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At least 37 records · Page 2

Low gravity transfer line chilldown

A code has been developed that solves for the transfer line chilldown time and flow and heat transfer characteristics in one-g environment. The code solves the transient, one dimensional, space averaged mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations for liquid-vapor two-phase flow in tubes. The physical configuration solved is that appropriate for bottom coolant injection in a vertically supported heated tube. Four distinct regions are considered consecutively: fully liquid, inverted annular, dispersed, and fully vapor flow. The conservation equations for both the liquid and the vapor are solved in each region separately. Also, in each region the mass and energy transport between each phase as well as the energy and momentum transport between the tube wall and the fluid are accounted for. A finite wall thickness is also considered. The model described above was solved numerically through a mixed finite difference scheme with forward time marching. The inverted annular regime was resolved using a semi-implicit finite differencing while the dispersed regime was solved explicitly. Also, a staggered mesh was used in which the velocity was resolved at mesh boundaries while all other field variables were resolved at the mesh centroids. Different mesh sizes were used depending on the region of solution. A coarse mesh was used in the dispersed flow region while a much finer mesh was used in both the inverted annular flow region and the tube walls.

B. N. Antar↗

Modeling of Chill Down in Cryogenic Transfer Lines

A numerical model to predict chill down in cryogenic transfer lines has been developed. Three chill down cases using hydrogen as the working fluid are solved: 1) a simplified model amenable to analytical solution, 2) a realistic model of superheated vapor flow, and 3) a realistic model of initially subcooled liquid flow. The first case compares a numerical model with an analytical solution with very good agreement between the two. Additionally, the analytical solution provides a convenient way to look at parametric effects on the chill down. The second and third cases are numerical models which provide temperature histories of the fluid and solid tube wall during chill down as well as several other quantities of interest such as pressure and mass flow rate. Of great interest is the ability to predict accurate values of chill down time (the time required to achieve steady-state cryogenic flow). The models predict that a 26 in. long, 3/16 in. ID aluminum tube has a shorter chill down time (approx. equal to 100 sec) and uses less hydrogen with superheated vapor flow than with initially subcooled liquid flow (greater than 200 sec for chill down).

Cross, Matthew F.↗

Hypervelocity Impact Initiation of Explosive Transfer Lines

The Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle spacecraft utilized explosive transfer lines (ETL) in a number of applications. In each case the ETL was located behind substantial structure and the risk of impact initiation by micrometeoroids and orbital debris was negligible. A current NASA program is considering an ETL to synchronize the actuation of pyrobolts to release 12 capture latches in a contingency. The space constraints require placing the ETL 50 mm below the 1 mm thick 2024-T72 Whipple shield. The proximity of the ETL to the thin shield prompted analysts at NASA to perform a scoping analysis with a finite-difference hydrocode to calculate impact parameters that would initiate the ETL. The results suggest testing is required and a 12 shot test program with surplused Shuttle ETL is scheduled for February 2012 at the NASA White Sands Test Facility. Explosive initiation models are essential to the analysis and one exists in the CTH library for HNS I, but not the HNS II used in the Shuttle 2.5 gr/ft rigid shielded mild detonating cord (SMDC). HNS II is less sensitive than HNS I so it is anticipated that these results using the HNS I model are conservative. Until the hypervelocity impact test results are available, the only check on the analysis was comparison with the Shuttle qualification test result that a 22 long bullet would not initiate the SMDC. This result was reproduced by the hydrocode simulation. Simulations of the direct impact of a 7 km/s aluminum ball, impacting at 0 degree angle of incidence, onto the SMDC resulted in a 1.5 mm diameter ball initiating the SMDC and 1.0 mm ball failing to initiate it. Where one 1.0 mm ball could not initiate the SMDC, a cluster of six 1.0 mm diameter aluminum balls striking simultaneously could. Thus the impact parameters that will result in initiating SMDC located behind a Whipple shield will depend on how well the shield fragments the projectile and spreads the fragments. An end-to-end simulation of the impact of an aluminum ball onto a Whipple shield covering SMDC is problematic due to the hydrocode fracture models. Regardless, two simulations were performed resulting in a 5 mm ball initiating the SMDC and a 4 mm ball failing to initiate the SMDC.

Bjorkman, Michael D.↗

Resonance line transfer with partial redistribution. IV - A generalized formulation for lines with common upper states. V - The solar Ca II lines

A generalized formulation is given for treating partial redistribution effects in transfer problems in resonance lines with common upper states. The formulation allows explicitly for the possibility that several spectral lines may arise in transitions from a given upper level to several sharp lower levels, including, for example, the ground state and metastable states. Line profiles for the Ca II H and K lines have been calculated, accounting for the partial frequency coherence of scattered photons. These profiles are compared with calculations made with identical atomic and atmospheric models but assuming complete redistribution. Very significant differences between the profiles obtained using these two different physical descriptions of the scattering process are found, and it is now apparent that the assumption of complete redistribution is a serious oversimplification of the actual physical situation. The results question the validity of equating brightness temperatures observed at K(sub 1) in stellar spectra with minimum temperatures in stellar chromospheres; it appears likely that such a procedure will systematically underestimate the value of T-min.

Milkey, R. W.↗

Resonance-line transfer with partial redistribution. VII Angle-dependent redistribution

A method is presented for treating radiative transfer in resonance lines, allowing for the full angle and frequency dependence of redistribution in the scattering process, as seen in the laboratory frame. The case of an equivalent-two-level-atom source function is considered; the problem to be treated is then linear in the radiation field. We apply this method to the Ca II lines in the solar atmosphere, using a redistribution function which takes into account a mixture of coherence in the atom's frame, with Doppler redistribution in the laboratory frame (for atoms which have not suffered an elastic collision), and of complete redistribution in the laboratory frame (for atoms that are collisionally perturbed during the emission process). Both the angle-averaged approximation and the full angle-dependent solution were obtained, and were compared to assess, differentially, the effects of angular redistribution upon the computed line profile and its center-to-limb behavior. For the Ca II line in a homogeneous solar chromosphere the angle-dependent effects are found to be negligible, indicating that one may use angle-averaged redistribution functions when studying partial redistribution effects in line profiles.

Milkey, R. W.↗

Proposed mechanistic model to simulate transfer line cool-down process using liquid helium

This paper proposes a mathematical model to simulate the cool-down behavior of a warm transfer line using liquid helium (including He II) in a microgravity environment. The thermal-hydraulic characteristics of different possible flow regimes which may occur during the cool-down process are discussed. Correlations for predicting the heat and momentum transfer rates in each flow regime are presented.

Ng, Y. S.↗

Resonance line transfer with partial redistribution. III Mg II resonance lines in solar-type stars

We discuss the gravity dependence of the Mg II resonance lines calculated with inclusion of effects of partial redistribution in frequency. Using chromospheric models scaled from a solar model, we demonstrate the increased decoupling of the radiation temperature of the k1 feature from the minimum electron temperature in lower-gravity models. The limb darkening of the k-line in the main-sequence model is also discussed.

Milkey, R. W.↗

H2O heating in molecular clouds - Line transfer and thermal balance in a warm dusty medium

An investigation is undertaken into the possibility of the heating of molecular gas through collisions with radiatively pumped H2O, in the context of the overall thermal balance of optically thick molecular clouds with embedded sources. In order to solve the line transfer equation, which includes warm dust grains, an extended method of escape probability approximation is developed in which the equilibrium gas temperature arises from the balance of heating by cosmic ray ionization of H2, and by collisions with warm dust grains and radiatively pumped H2O molecules against cooling by collisions with CO and C I. The equilibrium gas temperature for a given dust temperature strongly depends on the efficiency of the cooling species, and is therefore most sensitive to the cloud optical depth. It is less dependent, in decreasing order, on H2O abundance, gas density, and velocity dispersion.

Takahashi, T.↗

Line transfer in two dimensions

Radiative transfer equation for spectral line formed in multidimensional atmosphere, solving for two dimensional atmospheric model

Cannon, C. J.↗

A new scheme for multidimensional line transfer. II - ETLA method in one dimension with application to iron K-alpha lines

The 1D version of the radiation hydrodynamics computer code ALTAIR is discribed. It is an implementation of the equivalent two-level atom method, and also incorporates a variety of other iterative techniques to achieve a fast, accurate solution of the problem of coupled atomic kinetics and radiative transfer. All the techniques are described in sufficient detail to enable their use by others. The application of the program is illustrated by a set of calculations of the iron X-ray emission spectrum from intercloud hot gas that may exist in the broad-line region of active galactic nuclei. These calculations demonstrate that such spectra may be a rich load to mine for information about the hot gas in AGNs, and also that the concept of 'the iron K-alpha line' inadequately depicts the spectrum.

Castor, John I.↗

Resonance-line transfer with partial redistribution. VIII - Solution in the comoving frame for moving atmospheres

The effects of partial frequency redistribution in the scattering process for lines formed in moving atmospheres are analyzed using a general method that allows the transfer equation to be solved in the comoving frame of the gas. The same chromospheric and atomic model studied by Cannon and Vardavas (1974) is employed in the calculations, but a depth scale with logarithmically spaced points is adopted. It is found that in both static and moving atmospheres, the profiles obtained with complete and partial frequency redistribution are virtually identical. The large differences in profiles obtained by Cannon and Vardavas when they used complete and partial redistribution are shown to be spurious (and physically unreal) effects resulting from angle averaging in the observer's frame instead of the comoving frame.

Mihalas, D.↗

Resonance line transfer calculations by doubling thin layers. I - Comparison with other techniques. II - The use of the R-parallel redistribution function

A versatile and efficient technique for the solution of the resonance line scattering problem with frequency redistribution in planetary atmospheres is introduced. Similar to the doubling approach commonly used in monochromatic scattering problems, the technique has been extended to include the frequency dependence of the radiation field. Methods for solving problems with external or internal sources and coupled spectral lines are presented, along with comparison of some sample calculations with results from Monte Carlo and Feautrier techniques. The doubling technique has also been applied to the solution of resonance line scattering problems where the R-parallel redistribution function is appropriate, both neglecting and including polarization as developed by Yelle and Wallace (1989). With the constraint that the atmosphere is illuminated from the zenith, the only difficulty of consequence is that of performing precise frequency integrations over the line profiles. With that problem solved, it is no longer necessary to use the Monte Carlo method to solve this class of problem.

Yelle, Roger V.↗

Hypervelocity Impact of Explosive Transfer Lines

Hypervelocity impact tests of 2.5 grains per foot flexible confined detonating chord (FCDC) shielded by a 1 mm thick 2024-T3 aluminum alloy bumper standing off 51 mm from the FCDC were performed. Testing showed that a 6 mm diameter 2017-T4 aluminum alloy ball impacting the bumper at 6.97 km/s and 45 degrees impact angle initiated the FCDC. However, impact by the same diameter and speed ball at 0 degrees angle of impact did not initiate the FCDC. Furthermore, impact at 45 degrees and the same speed by a slightly smaller diameter ball (5.8 mm diameter) also did not initiate the FCDC.

Bjorkman, Michael D.↗