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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 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Magnetic braking in weakly ionized media

The combined magnetic braking-ambipolar diffusion problem in weakly ionized, rigidly rotating disks is studied. An analytical solution is presented for a disk whose angular velocity and magnetic yield vectors are aligned with the symmetry axis, illustrating the effects of the relative azimuthal drift of neutrals and ions. The effects of radial drift are added, commenting on the ratio of the characteristic ambipolar diffusion and magnetic braking time scales in high-mass and low-mass disks. A numerical calculation is used to show the combined action of these two processes.

Konigl, Arieh↗
NASA NTRS1990

Comparisons of thermochemical nonequilibrium viscous flowfield predictions for AFE vehicle

Numerical solutions for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment vehicle were obtained from three methods at a trajectory point corresponding to the maximum aerodynamic heating. The flow regime and vehicle's speed require a viscous model of laminar flow and finite-rate chemical and thermal modeling. The computational domain covers both forebody and base such that the shock layer and near wake flowfield are included. Because of differences in computational grids, methods of solution, and models of rate equations, the results are generally in poor agreement. Temperature and species concentrations are strongly affected by the physical model equations and associated parameters. The chemistry model based on 11 species is found to yield lower translational temperature profile near stagnation than those from a seven-species model. The vibrational temperature varies according to the modeling details. All solutions indicate that strong neutral and/or molecular dissociation and weak ionization take place at the forebody and vibrational freezing is present in the afterbody expansion region where the vibrational temperature is higher than the translational temperature. Some forms of shear layer emanating from the aerobrake skirt coalesce in the region of reversed flow behind the vehicle.

Tam, Luen T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Interaction of the terrestrial and atmospheric hydrological cycles in the context of the North American southwest summer monsoon

Work under this grant has used information on precipitation and water vapor fluxes in the area of the Mexican Monsoon to analyze the regional precipitation climatology, to understand the nature of water vapor transport during the monsoon using model and observational data, and to analyze the ability of the TRMM remote sensing algorithm to characterize precipitation. An algorithm for estimating daily surface rain volumes from hourly GOES infrared images was developed and compared to radar data. Estimates were usually within a factor of two, but different linear relations between satellite reflectances and rainfall rate were obtained for each day, storm type and storm development stage. This result suggests that using TRMM sensors to calibrate other satellite IR will need to be a complex process taking into account all three of the above factors. Another study, this one of the space-time variability of the Mexican Monsoon, indicate that TRMM will have a difficult time, over the course of its expected three year lifetime, identifying the diurnal cycle of precipitation over monsoon region. Even when considering monthly rainfalls, projected satellite estimates of August rainfall show a root mean square error of 38 percent. A related examination of spatial variability of mean monthly rainfall using a novel method for removing the effects of elevation from gridded gauge data, show wide variation from a satellite-based rainfall estimates for the same time and space resolution. One issue addressed by our research, relating to the basic character of the monsoon circulation, is the determination of the source region for moisture. The monthly maps produced from our study of monsoon variability show the presence of two rainfall maxima in the analysis normalized to sea level, one in south-central Arizona associated with the Mexican monsoon maximum and one in southeastern New Mexico associated with the Gulf of Mexico. From the point of view of vertically-integrated fluxes and flux divergence of water vapor from ECMWF data, most moisture at upper levels arrives from the Gulf of Mexico, while low level moisture comes from the northern Gulf of California. Composites of ECMWF analyses for wet and dry periods (classified by rain gauge data) show that both regimes show low level moisture arriving from northern and central Gulf of California. Above 700 MB, moisture comes from both source regions and the Sierra Madre Occidental. During wet periods a longer fetch through the moist air mass above western Mexico results in a greater moisture flux into the Sonoran Desert region, while there is less moisture from the Gulf of Mexico both above and below 700 mb. Work on the grant subcontract at the University of Colorado concentrated on the development of a technique useful to TRMM combining visible, infrared and passive microwave data for measuring precipitation. Two established techniques using either visible or infrared data applied over the US Southwest correlated with gauges at the 0.58 to 0.70 level. The application of some established passive microwave techniques were less successful for a variety of reason, including problems in both the gauge and satellite data quality, sampling problems and weaknesses inherent in the algorithms themselves. A more promising solution for accurate rainfall estimation was explored using visible and infrared data to perform a cloud classification, which when combined with information about the background (e.g. Iand/ocean), was used to select the most appropriate microwave algorithm from a suite of possibilities.

Dickinson, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Fully-Explicit and Self-Consistent Algebraic Reynolds Stress Models

A fully-explicit, self-consistent algebraic expression for the Reynolds stress, which is the exact solution to the Reynolds stress transport equation in the 'weak equilibrium' limit for two-dimensional mean flows for all linear and some quasi-linear pressure-strain models, is derived. Current explicit algebraic Reynolds stress models derived by employing the 'weak equilibrium' assumption treat the production-to-dissipation (P/epsilon) ratio implicitly, resulting in an effective viscosity that can be singular away from the equilibrium limit. In the present paper, the set of simultaneous algebraic Reynolds stress equations are solved in the full non-linear form and the eddy viscosity is found to be non-singular. Preliminary tests indicate that the model performs adequately, even for three dimensional mean flow cases. Due to the explicit and non-singular nature of the effective viscosity, this model should mitigate many of the difficulties encountered in computing complex turbulent flows with the algebraic Reynolds stress models.

Girimaji, Sharath S.↗
NASA NTRS1999

[Component and System Level of the FASTRAC Engine]

The primary activities of Lee & Associates during the period 7/20/99 to 12/31/99 as specified in the referenced Purchase Order has been in direct support of the Advanced Space Technology Program OfFice's Core Propulsion Project. An independent review to assess the program readiness to conduct component and system level testing of the FASTRAC Engine and to proceed into Fabrication has been provided. This was accomplished through the identification of program weaknesses and potential failure areas and where applicable recommended solutions were suggested to the Program Office that would mitigate technical and program risk. The approach taken to satisfy the objectives has been for the contractor to provide a team of experts with relevant experience from past programs and a strong background of experience in the fields critical to the success of the program. The team participated in Test Planning, Test Readiness Reviews for system testing at Stennis Space Center, Anomaly Resolution Reviews, an Operations Audit, and data analysis. This approach worked well in satisfying the objectives and providing the Project Office with valuable information in real time and through monthly reports. During the month of December 1999 the primary effort involved the participation in anomaly resolution and the detailed review of the data from the final H3 and H4 test series performed on the FASTRAC engine in the b-2 Horizontal Test Facility at Stennis. The more significant findings and recommendations from this review are presented in this report.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Using Distributed Fiber-optic Strain Sensing to Estimate Generalized Modal Coordinates from Flight-test Data

A method for estimating the generalized modal coordinates of an aircraft during flight has been developed. The Fiber-optic Sensing System (FOSS) offers an efficient and cost-effective method of measuring the strain at thousands of points along the wings. The estimation of modal coordinates was implemented as a two-step process. First, a maximum likelihood method is used to estimate the statistical properties of the sensors and generalized modal coordinates. Second, the strain mode shapes from the finite element model are used along with the statistical properties from the first step to estimate the generalized modal coordinates over time. Using simulated data from the X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT), different methods of modal coordinate estimation were compared to demonstrate the benefits and weaknesses of each. These were compared against the exact solution and an ordinary least squares (a more traditional method) estimate. Modal coordinate estimation methods were then applied to flight-test data from the X-56A aircraft to show that the method continues to work well with actual test data. The new estimation method provides insights unavailable from more classical approaches.

Jeffrey Ouellette↗
NASA NTRS1976

Hydraulic concentration of fields in the solar photosphere. IV - Evolution of fields near equipartition

It has previously been inferred that small isolated flux tubes appearing in supergranule boundaries are compressed to 1500 gauss or more. This paper considers whether some dynamic condition within a flux tube exists which provides both stability and a 'mechanical advantage' so that a small force over a small period of time can accomplish the enormous compression from the weak-field to the strong-field state. It is found that the equipartition solutions to the hydromagnetic equations apparently may have the desired property of permitting an infinitesimal external pressure to convert a gentle flow of gas along a weak field into a very intense field through a succession of equipartition states. An illustrative example is presented, and field compression by convective forces is analyzed.

Parker, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Laminar mixing in a small floating zone

The relationship between the flow and solute fields during steady mass transfer of a dilute component is analyzed for multi-cellular rotating flows in the floating zone process of semiconductor growth. When the recirculating flows are weak in relation to the rate of crystal growth, a closed-form solution clearly shows the link between the convection pattern in the melt and the solute distribution across the surface of the growing solid. In the limit of strong convection, finite element calculations demonstrate the tendency of the composition to become uniform over the majority of the melt. The solute segregation in the product crystal is greatest when the recirculating motion is comparable to the rate of crystal growth, and points to the danger in attempting to grow compositionally uniform materials from a nearly convectionless melt.

Harriott, George M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Computational solution of chemistry problems

AB initio quantum chemical techniques have been used to investigate weakly bound complexes of H2O and SO2. An energy gradient program was used to locate stable structures for the H2O, SO2 complexes, and SCF calculations were carried out to determine the binding energies of complexes with multiple water molecules. A 4-31G basis set was used for most potential energy searches. More accurate basis sets including a generally contracted basis set with d orbitals on the sulfur were used for geometry and binding energy verification. For single water complexes, five different stable geometries were located with binding energies between 4 and 11 Kcal mol(-1), suggesting a binding shell for H2O around SO2 and a mechanism for the formation of an SO2-containing water droplet. Calculations on one of the complexes utilizing a larger double zeta basis and d functions on the sulfur atom lead to adjusted binding energies in the range 3 to 8 Kcal mol(-1). Very little charge transfer between SO2 and H2O was present. Addition of more than one H2O was found to be energetically favorable although the addition of the fourth water in certain geometries did not increase the stability of the complex. An alternative mechanism for the tropospheric gas phase production of acid rain is suggested.

Ake, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Evaluation of a transfinite element numerical solution method for nonlinear heat transfer problems

Laplace transform techniques have been widely used to solve linear, transient field problems. A transform-based algorithm enables calculation of the response at selected times of interest without the need for stepping in time as required by conventional time integration schemes. The elimination of time stepping can substantially reduce computer time when transform techniques are implemented in a numerical finite element program. The coupling of transform techniques with spatial discretization techniques such as the finite element method has resulted in what are known as transfinite element methods. Recently attempts have been made to extend the transfinite element method to solve nonlinear, transient field problems. This paper examines the theoretical basis and numerical implementation of one such algorithm, applied to nonlinear heat transfer problems. The problem is linearized and solved by requiring a numerical iteration at selected times of interest. While shown to be acceptable for weakly nonlinear problems, this algorithm is ineffective as a general nonlinear solution method.

Cerro, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Dynamics of stratified liquids in the presence of space charge.

The dispersion characteristics of small signal electrohydrodynamic space charge and polarization waves in continuously and discretely stratified liquids are developed. The liquids, modeled as incompressible, inviscid, and perfectly insulating have distributions of mass density, charge density, permittivity, and electric field. A general set of relations for perturbation field and flow variables defined for a prototype layer are used to describe the dynamics of many superposed planar layers. It is shown that the general relations can be used to represent systems of coupled layers which approximate continuous distributions by a series of step functions. Specific examples of weak gradient and exponential distributions are presented showing that the solution found directly from the distributed theory is approached by the system of coupled layers, if the limit is taken in which the number of layers become large while each layer thickness approaches zero.

Zahn, M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Discontinuous transitions in a current-carrying plasma

The properties of 'discontinuous' transitions in a current-carrying plasma are investigated by adopting an approach based on the two-fluid equations for a plasma. Braginskii's (1965) transport equations for a two-fluid plasma carrying a current are presented, and allowance is made for collisions with a background neutral gas as well as for effects of reflected particles. The speed of sound in a current-carrying plasma is derived so that the Mach number can be defined correctly as the ratio of the flow speed to the wave phase velocity in such a plasma. The various types of discontinuities permitted by the relevant jump relations in the absence of reflected particles are classified, the effect of reflected particles on such discontinuities is examined, and it is shown that the degree of indeterminacy of a discontinuity can be changed by the presence of reflected particles. Consideration of shocks containing a population of reflected particles and adiabatic transitions indicates that the pressure of reflected particles alone can give rise to both weak and strong transitions. The construction of discontinuous periodic flow solutions is also discussed.

Lee, H.-J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Unsteady Transonic Small Disturbance theory with strong shock waves

Transonic Small Disturbance (TSD) theory is modified to yield steady and unsteady solutions in the case of strong shock waves (where the local Mach number ahead of the shock exceeds 1.3). The modification consists of an additional adjustable nonlinear term which allows the exact Rankine-Hugoniot shock jump relation to be satisfied at all times. The modified TSD theory is applied to steady and unsteady oscillatory transonic flows, and yields results which are in good agreement with solutions of the unsteady Euler equations, and which compare favorably with solutions of the full potential equation when shock waves are weak.

Kerlick, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

On convergence of computation of chemically reacting flows

The computational problems associated with high-temperature flows undergoing finite-rate ionization reactions is investigated. The conservation equations governing chemical species and vibrational and electron energies are solved simultaneously with those for overall mass, momentum, and energy for a one-dimensional subsonic flow, through a constant-area duct, originating behind a normal shock wave, using an implicit time-marching technique. Boundary conditions are imposed in the form of characteristic wave variables accounting for the effects of chemical reactions on the speed of sound. Converging solutions are obtained for cases in which chemical reactions are weak, but difficulty is encountered in other cases. The cause of the difficulty is investigated and shown to be the sharp pressure disturbances produced by such reactions.

Park, C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Difference methods for problems with different time scales

The use of difference methods for weakly nonlinear systems of ordinary differential equations with rapidly oscillating solutions is considered, and a general approach which depends only on the smoothness of the coefficients and the nonlinearities is developed. In particular, one is led to a strategy which is suitable for the detection and resolution of turning points in such systems. A computational example is presented.

Scheid, R. E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Interaction of a shock with a longitudinal vortex

In this paper we study the shock/longitudinal vortex interaction problem in axisymmetric geometry. Linearized analysis for small vortex strength is performed, and compared with results from a high order axisymmetric shock-fitted Euler solution obtained for this purpose. It is confirmed that for weak vortices, predictions from linear theory agree well with results from nonlinear numerical simulations at the shock location. To handle very strong longitudinal vortices, which may ultimately break the shock, we use an axisymmetric high order essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) shock capturing scheme. Comparison of shock-captured and shock-fitted results are performed in their regions of common validity. We also study the vortex breakdown as a function of Mach number ranging from 1.3 to 10, thus extending the range of existing results. For vortex strengths above a critical value. a triple point forms on the shock and a secondary shock forms to provide the necessary deceleration so that the fluid velocity can adjust to downstream conditions at the shock.

Erlebacher, Gordon↗
NASA NTRS2002

Waves in Turbulent Stably Stratified Shear Flow

Two approaches for the identification of internal gravity waves in sheared and unsheared homogeneous stratified turbulence are investigated. First, the phase angle between the vertical velocity and density fluctuations is considered. It was found, however, that a continuous distribution of the phase angle is present in weakly and strongly stratified flow. Second, a projection onto the solution of the linearized inviscid equations of motion of unsheared stratified flow is investigated. It was found that a solution of the fully nonlinear viscous Navier-Stokes equations can be represented by the linearized inviscid solution. The projection yields a decomposition into vertical wave modes and horizontal vortical modes.

Jacobitz, F. G.↗