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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 469 records · Page 26

Boundary-fitted curvilinear coordinate systems for solution of partial differential equations on fields containing any number of arbitrary two-dimensional bodies

A method is presented for automatic numerical generation of a general curvilinear coordinate system with coordinate lines coincident with all boundaries of a general multi-connected two-dimensional region containing any number of arbitrarily shaped bodies. No restrictions are placed on the shape of the boundaries, which may even be time-dependent, and the approach is not restricted in principle to two dimensions. With this procedure the numerical solution of a partial differential system may be done on a fixed rectangular field with a square mesh with no interpolation required regardless of the shape of the physical boundaries, regardless of the spacing of the curvilinear coordinate lines in the physical field, and regardless of the movement of the coordinate system in the physical plane. A number of examples of coordinate systems and application thereof to the solution of partial differential equations are given. The FORTRAN computer program and instructions for use are included.

Thompson, J. F.↗

Implicit finite difference simulation of flow about arbitrary geometries with application to airfoils

Finite difference procedures are used to solve either the Euler equations or the 'thin layer' Navier-Stokes equations subject to arbitrary boundary conditions. An automatic grid generation program is employed, and because an implicit finite difference algorithm for the flow equations is used, time steps are not severely limited when grid points are finely distributed. Computational efficiency and compatibility to vectorized computer processors is maintained by use of approximate factorization techniques. Computed results for both inviscid and viscous flow about airfoils are described and compared to various known solutions.

Steger, J. L.↗

Numerical solutions for viscous and potential flow about arbitrary two-dimensional bodies using body-fitted coordinate systems

A procedure for numerical solution of the time-dependent, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the flow about arbitrarily shaped two-dimensional bodies is given. This solution is based on a technique of automatic numerical generation of a curvilinear coordinate system having a coordinate line coincident with the body contour regardless of its shape. The implicit solution utilizes the vorticity-stream function formulation with a false-position iterative adjustment of the surface vorticity in satisfaction of the no-slip boundary condition. Excellent agreement with the Blasius boundary layer solution is obtained for a semi-infinite flat plate. Results are presented for Reynolds numbers up to 2000 for several airfoils and a cambered rock.

Thames, F. C.↗

Alternatives for jet engine control

General goals of the research were classified into two categories. The first category involves the use of modern multivariable frequency domain methods for control of engine models in the neighborhood of a quiescent point. The second category involves the use of nonlinear modelling and optimization techniques for control of engine models over a more extensive part of the flight envelope. In the frequency domain category, works were published in the areas of low-interaction design, polynomial design, and multiple setpoint studies. A number of these ideas progressed to the point at which they are starting to attract practical interest. In the nonlinear category, advances were made both in engine modelling and in the details associated with software for determination of time optimal controls. Nonlinear models for a two spool turbofan engine were expanded and refined; and a promising new approach to automatic model generation was placed under study. A two time scale scheme was developed to do two-dimensional dynamic programming, and an outward spiral sweep technique has greatly speeded convergence times in time optimal calculations.

Leake, R. J.↗

Driver for solar cell I-V characteristic plots

A bipolar voltage ramp generator which applies a linear voltage through a resistor to a solar cell for plotting its current versus voltage (I-V) characteristic between short circuit and open circuit conditions is disclosed. The generator has automatic stops at the end points. The resistor serves the multiple purpose of providing a current sensing resistor, setting the full-scale current value, and providing a load line with a slope approximately equal to one, such that it will pass through the origin and the approximate center of the I-V curve with about equal distance from that center to each of the end points.

Turner, G. B.↗

An implicit finite-difference code for inviscid and viscous cascade flow

An implicit finite-difference code is developed to solve either inviscid or viscous flow about two-dimensional cascade blade elements. General coordinate transformations are used so that boundaries can coincide with coordinate lines, and an automatic grid generation routine based on elliptic partial differential equations is employed to mesh arbitrary cascade elements. Characteristic combinations of the differential equations are used at inflow and outflow boundaries. Computed results for both inviscid and viscous flow are compared with other existing cascade solutions and experimental data.

Steger, J. L.↗

C-MOS array design techniques

The entire complement of standard cells and components, except for the set-reset flip-flop, was completed. Two levels of checking were performed on each device. Logic cells and topological layout are described. All the related computer programs were coded and one level of debugging was completed. The logic for the test chip was modified and updated. This test chip served as the first test vehicle to exercise the standard cell complementary MOS(C-MOS) automatic artwork generation capability.

Feller, A.↗

Numerical solution of potential flow about arbitrary 2-dimensional multiple bodies

A procedure for the finite-difference numerical solution of the lifting potential flow about any number of arbitrarily shaped bodies is given. The solution is based on a technique of automatic numerical generation of a curvilinear coordinate system having coordinate lines coincident with the contours of all bodies in the field, regardless of their shapes and number. The effects of all numerical parameters involved are analyzed and appropriate values are recommended. Comparisons with analytic solutions for single Karman-Trefftz airfoils and a circular cylinder pair show excellent agreement. The technique of application of the boundary-fitted coordinate systems to the numerical solution of partial differential equations is illustrated.

Thompson, J. F.↗

Trends and pacing items in computational aerodynamics

A perspective is presented of trends in computational aerodynamics, and of important technology development items that pace future advanced applications. From a survey of AIAA Journal papers published during the past two decades, the growth trends and the progressively increasing emphasis on code development for viscous, compressible, turbulent flow are illustrated. These trends are reflected in the chronology of introduction by the aerospace industry of new computational methods in aircraft design. Key pacing items outlined are: automatic grid generation for nonlinear inviscid computations; advanced computers, improved efficiency of numerical methods, and improved turbulence models for Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computations; advanced computers, time-dependent three-dimensional law-of-the-wall, code development, improved efficiency of numerical methods, and improved subgrid-scale turbulence modeling for large eddy simulations.

Chapman, D. R.↗

A 400-kWe high-efficiency steam turbine for industrial cogeneration

An advanced state-of-the-art steam turbine-generator developed to serve as the power conversion subsystem for the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories' Solar Total-Energy Project (STEP) is described. The turbine-generator, which is designed to provide 400-kW of net electrical power, represents the largest turbine-generator built specifically for commercial solar-powered cogeneration. The controls for the turbine-generator incorporate a multiple, partial-arc entry to provide efficient off-design performance, as well as an extraction control scheme to permit extraction flow regulation while maintaining 110-spsig pressure. Normal turbine operation is achieved while synchronized to a local utility and in a stand-alone mode. In both cases, the turbine-generator features automatic load control as well as remote start-up and shutdown capability. Tests totaling 200 hours were conducted to confirm the integrity of the turbine's mechanical structure and control function. Performance tests resulted in a measured inlet throttle flow of 8,450 pounds per hour, which was near design conditions.

Leibowitz, H. M.↗

Advanced earth observation spacecraft computer-aided design software: Technical, user and programmer guide

The IDEAS computer of NASA is a tool for interactive preliminary design and analysis of LSS (Large Space System). Nine analysis modules were either modified or created. These modules include the capabilities of automatic model generation, model mass properties calculation, model area calculation, nonkinematic deployment modeling, rigid-body controls analysis, RF performance prediction, subsystem properties definition, and EOS science sensor selection. For each module, a section is provided that contains technical information, user instructions, and programmer documentation.

Farrell, C. E.↗

Unsteady transonic flows past airfoils using the Euler equations

An explicit finite difference solver for the Euler equations was developed and used to calculate the flow past two of the AGARD standard aeroelastic configurations, an NACA 64A010 and an NLR 7301. The algorithm employed uses a modified four step Runge-Kutta time stepping scheme, boundary conditions determined from the time-dependent theory of characteristics and an unsteady automatic grid generation procedure. In general, the calculated results are in good agreement with available experiment. Moreover, they demonstrate the importance of using the Euler equations for super-critical airfoils and in situations where the transonic small disturbance theory results in poor agreement with experiment.

Smith, G. E.↗

Adaptive finite difference methods in fluid dynamics

An adaptive method to solve partial differential equations in fluid mechanics is presented. The approach requires internal boundary conditions that must be conservative, data structures for keeping track of several layers of fine grid patches, error estimation, and heuristics for automatic grid generation. In practical calculations gains in computer efficiency up to 10 over nonadaptive methods are observed. The whole procedure takes 3000 lines of FORTRAN code.

Berger, Marsha J.↗

Nonconforming mortar element methods: Application to spectral discretizations

Spectral element methods are p-type weighted residual techniques for partial differential equations that combine the generality of finite element methods with the accuracy of spectral methods. Presented here is a new nonconforming discretization which greatly improves the flexibility of the spectral element approach as regards automatic mesh generation and non-propagating local mesh refinement. The method is based on the introduction of an auxiliary mortar trace space, and constitutes a new approach to discretization-driven domain decomposition characterized by a clean decoupling of the local, structure-preserving residual evaluations and the transmission of boundary and continuity conditions. The flexibility of the mortar method is illustrated by several nonconforming adaptive Navier-Stokes calculations in complex geometry.

Maday, Yvon↗

Integrated design optimization research and development in an industrial environment

An overview is given of a design optimization project that is in progress at the GE Research and Development Center for the past few years. The objective of this project is to develop a methodology and a software system for design automation and optimization of structural/mechanical components and systems. The effort focuses on research and development issues and also on optimization applications that can be related to real-life industrial design problems. The overall technical approach is based on integration of numerical optimization techniques, finite element methods, CAE and software engineering, and artificial intelligence/expert systems (AI/ES) concepts. The role of each of these engineering technologies in the development of a unified design methodology is illustrated. A software system DESIGN-OPT has been developed for both size and shape optimization of structural components subjected to static as well as dynamic loadings. By integrating this software with an automatic mesh generator, a geometric modeler and an attribute specification computer code, a software module SHAPE-OPT has been developed for shape optimization. Details of these software packages together with their applications to some 2- and 3-dimensional design problems are described.

Kumar, V.↗

Finite element solution of the Euler equations in two and three dimensions

The paper presents a finite element procedure for solving the equations of compressible flow over bodies of arbitrary geometry. The numerical solution algorithm employed is an explicit two-step version of a second order Taylor-Galerkin scheme. The discretization of the computational domain into unstructured meshes of triangles in two dimensions and tetrahedra in three dimensions is performed by an automatic mesh generator. In the approach, the mesh generator is coupled to the finite element solver to produce an adaptive remeshing procedure.

Peiro, J.↗

Software: Where we are and what is required in the future

The current status and future direction of flight critical software are presented in the form of view-graphs. The following subject areas are covered: the programmers environment; Saab Grippen Flight test program; present day tools; analysis tools (reverse engineering); automatic code generators; and future plans.

Cohen, Jerry↗

State reduction for semi-Markov reliability models

Semi-Markov processes have proved to be an effective and convenient tool to construct models of systems that achieve reliability by redundancy and reconfiguration. These models are able to depict complex system architectures and to capture the dynamics of fault arrival and system recovery. A disadvantage of this approach is that the models can be extremely large, which poses both a model construction and a computational problem. Techniques are needed to reduce the model size. Because these systems are used in critical applications where failure can be expensive, there must be an analytically derived bound for the error produced by the model reduction technique. Automatic model generation programs have been written to help the reliability analyst produce models of complex systems. Because of the importance of these programs, the model reduction technique needs to be precise and easily implemented. This paper presents a model reduction technique called trimming that can be applied to a popular class of systems. An error bound for the trimming procedure is derived that uses readily available system parameters. The trimming procedure is precisely described and appears easy to implement in a model generation program.

Reduced order systems↗