Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Fluid dynamics”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Visualization of unsteady computational fluid dynamics

A brief summary of the computer environment used for calculating three dimensional unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) results is presented. This environment requires a super computer as well as massively parallel processors (MPP's) and clusters of workstations acting as a single MPP (by concurrently working on the same task) provide the required computational bandwidth for CFD calculations of transient problems. The cluster of reduced instruction set computers (RISC) is a recent advent based on the low cost and high performance that workstation vendors provide. The cluster, with the proper software can act as a multiple instruction/multiple data (MIMD) machine. A new set of software tools is being designed specifically to address visualizing 3D unsteady CFD results in these environments. Three user's manuals for the parallel version of Visual3, pV3, revision 1.00 make up the bulk of this report.

Haimes, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1993

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis for the Reduction of Impeller Discharge Flow Distortion

The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in the design and analysis of high performance rocket engine pumps has increased in recent years. This increase has been aided by the activities of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Pump Stage Technology Team (PSTT). The team's goals include assessing the accuracy and efficiency of several methodologies and then applying the appropriate methodology(s) to understand and improve the flow inside a pump. The PSTT's objectives, team membership, and past activities are discussed in Garcia1 and Garcia2. The PSTT is one of three teams that form the NASA/MSFC CFD Consortium for Applications in Propulsion Technology (McConnaughey3). The PSTT first applied CFD in the design of the baseline consortium impeller. This impeller was designed for the Space Transportation Main Engine's (STME) fuel turbopump. The STME fuel pump was designed with three impeller stages because a two-stage design was deemed to pose a high developmental risk. The PSTT used CFD to design an impeller whose performance allowed for a two-stage STME fuel pump design. The availability of this design would have lead to a reduction in parts, weight, and cost had the STME reached production. One sample of the baseline consortium impeller was manufactured and tested in a water rig. The test data showed that the impeller performance was as predicted and that a two-stage design for the STME fuel pump was possible with minimal risk. The test data also verified another CFD predicted characteristic of the design that was not desirable. The classical 'jet-wake' pattern at the impeller discharge was strengthened by two aspects of the design: by the high head coefficient necessary for the required pressure rise and by the relatively few impeller exit blades, 12, necessary to reduce manufacturing cost. This 'jet-wake pattern produces an unsteady loading on the diffuser vanes and has, in past rocket engine programs, lead to diffuser structural failure. In industrial applications, this problem is typically avoided by increasing the space between the impeller and the diffuser to allow the dissipation of this pattern and, hence, the reduction of diffuser vane unsteady loading. This approach leads to small performance losses and, more importantly in rocket engine applications, to significant increases in the pump's size and weight. This latter consideration typically makes this approach unacceptable in high performance rocket engines.

Garcia, R.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Thermal Protection System Cavity Heating for Simplified and Actual Geometries Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations with Unstructured Grids

Thermal Protection System (TPS) Cavity Heating is predicted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) on unstructured grids for both simplified cavities and actual cavity geometries. Validation was performed using comparisons to wind tunnel experimental results and CFD predictions using structured grids. Full-scale predictions were made for simplified and actual geometry configurations on the Space Shuttle Orbiter in a mission support timeframe.

McCloud, Peter L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Optimization of a Cyclone Using Multiphase Flow Computational Fluid Dynamics

The U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL) 50 kW th chemical looping reactor (CLR) has an underperforming cyclone, which was designed using empirical correlations. To improve the performance of this cyclone using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based modeling simulations, four critical design parameters including the vortex tube radius and length, barrel radius, and the inlet width and height were optimized. Here, NETL's open source multiphase flow with interphase exchange (MFiX) CFD code has been used to model a series of cyclones by systematically varying the geometric design parameters. To perform the optimization process, the surrogate modeling and sensitivity analysis followed by the optimization capability in nodeworks was used. The basic methodology for the process is to employ a statistical design of experiments (DOE) method to generate sampling simulations that fill the design space. Corresponding CFD models are then created, executed, and postprocessed. A response surface is created to characterize the relationship between input parameters and the quantities of interest (QoI). Finally, the CFD-surrogate is used by an optimization method to find the optimal design condition based on the objective and constraints prescribed. The resulting optimal cyclone has a larger diameter and longer vortex tube, a larger diameter barrel, and a taller and narrower solids inlet. The improved design has a predicted pressure drop 11 times lower than the original design while reducing the mass loss by a factor of 2.3.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations to Assess Spatial Variability and Optimal Ventilation Scenarios for Biological Laboratory Exposures

A significant amount of uncertainty exists regarding potential human exposure to laboratory biomaterials and organisms in Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) research laboratories. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is proposed as a way to better understand potential impacts of different combinations of biomaterials, laboratory manipulations, and exposure routes on risks to laboratory workers. Here, in this study, we use CFD models to simulate airborne concentrations of contaminants in an actual BSL-2 laboratory under different configurations. Results show that ventilation configuration, sampling location, and contaminant source location can significantly impact airborne concentrations and exposures. Depending on the source location and airflow patterns, the transient and time-integrated concentrations varied by several orders of magnitude. Contaminant plumes from sources located near a return vent (or exhaust like a fume hood or ventilated biosafety cabinet) are likely to be more contained than sources that are further from the exhaust. Having a direct flow between the source and the exhaust (through-flow condition) may reduce potential exposures to individuals outside the air flow path. Designing a BSL-2 room with ventilation and airflow patterns that maximize through-flow conditions to the return/exhaust vents and minimize dispersion and mixing throughout the room is, therefore, recommended. CFD simulations can also be used to assist in characterizing the impacts of supply and return vent locations, room layout, and source locations on spatial and temporal contaminant concentrations. In addition, proper placement of particle sensors can also be informed by CFD simulations to provide additional characterization and monitoring of potential exposures in BSL-2 facilities.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Airfoil Computational Fluid Dynamics - 9k shapes, 2 AoA's

This dataset contains aerodynamic quantities - including flow field values (momentum, energy, and vorticity) and summary values (coefficients of lift, drag, and momentum) - for 8,996 airfoil shapes, computed using the HAM2D CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model. The airfoil shapes were designed using the separable shape tensor parameterization that encodes two-dimensional shapes as elements of the Grassmann manifold. This data-driven approach learns two independent spaces of parameter from a collection of sample airfoils. The first captures large-scale, linear perturbations, and the second defines small-scale, higher-order perturbations. For this data, we used the G2Aero database of over 19,000 airfoil shapes to learn a parameter space that captured a wide array of shape characteristics. We fixed the linear deformations to be the mean over the database and sampled new shapes over a four-dimensional parameter space of higher-order perturbation. This sampling approaches allows for isolated analysis of non-linear airfoil shape deformations while holding other aspects (e.g., airfoil thickness) approximately constant. The aerodynamic quantities for the generated airfoil were obtained using the HAM2D code, which is a finite-volume Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) flow solver. We employ a fifth-order WENO scheme for spatial reconstruction with Roe's flux difference scheme for inviscid flux and second-order central differencing for viscous flux. A preconditioned GMRES method is applied for implicit integration. The Spalart-Allmaras 1-eq turbulence model is used for the turbulence closure, and the Medida-Baeder 2-eq transition model is applied to account for the effects of laminar turbulent transition. The airfoil grid is generated with a total of 400 points on the airfoil surface, the initial wall-normal spacing of y+ = 1, and an outer boundary located at 300 chord lengths away from the wall. The CFD simulations are performed at a freestream Mach number of 0.1, Reynolds number of 9M, and at two angles of attack, 4 deg. and 12 deg. The simulations were performed using the Bridges-2 system at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center in February 2023 as part of the INTEGRATE project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy. The data was collected, reformatted, and preprocessed for this OEDI submission in July 2023 under the Foundational AI for Wind Energy project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office. This dataset is intended to serve as a benchmark against which new artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) tools may be tested. Baseline AI/ML methods for analyzing this dataset have been implemented, and a link to their repository containing those models has been provided. The .h5 data file structure can be found in the GitHub Repository resource under explore_airfoil_9k_data.ipynb.

9k↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Computational Fluid Dynamics Models of the NASA White Sands Test Facility Particle Impact Test Nozzles

The particle impact ignition mechanism is considered to be the most effective means for igniting metals in gaseous oxygen environments and is a concern for every oxygen system. For this reason, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) commits a large amount of resources attempting to understand and defend against this phenomenon. The most practical means of accomplishing this is through extensive of testing. To this end, over the years NASA has developed and built a facility and various apparatuses to test material or component vulnerability to a particle impact ignition. In testing materials, NASA uses sub-sonic and supersonic nozzles to replicate the conditions that a material is expected to experience in service. However, challenges include obtaining an understanding of the gas dynamics and of the particle behavior through and up to the point of impact at the material under test. One means of addressing these challenges is the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). If a CFD model can be built and validated, the model can then be used to confidently interrogate changes to inlet conditions and particle geometries, as well as changes to nozzle geometries to better simulate a material’s in-situ conditions and greatly reduce or eliminate trial-and-error approaches in testing. This paper will show NASA’s approach to and results of using CFD to better understand their particle impact nozzles.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Airfoil Computational Fluid Dynamics - 2k shapes, 25 AoA's, 3 Re numbers

This dataset contains aerodynamic quantities - including flow field values (momentum, energy, and vorticity) and summary values (coefficients of lift, drag, and momentum) - for 1,830 airfoil shapes computed using the HAM2D CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model. The airfoil shapes were designed using the separable shape tensor parameterization that encodes two-dimensional shapes as elements of the Grassmann manifold. This data-driven approach learns two independent spaces of parameter from a collection of sample airfoils. The first captures large-scale, linear perturbations, and the second defines small-scale, higher-order perturbations. For this dataset, we used the G2Aero database of over 19,000 airfoil shapes to learn a parameter space that captured a wide array of shape characteristics. We sampled airfoil designs over both parameter spaces to explore the full range of possible shape variations. The aerodynamic quantities for the generated airfoil were obtained using the HAM2D code, which is a finite-volume Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) flow solver. We employ a fifth-order WENO scheme for spatial reconstruction with Roe's flux difference scheme for inviscid flux and second-order central differencing for viscous flux. A preconditioned GMRES method is applied for implicit integration. The Spalart-Allmaras 1-eq turbulence model is used for the turbulence closure, and the Medida-Baeder 2-eq transition model is applied to account for the effects of laminar turbulent transition. The airfoil grid is generated with a total of 400 points on the airfoil surface, the initial wall-normal spacing of y+ = 1, and an outer boundary located at 300 chord lengths away from the wall. The CFD simulations are performed at a freestream Mach number of 0.1, for or three different Reynolds' numbers (3M, 6M, and 9M), and for 25 angles of attack from -4 deg. to 20 deg. with 1 degree increments. Across all these various parameters, this dataset includes the results from over 250,000 CFD simulations. The simulations were performed using the Bridges-2 system at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center in February 2023 as part of the INTEGRATE project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, in the U.S. Department of Energy. The data was collected, reformatted, and preprocessed for this OEDI submission in July 2023 under the Foundational AI for Wind Energy project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office. This dataset is intended to serve as a benchmark against which new artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) tools may be tested. Baseline AI/ML methods for analyzing this dataset have been implemented, and a link to their repository containing those models has been provided. The .h5 data file structure can be found in the GitHub Repository resource under explore_airfoil_2k_data.ipynb.

2k↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interface learning in fluid dynamics: Statistical inference of closures within micro–macro-coupling models

Many complex multiphysics systems in fluid dynamics involve using solvers with varied levels of approximations in different regions of the computational domain to resolve multiple spatiotemporal scales present in the flow. The accuracy of the solution is governed by how the information is exchanged between these solvers at the interface and several methods have been devised for such coupling problems. In this article, we construct a data-driven model by spatially coupling a microscale lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) solver and macroscale finite difference method (FDM) solver for reaction-diffusion systems. The coupling between the micro-macro solvers has one to many mapping at the interface leading to the interface closure problem, and we propose a statistical inference method based on neural networks to learn this closure relation. The performance of the proposed framework in a bifidelity setting partitioned between the FDM and LBM domain shows its promise for complex systems where analytical relations between micro-macro solvers are not available.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1987

Computational fluid dynamics applications at McDonnel Douglas

Representative examples are presented of applications and development of advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes for aerodynamic design at the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC). Transonic potential and Euler codes, interactively coupled with boundary layer computation, and solutions of slender-layer Navier-Stokes approximation are applied to aircraft wing/body calculations. An optimization procedure using evolution theory is described in the context of transonic wing design. Euler methods are presented for analysis of hypersonic configurations, and helicopter rotors in hover and forward flight. Several of these projects were accepted for access to the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) facility at the NASA-Ames Research Center.

Hakkinen, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Element-by-element and implicit-explicit finite element formulations for computational fluid dynamics

Preconditioner algorithms to reduce the computational effort in FEM analyses of large-scale fluid-dynamics problems are presented. A general model problem is constructed on the basis of the convection-diffusion equation and the two-dimensional vorticity/stream-function formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations; this problem is then analyzed using element-by-element, implicit-explicit, and adaptive implicit-explicit approximation schemes. Numerical results for the two-dimensional advection and rigid-body rotation of a cosine hill, flow past a circular cylinder, and driven cavity flow are presented in extensive graphs and shown to be in good agreement with those obtained using implicit methods.

Tezduyar, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Domain decomposition algorithms and computational fluid dynamics

Some of the new domain decomposition algorithms are applied to two model problems in computational fluid dynamics: the two-dimensional convection-diffusion problem and the incompressible driven cavity flow problem. First, a brief introduction to the various approaches of domain decomposition is given, and a survey of domain decomposition preconditioners for the operator on the interface separating the subdomains is then presented. For the convection-diffusion problem, the effect of the convection term and its discretization on the performance of some of the preconditioners is discussed. For the driven cavity problem, the effectiveness of a class of boundary probe preconditioners is examined.

Chan, Tony F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An assessment of computational fluid dynamic techniques in the analysis and design of turbomachinery - The 1990 Freeman Scholar Lecture

Various computational fluid dynamic techniques are reviewed focusing on the Euler and Navier-Stokes solvers with a brief assessment of boundary layer solutions, and quasi-3D and quasi-viscous techniques. Particular attention is given to a pressure-based method, explicit and implicit time marching techniques, a pseudocompressibility technique for incompressible flow, and zonal techniques. Recommendations are presented with regard to the most appropriate technique for various flow regimes and types of turbomachinery, incompressible and compressible flows, cascades, rotors, stators, liquid-handling, and gas-handling turbomachinery.

Lakshminarayana, B.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Executive Summary: Special Section on Credible Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

This summary presents the motivation for the Special Section on the credibility of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, its objective, its background and context, its content, and its major conclusions. Verification and validation (V&V) are the processes for establishing the credibility of CFD simulations. Validation assesses whether correct things are performed and verification assesses whether they are performed correctly. Various aspects of V&V are discussed. Progress is made in verification of simulation models. Considerable effort is still needed for developing a systematic validation method that can assess the credibility of simulated reality.

Mehta, Unmeel B.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Computational fluid dynamics investigations of flow, heat transfer, and oxidation in heat recovery steam generator

Modern heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) operate at elevated temperatures, leading to the formation of oxides inside the tubes of heat exchangers (HXs). This oxide growth reduces the heat recovery efficiency. Moreover, after reaching a certain critical thickness, some oxide scales detach from the tube surface (exfoliation), causing erosion damage to the components downstream. Predicting the metal temperature distribution and associated oxide thickness in the HXs of an HRSG can aid in mitigating these problems. Here, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed within the commercial code STAR-CCM+ for the prediction of fluid flow, conjugate heat transfer, and associated oxidation in HRSGs. Moreover, a new Porous Media Model (PMM) method was developed to model the fin effect on the heat transfer in HX, which can substantially reduce the prohibitive computational costs of fin meshes. The developed CFD model was used to conduct a high-fidelity simulation of a real-scale HRSG to investigate flow, heat transfer, and oxide growth. The calculated oxide thickness on different tubes can be used to identify HX regions that require oxide-resistant coatings to prevent exfoliation and ensuing damages. Furthermore, this CFD framework can serve as a reference for future studies that intend to model and investigate high-temperature oxidation in HXs used for any applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1988

The development of an intelligent interface to a computational fluid dynamics flow-solver code

Researchers at NASA Lewis are currently developing an 'intelligent' interface to aid in the development and use of large, computational fluid dynamics flow-solver codes for studying the internal fluid behavior of aerospace propulsion systems. This paper discusses the requirements, design, and implementation of an intelligent interface to Proteus, a general purpose, 3-D, Navier-Stokes flow solver. The interface is called PROTAIS to denote its introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) concepts to the Proteus code.

Williams, Anthony D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The development of an intelligent interface to a computational fluid dynamics flow-solver code

Researchers at NASA Lewis are currently developing an 'intelligent' interface to aid in the development and use of large, computational fluid dynamics flow-solver codes for studying the internal fluid behavior of aerospace propulsion systems. This paper discusses the requirements, design, and implementation of an intelligent interface to Proteus, a general purpose, three-dimensional, Navier-Stokes flow solver. The interface is called PROTAIS to denote its introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) concepts to the Proteus code.

Williams, Anthony D.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE): Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) Capillary Fluid Dynamic Restriction Effects on Gas Chromatography

The Resource Prospector (RP) mission with the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload aims to show the presence of water in lunar regolith, and establish a proving ground for NASAs mission to Mars. One of the analysis is performed by the Lunar Advanced Volatiles Analysis (LAVA) subsystem, which consists of a fluid network that facilitates the transport of volatile samples to a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC-MS) instrument. The understanding of fluid dynamics directed from the GC to the MS is important due to the influence of flow rates and pressures that affect the accuracy of and prevent the damage to the overall GC-MS instrument. The micro-scale capillary fluid network within the GC alone has various lengths and inner-diameters; therefore, determination of pressure differentials and flow rates are difficult to model computationally, with additional complexity from the vacuum conditions in space and lack of a lunar atmosphere. A series of tests were performed on an experimental set-up of the system where the inner diameters of the GC transfer line connecting to the MS were varied. The effect on chromatography readings were also studied by applying these lines onto a GC instrument. It was found that a smaller inner diameter transfer line resulted in a lower flow rate, as well as a lower pressure differential across the thermal conductivity detector (TCD) unit of the GC and a negligible pressure drop across the mock-up capillary column. The chromatography was affected with longer retention times and broader peak integrations. It was concluded that a 0.050 mm inner diameter line still proved most suitable for the systems flow rate preferences. In addition, it was evident that this small transfer line portrayed some expense to GC signal characteristics and the wait time for steady-state operation.

RESOLVE↗