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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

Space shuttle SRM plume expansion sensitivity analysis

The exhaust plumes of the space shuttle solid rocket motors can have a significant effect on the base pressure and base drag of the shuttle vehicle. A parametric analysis was conducted to assess the sensitivity of the initial plume expansion angle of analytical solid rocket motor flow fields to various analytical input parameters and operating conditions. The results of the analysis are presented and conclusions reached regarding the sensitivity of the initial plume expansion angle to each parameter investigated. Operating conditions parametrically varied were chamber pressure, nozzle inlet angle, nozzle throat radius of curvature ratio and propellant particle loading. Empirical particle parameters investigated were mean size, local drag coefficient and local heat transfer coefficient. Sensitivity of the initial plume expansion angle to gas thermochemistry model and local drag coefficient model assumptions were determined.

Smith, S. D.↗

An experimental study of a self-confined flow with ring-vorticity distribution

A new form of self-confined flow was investigated in which a recirculation zone forms away from any solid boundary. An inviscid flow analysis indicated that in a purely meridional axisymmetric flow a stationary, spherical, self-confined region should occur in the center of a streamlined divergent-convergent enlargement zone. The spherical confinement region would be at rest and at constant pressure. Experimental investigations were carried out in a specially built test apparatus to establish the desired confined flow. The streamlined divergent-convergent interior shape of the test section was fabricated according to the theoretical calculation for a particular streamline. The required inlet vorticity distribution was generated by producing a velocity profile with a shaped gauze screen in the straight pipe upstream of the test section. Fluid speed and turbulence intensity were measured with a constant-temperature hot-wire anemometer system. The measured results indicated a very orderly and stable flow field.

Lin, K. M.↗

Turbulent boundary layer over porous surfaces with different surface geometries

The turbulent boundary layer over three porous walls with different surface geometries was studied in order to investigate the individual influences of porosity and small roughness, as well as their combined effects, on turbulent boundary layer behavior. The tests were conducted in a 2 m x 2 m tunnel on a large axisymmetric model at speeds corresponding to Re(L) = 5,000,000-6,000,000. The development of the turbulent boundary layer was compared for that of sintered metal, bonded screening, and perforated sheet and then to that for the flow over a solid smooth wall and a solid, sand-roughened wall. The comparisons reveal that the effect of porosity is to shift the logarithmic region of the wall law down by a certain amount from the solid wall results and to increase the skin friction values by about 30-40%. The downward shift of the logarithmic region of the wall law and the increase of the skin friction value by the combined effects of small roughness and porosity are found to be roughly the sum of their individual effects.

Kong, F. Y.↗

Porous-plug flowfield mechanisms for reducing supersonic jet noise

An experimental investigation was performed to characterize the changes in jet flowfield properties associated with noise reduction obtained by using porous-plug nozzles at supersonic pressure ratios. A series of constant-exit-area nozzles with various plug sizes was investigated over the Mach number range 0.8-1.4. Periodic shock cells were observed in the flow for a solid plug. For a porous surface, the shock cells are replaced by a gradual compression composed of multiple weak shocks originating at the surface holes. Reduction of far-field jet noise correlates with a decrease of the pressure cell strength.

Kibens, V.↗

Thermal Infrared Observations of Lava Flows During the 1984 Mauna Loa Eruption

Thermal infrared videotape images of the flowing lava streams and the vent areas at 10.6 microns were made, as well as some broadband images in the 8 to 12 micron range (for gas plume detection). These data were calibrated with on-site hand-held radiometer measurements, in-flow thermocouple measurements, and with later laboratory kiln measurements. Infrared video data are useful in quantitatively assessing the pattern and mode of flow thermal losses, particularly with regard to radiative losses from established/incipient floating crust. The general cooling of the flows downstream was readily apparent. Upper reaches of the active flow exhibited nearly crust-free main channels, radiating at about 700 to 800 degrees C. Below about the 7500 foot level (about 8 km from the vent) the flows formed nearly continuous crust and tended to spread, become less well-defined and founder due to a reduction in slope. Nevertheless, in thermal IR observations, the surface trace of the active subsurface channel was visible, radiating at about 500 to 700 degrees C. At the active flow front, most solid crust radiated at temperatures less than 500 to 600 degrees C, however bright high temperature interiors (approximately 900 to 1000 degrees C) were clearly visible though evolving fissures.

Pieri, D. C.↗

Transient Analysis of a Magnetic Heat Pump

An experimental heat pump that uses a rare earth element as the refrigerant is modeled using NASTRAN. The refrigerant is a ferromagnetic metal whose temperature rises when a magnetic field is applied and falls when the magnetic field is removed. The heat pump is used as a refrigerator to remove heat from a reservoir and discharge it through a heat exchanger. In the NASTRAN model the components modeled are represented by one-dimensional ROD elements. Heat flow in the solids and fluid are analyzed. The problem is mildly nonlinear since the heat capacity of the refrigerant is temperature-dependent. One simulation run consists of a series of transient analyses, each representing one stroke of the heat pump. An auxiliary program was written that uses the results of one NASTRAN analysis to generate data for the next NASTRAN analysis.

Schroeder, E. A.↗

Computer studies of hybrid slotted working sections with minimum steady interference at subsonic speeds

Currently there is renewed interest in the evaluation and reduction of steady wind tunnel wall interference, especially for large models. Evaluation of previous predictions for perforated and slotted tunnels suggests that a hybrid slotted tunnel (i.e., a slotted tunnel with closed slats and perforated slots) should offer minimum corrections for upwash, flow curvature and solid blockage. This suggestion is confirmed by the present computer studies of a range of rectangular hybrid slotted tunnels. The computer studies are for tunnel working section height to breadth ratios of 0.835 and 0.600 over the Mach number range from 0 to 0.85. Wings swept at 28 deg and 50 deg, with ratios of model span to tunnel breadth varying from 0 to 0.7, are considered. An idealized fuselage shape is used to predict solid and wake blockage corrections for the wall configurations selected on the basis of minimum upwash and curvature interference.

Mabey, D. G.↗

Consistent boundary conditions for Reduced Navier-Stokes (RNS) scheme applied to 3-dimensional internal viscous flows

A consistent and efficient set of boundary conditions is developed for the multi-sweep space-marching pressure-elliptic Reduced Navier-Stokes (RNS) scheme as applied for 3-D internal viscous flow problems. No-slip boundary conditions are directly imposed on the solid walls. There is no iteration procedure required in the cross plane to ensure mass conservation across each marching plane. The finite difference equations forming the coefficient matrix are ordered such that the surface normal velocity is specified on all the solid walls; unlike external flows, a pressure boundary condition in the cross plane is not required. Since continuity is directly satisfied at all points in the flow domain, the first order momentum equations can be solved directly for the pressure without the need for a Poisson pressure correction equation. The procedure developed herein can also be applied with periodic boundary conditions. The analysis is given for general compressible flows. Incompressible flow solutions are obtained, for straight and curved ducts of square cross section, to validate the procedure. These solutions are used to demonstrate the applicability of the RNS scheme, with the improved boundary conditions for internal flows with strong interaction, as would be encountered in ducts and turbomachinery geometries.

Reddy, D. R.↗

Phase transitions and 2D spherical convection in a large icy satellite

Three ice phase transitions, based on experimental and theoretical results, were incorporated into a 2D spherical convection model. These phase transitions are the exothermic Ice 1-2, the endothermic Ice 2-6, and the exothermic Ice 6-8 phase transitions. The fluid is assumed isoviscous and the anelastic liquid formulation was used. The object is an icy satellite whose physical characteristics resemble those of Ganymede or Callisto. Structural models, similar to those of Mueller and McKinnon, with different core sizes, i.e. with different degree of differentiation were studied. The shells, i.e. the mantle of the satellite, is heated both internally and from below to account for the decaying radiogenic heating and the heat flow from the solid core. The lower boundary of the mantle is rigid and isothermal, the upper boundary is isothermal. Calculations with rigid and shear stress free upper boundary are carried out in order to assess the role of the different boundary conditions. Two different Rayleigh numbers, depending on the assumed value of the viscosity, were used in the calculations and the thermal evolution of the satellite was studied. The suit of calculations presented demonstrates that phase transition cannot be ignored when the thermal evolution of a large icy satellite has to be studied. The importance of the construction of the realistic phase diagram for ice was also documented. On the other hand the degree of differentiation, simulated with the structures with different core's radius does not seem to drastically influence the overall behavior of the convective activity. Within the limits of our simulations, the post-accretional evolution seems to be independent on the degree of primordial differentiation.

Forni, O.↗

STS-47 Mission Highlights Resource Tape

The mission of the STS-47 flight is highlighted in this video. The flight crew consisted of: Cmdr. 'Hoot' Gibson, Pilot Kurt Brown, Payload Cmdr. Jan Davis, Payload Specialist. M. Mohri (Japanese Astronaut), and Mission Specialists Jay Apt and May Jemison. The primary goal of this mission was the set-up and carrying out of experiments in the accompanying Japanese Spacelab (SL-J) in cooperation with the Japanese Space Program. Dr. Mohri is the first professional Japanese astronaut to fly in space. Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife are shown addressing the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Endeavour with a small pre-launch speech. On this flight many different physical, physiological, and biological spaceborne experiments were performed. These experiments included: a gas evaporation in low gravity environment experiment; a brainwave signals from carp experiment; several human eye movement and visual physiological tests; various physiological tests on a variety of insects and frogs; a embryology experiments on tadpoles; several experiments concerned with fluid dynamics; an imaging furnace test with heated glass containing gold particles (flow measurement); a Solid Surface Combustion Experiment; and a protein crystal growth experiment. Launch, in-orbit, and landing footage is shown, along with a variety of crew activities. One feature that astronauts were able to videotape was the actual in-orbit movement of the side wing flaps of the Space Shuttle.

Source record↗

Determination of the Residence Time of Food Particles During Aseptic Sterilization

The paper describes a non-invasive method to measure the time an individual particle takes to move through a length of stainless steel pipe. The food product is in two phase flow (liquids and solids) and passes through a pipe with pressures of approximately 60 psig and temperatures of 270-285 F. The proposed problem solution is based on the detection of transitory amplitude and/or phase changes in a microwave transmission path caused by the passage of the particles of interest. The particles are enhanced in some way, as will be discussed later, such that they will provide transitory changes that are distinctive enough not to be mistaken for normal variations in the received signal (caused by the non-homogeneous nature of the medium). Two detectors (transmission paths across the pipe) will be required and place at a known separation. A minimum transit time calculation is made from which the maximum velocity can be determined. This provides the minimum residence time. Also average velocity and statistical variations can be computed so that the amount of 'over-cooking' can be determined.

Carl, J. R.↗

The Melting of Aqueous Foams

Diffusing-wave spectroscopy measurements show that ordinarily solid aqueous foams flow by a series of stick-slip avalanche-like rearrangements of neighboring bubbles from one tight packing configuration to another. Contrary to a recent prediction, the distribution of avalanche sizes do not obey a power-law distribution characteristic of self-organized criticality. This can be understood from a simple model of foam mechanics based on bubble-bubble interactions.

Durian, Douglas J.↗

JOVE: Program Accomplishments and Research Continuation Plans

We designed and constructed a centrifuge for high gravity materials science research. One Master's theses project on the directional solidification of Pb-Sn alloys demonstrated effects of high gravity on the fluid flow at the solid-liquid interface during processing. These results were published. Another investigation applied flow visualization techniques to image flow patterns in a water cell. This activity supported our research proposal for aqueous growth of L-Anginin Phosphate Single Crystals in a high gravity environment. This proposal was well reviewed but ultimately denied funding.

Hmelo, Anthony B.↗

An Interconnected Network of Core-Forming Melts Produced by Shear Deformation

The formation mechanism of terrestrial planetary is still poorly understood, and has been the subject of numerous experimental studies. Several mechanisms have been proposed by which metal-mainly iron with some nickel-could have been extracted from a silicate mantle to form the core. Most recent models involve gravitational sinking of molten metal or metal sulphide through a partially or fully molten mantle that is often referred to as a'magma ocean. Alternative models invoke percolation of molten metal along an interconnected network (that is, porous flow) through a solid silicate matrix. But experimental studies performed at high pressures have shown that, under hydrostatic conditions, these melts do not form an interconnected network, leading to the widespread assumption that formation of metallic cores requires a magma ocean. In contrast, here we present experiments which demonstrate that shear deformation to large strains can interconnect a significant fraction of initially isolated pockets of metal and metal sulphide melts in a solid matrix of polycrystalline olivine. Therefore, in a dynamic (nonhydrostatic) environment, percolation remains a viable mechanism for the segregation and migration of core-forming melts in a solid silicate mantle.

Bruhn, D.↗

Aeroacoustic Analysis of a Simplified Landing Gear

A hybrid approach is used to investigate the noise generated by a simplified landing gear without small scale parts such as hydraulic lines and fasteners. The Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings equation is used to predict the noise at far-field observer locations from flow data provided by an unsteady computational fluid dynamics calculation. A simulation with 13 million grid points has been completed, and comparisons are made between calculations with different turbulence models. Results indicate that the turbulence model has a profound effect on the levels and character of the unsteadiness. Flow data on solid surfaces and a set of permeable surfaces surrounding the gear have been collected. Noise predictions using the porous surfaces appear to be contaminated by errors caused by large wake fluctuations passing through the surfaces. However, comparisons between predictions using the solid surfaces with the near-field CFD solution are in good agreement giving confidence in the far-field results.

Lockard, David P.↗

Effect of Geometric Granularity on the Noise Signature of a Full-Scale Large Civil Transport Nose Landing Gear

Results from a comprehensive simulation campaign focused on characterizing the air-frame noise signature of a full-scale Boeing 777-300ER nose landing gear are presented. The as-flown, installed nose gear geometry was used to assess how accurately the selected computational methodology can predict far-field noise before extending the simulation approach to the complete B777-300ER aircraft in landing configuration. To facilitate direct comparisons with experimental data, the simulations were conducted for conditions matching those recorded for a flyby of the same aircraft over the ground-based phased microphone array used during the 2005 Quiet Technology Demonstrator II test. The far-field acoustic footprint of the nose landing gear was computed via a Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings integral approach, with pressures on the model solid surface or flow quantities on a permeable data surface enclosing the gear used as input. A grid refinement study performed for the baseline gear con-figuration to establish the convergence behavior of the far-field spectrum indicated that the sound pressure levels had converged at frequencies slightly beyond 5 kHz for the finest spatial resolution attempted. To ascertain the effects of geometric granularity on far-field noise, simulations of a defeatured version of the nose gear were undertaken. Comparisons with fully-dressed gear results indicated that finer geometric details add 2–4 dB to the sound pressure levels at mid- to high-frequencies (800 Hz to 5 kHz), suggesting that for accurate noise prediction such details cannot be neglected.

airframe noise↗

Opposed Flow Flame Spread in Normal, Enhanced and Reduced Gravity

Experimental and theoretical aspects of opposed-flow flame spread over solid fuels are presented with emphasis on the microgravity environments of spacecraft. For high opposing flow velocities, spread rate decreases with increasing velocity eventually leading to flame blowoff due to kinetic effects. At low opposing flow velocities, where diffusional effects are slowed and radiation becomes important, flame spread rate increases with increasing flow velocity. Extinction at low velocities is due to radiative effects. Modeling efforts that include radiation, both solid surface radiation and gas-phase radiation, predict qualitatively the experimental trends observed. Computationally, gas-phase radiation is conveniently included in solution of the conservation equations by employing a Plank mean absorption coefficient, a fraction of radiation that is fed back to the surface, and a shape function that describes the radiative flux distribution along the surface.

Altenkirch, Robert A.↗