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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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NASA NTRS1985

Symposium (International) on Combustion, 20th, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, August 12-17, 1984, Proceedings

The present conference on combustion phenomena considers topics in automotive engine combustion, turbulent reacting flows, the modeling of practical combustion systems, reaction kinetics, combustion-generated particulates, combustion diagnostics, coal combustion process characteristics, fire-related phenomena, explosion/detonation phenomena, spray combustion, ignition/extinction, laminar flames, pollutant formation processes, practical combustor devices, and rocket propellant combustion. Attention is given to the contributions of combustion science to piston engine design, modeling and measurement techniques for turbulent combustion, the specific effects of energy, collisions, and transport processes in combustion chemistry kinetics, the formation of large molecules, particulates and ions in premixed hydrocarbon flames, the application of laser diagnostics to combustion systems, spark ignition energies for dust-air mixtures, the controlling mechanisms of flow-assisted flame spread, the ignition and combustion of coal-water slurries, spontaneous ignition of methane, turbulent and accelerating dust flames, and the temperature sensitivity of double base propellants.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Recombination reactions of 5-eV O(3P) atoms on a MgF2 surface

A source of hyperthermal, ground-state, impurity-free, atomic oxygen of an energy variable in the range 2-100 eV has been developed. Experimental results are presented of emission spectra in the wavelength range 250-850 nm produced by collisions of 5-eV O(3P) atoms with adsorbed NO and CO molecules on a MgF2 surface.

Orient, O. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Experimental and theoretical studies on collision-broadened lines in the nu-4 fundamental of methane.

High-resolution experimental and theoretical studies performed earlier by us on the collision-broadened rotational lines in the nu-3 and 2nu-3 bands of methane have been repeated on the lines in the nu-4 fundamental of the molecule. Line-width measurements and computations, as well as line-shape measurements, indicate that the significant differences which exist between the rotational term values of the nu-3 and nu-4 vibrational levels have no observable effect on the collision-broadening mechanism. Using the predictions of line-widths, based on the Anderson-Tsao-Curnutte theory in the extended version of Tejwani for octopolar molecules, the theoretical dependence of line-widths on temperature has been calculated for CH4-CH4, CH4-H2 and CH4-He collisions.

Varanasi, P.↗
NASA NTRS2002

H2, CO and Dust Emission Around Low Mass Stars

We model the thermal balance, the chemistry, and the radiative transfer in dusty disks orbiting young, low mass stars. These models are motivated by observations of infrared and ultraviolet transitions of H2 from protoplanetary disks, as well as millimeter and submillimeter observations of other molecules such as CO, and infrared continuum observations of the dust. The dust grains are heated primarily by the stellar radiation and the infrared radiation field produced by the dust itself. The gas is heated by collisions with warmer dust grains, X-rays from the region close to the stellar surface, UV pumping of hydrogen molecules, and the grain photoelectric heating mechanism initiated by UV photons from the central star. We treat cases where the gas to dust ratio is high, because the dust has settled to the midplane and coagulated into relatively large objects. We discuss situations in which the infrared emission from H2 can be detected, and how the comparison of the observations with our models can deduce physical parameters such as the mass and the density and temperature distribution of the gas.

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS2004

Gas Heating, Chemistry and Photoevaporation in Protostellar Disks

We model the thermal balance, the chemistry, and the radiative transfer in dusty disks orbiting young, low mass stars. These models are motivated by observations of infrared and ultraviolet transitions of H2 from protoplanetary disks, as well as millimeter and submillimeter observations of other molecules such as CO, and infrared continuum observations of the dust. The dust grains are heated primarily by the stellar radiation and the infrared radiation field produced by the dust itself. The gas is heated by collisions with warmer dust grains, X-rays from the region close to the stellar surface, UV pumping of hydrogen molecules, and the grain photoelectric heating mechanism initiated by UV photons from the central star. We treat cases where the gas to dust ratio is high, because the dust has settled to the midplane and coagulated into relatively large objects. We discuss situations in which the infrared emission from H2 can be detected, and how the comparison of the observations with our models can deduce physical parameters such as the mass and the density and temperature distribution of the gas.

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS1976

Physical processes in comets

The paper discusses physical processes in comets which involve solar and nuclear radial forces that affect the motions of gases and icy grains, gas-phase chemistry very close to the nuclei of large comets near the sun, sublimation of icy grains, dissociation of parent molecules into radicals and of radicals into atoms, and ionization by sunlight and collisions. The composition and dimensions of nuclei are examined along with variations in intrinsic brightness, the nature of volatiles, gas production rates in the coma, characteristics of icy grains in the coma, and the structure of streamers, ion tails, and dust tails. The structure of the coma is described in detail on the basis of spectroscopic observations of several comets. The origin of comets is briefly reviewed together with the relation of comets to earth, the interplanetary complex, and the interstellar medium. Desirable future observations are noted, especially by space missions to comets.

Whipple, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Space shuttle contamination due to backflow from control motor exhaust

Spacecraft contamination of the space shuttle orbiter and accompanying Spacelab payloads is studied. The scattering of molecules from the vernier engines and flash evaporator nozzle after impingement on the orbiter wing surfaces, and the backflow of molecules out of the flash evaporator nozzle plume flow field due to intermolecular collisions in the plume are the problems discussed. A method was formulated for dealing with these problems, and detailed results are given.

Robertson, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Low-energy electron-atom bremsstrahlung

This paper extends recent work providing an elementary calculation of bremsstrahlung and opacity associated with the scattering of low-energy electrons by neutral atoms and molecules. The method applies when the scattering potential is 'hard' or when the collision time is short, applying the classical soft-photon emission probability formula for arbitrary bremsstrahlung photon energy. However, now, in addition to correcting the probability factor for finite bremsstrahlung photon energy, another factor corrects for the reduced phase space available to the outgoing electron. The bremsstrahlung cross section and opacity are then computed directly from the elastic scattering cross section, determined experimentally or calculated; a small (approximately 10 percent) correction is computed from the anisotropic term in the elastic scattering cross section. The opacity is evaluated for electron scattering by H, He, and H2 using experimentally determined values for the elastic scattering cross section, and is compared with more elaborate calculations. The agreement is good (within 10 percent), indicating an accuracy for the general method comparable to variations among the results of different elaborate theoretical computations. The agreement seems to validate the basic approximation of short collision time even at large bremsstrahlung photon energy for electron energies and temperatures up to a few eV.

Gould, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

H2, CO and Dust Emission Around Low Mass Stars

We model the thermal balance, the chemistry, and the radiative transfer in dusty disks orbiting young, low mass stars. These models are motivated by observations of infrared and ultraviolet transitions of H2 from protoplanetary disks, as well as millimeter and submillimeter observations of other molecules such as CO, and infrared continuum observations of the dust. The dust grains are heated primarily by the stellar radiation and the infrared radiation field produced by the dust itself. The gas is heated by collisions with warmer dust grains, X-rays from the region close to the stellar surface, UV (ultraviolet) pumping of hydrogen molecules, and the grain photoelectric heating mechanism initiated by UV photons from the central star. We treat cases where the gas to dust ratio is high, because the dust has settled to the midplane and coagulated into relatively large objects. We discuss situations in which the infrared emission from H2 can be detected, and how the comparison of the observations with our models can deduce physical parameters such as the mass and the density and temperature distribution of the gas.

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS1976

On the accuracy of the 'decoupled l-dominant' approximation for atom-molecule scattering

Cross sections for rotational excitation and spectral pressure broadening of HD, HCl, CO, and HCN due to collisions with low energy He atoms have been computed within the 'decoupled l-dominant' (DLD) approximation and are compared with accurate close coupling results and also with two similar approximations, the effective potential of Rabitz and the coupled states of McGuire and Kouri. DLD predictions of state-to-state cross sections are rather good, being only slightly less accurate than coupled states results. DLD is far superior to either the coupled states or effective potential methods for pressure broadening calculations, although it may not be uniformly of the quantitative accuracy desirable for obtaining intermolecular potentials from experimental data.

Green, S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Vibrational and rotational cooling of electrons by water vapor

The cooling of electrons by vibrational and rotational excitation of water molecules plays an important role in the thermal balance of electrons in cometary ionospheres. The energy-loss function for rotational excitation and deexcitation of H2O by electron impact is calculated theoretically. The rotational cooling rate is calculated using this loss function for a wide range of electron and neutral temperatures. The vibrational cooling rate is calculated using measured values of electron-impact vibrational excitation cross sections. Analytical formulas are provided for some of the cooling rates. The interaction of ions with H2O molecules is also discussed, and a formula is suggested for the momentum-transfer collision frequency.

Cravens, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Compact imaging spectrometer for induced emissions

On the basis of spectral measurements made from the Space Shuttle and on models of the possible Space Station external environment, it appears likely that, even at the planned altitudes of Space Station, photon emissions will be induced. These emissions will occur to some degree throughout the ultraviolet-visible-infrared spectrum. The emissions arise from a combination of processes including gas phase collisions between relatively energetic ambient and surface emitted or re-emitted atoms or molecules, where the surface raises some species to excited energy states. At the present time it is not possible to model these processes or the anticipated intensity levels with any accuracy, as a number of fundamental parameters needed for such calculations are still poorly known or unknown. However, it is possible that certain spectral line and band features will exceed the desired goal that concomitant emissions not exceed the natural zodiacal background. Also, in the near infrared and infrared, it appears that this level will be exceeded to a significant degree. Therefore it will be necessary to monitor emission levels in the vicinity of Space Station, both in order to establish the levels and to better model the environment. A small spectrometer is briefly described which is suitable for monitoring the spectrum from 1200 A to less than or equal to 12,000 A. The instrument uses focal plane array detectors to image this full spectral range simultaneously. The spectral resolution is 4 to 12 A, depending on the portion of the wavelength range.

Torr, Douglas G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A compact imaging spectrometer for studies of space vehicle induced environment emissions

On the basis of spectral measurements made from the Space Shuttle and on models of the possible Space Station external environment, it appears likely that, even at the planned altitudes of Space Station, photon emissions will be induced. These emissions will occur to some degree throughout the UV-visible-IR spectrum. The emissions arise from a combination of processes including gas phase collisions between relatively energetic ambient and surface emitted or re-emitted atoms or molecules, where the surface raises some species to excited energy states. At present it is not possible to model these processes or the anticipated intensity levels with accuracy, as a number of fundamental parameters needed for such calculations are still poorly known or unknown. However, it is possible that certain spectral line and band features will exceed the desired goal that contaminant emissions not exceed the natural zodiacal background. However, in the near infrared and infrared, it appears that this level will be exceeded to a significant degree. Therefore it will be necessary to monitor emission levels in the vicinity of Space Station, both in order to establish the levels and to better model the environment. In this note, we briefly describe a small spectrometer that is suitable for monitoring the spectrum from 1200A to less than or approximately 12,000A. This instrument uses focal plane array detectors to image this full spectral range simultaneously. The spectral resolution is 4 to 12A, depending on the portion of the wavelength range.

Torr, Marsha R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

IR excitation of contaminant water by oxygen for the space shuttle at low Earth orbit altitude

As the water outgas of a space shuttle passes through the rarefied atmosphere at orbital altitude, collisions occur between the gases with sufficient energy to excite infrared-active water molecules to various vibrational and rotational states. An infrared contaminant model (IR model) has been developed to study the shuttle-induced excitation and emission of water molecules outgassed from the space shuttle. The focus of the first application of the model is translation-to-vibration (T-V) energy transfer since estimates suggest that this process should dominate the production of vibrationally excited H2O under typical low Earth orbit conditions. Using the velocity and position distribution functions of interacting neutral gases obtained from a neutral gases interaction model, the spatial distributions of excitation and IR radiation from contaminant water are computed, and typical results are presented. Infrared spectral data (450 - 2500/cm), measured by the Cryogenic Infrared Radiance Instrumentation for Shuttle (CIRRIS-1A) sensor on STS-39 (April 28 to May 6, 1991) at an altitude near 265 km, are used to test model predictions. The dependence of the radiant emission structure and brightness on outgassing rates and altitudes is discussed. The time history of the contaminant water outgassing rate is inferred for STS-39, and it is compared with the mass-spectrometer-based results for STS-4 (June 26 to July 4, 1982). Also, estimates of H2O column density at mission elapsed time (MET) 50 hours are compared for missions STS-2, STS-3, STS-4, and STS-39.

Zhou, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Ozone Depletion, UVB and Atmospheric Chemistry

The primary constituents of the Earth's atmosphere are molecular nitrogen and molecular oxygen. Ozone is created when ultraviolet light from the sun photodissociates molecular oxygen into two oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms undergo many collisions but eventually combine with a molecular oxygen to form ozone (O3). The ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet solar radiation, primarily in the wavelength region between 200 and 300 nanometers, resulting in the dissociation of ozone back into atomic oxygen and molecular oxygen. The oxygen atom reattaches to an O2 molecule, reforming ozone which can then absorb another ultraviolet photon. This sequence goes back and forth between atomic oxygen and ozone, each time absorbing a uv photon, until the oxygen atom collides with and ozone molecule to reform two oxygen molecules.

Stolarski, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Ozone Depletion, UVB and Atmospheric Chemistry

The primary constituents of the Earth's atmosphere are molecular nitrogen and molecular oxygen. Ozone is created when ultraviolet light from the sun photodissociates molecular oxygen into two oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms undergo many collisions but eventually combine with a molecular oxygen to form ozone (O3). The ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet solar radiation, primarily in the wavelength region between 200 and 300 nanometers, resulting in the dissociation of ozone back into atomic oxygen and molecular oxygen. The oxygen atom reattaches to an O2 molecule, reforming ozone which can then absorb another ultraviolet photon. This sequence goes back and forth between atomic oxygen and ozone, each time absorbing a uv photon, until the oxygen atom collides with and ozone molecule to reform two oxygen molecules.

Stolarski, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Free-molecule-flow force and moment coefficients of the aeroassist flight experiment vehicle

Calculated results for the aerodynamic coefficients over the range of + or - 90 deg in both pitch and yaw attitude angles for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) vehicle in free molecule flow are presented. The AFE body is described by a large number of small flat plate surface elements whose orientations are established in a wind axes coordinate system through the pitch and yaw attitude angles. Lift force, drag force, and three components of aerodynamic moment about a specified point are computed for each element. The elemental forces and moments are integrated over the entire body, and total force and moment coefficients are computed. The coefficients are calculated for the two limiting gas-surface molecular collision conditions, namely, specular and diffuse, which assume zero and full thermal accommodation of the incoming gas molecules with the surface, respectively. The individual contribution of the shear stress and pressure terms are calculated and also presented.

Blanchard, Robert C.↗