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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

Quantifying Dissolution Dynamics in Porous Media Using a Spatial Flow Focusing Profile

Abstract The diverse range of patterns in porous media formed by dissolution processes depends on the relative magnitude of flow, transport, and chemical reactions at pore surfaces. However, distinguishing between regimes often relies solely on qualitative, visual comparisons of emergent structures. Here, we propose a quantitative measure capable of identifying different regimes using the concept of the spatial flow focusing profile, which segments the medium into cross sections along the flow direction to calculate the flow focusing index for each section. We employ this measure in numerical simulations of a dissolving porous medium using a pore network model. We obtain a morphological phase diagram of dissolution patterns, which we characterize using the flow focusing profile. In particular, we demonstrate that analyzing the temporal changes in the profile allows one to quantitatively distinguish between wormholing and channeling. The transition between them is shown to be affected by the heterogeneity of the system.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Discrete global grid system-based flow routing datasets in the Amazon and Yukon basins

Abstract. Discrete global grid systems (DGGS) are emerging spatial data structures widely used to organize geospatial datasets across scales. While DGGS have found applications in various scientific disciplines, including atmospheric science and ecology, their integration into physically based hydrological models and Earth system models (ESMs) has been hindered by the lack of flow routing datasets based on DGGS. In response to this gap, this study pioneers the development of new flow routing datasets using icosahedral Snyder equal-area (ISEA) DGGS and a novel mesh-independent flow direction model. We present flow routing datasets for two large basins, the tropical Amazon River basin and the Arctic Yukon River basin. These datasets (1) facilitate the adoption of DGGS for hydrological models and (2) provide flow routing inputs for evaluation of DGGS-based flow routing in the Amazon and Yukon river basins. The data are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8377765 (Liao, 2023).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Turbulent boundary layer around a group of obstacles in the direction of flow

Results of an investigation of a boundary layer in a turbulent flow on the surface of a wall having a group of obstacles on the path of flow are presented with regard to the mean velocity field, velocity distribution of the two dimensional flow, wall surface shear stresses and Reynolds stresses measured in a downstream cross section where an interference of boundary layers takes place in a flow around adjacent obstacles arranged on the path of flow.

Nakamura, I.↗

Vibration-Free Vanes Direct Cryogenic Flow

Upstream fluid-dynamic surface prevents oscillations. Simple structural addition to liquid-oxygen manifold prevents vibration and allows increased flow. T-shaped manifold uses vanes to distribute liquid oxygen. Far from vanes, spoiler suppresses vibrations caused by unstable dynamic coupling between flow and elasticity of vanes.

Rao, Gadicherla V. R.↗

Effects of flow-path variations on internal reversing flow in a tailpipe offtake configuration for ASTOVL aircraft

A one-third-scale model of a generic tailpipe offtake system for an advanced short takeoff, vertical landing (ASTOVL) aircraft was tested at the NASA Lewis Research Center Powered Lift Facility. The basic model consisted of a tailpipe with a center body to form an annulus simulating turbine outflow with no swirl; twin offtake ducts with elbows at the ends to turn the flow to a downward direction; flow control nozzles at the ends of the elbows; and a blind flange at the end of the tailpipe to simulate a closed cruise nozzle. The offtake duct-to-tailpipe diameter ratio was 0.74. Modifications of a generic nature were then made to this basic configuration to measure the effects of flow-path changes on the flow and pressure-loss characteristics. The modifications included adding rounded entrances at the forward edges of the offtake openings, blocking the tailpipe just aft the openings instead of at the cruise nozzle, changing the location of the openings along the tailpipe, removing the center body, and varying the Mach number (flow rate) over a wide range in the tailpipe ahead of the openings by changing the size of the flow control nozzles. The tests were made with unheated air at tailpipe-to-ambient pressure ratios from 1.4 to 5. Results are presented and compared with performance graphs, total-pressure contour plots, paint streak flow visualization photographs, and a flow-angle probe traverse at the offtake entrance.

Mcardle, Jack G.↗

Effects of flow-path variations on internal reversing flow in a tailpipe offtake configuration for ASTOVL aircraft

A one-third-scale model of a generic tailpipe offtake system for an advanced short takeoff, vertical landing (ASTOVL) aircraft was tested at the NASA Lewis Research Center Powered Lift Facility. The basic model consisted of a tailpipe with a center body to form an annulus simulating turbine outflow with no swirl; twin offtake ducts with elbows at the ends to turn the flow to a downward direction; flow control nozzles at the ends of the elbows; and a blind flange at the end of the tailpipe to simulate a closed cruise nozzle. The offtake duct-to-tailpipe diameter ratio was 0.74. Modifications of a generic nature were then made to this basic configuration to measure the effects of flow-path changes on the flow and pressure-loss characteristics. The modifications included adding rounded entrances at the forward edges of the offtake openings, blocking the tailpipe just aft the openings instead of at the cruise nozzle, changing the location of the openings along the tailpipe, removing the center body, and varying the Mach number (flow rate) over a wide range in the tailpipe ahead of the openings by changing the size of the flow control nozzles. The tests were made with unheated air at tailpipe-to-ambient pressure ratios from 1.4 to 5. Results are presented and compared with performance graphs, total-pressure contour plots, paint streak flow visualization photographs, and a flow-angle probe traverse at the offtake entrance.

Mcardle, Jack G.↗

Multi-Objective Optimization of a Diodic Profile

The present paper investigates the flow physics of Tesla valves and studies how various geometric parameters affect their performance. The performance of the valve is measured by its diodicity, evaluated by comparing pressure drops and discharge coefficients in the forward and reverse flow directions. First, only the flow return angle of a baseline geometry was varied to understand the impact of return angle on valve performance. These baseline geometries are first analyzed with CFD, and then fabricated and installed in a steady-state experimental test rig equipped with pressure transducers, to measure forward and reverse discharge coefficients. Seven additional geometries are also tested in cold flow to identify the impact of diode count, diode volume, and orifice size on valve performance. Next, a multi-objective optimizer is allowed to vary 12 geometric parameters to produce an optimum geometry.

Propulsion↗

Global Qualitative Flow-Path Modeling for Local State Determination in Simulation and Analysis

For qualitative modeling and analysis, a general qualitative abstraction of power transmission variables (flow and effort) for elements of flow paths includes information on resistance, net flow, permissible directions of flow, and qualitative potential is discussed. Each type of component model has flow-related variables and an associated internal flow map, connected into an overall flow network of the system. For storage devices, the implicit power transfer to the environment is represented by "virtual" circuits that include an environmental junction. A heterogeneous aggregation method simplifies the path structure. A method determines global flow-path changes during dynamic simulation and analysis, and identifies corresponding local flow state changes that are effects of global configuration changes. Flow-path determination is triggered by any change in a flow-related device variable in a simulation or analysis. Components (path elements) that may be affected are identified, and flow-related attributes favoring flow in the two possible directions are collected for each of them. Next, flow-related attributes are determined for each affected path element, based on possibly conflicting indications of flow direction. Spurious qualitative ambiguities are minimized by using relative magnitudes and permissible directions of flow, and by favoring flow sources over effort sources when comparing flow tendencies. The results are output to local flow states of affected components.

Malin, Jane T.↗

The upstream region, foreshock and bow shock wave at Halley's Comet from plasma electron measurements

Halley plasma electron parameters from 2.7 million km from the comet nucleus to the bow shock wave at 1.1 million km and beyond are surveyed. The features of the electron foreshock lying outside the shock to a distance of 230,000 km are described. It is a region of intense solar wind-comet plasma interaction in which energetic electrons are prominent. Several spikes of electrons whose energies extend to 2.5 keV appear in front of the shock. These energetic electrons may be accelerated in the same way electrons are accelerated at the Earth's bow shock to energies of 1 to 10 keV. The direction of the electron bulk flow direction changes abruptly between 1920 and 1922 UT, and the flow speed begins a sharp decline at the same time. It is suggested that the spacecraft entered the bow shock wave between 1920 and 1922 UT. Electron density variations at Halley are very much smaller than those at Giacobini-Zinner.

Anderson, K. A.↗

Air conditioning system and component therefore distributing air flow from opposite directions

The air conditioning system comprises a plurality of separate air conditioning units coupled to a common supply duct such that air may be introduced into the supply duct in two opposite flow directions. A plurality of outlets such as registers or auxiliary or branch ducts communicate with the supply duct and valve means are disposed in the supply duct at at least some of the outlets for automatically channelling a controllable amount of air from the supply duct to the associated outlet regardless of the direction of air flow within the supply duct. The valve means comprises an automatic air volume control apparatus for distribution within the air supply duct into which air may be introduced from two opposite directions. The apparatus incorporates a freely swinging movable vane in the supply duct to automatically channel into the associated outlet only the deflected air flow which has the higher relative pressure.

Obler, H. D.↗

Minijet quenching in a concurrent jet + hydro evolution and the nonequilibrium quark-gluon plasma

Minijets, created by perturbative hard QCD collisions at moderate energies, can represent a significant portion of the total multiplicity of a heavy-ion collision event. Since their transverse momenta are initially larger than the typical saturation scale describing the bulk of the equilibrating quark-gluon plasma (QGP), they ought to be described through the physics of parton energy loss. Indeed, their typical stopping distances are larger than the usual hydrodynamization time, so they do not in general hydrodynamize at the same pace than the bulk of the collision. Therefore, in general minijets cannot be described solely by a unique preequilibrium stage that bridges the initial, overoccupied glasma state, with the hydrodynamical evolution. In this work we make use of a new concurrent minijet+hydrodynamic framework in which the properties of the hydrodynamically evolving QGP are modified due to the injection of energy and momentum from the minijets. We study the system for different choices of the minimum transverse momentum associated with minijet production. In order to achieve a realistic description of charged particle multiplicity, the amount of entropy associated to the low- x initial state needs to be reduced. Moreover, the fact that the injected momentum from the randomly oriented minijets is not correlated with the spatial gradients of the system reduces overall flow, and the value of the QGP transport coefficients needs to be reduced accordingly in order to describe the measured flow coefficients in experiments. They are, in effect, an important new source of fluctuations, resulting in a spikier, notably modified hydrodynamical evolution when compared to the scenario in which the presence of minijets is ignored. We avow that their abundance makes it necessary to include their physics in holistic descriptions of heavy-ion collisions. We discuss the impact of the minijets on a number of observables, such as p T spectra and p T -differential flow v n for a wide range of centrality classes. In contrast to elliptic, triangular or quadrangular flow, here we find that directed flow, v 1 , has the strongest potential to discriminate between different minijet production rates.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Combustion of hydrogen injected into a supersonic airstream (a guide to the HISS computer program)

A computer program based on a finite-difference, implicit numerical integration scheme is described for the prediction of hydrogen injected into a supersonic airstream at an angle ranging from normal to parallel to the airstream main flow direction. Results of calculations for flow and thermal property distributions were compared with 'cold flow data' taken by NASA/Langley and show excellent correlation. Typical results for equilibrium combustion are presented and exhibit qualitatively plausible behavior. Computer time required for a given case is approximately one minute on a CDC 7600. A discussion of the assumption of parabolic flow in the injection region is given which demonstrates that improvement in calculation in this region could be obtained by a partially-parabolic procedure which has been developed. It is concluded that the technique described provides an efficient and reliable means for analyzing hydrogen injection into supersonic airstreams and the subsequent combustion.

Dyer, D. F.↗

Electric thruster research

It has been customary to assume that ions flow nearly equally in all directions from the ion production region within an electron-bombardment discharge chamber. In general, the electron current through a magnetic field can alter the electron density, and hence the ion density, in such a way that ions tend to be directed away from the region bounded by the magnetic field. When this mechanism is understood, it becomes evident that many past discharge chamber designs have operated with a preferentially directed flow of ions. Thermal losses were calculated for an oxide-free hollow cathode. At low electron emissions, the total of the radiation and conduction losses agreed with the total discharge power. At higher emissions, though, the plasma collisions external to the cathode constituted an increasingly greater fraction of the discharge power. Experimental performance of a Hall-current thruster was adversely affected by nonuniformities in the magnetic field, produced by the cathode heating current. The technology of closed-drift thrusters was reviewed. The experimental electron diffusion in the acceleration channel was found to be within about a factor of 3 of the Bohm value for the better thruster designs at most operating conditions. Thruster efficiencies of about 0.5 appear practical for the 1000 to 2000 s range of specific impulse. Lifetime information is limited, but values of several thousands of hours should be possible with anode layer thrusters operated or = to 2000 s.

Kaufman, H. R.↗

Surface hot-film method for the measurement of transition, separation and reattachment points

A real-time method of determining positions of laminar-to-turbulent transition region, separation and reattachment points and stagnation points using an array of simultaneously operated surface-mounted hot-film sensors has been developed and applied to a wind-tunnel test of a multielement airfoil model. Determination of various types of transitions and flow directions in various regimes of flows seen on multielement airfoils are possible without precise sensor calibration or laborious post-test data analysis. The results agree with established method and theoretical methods, but determination of turbulent reattachment points are not yet satisfactory.

Nakayama, Akihiko↗

Flight Test Measurements From The Tu-144LL Structure/Cabin Noise Follow-On Experiment

This follow-on flight experiment on the TU-144LL Supersonic Flying Laboratory, conducted during the period September 1998 to April 1999, was a continuation of previous Structure/Cabin Noise Experiment 2.1. Data was obtained over a wide range of altitudes and Mach numbers. Measured were: turbulent boundary layer pressure fluctuations on the fuselage over its length; structural response on skin panels using accelerometers; and flow direction over three windows using 'flow cones'. The effect of steps in the flow was also measured using two window blank pairs; each pair bridged by a plate which created small sharp forward and aft facing steps. The effect of transducer flushness with the exterior surface was also measured during flight. Height test points were chosen to cover much of the TU-144's flight envelope, as well as to obtain as large a unit Reynolds number range as possible at various Mach numbers: takeoff, subsonic, transonic, and supersonic cruise conditions up to Mach 2. Data on engine runups and background noise were acquired on the ground. The data in the form of time histories of the acoustic signals, together with auxiliary data and basic MATLAB processing modules, are available on CD-R disks.

Rizzi, Stephen A.↗

Float Zone Growth of Alloy Semiconductor Crystals: Influence of Solutocapillary Convection

Growth techniques with large free melt surfaces are affected by convective flows induced by gradients of the surface tension. In the case of dilute semiconductor alloys (in our case: germanium-silicon), the impact of solutocapillary convection (due to the concentration dependence of the surface tension) has to be taken into account in addition to the "normal" thermocapillary convection (due to the temperature dependence of the surface tension). Theoretical considerations, based on experimental temperature profiles, growth geometry, segregation coefficient, and measured values for the temperature and concentration coefficients of the surface tension, lead to the conclusion that for the germanium rich side of the Ge(1-x)Si(x) system, the contribution of solutocapillary convection is, at least in front of the solid-liquid interface, the dominant factor. It results in an additional flow roll with a flow direction opposite to the thermocapillary flow, similar to the ones reported for metal alloys or high Prandtl-number fluids.

Dold, P.↗