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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

Flow liner extends operating life of high-angulation bellows

Liner extends the service life of high-angulation /26-degree/ bellows used as ducts for high-velocity fluid flow in a liquid oxygen fill and drain system. It consists of a conical frustum or nozzle on the upstream side and a cylindrical section or catcher on the down-stream side.

Rumph, D. G.↗

Selected technology for the gas industry

A number of papers were presented at a conference concerned with the application of technical topics from aerospace activities for the gas industry. The following subjects were covered: general future of fossil fuels in America, exploration for fossil and nuclear fuels from orbital altitudes, technology for liquefied gas, safety considerations relative to fires, explosions, and detonations, gas turbomachinery technology, fluid properties, fluid flow, and heat transfer, NASA information and documentation systems, instrumentation and measurement, materials and life prediction, reliability and quality assurance, and advanced energy systems (including synthetic fuels, energy storage, solar energy, and wind energy).

Source record↗

Numerical model of a two-dimensional, non-plane transient magnetohydrodynamic flow

The equations describing two-dimensional three-component magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) transient flows are formulated for a system of spherical coordinates. With the numerical code based on Implicit Continuous Fluid Eulerian (ICE) scheme, MHD flows resulting from a sudden energy release in a stratified medium are examined. Because of the inclusion of out-of-plane components of velocity and magnetic fields, MHD transverse waves are observed in addition to fast, slow and entropy waves. Numerical results for compressible MHD shocks are found in satisfactory agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Han, S. M.↗

Design and implementation of a multigrid code for the Euler equations

The steady-state equations of inviscid fluid flow, the Euler equations, are a nonlinear nonelliptic system of equations admitting solutions with discontinuities (for example, shocks). The efficient numerical solution of these equations poses a strenuous challenge to multigrid methods. A multigrid code has been developed for the numerical solution of the Euler equations. In this paper some of the factors that had to be taken into account in the design and development of the code are reviewed. These factors include the importance of choosing an appropriate difference scheme, the usefulness of local mode analysis as a design tool, and the crucial question of how to treat the nonlinearity. Sample calculations of transonic flow about airfoils will be presented. No claim is made that the particular algorithm presented is optimal.

Jespersen, D. C.↗

Computational problems on composite grids

Most currently used algorithms for the numerical solution of the partial differential equations encountered in fluid flow problems can be implemented on composite grid systems. Finite volume formulations are easier to derive on composite grids, and may in principle be derived for partial differential equations of all types. Except when using Alternating Difference Implicit-type schemes, the overlapping of grids is an alternative to the more common grid construction procedure where grid lines continue smoothly from one subregion to the next. In the solution of model problems, the correct choice of an interpolation formula has been found able to reduce errors by a factor of two.

Mastin, C. W.↗

Three-Dimensional Complex Variables

Report presents new theory of analytic functions of three-dimensional complex variables. While three-dimensional system subject to more limitations and more difficult to use than the two-dimensional system, useful in analysis of three-dimensional fluid flows, electrostatic potentials, and other phenomena involving harmonic functions.

Martin, E. Dale↗

Johnson Space Center CFD grid generation requirements

Topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: heavy lift launch vehicles, space shuttles, space transportation system, grid generation, computational fluid dynamics, space station, and flow distribution.

Fred Martin↗

Computational Model of the Chilldown and Propellant Loading of the Space Shuttle External Tank

This paper describes a computational model of the chilldown and propellant loading of the Space Shuttle External Tank liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. The purpose of the computational model is to predict the time required to chilldown the entire assembly consisting of the ground system transfer line and propellant tanks in order to compare with observed loading times, to evaluate the feasibility of similar models developed for the Ares I Upper Stage. The model also predicts the history of inflow and outflow from the tank, pressure and temperature inside the tank, and heat leak through the walls. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), a general purpose network flow analysis code, has been used to develop this computational model. The paper describes the simulation of the loading process for both tanks and compares the resulting predictions to measurements

LeClair, Andre C.↗

Nodal Numerical Modeling of Submerged Helium Injection in a Cryogenic Propellant Tank

Subcooling of cryogenic propellant by helium injection is one of the most effective methods for suppressing bulk boiling and keeping subcooled propellant conditions for pre-launch, launch, and post-launch pressurization applications. For tank pressurization, submerged helium injection can substantially reduce helium consumption by infusing gaseous propellant into the tank ullage. This paper presents a mathematical model of the helium bubbling process in liquid oxygen to estimate the amount of oxygen vapor absorbed by the rising helium bubbles and the amount of subcooling of liquid oxygen due to evaporative heat and mass transfer. This mathematical model was incorporated in a simulation model of tank pressurization built with Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), a general-purpose flow network code developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. The numerical predictions of subcooling have been compared with the experimental data of Cho et al. which investigated the propellant subcooling effect as a function of system pressure, helium injection temperature, and flowrate for a non-drained submerged injection system. The numerical predictions of helium consumption have been compared with the test data from a NASA Centaur test vehicle which included both direct and submerged injection with draining of propellants. The numerical model developed with GFSSP has been validated against two sets of experimental data and has been shown to predict both propellant subcooling and helium consumption to within 30% in most cases. The test data used for the model validation were taken in 1-g, but the mass diffusion model was developed to be applied in both 1-g and micro-g environments.

Cryogenics↗

Nodal Modeling of Submerged Helium Injection Pressurization of a Cryogenic Propellant Tank

Subcooling of cryogenic propellant by helium injection is one of the most effective methods for suppressing bulk boiling and keeping subcooled propellant conditions for pre-launch, launch, and post-launch pressurization applications. For tank pressurization, submerged helium injection can substantially reduce helium consumption by infusing gaseous propellant into the tank ullage. This paper describes a thermodynamic model of the helium bubbling process in liquid oxygen to estimate the amount of oxygen vapor absorbed by the rising helium bubbles and the amount of subcooling of liquid oxygen due to evaporative heat and mass transfer. The physics of helium dissolution during the pressurization process is also modeled, primarily for liquid hydrogen propellant where the dissolution is more significant. The analyses were performed in a simulation model of tank pressurization built with Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), a general-purpose flow network code developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. The numerical predictions of subcooling have been compared with the experimental data of Cho et al. which investigated the propellant subcooling effect as a function of system pressure, helium injection temperature, and flowrate for a non-drained submerged injection system. The numerical predictions of helium consumption have been compared with the test data from a NASA Centaur test vehicle which included both direct and submerged injection with draining of propellants. Hydrogen propellant testing of the Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Engineering Developmental Unit (CPST EDU) conducted at NASA/Glenn Research Facility was also analyzed. The data used for the model validation were taken in 1-g, but the model was developed to be applicable in both multi-g and micro-g environments.

tank pressurization↗

System and method for recovering waste heat

A power generation system having a combustion engine with a Rankine bottoming cycle, the system including a first flow path for a process fluid and a second flow path for a working fluid, and a heat exchanger arranged along both the first and the second flow paths to transfer waste heat from the process fluid to the working fluid. The heat exchanger includes a first flow conduit being bounded by a first wall section and configured to convey the process fluid, a second flow conduit to convey the working fluid, the second flow conduit being bounded by a second wall section spaced apart from the first wall section to define a gap therebetween, and a thermally conductive structure arranged within the gap and joined to the first and second wall sections to transfer heat therebetween, the gap being fluidly isolated from both the process fluid and the working fluid.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Multifunctional intensified reactor device with integrated heat and mass transfer

A packing device for mass and heat transfer with a subject fluid includes a housing having opposing ends, and subject fluid openings at each opposing end defining a subject fluid flow path for at least one subject fluid flowing through the packing device. A plurality of mass and heat transfer plates each include an interior heat exchange fluid channel disposed between interior heat transfer surfaces of the mass and heat transfer plates. A heat exchange fluid inlet and fluid outlet can supply and remove heat exchange fluid to the heat exchange fluid channels of the mass and heat transfer plates. The mass and heat transfer plates can be oriented to define there between fluid flow channels for the subject fluid. A method and system for mass and heat transfer with a subject fluid, and a method and system for the removal of CO2 from a gas stream are disclosed.

Lai, Canhai↗

Aircraft electric motor with integrated cooling system

Aircraft electric motors include a motor unit having a rotor and a stator. The stator includes a plurality of windings and cooling channels arranged to provide cooling thereto. A drive unit is configured to drive operation of the motor unit. A cooling system includes a working fluid arranged within a cooling fluid flow path, wherein the cooling fluid flow path includes a liquid cooling path configured to direct flow of the working fluid through, at least, the cooling channels of the motor unit and a vapor cooling path configured to direct flow of the working fluid through the drive unit and a separator arranged upstream of each of the liquid cooling path and the vapor cooling path and configured to direct a liquid portion of the working fluid into the liquid cooling path and configured to direct a vapor portion of the working fluid into the vapor cooling path.

Alahyari, Abbas A.↗

Flow rate optimization for a small liquid argon system at Fermilab.

This analysis highlights the dominant role of pressure loss in filter disks, emphasizing its crucial consideration during the design phase to ensure optimal fluid flow. Additionally, the significance of vapor quality at the transfer line inlet is identified as a key factor impacting the fill rate. Reducing inlet vapor quality and exploring the use of subcooled liquid are recommended approaches to enhance system performance.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Techno-Economic Viability of Flexible Dispatch of Unconventional Geothermal Systems

Flexible geothermal operations could boost project returns through the allocation of improved power purchase agreements and/or exploitation of power price arbitrage opportunities. In this study, we investigated the techno-economic feasibility of variable flow rate control and time-of-day pricing in closed-loop geothermal systems. We considered U-shaped multilateral system configurations and modeled a variety of technical system parameters. These designs were simulated using a slender-body theory (SBT) model for transient heat transfer and fluid flow. This subsurface model was integrated into the flexible geothermal economic model (FGEM) tool to evaluate the overall flexible geothermal system techno-economics. Future hourly ambient temperature conditions were based on the Sup3rCC dataset. Published datasets were used for future hourly wholesale electricity prices. We analyzed four operating strategies: 1) baseload operation, 2) seasonal dispatch (high flow rate during summer and nominal flow rate during the rest of the year), 3) net generation maximization by varying flow rate to maximize net power output, and 4) revenue maximization by varying flow rate to maximize revenue. We ran all four scenarios for a multiloop configuration with 12 lateral passes, 7-km vertical depth and 87-km total drilling length. Furthermore, we assumed a 60 degrees C/km geothermal gradient and ambient temperature and wholesale electricity prices for New Mexico as a typical state location. The nominal flow rate was set to 80 kg/s. When considering drilling costs of $1,000/m and a discount rate of 7%, the generation maximization scenario resulted in the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of ~$150/MWh. When considering project return on investment (ROI), defined as lifetime net income divided by upfront capital costs, all flexible operation scenarios performed better than the base case scenario. The highest ROI of 80% was obtained with the revenue maximization scenario. With drilling costs of $200/m and a discount rate of 5%, the generation maximization scenario resulted in LCOE of $49/MWh.

flexible geothermal↗

Development of an Additive Manufactured Cryogenic TVS Augmented Injector

Cryogenic fluid transfer is critical in ground and space systems. Transfer typically requires venting a receiver vessel during the chill and fill process to maintain a pressure favorable to fluid flow. Venting in space is problematic due to low-gravity where fluid position is indeterminate; possibly allowing fluid to flow out the vent. To control receiver tank venting the vented chill/no-vent fill methodology is attractive. An additively manufactured Injector coupled with a Thermodynamic Venting System (TVS) augmentation can enable the vented chill/no-vent fill approach with simplified operations. The TVS augmented injector includes an internal heat exchanger, fluid injector spray head, and external surface condensation heat exchange; combined with integrated flow paths in one part. Operations using the injector allow the tank vent to be closed very early in the transfer and not reopened. The TVS circuit eliminates the potential for stalled fill by maintaining cooling flow on the injector and condenser elements, reducing tank pressure. The injector can also be employed for long-term cryo fluid storage as a means of controlling tank pressure if integrated with a recirculation pump. A cryo-cooler can be used in place of/or augmenting the TVS flow circuit for a zero loss pressure control system. The Injector was developed using the principles of design for additive manufacture and printed as one part, resulting in part count reduction, improved reproducibility, shorter lead times, and reduced cost. The TVS augmented injector is compact and highly adaptable simplifying its integration. A key benefit is that this methodology enables simplified operations in reaching 100% fill conditions.

Omar Mireles↗

Application of second-order-accurate Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) schemes to the Euler equations in general geometries

A one-parameter family of explicit and implicit second-order-accurate, entropy satisfying, total variation diminishing (TVD) schemes was developed by Harten. These TVD schemes were the property of not generating spurious oscillations for one-dimensional nonlinear scalar hyperbolic conservation laws and constant coefficient hyperbolic systems. Application of these methods to one- and two-dimensional fluid flows containing shocks (in Cartesian coordinates) yields highly accurate nonoscillatory numerical solutions. The goal of this work is to expand these methods to the multidimensional Euler equations in generalized coordinate systems. Some numerical results of shock waves impinging on cylindrical bodies are compared with MacCormack's method.

Yee, H. C.↗