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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Combustion characteristics of gas turbine alternative fuels

An experimental investigation was conducted to obtain combustion performance values for specific heavyend, synthetic hydrocarbon fuels. A flame tube combustor modified to duplicate an advanced gas turbine engine combustor was used for the tests. Each fuel was tested at steady-state operating conditions over a range of mass flow rates, fuel-to-air mass ratio, and inlet air temperatures. The combustion pressure, as well as the hardware, were kept nearly constant over the program test phase. Test results were obtained in regards to geometric temperature pattern factors as a function of combustor wall temperatures, the combustion gas temperature, and the combustion emissions, both as affected by the mass flow rate and fuel-to-air ratio. The synthetic fuels were reacted in the combustor such that for most tests their performance was as good, if not better, than the baseline gasoline or diesel fuel tests. The only detrimental effects were that at high inlet air temperature conditions, fuel decomposition occurred in the fuel atomizing nozzle passages resulting in blockage. And the nitrogen oxide emissions were above EPA limits at low flow rate and high operating temperature conditions.

Rollbuhler, R. James↗
NASA NTRS1992

A new skin friction balance and selected measurements

A new skin friction balance with moving belt has been developed for measurement of the surface shear stress component in the direction of belt motion. The device is described in this paper with typical measurement results. This instrument is symmetric in design with small moving mass negligible internal friction. It is 3.8 cm high, 3.8 cm long and 2.1 cm wide, with the sensing surface 0.7 cm wide and 1.5 cm long, and it can be made in various sizes. The unique design of this instrument has reduced some of the errors associated with conventional floating-element balances. The instrument can use various sensing systems and the output signal is a linear function of the wall shear stress. Measurements show good agreement with data obtained by the floating element balances and flat plate prediction techniques. Dynamic measurements have been made in a limited range. The overall uncertainty of measurement is estimated to be +/- 2 percent.

Vakili, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

A finite element propagation model for extracting normal incidence impedance in nonprogressive acoustic wave fields

A propagation model method for extracting the normal incidence impedance of an acoustic material installed as a finite length segment in a wall of a duct carrying a nonprogressive wave field is presented. The method recasts the determination of the unknown impedance as the minimization of the normalized wall pressure error function. A finite element propagation model is combined with a coarse/fine grid impedance plane search technique to extract the impedance of the material. Results are presented for three different materials for which the impedance is known. For each material, the input data required for the prediction scheme was computed from modal theory and then contaminated by random error. The finite element method reproduces the known impedance of each material almost exactly for random errors typical of those found in many measurement environments. Thus, the method developed here provides a means for determining the impedance of materials in a nonprogressirve wave environment such as that usually encountered in a commercial aircraft engine and most laboratory settings.

Watson, Willie R.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Analysis of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop for a Gas Flowing Through a set of Multiple Parallel Flat Plates at High Temperatures

Equations were derived representing heat transfer and pressure drop for a gas flowing in the passages of a heater composed of a series of parallel flat plates. The plates generated heat which was transferred to the flowing gas by convection. The relatively high temperature level of this system necessitated the consideration of heat transfer between the plates by radiation. The equations were solved on an IBM 704 computer, and results were obtained for hydrogen as the working fluid for a series of cases with a gas inlet temperature of 200 R, an exit temperature of 5000 0 R, and exit Mach numbers ranging from 0.2 to O.8. The length of the heater composed of the plates ranged from 2 to 4 feet, and the spacing between the plates was varied from 0.003 to 0.01 foot. Most of the results were for a five- plate heater, but results are also given for nine plates to show the effect of increasing the number of plates. The heat generation was assumed to be identical for each plate but was varied along the length of the plates. The axial variation of power used to obtain the results presented is the so-called "2/3-cosine variation." The boundaries surrounding the set of plates, and parallel to it, were assumed adiabatic, so that all the power generated in the plates went into heating the gas. The results are presented in plots of maximum plate and maximum adiabatic wall temperatures as functions of parameters proportional to f(L/D), for the case of both laminar and turbulent flow. Here f is the Fanning friction factor and (L/D) is the length to equivalent diameter ratio of the passages in the heater. The pressure drop through the heater is presented as a function of these same parameters, the exit Mach number, and the pressure at the exit of the heater.

Einstein, Thomas H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Variable Turbulent Schmidt Number Formulation for Scramjet Application

In high speed engines, thorough turbulent mixing of fuel and air is required to obtain high performance and high efficiency. Thus, the ability to predict turbulent mixing is crucial in obtaining accurate numerical simulation of an engine and its performance. Current state of the art in CFD simulation is to assume both turbulent Prandtl number and Schmidt numbers to be constants. However, since the mixing of fuel and air is inversely proportional to the Schmidt number, a value of 0.45 for the Schmidt number will produce twice as much diffusion as that with a value of 0.9. Because of this, current CFD tools and models have not been able to provide the needed guidance required for the efficient design of a scramjet engine. The goal of this investigation is to develop the framework needed to calculate turbulent Prandtl and Schmidt numbers as part of the solution. This requires four additional equations: two for the temperature variance and its dissipation rate and two for the concentration variance and its dissipation rate. In the current investigation emphasis will be placed on studying mixing without reactions. For such flows, variable Prandtl number does not play a major role in determining the flow. This, however, will have to be addressed when combustion is present. The approach to be used is similar to that used to develop the k-zeta model. In this approach, relevant equations are derived from the exact Navier-Stokes equations and each individual correlation is modeled. This ensures that relevant physics is incorporated into the model equations. This task has been accomplished. The final set of equations have no wall or damping functions. Moreover, they are tensorially consistent and Galilean invariant. The derivation of the model equations is rather lengthy and thus will not be incorporated into this abstract, but will be included in the final paper. As a preliminary to formulating the proposed model, the original k-zeta model with constant turbulent Prandtl and Schmidt numbers is used to model the supersonic coaxial jet mixing experiments involving He, O2 and air.

Xiao, X.↗
NASA NTRS2000

New genes and new biological roles for expansins

Expansins are extracellular proteins that loosen plant cell walls in novel ways. They are thought to function in cell enlargement, pollen tube invasion of the stigma (in grasses), wall disassembly during fruit ripening, abscission and other cell separation events. Expansins are encoded by two multigene families and each gene is often expressed in highly specific locations and cell types. Structural analysis indicates that one expansin region resembles the catalytic domain of family-45 endoglucanases but glucanase activity has not been detected. The genome projects have revealed numerous expansin-related sequences but their putative wall-loosening functions remain to be assessed.

NASA Program Fundamental Space Biology↗
NASA NTRS1998

Co- and/or post-translational modifications are critical for TCH4 XET activity

TCH4 encodes a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) of Arabidopsis thaliana. XETs endolytically cleave and religate xyloglucan polymers; xyloglucan is one of the primary structural components of the plant cell wall. Therefore, XET function may affect cell shape and plant morphogenesis. To gain insight into the biochemical function of TCH4, we defined structural requirements for optimal XET activity. Recombinant baculoviruses were designed to produce distinct forms of TCH4. TCH4 protein engineered to be synthesized in the cytosol and thus lack normal co- and post-translational modifications is virtually inactive. TCH4 proteins, with and without a polyhistidine tag, that harbor an intact N-terminus are directed to the secretory pathway. Thus, as predicted, the N-terminal region of TCH4 functions as a signal peptide. TCH4 is shown to have at least one disulfide bond as monitored by a mobility shift in SDS-PAGE in the presence of dithiothreitol (DTT). This disulfide bond(s) is essential for full XET activity. TCH4 is glycosylated in vivo; glycosidases that remove N-linked glycosylation eliminated 98% of the XET activity. Thus, co- and/or post-translational modifications are critical for optimal TCH4 XET activity. Furthermore, using site-specific mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the first glutamate residue of the conserved DEIDFEFL motif (E97) is essential for activity. A change to glutamine at this position resulted in an inactive protein; a change to aspartic acid caused protein mislocalization. These data support the hypothesis that, in analogy to Bacillus beta-glucanases, this region may be the active site of XET enzymes.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
NASA NTRS2000

Nucleate Boiling Heat Transfer Studied Under Reduced-Gravity Conditions

Boiling is known to be a very efficient mode of heat transfer, and as such, it is employed in component cooling and in various energy-conversion systems. In space, boiling heat transfer may be used in thermal management, fluid handling and control, power systems, and on-orbit storage and supply systems for cryogenic propellants and life-support fluids. Recent interest in the exploration of Mars and other planets and in the concept of in situ resource utilization on the Martian and Lunar surfaces highlights the need to understand how gravity levels varying from the Earth's gravity to microgravity (1g = or > g/g(sub e) = or > 10(exp -6)g) affect boiling heat transfer. Because of the complex nature of the boiling process, no generalized prediction or procedure has been developed to describe the boiling heat transfer coefficient, particularly at reduced gravity levels. Recently, Professor Vijay K. Dhir of the University of California at Los Angeles proposed a novel building-block approach to investigate the boiling phenomena in low-gravity to microgravity environments. This approach experimentally investigates the complete process of bubble inception, growth, and departure for single bubbles formed at a well-defined and controllable nucleation site. Principal investigator Professor Vijay K. Dhir, with support from researchers from the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, is performing a series of pool boiling experiments in the low-gravity environments of the KC 135 microgravity aircraft s parabolic flight to investigate the inception, growth, departure, and merger of bubbles from single- and multiple-nucleation sites as a function of the wall superheat and the liquid subcooling. Silicon wafers with single and multiple cavities of known characteristics are being used as test surfaces. Water and PF5060 (an inert liquid) were chosen as test liquids so that the role of surface wettability and the magnitude of the effect of interfacial tension on boiling in reduced gravity can be investigated.

Chao, David F.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Rotating Rake Mode Measurements Over Passive Treatment in a Ducted Fan

The NASA Glenn Research Center s Rotating Rake mode measurement system has been successful in measuring the modal content propagating in hardwall ducts. This paper proposes an extension of the Rotating Rake measurement and analysis technique to treated sections by developing basis functions based on wall impedance boundary conditions for flow conditions (i.e., constant duct area and Mach number) where the closed form analytical solution exists. Analytical equations developed to estimate mode power are incorporated. This method is verified by decomposing and analyzing radial pressure profiles generated numerically by the Eversman propagation code. Several modes, frequencies and impedances are evaluated. Data from a low-speed ducted fan with several different impedance conditions was acquired and reduced to determine the best fit to the data. Using the impedance boundary conditions result in better mode measurement solutions.

Sutliff, Daniel L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Analytic Modeling of Pressurization and Cryogenic Propellant

An analytic model for pressurization and cryogenic propellant conditions during all mission phases of any liquid rocket based vehicle has been developed and validated. The model assumes the propellant tanks to be divided into five nodes and also implements an empirical correlation for liquid stratification if desired. The five nodes include a tank wall node exposed to ullage gas, an ullage gas node, a saturated propellant vapor node at the liquid-vapor interface, a liquid node, and a tank wall node exposed to liquid. The conservation equations of mass and energy are then applied across all the node boundaries and, with the use of perfect gas assumptions, explicit solutions for ullage and liquid conditions are derived. All fluid properties are updated real time using NIST Refprop.1 Further, mass transfer at the liquid-vapor interface is included in the form of evaporation, bulk boiling of liquid propellant, and condensation given the appropriate conditions for each. Model validation has proven highly successful against previous analytic models and various Saturn era test data and reasonably successful against more recent LH2 tank self pressurization ground test data. Finally, this model has been applied to numerous design iterations for the Altair Lunar Lander, Ares V Core Stage, and Ares V Earth Departure Stage in order to characterize Helium and autogenous pressurant requirements, propellant lost to evaporation and thermodynamic venting to maintain propellant conditions, and non-uniform tank draining in configurations utilizing multiple LH2 or LO2 propellant tanks. In conclusion, this model provides an accurate and efficient means of analyzing multiple design configurations for any cryogenic propellant tank in launch, low-acceleration coast, or in-space maneuvering and supplies the user with pressurization requirements, unusable propellants from evaporation and liquid stratification, and general ullage gas, liquid, and tank wall conditions as functions of time.

Corpening, Jeremy H.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Ascent Heating Thermal Analysis on Spacecraft Adaptor Fairings

When the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is launched, the spacecraft adaptor (SA) fairings that cover the CEV service module (SM) are exposed to aero heating. Thermal analysis is performed to compute the fairing temperatures and to investigate whether the temperatures are within the material limits for nominal ascent aeroheating case. The ascent heating is analyzed by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and engineering codes at Marshall Space Flight Center. The aeroheating environment data used for this work is known as Thermal Environment 3 (TE3) heating data. One of the major concerns is with the SA fairings covering the CEV SM and the SM/crew launch vehicle (CLV) flange interface. The TE3 heating rate is a function of time, wall temperature, and the spatial locations. The implementation of the TE3 heating rate as boundary conditions in the thermal analysis becomes challenging. The ascent heating thermal analysis on SA fairings and SM/CLV flange interface are performed using two commercial software packages: Cullimore & Ring (C&R) Thermal Desktop (TD) 5.1 and MSC Patran 2007r1 b. TD is the pre-and post-processor for SINDA, which is a finite-difference-based solver. In TD, the geometry is built and meshed, the boundary conditions are defined, and then SINDA is used to compute temperatures. MSC Pthermal is a finite-element- based thermal solver. MSC Patran is the pre- and post-processor for Pthermal. Regarding the boundary conditions, the convection, contact resistance, and heat load can be imposed in different ways in both programs. These two software packages are used to build the thermal model for the same analysis to validate each other and show the differences in the modeling details.

Wang, Xiao Yen↗
NASA NTRS2012

Nano Sponges for Drug Delivery and Medicinal Applications

This invention is a means of delivering a drug, or payload, to cells using non-covalent associations of the payload with nano-engineered scaffolds; specifically, functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and their derivatives where the payload is effectively sequestered by the nanotube's addends and then delivered to the site (often interior of a cell) of interest. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and other water-soluble organic molecules have been shown to greatly enhance the solubility of SWNTs in water. PEG groups and other water-solubilizing addends can act to sequester (sponge) molecules and deliver them into cells. Using PEG that, when attached to the SWNTs, the SWNT/PEG matrix will enter cells has been demonstrated. This was visualized by the addition of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to the SWNT/PEG matrix. Control studies showed that both FITC alone and FITC/PEG did not enter the cells. These observations suggest that the FITC is highly associated with the SWNT/PEG matrix that brings the FITC into the cells, allowing visualization of SWNTs in cells. The FITC is not covalently attached, because extended dialysis in hot DMF will remove all fluorescence quickly (one week). However, prolonged dialysis in water (1-2 months) will only slowly diminish the fluorescence. This demonstrates that the SWNT/PEG matrix solubilizes the FITC by sequestering it from the surrounding water and into the more solubilizing organic environment of the SWNT/PEG matrix of this type. This can be extended for the sequestering of other molecules such as drugs with PEG and other surfactants.

Tour, James M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The distribution of galaxies within the 'Great Wall'

The galaxy distribution within the 'Great Wall', the most striking feature in the first three 'slices' of the CfA redshift survey extension is examined. The Great Wall is extracted from the sample and is analyzed by counting galaxies in cells. The 'local' two-point correlation function within the Great Wall is computed and the local correlation length, is estimated 15/h Mpc, about 3 times larger than the correlation length for the entire sample. The redshift distribution of galaxies in the pencil-beam survey by Broadhurst et al. (1990) shows peaks separated about by large 'voids', at least to a redshift of about 0.3. The peaks might represent the intersections of their about 5/h Mpc pencil beams with structures similar to the Great Wall. Under this hypothesis, sampling of the Great Walls shows that l approximately 12/h Mpc is the minimum projected beam size required to detect all the 'walls' at redshifts between the peak of the selection function and the effective depth of the survey.

Ramella, Massimo↗
NASA NTRS1975

Spinning mode sound propagation in ducts with acoustic treatment

Recent acoustic data show larger noise attenuations than predicted for acoustically treated aircraft engine inlets without splitter rings. A theoretical study of the acoustic propagation of spinning modes in acoustically treated open circular ducts is presented, and a suppressor with splitter rings was modeled by using the rectangular approximation to the annular duct. Theoretical models were used to determine optimum impedance and maximum attenuation for several spinning lobe numbers from 0 to 50. Results of the analysis indicate that for circular ducts the maximum possible attenuation and the optimum wall impedance are strong functions of the lobe number, and for annular ducts the attenuation and optimum wall impedance are insensitive to the spinning lobe number for well cut-on modes. These results explain why suppressors with splitter rings were quite effective in spite of the lack of detailed information on the noise source modal structure. Conversely, effective use of outer wall treatment alone will require expanded knowledge of the noise source structure. Approximate solutions are presented to help interpret the more exact theoretical results.

Rice, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Cytoskeletal role in the transition from compensated to decompensated hypertrophy during adult canine left ventricular pressure overloading

Increased microtubule density causes cardiocyte contractile dysfunction in right ventricular (RV) pressure-overload hypertrophy, and these linked phenotypic and contractile abnormalities persist and progress during the transition to failure. Although more severe in cells from failing than hypertrophied RVs, the mechanical defects are normalized in each case by microtubule depolymerization. To define the role of increased microtubule density in left ventricular (LV) pressure-overload hypertrophy and failure, in a given LV we examined ventricular mechanics, sarcomere mechanics, and free tubulin and microtubule levels in control dogs and in dogs with aortic stenosis both with LV hypertrophy alone and with initially compensated hypertrophy that had progressed to LV muscle failure. In comparing initial values with those at study 8 weeks later, dogs with hypertrophy alone had a very substantial increase in LV mass but preservation of a normal ejection fraction and mean systolic wall stress. Dogs with hypertrophy and associated failure had a substantial but lesser increase in LV mass and a reduction in ejection fraction, as well as a marked increase in mean systolic wall stress. Cardiocyte contractile function was equivalent, and unaffected by microtubule depolymerization, in cells from control LVs and those with compensated hypertrophy. In contrast, cardiocyte contractile function in cells from failing LVs was quite depressed but was normalized by microtubule depolymerization. Microtubules were increased only in failing LVs. These contractile and cytoskeletal changes, when assayed longitudinally in a given dog by biopsy, appeared in failing ventricles only when wall stress began to increase and function began to decrease. Thus, the microtubule-based cardiocyte contractile dysfunction characteristic of pressure-hypertrophied myocardium, originally described in the RV, obtains equally in the LV but is shown here to have a specific association with increased wall stress.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1993

Supersonic flow calculation using a Reynolds-stress and an eddy thermal diffusivity turbulence model

A second-order model for the velocity field and a two-equation model for the temperature field are used to calculate supersonic boundary layers assuming negligible real gas effects. The modeled equations are formulated on the basis of an incompressible assumption and then extended to supersonic flows by invoking Morkovin's hypothesis, which proposes that compressibility effects are completely accounted for by mean density variations alone. In order to calculate the near-wall flow accurately, correction functions are proposed to render the modeled equations asymptotically consistent with the behavior of the exact equations near a wall and, at the same time, display the proper dependence on the molecular Prandtl number. Thus formulated, the near-wall second order turbulence model for heat transfer is applicable to supersonic flows with different Prandtl numbers. The model is validated against flows with different Prandtl numbers and supersonic flows with free-stream Mach numbers as high as 10 and wall temperature ratios as low as 0.3. Among the flow cases considered, the momentum thickness Reynolds number varies from approximately 4,000 to approximately 21,000. Good correlation with measurements of mean velocity, temperature, and its variance is obtained. Discernible improvements in the law-of-the-wall are observed, especially in the range where the big-law applies.

Sommer, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Interpretation of TEPC Measurements in Space Flights for Radiation Monitoring

For the proper interpretation of radiation data measured in space, the results of integrated radiation transport models were compared with the tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) measurements. TEPC is a simple, time-dependent approach to radiation monitoring for astronauts on board the International Space Station. Another and a newer approach to microdosimetry is the use of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology launched on the MidSTAR-1 mission in low Earth orbit (LEO). In the radiation protection practice, the average quality factor of a radiation field is defined as a function of linear energy transfer (LET), Qave(LET). However, TEPC measures the average quality factor as a function of the lineal energy y, Qave(y), defined as the average energy deposition in a volume divided by the average chord length of the volume. The deviation of y from LET is caused by energy straggling, delta-ray escape or entry, and nuclear fragments produced in the detector volume. The response distribution functions of the wall-less and walled TEPCs were calculated from Monte-Carlo track simulations. Using an integrated space radiation model (which includes the transport codes HZETRN and BRYNTRN, and the quantum nuclear interaction model QMSFRG) and the resultant response distribution functions from Monte-Carlo track simulations, we compared model calculations with the walled-TEPC measurements from NASA missions in LEO and made predictions for the lunar and the Mars missions. Good agreement was found for Qave(y) between the model and measured spectra from past NASA missions. The Qave(y) values for the trapped or the solar protons ranged from 1.9-2.5. This over-estimates the Qave(LET) values which ranged from 1.4-1.6. Both quantities increase with shield thickness due to nuclear fragmentation. The Qave(LET) for the complete GCR spectra was found to be 3.5-4.5, while flight TEPCs measured 2.9-3.4 for Qave(y). The GCR values are decreasing with the shield thickness. Our analysis of the measurements of TEPCs can be used for a proper interpretation of observed data of monitoring the space radiation environment.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Interaction of a Tunnel-like Acoustic Disturbance Field with a Blunt Cone Boundary Layer at Mach 8

The existing measurements of laminar-to-turbulent transition over circular cones in conventional (i.e., “noisy”) hypersonic wind tunnels have established that the transition location moves downstream when the nose radius is increased from zero. However, this initially downstream movement slows down and ultimately reverses beyond a critical value of the nose radius, and may be related to external forcing in the form of freestream disturbances and/or surface roughness. To understand the effects of freestream acoustic disturbances on transition reversal over a blunt body, hypersonic boundary-layer receptivity to broadband freestream acoustic disturbances from the nozzle wall of a digital conventional wind tunnel is investigated by both direct numerical simulations (DNS) and modal and nonmodal stability analysis. A Mach 8 flow over a 7 deg half-angle cone with a nose radius of 𝑅 𝑛 = 5.2mm and freestream Reynolds number of 12.2 × 10 6 m -1 is considered. The results show that the broadband tunnel noise in the free stream of a convectional hypersonic wind tunnel (i.e., outside of the nozzle-wall turbulent boundary layer) can be well represented by an acoustic model with an ansatz of slow acoustic waves. With successful calibration of the model parameters against the precursor tunnel DNS, such an acoustic ansatz can successfully reproduce both the frequency-wavenumber spectra and the temporal evolution of the broadband tunnel noise radiated from the nozzle wall. Additionally, the DNS of the Mach 8 blunt cone with tunnel-like acoustic input above the bow shock showed that the spectra of wall-pressure and heat-transfer fluctuations recovers the signature of the axisymmetric waves predicted by the nonmodal analysis. Furthermore, the azimuthal wavenumber and frequency spectrum of the temperature fluctuations as a function of the wall-normal distance show higher amplitudes for three-dimensional waves above the boundary-layer edge. The numerical schlieren contours show the inclined structures commonly observed in blunt cone experiments, demonstrating that they correspond to three-dimensional structures due to freestream disturbances in the presence of an entropy layer.

Boundary-layer transition↗