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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Phase shift errors in the theory and practice of surface intensity measurements

The surface acoustical intensity method (sometimes known as the microphone-accelerometer cross-spectral method) is a relatively new noise source/path identification tool. Several researchers have had difficulties implementing this method because of instrumentation phase mis-match. A simple technique for measuring and correcting instrumentation phase mis-match has been developed. This new technique has been tested recently on a noise source identification problem of practical interest. The results of the experiments indicate that the surface acoustic intensity method produces reliable data and can be applied to a variety of noise source/path problems.

Mcgary, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A spectral multi-domain technique applied to stability and transition of incompressible and compressible flows

Techniques for the numerical simulation of compressible and incompressible viscous flows are described and demonstrated. The focus is on a multidomain spectral method based on the flux-balance domain-interface scheme of Macaraeg and Streett (1986). The fundamental principles of the method are reviewed, and it is shown that the multidomain spectral approach facilitates the treatment of instability and the transition to turbulence. Typical numerical results for the Taylor-Couette problem and for bounded compressible high-speed mixing layers are presented in graphs and briefly characterized.

Macaraeg, Michele↗
NASA NTRS1998

Direct Numerical Simulations of Boundary Layer Transition on a Flat Plate

In recent years the techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have been used to compute flows associated with geometrically complex configurations. However, success in terms of accuracy and reliability has been limited to cases where the effects of turbulence and transition could be modeled in a straightforward manner. Even in simple flows, the accurate computation of skin friction and heat transfer using existing turbulence models has proved to be a difficult task, one that has required extensive fine-tuning of the turbulence models used. In more complex flows (for example, in turbomachinery flows in which vortices and wakes impinge on airfoil surfaces causing periodic transitions from laminar to turbulent flow) the development of a model that accounts for all scales of turbulence and predicts the onset of transition is an extremely difficult task. Fortunately, current trends in computing suggest that it may be possible to perform direct simulations of turbulence and transition at moderate Reynolds numbers in some complex cases in the near future. This presentation will focus on direct simulations of transition and turbulence using high-order accurate finite-difference methods. The advantage of the finite-difference approach over spectral methods is that complex geometries can be treated in a straightforward manner. Additionally, finite-difference techniques are the prevailing methods in existing application codes. An application of high-order-accurate finite-difference methods to direct simulations of transition and turbulence in a spatially evolving boundary layer subjected to high levels of freestream turbulence will be presented.

Rai, Man Mohan↗
NASA NTRS1997

Direct Simulations of Transition and Turbulence Using High-Order Accurate Finite-Difference Schemes

In recent years the techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have been used to compute flows associated with geometrically complex configurations. However, success in terms of accuracy and reliability has been limited to cases where the effects of turbulence and transition could be modeled in a straightforward manner. Even in simple flows, the accurate computation of skin friction and heat transfer using existing turbulence models has proved to be a difficult task, one that has required extensive fine-tuning of the turbulence models used. In more complex flows (for example, in turbomachinery flows in which vortices and wakes impinge on airfoil surfaces causing periodic transitions from laminar to turbulent flow) the development of a model that accounts for all scales of turbulence and predicts the onset of transition may prove to be impractical. Fortunately, current trends in computing suggest that it may be possible to perform direct simulations of turbulence and transition at moderate Reynolds numbers in some complex cases in the near future. This seminar will focus on direct simulations of transition and turbulence using high-order accurate finite-difference methods. The advantage of the finite-difference approach over spectral methods is that complex geometries can be treated in a straightforward manner. Additionally, finite-difference techniques are the prevailing methods in existing application codes. In this seminar high-order-accurate finite-difference methods for the compressible and incompressible formulations of the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations and their applications to direct simulations of turbulence and transition will be presented.

Rai, Man Mohan↗
NASA NTRS1997

Direct Numerical Simulations of Boundary Layer Transition on a Flat Plate

In recent years the techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have been used to compute flows associated with geometrically complex configurations. However, success in terms of accuracy and reliability has been limited to cases where the effects of turbulence and transition could be modeled in a straightforward manner. Even in simple flows, the accurate computation of skin friction and heat transfer using existing turbulence models has proved to be a difficult task, one that has required extensive fine-tuning of the turbulence models used. In more complex flows (for example, in turbomachinery flows in which vortices and wakes impinge on airfoil surfaces causing periodic transitions from laminar to turbulent flow) the development of a model that accounts for all scales of turbulence and predicts the onset of transition is an extremely difficult task. Fortunately, current trends in computing suggest that it may be possible to perform direct simulations of turbulence and transition at moderate Reynolds numbers in some complex cases in the near future. This presentation will focus on direct simulations of transition and turbulence using high-order accurate finite-difference methods. The advantage of the finite-difference approach over spectral methods is that complex geometries can be treated in a straightforward manner. Additionally, finite-difference techniques are the prevailing methods in existing application codes. An application of accurate finite-difference methods to direct simulations of transition and turbulence in a spatially evolving boundary layer subjected to high levels of freestream turbulence will be presented.

Rai, Man Mohan↗
NASA NTRS2011

Wavelet Filter Banks for Super-Resolution SAR Imaging

This paper discusses Innovative wavelet-based filter banks designed to enhance the analysis of super resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images using parametric spectral methods and signal classification algorithms, SAR finds applications In many of NASA's earth science fields such as deformation, ecosystem structure, and dynamics of Ice, snow and cold land processes, and surface water and ocean topography. Traditionally, standard methods such as Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast-Fourier Transform (IFFT) have been used to extract Images from SAR radar data, Due to non-parametric features of these methods and their resolution limitations and observation time dependence, use of spectral estimation and signal pre- and post-processing techniques based on wavelets to process SAR radar data has been proposed. Multi-resolution wavelet transforms and advanced spectral estimation techniques have proven to offer efficient solutions to this problem.

Sheybani, Ehsan O.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A comparison of numerical methods for the Rayleigh equation in unbounded domains

A second-order finite difference and two spectral methods, including a Chebyshev tau and a Chebyshev collocation method were implemented to determine the linear hydrodynamic stability of an unbounded shear flow. The velocity profile of the basic flow in the stability analysis mimicks that of a one-stream free mixing layer. Local and global eigenvalue solution methods are used to determine individual eigenvalues and the eigenvalue spectrum, respectively. The calculated eigenvalue spectrum includes a discrete mode, a continuous spectrum associated with the equation singularity and a continuous spectrum associated with the domain unboundedness. The efficiency and the accuracy of these discretization methods in the prediction of the eigensolutions of the discrete mode were evaluated by comparison with a conventional shooting procedure. Their capabilities in mapping out the continuous eigenvalue spectra are also discussed.

Liou, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sea spikes at moderate incidence and their relation to position on the waves

Most models of radar backscatter from the sea ignore sea spikes, the nonlinear effects that result in large excursions above the local mean signal. They are strong enough to change the mean scattering level significantly, and they may cause streaks in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ocean images. A threshold based on short signal excursions above the local mean is used to identify spikes. With this method, spikes can be found in regions of low signal level. An autoregressive spectral method is used to identify the locations of the spikes on the dominant waves. Sample results from Ka-band measurements in the North Sea made during the SAXON-FPN experiment are given. It is shown that spikes can occur anywhere on the dominant wave, although they are most prevalent on the front face.

Salam, A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

A Highly Accurate Technique for the Treatment of Flow Equations at the Polar Axis in Cylindrical Coordinates using Series Expansions

Numerical methods for solving the flow equations in cylindrical or spherical coordinates should be able to capture the behavior of the exact solution near the regions where the particular form of the governing equations is singular. In this work we focus on the treatment of these numerical singularities for finite-differences methods by reinterpreting the regularity conditions developed in the context of pseudo-spectral methods. A generally applicable numerical method for treating the singularities present at the polar axis, when nonaxisymmetric flows are solved in cylindrical, coordinates using highly accurate finite differences schemes (e.g., Pade schemes) on non-staggered grids, is presented. Governing equations for the flow at the polar axis are derived using series expansions near r=0. The only information needed to calculate the coefficients in these equations are the values of the flow variables and their radial derivatives at the previous iteration (or time) level. These derivatives, which are multi-valued at the polar axis, are calculated without dropping the accuracy of the numerical method using a mapping of the flow domain from (0,R)*(0,2pi) to (-R,R)*(0,pi), where R is the radius of the computational domain. This allows the radial derivatives to be evaluated using high-order differencing schemes (e.g., compact schemes) at points located on the polar axis. The proposed technique is illustrated by results from simulations of laminar-forced jets and turbulent compressible jets using large eddy simulation (LES) methods. In term of the general robustness of the numerical method and smoothness of the solution close to the polar axis, the present results compare very favorably to similar calculations in which the equations are solved in Cartesian coordinates at the polar axis, or in which the singularity is removed by employing a staggered mesh in the radial direction without a mesh point at r=0, following the method proposed recently by Mohseni and Colonius (1). Extension of the method described here for incompressible flows or for any other set of equations that are solved on a non-staggered mesh in cylindrical or spherical coordinates with finite-differences schemes of various level of accuracy is immediate.

Constantinescu, George S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

T wave alternans during exercise and atrial pacing in humans

INTRODUCTION: Evidence is accumulating that microvolt T wave alternans (TWA) is a marker of increased risk for ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Initially, atrial pacing was used to elevate heart rate and elicit TWA. More recently, a noninvasive approach has been developed that elevates heart rate using exercise. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 30 consecutive patients with a history of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, the spectral method was used to detect TWA during both atrial pacing and submaximal exercise testing. The concordance rate for the presence or absence of TWA using the two measurement methods was 84%. There was a patient-specific heart rate threshold for the detection of TWA that averaged 100 +/- 14 beats/min during exercise compared with 97 +/- 9 beats/min during right atrial pacing (P = NS). Beyond this threshold, there was a significant and comparable increase in level of TWA with decreasing pacing cycle length and increasing exercise heart rates. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first to demonstrate that microvolt TWA can be assessed reliably and noninvasively during exercise stress. There is a patient-specific heart rate threshold beyond which TWA continues to increase with increasing heart rates. Heart rate thresholds for the onset of TWA measured during atrial pacing and exercise stress were comparable, indicating that heart rate alone appears to be the main factor of determining the onset of TWA during submaximal exercise stress.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗
NASA NTRS1981

Instability of non-zonal baroclinic flows - Multiple-scale analysis

The linear instability of a non-zonal flow can be reduced to an eigenvalue-eigenfunction problem, governed by a nonseparable partial differential equation (Niehaus, 1980). Approximate solutions, found by the method of multiple scales, are derived here and compared with earlier results found using a spectral method. The amplitude maxima are correctly located. The zonal variations of local wavenumber and of amplitude are qualitatively correct, but not sufficiently extreme. Because the method is oversensitive to local conditions, and less sensitive to global constraints, this comparison provides theoretical limits to the possibility of parameterizing transient eddies in terms of the local time mean state of the atmosphere. The method can be extended easily to flows with more realistic vertical structure.

Niehaus, M. C. W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Stability of streamwise vortices

A brief overview of some theoretical and computational studies of the stability of streamwise vortices is given. The local induction model and classical hydrodynamic vortex stability theories are discussed in some detail. The importance of the three-dimensionality of the mean velocity profile to the results of stability calculations is discussed briefly. The mean velocity profile is provided by employing the similarity solution of Donaldson and Sullivan. The global method of Bridges and Morris was chosen for the spatial stability calculations for the nonlinear eigenvalue problem. In order to test the numerical method, a second order accurate central difference scheme was used to obtain the coefficient matrices. It was shown that a second order finite difference method lacks the required accuracy for global eigenvalue calculations. Finally the problem was formulated using spectral methods and a truncated Chebyshev series.

Khorrami, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A pseudospectral Legendre method for hyperbolic equations with an improved stability condition

A new pseudospectral method is introduced for solving hyperbolic partial differential equations. This method uses different grid points than previously used pseudospectral methods: in fact the grid are related to the zeroes of the Legendre polynomials. The main advantage of this method is that the allowable time step is proportional to the inverse of the number of grid points 1/N rather than to 1/n(2) (as in the case of other pseudospectral methods applied to mixed initial boundary value problems). A highly accurate time discretization suitable for these spectral methods is discussed.

Tal-Ezer, H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A pseudospectral Legendre method for hyperbolic equations with an improved stability condition

A new pseudospectral method is introduced for solving hyperbolic partial differential equations. This method uses different grid points than previously used pseudospectral methods: in fact the grid points are related to the zeroes of the Legendre polynomials. The main advantage of this method is that the allowable time step is proportional to the inverse of the number of grid points 1/N rather than to 1/n(2) (as in the case of other pseudospectral methods applied to mixed initial boundary value problems). A highly accurate time discretization suitable for these spectral methods is discussed.

Tal-Ezer, Hillel↗
NASA NTRS1989

Finite element analysis in fluids; Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Finite Element Methods in Flow Problems, University of Alabama, Huntsville, Apr. 3-7, 1989

Recent advances in computational fluid dynamics are examined in reviews and reports, with an emphasis on finite-element methods. Sections are devoted to adaptive meshes, atmospheric dynamics, combustion, compressible flows, control-volume finite elements, crystal growth, domain decomposition, EM-field problems, FDM/FEM, and fluid-structure interactions. Consideration is given to free-boundary problems with heat transfer, free surface flow, geophysical flow problems, heat and mass transfer, high-speed flow, incompressible flow, inverse design methods, MHD problems, the mathematics of finite elements, and mesh generation. Also discussed are mixed finite elements, multigrid methods, non-Newtonian fluids, numerical dissipation, parallel vector processing, reservoir simulation, seepage, shallow-water problems, spectral methods, supercomputer architectures, three-dimensional problems, and turbulent flows.

Chung, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Validation of parameterization scheme for eddy diffusion from satellite data

The eddy diffusion coefficient K(yy) has been calculated usign LIMS for the months of December 1978 and January and February 1979. Two methods have been used. The first implements the suggestion made by Tung (1987) to parameterize the eddy transport as a diffusive process along isentropes. The second method integrates the equation relating the parcel displacements to the eddy velocity fields. The latter method uses a filtering on both space and time domains to isolate transients and is referred to as the 'spectral method'. Results from the first method are shown to be reliable only for quiescent periods, breaking down when the meridional gradient of potential vorticity is negligible. Results from the two methods are in agreement only for very disturbed conditions, when transience is readily isolated. It is concluded that the parameterizations suggested for eddy transport and calculated in this paper may be meaningful for quiet periods, but are not reliable for unsteady and very large amplitude disturbances.

Sassi, F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Notes for the improvement of the spatial and spectral data classification method

This report examines the spatial and spectral clustering technique for the unsupervised automatic classification and mapping of earth resources satellite data, and makes theoretical analysis of the decision rules and tests in order to suggest how the method might best be applied to other flight data such as Skylab and Spacelab.

Dalton, C. C.↗