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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Radiant extinction of gaseous diffusion flames

The absence of buoyancy-induced flows in microgravity significantly alters the fundamentals of many combustion processes. Substantial differences between normal-gravity and microgravity flames have been reported during droplet combustion, flame spread over solids, candle flames, and others. These differences are more basic than just in the visible flame shape. Longer residence time and higher concentration of combustion products create a thermochemical environment which changes the flame chemistry. Processes such as flame radiation, that are often ignored under normal gravity, become very important and sometimes even controlling. This is particularly true for conditions at extinction of a microgravity diffusion flame. Under normal-gravity, the buoyant flow, which may be characterized by the strain rate, assists the diffusion process to transport the fuel and oxidizer to the combustion zone and remove the hot combustion products from it. These are essential functions for the survival of the flame which needs fuel and oxidizer. Thus, as the strain rate is increased, the diffusion flame which is 'weak' (reduced burning rate per unit flame area) at low strain rates is initially 'strengthened' and eventually it may be 'blown-out'. Most of the previous research on diffusion flame extinction has been conducted at the high strain rate 'blow-off' limit. The literature substantially lacks information on low strain rate, radiation-induced, extinction of diffusion flames. At the low strain rates encountered in microgravity, flame radiation is enhanced due to: (1) build-up of combustion products in the flame zone which increases the gas radiation, and (2) low strain rates provide sufficient residence time for substantial amounts of soot to form which further increases the flame radiation. It is expected that this radiative heat loss will extinguish the already 'weak' diffusion flame under certain conditions. Identifying these conditions (ambient atmosphere, fuel flow rate, fuel type, etc.) is important for spacecraft fire safety. Thus, the objective is to experimentally and theoretically investigate the radiation-induced extinction of diffusion flames in microgravity and determine the effect of flame radiation on the 'weak' microgravity diffusion flame.

Atreya, Arvind↗
NASA NTRS1985

The speed of wave-wave interactions in the atmosphere

Resonant wave-wave interactions are considered. Studies of the interaction coefficient show that rapid transfer of wave action can take place in the disjoined parts of the spectrum for three processes, namely: elastic scattering, parametric subharmonic instability and induced diffusion. Of the three processes, the vertical shear plays a role in two. The vertical shear of a moderate scale interacts through elastic scattering to make the spectrum vertically symmetric. On the other hand, the vertical shear of a large scale interacts through induced diffusion and is responsible for diffusion in k sub z space. When interacting with a vertical shear, it is known that the vertical shear acts as a catalyst and is not involved in energy transfer. Consequently, in both elastic scattering and induced diffusion, the vertical shear does not gain or lose energy. Through parametric subharmonic instability the more energetic large-scale waves are feeding energy into moderate and small scale waves of an elevation angle of 60 deg or larger.

Yeh, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Laminar Soot Processes

Soot processes within hydrocarbon-fueled flames affect particle emissions from combustion processes, thermal loads of combustor components, hazards of unwanted fires, and capabilities for computational combustion. Thus, soot processes within laminar nonpremixed (diffusion) and premixed flames are being studied, using both space-based (flight) experiments at MicroGravity (MG) and supporting ground-based experiments at Normal Gravity (NG). The study is limited to laminar flames due to their experimental and computational tractability, noting the relevance of these results to practical turbulent flames based on laminar flamelet concepts. Unfortunately, buoyancy affects soot processes in laminar diffusion flames while effects of buoyancy are small for most practical flames; therefore, present observations of laminar diffusion flames involve either particular flame conditions where effects of buoyancy are small during ground-based experiments at ng or truly nonbuoyant flames during planned flight experiments at mg. Laminar premixed flames are also being considered during ground-based experiments at ng because soot processes are easier to interpret and less affected by buoyancy in laminar premixed flames than in laminar diffusion flames.

Xu, F.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of Cation Diffusion in Low-K Ceramics

Low thermal conductivity (low-K) ceramic materials are of interest to the aerospace community for use as the thermal barrier component of coating systems for turbine engine components. In particular, zirconia-based materials exhibit both low thermal conductivity and structural stability at high temperature, making them suitable for such applications. Because creep is one of the potential failure modes, and because diffusion is a mechanism by which creep takes place, we have performed computer simulations of cation diffusion in a variety of zirconia-based low-K materials. The kinetic Monte Carlo simulation method is an alternative to the more widely known molecular dynamics (MD) method. It is designed to study "infrequent-event" processes, such as diffusion, for which MD simulation can be highly inefficient. We describe the results of kinetic Monte Carlo computer simulations of cation diffusion in several zirconia-based materials, specifically, zirconia doped with Y, Gd, Nb and Yb. Diffusion paths are identified, and migration energy barriers are obtained from density functional calculations and from the literature. We present results on the temperature dependence of the diffusivity, and on the effects of the presence of oxygen vacancies in cation diffusion barrier complexes as well.

Good, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2019

Energetic Particles of Cosmic Accelerators II: Active Galactic Nuclei and Gamma-ray Bursts

The high-energy universe has revealed that energetic particles are ubiquitous in the cosmos and play a vital role in the cultivation of cosmic environments on all scales. Our pursuit of more than a century to uncover the origins and fate of these cosmic energetic particles has given rise to some of the most interesting and challenging questions in astrophysics. Within our own galaxy, we have seen that energetic particles engage in a complex interplay with the galactic environment and even drive many of its key characteristics (for more information, see the first white paper in this series). On cosmological scales, the energetic particles supplied by the jets of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are an important source of energy for the intracluster and intergalactic media, providing a mechanism for regulating star formation and black hole growth and cultivating galaxy evolution (AGN feedback). Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows encode information about their circumburst environment, which has implications for massive stellar winds during previous epochs over the stellar lifecycle. As such, GRB afterglows provide a means for studying very high-redshift galaxies since GRBs can be detected even if their host galaxy cannot. It has even been suggest that GRB could be used to measure cosmological distance scales if they could be shown to be standard candles. Though they play a key role in cultivating the cosmological environment and/or enabling our studies of it, there is still much we do not know about AGNs and GRBs, particularly the avenue in which and through which they supply radiation and energetic particles, namely their jets. Despite the enormous progress in particle-in-cell and magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we have yet to pinpoint the processes involved in jet formation and collimation and the conditions under which they can occur. For that matter, we have yet to identify the mechanism(s) through which the jet accelerates energetic particles – is it the commonly invoked diffusive shock acceleration process or is another mechanism, such as magnetic reconnection, required? Do AGNs and GRBs accelerate hadrons, and if so, do they accelerate them to ultra-high energies and are there high-energy neutrinos associated with them? MeV gamma-ray astronomy, enabled by technological advances that will be realized in the coming decade, will provide a unique and indispensable perspective on the persistent mysteries of the energetic universe. This White Paper is the second of a two-part series highlighting the most well-known high-energy cosmic accelerators and contributions that MeV gamma-ray astronomy will bring to understanding their energetic particle phenomena. Specifically, MeV astronomy will: 1. Determine whether AGNs accelerate CRs to ultra-high energies; 2. Provide the missing pieces for the physics of the GRB prompt emission; 3. Measure magnetization in cosmic accelerators and search for acceleration via reconnection.

Venters, Tonia M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Convection in the Physical Vapor Transport Process: Thermal - 1

The effects of convection on diffusive-convective physical vapor transport process are examined computationally. We analyze conditions ranging from typical laboratory conditions to conditions achievable only in a low gravity environment. This corresponds to thermal Rayleigh numbers Ra(sub tau) ranging from 1.80 x 10 to 1.92 x 10(exp 6). Our results indicate that the effect of the sublimation and condensation fluxes at the boundaries is to increase the threshold of instability. For typical ground based conditions, time dependent oscillatory convection can occur. This results in unsteady transport, and non-uniform temperature and concentration gradients at the crystal interface. Spectral analysis of the flow field shows parametric regions exhibiting both an oscillatory approach to steady state and a chaotic transient to a periodic state. Low gravity conditions stabilize the flow field. Convective effects are effectively reduced, thus resulting in uniform temperature and concentration gradients at the interface, a desirable condition for crystal growth.

Duval, Walter M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Convection in the Physical Vapor Transport Process-I: Thermal

The effects of convection on diffusive-convective physical vapor transport process are examined computationally. We analyze conditions ranging from typical laboratory conditions to conditions achievable only in a low gravity environment. This corresponds to thermal Rayleigh numbers Ra, ranging from 1.80 x 10 to 1.92 x 10(exp 6). Our results indicate that the effect of the sublimation and condensation fluxes at the boundaries is to increase the threshold of instability. For typical ground based conditions, time dependent oscillatory convection can occur. This results in unsteady transport, and non- uniform temperature and concentration gradients at the crystal interface. Spectral analysis of the flow field shows parametric regions exhibiting both an oscillatory approach to steady state and a chaotic transient to a periodic state. Low gravity conditions stabilize the flow field. Convective effects are effectively reduced, thus resulting in uniform temperature and concentration gradients at the interface, a desirable condition for crystal growth.

Duval, Walter M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Low cost solar array project cell and module formation research area: Process research of non-CZ silicon material

Liquid diffusion masks and liquid applied dopants to replace the CVD Silox masking and gaseous diffusion operations specified for forming junctions in the Westinghouse baseline process sequence for producing solar cells from dendritic web silicon were investigated. The baseline diffusion masking and drive processes were compared with those involving direct liquid applications to the dendritic web silicon strips. Attempts were made to control the number of variables by subjecting dendritic web strips cut from a single web crystal to both types of operations. Data generated reinforced earlier conclusions that efficiency levels at least as high as those achieved with the baseline back junction formation process can be achieved using liquid diffusion masks and liquid dopants. The deliveries of dendritic web sheet material and solar cells specified by the current contract were made as scheduled.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1986

Knudsen diffusion - The effect of small pore size and low gas pressure on gaseous transport in soil

The analytical principles and applications of the theory of Knudsen diffusion are reviewed, with emphasis on gas transport in the soils of planetary bodies. Knudsen diffusion occurs when the mean free path of diffusing gas molecules surpasses the size of the pores through which diffusion proceeds. The process is then dominated by collisions with the pore walls. Computational techniques for deriving the Knudsen coefficient for soils with a nonreentrant cross-section shape are reviewed, along with methods of deriving a coefficient for soils which permit both Knudsen and bulk diffusion. Sample calculations for three pore-size distributions are provided to illustrate the decrease in transport efficiency with increasingly smaller soil pore sizes.

Clifford, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Estimation of the processes controlling variability in phytoplankton pigment distributions on the southeastern U.S. continental shelf

Five coastal-zone-color-scanner images from the southeastern U.S. continental shelf are combined with concurrent moored current meter measurements to assess the processes controlling the variability in chlorophyll concentration and distribution in this region. An equation governing the space and time distribution of a nonconservative quantity such as chlorophyll is used in the calculations. The terms of the equation, estimated from observations, show that advective, diffusive, and local processes contribute to the plankton distributions and vary with time and location. The results from this calculation are compared with similar results obtained using a numerical physical-biological model with circulation fields derived from an optimal interpolation of the current meter observations and it is concluded that the two approaches produce different estimates of the processes controlling phytoplankton variability.

Mcclain, Charles R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 12: The diffusion of federally funded aerospace research and development (R/D) and the information seeking behavior of US aerospace engineers and scientists

In this paper, the diffusion of federally funded aerospace R&D is explored from the perspective of the information-seeking behavior of U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists. The following three assumptions frame this exploration: (1) knowledge production, transfer, and utilization are equally important components of the aerospace R&D process; (2) the diffusion of knowledge resulting from federally funded aerospace R&D is indispensable for the U.S. to remain a world leader in aerospace; and (3) U.S. government technical reports, produced by NASA and DOD, play an important, but as yet undefined, role in the diffusion of federally funded aerospace R&D. A conceptual model for federally funded aerospace knowledge diffusion, one that emphasizes U.S. goverment technical reports, is presented. Data regarding three research questions concerning the information-seeking behavior of U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists are also presented.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Filtered Abel Transform and Its Application in Combustion Diagnostics

Many non-intrusive combustion diagnosis methods generate line-of-sight projections of a flame field. To reconstruct the spatial field of the measured properties, these projections need to be deconvoluted. When the spatial field is axisymmetric, commonly used deconvolution method include the Abel transforms, the onion peeling method and the two-dimensional Fourier transform method and its derivatives such as the filtered back projection methods. This paper proposes a new approach for performing the Abel transform method is developed, which possesses the exactness of the Abel transform and the flexibility of incorporating various filters in the reconstruction process. The Abel transform is an exact method and the simplest among these commonly used methods. It is evinced in this paper that all the exact reconstruction methods for axisymmetric distributions must be equivalent to the Abel transform because of its uniqueness and exactness. Detailed proof is presented to show that the two dimensional Fourier methods when applied to axisymmetric cases is identical to the Abel transform. Discrepancies among various reconstruction method stem from the different approximations made to perform numerical calculations. An equation relating the spectrum of a set of projection date to that of the corresponding spatial distribution is obtained, which shows that the spectrum of the projection is equal to the Abel transform of the spectrum of the corresponding spatial distribution. From the equation, if either the projection or the distribution is bandwidth limited, the other is also bandwidth limited, and both have the same bandwidth. If the two are not bandwidth limited, the Abel transform has a bias against low wave number components in most practical cases. This explains why the Abel transform and all exact deconvolution methods are sensitive to high wave number noises. The filtered Abel transform is based on the fact that the Abel transform of filtered projection data is equal to an integral transform of the original projection data with the kernel function being the Abel transform of the filtering function. The kernel function is independent of the projection data and can be obtained separately when the filtering function is selected. Users can select the best filtering function for a particular set of experimental data. When the kernal function is obtained, it can be used repeatedly to a number of projection data sets (rovs) from the same experiment. When an entire flame image that contains a large number of projection lines needs to be processed, the new approach significantly reduces computational effort in comparison with the conventional approach in which each projection data set is deconvoluted separately. Computer codes have been developed to perform the filter Abel transform for an entire flame field. Measured soot volume fraction data of a jet diffusion flame are processed as an example.

Simons, Stephen N.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Laminar Soot Processes

Soot formation within hydrocarbon-fueled flames is an important unresolved problem of combustion science for several reasons: soot emissions are responsible for more deaths than any other combustion pollutant, thermal loads due to continuum radiation from soot limit the durability of combustors, thermal radiation from soot is mainly responsible for the growth and spread of unwanted fires, carbon monoxide associated with soot emissions is responsible for most fire deaths, and limited understanding of soot processes is a major impediment to the development of computational combustion. Thus, soot processes within laminar nonpremixed (diffusion) flames are being studied, emphasizing space-based experiments at microgravity. The study is limited to laminar flames due to their experimental and computational tractability, noting the relevance of these results to practical flames through laminar flamelet concepts. The microgravity environment is emphasized because buoyancy affects soot processes in laminar diffusion flames whereas effects of buoyancy are small for most practical flames. Results discussed here were obtained from experiments carried out on two flights of the Space Shuttle Columbia. After a brief discussion of experimental methods, results found thus far are described, including soot concentration measurements, laminar flame shapes, laminar smoke points and flame structure. The present discussion is brief.

Lin, K. -C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Materials processing in space - Review of the early experiments

Basic research performed to study various aspects of fluid behavior in a microgravity environment during the first two decades of spaceflight is described. The uniqueness of space was recognized in the 1950s as a place where buoyancy-driven convective flows and sedimentation would effectively be absent. The conditions were favorable for experiments in crystal growth, alloy solidification, combustion, thermocapillary flows, electroosmotic flows, Stefan flows, Soret diffusion, and solidification processes. Pre-Skylab NASA drop tower experiments and Apollo 14 and 17 experiments made in preparation for Skylab are described. Skylab welding and brazing, crystal growth, metallurgy and liquid float zone trials and Apollo-Soyuz crystal growth, electrophoresis and metallurgical experiments are summarized. SPAR rocket trials along similar lines are also outlined.

Naumann, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of Oxygen and Cation Diffusion in Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is of interest to the aerospace community, notably for its application as a thermal barrier coating for turbine engine components. In such an application, diffusion of both oxygen ions and cations is of concern. Oxygen diffusion can lead to deterioration of a coated part, and often necessitates an environmental barrier coating. Cation diffusion in YSZ is much slower than oxygen diffusion. However, such diffusion is a mechanism by which creep takes place, potentially affecting the mechanical integrity and phase stability of the coating. In other applications, the high oxygen diffusivity of YSZ is useful, and makes the material of interest for use as a solid-state electrolyte in fuel cells. The kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) method offers a number of advantages compared with the more widely known molecular dynamics simulation method. In particular, kMC is much more efficient for the study of processes, such as diffusion, that involve infrequent events. We describe the results of kinetic Monte Carlo computer simulations of oxygen and cation diffusion in YSZ. Using diffusive energy barriers from ab initio calculations and from the literature, we present results on the temperature dependence of oxygen and cation diffusivity, and on the dependence of the diffusivities on yttria concentration and oxygen sublattice vacancy concentration. We also present results of the effect on diffusivity of oxygen vacancies in the vicinity of the barrier cations that determine the oxygen diffusion energy barriers.

Good, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1977

Diurnal variations in the thermosphere. II - Temperature, composition, and winds

The fundamental diurnal component of temperature, composition and wind fields is discussed for the thermosphere, the results delineated in terms of energy sources in the lower atmosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere, illustrating their relative significance. The diurnal component in the composition of H, He, O, O2 and Ar has been analyzed in terms of effects from thermal expansion in diffusive equilibrium and transport processes associated with chemistry, wind circulation, exospheric flow and escape. Next to thermal expansion, wind-induced diffusion is the single most important process; it dominates the diurnal variations of He and prevails in the variations of O, O2 and Ar below 200 km.

Mayr, H. G.↗