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At least 343 records · Page 19

Convection during Thermally Unstable Solidification of Pb-Sn in a Magnetic Field

Convection and macrosegregation in directionally solidified hypoeutectic Pb-38 wt pct Sn and hypereutectic Pb-64.5 wt pct Sn have been examined during upward and downward growth. Temperature fluctuations are observed along the length of the melt column during downward growth. With increasing Rayleigh number, these fluctuations change from none, to cyclic, to time periodic having multiple harmonics, and finally to random. At the higher convective driving force of 350 K temperature inversion, the transverse magnetic field decreased convective levels, strong random temperature fluctuations (flows) becoming smaller and periodic. The maximum field of 0.45 T was unable to completely eliminate convection. For the lower convective driving force of 150 K temperature inversion, the 0.05 T magnetic field decreased flows, and at 0.15 T, the field caused a dramatic decrease in the characteristic frequency of the temperature fluctuations, indicating a change in the nature of the flow, the waveform of the temperature fluctuations changing from sinusoidal to a pulsed wave. Temperature fluctuations and time delays between thermocouples were used to estimate flow velocities. Irrespective of the convection in the bulk melt (ahead of the mushy zone), longitudinal macrosegregation occurs only if the interdendritic melt mixes with the bulk melt.

Song, H.↗

Investigation of species-mass diffusion in binary-species boundary layers at high pressure using direct numerical simulations

Here, direct numerical simulations of single-species and binary-species temporal boundary layers at high pressure are performed with special attention to species-mass diffusion. The working fluids are nitrogen or a mixture of nitrogen and methane. Mean profiles and turbulent fluctuations of mass fraction show that their qualitative characteristics are different from those of streamwise velocity and temperature, due to the different boundary conditions. In a wall-parallel plane near the wall, the streamwise velocity and temperature have streaky patterns and the fields are similar. However, the mass fraction field at the same location is different from the streamwise velocity and temperature fields indicating that species-mass diffusion is not similar to the momentum and thermal diffusion. In contrast, at the centre and near the edge of the boundary layer, the mass fraction and temperature fields have almost the same pattern, indicating that the similarity between thermal and species-mass diffusion holds away from the wall. The lack of similarity near the wall is traced to the Soret effect that induces a temperature-gradient-dependent species-mass flux. As a result, a new phenomenon has been identified for a non-isothermal binary-species system – uphill diffusion, which in its classical isothermal definition can only occur for three or more species. A quadrant analysis for the turbulent mass flux reveals that near the wall the Soret effect enhances the negative contributions of the quadrants. Due to the enhancement of the negative contributions, small species-concentration fluid tends to be trapped near the wall.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Gas Flow Detection System

This system provides a portable means to detect gas flow through a thin-walled tube without breaking into the tubing system. The flow detection system was specifically designed to detect flow through two parallel branches of a manifold with only one inlet and outlet, and is a means for verifying a space shuttle program requirement that saves time and reduces the risk of flight hardware damage compared to the current means of requirement verification. The prototype Purge Vent and Drain Window Cavity Conditioning System (PVD WCCS) Flow Detection System consists of a heater and a temperature-sensing thermistor attached to a piece of Velcro to be attached to each branch of a WCCS manifold for the duration of the requirement verification test. The heaters and thermistors are connected to a shielded cable and then to an electronics enclosure, which contains the power supplies, relays, and circuit board to provide power, signal conditioning, and control. The electronics enclosure is then connected to a commercial data acquisition box to provide analog to digital conversion as well as digital control. This data acquisition box is then connected to a commercial laptop running a custom application created using National Instruments LabVIEW. The operation of the PVD WCCS Flow Detection System consists of first attaching a heater/thermistor assembly to each of the two branches of one manifold while there is no flow through the manifold. Next, the software application running on the laptop is used to turn on the heaters and to monitor the manifold branch temperatures. When the system has reached thermal equilibrium, the software application s graphical user interface (GUI) will indicate that the branch temperatures are stable. The operator can then physically open the flow control valve to initiate the test flow of gaseous nitrogen (GN2) through the manifold. Next, the software user interface will be monitored for stable temperature indications when the system is again at thermal equilibrium with the test flow of GN2. The temperature drop of each branch from its "no flow" stable temperature peak to its stable "with flow" temperature will allow the operator to determine whether a minimum level of flow exists. An alternative operation has the operator turning on the software only long enough to record the ambient temperature of the tubing before turning on the heaters and initiating GN2 flow. The stable temperature of the heated tubing with GN2 flow is then compared with the ambient tubing temperature to determine if flow is present in each branch. To help quantify the level of flow in the manifolds, each branch will be bench calibrated to establish its thermal properties using the flow detection system and different flow rates. These calibration values can then be incorporated into the software application to provide more detailed flow rate information.

Moss, Thomas↗

X-ray observations of Algol

Observations of Algol using a solid state spectrometer onboard the Einstein Observatory are discussed. Two observations six months apart were made, both during a primary optical eclipse. No corresponding X-ray eclipses were seen. During the second observation the source was flaring and was on average a factor three brighter. The spectrum on both occasions was consistent with a two-component thermal equilibrium model with temperatures of approximately 7.5 and 40 million degrees. Attempts to insert a third component indicate the temperature distribution to be bimodal. Models for the X-ray emission are discussed and it is suggested that the emission most likely originates from an active corona surrounding the K star.

White, N. E.↗

X-ray observations of Algol

The Solid State Spectrometer on Einstein has been used to study Algol. Two observations six months apart were made, both including a primary optical eclipse. No corresponding X-ray eclipses were seen. During the second observation the source was flaring and was on the average a factor of three brighter. The spectrum on both occasions was consistent with a two-component thermal equilibrium model with temperatures of approximately 7.5 and 40 million degrees. Attempts to insert a third component indicate the temperature distribution to be bimodal. Models for the X-ray emission are discussed and it is suggested that it most likely originates from an active corona surrounding the K star.

White, N. E.↗

IRAS observations of dust heating and energy balance in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud

The equilibrium process dust emission in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud is studied. The luminosity of the cloud is found to closely match the luminosity of the clouds's known embedded and external radiation sources. There is no evidence for a large population of undetected low-luminosity sources within the cloud and unknown external heating is also only a minor source of energy. Most of the cloud's luminosity is emitted in the mid-to-far-IR. Dust temperature maps indicate that the dust is not hot enough to heat the gas to observed temperatures. A simple cloud model with a radiation field composed of flux HD 147889, S1, and Sco OB2 associations predicts the observed IRAS 60 to 100 micron in-band flux ratios for a mean cloud density n(H2) = 1400. Flattened 12 and 25 micron observations show much extended emission in these bands, suggesting stochastic heating of very small grains or large molecules.

Greene, Thomas P.↗

Wireless Subsurface Microsensors for Health Monitoring of Thermal Protection Systems on Hypersonic Vehicles

Health diagnostics is an area where major improvements have been identified for potential implementation into the design of new reusable launch vehicles in order to reduce life cycle costs, to increase safety margins, and to improve mission reliability. NASA Ames is leading the effort to develop inspection and health management technologies for thermal protection systems. This paper summarizes a joint project between NASA Ames and SRI International to develop 'SensorTags,' radio frequency identification devices coupled with event-recording sensors, that can be embedded in the thermal protection system to monitor temperature or other quantities of interest. Two prototype SensorTag designs containing thermal fuses to indicate a temperature overlimit are presented and discussed.

Milos, Frank S.↗

Free-Flight Skin-Temperature and Surface-Pressure Measurements on a Highly Polished Nose Having a 100 deg Total-Angle Cone and a 10 deg Half-Angle Conical Flare Section up to a Mach Number of 4.08

The skin temperature and surface pressure were measured on a large-scale, highly polished nose having a relatively sharp-tipped 100 deg total-angle cone followed by a conical flare section of 10 deg half-angle. The measurements were obtained in flight from a rocket-propelled model up to a peak Mach number of 4.08 and a peak Reynolds number of 22 x 10(exp 6) per foot. Temperature distributions indicated that the heating on the forward 3.5 inches of the 100 deg cone was lower than the heating on the rearward portion. Likewise, measured temperatures on the flare portion of the test nose were generally lower than the temperatures on the 100 deg cone portion. The data indicated that the local Reynolds numbers of transition, based on calculated boundary-layer momentum thicknesses, ranged from 530 to 940 for a Mach number range from 2.72 to 3.75. Comparison of measured cone pressures with theory for a sharp cone showed that theory overestimates the cone pressures. Pressure measurements on the flare portion of the nose showed that in the lower speed range the flow expands below atmospheric pressure in going from the cone to the flare; however, as the speed increased, the expansion diminished and for speeds greater than a Mach number of approximately 3.0 the flare pressure coefficients were at or near a value of zero.

Rashis, Bernard↗

Evidence for nodal superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates

Infinite-layer nickelates present a new family of potential unconventional superconductors. A key open question is the superconducting pairing symmetry. We present low-temperature measurements of the magnetic penetration depth in optimally doped La 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 , Pr 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 , Nd 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 , and Nd 0.7875 Sr 0.2125 NiO 2 . For La- and Pr-nickelates, the superfluid density shows a quadratic temperature dependence, indicating nodal superconductivity in the presence of disorder. Nd-nickelate exhibits complex low-temperature behavior associated with Nd 4f magnetism, which precludes a direct measure of the nodal structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Investigation to define the propagation characteristics of a finite amplitude acoustic pressure wave, phase 1 final report, 29 jun. 1964 - 29 jul. 1965

The contribution of high entropy production regions to the generation and propagation characteristics of a finite amplitude pressure is considered. Preliminary analysis indicates that, for nozzles where pressure rations are above critical, the predominant contribution may come from the shock layer formation in the exhaust region. Temperature effects indicate high dependence of the forcing function upon the initial temperature of the media.

WAVE PROPAGATION↗

Graphite/polyimide tension tests at elevated and cryogenic temperatures

Interim results for characterizing tension properties of graphite/polyimide laminates are reported. Existing test procedures for resin-matrix composites were evaluated for use through the extreme temperature range indicated above. Of particular concern was the performance of resistance strain gages at the elevated temperatures and tests were carried out to compare their performance against that of a capacitive strain gage. Limited design data are reported for graphite/polyimide laminates which are being produced through the CASTS Project.

Chapman, A. J.↗

Frequency-Dependent Viscosity of Xenon Near the Critical Point

We used a novel, overdamped oscillator aboard the Space Shuttle to measure the viscosity eta of xenon near its critical density rho(sub c), and temperature T(sub c). In microgravity, useful data were obtained within 0.1 mK of T(sub c), corresponding to a reduced temperature t = (T -T(sub c))/T(sub c) = 3 x 10(exp -7). The data extend two decades closer to T(sub c) than the best ground measurements, and they directly reveal the expected power-law behavior eta proportional to t(sup -(nu)z(sub eta)). Here nu is the correlation length exponent, and our result for the small viscosity exponent is z(sub eta) = 0.0690 +/- 0.0006. (All uncertainties are one standard uncertainty.) Our value for z(sub eta) depends only weakly on the form of the viscosity crossover function, and it agrees with the value 0.067 +/- 0.002 obtained from a recent two-loop perturbation expansion. The measurements spanned the frequency range 2 Hz less than or equal to f less than or equal to 12 Hz and revealed viscoelasticity when t less than or equal to 10(exp -1), further from T(sub c) than predicted. The viscoelasticity scales as Af(tau), where tau is the fluctuation-decay time. The fitted value of the viscoelastic time-scale parameter A is 2.0 +/- 0.3 times the result of a one-loop perturbation calculation. Near T(sub c), the xenon's calculated time constant for thermal diffusion exceeded days. Nevertheless, the viscosity results were independent of the xenon's temperature history, indicating that the density was kept near rho(sub c), by judicious choices of the temperature vs. time program. Deliberately bad choices led to large density inhomogeneities. At t greater than 10(exp -5), the xenon approached equilibrium much faster than expected, suggesting that convection driven by microgravity and by electric fields slowly stirred the sample.

Berg, Robert F.↗

First Stage Solid Propellant Multiply Debris Thermal Analysis

Destruction of a solid rocket stage of a launch vehicle can create a thermal radiation hazard for an aborting crew module. This hazard was assessed for the Constellation Program (Cx) crew and launch vehicle concept. For this concept, if an abort was initiated in first stage flight, the Crew Module (CM) will separate and be pulled away from the malfunctioning launch vehicle via a Launch Abort System (LAS). Having aborted the mission, the launch vehicle will likely be destroyed via a Flight Termination System (FTS) in order to prevent it from errantly traversing back over land and posing a risk to the public. The resulting launch vehicle debris field, composed primarily of first stage solid propellant, poses a threat to the CM. The harsh radiative thermal environment, caused by surrounding burning propellant debris, may lead to CM parachute failure. A methodology, detailed herein, has been developed to address this concern and to quantify the risk of first stage propellant debris leading to the thermal demise of the CM parachutes. Utilizing basic thermal radiation principles, a software program was developed to calculate parachute temperature as a function of time for a given abort trajectory and debris piece trajectory set. Two test cases, considered worst case aborts with regard to launch vehicle debris environments, were analyzed using the simulation: an abort declared at Mach 1 and an abort declared at maximum dynamic pressure (Max Q). For both cases, the resulting temperature profiles indicated that thermal limits for the parachutes were not exceeded. However, short duration close encounters by single debris pieces did have a significant effect on parachute temperature. Therefore while these two test cases did not indicate exceedance of thermal limits, in order to quantify the risk of parachute failure due to radiative effects from the abort environment, a more thorough probability-based analysis using the methodology demonstrated herein must be performed.

Toleman, Benjamin M.↗

High Temperature Chemistry in the Columbia Accident Investigation

Initial estimates on the temperature and conditions of the breach in Columbia's wing focused on analyses of the slag deposits. These deposits are complex mixtures of the reinforced carbon/carbon (RCC) constituents, insulation material, and wing structural materials. However it was possible to clearly discern melted/solidified Cerachrome(R) insulation, indicating the temperatures had exceeded 1760 C. Current research focuses on the carbon/carbon in the path from the breach. Carbon morphology indicates heavy oxidation and erosion. Raman spectroscopy yielded further temperature estimates. A technique developed at Sandia National Laboratories is based on crystallite size in carbon chars. Lower temperatures yield nanocrystalline graphite; whereas higher temperatures yield larger graphite crystals. By comparison to standards the temperatures on the recovered RCC fragments were estimated to have been greater than 2700 C.

Jacobson, Nathan↗

Room-temperature superconductivity in boron- and nitrogen-doped lanthanum superhydride

Recent theoretical and experimental studies of hydrogen-rich materials at megabar pressures (i.e., >100 GPa) have led to the discovery of very high-temperature superconductivity in these materials. Lanthanum superhydride LaH10 has been of particular focus as the first material to exhibit a superconducting critical temperature (T c ) near room temperature. Experiments indicate that the use of ammonia borane as the hydrogen source can increase the conductivity onset temperatures of lanthanum superhydride to as high as 290 K. In this work, we examine the doping effects of B and N atoms on the superconductivity of LaH 10 in its fcc ($Fm\bar{3}m$) clathrate structure at megabar pressures. Doping at H atomic positions strengthens the H 32 cages of the structure to give higher phonon frequencies that enhance the Debye frequency and thus the calculated T c . The predicted T c can reach 288 K in LaH 9.985 N 0.015 within the average high-symmetry structure at 240 GPa. The remarkably large shift in T c to higher values produced by small degrees of chemical doping opens the prospect for the creation of still higher-temperature superconductivity in superhydrides potentially at even lower-pressure conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effect of thermal barrier coatings on the performance of steam and water-cooled gas turbine/steam turbine combined cycle system

An analytical study was made of the performance of air, steam, and water-cooled gas-turbine/steam turbine combined-cycle systems with and without thermal-barrier coatings. For steam cooling, thermal barrier coatings permit an increase in the turbine inlet temperature from 1205 C (2200 F), resulting in an efficiency improvement of 1.9 percentage points. The maximum specific power improvement with thermal barriers is 32.4 percent, when the turbine inlet temperature is increased from 1425 C (2600 F) to 1675 C (3050 F) and the airfoil temperature is kept the same. For water cooling, the maximum efficiency improvement is 2.2 percentage points at a turbine inlet temperature of 1683 C (3062 F) and the maximum specific power improvement is 36.6 percent by increasing the turbine inlet temperature from 1425 C (2600 F) to 1730 C (3150 F) and keeping the airfoil temperatures the same. These improvements are greater than that obtained with combined cycles using air cooling at a turbine inlet temperature of 1205 C (2200 F). The large temperature differences across the thermal barriers at these high temperatures, however, indicate that thermal stresses may present obstacles to the use of coatings at high turbine inlet temperatures.

Nainiger, J. J.↗

Annihilation radiation from a hot e/+/-e/-/ plasma

The radiation from electron-positron annihilations in a plasma of temperature above 10 to the 8th K is investigated as a possible source of the emission line at energies between 400 and 460 keV frequently seen in gamma-ray bursts. The annihilation rate and luminosity of an optically thin electron-positron plasma and the energy distribution of the resulting annihilation radiation are calculated by the use of a Monte Carlo technique as functions of temperature. Results indicate the annihilation spectrum to be peaked at an energy of 0.511 MeV plus a temperature-dependent blueshift, and the annihilation line to be significantly temperature-broadened. The widths of the observed burst emission lines set an upper limit of 3 x 10 to the 8th K on the temperature of any pair annihilation region in burst sources, which is considerably lower than the typical kinetic temperatures of the radiating particles. It is thus inferred that either the annihilation region is nonthermal, or spatially distinct from the burst site.

Ramaty, R.↗

Kinetic Study of Methyl Acetate Oxidation in a Pt/Al2O3 Fixed-Bed Reactor

To support technology development for future long-term missions, a metabolic simulator will be used in a closed chamber to test the functions of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). Methyl acetate (MA) was selected as the fuel because its metabolic respiratory quotient is near that of humans. A kinetic study of the catalytic oxidation of MA over Pt/Al203 was then conducted to support the design and operation of the simulator. Kinetic data were obtained as a conversion percentage of MA versus retention time. The reaction was studied at one atmosphere and temperatures from 220 to 340 deg. C. The inlet MA concentration was varied from 100 to 2000 ppm with retention times from 0.01 to 10 sec. A first-order rate law and a Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate equation were tested by nonlinear regression of the kinetic data to estimate rate constants in the rate law. Regression results of the L-H equation explain the kinetic data better than the results of the first-order rate law. A Taguchi experimental design was used to study the effects of temperature, retention time, and concentrations of MA, CO2, and O2 on the conversion of MA. Results indicate that temperature has greatest effect, followed by retention time, and finally MA concentration. It was further determined that the effects of CO2 and O2 concentrations, and the cross effects, are negligible.

Hoy, Michael↗