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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 NTRSDate not supplied

Coupling a Computational Fluid Dynamics Model to a Spacecraft Thermal System Model for the DraMS Instrument Thermal Analysis

The Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS) is an instrument on the Dragonfly mission, which will spend 7 years in deep space cruise before landing and operating on the surface of Titan. Vacuum thermal analyses are required for deep space cruise, and convection analyses are required for the Titan surface operations. Model exchanges across multiple thermal teams are needed for all phases of the mission. For DraMS, Thermal Desktop® (TD) has been the main thermal analytical tool of choice due to its capability in modeling complex thermal systems with relatively low computational power and for its availability across thermal teams. However, TD does not have computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capability and struggles to accurately capture complex convective behavior. DraMS has fans operating in tandem and gas flow behaviors are not easily predicted due to its complex flow paths. CFD software, such as Fluent, can model and predict such complex flow behaviors, but CFD models are computationally expensive, and its workflow processes are not tailored towards simulating large and complex systems. Therefore, a coupled modeling approach was chosen for DraMS: A TD model was used for simulating all the conductive, radiative, and source terms, while a Fluent CFD model was added on, as needed, to the TD model to provide the convective boundary conditions using the System Coupling software. The coupling software allows the TD and Fluent models to communicate data and arrive at a co-solved and co-converged solution. Furthermore, Thermal Iso-value Exchange (TIE) method was developed to facilitate and improve the TD-Fluent data exchange process. This paper will discuss the analytical studies that were done to verify the accuracy and usability of the coupled approach and the challenges associated, which lead to the development of the TIE approach. DraMS thermal design and co-solved analysis results will also be discussed.

Heat transfer↗
DOE OSTI2020

The MFiX Particle-in-Cell Method (MFiX-PIC) Theory Guide

MFiX (Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges) is an open-source multiphase flow solver developed at the National Energy Technology Laboratory. Within the code, users have access to a single phase or interpenetrating continua-based multiphase two-fluid model (TFM), a discrete element model (DEM), and a particle-in-cell model (PIC). TFM, DEM, and PIC can all be used to create multiphase simulations that include hydrodynamics, chemical reactions, and heat transfer.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multistage Surface-Heated Vacuum Membrane Distillation Process Enables High Water Recovery and Excellent Heat Utilization: A Modeling Study

Surface-heated membrane distillation (MD) enhances the energy efficiency of desalination by mitigating temperature polarization (TP). However, systematic investigations of larger scale, multistage, surface-heated MD system with high water recovery and heat recycling are limited. Here, we explore the design and performance of a multistage surface-heated vacuum MD (SHVMD) with heat recovery through a comprehensive finite difference model. In this process, the latent heat of condensation is recovered through an internal heat exchanger (HX) using the retentate from one stage as the condensing fluid for the next stage and an external HX using the feed as the condensing fluid. Model results show that surface heating enhances the performance compared to conventional vacuum MD (VMD). Specifically, in a six-stage SHVMD process, 54.44% water recovery and a gained output ratio (GOR) of 3.28 are achieved with a surface heat density of 2000 W m –2 , whereas a similar six-stage VMD process only reaches 18.19% water recovery and a GOR of 2.15. Mass and energy balances suggest that by mitigating TP, surface heating increases the latent heat trapped in vapor. The internal and external HXs capture and reuse the additional heat, which enhances the GOR values. We show for SHVMD that the hybrid internal/external heat recovery design can have GOR value 1.44 times higher than that of systems with only internal or external heat recovery. Furthermore, by only increasing six stages to eight stages, a GOR value as high as 4.35 is achieved. The results further show that surface heating can reduce the energy consumption of MD for brine concentration. As a result, the multistage SHVMD technology exhibits a promising potential for the management of brine from industrial plants.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Drift-ordered fluid vorticity equation with energy consistency

Although drift-ordered fluid models are widely applied in tokamak edge turbulence simulations, the models used are acknowledged not to conserve energy or even electrical charge. The present paper aims to remove many of the existing pitfalls in drift-fluid models, however, with the objective of finding a solution simple enough to be implemented in numerical applications. Our main result is an improved version of the drift-Braginskii equations involving a generalized vorticity function. In the new drift-Braginskii system, the quasi-neutrality condition translates into a transport equation for a generalized vorticity, expressed in conservation form, and related to the total mass-weighted circulation. It is found that kinetic energy conservation can be achieved if the polarization flow is defined recursively. In conclusion, the resulting model conserves the kinetic energy associated with E×B and diamagnetic flows and retains the associated perpendicular kinetic energy flux.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Fluid flow in a jet and the Ca XIX line profiles observed during solar flares

The present study considers two types of fluid models as methods for reproducing the blueshifts and line broadening observed in soft X-ray lines during the rise of solar flares. The fluid models representing the laminar flow of material in a jet and through a pipe were used to derive the velocity at each location in the flow. The optimal values for the free parameters in the jet model were within the ranges expected for solar flare conditions. The jet was much smaller than typical flare volumes estimated from spatial images, but the resulting densities were consistent with the upper limit of densities derived using density-sensitive line ratios. This supports previous reports of small filling factors and is interpreted as evidence for a chromospheric origin for the flow. Stability analysis indicates that, although the laminar jet can reproduce the observations, instabilities may cause the flow to become turbulent, and that this laminar treatment is not strictly valid.

Bornmann, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Modeling the effects of fast shocks on solar winds ions

Observations show that, when alpha particles and other minor ions in the solar wind plasma encounter fast shocks, they are heated more than protons and their bulk motion is decelerated less than protons. These effects have been studied using a three-fluid model, and the model predictions have been compared with observations. The comparison indicates that, for supercritical fast shocks, the three-fluid model can explain cross-shock minor ion heating which is significantly greater than that of protons. When the ratio of specific heats for minor ions, gamma (alpha), equals 2, both the lesser cross-shock deceleration and the greater heating of minor ions than of protons can be predicted by the model; thus, the minor ion heating through the shock transition region is consistent with the involvement of two degrees of freedom. Because the analysis is formulated in the de Heffmann-Teller frame of reference, the method is not valid for perpendicular shocks or when the angle is large. These results agree with the few extant observations and might be confirmed by further observations at the earth's bow shock.

Zhao, Xuepu↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Effect of Spatially Varying Collision Frequency on the Development of the Rayleigh–Taylor Instability

Abstract The Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability is ubiquitously observed, yet has traditionally been studied using ideal fluid models. Collisionality can vary strongly across the fluid interface, and previous work demonstrates the necessity of kinetic models to completely capture dynamics in certain collisional regimes. Where previous kinetic simulations used spatially and temporally constant collision frequency, this work presents five-dimensional (two spatial, three velocity dimensions) continuum-kinetic simulations of the RT instability using a more realistic spatially varying collision frequency. Three cases of collisional variation are explored for two Atwood numbers: low to intermediate, intermediate to high, and low to high. The low-to-intermediate case exhibits no RT instability growth, while the intermediate-to-high case is similar to a fluid-limit kinetic case with interface widening biased toward the lower-collisionality region. A novel contribution of this work is the low-to-high collisionality case that shows significantly altered instability growth through an upward movement of the interface and damped spike growth due to increased free-streaming particle diffusion in the lower region. Contributions to the energy flux from the non-Maxwellian portions of the distribution function are not accessible to fluid models and are greatest in magnitude in the spike and regions of low collisionality. Increasing the Atwood number results in greater RT instability growth and reduced upward interface movement. Deviation of the distribution function from Maxwellian is inversely proportional to collision frequency and concentrated around the fluid interface. The linear phase of RT instability growth is well described by theoretical linear growth rates accounting for viscosity and diffusion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1973

Turbulent heating of colliding streams in the solar wind.

Turbulent heating of colliding plasma streams has previously been observed in the solar wind. The original data were interpreted in terms of a fluid model. It is contended that a plasma-kinetic description is the more appropriate theoretical approach and is necessary in order to better understand the microscopic physical phenomena that underlie all fluid models. Microscopic solar-wind parameters characteristic of conditions during the observations were used, together with the quasi-linear plasma-kinetic theory, to compute the expected magnetic field and temperature enhancements in the interaction region between two counterstreaming plasma beams. The physical mechanism of excitation is the electromagnetic two-stream instability in which Alfven waves are unstable. A total field in the interaction region of about 8 gamma and a change in temperature of about 100,000 K are obtained.

Goldstein, M. L.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Correlating Impacts of Injected Fuels on Carbon Emissions in Blast Furnace with Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling

A major challenge for steelmaking is the reduction of CO 2 emissions. In this regard, the blast furnace (BF) is critical due to the high associated CO 2 levels. This investigation assesses the impact of tuyere‐injected fuels on BF CO 2 emissions. Specifically, computational fluid dynamics results obtained previously at Purdue University Northwest are analyzed to obtain CO 2 emissions when natural gas (NG), syngas, hydrogen, or hydrogen/NG are injected. CO 2 emissions are compared with those produced when 95 kg of NG/thm is injected. Among these scenarios, the largest CO 2 reduction occurs when 102 kg of syngas/thm (COG feedstock #1) is injected at 973 K, reducing CO 2 by 190.6 kg thm −1 . The largest CO 2 reduction obtained with NG occurs when 130 kg thm −1 is injected at 600 K, reducing emissions by 65 kg thm −1 . H 2 injection also reduces CO 2 , but requires careful adjusting to reach stable operation. For instance, injecting 35 kg of H 2 /thm reduces CO 2 by 52 kg thm −1 . Increasing gaseous injection rates can significantly reduce CO 2 emissions, with fuel preheating providing an addendum, but high injection rates can lead to unstable operation. Furthermore, results show a correlation between CO 2 emissions and average temperature of shaft region for multiple fuels and injection conditions.

Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering↗
NASA NTRS1995

Analytical Model For Fluid Dynamics In A Microgravity Environment

Report presents analytical approximation methodology for providing coupled fluid-flow, heat, and mass-transfer equations in microgravity environment. Experimental engineering estimates accurate to within factor of 2 made quickly and easily, eliminating need for time-consuming and costly numerical modeling. Any proposed experiment reviewed to see how it would perform in microgravity environment. Model applied in commercial setting for preliminary design of low-Grashoff/Rayleigh-number experiments.

Naumann, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Two-Fluid, MHD Coronal Model

We describe first results from a numerical two-fluid MHD model of the global structure of the solar corona. The model is two-fluid in the sense that it accounts for the collisional energy exchange between protons and electrons. As in our single-fluid model, volumetric heat and momentum sources are required to produce high speed wind from coronal holes, low speed wind above streamers, and mass fluxes similar to the empirical solar wind. By specifying different proton and electron heating functions we obtain a high proton temperature in the coronal hole and a relatively low proton temperature in the streamer (in comparison with the electron temperature). This is consistent with inferences from SOHO/UVCS, and with the Ulysses/SWOOPS proton and electron temperature measurements which we show from the fast latitude scan. The density in the coronal hole between 2 solar radii and 5 solar radii (2RS and 5RS) is similar to the density reported from SPARTAN 201-01 measurements by Fisher and Guhathakurta. The proton mass flux scaled to 1 AU is 2.4 x 10(exp 8)/sq cm s, which is consistent with Ulysses observations. Inside the closed field region, the density is sufficiently high so that the simulation gives equal proton and electron temperatures due to the high collision rate. In open field regions (in the coronal hole and above the streamer) the proton and electron temperatures differ by varying amounts. In the streamer, the temperature and density are similar to those reported empirically by Li et al and the plasma beta is larger than unity everywhere above approx. 1.5 R(sub s), as it is in all other MHD coronal streamer models.

Suess, Steven T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Two-Fluid, MHD Coronal Model

We describe first results from a numerical two-fluid MHD model of the global structure of the solar Corona. The model is two-fluid in the sense that it accounts for the collisional energy exchange between protons and electrons. As in our single-fluid model, volumetric heat and Momentum sources are required to produce high speed wind from Corona] holes, low speed wind above streamers, and mass fluxes similar to the empirical solar wind. By specifying different proton and electron heating functions we obtain a high proton temperature in the coronal hole and a relatively low proton temperature above the streamer (in comparison with the electron temperature). This is consistent with inferences from SOHO/UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer instrument (UVCS), and with the Ulysses/Solar Wind Observations Over the Poles of the Sun instrument (SWOOPS) proton and electron temperature measurements which we show from the fast latitude scan. The density in the coronal hole between 2 and 5 solar radii (2 and 5 R(sub S)) is similar to the density reported from SPARTAN 201.-01 measurements by Fisher and Guhathakurta [19941. The proton mass flux scaled to 1 AU is 2.4 x 10(exp 8)/sq cm s, which is consistent with Ulysses observations. Inside the closed field region, the density is sufficiently high so that the simulation gives equal proton and electron temperatures due to the high collision rate. In open field regions (in the coronal hole and above the streamer) the proton and electron temperatures differ by varying amounts. In the streamer the temperature and density are similar to those reported empirically by Li et al. [1998], and the plasma beta is larger than unity everywhere above approx. 1.5 R(sub S), as it is in all other MHD coronal streamer models [e.g., Steinolfson et al., 1982; also G. A. Gary and D. Alexander, Constructing the coronal magnetic field, submitted to Solar Physics, 1998].

Suess, S. T.↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-Fidelity Simulations of Plasma-Assisted Oxidation of Hydrocarbon Fuels Using Nanosecond Pulsed Discharges

Next, a robust and efficient framework for simulating NSPD in multiple dimensions is developed. The reactive Navier-Stokes equations are extended to include a drift-diffusion plasma-fluid model with a local field approximation (LFA) in a finite-volume solver, which uses an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) strategy to address the wide separation of length scales in the problem. A two-way coupling strategy is used whereby the plasma-fluid model and reactive Navier-Stokes equations are integrated simultaneously. The oxidation of ethylene/air mixtures mediated by NSPD is simulated in a pin-to-pin configuration. All phases of the plasma discharge are simulated explicitly (including streamer ignition, propagation, and connection, as well as the subsequent spark phase), along with the evolution of the plasma during the inter-pulse period. Temporally and spatially-resolved results are presented, with an emphasis on the analysis of heating and energy deposition, as well as of the evolution of the concentration of active particles generated during the NSPD and their influence on ignition.

adaptive mesh refinement↗
NASA NTRS1991

Formation of intermediate shocks in both two-fluid and hybrid models

Intermediate shocks are studied in a two-fluid model that includes finite ion inertia dispersion and in a hybrid model in which the full ion dynamics is retained while the electrons are treated as a massless fluid. It is shown that in both models intermediate shocks can be formed through wave steepening, meaning that they are stable and possess shock structures.

Wu, C. C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Theory for transport in magnetized plasmas

We present a two fluid model for anomalous thermal, particle and momentum transport which has been derived from kinetic theory using a small parameter ε~10-2. This small parameter can come from either the ratio of wave frequency to cyclotron frequency or the ratio of potential to thermal energies. This fluid model is strongly nonlinear and has an exact closure within the accuracy ε. It can be used to simulate the full radius of a tokamak including internal and edge transport barriers at the same time without introducing any local assumptions for physics model or grid size. It involves a full transport matrix, thus giving possibility for both density and heat pinches. The model can be derived from the Vlasov equation, adding also close collisions and includes particle pinches of the type found in the magnetosphere and in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology elevated dipole machine. Pinches are also in agreement for the heat pinch experiments on Doublet III D including simultaneous particle and heat pinches. For tokamaks it gives the right scaling of confinement time versus heating power. Finally, we have also recovered the Turbulent Equipartition result that the density scales as inverse safety factor q in typical simulations. Thus this model is both fundamental and of high practical use.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Issue Summary of INL Phase IV Transient Results for IAEA CRP on HTGR UAM Benchmark

This report details the Parallel and Highly Innovative Simulation for Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Code System (PHISICS)/Reactor Excursions and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5)-3D results obtained for the transient core exercises defined for Phase IV of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on high-temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) uncertainty analysis in modeling (UAM). The Phase III models and results are linked to the earlier Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation (SCALE)/Sampler/New ESC-based Weighting Transport (NEWT) data generated for the lattice physics (lattice) stage Phase I of the CRP. The focus of this report is the Uncertainty/Sensitivity Assessment (U/SA) of the prismatic modular high-temperature gas cooled reactor (MHTGR)-350 design, and specifically for Exercises IV-1 and IV-2 of the benchmark: the Control Rod Withdrawal (CRW) and Pressurised Loss of Cooling (PLOFC) events. The statistical U/SA methodology is implemented and demonstrated using the RAVEN code, based on perturbed cross-section libraries obtained from the SCALE/Sampler sequence. Uncertainties in nuclear data (cross-sections and the average number of neutrons produced per fission, 235U[¯v ]) lead to standard deviations (uncertainties of one s) of approximately 0.5% in the core eigenvalues of the MHTGR-350 and core models. For the coupled neutronics/thermal fluid model, local power density uncertainties up to 3.6% were observed in the colder regions of the core, while the local maximum fuel temperature uncertainties reached 1.5% for the models that included thermal fluid uncertainties. The addition of thermal fluid uncertainties dominated the impacts of nuclear data uncertainties in all cases. The main contributors to uncertainties in the power density and fuel temperatures during the transients were uncertainties in the reactor operating conditions (total power, inlet mass flow rate and inlet gas temperature). Variations in the bypass flows did not have significant impact on any of the output variables. For the nuclear data uncertainties it was found that the 235U(¯v ) / 235U(¯v ) covariance produced the largest sensitivities in terms of its impact on the eigenvalue and peak reactor power. It was also observed that the impact of any nuclear data uncertainties on the maximum fuel temperature was much less significant that the impact on eigenvalue and power. Another important finding was that although the use of eight or more energy groups is recommended for best-estimate HTGR simulation, two-group models produced acceptable uncertainty and sensitivity results for most FOMs. Since the statistical U/SA methodology is computationally expensive, and most transient solver requirements will scale directly with the number of energy groups, two energy groups could be used by HTGR developers during the early stages of design when larger uncertainty margins can be tolerated.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1991

On rotational discontinuities in both two-fluid and hybrid models

Rotational discontinuities are studied in a two-fluid model that includes finite ion inertia dispersion and in a hybrid model in which the full ion dynamics is retained while the electrons are treated as a massless fluid. It is shown that as in previous dissipative MHD studies, a rotational discontinuity is unstable in both models and evolves to a 2-3 intermediate shock, a slow rarefaction wave, and other waves. In addition, it is shown that the so-called Walen relation, which holds exactly for rotational discontinuities, can also be well satisfied by tran-Alfvenic intermediate shocks. Thus intermediate shocks can be candidates for those observed structures that satisfy the Walen relation.

Wu, C. C.↗