T.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Progress in the Simulation of Steady and Time-Dependent Flows with 3D Parallel Unstructured Cartesian Methods

The proposed paper will present recent extensions in the development of an efficient Euler solver for adaptively-refined Cartesian meshes with embedded boundaries. The paper will focus on extensions of the basic method to include solution adaptation, time-dependent flow simulation, and arbitrary rigid domain motion. The parallel multilevel method makes use of on-the-fly parallel domain decomposition to achieve extremely good scalability on large numbers of processors, and is coupled with an automatic coarse mesh generation algorithm for efficient processing by a multigrid smoother. Numerical results are presented demonstrating parallel speed-ups of up to 435 on 512 processors. Solution-based adaptation may be keyed off truncation error estimates using tau-extrapolation or a variety of feature detection based refinement parameters. The multigrid method is extended to for time-dependent flows through the use of a dual-time approach. The extension to rigid domain motion uses an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerlarian (ALE) formulation, and results will be presented for a variety of two- and three-dimensional example problems with both simple and complex geometry.

Aftosmis, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Pilot Study for Applying an Extravehicular Activity Exercise Prebreathe Protocol to the International Space Station

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a serious risk to astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA). To reduce this risk, the addition of ten minutes of moderate exercise (75% VO2pk) during prebreathe has been shown to decrease the total prebreathe time from 4 to 2 hours and to decrease the incidence of DCS. The overall purpose of this pilot study was to develop an exercise protocol using flight hardware and an in-flight physical fitness cycle test to perform prebreathe exercise before an EVA. Eleven subjects volunteered to participate in this study. The first objective of this study was to compare the steady-state heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (VO2) from a submaximal arm and leg exercise (ALE) session with those predicted from a maximal ALE test. The second objective was to compare the steady-state HR and V02 from a submaximal elastic tube and leg exercise (TLE) session with those predicted from the maximal ALE test. The third objective involved a comparison of the maximal ALE test with a maximal leg-only (LE) test to conform to the in- flight fitness assessment test. The 75% VO2pk target HR from the LE test was significantly less than the target HR from the ALE test. Prescribing exercise using data from the maximal ALE test resulted in the measured submaximal values being higher than predicted VO2 and HR. The results of this pilot study suggest that elastic tubing is valid during EVA prebreathe as a method of arm exercise with the flight leg ergometer and it is recommended that prebreathe countermeasure exercise protocol incorporate this method.

Woodruff, Kristin K.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Modeling Issues in Asteroid-Generated Tsunamis

This report studies tsunamis caused by asteroids, both those that arise from atmospheric blast waves moving across the water surface from airburst asteroids, and those that arise when the asteroid reaches the water and forms a crater. We perform numerical experiments that compare simulations using depth-averaged models (shallow water and several forms of Boussinesq) with linearized Euler (acoustics plus gravity) and ALE hydrocode simulations. We find that neither of the depth-averaged models do a good job of initiating the tsunami, but in some cases can be used to propagate a solution generated by a higher-fidelity method. A list of our conclusions and recommendations for further study is given in Section 5.

Berger, Marsha J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

High-Performance Parallel Analysis of Coupled Problems for Aircraft Propulsion

Applications are described of high-performance computing methods to the numerical simulation of complete jet engines. The methodology focuses on the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion driven by structural displacements. The latter is treated by a ALE technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mechanical network laid along the edges of near-field elements. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled three-component problem were developed. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling, and have been successfully tested on several massively parallel computers, including the iPSC-860, Paragon XP/S and the IBM SP2. The NASA-sponsored ENG10 program was used for the global steady state analysis of the whole engine. This program uses a regular FV-multiblock-grid discretization in conjunction with circumferential averaging to include effects of blade forces, loss, combustor heat addition, blockage, bleeds and convective mixing. A load-balancing preprocessor for parallel versions of ENG10 was developed as well as the capability for the first full 3D aeroelastic simulation of a multirow engine stage. This capability was tested on the IBM SP2 parallel supercomputer at NASA Ames.

Felippa, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

High-Performance Parallel Analysis of Coupled Problems for Aircraft Propulsion

This research program dealt with the application of high-performance computing methods to the numerical simulation of complete jet engines. The program was initiated in January 1993 by applying two-dimensional parallel aeroelastic codes to the interior gas flow problem of a bypass jet engine. The fluid mesh generation, domain decomposition and solution capabilities were successfully tested. Attention was then focused on methodology for the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion driven by these structural displacements. The latter is treated by a ALE technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mechanical network laid along the edges of near-field fluid elements. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled three-component problem were developed during 1994 and 1995. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling, and have been successfully tested on several massively parallel computers, including the iPSC-860, Paragon XP/S and the IBM SP2. For the global steady-state axisymmetric analysis of a complete engine we have decided to use the NASA-sponsored ENG10 program, which uses a regular FV-multiblock-grid discretization in conjunction with circumferential averaging to include effects of blade forces, loss, combustor heat addition, blockage, bleeds and convective mixing. A load-balancing preprocessor tor parallel versions of ENG10 was developed. During 1995 and 1996 we developed the capability tor the first full 3D aeroelastic simulation of a multirow engine stage. This capability was tested on the IBM SP2 parallel supercomputer at NASA Ames. Benchmark results were presented at the 1196 Computational Aeroscience meeting.

Felippa, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

High-performance parallel analysis of coupled problems for aircraft propulsion

This research program deals with the application of high-performance computing methods to the numerical simulation of complete jet engines. The program was initiated in 1993 by applying two-dimensional parallel aeroelastic codes to the interior gas flow problem of a by-pass jet engine. The fluid mesh generation, domain decomposition and solution capabilities were successfully tested. Attention was then focused on methodology for the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion driven by these structural displacements. The latter is treated by an ALE technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mechanical network laid along the edges of near-field fluid elements. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled 3-component problem were developed in 1994. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling, and have been successfully tested on several massively parallel computers. For the global steady-state axisymmetric analysis of a complete engine we have decided to use the NASA-sponsored ENG10 program, which uses a regular FV-multiblock-grid discretization in conjunction with circumferential averaging to include effects of blade forces, loss, combustor heat addition, blockage, bleeds and convective mixing. A load-balancing preprocessor for parallel versions of ENG10 has been developed. It is planned to use the steady-state global solution provided by ENG10 as input to a localized three-dimensional FSI analysis for engine regions where aeroelastic effects may be important.

Felippa, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

High-performance parallel analysis of coupled problems for aircraft propulsion

This research program deals with the application of high-performance computing methods for the analysis of complete jet engines. We have entitled this program by applying the two dimensional parallel aeroelastic codes to the interior gas flow problem of a bypass jet engine. The fluid mesh generation, domain decomposition, and solution capabilities were successfully tested. We then focused attention on methodology for the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion that results from these structural displacements. This is treated by a new arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mass-spring network. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled three-component problem are developed. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling. Preliminary results on the stability, accuracy, and MPP computational efficiency are reported.

Felippa, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE): MIT Contribution

We describe in detail the instrumentation and calibrations used in the ALE, GAGE and AGAGE experiments and present a history of the majority of the anthropogenic ozone- depleting and climate-forcing gases in air based on these experiments. Beginning in 1978, these three successive automated high frequency in-situ experiments have documented the long-term behavior of the measured concentrations of these gases over the past twenty years, and show both the evolution of latitudinal gradients and the high frequency variability due to sources and circulation. We provide estimates of the long-term trends in total chlorine contained in long- lived halocarbons involved in ozone depletion. We summarize interpretations of these measurements using inverse methods to determine trace gas lifetimes and emissions. Finally, we provide a combined observational and modeled reconstruction of the evolution of chlorocarbons by latitude in the atmosphere over the past sixty years which can be used as boundary conditions for interpreting trapped air in glaciers and oceanic measurements of chlorocarbon tracers of the deep oceanic circulation. Some specific conclusions are: (a) International compliance with the Montreal Protocol is so far resulting in chlorofluorocarbon and chlorocarbon mole fractions comparable to target levels, (b) Mole fractions of total chlorine contained in long-lived halocarbons (CCl2F2, CCl3F, CH3CCl3, CCl4, CHClF2, CCl2FCClF2, CH3Cl, CH2Cl2, CHCl3, CCl2=CCl2) in the lower troposphere reached maximum values of about 3.6 ppb in 1993 and are beginning to slowly decrease in the global lower atmosphere, (c) The chlorofluorocarbons have atmospheric lifetimes consistent with destruction in the stratosphere being their principal removal mechanism, (d) Multi-annual variations in chlorofluorocarbon and chlorocarbon emissions deduced from ALUGAGWAGAGE data are consistent approximately with variations estimated independently from industrial production and sales data where available (CCl2F2 (CFC-12) and CCl2FCClF2 (CFC-113) show the greatest discrepancies), (e) The mole fractions of the hydrochlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons, which are replacing the regulated halocarbons, are rising very rapidly in the atmosphere but, with the exception of the much longer manufactured CHClF2 (HCFC-22), they are not yet at levels sufficient to contribute significantly to atmospheric chlorine loading. These replacement species could in the future provide independent estimates of the global weighted-average OH concentration provided their industrial emissions are accurately documented, (f) In the future, analysis of pollution events measured using high frequency in-situ measurements of chlorofluorocarbons and their replacements may enable emission estimates at the regional level which, together with industrial end-use data, are of sufficient accuracy to be capable of identifying regional non-compliance with the Montreal Protocol.

Kurylo, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1999

Encapsulation system for the immunoisolation of living cells

The present invention is drawn to a composition of matter comprising high viscosity sodium alginate, cellulose sulfate and a multi-component polycation. Additionally, the present invention provides methods for making capsules, measuring capsule permeability to immunologically-relevant proteins and treating disease in an animal using encapsulated cells. Over one thousand combinations of polyanions and polycations were examined as polymer candidates suitable for encapsulation of living cells and thirty-three pairs were effective. The combination of sodium alginate, cellulose sulfate, poly(methylene-co-guanidine) hydrochloride, calcium chloride, and sodium chloride produced the most desirable results. Pancreatic islets encapsulated in this multicomponent capsule demonstrated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vitro and reversed diabetes without stimulating immune reaction in mice. The capsule formulation and system of the present invention allows independent adjustments of capsule size, wall thickness, mechanical strength and permeability, and offers distinct advantages for immunoisolating cells.

Wang, Taylor G.↗