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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

THE TURBULENT DYNAMO IN HIGHLY COMPRESSIBLE SUPERSONIC PLASMAS

The turbulent dynamo may explain the origin of cosmic magnetism. While the exponential amplification of magnetic fields has been studied for incompressible gases, little is known about dynamo action in highly compressible, supersonic plasmas, such as the interstellar medium of galaxies and the early universe. Here we perform the first quantitative comparison of theoretical models of the dynamo growth rate and saturation level with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical simulations of supersonic turbulence with grid resolutions of up to 1024{sup 3} cells. We obtain numerical convergence and find that dynamo action occurs for both low and high magnetic Prandtl numbers Pm = ν/η = 0.1-10 (the ratio of viscous to magnetic dissipation), which had so far only been seen for Pm ≥ 1 in supersonic turbulence. We measure the critical magnetic Reynolds number, Rm{sub crit}=129{sub −31}{sup +43}, showing that the compressible dynamo is almost as efficient as in incompressible gas. Considering the physical conditions of the present and early universe, we conclude that magnetic fields need to be taken into account during structure formation from the early to the present cosmic ages, because they suppress gas fragmentation and drive powerful jets and outflows, both greatly affecting the initial mass function of stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Design and Testing of CO 2 Compression Using Supersonic Shock Wave Technology

This report summarizes work performed by Ramgen and subcontractors in pursuit of the design and construction of a 10 MW supersonic CO2 compressor and supporting facility. The compressor will demonstrate application of Ramgen’s supersonic compression technology at an industrial scale using CO2 in a closed-loop. The report includes details of early feasibility studies, CFD validation and comparison to experimental data, static test experimental results, compressor and facility design and analyses, and development of aerodynamic tools. A summary of Ramgen's ISC Engine program activity is also included. This program will demonstrate the adaptation of Ramgen's supersonic compression and advanced vortex combustion technology to result in a highly efficient and cost effective alternative to traditional gas turbine engines. The build out of a 1.5 MW test facility to support the engine and associated subcomponent test program is summarized.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multidimensional Modeling of Mixture Formation in a Hydrogen-Fueled Heavy-Duty Optical Engine With Direct Injection

Hydrogen (H 2 ), as a carbon-free fuel, is considered as one of the most promising solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of hard-to-decarbonize energy and transportation sectors. As such, hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines (H 2 ICEs) have recently been receiving increasing attention, particularly in applications such as on-road/off-road heavy-duty transport and combined heat and power. The direct injection (DI) of gaseous hydrogen into the combustion chamber offers great potential for achieving high power density and high engine efficiency, while mitigating the risk of backfire and reducing pre-ignition. However, the numerical simulation of H 2 DI system remains a formidable challenge associated with the high computational cost of reproducing compressible supersonic flow and shocks in narrow injector passages and in near-nozzle regions. In general, there is a lack of well-established and validated practices for the modeling of high-pressure H 2 DI in large-bore engines. Here, to this end, this study focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of the mixture formation process in a heavy-duty optical engine employing a medium-pressure H 2 DI system. Both large eddy simulations (LES) and Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations are performed and evaluated against optical data. Gaseous hydrogen is injected into the combustion chamber via a centrally located outward opening hollow-cone injector at a pressure of 40 bar. Simulations are carried out for two injection timings, namely, −120 and −60 °CA. The numerical predictions for H 2 distribution in different horizontal and vertical planes during the compression stroke are systematically compared against optical data obtained through planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements. Overall, the LES approach using the Dynamic Structure model is found to have good predictive capabilities for the early jet penetration in terms of length and shape, as well as the later H 2 distributions. However, the unsteady RANS approach with the renormalization group $k - ϵ$ model, which is widely used by industry to model heavy-duty ICEs, significantly underpredicts the H 2 mixing, even at similar mesh resolution to that used in LES. These results indicate that there is a need for the improvement of mixing submodels within the RANS approach when applied to H 2 DI simulations.

LES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Arbitrary amplitude solitary and shock waves in an unmagnetized quantum dusty electron-positron-ion plasma

The behavior of quantum dust ion acoustic soliton and shocks in a plasma including inertialess quantum electrons and positrons, classical cold ions, and stationary negative dust grains are studied, using arbitrary amplitude approach. The effect of dissipation due to viscosity of ions is taken into account. The numerical analysis of Sagdeev potential for small value of quantum diffraction parameter (H) shows that for chosen plasma, only compressive solitons can exist and the existence domain of this type of solitons is decreased by increasing dust density (d). Additionally, the possibility of propagation of both subsonic and supersonic compressive solitons is investigated. It is shown that there is a critical dust density above which only supersonic solitons are observed. Moreover, increasing d leads to a reduction in the existence domain of compressive solitons and the possibility of propagation of rarefactive soliton is provided. So, rarefactive solitons are observed only due to the presence of dust particles in this model quantum plasma. Furthermore, numerical solution of governed equations for arbitrary amplitude shock waves has been investigated. It is shown that only compressive large amplitude shocks can propagate. Finally, the effects of plasma parameters on these structures are investigated. This research will be helpful in understanding the properties of dense astrophysical (i.e., white dwarfs and neutron stars) and laboratory dusty plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

A NEW DENSITY VARIANCE-MACH NUMBER RELATION FOR SUBSONIC AND SUPERSONIC ISOTHERMAL TURBULENCE

The probability density function of the gas density in subsonic and supersonic, isothermal, driven turbulence is analyzed using a systematic set of hydrodynamical grid simulations with resolutions of up to 1024{sup 3} cells. We perform a series of numerical experiments with root-mean-square (rms) Mach number M ranging from the nearly incompressible, subsonic (M=0.1) to the highly compressible, supersonic (M=15) regime. We study the influence of two extreme cases for the driving mechanism by applying a purely solenoidal (divergence-free) and a purely compressive (curl-free) forcing field to drive the turbulence. We find that our measurements fit the linear relation between the rms Mach number and the standard deviation (std. dev.) of the density distribution in a wide range of Mach numbers, where the proportionality constant depends on the type of forcing. In addition, we propose a new linear relation between the std. dev. of the density distribution {sigma}{sub {rho}} and that of the velocity in compressible modes, i.e., the compressible component of the rms Mach number, M{sub comp}. In this relation the influence of the forcing is significantly reduced, suggesting a linear relation between {sigma}{sub {rho}} and M{sub comp}, independent of the forcing, and ranging from the subsonic to the supersonic regime.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Supersonic plasma turbulence in the laboratory

The properties of supersonic, compressible plasma turbulence determine the behavior of many terrestrial and astrophysical systems. In the interstellar medium and molecular clouds, compressible turbulence plays a vital role in star formation and the evolution of our galaxy. Observations of the density and velocity power spectra in the Orion B and Perseus molecular clouds show large deviations from those predicted for incompressible turbulence. Hydrodynamic simulations attribute this to the high Mach number in the interstellar medium (ISM), although the exact details of this dependence are not well understood. Here we investigate experimentally the statistical behavior of boundary-free supersonic turbulence created by the collision of two laser-driven high-velocity turbulent plasma jets. The Mach number dependence of the slopes of the density and velocity power spectra agree with astrophysical observations, and supports the notion that the turbulence transitions from being Kolmogorov-like at low Mach number to being more Burgers-like at higher Mach numbers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Nonlinear compressions in merging plasma jets

We investigate the dynamics of merging supersonic plasma jets using an analytic model. The merging structures exhibit supersonic, nonlinear compressions which may steepen into full shocks. We estimate the distance necessary to form such shocks and the resulting jump conditions. These theoretical models are compared to experimental observations and simulated dynamics. We also use those models to extrapolate behavior of the jet-merging compressions in a Plasma Jet Magneto-Inertial Fusion reactor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Apparatus and process for the separation of gases using supersonic expansion and oblique wave compression

The disclosure provides an apparatus and method for gas separation through the supersonic expansion and subsequent deceleration of a gaseous stream. The gaseous constituent changes phase from the gaseous state by desublimation or condensation during the acceleration producing a collectible constituent, and an oblique shock diffuser decelerates the gaseous stream to a subsonic velocity while maintain the collectible constituent in the non-gaseous state. Following deceleration, the carrier gas and the collectible constituent at the subsonic velocity are separated by a separation means, such as a centrifugal, electrostatic, or impingement separator. In an embodiment, the gaseous stream issues from a combustion process and is comprised of N.sub.2 and CO.sub.2.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessment of flamelet/progress variable methods for supersonic combustion

Tabulated chemistry models, including the flamelet/progress variable approach, have been successfully used for a variety of turbulent flame simulations. The progress variable describes the progress of reactions in a system and parameterizes a lookup table of thermochemical variables. This approach reduces the cost of simulations, transporting only one scalar (progress variable) instead of the many species mass fractions required for detailed chemistry. Originally developed for low Mach number flame simulations, recent works have focused on extensions of this approach to compressible flames, supersonic combustion, and detonations, with applications such as scramjet combustors and rotating detonation engines. Unlike low Mach simulations, compressible flow simulations require solving the energy transport equation, which is coupled to the equation of state. This leads to additional modeling challenges regarding the thermodynamics and its impact on the chemistry. The validity of modeling assumptions, for example the relationship between energy and temperature, also varies with the combustion regime. The present work provides a detailed assessment of the existing strategies for chemistry tabulation for compressible/supersonic combustion, including detonations. A priori analysis indicates that approximations which are reasonable for weakly compressible flames may break down for shock-induced combustion. Furthermore, the analysis identifies specific assumptions and approximations that do not hold for detonations, emphasizing that care must be taken when applying tabulated chemistry models outside their intended combustion regimes.

Detonations↗
DOE OSTI2018

LP CO 2 Compressor Final Technical Report

This report summarizes work performed by Dresser-Rand, A Siemens Business and subcontractors, under DOE award number DE-FE0026727, in pursuit of the design, construction and test of a 10:1 pressure ratio “Low Pressure” (LP) supersonic CO 2 compressor suitable for use as a first stage in a two stage 100:1 compression system. This LP compressor, in conjunction with a corresponding 10:1 high pressure compressor, provide the overall 100:1 compression ratio required to compress CO 2 from 22 psia (as generated by a CO 2 capture system) to the 2215 psia required to transport CO 2 via a pipeline to a suitable sequestration site. The compressor demonstrates application of Dresser-Rand’s supersonic compression technology at an industrial scale using CO 2 in a closed-loop testing facility. This scope of this technical report is to summarize all phases of the program executed from August 5, 2015 to the June 30, 2018. This program included the final testing of a “high pressure” (HP) compressor that had previously been built by Dresser-Rand and the design, fabrication, assembly and test of a corresponding LP compressor. In summary, the LP compressor exceeded the target pressure ratio and efficiency goals for the program at CO 2 flowrates suitable for those expected in coal fired power plant carbon capture systems. Initial and Final Techno-Economic Analysis reports were generated to show the value this compression solution brings to carbon capture and sequestration (CC&S) systems for the Case B12B coal fired power plant model. Integration of the DATUM S compression technology into a carbon capture and sequestration system was shown to result in a 27% reduction in the Cost of Electricity for the compression system, as well as a 21,500 gallon per hour reduction in required cooling water flow for the plant.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Correlations and Cascades in Magnetized Turbulence

Many terrestrial and astrophysical plasmas encompass very large dynamical ranges in space and time, which are not accessible by direct numerical simulations. Thus, idealized subvolumes are often used to study small-scale effects including the dynamics of magnetized turbulence. A significant aspect of magnetized turbulence is the transfer of energy from large to small scales, in part through the operation of a turbulent cascade. In this work, we present a new shell-to-shell energy transfer analysis framework for understanding energy transfer within magnetized turbulence and in particular, through the cascade. We demonstrate the viability of this framework through application to a series of isothermal subsonic and supersonic simulations of compressible magnetized turbulence and utilize results from this analysis to establish a non-linear benchmark for compressible magnetized turbulence in the subsonic regime. We further study how the autocorrelation time of the driving and its normalization systematically change properties of compressible magnetized turbulence. For example, we find that 6-in-time forcing with a constant energy injection leads to a steeper slope in kinetic energy spectrum and less efficient small-scale dynamo action. We examine how these results can impact a range of diagnostics relevant for a range of terrestrial and astrophysical applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Method and apparatus for starting supersonic compressors

A supersonic gas compressor with bleed gas collectors, and a method of starting the compressor. The compressor includes aerodynamic duct(s) situated for rotary movement in a casing. The aerodynamic duct(s) generate a plurality of oblique shock waves for efficiently compressing a gas at supersonic conditions. A convergent inlet is provided adjacent to a bleed gas collector, and during startup of the compressor, bypass gas is removed from the convergent inlet via the bleed gas collector, to enable supersonic shock stabilization. Once the oblique shocks are stabilized at a selected inlet relative Mach number and pressure ratio, the bleed of bypass gas from the convergent inlet via the bypass gas collectors is effectively eliminated.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Entropy-based viscous regularization for the multi-dimensional Euler equations in low-Mach and transonic flows

We present a new version of the entropy viscosity method, a viscous regularization technique for hyperbolic conservation laws, that is well-suited for low-Mach flows. By means of a low-Mach asymptotic study, new expressions for the entropy viscosity coefficients are derived. These definitions are valid for a wide range of Mach numbers, from subsonic flows (with very low Mach numbers) to supersonic flows, and no longer depend on an analytical expression for the entropy function. In addition, the entropy viscosity method is extended to Euler equations with variable area for nozzle flow problems. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated using various 1-D and 2-D benchmark tests: flow in a converging–diverging nozzle; Leblanc shock tube; slow moving shock; strong shock for liquid phase; low-Mach flows around a cylinder and over a circular hump; and supersonic flow in a compression corner. Convergence studies are performed for smooth solutions and solutions with shocks present.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2017

An interface capturing scheme for modeling atomization in compressible flows

The study of atomization in supersonic flow is critical to ensuring reliable ignition of scramjet combustors under startup conditions. Numerical methods incorporating surface tension effects have largely focused on the incompressible regime as most atomization applications occur at low Mach numbers. Simulating surface tension effects in compressible flow requires robust numerical methods that can handle discontinuities caused by both shocks and material interfaces with high density ratios. In this work, a shock and interface capturing scheme is developed that uses the Harten–Lax–van Leer–Contact (HLLC) Riemann solver while a Tangent of Hyperbola for INterface Capturing (THINC) interface reconstruction scheme retains the fluid immiscibility condition in the volume fraction and phasic densities in the context of the five equation model. The approach includes the effects of compressibility, surface tension, and molecular viscosity. One and two-dimensional benchmark problems demonstrate the desirable interface sharpening and conservation properties of the approach. Simulations of secondary atomization of a cylindrical water column after its interaction with a shockwave show good qualitative agreement with experimentally observed behavior. Three-dimensional examples of primary atomization of a liquid jet in a Mach 2 crossflow demonstrate the robustness of the method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experimentally validated high-fidelity simulations of a liquid jet in supersonic crossflow

Here, utilizing recent advancements in computational schemes for compressible, multiphase flows, this work features a parametric study of a pure liquid jet in supersonic crossflow that involves simulating the atomization process for four values of momentum-flux ratio. These simulations are validated against experimental results measured with high-speed X-ray imaging, which confirm the accuracy of the numerical approach. Also, the effect of numerical resolution on some flow behavior is investigated, revealing convergence of the jet shape and surface instability wavelength. Analysis of the resulting sprays includes statistical descriptions of the liquid distribution, liquid structures created through breakup, interfacial instabilities, and dominant flow features. As the flowrate increases, the spray penetrates further, it becomes more disperse, and less liquid impacts the wall, but the droplet size distribution changes little. The wavelength of instabilities on the windward side of the jet diverges from measured trends in subsonic crossflows. In a visualization of the time-averaged flow, counter-rotating vortices are observed along the jet core and in the wake, affecting the process of primary atomization and early droplet trajectories.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Turbulent eddies in a compressible jet in crossflow measured using pulse-burst particle image velocimetry

Pulse-burst Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV) has been employed to acquire time-resolved data at 25 kHz of a supersonic jet exhausting into a subsonic compressible crossflow. Data were acquired along the windward boundary of the jet shear layer and used to identify turbulenteddies as they convect downstream in the far-field of the interaction. Eddies were found to have a tendency to occur in closely spaced counter-rotating pairs and are routinely observed in the PIV movies, but the variable orientation of these pairs makes them difficult to detect statistically. Correlated counter-rotating vortices are more strongly observed to pass by at a larger spacing, both leading and trailing the reference eddy. This indicates the paired nature of the turbulenteddies and the tendency for these pairs to recur at repeatable spacing. Velocity spectra reveal a peak at a frequency consistent with this larger spacing between shear-layer vortices rotating with identical sign. The spatial scale of these vortices appears similar to previous observations of compressible jets in crossflow. Furthermore,super-sampled velocity spectra to 150 kHz reveal a power-law dependency of –5/3 in the inertial subrange as well as a –1 dependency at lower frequencies attributed to the scales of the dominant shear-layer eddies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

HTR solver: An open-source exascale-oriented task-based multi-GPU high-order code for hypersonic aerothermodynamics

In this study, the open-source Hypersonics Task-based Research (HTR) solver for hypersonic aerothermodynamics is described. The physical formulation of the code includes thermochemical effects induced by high temperatures (vibrational excitation and chemical dissociation). The HTR solver uses high-order TENO-based spatial discretization on structured grids and efficient time integrators for stiff systems, is highly scalable in GPU-based supercomputers as a result of its implementation in the Regent/Legion stack, and is designed for direct numerical simulations of canonical hypersonic flows at high Reynolds numbers. Additionally, the performance of the HTR solver is tested with benchmark cases including inviscid vortex advection, low- and high-speed laminar boundary layers, inviscid one-dimensional compressible flows in shock tubes, supersonic turbulent channel flows, and hypersonic transitional boundary layers of both calorically perfect gases and dissociating air.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗