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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 217 records · Page 12

A laser tomographic investigation of liquid fuel sprays

A light scattering technique is combined with a tomographic transformation to convert line of sight integrated data, measured in sprays, to measurements of droplet size and concentration in volume elements within the spray. The technique is developed and assessed by systematic experiments in axisymmetric sprays generated by twin-fluid atomisers. The good agreement found shows that, provided certain conditions are satisfied by the local spray structure, the technique provides information on spray structure, similar in detail and extent to that derived by photography, but with reduced experimental time. The technique is applied to an investigation of a kerosene spray vaporizing in a hot gas stream.

Yule, A. J.↗

Research on the applications of space technology

Communication satellites and technology transfer are discussed in seven individual reports. Topics cover: (1) NASA'S technological alternatives assuming that the orbit-spectrum resource will continue to be allocated to communication satellite service providers at zero price; (2) the economic aspects of orbit-spectrum allocation; (3) the cost structure of local distribution systems for satellite communication; (4) the economic basis for national science and technology policy; (5) the economics of the household economy; (6) government patent policy; and (7) screening and evaluation in information dissemination.

Source record↗

The ultraviolet spectrum of the peculiar A star HD 51418

High-dispersion observations of the peculiar A star HD 51418 have been carried out in the ultraviolet by the IUE satellite. Atomic resonance lines observed in the regions 1800-2000 and 2500-3000 A include those of Mg II, Ti II, Cr I, Cr II, Mn II, Fe II and Zn II, and possibly Si II, S I, V II, Fe I, Co II, Y II, Ce II, Ce III, Eu II, Eu III and Tb III. The Mg II 2796 and 2803 A resonance lines exhibit definite variations in equivalent width with orbital phase, which can be attributed to changes in the local atmospheric structure due to the patchy distribution of other elements. In addition, the observations confirm the well known trend for a light-heavy asymmetry in iron peak spectra similar to that observed in the rare earths.

Adelman, S. J.↗

Homogeneous condensation - Freezing nucleation rate measurements for small water droplets in an expansion cloud chamber

Experimental data on ice nucleation, presented in an earlier paper, are analyzed to yield information about the homogeneous nucleation rate of ice from supercooled liquid and the heights of energy barriers to that nucleation. The experiment consisted of using an expansion cloud chamber to nucleate from the vapor a cloud of supercooled pure water drops and the observation of the fraction of drops which subsequently froze. The analysis employed standard classical homogeneous nucleation theory. The data are used to extract the first experimental measurement (albeit indirect) of the activation energy for the transfer of a water molecule across the liquid-ice interface at temperatures near -40 C. The results provide further evidence that the local liquid structure becomes more icelike as the temperature is lowered.

Hagen, D. E.↗

Holographic interferometry technique for rotary wing aerodynamics and noise

The concepts of holography and holographic interferometry, as applied to the visualization and measurement of the three dimensional flow field near a rotor tip, are previewed, and initial experimental results of investigations of local shock structures and tip vortices behind the blade are presented. An additional method to visualize the flow in a three dimensional manner is demonstrated, and finally, a method to quantitatively measure the three dimensional flow, which will provide the necessary information to help improve helicopter performance and reduce noise, is introduced.

Kittleson, J. K.↗

An experimental investigation of noise attenuating techniques for space-shuttle canisters

A model of the space shuttle thermal canister was acoustically tested to determine the amount of noise attenuation which could be derived using a simple, single-wall canister construction having rectangular shape. Acoustic testing was performed on the basic canister and with noise-attenuating design modifications. The basic canister experienced noise amplifications at 56 and 80 Hz, which are attributed to the fundamental canister acoustic mode and local panel structural resonances, respectively. The standing wave response at 56 Hz was effectively suppressed by the incorporation of a cardboard baffle midway between the canister end-caps (an additional overall noise reduction of 4 dB). The canister was next tested with 14%, 22.5% and 31% sound absorptive coverages on the interior walls. The coverage was effective between 400-3000 Hz; the maximum benefit (9 dB) occurring at 1600 Hz. Viscoelastic damping strips bonded to the canister exterior provided an additional 4 to 5 dB attenuation over much of the frequency range and has an overall reduction of about 10 dB as compared to 4.4 dB without damping. A significant reduction of the resonant effect at 80 Hz was noted.

Mirandy, L.↗

Negatively supercoiled simian virus 40 DNA contains Z-DNA segments within transcriptional enhancer sequences

Three 8-base pair (bp) segments of alternating purine-pyrimidine from the simian virus 40 enhancer region form Z-DNA on negative supercoiling; minichromosome DNase I-hypersensitive sites determined by others bracket these three segments. A survey of transcriptional enhancer sequences reveals a pattern of potential Z-DNA-forming regions which occur in pairs 50-80 bp apart. This may influence local chromatin structure and may be related to transcriptional activation.

Nordheim, A.↗

Optical absorption from the high-velocity neutral hydrogen complex C in the spectrum of the RR Lyrae star BT Draconis

The detection of interstellar Na D absorption lines at a local standard of rest (LSR) velocity of -85 km/s is reported, together with tentative detections of further Na D lines at -133 km/s and -110 km/s, in the spectrum of the RR Lyrae star BT Draconis which lies toward the high-velocity neutral hydrogen complex C (LSR velocity around -115 km/s). This suggests an upper limit of 2.1 kpc on the distance to this high-velocity complex, and indicates that the complex has near-cosmic metallicity. This result strongly favors either a model in which complex C is formed by infalling material in the halo, which has originated in the Galactic disk, or one in which it is part of a large relatively local shell structure.

Songaila, A.↗

Growth of a diffusion flame in the field of a vortex

In the present study of the growth of a diffusion flame in the field of a vortex, the motion in the core is converted into a solid body rotation. The flame extension and distortion kinematics are presented, and the effect of the local flow field on local flame structure is analyzed in detail. The combustion field is found to consist of a totally reacted core region whose radius is time-dependent, and an external flame region which consists of a pair of spiral arms that extend at large radii toward their original positions on the horizontal axis. Two similarity rules are formulated which are independent of kinematic viscosity.

Marble, F. E.↗

Natural ELF noise evaluation for TSS emissions detection on the Earth's surface. The electric field component approach

The preliminary estimate of the local noise structure in the proximity of a receiver is essential to establishing the detectability of a given signal in presence of such noise. The possibility of detecting the Electric Field Component of the background noise by means of electric dipoles horizontally placed on the sea bed in shallow water is outlined, in order to find its spectral and statistical characteristics for the definition of the optimal receiving system.

Tacconi, G.↗

Dust counter and mass analyser (DUCMA) measurements of comet Halley's coma from Vega spacecraft

Measurements of dust particles in comet Halley's coma from Vega spacecraft made with instruments using a new principle of dust detection and having a high time resolution over a large range of dust fluxes and masses are reported. The dust coma, whether quiescent (as seen by Vega 2) or containing a major jet structure, (as seen by Vega 1) displays large, short-term variations throughout which are at times quasi-periodic. The integral mass spectra increase in intensity to the lowest masses measured, and the flux levels lie approximately in the ranges estimated previously from ground-based observations. The coma is highly dynamical on all spatial and temporal scales, suggesting a complex structure of localized regions of dust emission from the nucleus.

Simpson, J. A.↗

Solution adaptivity using a triangular mesh

Solution adaptivity is discussed first from a general perspective and then from the specific viewpoint of triangular meshes. The use of a general connectivity triangular mesh is emphasized. The development of monitor surfaces and their geometric properties is discussed. Mesh point movement is addressed, as is the dynamic restructuring of the connectivity pattern among moving modes. Changes in the number of mesh nodes to obtain suitable refinement for a physical simulation is examined, and the use of locally regular structures to offset the data structure limitation of a general connectivity triangular mesh and thus to obtain an enhanced range of application is considered. To illustrate the basic features of the adaptive triangular mesh strategy, an application to the study of plasma equilibrium is briefly considered.

Eiseman, P. R.↗

Magnetohydrodynamic modeling of coronal bright points

Coronal bright points are known to be magnetic in nature. A two-dimensional MHD code was devleoped to investigate the rsponse of a stratified atmosphere to a localized magnetic structure. If a bright point occurs at a region where flux tubes of opposite polarity have encountered by chance it is found that, in the presence of stratification, a net upward mass flux results. Upflow velocities of up to one half of the Alfven speed are produced. The implications of the results for mass outflows from bright points in coronal holes are discussed.

Waldron, W. L.↗

Velocity-coupled flow oscillations in a simulated solid-propellant rocket environment

A comprehensive numerical analysis has been carried out to study the unsteady flowfields in a simulated rocket-motor environment. The model is based on the time-dependent compressible Navier-Stokes equations with a two-equation turbulence closure scheme. Various important aspects of the coupling between acoustic oscillations and mean flowfields, including flow reversal, modification of transport properties, etc., are addressed. Results indicate that multi-dimensional effects play important roles in determining local flow structures and wave characteristics. In much of the domain, acoustic velocity nodal points are observed in the near-wall region. The classical one-dimensional theory fails to describe several important mechanisms associated with velocity-induced flow instabilities.

Yang, Vigor↗

Nonconforming mortar element methods: Application to spectral discretizations

Spectral element methods are p-type weighted residual techniques for partial differential equations that combine the generality of finite element methods with the accuracy of spectral methods. Presented here is a new nonconforming discretization which greatly improves the flexibility of the spectral element approach as regards automatic mesh generation and non-propagating local mesh refinement. The method is based on the introduction of an auxiliary mortar trace space, and constitutes a new approach to discretization-driven domain decomposition characterized by a clean decoupling of the local, structure-preserving residual evaluations and the transmission of boundary and continuity conditions. The flexibility of the mortar method is illustrated by several nonconforming adaptive Navier-Stokes calculations in complex geometry.

Maday, Yvon↗

Application of a lower-upper implicit scheme and an interactive grid generation for turbomachinery flow field simulations

A finite-volume lower-upper (LU) implicit scheme is used to simulate an inviscid flow in a tubine cascade. This approximate factorization scheme requires only the inversion of sparse lower and upper triangular matrices, which can be done efficiently without extensive storage. As an implicit scheme it allows a large time step to reach the steady state. An interactive grid generation program (TURBO), which is being developed, is used to generate grids. This program uses the control point form of algebraic grid generation which uses a sparse collection of control points from which the shape and position of coordinate curves can be adjusted. A distinct advantage of TURBO compared with other grid generation programs is that it allows the easy change of local mesh structure without affecting the grid outside the domain of independence. Sample grids are generated by TURBO for a compressor rotor blade and a turbine cascade. The turbine cascade flow is simulated by using the LU implicit scheme on the grid generated by TURBO.

Choo, Yung K.↗

Geodetic measurement of deformation in California

The very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) measurements made in the western U.S. since 1979 as part of the NASA Crustal Dynamics Project provide discrete samples of the temporal and spatial deformation field. The interpretation of the VLBI-derived rates of deformation requires an examination of geologic information and more densely sampled ground-based geodetic data. In the first two of three related studies embodying this thesis triangulation and trilateration data measured on two regional networks are processed, one in the central Mojave Desert and one in the Coast Ranges east of the San Andreas fault. At the spatial scales spanned by these local geodetic networks, auxiliary geologic and geophysical data have been utilized to examine the relation between measured incremental strain and the accommodation of strain seen in local geological structures, strain release in earthquakes, and principal stress directions inferred from in situ measurements. In the third study, VLBI data from stations distributed across the Pacific - North American plate boundary zone in the western United States are processed. The VLBI data have been used to constrain the integrated rate of deformation across portions of the continental plate boundary in California and to provide a tectonic framework to interpret regional geodetic and geologic studies.

Sauber, Jeanne Marie↗