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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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NASA NTRS1984

Experimental and analytical analyses of the mechanisms governing the dispersion of flammable clouds formed by liquid hydrogen spills

This paper presents the initial findings of hydrogen vapor cloud dispersion experiments conducted by NASA. The experiments were performed to obtain basic information regarding the physical phenomena governing the dispersion of flammable clouds formed as the result of spills of large quantities of liquid hydrogen. The experiments consisted of ground spills of up to 5.7 cu m of liquid hydrogen with spill durations of approx. 35 s. Instrumented towers, located downwind of the spill site, gathered data on the temperature, hydrogen concentration and turbulence levels as the hydrogen vapor cloud drifted downwind. Preliminary results of the experiments indicate that, for rapid spills, thermal and momentum-induced turbulences cause the cloud to disperse to safe concentration levels and become positively buoyant long before mixing due to normal atmospheric turbulence becomes a major factor. An adiabatic mixing model has been developed to deduce hydrogen-air mixture ratios for temperature measurements obtained within the cloud formed by liquid hydrogen spills.

Witcofski, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Properties of Filamentary Sublimation Residues from Dispersions of Clay in Ice

The properties of sublimate residues are of considerable interest in studies of the thermal modeling of Martian and cometary ice surfaces. The study of the formation of sand grains from this mantle on Martian polar ice is also supported by these experiments. To understand these properties, a series of low temperature vacuum experiments were run during which dirty ices that might be expected to be found in Martian polar caps and in comet nuclei were made and then freeze dried. In addition to using particulate material of appropriate grain size and minerology, particle nucleated ices were simulated by dispersing the particulates in the ice so that they did not contact one another. This noncontact dispersion was the most difficult requirement to achieve but the most rewarding in that it produced a new filamentary sublimate residue that was not a relic of the frozen dispersion. If the siliceous particles are allowed to touch one another in the ice the structure of the contacting particles in the ice will remain as a relic after the ice is sublimed away.

Stephens, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The dispersive evolution of charged-particle bunches in random magnetic fields

Shortly after a strongly anisotropic beam of charged particles is injected along a guiding magnetic field on which is superimposed a small random conponent, the particle density can be represented by a Gaussian profile whose center moves with the coherent velocity and whose width increases with time at a rate controlled by the coefficient of dispersion. Both parameters depend upon the mean free path, which characterizes scattering by the random fields, and the focusing length, which characterizes spatial variations of the guiding field. These dependencies are known explicitly for the coherent velocity. Formulae for coefficient of dispersion are available only in the limits of very weak and very strong focusing. A new expression for coefficient of dispersion, which spans this gap, is presented.

Earl, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The influence of temperature on the lubricating effectiveness of MoS2 dispersed in mineral oils

The effects of oil viscosity, base oil temperature, and surface-active agents naturally present in mineral oils on the lubricating effectiveness of MoS2 dispersions under boundary lubrication conditions are investigated. Friction and wear data are obtained from tests conducted under a wide range of oil viscosities and operating temperatures. The dispersion temperature at which the friction dropped below that obtained with the base oils, depended upon the base oil viscosity and the concentration of surface-active agents present in the oil. White oils showed reductions in friction before mineral oils of like viscosity, and lower viscosity oils showed reductions in friction before heavier viscosity oils. The results show that for a given base oil, wear increases as temperature increases, while the wear obtained from a MoS2 dispersion made from the base oil remains approximately constant as temperature is increased.

Rolek, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

On the applicability of relativistic dispersion to auroral zone electron distributions

An examination is made to identify appropriate times to include weakly relativistic wave dispersion in calculations of auroral zone electron distributions. Two dispersion relations are examined. First, solutions are found for a ring distribution of particles around a cold ambient plasma. The solutions are found only for modes near the electron gyrofrequency. A trapped mode which is decoupled from the freely propagating R-X mode of cold plasmas is found to be the most unstable mode. Wave dispersion is examined with a spherically symmetric Dory-Guest-Harris (DGH) distribution, which describes a shell distribution that has a peak momentum larger than the thermal spread. The trapped mode is again found to be the most unstable. The analysis indicates it is beneficial to include relativistic effects whenever calculating auroral plasma distributions, and that a simple model will have sufficient accuracy.

Strangeway, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Properties of filamentary sublimation residues from dispersions of clay in ice

Results are reported from experimental studies of the formation of ice mixed with mineral particles in an effort to simulate similar processes on natural surfaces such as at the Martian poles, on comet nuclei and on icy satellites. The study consisted of low-pressure, low-temperature sublimations of water ice from dilutions of water-clay (montmorillonite and Cabosil) dispersions of various component ratios. Liquid dispersions were sprayed into liquid nitrogen to form droplets at about -50 C. Both clay-water dispersions left a filamentary residue on the bottom of the Dewar after the water ice had sublimated off. The residue was studied with optical and SEM microscopy, the latter method revealing a high electrical conductivity in the residue. The results suggest that the sublimation of the water ice can leave a surface crust, which may be analogous to processes at the Martian poles and on comet nuclei. The process could proceed by the attachment of water molecules to salt crystals during the hottest part of the Martian year. The residue remaining was found to remain stable up to 370 C, be porous, and remain resilient, which could allow it to insulate ice bodies such as comets in space.

Saunders, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The velocity dispersion of the giant molecule clouds: A viscous origin

The observations of interstellar cloud motion show that the cloud velocity dispersion is nearly constant, to within a factor of 2, for clouds covering at least three orders of magnitude in mass. For example, the Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) with typical masses of approx 5 x 10 to the 5th power solar masses have a one-dimensional planar, cloud-cloud, random velocity dispersion of approx 3-7 km/s. The HI clouds, of approx. 400 solar masses each, on the other hand, have a typical one-dimensional velocity dispersion of approx 6 km/s. Clearly, the clouds are not in kinetic energy equipartion. The GMC spatial distribution in the galactic disk is not that of an isolated, 3-D system; rather, the GMCs exhibit a very thin disk (approx nearly a monolayer) distribution; with the ratio of the diameter of a typical GMC to the vertical scale-height of the GMC distribution being approx 50 pc/150 pc = 0.3. The supernova shocks, which can accelerate the low mass clouds, are extremely ineffective in accelerating the GMCs because of the much larger mass/area ratio for the GMCs. The above points suggest that the GMCs do not constitute an isolated, 3-D system - rather, they indicate that the dynamics of the GMCs is mainly determined by the fact that they are located in a differentially rotating galactic disk, and that, as for particles in planetary rings, viscosity is the primary energy input. Specifically, it is proposed that gravitational scattering of the massive clouds off each other in the differentially rotating galactic disk constitutes an effective gravitational viscosity, which causes an increase in the random kinetic energy of the GMCs at the expense of their ordered, rotational kinetic energy.

Jog, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Dispersion characteristics of volcanically injected aerosol as seen by SAGE I, SAM II, and SAGE II

General features of the dispersion of aerosols injected into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions are described on the bases of data from the SAGE I, SAGE II and SAM II satellites. All three satellites carried sensors which measured the vertical profile of aerosol extinction at 1 micron wavelength. The discussion covers the eruptions of seven volcanoes over the period 1979-82. The events occurred at low latitudes and in the Northern Hemisphere. Aerosols from Northern Hemisphere eruptions stayed in the Northern Hemisphere, while aerosols from low latitude events spread to both hemispheres. Dispersion was fastest in the winter hemisphere. Sample details are discussed from tracking the dispersion of the aerosol from the eruption of El Chichon by SAGE II sensors.

Kent, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Particle dispersion models and drag coefficients for particles in turbulent flows

Some of the concepts underlying particle dispersion due to turbulence are reviewed. The traditional approaches to particle dispersion in homogeneous, stationary turbulent fields are addressed, and recent work on particle dispersion in large scale turbulent structures is reviewed. The state of knowledge of particle drag coefficients in turbulent gas-particle flows is also reviewed.

Crowe, C. T.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Approximation of the dielectric properties of Maxwellian plasmas - Dispersion functions and physical constraints

The dielectric properties of Maxwellian plasmas are approximated using high Pade approximants to the dispersion function and direct approximation of the distribution. Physical constraints on permissible approximations are discussed, and it is found that some previously published results can lead to predictions of qualitatively incorrect wave properties, including unphysical negative damping. Approximate dispersion functions for Maxwellian distributions are given explicitly, and some of the effects of these approximations on the resulting dispersion are discussed. The approximations discussed here are of use both in analytical work and in accelerating large-scale numerical computations.

Robinson, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The effect of dispersion upon charged particle transport in random magnetic fields

Shortly after a strongly anisotropic beam is injected along a guiding magnetic field on which is superposed a small random component, the charged-particle density can be represented by a Gaussian profile whose center moves with the coherent velocity and whose width increases with time at a rate controlled by the coefficient of dispersion. Both parameters of this coherent mode of propagation depend upon the mean free path, which characterizes scattering by the random fields, and the focusing length, which characterizes spatial variations of the guiding field. These dependences are known explicitly for the coherent velocity, but expressions for the coefficient of dispersion are available only in the limits of very weak and very strong focusing. To span this gap, a more comprehensive analytic description of focused transport has been developed. This description includes dispersion and is valid for arbitrary spatial dependences of both the scattering mean free path and the focusing length.

Earl, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

1300 K compressive properties of several dispersion strengthened NiAl materials

To examine the potential of rapid solidification technology (RST) as a means to fabricate dispersion-strengthened aluminides, cylindrical compression samples were machined from the gauge section of their tensile specimens and tested in air at 1300 K. While microscopy indicates that RST can produce fine dispersions of TiB2, TiC and HfC in a NiAl matrix, the mechanical property data reveal that only HfC successfully strengthens the intermetallic matrix. The high stress exponents (above 10) and/or independence of strain rate on stress for NiAl-HfC materials suggest elevated temperature mechanical behavior similar to that found in oxide dispersion-strengthened alloys. Furthermore, an apparent example of departure side pinning has been observed, and as such, it is indicative of a threshold stress for creep.

Whittenberger, J. Daniel↗
NASA NTRS1991

Evaluation of an efficient statistical transport model for turbulent droplet dispersion in dilute combusting sprays

Evaluation of an efficient statistical transport model for turbulent droplet dispersion is made for a dilute spray of methanol droplets injected into a turbulent, axisymmnetric methane-fuelled diffusion flame burning in stagnant air. In the dispersion model, a computational parcel representing a group of physical particles (droplets) is considered to have a normal probability density function (pdf) in space. The mean is determined by Lagrangian tracking through a sequence of stochastically generated turbulent eddies and the variance is evaluated from a statistical formulation based on the linearized particle equations of motion. The basic validity of this model is established through comparison with available experimental data and with theoretical predictions using a conventional stochastic direct modeling approach. The conclusion of the evaluation is that the proposed dispersion model compares favorably with experimental data and provides a valid technique for simulating turbulent combusting sprays with significant computational savings over conventional methods.

Litchford, Ron J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computational dispersion properties of horizontal staggered grids for atmospheric and ocean models

The computational dispersion properties of horizontally and time-horizontally staggered grids utilizing corresponding centered-difference techniques for approximation of the adjustment, or gravity wave equations, are examined in terms of their group velocity characteristics. Results are acquired for oceanic and atmospheric models, the former being characterized by a much smaller Rossby radius of deformation. For all grids considered additional filtering is required to control and even eliminate waves with poor computational dispersion characteristics. Computational dispersion properties along with other computational characteristics and requirements give some guidance for an optimal selection of an appropriate grid for an ocean or atmospheric model.

Fox-Rabinovitz, Michael S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Materials dispersion and biodynamics project research

The Materials Dispersion and Biodynamics Project (MDBP) focuses on dispersion and mixing of various biological materials and the dynamics of cell-to-cell communication and intracellular molecular trafficking in microgravity. Research activities encompass biomedical applications, basic cell biology, biotechnology (products from cells), protein crystal development, ecological life support systems (involving algae and bacteria), drug delivery (microencapsulation), biofilm deposition by living organisms, and hardware development to support living cells on Space Station Freedom (SSF). Project goals are to expand the existing microgravity science database through experiments on sounding rockets, the Shuttle, and COMET program orbiters and to evolve,through current database acquisition and feasibility testing, to more mature and larger-scale commercial operations on SSF. Maximized utilization of SSF for these science applications will mean that service companies will have a role in providing equipment for use by a number of different customers. An example of a potential forerunner of such a service for SSF is the Materials Dispersion Apparatus (MDA) 'mini lab' of Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc. (ITA) in use on the Shuttle for the Commercial MDAITA Experiments (CMIX) Project. The MDA wells provide the capability for a number of investigators to perform mixing and bioprocessing experiments in space. In the area of human adaptation to microgravity, a significant database has been obtained over the past three decades. Some low-g effects are similar to Earth-based disorders (anemia, osteoporosis, neuromuscular diseases, and immune system disorders). As new information targets potential profit-making processes, services and products from microgravity, commercial space ventures are expected to expand accordingly. Cooperative CCDS research in the above mentioned areas is essential for maturing SSF biotechnology and to ensure U.S. leadership in space technology. Currently, the MDBP conducts collaborative research with investigators at the Rockefeller University, National Cancer Institute, and the Universities of California, Arizona, and Alabama in Birmingham. The growing database from these collaborations provides fundamental information applicable to development of cell products, manipulation of immune cell response, bone cell growth and mineralization, and other processes altered by low-gravity. Contacts with biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies are being increased to reach uninformed potential SSF users, provide access through the CMDS to interested users for feasibility studies, and to continue active involvement of current participants. We encourage and actively seek participation of private sector companies, and university and government researchers interested in biopharmaceuticals, hardware development and fundamental research in microgravity.

Lewis, Marian L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Direct simulation of particle dispersion in a decaying isotropic turbulence

Results of a numerical investigation of the dispersion of solid particles in decaying isotropic turbulence are presented. The 3D time-dependent velocity field of a homogeneous nonstationary turbulence is computed using the method of direct numerical simulation (DNS). The dispersion characteristics of three different solid particles (corn, copper, and glass) injected in the flow are obtained by integrating the complete equation of particle motion along the instantaneous trajectories of 22-cubed particles for each particle type, and then by performing ensemble averaging. Good agreement was achieved between the present DNS results and the measured time development of the mean-square displacement of the particles. Questions of how and why the dispersion statistics of a solid particle differ from those of its corresponding fluid point and surrounding fluid and what influences inertia and gravity have on these statistics are also discussed.

Elghobashi, S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Partially exposed polymer dispersed liquid crystals for boundary layer investigations

A new configuration termed partially exposed polymer dispersed liquid crystal in which the liquid crystal microdroplets dispersed in a rigid polymer matrix are partially entrapped on the free surface of the thin film deposited on a glass substrate is reported. Optical transmission characteristics of the partially exposed polymer dispersed liquid crystal thin film in response to an air flow induced shear stress field reveal its potential as a sensor for gas flow and boundary layer investigations.

Parmar, Devendra S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The evolution of strongly modulated, low-frequency, moderate-amplitude wave packets in a dispersive plasma

The evolution of strongly modulated wave packets in a dispersive plasma that propagate parallel to the magnetic field is studied. Modulation effects are shown to reduce significantly (about 30 percent) the rate of spreading from that due to dispersion alone. For fluidlike behavior, nonlinearity has its greatest impact on evolution when the linear sound speed and initial wave packet speeds are well matched, resulting in a strong coupling between the wave magnetic and sonic components. Ion kinetic processes reduce the impact of nonlinearity and cause the rate of spreading to approach that expected from dispersion alone as the ratio of ion and electron temperatures, Ti/Te approaches 4. For Beta equal to or greater than 1 and Ti/Te of about 1, the coupled waveforms correspond qualitatively to kinetic treatments of the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger equation.

Vasquez, Bernard J.↗