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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Measurement of Apparent Thermal Conductivity of JSC-1A Under Ambient Pressure

The apparent thermal conductivity of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant was measured experimentally using a cylindrical apparatus. Eleven thermocouples were embedded in the simulant bed to obtain the steady state temperature distribution at various radial, axial, and azimuthal locations. The high aspect ratio of a cylindrical geometry was proven to provide a one-dimensional, axisymmetric temperature field. A test series was performed at atmospheric pressure with varying heat fluxes. The radial temperature distribution in each test fit a logarithmic function, indicating a constant thermal conductivity throughout the soil bed. However, thermal conductivity was not constant between tests at different heat fluxes. This variation is attributed to stresses created by thermal expansion of the simulant particles against the rigid chamber wall. Under stress-free conditions (20 deg C), the data suggest a temperature independent apparent conductivity of 0.1961 +/- 0.0070 W/m/ deg C

Yuan, Zeng-Guang↗
NASA NTRS1986

Intercomparison of numerical models of flaring coronal loops

The proposed Benchmark Problem consists of an infinitesimal magnetic flux tube containing a low-beta plasma. The field strength is assumed to be so large that the plasma can move only along the flux tube, whose shape remains invariant with time (i.e., the fluid motion is essentially one-dimensional). The flux tube cross section is taken to be constant over its entire length. In planar view the flux tube has a semi-circular shape, symmetric about its midpoint s = s sub max and intersecting the chromosphere-corona interface (CCI) perpendicularly at each foot point. The arc length from the loop apex to the CCI is 10,000 km. The flux tube extends an additional 2000 km below the CCI to include the chromosphere, which initially has a uniform temperature of 8000 K. The temperature at the top of the loop was fixed initially at 2 X 1 million K. The plasma is assumed to be a perfect gas (gamma = 5/3), consisting of pure hydrogen which is considered to be fully ionized at all temperatures. For simplicity, moreover, the electron and ion temperatures are taken to be everywhere equal at all times (corresponding to an artificially enhanced electron-ion collisional coupling). While there was more-or-less unanimous agreement as to certain global properties of the system behavior (peak temperature reached, thermal-wave time scales, etc.), no two groups could claim satisfactory accord when a more detailed comparison of solutions was attempted.

Kopp, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Solar flux and its variations

Data on the solar irradiance as derived from a number of sources are presented. An attempt was made to bring these data onto a uniform scale. Summation of fluxes at all wavelengths yields a figure of 1357.826 per sq m for the solar constant. Estimates are made of the solar flux variations due to flares, active regions (slowly varying component), solar rotation and the 11-year cycle. Solar activity does not produce a significant variation in the value of the solar constant. Nevertheless, variations in the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet portions of the solar flux may be several orders of magnitude during solar activity, especially at times of major flares. It is well established that these short wavelength flux enhancements cause significant changes in the terrestrial ionosphere.

Smith, E. V. P.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Five Years of Mid-Infrared Evolution of the Remnant of SN 1987A: The Encounter Between the Blast Wave and the Dusty Equatorial Ring

We have used the Spitzer satellite to monitor the laid-IR evolution of SN 1987A over a 5 year period spanning the epochs between days 6000 and 8000 since the explosion. The supernova (SN) has evolved into a supernova remnant (SNR) and its radiative output, is dominated by the interaction of the SN blast wave with the pre-existing equatorial ring (ER). The mid-IR spectrum is dominated by emission from approximately 180 K silicate dust, collisionally-heated by the hot X-ray emitting gas with a temperature and density of 5 x 10(exp 6) K and approximately 3 x 10(exp 4) per cubic centimeter, respectively. The mass of the radiating dust is approximately 1.2 x 10(exp -6) solar mass on day 7554, and scales linearly with IR flux. Comparison of the IR data with the soft X-ray flux derived from Chandra observations shows that the IR-to-X-ray flux ratio, IRX, is roughly constant with a value of 2.5. Gas-grain collisions therefore dominate the cooling of the shocked gas. The constancy of IRX is most consistent with the scenario that very little grain processing or gas cooling have occurred throughout this epoch. The shape of the dust spectrum remained unchanged during the observations while the total flux increased by a factor of approximately 5 with a time dependence of t(sup '0.87 plus or minus 0.20), t' being the time since the first encounter between the blast wave and the ER. These observations are consistent with the transitioning of the blast wave from free expansion to a Sedov phase as it propagates into the main body of the ER, as also suggested by X-ray observations. The constant spectral shape of they IR, emission provides strong constraints on the density and temperature of the shocked gas in which the interaction takes place. The IR spectra also suggest the presence of a secondary population of very small, hot (T greater than or equal to 350 K), featureless dust. If these grains spatially coexists with the silicates, then they must have shorter lifetimes. The data show slightly different rates of increase of their respective fluxes, lending some support to this hypothesis. However, the origin of this emission component and the exact nature of its relation to the silicate emission is still a major unsolved puzzle.

Dwek, Eli↗
NASA NTRS1980

Measurements of the ambient photoelectron spectrum from Atmosphere Explorer. I - AE-E measurements below 300 km during solar minimum conditions. II - AE-E measurements from 300 to 1000 km during solar minimum conditions

A study is presented of the ambient photoelectron spectrum below 300 km which includes 500 AE-E orbits observed from Dec. 13, 1975 to Feb. 24, 1976. The daytime photoelectron spectrum from 1 to 100 eV was illustrated by several spectra; high resolution 10-32 eV spectra show the widths of the photoelectron lines and the variation of the linewidth and intensity with altitude. The photoelectron flux below 300 km is constant over a period of several months; the photoelectron lines between 20 and 30 eV are very sharp when the total plasma density is low, but broaden at high altitudes as the plasma density builds up during the day. The photo-electron flux above 300 km had an intensity and energy spectrum characteristic of the 250-300 km region only in the presence of low plasma density at the satellite altitude. The flux at high altitudes was extremely variable 3 h after sunrise as a result of attenuation and energy loss to thermal plasma along the path of escaping electrons.

Lee, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Force-free fields in thin coronal loops

We solve the force-free equation J x B = 0 for fields which are toroidally symmetric. The technique utilizes an expansion about a cylindrical field and is therefore valid or tori with a large aspect ratio such as long, thin, coronal loops. The calculation is performed in spatial toroidal coordinates, rather than in the flux coordinates used by previous authors; this allows direct calculation of the loci of flux surfaces and of surfaces of constant magnetic pressure. Our solutions differ significantly from toroidal fields in laboratories, which are in general not force-free. They are characterized by field lines whose projections in the poloidal planes are circles with centers displaced by varying distances from the axis of the torus. In general, flux surfaces do not correspond to surfaces of constant magnetic pressure. We have examined solutions corresponding to simple analytic zero-order cylindrical fields. For moderate twists in the zero-order (cylindrical) field, the magnetic pressure is larger on the inner toroidal radius. However, this effect diminishes with twist angle and in fact, for extreme initial twists, the magnetic pressure can be larger on the outer radius. We compare our results with previous work utilizing flux coordinates.

Emslie, A. Gordon↗
NASA NTRS1988

Analysis of Pioneer Venus Orbiter ultraviolet spectrometer Lyman alpha data from near the subsolar region

Pioneer Venus Orbiter ultraviolet spectrometer data from 20 orbits which span 3 years have been analyzed to determine the atomic hydrogen number density and vertical flux at the exobase as a function of solar zenith angle, F(10.7) index, and spacecraft latitude. From 1979 through 1981, the exobase number density n(c) and flux phi(c) are remarkably constant at n(c) = 6.0 + or - 1.5 x 10 to the 4th/cu cm and phi(e) = 7.5 + or - 1.5 x 10 to the 7th/sq cm per s in the subsolar region. The integrated vertical column density above 110 km is 3.6 + or - 1 x 10 to the 13th/sq cm. An empirical relationship is determined between the line center solar flux at H Lyman alpha, piF(0), and the F(10.7) index.

Paxton, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

A Sun-to-Earth Analysis of Magnetic Helicity of the 2013 March 17-18 Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

We compare the magnetic helicity in the 2013 March 17-18 interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) flux rope at 1 au and in its solar counterpart. The progenitor coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted on 2013 March 15 from NOAA active region 11692 and is associated with an M1.1 flare. We derive the source region reconnection flux using the post-eruption arcade (PEA) method that uses the photospheric magnetogram and the area under the PEA. The geometrical properties of the near-Sun flux rope is obtained by forward-modeling of white-light CME observations. Combining the geometrical properties and the reconnection flux, we extract the magnetic properties of the CME flux rope. We derive the magnetic helicity of the flux rope using its magnetic and geometric properties obtained near the Sun and at 1 au. We use a constant-α force-free cylindrical flux rope model fit to the in situ observations in order to derive the magnetic and geometric information of the 1 au ICME. We find a good correspondence in both amplitude and sign of the helicity between the ICME and the CME, assuming a semicircular (half torus) ICME flux rope with a length of π au. We find that about 83% of the total flux rope helicity at 1 au is injected by the magnetic reconnection in the low corona. We discuss the effect of assuming flux rope length in the derived value of the magnetic helicity. This study connecting the helicity of magnetic flux ropes through the Sun-Earth system has important implications for the origin of helicity in the interplanetary medium and the topology of ICME flux ropes at 1 au and hence their space weather consequences.

Pal, Sanchita↗
NASA NTRS2003

Convective Effects During Diffusivity Measurements in Liquids with An Applied Magnetic Field

Convective contamination of self-diffusion experiments with an applied magnetic field is considered using a two-dimensional axisymmetric model. Constant, uniform, and an additional non-uniform heat fluxes are imposed along the sidewall of the cylinder while constant heat loss occurs through the top and bottom. In this model, due to a very small thermal Peclet number, convective heat transfer is neglected, and the flow is steady and inertialess. Time-dependent concentration is solved for various values of the mass Peclet number, Pe(sub m), (the ratio between the convective transport rate and the diffusive transport rate) and different magnetic field strengths represented by the Hartmann number Ha. Normalized values of these diffusivities vs. effective Pe(sub m) are presented for different imposed temperature profiles. In all cases, the diffusivity value obtained through the simulated measurement increases as the effective Pe(sub m) increases. The numerical results suggest that an additional periodic flux, or hot and cold spots, can significantly decrease the convective contamination in our geometry.

Khine, Yu Yu↗
NASA NTRS1998

Monitoring Ly-Alpha Emission From the Blazar 3C 279

The blazar 3C 279 is well studied and shows frequent large continuum flares from radio to gamma-ray wavelengths. There have been a number of multiwavelength observations of 3C 279, and hence there are extensive ultraviolet data for this object available in the UV archives. In this paper we present Ly-alpha emission line measurements for 3C 279 using all the archival IUE SWP spectra from 1988 to 1996 and all archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) G190H spectra from 1992 to 1996. Individual archival IUE spectra of 3C 279 show weak Ly-alpha emission at approximately 1868 A (z = 0.536), which is easily seen in the co-added data. The Ly-alpha emission is observed in all the HST/FOS spectra. The strength of Ly-alpha is nearly constant (approximately 5 x 10(exp -14) erg/sq cm.s), while the 1750 A continuum varies by a factor of approximately 50, from approximately 0.6 to 31.6 x 10(exp -15) ergs/sq cm.s.A. The behavior of the Ly-alpha emission line flux and continuum flux is similar to that of the only other well observed blazar, 3C 273, which shows constant line flux while the continuum varies by a factor of approximately 3. This near-constancy of emission-line flux in the two best-studied blazars suggests that the highly variable beamed continuum is not a significant source of photoionization for the gas. Some other source, such as thermal emission from an accretion disk, must be providing a significant fraction of the photoionizing flux in these objects. The large amplitude variability seen at gamma-ray energies must be due to changes in the energetic electrons in the jet rather than changes in the external photon field.

Koratkar, Anuradha↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulation and Modeling of Hypersonic Turbulent Boundary Layers Subject to Favorable Pressure Gradients due to Streamline Curvature

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of favorable-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers are presented for a nominal freestream Mach number of 5, with the objective of assessing the limitations of the currently available Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. The favorable pressure gradient is induced by the streamwise curvature of the two-dimensional, planar, convex measurement surface used during experiments at the Texas A&M University. The DNS data shows good comparison with the measured velocity profiles, strain rates, and some, but not all, of the Reynolds-stress components. The discrepancies between the predicted and the measured wall-normal as well as shear stress components are primarily attributed to the lower than actual values inferred from typical PIV measurements of turbulent boundary layers. The DNS data shows a zero or slightly negative Reynolds shear stress in the outer part of the boundary-layer, which is indicative of the decaying turbulent motion under a strong favorable pressure gradient. The DNS data is also compared with the results of RANS computations based on commonly used zero, one, and two equation eddy-viscosity models. The RANS models yield reasonable comparisons with the DNS-based skin friction under zero and weak pressure gradients, but significant discrepancies under a strong pressure gradient. The k-w SST model provided the best overall predictions of skin friction, except in the region where the flow transitions from a favorable to an adverse pressure gradient. While the RANS models examined herein also give good predictions of the Reynolds shear stress under a sufficiently weak pressure gradient, none of those models are able to appropriately capture the reduction in the Reynolds stresses when the flow was subjected to a strong pressure gradient. An a priori assessment of the turbulent heat-flux prediction based on the assumption of a constant turbulent Prandtl number with the DNS data shows that while the constant turbulent Prandtl number model is effective in predicting the wall-normal component of turbulent heat flux, it does not capture the turbulent heat transfer in the streamwise direction for all the pressure gradient cases. The failure of the constant turbulent Prandtl number model highlights a requirement for more advanced models of the turbulent heat flux.

turbulent boundary layers↗
NASA NTRS1988

Non-random cratering flux in recent time

Proposed periodic cycles of mass mortality have been linked to periodic changes in the impact flux on Earth. Such changes in the impact flux, however, also should be recorded on the Moon. Previous studies have concluded that the impact flux on the Moon over the last 1 to 2 billion years has been reasonably constant, but sudden changes in the impact flux over time intervals as short as 30 my could not be detected in these studies unless the added crater population greatly exceeded the cumulative cratering record. Consequently this study focuses only on bright-rayed craters larger than 1 km thereby not only limiting the study to recent craters but also largely eliminating contamination by secondary craters. Preservation of ray patterns and other fine-scale surface textures in the ejecta provides first-order culling of craters younger than Tycho, i.e., about 100 my. Although a periodic change in the impact flux in the Earth-Moon system cannot yet be confirmed from the data, a non-random component appears to exist with an increased flux around 7 and 15 my. The concentrations in different quadrants of the lunar hemisphere would be consistent with a shower of debris generally smaller than 0.5 km.

Schultz, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Calculation procedure for transient heat transfer to a cooled plate in a heated stream whose temperature varies arbitrarily with time

Solutions for the surface temperature and surface heat flux are found for laminar, constant property, slug flow over a plate convectively cooled from below, when the temperature of the fluid over the plate varies arbitrarily with time at the plate leading edge. A simple technique is presented for handling arbitrary fluid temperature variation with time by approximating it by a sequence of ramps or steps for which exact analytical solutions are available.

Sucec, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solutions of the equation of heat flow

The geometry of sunspots has been used to suggest a problem in heat flow. The equation of heat transport is solved for the case of a cylinder with a given thermal conductivity imbedded in an otherwise uniform medium with different conductivity. The surface of this region radiates heat with flux proportional to temperature. At a lower surface, either in heat flux or temperature is held constant. The cylinder can have an anisotropic thermal conductivity. The variations in temperature along the radiating surface have been determined. A simple approximation is noted which has been found to give a general solution with acceptable accuracy. This method may be of some use in other situations requiring the solution of Laplace's equation with a free surface. The analysis is used to set limits on the ratio of diameter to depth for cases which preserve the sharp surface temperature transition across the cylinder.

Margolis, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Bound oscillations on thin magnetic flux tubes - Convective instability and umbral oscillations

The possibility that 'tube waves' can be trapped on slender solar magnetic flux tubes is investigated. For rigid isothermal flux tubes, it is found that the flux tube geometry can by itself lead to waves which are trapped on the part of the tube that expands with height. Some geometries lead to trapped modes with eigenperiods near 180 s, if parameters appropriate to sunspot umbrae are chosen. It is possible that the umbral oscillations are a manifestation of such trapped waves, if sunspot umbrae consist of an assembly of slender flux tubes, as in the spaghetti model of Parker (1979). For flux tubes which have a constant ratio of Alfven speed to sound speed, it is found that it is primarily the variation of temperature with height which determines whether trapped waves can exist. Certain temperature profiles lead to disturbances for which omega squared is less than zero, corresponding to convective instability or Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

Hollweg, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Reference model atmosphere calculation - The Sunspot sunspot model

A composite temperature-density model of sunspots is developed from the results of five previous modeling attempts. The model is designed to describe the region extending from the deepest photospheric layers up through the chromosphere-corona transition region. Photospheric, chromospheric, and transition region temperature distributions proposed by other authors are employed to quantity the phenomena out to 2280 km. Additional calculations yield the various line profiles, the internal properties of the region above the sunspot including the chromospheric net radiative cooling rates, and the radiative flux as a function of depth in the photosphere. Observations of the hydrogen ion flux is used to account for the net cooling in the temperature minimum region. Furthermore, the integrated radiative flux is found to be constant with depth in the photosphere.

Avrett, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Very long baseline interferometry observations of the RS Canum Venaticorum system HR 5110 at 8.4 GHz

The RS CVn binary system HR 5110 was observed with a well-calibrated four-element VLBI array at a frequency of 8.4 GHz. The total flux density, which was nearly constant at 32 + or - 2 mJy, was monitored throughout the experiment with a 20 km baseline interferometer allowing accurate visibilities to be calculated. The observed visibilities are consistent with a source unresolved on all the baselines. The maximum size of the equivalent Gaussian source is 1.4 milli-arcsec (FWHM), corresponding to a linear size of 1.1 x 10 to the 12th cm at 52 pc. This maximum size is comparable with the overall size of the binary system. The inferred lower limit of the brightness temperature is 4 x 10 to the 8th K, which is higher than the coronal temperature of 10 to the 7th K measured in a soft X-ray survey. This is consistent with a nonthermal mechanism for the radiation process of the moderate radio outburst observed.

Mutel, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A model of the spatial and temporal variation of the Uranus thermal structure

Seasonal variability of the temperature structure of Uranus is modeled for all latitudes in the .0004 to 2 bar pressure range in anticipation of the Voyager encounter in January 1986. Atmospheric heating in the model results on the one hand from an internal heat source and, on the other hand, from absorption of solar energy by methane and by non-conservative aerosols located between the 0.5 and 2 bar levels. Various cases for the behavior of the internal heat flux are investigated, such as constant with latitude or constrained to yield a time-averaged thermal emission independent of latitude. Meridional transport of heat in the stably stratified atmosphere is not taken into account. The results indicate that the Voyager encounter time, very small north-south temperature asymmetry should be expected. Moreover, the northern hemisphere, although not illuminated, should emit as much energy (within one percent) as the southern hemisphere at this date. At a given latitude, extreme temperatures are reached at the equinoxes. At the poles, seasonal amplitudes of about 10 K in the upper stratosphere and 6 K at the 0.6 bar level are predicted, and the variation with time of the emission to space is found to be at most 20 percent. The atmosphere of Uranus appears to be characterized by very long radiative response times (mainly due to its cold temperature) which inhibit the large seasonal variations that one could otherwise expect in view of the high obliquity of the planet and its long orbital period.

Bezard, B.↗