Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “numerical analysis”

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 415 records · Page 23

High Power MPD Thruster Development at the NASA Glenn Research Center

Propulsion requirements for large platform orbit raising, cargo and piloted planetary missions, and robotic deep space exploration have rekindled interest in the development and deployment of high power electromagnetic thrusters. Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters can effectively process megawatts of power over a broad range of specific impulse values to meet these diverse in-space propulsion requirements. As NASA's lead center for electric propulsion, the Glenn Research Center has established an MW-class pulsed thruster test facility and is refurbishing a high-power steady-state facility to design, build, and test efficient gas-fed MPD thrusters. A complimentary numerical modeling effort based on the robust MACH2 code provides a well-balanced program of numerical analysis and experimental validation leading to improved high power MPD thruster performance. This paper reviews the current and planned experimental facilities and numerical modeling capabilities at the Glenn Research Center and outlines program plans for the development of new, efficient high power MPD thrusters.

LaPointe, Michael R.↗

Thermal stress analysis of a graded zirconia/metal gas path seal system for aircraft gas turbine engines

A ceramic/metallic aircraft gas turbine outer gas path seal designed to enable improved engine performance is studied. Flexible numerical analysis schemes suitable for the determination of transient temperature profiles and thermal stress distributions in the seal are outlined. An estimation of the stresses to which a test seal is subjected during simulated engine deceleration from sea level takeoff to idle conditions is made. Experimental evidence has indicated that the surface layer of the seal is probably subjected to excessive tensile stresses during cyclic temperature loading. This assertion is supported by the analytical results presented. Brief consideration is given to means of mitigating this adverse stressing.

Taylor, C. M.↗

An analytical and experimental stress analysis of a practical mode II fracture-test specimen

A boundary collocation method has been employed to determine the Mode II stress intensity factors for a pair of through-the-thickness edge cracks in a finite isotropic plate. An elastostatic analysis has been carried out in terms of the complete Williams stress function employing both even and odd components. The results of the numerical analysis were verified by a two-step procedure whereby the symmetric and antisymmetric portions of the solution were independently compared with existing solutions. The complete solution was verified by comparison with a photoelastic analysis. A compact shear specimen (CSS) of Hysol epoxy resin was loaded in a photoelastic experiment designed to study the isochromatic fringe patterns resulting from the Mode II crack tip stress distribution. The experiment verified that a pure Mode II stress distribution existed in the neighborhood of the crack tips and confirmed the accuracy of the boundary collocation solution for the Mode II stress intensity factors.

Chisholm, D. B.↗

Numerical and analytic descriptions of cosmic-ray transport

It is not trivial to solve the equations that describe charged particle transport with the aid of computers, for instabilities, inaccuracies, and subtle artifacts are well known afflictions of numerical analysis. Two specific points are discussed. First to avoid inaccuracies, pitch angle scattering must be treated with great care. In particular, slightly inappropriate numerical formulations give rise to mean free paths that are in error by large factors. Secondly, A previously unrecognized artifact, numerical dispersion, is very similar to the physical phenomenon of dispersion. To avoid misinterpretations arising from this similarity, the spatial increment of the finite difference grid must be a small fraction of the mean free path. These points are illustrated by calculations based upon finite difference approximations to the transport equation.

Earl, J. A.↗

Advanced technology development multi-color holography

Several key aspects of multi-color holography and some non-conventional ways to study the holographic reconstructions are considered. The error analysis of three-color holography is considered in detail with particular example of a typical triglycine sulfate crystal growth situation. For the numerical analysis of the fringe patterns, a new algorithm is introduced with experimental verification using sugar-water solution. The role of the phase difference among component holograms is also critically considered with examples of several two- and three-color situations. The status of experimentation on two-color holography and fabrication of a small breadboard system is also reported. Finally, some successful demonstrations of unconventional ways to study holographic reconstructions are described. These methods are deflectometry and confocal optical processing using some Spacelab III holograms.

Vikram, Chandra S.↗

Variation of crack-opening stresses in three-dimensions - Finite thickness plate

A 3D elastic-plastic finite-element analysis is conducted to study crack-growth behavior of thin and thick center-cracked specimens under constant-amplitude loading conditions. The numerical analysis and the specimen configuration and loading are described for both the thin and thick conditions. Stabilized crack-opening stresses of interior and exterior regions are given as are the closure and opening profiles of the crack-surface plane after the tenth cycle. The effect of thickness is discussed with respect to the crack-opening stress levels and the plastic zones of the interior and exterior regions. A load-reduced-displacement technique allows the calculation of the crack-opening stresses at three locations on the crack surface plane. The constraint effect related to thickness gives a lower stabilized crack-opening stress level for the thick specimens.

Chermahini, R. G.↗

Analysis of spectral projectors in one-dimensional domains

A class of projection operators with values in a subspace of polynomials is analyzed. These projection operators are related to the Hilbert spaces involved in the numerical analysis of spectral methods. They are, in the first part of the paper, the standard Sobolev spaces and, in the second part, some weighted Sobolev spaces, the weight of which is related to the orthoronality relation satisfied by the Chebyshev polynomials. These results are used to study the approximation of a model fourth-order problem.

Maday, Y.↗

Analysis of the Effects of Streamwise Lift Distribution on Sonic Boom Signature

Investigation of sonic boom has been one of the major areas of study in aeronautics due to the benefits a low-boom aircraft has in both civilian and military applications. This work conducts a numerical analysis of the effects of streamwise lift distribution on the shock coalescence characteristics. A simple wing-canard-stabilator body model is used in the numerical simulation. The streamwise lift distribution is varied by fixing the canard at a deflection angle while trimming the aircraft with the wing and the stabilator at the desired lift coefficient. The lift and the pitching moment coefficients are computed using the Missile DATCOM v. 707. The flow field around the wing-canard- stabilator body model is resolved using the OVERFLOW-2 flow solver. Overset/ chimera grid topology is used to simplify the grid generation of various configurations representing different streamwise lift distributions. The numerical simulations are performed without viscosity unless it is required for numerical stability. All configurations are simulated at Mach 1.4, angle-of-attack of 1.50, lift coefficient of 0.05, and pitching moment coefficient of approximately 0. Four streamwise lift distribution configurations were tested.

Yoo, Paul↗

Oceanic Satellite Data Distribution System

The Satellite Data Distribution System (SDDS) serves to process satellite-derived ocean observations, generate ocean analysis and forecast products, and distribute the products to a limited set of commercial users. The SDDS functions in series with the U.S. Navy Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center (FNOC) to provide products on a near-real-time basis to commercial marine industries. Conventional meteorological and oceanographic observations provided to FNOC serve as the input set to the numerical analysis and forecast models. Large main-frame computers are used to analyze and forecast products on a routine, operational basis (at 6-hour and 12-hour synoptic times). The products, reformatted to meet commercial users needs, are transferred to a NASA-owned computer for storage and distribution. Access to the information is possible either by a commercial dial-up packet-switching network or by a direct computer-computer connection.

Montgomery, D. R.↗

Global 3D Data Visualization and Analysis Platform With Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities in Support of Lunar Exploration

Introduction: The science goals for NASA’s Artemis program include: a) Understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles, b) Conducting experimental science in the lunar environment and c) Investigating and mitigating exploration risks [1]. The permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) on the Lunar south pole are expected to host large quantities of water-ice and volatiles that are important for sustainable Lunar exploration [2]. There are several missions such as onboard Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO: Korean name Danuri) with onboard ShadowCam camera [3], Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One [4], and other efforts underway to obtain high resolution topographic, minerals, volatiles and other information on the moon. We envision a need in immediate future for platforms to integrate these data sets, provide rendering and visualization capabilities in the context of a 3D Lunar globe for easier information access and analysis. NASA's Celestial Mapping System (CMS) [5] is developed to address the need for 3D tools for planetary science investigations, mission planning, in-situ operations, in a 3D-first design constructed around a unified view of a planetary globe. At present CMS provides many critical functionalities that include: 1) equipment planning and optimized placement on Lunar surface 2) line-of-sight (LOS) analysis 3) powerful measurement tools based on 3D terrain with realistic 3D models to represent rovers, astronauts and equipment 4) visualization of derived mapping products (e.g. resource maps), and 5) a data engine for hosting new observations that are not available in other contemporary lunar data tools [5, 7]. Planetary Data Ingestion: CMS can consume and analyze data from locally hosted and external third party sources. It is compatible with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) data and file standards and currently integrates datasets from the Astrogeology Science Center of USGS. This includes global and local data acquired from NASA (LRO, Clementine, Lunar Orbiter) and JAXA (SELENE/Kaguya), with capability of integrating more datasets. In addition, users can specify other WMS-hosted data endpoints, which CMS can then query and stream data from automatically. To set-up an automated process for ingestion and accurate rendering, visualization and analysis of external 3rd party planetary datasets within CMS, we initiated the process of ingesting unique dataset of super-enhanced images of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles which were produced by the Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software (HORUS) tool [8]. This tool was developed to enhance the extremely low-light images of the interior of PSRs and provide the ability to see within these regions at and discern surface features (i.e. boulders and craters) down to 3 meters in size. We focused on the Nobile region on the Lunar south pole, selected site for VIPER mission and stitched several images to create a high-resolution map within one of the PSR of Nobile crater. Figure 1 shows the dark PSR zone form the original NAC layer of LRO as the base layer (left image) and the illuminated areas within that crater (center) which was created by ingesting and merging several of HORUS generated images. At present we employ a semi-automated process to ensure spatial accuracy and merger of several overlapping zones. However, we are in the process of completely automating this process by employing AI based techniques that would rank, sort, and stack the images based on their information density. The georectification of the images would employ selected features. Analysis on Ingested Planetary Datasets: Once an external planetary data-set is successfully ingested, georectified and merged seamlessly as a data-layer; CMS’ numerous analysis tools can be used on this data. A Line of Sight (LOS) tool has been developed for CMS which analyzes terrain profiles and obstructions to determine visibility for remote observers [5,6]. Figure 1 (right image) shows the viewshed analysis on the same PSR in the Nobile region. The yellow pin shows the observer location outside the PSR. The yellow area shows the visible part of PSR. The obstructed area with no visibility for the observer is shown in red. The Measurements tool allows the user to take area and distance measurements of features on the terrain using various shapes. Measurement type can be specified in a number of ways: Line, Path, Polygon, Circle, Ellipse, Square, Rectangle or Freehand. Once the shape is specified, elevation information can then be extracted along each of these shapes. Figure 2 (left) shows the measurements performed on a crater n illuminated PSR in Nobile region. The equipment placement tool allows the user to place a 3D equipment model at a desired location and analyze its coverage area. The equipment placement tool is coupled with LOS to determine the coverage. Figure 2 (right) shows an equipment placed on the Lunar terrain and it’s coverage area. The red rays are blocked sight lines and the green rays are non-obstructed sight lines with the cyan lines showing the point of intersection with the terrain. More details are provided in the video demonstrations in Reference 5. Overcoming Polar Distortions: 3D geospatial applications exhibit significant distortions in polar imagery due to several reasons: 1) distortions in the source imagery, 2) incompatible tessellation algorithms at the poles, and 3) map projections. We are leveraging new tessellation algorithms and reprojecting data using projections that are better suited for Lunar poles. The goal is to seamlessly switch to polar projections while maintaining 3D view and navigation.

Maps↗

Global 3D Data Visualization and Analysis Platform with Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities in Support of Lunar Exploration

Introduction: The science goals for NASA’s Artemis program include: a) Understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles, b) Conducting experimental science in the lunar environment and c) Investigating and mitigating exploration risks. The permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) on the Lunar south pole are expected to host large quantities of water-ice and volatiles that are important for sustainable Lunar exploration. There are several missions such as onboard Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO: Korean name Danuri) with onboard ShadowCam camera, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One [4], and other efforts underway to obtain high resolution topographic, minerals, volatiles and other information on the moon. We envision a need in immediate future for platforms to integrate these data sets, provide rendering and visualization capabilities in the context of a 3D Lunar globe for easier information access and analysis. NASA's Celestial Mapping System (CMS) is developed to address the need for 3D tools for planetary science investigations, mission planning, in-situ operations, in a 3D-first design constructed around a unified view of a planetary globe. At present CMS provides many critical functionalities that include: 1) equipment planning and optimized placement on Lunar surface 2) line-of-sight (LOS) analysis 3) powerful measurement tools based on 3D terrain with realistic 3D models to represent rovers, astronauts and equipment 4) visualization of derived mapping products (e.g. resource maps), and 5) a data engine for hosting new observations that are not available in other contemporary lunar data tools. Planetary Data Ingestion: CMS can consume and analyze data from locally hosted and external third party sources. It is compatible with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) data and file standards and currently integrates datasets from the Astrogeology Science Center of USGS. This includes global and local data acquired from NASA (LRO, Clementine, Lunar Orbiter) and JAXA (SELENE/Kaguya), with capability of integrating more datasets. In addition, users can specify other WMS-hosted data endpoints, which CMS can then query and stream data from automatically. To set-up an automated process for ingestion and accurate rendering, visualization and analysis of external 3rd party planetary datasets within CMS, we initiated the process of ingesting unique dataset of super-enhanced images of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles which were produced by the Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software (HORUS) tool. This tool was developed to enhance the extremely low-light images of the interior of PSRs and provide the ability to see within these regions at and discern surface features (i.e. boulders and craters) down to 3 meters in size. We focused on the Nobile region on the Lunar south pole, selected site for VIPER mission and stitched several images to create a high-resolution map within one of the PSR of Nobile crater. Figure 1 shows the dark PSR zone form the original NAC layer of LRO as the base layer (left image) and the illuminated areas within that crater (center) which was created by ingesting and merging several of HORUS generated images. At present we employ a semi-automated process to ensure spatial accuracy and merger of several overlapping zones. However, we are in the process of completely automating this process by employing AI based techniques that would rank, sort, and stack the images based on their information density. The georectification of the images would employ selected features. Analysis on Ingested Planetary Datasets: Once an external planetary data-set is successfully ingested, georectified and merged seamlessly as a data-layer; CMS’ numerous analysis tools can be used on this data. A Line of Sight (LOS) tool has been developed for CMS which analyzes terrain profiles and obstructions to determine visibility for remote observers. Figure 1 (right image) shows the viewshed analysis on the same PSR in the Nobile region. The yellow pin shows the observer location outside the PSR. The yellow area shows the visible part of PSR. The obstructed area with no visibility for the observer is shown in red. The Measurements tool allows the user to take area and distance measurements of features on the terrain using various shapes. Measurement type can be specified in a number of ways: Line, Path, Polygon, Circle, Ellipse, Square, Rectangle or Freehand. Once the shape is specified, elevation information can then be extracted along each of these shapes. Figure 2 (left) shows the measurements performed on a crater n illuminated PSR in Nobile region. The equipment placement tool allows the user to place a 3D equipment model at a desired location and analyze its coverage area. The equipment placement tool is coupled with LOS to determine the coverage. Figure 2 (right) shows an equipment placed on the Lunar terrain and it’s coverage area. The red rays are blocked sight lines and the green rays are non-obstructed sight lines with the cyan lines showing the point of intersection with the terrain. More details are provided in the video demonstrations in Reference 5. Overcoming Polar Distortions: 3D geospatial applications exhibit significant distortions in polar imagery due to several reasons: 1) distortions in the source imagery, 2) incompatible tessellation algorithms at the poles, and 3) map projections. We are leveraging new tessellation algorithms and reprojecting data using projections that are better suited for Lunar poles. The goal is to seamlessly switch to polar projections while maintaining 3D view and navigation.

Maps↗

Analysis and calculation of macrosegregation in a casting ingot, exhibits C and E

A computer model which describes the solidification of a binary metal alloy in an insulated rectangular mold with a temperature gradient is presented. A numerical technique, applicable to a broad class of moving boundary problems, was implemented therein. The solidification model described is used to calculate the macrosegregation within the solidified casting by coupling the equations for liquid flow in the solid/liquid or mushy zone with the energy equation for heat flow throughout the ingot and thermal convection in the bulk liquid portion. The rate of development of the solid can be automatically calculated by the model. Numerical analysis of such solidification parameters as enthalpy and boundary layer flow is displayed. On-line user interface and software documentation are presented.

Poirier, D. R.↗

A general-purpose computer program for studying ultrasonic beam patterns generated with acoustic lenses

A 3-D computer model of a piston radiator with lenses for focusing and defocusing is presented. To achieve high-resolution imaging, the frequency of the transmitted and received ultrasound must be as high as 10 MHz. Current ultrasonic transducers produce an extremely narrow beam at these high frequencies and thus are not appropriate for imaging schemes such as synthetic-aperture focus techniques (SAFT). Consequently, a numerical analysis program has been developed to determine field intensity patterns that are radiated from ultrasonic transducers with lenses. Lens shapes are described and the field intensities are numerically predicted and compared with experimental results.

Roberti, Dino↗

Modeling and numerical simulation of microwave pulse propagation in air breakdown environment

It is shown that ionization occurs wherever the field intensity of the pulse exceeds the local breakdown threshold field of the background air. The produced plasma then attenuates the pulse and gives rise to a tail erosion phenomenon that plays the primary role in limiting the energy transfer of the pulse from source to destination. A theoretical model describing the propagation of an intense microwave pulse in an air breakdown environment is developed that includes the possible focusing effect introduced by either using phase array antennas or the other arrangements. The self-consistent description of the propagation process is provided by a set of two modal equations. These include a continuity equation (Poynting's equation) for the energy density of the pulse and a rate equation of the electron density. A forward wave approximation is used to simplify Poynting's equation, and a semiempirical formula is used for the ionization frequency, nu(sub i). This frequency provides the coupling between the two modal equations, and is used to express the electron rate equation explicitly. In terms of the relevant parameters of the atmosphere, these two equations are normalized for numerical analysis of pulse propagation in the atmosphere. The dependencies of the propagation characteristics of the pulse on intensity, frequency, width, and shape of the pulse are determined. The numerical simulations lead to a useful empirical relation p(exp 3)w = alpha = constant, where p and w are the incident power and width of the pulse and alpha depends on the percentage of pulse energy transferred from the source point to a destined position. The density distribution of the pulse's self-generated plasma is also evaluated. The results also show that for ionization caused by a single unfocused microwave pulse transmitted upwards from the ground, the maximum electron density produced at, for example, 50 km altitude is limited by the tail erosion effect to below 10(exp 6) cm(exp -3). Repetitive pulse and focused beam approaches are also examined. Both approaches can increase the maximum electron density by no more than an order of magnitude. A scheme using two obliquely propagating pulses intersecting at the destined height, e.g. 50 km, is considered. It is shown that the electron density generated at the lowest intersecting position can easily reach a value of 6.6 x 10(exp 8) cm(exp -3), which is considered to be high enough for artificial ionospheric mirror (AIM) application.

Kim, J.↗

Thermal, Fluid and Neutronic Analysis of an LEU Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Core

This paper describes the use of detailed multidisciplinary fluid/thermal/ structural/neutronic simulations to predict performance of the nuclear fuel elements of a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion rocket reactor. To achieve maximum performance, a rocket reactor's fuel must operate near thermal hydraulic, structural and neutronic limits where multidisciplinary interactions are important. Yet physical testing is expensive, time- consuming and risky. Lower-fidelity correlations (heat transfer) and simulations have always existed for design, and one role of detailed numerical analysis is to confirm correlation validity and accuracy. For complex and subtle issues, detailed numerical simulations may prove their value. The paper gives examples of both of these situations. Limitations of the methods and potential extensions will be explored.

Rocket Engine Design↗

Exploring orbital angular momentum and spin-orbit correlations for gluons at the Electron-Ion Collider

In our previous work [S. Bhattacharya , ], we introduced a pioneering observable aimed at experimentally detecting the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of gluons. Our focus was on the longitudinal double spin asymmetry observed in exclusive dijet production during electron-proton scattering. We demonstrated the sensitivity of the cos ϕ angular correlation between the scattered electron and proton as a probe for gluon OAM at small x and its intricate interplay with gluon helicity. This current work provides a comprehensive exposition, diving further into the aforementioned calculation with added elaboration and in-depth analysis. We reveal that, in addition to the gluon OAM, one also gains access to the spin-orbit correlation of gluons. We supplement our work with a detailed numerical analysis of our observables for the kinematics of the Electron-Ion Collider. In addition to dijet production, we also consider the recently proposed semi-inclusive diffractive deep inelastic scattering process, which potentially offers experimental advantages over dijet measurements. Finally, we investigate quark-channel contributions to these processes and find an unexpected breakdown of collinear factorization. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Three dimensional flow field inside compressor rotor, including blade boundary layers

The Reynolds stress equation, pressure strain correlation, and dissipative terms and diffusion are discussed in relation to turbulence modelling using the Reynolds stress model. Algebraic modeling of Reynolds stresses and calculation of the boundary layer over an axial cylinder are examined with regards to the kinetic energy model for turbulence modelling. The numerical analysis of blade and hub wall boundary layers, and an experimental study of rotor blade boundary layer in an axial flow compressor rotor are discussed. The Patankar-Spalding numerical method for two dimensional boundary layers is included.

Galmes, J. M.↗

Solving the homogeneous Bethe-Salpeter equation with a quantum annealer

The homogeneous Bethe-Salpeter equation (hBSE), describing a bound system in a genuinely relativistic quantum-field theory framework, was solved for the first time by using a D-Wave quantum annealer. After applying standard techniques of discretization, the hBSE, in ladder approximation, can be formally transformed in a generalized eigenvalue problem (GEVP), with two square matrices: one symmetric and the other nonsymmetric. The latter matrix poses the challenge of obtaining a suitable formal approach for investigating the GEVP by means of a quantum annealer, i.e., to recast it as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem. A broad numerical analysis of the proposed algorithms, applied to matrices of dimension up to 64, was carried out by using both the simulated-annealing package and the D-Wave . The numerical results very nicely compare with those obtained with standard classical algorithms, and also show interesting scalability features. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗