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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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At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Optical communication with semiconductor laser diodes

A 25 megabit/sec direct detection optical communication system that used Q=4 PPM signalling was constructed and its performance measured under laboratory conditions. The system used a single-mode AlGaAs laser diode transmitter and low noise silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) photodetector. Comparison of measured performance with the theoretical revealed that modeling the APD output as a Gaussian process under conditions of negligible background radiation and low (less than 10 to the -12 power A) APD bulk leakage currents leads to substantial underestimates of optimal APD gain to use and overestimates of system bit error probability. A procedure is given to numerically compute system performance which uses the more accurate Webb's Approximation of the exact Conradi distribution for the APD ouput signal that does not require excessive amounts of computer time (a few minutes of VAX 8600 CPU time per system operating point). Examples are given which illustrate the breakdown of the Gaussian approximation in assessing system performance. This system achieved a bit error probability of 10 to the -6 power at a received signal energy corresponding to an average of 60 absorbed photons/bit and optimal APD gain of 700.

Davidson, F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical simulation and comparison of symmetrical/supercritical airfoils for the near tip region of a helicopter in forward flight

Aerodynamic loads on a multi-bladed helicopter rotor in forward flight at transonic tip conditions are calculated. The unsteady, three-dimensional, time-accurate compressible Reynolds-averaged thin layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a rotating coordinate system on a body-conformed, curvilinear grid of C-H topology. Detailed boundary layer and global numerical comparisons of NACA-0012 symmetrical and CAST7-158 supercritical airfoils are made under identical forward flight conditions. The rotor wake effects are modeled by applying a correction to the geometric angle of attack of the blade. This correction is obtained by computing the local induced downwash velocity with a free wake analysis program. The calculations are performed on the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Cray 2 and the VPS32 (a derivative of a Cyber 205 at the Langley Research Center) for a model helicopter rotor in forward flight.

Badavi, F. F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The influence of laser ranging on selenodetic control.

In this paper, a mathematical model is presented which can be used to perform an adjustment using laser distances to improve coordinates of points of the earth and on the moon. The observation equations are given and the orientation of the earth and the moon is defined in terms of three Eulerian angles. Parameters related to the orientation of the two bodies are the six initial conditions in each case, for the numerical integration of the three angles and their time derivatives. Numerical experiments were performed for the purpose of investigating the expected accuracies of the various parameters in the adjustment model under differing conditions. The results of the experiments indicate that the statistics for both the coordinates of points on earth and on the moon, and for the orientation parameters of the two bodies, are favorable.

Mueller, I. I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A mixed pseudospectral/finite difference method for a thermally driven fluid in a nonuniform gravitational field

A numerical study of the steady, axisymmetric flow in a heated, rotating spherical shell is conducted to model the Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment (AGCE) proposed to run aboard a later shuttle mission. The AGCE will consist of concentric rotating spheres confining a dielectric fluid. By imposing a dielectric field across the fluid a radial body force will be created. The numerical solution technique is based on the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In the method a pseudospectral technique is based on the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In the method a pseudospectral technique is used in the latitudinal direction, and a second-order accurate finite difference scheme discretizes time and radial derivatives. This paper discusses the development and performance of this numerical scheme for the AGCE which has been modelled in the past only by pure FD formulations. In addition, previous models have not investigated the effect of using a dielectric force to simulate terrestrial gravity. The effect of this dielectric force on the flow field is investigated as well as a parameter study of varying rotation rates and boundary temperatures. Among the effects noted are the production of larger velocities and enhanced reversals of radial temperature gradients for a body force generated by the electric field.

Macaraeg, M. G.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Predictability of planetary waves - Interhemispheric differences and the effects of stationary forcing

An attempt is made to determine the way in which errors appear in the ultralong waves of numerical weather prediction models, as well as the means by which such errors may be alleviated. Such efforts to improve the numerical forecasting of planetary waves derive their importance from the fact that energetic large scale phenomena are the basis for prospective improvements in extended range forecasting. A simple, linear, quasi-geostrophic and barotropic model is presently used in real data forecast simulations to explore, in an idealized context, several effects that may clarify discrepancies betweeen predictability theory and the performance of current numerical weather prediction models. Attention is given to the degree to which discrepancies may be accounted for by linear theory.

Roads, J. O.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Arcjet plasma plume effect on a microwave reflector antenna

The effect of plasma produced by an arc-jet thruster on the performance of on-board reflector antennas was investigated using a configuration in which the arc-jet plume is modeled as an inhomogeneous scatterer with a smoothly varying refractive index. On the basis of laws of geometrical optics, used to calculate the wave propagation, the trajectory, phase, amplitude, and polarization of the high-frequency ray field are computed numerically. The experiments performed to validate the calculated results experimentally are described.

Birkner, B. W.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Entropy Stable Method for the Euler Equations Revisited: Central Differencing via Entropy Splitting and SBP

The two decades old high order central differencing via entropy splitting and summation-by-parts (SBP) difference boundary closure of Olsson & Oliger, Gerritsen & Olsson, and Yee et al. (15, 7, 37) is revisited. The objective of this paper is to prove for the first time that the entropy split scheme is an entropy stable method for central differencing with SBP operators for both periodic and non-periodic boundary conditions for nonlinear Euler equations. Standard high order spatial central differencing as well as high order central spatial DRP (dispersion relation preserving) spatial differencing is part of the entropy stable methodology framework. The proof is to replace the spatial derivatives by summation-by-parts (SBP) difference operators in the entropy split form of the equations using the physical entropy of the Euler equations. The numerical boundary closure follows directly from the SBP operator. No additional numerical boundary procedure is required. In contrast, Tadmor-type entropy conserving schemes (31) using mathematical entropies and more recently in (35], do not naturally come with a numerical boundary closure and a generalized SBP operator has to be developed (18). Long time integration of 2D and 3D test cases is included to show the comparison of this efficient entropy stable method with the Tadmor-type of entropy conservative methods. Studies also include the comparison among the three skew-symmetric splittings on their nonlinear stability and accuracy performance without added numerical dissipations for smooth flows. These are, namely, entropy splitting, Ducros et al. splitting and the Kennedy & Grubber splitting.

Sjogreen, Bjorn↗
NASA NTRS1993

Recent developments in high order K-exact reconstruction on unstructured meshes

This paper presents recent improvements in high-order K-exact reconstruction on unstructured meshes. The new reconstruction procedures are incorporated into a basic upwind finite-volume scheme suitable for solving scalar advection-diffusion equations as well as the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Numerical calculations are performed comparing the present method with lower order accurate reconstruction procedures (piecewise constant and piecewise linear) and various competing technologies such as the fluctuation splitting method of Roe (1987) and Deconinck et al. (1992) and a system-variant of the streamline diffusion Petrov-Galerkin method developed by Hansbo (1991) and Hansbo and Johnson (1991). Five test problems are used in the numerical comparisons: scalar circular advection, transonic and supersonic Euler flow, laminar boundary-layer flow, and general compressible Navier-Stokes flow.

Barth, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Numerical Investigation of Dual-Mode Scramjet Combustor with Large Upstream Interaction

Dual-mode scramjet combustor configuration with significant upstream interaction is investigated numerically, The possibility of scaling the domain to accelerate the convergence and reduce the computational time is explored. The supersonic combustor configuration was selected to provide an understanding of key features of upstream interaction and to identify physical and numerical issues relating to modeling of dual-mode configurations. The numerical analysis was performed with vitiated air at freestream Math number of 2.5 using hydrogen as the sonic injectant. Results are presented for two-dimensional models and a three-dimensional jet-to-jet symmetric geometry. Comparisons are made with experimental results. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional results show substantial oblique shock train reaching upstream of the fuel injectors. Flow characteristics slow numerical convergence, while the upstream interaction slowly increases with further iterations. As the flow field develops, the symmetric assumption breaks down. A large separation zone develops and extends further upstream of the step. This asymmetric flow structure is not seen in the experimental data. Results obtained using a sub-scale domain (both two-dimensional and three-dimensional) qualitatively recover the flow physics obtained from full-scale simulations. All results show that numerical modeling using a scaled geometry provides good agreement with full-scale numerical results and experimental results for this configuration. This study supports the argument that numerical scaling is useful in simulating dual-mode scramjet combustor flowfields and could provide an excellent convergence acceleration technique for dual-mode simulations.

Mohieldin, T. O.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Implicit and Multigrid Method for Ideal Multigrid Convergence: Direct Numerical Simulation of Separated Flow Around NACA 0012 Airfoil

Numerical investigation of flow separation over a NACA 0012 airfoil at large angles of attack has been carried out. The numerical calculation is performed by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations in generalized curvilinear coordinates. The second-order LU-SGS implicit scheme is applied for time integration. This scheme requires no tridiagonal inversion and is capable of being completely vectorized, provided the corresponding Jacobian matrices are properly selected. A fourth-order centered compact scheme is used for spatial derivatives. In order to reduce numerical oscillation, a sixth-order implicit filter is employed. Non-reflecting boundary conditions are imposed at the far-field and outlet boundaries to avoid possible non-physical wave reflection. Complex flow separation and vortex shedding phenomenon have been observed and discussed.

Liu, Chao-Qun↗
NASA NTRS1999

Detailed Multidimensional Simulations of the Structure and Dynamics of Flames

Numerical simulations in which the various physical and chemical processes can be independently controlled can significantly advance our understanding of the structure, stability, dynamics and extinction of flames. Therefore, our approach has been to use detailed time-dependent, multidimensional, multispecies numerical models to perform carefully designed computational experiments of flames on Earth and in microgravity environments. Some of these computational experiments are complementary to physical experiments performed under the Microgravity Program while others provide a fundamental understanding that cannot be obtained from physical experiments alone. In this report, we provide a brief summary of our recent research highlighting the contributions since the previous microgravity combustion workshop. There are a number of mechanisms that can cause flame instabilities and result in the formation of dynamic multidimensional structures. In the past, we have used numerical simulations to show that it is the thermo-diffusive instability rather than an instability due to preferential diffusion that is the dominant mechanism for the formation of cellular flames in lean hydrogen-air mixtures. Other studies have explored the role of gravity on flame dynamics and extinguishment, multi-step kinetics and radiative losses on flame instabilities in rich hydrogen-air flames, and heat losses on burner-stabilized flames in microgravity. The recent emphasis of our work has been on exploring flame-vortex interactions and further investigating the structure and dynamics of lean hydrogen-air flames in microgravity. These topics are briefly discussed after a brief discussion of our computational approach for solving these problems.

Patnaik, G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Regenerator performance in a Vuilleumier refrigerator compared with a third-order numerical model

A three-stage Vuilleumier refrigerator was used to measure the performance of various third stage regenerators. The refrigerator operates between 2.5 and 5.0 Hz and, depending on the material used in the third stage regenerator, achieves temperatures of 8 to 20 K at the cold end of the third stage. This paper presents a comparison of regenerator performance for four regenerator materials: 229 micron diameter spheres of Pb(+)5 pct Sb, 229 micron diameter spheres of brass, 216 micron irregularly-shaped GdRh powder, and a mixture of 229 microns and 762 microns diameter spheres of Pb(+5) pct Sb. The experimental results are compared with a first-order model that neglects the void volume within the regenerator and with a third-order model that considers the effect of pressure oscillations in the regenerator void volume. Experimental results indicate that regenerator losses are dominated by the pressure oscillation in the void volume rather than the mass flow through the temperature gradient in the regenerator. These results are consistent with the third-order numerical model. This model shows that the heat capacity of the gas in the void space as well as the heat capacity of the matrix influences the regenerator performance.

Bradley, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Three-D Flow Analysis of the Alternate SSME HPOT TAD

This paper describes the results of numerical flow analyses performed in support of design development of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Alternate High Pressure Oxidizer Turbine Turn-around duct (TAD). The flow domain has been modeled using a 3D, Navier-Stokes, general purpose flow solver. The goal of this effort is to achieve an alternate TAD exit flow distribution which closely matches that of the baseline configuration. 3D Navier Stokes CFD analyses were employed to evaluate numerous candidate geometry modifications to the TAD flowpath in order to achieve this goal. The design iterations are summarized, as well as a description of the computational model, numerical results and the conclusions based on these calculations.

Kubinski, Cheryl A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Large Eddy Simulation of Aircraft Wake Vortices in a Homogeneous Atmospheric Turbulence: Vortex Decay and Descent

The effects of ambient turbulence on decay and descent of aircraft wake vortices are studied using a validated, three-dimensional: large-eddy simulation model. Numerical simulations are performed in order to isolate the effect of ambient turbulence on the wake vortex decay rate within a neutrally-stratified atmosphere. Simulations are conducted for a range of turbulence intensities, by injecting wake vortex pairs into an approximately homogeneous and isotropic turbulence field. The decay rate of the vortex circulation increases clearly with increasing ambient turbulence level, which is consistent with field observations. Based on the results from the numerical simulations, simple decay models are proposed as functions of dimensionless ambient turbulence intensity (eta) and dimensionless time (T) for the circulation averaged over a range of radial distances. With good agreement with the numerical results, a Gaussian type of vortex decay model is proposed for weak turbulence: while an exponential type of Tortex decay model can be applied for strong turbulence. A relationship for the vortex descent based on above vortex decay model is also proposed. Although the proposed models are based on simulations assuming neutral stratification, the model predictions are compared to Lidar vortex measurements observed during stable, neutral, and unstable atmospheric conditions. In the neutral and unstable atmosphere, the model predictions appear to be in reasonable agreement with the observational data, while in the stably-stratified atmosphere, they largely underestimate the observed circulation decay with consistent overestimation of the observed vortex descent. The underestimation of vortex decay during stably-stratified conditions suggests that stratification has an important influence on vortex decay when ambient levels of turbulence are weak.

Han, Jongil↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Computational Study of Noise Characteristics for 30P30N Leading-edge Slat and Krueger Flap

In this study, numerical simulations are performed to investigate the flowfield, the noise sources, and their detailed characteristics around high-lift configurations featuring either a conventional leading-edge slat or a Krueger flap. While the flowfields and potential noise sources are similar for the two types of configurations, the noise directivity patterns exhibit some differences. The influence of the cavity where the Krueger flap is stowed on the lower surface is also examined via numerical simulations with and without the cavity. Results show that the cavity does not have a significant influence on the flowfield around the Krueger flap and the gap region. However, when the cavity is present, additional noise sources are observed around its rear part, although they are not as significant as the noise sources on the lower side of the Krueger flap. These additional noise sources contribute to the directivity of high noise levels, especially in the upstream direction.

Aeroacoustics↗
NASA NTRS1992

Direct numerical simulations of a spatially developing plane wake

In the present paper, direct numerical methods by which to simulate the spatially developing free shear flows in the transitional region are described and the numerical results of a spatially developing plane wake are presented. The incompressible time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations were solved using Pade finite difference approximations in the streamwise direction, a mapped pseudospectral Fourier method in the cross-stream direction, and a third-order compact Runge-Kutta scheme for time advancement. The unstable modes of the Orr-Sommerfeld equations were used to perturb the inlet of the wake. Statistical analyses were performed and some numerical results were compared with experimental measurements. When only the fundamental mode is forced, the energy spectra show amplification of the fundamental and its higher harmonics. In this case, unperturbed alternate vortices develop in the saturation region of the wake. The phase jitter around the fundamental frequency plays a critical role in generating vortices of random shape and spacing. Large- and small-scale distortions of the fundamental structure are observed. Pairing of vortices of the same sign is observed, as well as vortex coupling of vortices of the opposite sign.

Maekawa, Hiroshi↗
NASA NTRS2017

Characterization of a Method for Inverse Heat Conduction Using Real and Simulated Thermocouple Data

It is often impractical to instrument the external surface of high-speed vehicles due to the aerothermodynamic heating. Temperatures can instead be measured internal to the structure using embedded thermocouples, and direct and inverse methods can then be used to estimate temperature and heat flux on the external surface. Two thermocouples embedded at different depths are required to solve direct and inverse problems, and filtering schemes are used to reduce noise in the measured data. Accuracy in the estimated surface temperature and heat flux is dependent on several factors. Factors include the thermocouple location through the thickness of a material, the sensitivity of the surface solution to the error in the specified location of the embedded thermocouples, and the sensitivity to the error in thermocouple data. The effect of these factors on solution accuracy is studied using the methodology discussed in the work of Pizzo, et. al.1 A numerical study is performed to determine if there is an optimal depth at which to embed one thermocouple through the thickness of a material assuming that a second thermocouple is installed on the back face. Solution accuracy will be discussed for a range of embedded thermocouple depths. Moreover, the sensitivity of the surface solution to (a) the error in the specified location of the embedded thermocouple and to (b) the error in the thermocouple data are quantified using numerical simulation, and the results are discussed.

Pizzo, Michelle E.↗