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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

FLOP for FLAG Output Plotting

The Los Alamos hydrodynamics code, FLAG, is capable of dumping many types of output for many different variables in an array of formats. While some outputs are best viewed in a multidimensional engineering analysis visualization software, others are best viewed as 1-D “this versus that” curves. During development of a FLAG model, it is frequently required to quickly assess a model’s performance by reviewing such curves, and doing so may involve writing scripts repeatedly, adapting them each time to a specific model’s parameters. This report describes an application developed specifically to improve user efficiency in reviewing 1-D curve dumps from FLAG.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Ligand System for the Flexible Functionalization of Quantum Dots via Click Chemistry

Abstract We present a novel ligand, 5‐norbornene‐2‐nonanoic acid, which can be directly added during established quantum dot (QD) syntheses in organic solvents to generate “clickable” QDs at a few hundred nmol scale. This ligand has a carboxyl group at one terminus to bind to the surface of QDs and a norbornene group at the opposite end that enables straightforward phase transfer of QDs into aqueous solutions via efficient norbornene/tetrazine click chemistry. Our ligand system removes the traditional ligand‐exchange step and can produce water‐soluble QDs with a high quantum yield and a small hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 12 nm at an order of magnitude higher scale than previous methods. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by incubating azido‐functionalized CdSe/CdS QDs with 4T1 cancer cells that are metabolically labeled with a dibenzocyclooctyne‐bearing unnatural sugar. The QDs exhibit high targeting efficiency and minimal nonspecific binding.

Chen, Yue↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fluctuating hydrodynamics and the Rayleigh–Plateau instability

The Rayleigh–Plateau instability occurs when surface tension makes a fluid column become unstable to small perturbations. At nanometer scales, thermal fluctuations are comparable to interfacial energy densities. Consequently, at these scales, thermal fluctuations play a significant role in the dynamics of the instability. These microscopic effects have previously been investigated numerically using particle-based simulations, such as molecular dynamics (MD), and stochastic partial differential equation–based hydrodynamic models, such as stochastic lubrication theory. In this paper, we present an incompressible fluctuating hydrodynamics model with a diffuse-interface formulation for binary fluid mixtures designed for the study of stochastic interfacial phenomena. An efficient numerical algorithm is outlined and validated in numerical simulations of stable equilibrium interfaces. We present results from simulations of the Rayleigh–Plateau instability for long cylinders pinching into droplets for Ohnesorge numbers of Oh = 0.5 and 5.0. Both stochastic and perturbed deterministic simulations are analyzed and ensemble results show significant differences in the temporal evolution of the minimum radius near pinching. Short cylinders, with lengths less than their circumference, were also investigated. As previously observed in MD simulations, we find that thermal fluctuations cause these to pinch in cases where a perturbed cylinder would be stable deterministically. Finally, we show that the fluctuating hydrodynamics model can be applied to study a broader range of surface tension–driven phenomena.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mechanistic mass transfer in hollow fiber membrane solvent extraction for bio-based isobutanol

Membrane solvent extraction (MSE) has emerged as a promising method for selectively recovering bioproducts from complex aqueous streams. Bio-isobutanol, a next-generation feedstock for biofuel, remains challenging to recover because of its low concentration and the presence of inhibitory substances. This study explores the potential of hollow fiber (HF) MSE for bio-isobutanol recovery and systematically examines the coupled effects of fiber packing, shell-side flow dynamics, and aqueous chemistry on performance. A resistance-in-series model is applied to understand mass transfer in the HF MSE modules, quantify local resistances, and validate overall performance. The results show that increasing the fiber packing provides a larger interfacial area but induces poor flow distribution and channeling, hindering effective isobutanol transport. Meanwhile, increasing the shell-side velocity improves isobutanol recovery due to reductions in the boundary layer thickness. The presence of salts, added to mimic fermentation broth, increases the partition coefficient through salting-out effects, further improving isobutanol flux. A modified correlation for the shell-side mass transfer coefficient (k s,ϕ+v ), integrating geometric and hydrodynamic effects, was developed and validated. The proposed model achieves highly predictive accuracy (r 2 = 0.9808) across a wide range of conditions, outperforming previous models. The findings provide mechanistic insight into the interaction of geometric packing, hydrodynamics, and chemistry in governing mass transfer in HF MSE. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential of HF MSE for efficient bio-isobutanol recovery and also provides practical guidelines on critical factors (packing fraction, partition coefficient, and shell-side velocity), aiding in the design and scaling of MSE systems for resource recovery.

Aqueous chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sucrose transport inside the phloem: Bridging hydrodynamics and geometric characteristics

In plants, the delivery of the products of photosynthesis is achieved through a hydraulic system labeled as phloem. This semi-permeable plant tissue consists of living cells that contract and expand in response to fluid pressure and flow velocity fluctuations. The Münch pressure flow theory, which is based on osmosis providing the necessary pressure gradient to drive the mass flow of carbohydrates, is currently the most accepted model for such sucrose transport. When this hypothesis is combined with the conservation of fluid mass and momentum as well as sucrose mass, many simplifications must be invoked to mathematically close the problem and to resolve the flow. Here this study revisits such osmotically driven flows by developing a new two-dimensional numerical model in cylindrical coordinates for an elastic membrane and a concentration-dependent viscosity. It is demonstrated that the interaction between the hydrodynamic and externally supplied geometrical characteristic of the phloem has a significant effect on the front speed of sucrose transport. These results offer a novel perspective about the evolutionary adaptation of plant hydraulic traits to optimize phloem soluble compounds transport efficiency.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF VERY LIGHT INTERNALLY SUBSONIC AGN JETS IN RADIO-MODE AGN FEEDBACK

Radio-mode active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback plays a key role in the evolution of galaxy groups and clusters. Its physical origin lies in the kiloparsec-scale interaction of AGN jets with the intracluster medium. Large-scale jet simulations often initiate light internally supersonic jets with density contrast 0.01 < η < 1. Here we argue for the first time for the importance of very light ( η < 0.01) internally subsonic jets. We investigated the shapes of young X-ray cavities produced in a suite of hydrodynamic simulations, and found that bottom-wide cavities are always produced by internally subsonic jets, while internally supersonic jets inflate cylindrical, center-wide, or top-wide cavities. We found examples of real cavities with shapes analogous to those inflated in our simulations by internally subsonic and internally supersonic jets, suggesting a dichotomy of AGN jets according to their internal Mach numbers. We further studied the long-term cavity evolution, and found that old cavities resulted from light jets spread along the jet direction, while those produced by very light jets are significantly elongated along the perpendicular direction. The northwestern ghost cavity in Perseus is pancake shaped, providing tentative evidence for the existence of very light jets. Our simulations show that very light internally subsonic jets decelerate faster and rise much slower in the intracluster medium than light internally supersonic jets, possibly depositing a larger fraction of jet energy to cluster cores and alleviating the problem of low coupling efficiencies found previously. The internal Mach number points to the jet’s energy content, and internally subsonic jets are energetically dominated by non-kinetic energy, such as thermal energy, cosmic rays, or magnetic fields.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Computational modeling of Krypton gas puffs with tailored mass density profiles on Z

Large diameter multi-shell gas puffs rapidly imploded by high current (~20 MA, ~100 ns) on the Z generator of Sandia National Laboratories are able to produce high-intensity Krypton K-shell emission at ~13 keV. Efficiently radiating at these high photon energies is a significant challenge which requires the careful design and optimization of the gas distribution. To facilitate this, we hydrodynamically model the gas flow out of the nozzle and then model its implosion using a 3-dimensional resistive, radiative MHD code (GORGON). This approach enables us to iterate between modeling the implosion and gas flow from the nozzle to optimize radiative output from this combined system. Furthermore, guided by our implosion calculations, we have designed gas profiles that help mitigate disruption from Magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor implosion instabilities, while preserving sufficient kinetic energy to thermalize to the high temperatures required for K-shell emission.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Xylem embolism refilling and resilience against drought-induced mortality in woody plants: processes and trade-offs

Understanding which species are able to recover from drought, under what conditions, and the mechanistic processes involved, will facilitate predictions of plant mortality in response to global change. In response to drought, some species die because of embolism-induced hydraulic failure, whilst others are able to avoid mortality and recover, following rehydration. Several tree species have evolved strategies to avoid embolism, whereas others tolerate high embolism rates but can recover their hydraulic functioning upon drought relief. Here, we focus on structures and processes that might allow some plants to recover from drought stress via embolism reversal. We provide insights into how embolism repair may have evolved, anatomical and physiological features that facilitate this process, and describe possible trade-offs and related costs. Recent controversies on methods used for estimating embolism formation/repair are also discussed, providing some methodological suggestions. Although controversial, embolism repair processes are apparently based on the activity of phloem and ray/axial parenchyma. The mechanism is energetically demanding, and the costs to plants include metabolism and transport of soluble sugars, water and inorganic ions. We propose that embolism repair should be considered as a possible component of a ‘hydraulic efficiency-safety’ spectrum. We also advance a framework for vegetation models, describing how vulnerability curves may change in hydrodynamic model formulations for plants that recover from embolism.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cosmological simulations of isotropic conduction in galaxy clusters

Simulations of galaxy clusters have a difficult time reproducing the radial gas-property gradients and red central galaxies observed to exist in the cores of galaxy clusters. Thermal conduction has been suggested as a mechanism that can help bring simulations of cluster cores into better alignment with observations by stabilizing the feedback processes that regulate gas cooling, but this idea has not yet been well tested with cosmological numerical simulations. Here we present cosmological simulations of 10 galaxy clusters performed with five different levels of isotropic Spitzer conduction, which alters both the cores and outskirts of clusters, though not dramatically. In the cores, conduction flattens central temperature gradients, making them nearly isothermal and slightly lowering the central density, but failing to prevent a cooling catastrophe there. Conduction has little effect on temperature gradients outside of cluster cores because outward conductive heat flow tends to inflate the outer parts of the intracluster medium (ICM), instead of raising its temperature. In general, conduction tends reduce temperature inhomogeneity in the ICM, but our simulations indicate that those homogenizing effects would be extremely difficult to observe in ∼5 keV clusters. Outside the virial radius, our conduction implementation lowers the gas densities and temperatures because it reduces the Mach numbers of accretion shocks. We conclude that, despite the numerous small ways in which conduction alters the structure of galaxy clusters, none of these effects are significant enough to make the efficiency of conduction easily measurable, unless its effects are more pronounced in clusters hotter than those we have simulated.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

AthenaK: A Performance-portable Version of the Athena++ Adaptive Mesh Refinement Framework

We describe AthenaK: a new implementation of the Athena++ block-based adaptive mesh refinement framework using the Kokkos programming model. Finite volume methods for Newtonian, special relativistic, and general relativistic (GR) hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and GR-radiation hydrodynamics and MHD, as well as a module for evolving Lagrangian tracer or charged test particles (e.g., cosmic rays) are implemented using the framework. In two companion papers, we describe (1) a new solver for the Einstein equations based on the Z4c formalism, and (2) a GRMHD solver in dynamical spacetimes also implemented using the framework, enabling new applications in numerical relativity. By adopting Kokkos, the code can be run on virtually any hardware, including CPUs, GPUs from multiple vendors, and emerging Advanced RISC Machine processors. AthenaK shows excellent performance and weak scaling, achieving over 1 billion cell updates per second for hydrodynamics in three dimensions on a single NVIDIA Grace Hopper processor. It does this with a typical parallel efficiency of 80% on 65,536 AMD GPUs on the OLCF Frontier system. Such performance portability enables AthenaK to leverage modern exascale computing systems for challenging applications in astrophysical fluid dynamics, numerical relativity, and multimessenger astrophysics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Overview of the 1985 NASA Lewis Research Center SP-100 free-piston Stirling engine activities

This effort is keyed on the design, fabrication, assembly, and testing of a 25 kWe Stirling space-power technology-feasibility demonstrator engine. Another facet of the SP-100 project covers the status of a 9000-hr endurance test conducted on a 2 kWe free-piston Stirling/linear alternator system employing hydrostatic gas bearings. Dynamic balancing of the RE-1000 engine (a 1 kWe free-piston Stirling engine) using a passive dynamic absorber will be discussed along with the results of a parametric study showing the relationships of Stirling power converter specific weight and efficiency as functions of Stirling engine heater to cooler temperature ratio. Planned tests will be described covering a hydrodynamic gas bearing concept for potential SP-100 application.

Slaby, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Overview of the 1985 NASA Lewis Research Center SP-100 free-piston Stirling engine activities

This effort is keyed on the design, fabrication, assembly, and testing of a 25 kWe Stirling space-power technology-feasibility demonstrator engine. Another facet of the SP-100 project covers the status of a 9000-hr endurance test conducted on a 2 kWe free-piston Stirling/linear alternator system employing hydrostatic gas bearings. Dynamic balancing of the RE-1000 engine (a 1 kWe free-piston Stirling engine) using a passive dynamic absorber will be discussed along with the results of a parametric study showing the relationships of Stirling power converter specific weight and efficiency as functions of Stirling engine heater to cooler temperature ratio. Planned tests will be described covering a hydrodynamic gas bearing concept for potential SP-100 application.

Slaby, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

SPDE/SPRE final summary report

Mechanical Technology Incorporated (MTI) performed acceptance testing on the Space Power Research Engine (SPRE), which demonstrated satisfactory operation and sufficient reliability for delivery to NASA Lewis Research Center. The unit produced 13.5 kW PV power with an efficiency of 22 percent versus design goals of 28.8 kW PV power and efficiency of 28 percent. Maximum electric power was only 8 kWe due to lower alternator efficiency. One of the major shortcomings of the SPRE was linear alternator efficiency, which was only 70 percent compared to a design value of 90 percent. It was determined from static tests that the major cause for the efficiency shortfall was the location of the magnetic structure surrounding the linear alternator. Testing of an alternator configuration without a surrounding magnetic structure on a linear dynamometer confirmed earlier static test results. Linear alternator efficiency improved from 70 percent to over 90 percent. Testing of the MTI SPRE was also performed with hydrodynamic bearings and achieved full-stroke, stable operation. This testing indicated that hydrodynamic bearings may be useful in free piston Stirling engines. An important factor in achieving stable operation at design stroke was isolating a portion of the bearing length from the engine pressure variations. In addition, the heat pipe heater head design indicates that integration of a Stirling engine with a heat source can be performed via heat pipes. This design provides a baseline against which alternative designs can be measured.

Dochat, George↗
DOE OSTI2012

X-ray backlight measurement of preformed plasma by kJ-class petawatt LFEX laser

Foot and pedestal pulses that precede the main pulse from a high-intensity laser greatly affect laser-plasma interactions. Especially in fast ignition schemes, preceding pulses generate a plasma prior to irradiation by the main pulse. This results in a too energetic and divergent electron beam being generated in the preformed plasma, which reduces the energy coupling efficiency from the heating laser to the dense fuel core. A preformed plasma with a density scale length of 40-60 {mu}m was observed by a time- and space-resolved x-ray backlight technique using the LFEX laser system at the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. Preceding pulses (i.e., the foot and pedestal) of the LFEX were characterized by comparing observations with calculations results obtained using a two-dimension (2D) radiation-hydrodynamic simulation code. In a separate experiment, the 2D code was benchmarked with the experimentally observed hydrodynamic behavior of a gold plasma produced by a nanosecond laser pulse that mimicked foot and pedestal pulses (intensity: 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11}-1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 12}W/cm{sup 2}). The preceding pulses were estimated to have an intensity of 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 12}-10{sup 13}W/cm{sup 2}, a duration of 2.0 ns, and a spot diameter at the target of 200-600 {mu}m by comparing the measured hydrodynamics of the preformed plasma with that calculated by the 2D hydrodynamic simulation code.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Inhomogeneous reionization models in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations

ABSTRACT In this work we present a new hybrid method to simulate the thermal effects of reionization in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. The method improves upon the standard approach used in simulations of the intergalactic medium (IGM) and galaxy formation without a significant increase in the computational cost, thereby allowing for efficient exploration of the parameter space. The method uses a small set of phenomenological input parameters, and combines a seminumerical reionization model to solve for the topology of reionization with an approximate model of how reionization heats the IGM, using the massively parallel Nyx hydrodynamics code which is specifically designed to solve for the structure of diffuse IGM gas. We have produced several medium-scale, high-resolution simulations (20483, Lbox = 40 Mpc h−1) with various instantaneous and inhomogeneous ${\rm H \,{\small I}}$ reionization models that use this new methodology. We study the IGM thermal properties of these models and find that large-scale temperature fluctuations extend well beyond the end of reionization. By analysing the 1D flux power spectrum of these models, we find up to ${\sim } 50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ differences in the large-scale properties (low modes, k ≲ 0.01 s km−1) of the post-reionization power spectrum as a result of the thermal fluctuations. We show that these differences could allow one to distinguish between different reionization scenarios with existing Lyα forest measurements. Finally, we explore the differences in the small-scale cut-off of the power spectrum, finding that, for the same heat input, models show very good agreement provided that the reionization redshift of the instantaneous reionization model occurs at the midpoint of the inhomogeneous model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1999

Particle Hydrodynamics with Material Strength for Multi-Layer Orbital Debris Shield Design

Three dimensional simulation of oblique hypervelocity impact on orbital debris shielding places extreme demands on computer resources. Research to date has shown that particle models provide the most accurate and efficient means for computer simulation of shield design problems. In order to employ a particle based modeling approach to the wall plate impact portion of the shield design problem, it is essential that particle codes be augmented to represent strength effects. This report describes augmentation of a Lagrangian particle hydrodynamics code developed by the principal investigator, to include strength effects, allowing for the entire shield impact problem to be represented using a single computer code.

Fahrenthold, Eric P.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Numerical Modeling and Dynamic Analysis of a Wave-Powered Reverse-Osmosis System

A wave energy converter (WEC) system has the potential to convert the wave energy resource directly into the high-pressure flow that is needed by the desalination system to pump saltwater to the reverse-osmosis membrane and provide the required pressure level to generate freshwater. In this study, a wave-to-water numerical model was developed to investigate the potential use of a wave-powered desalination system (WPDS) for water production. The model was developed by coupling a time-domain radiation-and-diffraction method-based numerical tool (WEC-Sim) for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of WECs with a solution-diffusion model that was used to simulate the reverse-osmosis (RO) process. The objective of this research is to evaluate the WPDS dynamics and the overall efficiency of the system. To evaluate the feasibility of the WPDS, the wave-to-water numerical model was applied to simulate a desalination system that used an oscillating surge WEC device to pump seawater through the system. The hydrodynamics WEC-Sim simulation results for the oscillating surge WEC device were validated against existing experimental data. The RO simulation was verified by comparing the results to those from the Dow Chemical Company’s reverse osmosis system analysis (ROSA) model, which has been widely used to design and simulate RO systems. The wave-to-water model was then used to analyze the WPDS under a range of wave conditions and for a two-WECs-coupled RO system to evaluate the influence of pressure and flow rate fluctuation on the WPDS performance. The results show that the instantaneous energy fluctuation from waves has a significant influence on the responding hydraulic pressure and flow rate, as well as the recovery ratio and, ultimately, the water-production quality. Nevertheless, it is possible to reduce the hydraulic fluctuation for different sea states while maintaining a certain level of freshwater production, and a WEC array that produces water can be a viable, near-term solution to the nation’s water supply. A discussion on the dynamic impact of hydraulic fluctuation on the WPDS performance and potential options to reduce the fluctuation and their trade-offs is also presented.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗