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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

A computer program for the simulation of heat and moisture flow in soils

A computer program that simulates the flow of heat and moisture in soils is described. The space-time dependence of temperature and moisture content is described by a set of diffusion-type partial differential equations. The simulator uses a predictor/corrector to numerically integrate them, giving wetness and temperature profiles as a function of time. The simulator was used to generate solutions to diffusion-type partial differential equations for which analytical solutions are known. These equations include both constant and variable diffusivities, and both flux and constant concentration boundary conditions. In all cases, the simulated and analytic solutions agreed to within the error bounds which were imposed on the integrator. Simulations of heat and moisture flow under actual field conditions were also performed. Ground truth data were used for the boundary conditions and soil transport properties. The qualitative agreement between simulated and measured profiles is an indication that the model equations are reasonably accurate representations of the physical processes involved.

Camillo, P.↗

Effects of G-Jitter on Interfacial Dynamics of Two Miscible Liquids: Application of MIM

We designed an experiment to examine the effects of g-jitter on mixing of two miscible liquids using the Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount (MIM). The global bifurcation of the interface was observed with the MIM operating alternatively to either transmit the g-jitter, isolate from the g-jitter or to provide controlled vibration levels with well defined amplitude and frequency content. With the MIM in isolation mode, the interface remains stationary indicating buoyancy induced convection is negligibly small such that mixing occurs via intrinsic mass diffusion without the masking effect of vibration driven convection. Analytical and computational results are in agreement with the experimental findings. Operation of the MIM in forced mode with conditions typical of g-jitter shows that vibration induced convective flows can excite instability mechanisms such as Kelvin-Helmholtz to generate large amplitude quasi-stationary waves oriented vertically for various cases with Stokes-Reynolds number in the range of 0.003 to 0.5. The two and four mode quasi-stationary waves are also predicted with a mathematical model. Though unplanned, the effect of a primary thruster filing was captured and shown to cause a catastrophic bifurcation, enhancing local mass transport. In light of the findings, experiments planned for the International Space Station should consider the potential effects of g-jitter.

Duval, Walter M. B.↗

Symposium /International/ on Combustion, 18th, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, August 17-22, 1980, Proceedings

Problems related to combustion generated pollution are explored, taking into account the mechanism of NO formation from nitrogen compounds in hydrogen flames studied by laser fluorescence, the structure and similarity of nitric oxide production in turbulent diffusion flames, the effect of steam addition on NO formation, and the formation of NO2 by laminar flames. Other topics considered are concerned with propellant combustion, fluidized bed combustion, the combustion of droplets and sprays, premixed flame studies, fire studies, and flame stabilization. Attention is also given to coal flammability, chemical kinetics, turbulent combustion, soot, coal combustion, the modeling of combustion processes, combustion diagnostics, detonations and explosions, ignition, internal combustion engines, combustion studies, and furnaces.

Source record↗

Photospheric soft X-ray emission from hot DA white dwarfs

The Einstein Observatory's imaging proportional counter has detected 150-eV soft X-ray radiation from the four hot DA white dwarfs EG 187, Gr 288 and 289, and LB 1663. The observed pulse height spectra suggest that the emission is generated by hot photospheres whose T(eff) lie in the 30,000-60,000 K range. The IUE spacecraft UV spectra and H-beta line profiles for the four stars have been fitted, along with the X-ray fluxes, with a grid of hot, high gravity, homogeneous model atmospheres of mixed H-He composition. In all cases, the data require the presence of some X-ray opacity in the photosphere. Attention is given to the implications of this result in the context of white dwarf surface layer diffusion theories. Also noted are the limits imposed on the hot white dwarf population by the Einstein Medium Sensitivity Survey.

Wesemael, F.↗

Measurement of atomic oxygen densities using TALIF on a dielectric barrier discharge: insights into the volume above a micro cavity plasma array

Dielectric barrier discharges, particularly micro cavity plasma arrays, offer significant potential for plasma-catalytic research due to their ability to ignite plasma in direct contact with a catalytic surface, enabling the observation of plasma-surface interactions. A key factor in their application is the generation of reactive species, such as atomic oxygen, within the cavities. These species can interact with both the surface (e.g. for activation or cleaning) and the gas being treated (e.g. for oxidation). Given the central role of oxygen atoms in plasma catalysis and their use as a model for more complex species, this work investigates the transport of these atoms out of the cavities. Two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy with picosecond laser excitation is performed in the volume above the cavities. The results are compared with a basic diffusion model. The reactor operates with a He/O 2 mixture at a flow rate of 1 slm and atmospheric pressure. Densities of up to 10 16 cm -3 are measured near the surface. Time-dependent measurements show that, at a distance of 350 µm from the surface, a density equilibrium is reached within less than 3 ms of reactor operation. Decay times due to ozone formation after the reactor is turned off are on a similar scale. Spatially resolved measurements show that the oxygen density decreases exponentially from the surface but remains detectable up to approximately 1 mm above the surface, indicating significant application potential. Variations in the O 2 admixture show a density maximum at 0.4%, confirming previous helium state enhanced actinometry measurements within the cavities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Multi-physics Preconditioning for Thermally Activated Batteries

Thermal batteries, also known as molten-salt batteries, are single-use reserve power systems activated by pyrotechnic heat generation, which transitions the solid electrolyte into a molten state. The simulation of these batteries relies on multiphysics modeling to evaluate performance and behavior under various conditions. This paper presents advancements in scalable preconditioning strategies for the Thermally Activated Battery Simulator (TABS) tool, enabling efficient solutions to the coupled electrochemical systems that dominate computational costs in thermal battery simulations. We propose a hierarchical block Gauss-Seidel preconditioner implemented through the Teko package in Trilinos, which effectively addresses the challenges posed by tightly coupled physics, including charge transport, porous flow, and species diffusion. The preconditioner leverages scalable subblock solvers, including smoothed aggregation algebraic multigrid (SA-AMG) methods and domain-decomposition techniques, to achieve robust convergence and parallel scalability. Strong and weak scaling studies demonstrate the solver’s ability to handle problem sizes up to 51.3 million degrees of freedom on 2048 processors, achieving near sub-second setup and solve times for the end-to-end electrochemical solve. These advancements significantly improve the computational efficiency and turnaround time of thermal battery simulations, paving the way for higher-resolution models and enabling the transition from 2D axisymmetric to full 3D simulations.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Ground based experiments on the growth and characterization of L-Arginine Phosphate (LAP) crystals

L-Arginine Phosphate (LAP) is a new nonlinear optical material with higher efficiency for harmonic generation compared to KDP. Crystals of LAP were grown in the laboratory from supersaturated solutions by temperature lowering technique. Investigations revealed the presence of large dislocation densities inside the crystals which are observed to produce refractive index changes causing damage at high laser powers. This is a result of the convection during crystal growth from supersaturated solutions. It is proposed to grow these crystals in a diffusion controlled growth condition under microgravity environment and compare the crystals grown in space with those grown on ground. Physical properties of the solutions needed for modelling of crystal growth are also presented.

Rao, S. M.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2007

Topics covered include: Miniature Intelligent Sensor Module; "Smart" Sensor Module; Portable Apparatus for Electrochemical Sensing of Ethylene; Increasing Linear Dynamic Range of a CMOS Image Sensor; Flight Qualified Micro Sun Sensor; Norbornene-Based Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium Cells; Making Single-Source Precursors of Ternary Semiconductors; Water-Free Proton-Conducting Membranes for Fuel Cells; Mo/Ti Diffusion Bonding for Making Thermoelectric Devices; Photodetectors on Coronagraph Mask for Pointing Control; High-Energy-Density, Low-Temperature Li/CFx Primary Cells; G4-FETs as Universal and Programmable Logic Gates; Fabrication of Buried Nanochannels From Nanowire Patterns; Diamond Smoothing Tools; Infrared Imaging System for Studying Brain Function; Rarefying Spectra of Whispering-Gallery-Mode Resonators; Large-Area Permanent-Magnet ECR Plasma Source; Slot-Antenna/Permanent-Magnet Device for Generating Plasma; Fiber-Optic Strain Gauge With High Resolution And Update Rate; Broadband Achromatic Telecentric Lens; Temperature-Corrected Model of Turbulence in Hot Jet Flows; Enhanced Elliptic Grid Generation; Automated Knowledge Discovery From Simulators; Electro-Optical Modulator Bias Control Using Bipolar Pulses; Generative Representations for Automated Design of Robots; Mars-Approach Navigation Using In Situ Orbiters; Efficient Optimization of Low-Thrust Spacecraft Trajectories; Cylindrical Asymmetrical Capacitors for Use in Outer Space; Protecting Against Faults in JPL Spacecraft; Algorithm Optimally Allocates Actuation of a Spacecraft; and Radar Interferometer for Topographic Mapping of Glaciers and Ice Sheets.

Source record↗

Buoyancy-Driven Heat Transfer During Application of a Thermal Gradient for the Study of Vapor Deposition at Low Pressure Using and Ideal Gas

A mathematical model has been developed to determine heat transfer during vapor deposition of source materials under a variety of orientations relative to gravitational accelerations. The model demonstrates that convection can occur at total pressures as low as 10-2 mm Hg. Through numerical computation, using physical material parameters of air, a series of time steps demonstrates the development of flow and temperature profiles during the course of vapor deposition. These computations show that in unit gravity vapor deposition occurs by transport through a fairly complicated circulating flow pattern when applying heat to the bottom of the vessel with parallel orientation with respect to the gravity vector. The model material parameters for air predict the effect of kinematic viscosity to be of the same order as thermal diffusivity, which is the case for Prandtl number approx. 1 fluids. Qualitative agreement between experiment and the model indicates that 6-(2-methyl-4-nitroanilino)-2,4-hexadiyn-l-ol (DAMNA) at these pressures indeed approximates an ideal gas at the experiment temperatures, and may validate the use of air physical constants. It is apparent that complicated nonuniform temperature distribution in the vapor could dramatically affect the homogeneity, orientation, and quality of deposited films. The experimental test i's a qualitative comparison of film thickness using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy on films generated in appropriately oriented vapor deposition cells. In the case where heating of the reaction vessel occurs from the top, deposition of vapor does not normally occur by convection due to a stable stratified medium. When vapor deposition occurs in vessels heated at the bottom, but oriented relative to the gravity vector between these two extremes, horizontal thermal gradients induce a complex flow pattern. In the plane parallel to the tilt axis, the flow pattern is symmetrical and opposite in direction from that where the vessel is positioned vertically. The ground-based experiments are sufficient preliminary tests of theory and should be of significant interest regarding vapor deposited films in microgravity.

Frazier, D. O.↗

The Sugar Model: Catalytic Flow Reactor Dynamics of Pyruvaldehyde Synthesis from Triose Catalyzed by Poly-L-Lysine Contained in a Dialyzer

The formation of pyruvaldehyde from triose sugars was catalyzed by poly-L-lysine contained in a small dialyzer (100 MWCO) suspended in a much larger triose substrate reservoir. The polylysine confined in the dialyzer functioned as a catalytic flow reactor that constantly brought in triose from the substrate reservoir by diffusion to offset the drop in triose concentration within the reactor caused by its conversion to pyruvaldehyde. A 400 mM solution of poly-L-lysine contained in a 0.35 ml dialyzer placed in a 120 ml solution of triose substrate (pH 5.5, 40 C) generated pyruvaldehyde 11 -times faster than an a control reaction without the catalytic dialyzer. However, since the catalytic dialyzer's volume was 343-times smaller than the control reaction, the synthetic intensity (rate/volume) of pyruvaldehyde synthesis within the catalytic dialyzer was 3400-times greater than that of the control reaction and substrate solution. A similar result was obtained using a dialyzer with a 500 MWCO value. Acting as a catalytic flow reactor the polylysine catalytic dialyzer synthesized about 3.5 molecules of pyruvaldehyde per lysine residue in 7 days -- an amount of triose equal to twice the weight of the catalyst. At 7 days the catalytic activity of polylysine was 16% of its initial value, a result indicating catalyst-poisoning caused by reaction of pyruvaldehyde with the e-amino groups of polylysine. The dialyzer method of catalyst containment was selected it provides a simple, flexible, and easily manipulated experimental system for studying the dynamics and evolutionary development of confined autocatalytic processes related to the origin of life under anaerobic conditions.

Weber, Arthur L.↗

Light-induced electron spin qubit coherences in the purple bacteria reaction center protein

Photosynthetic reaction center proteins (RCs) provide ideal model systems for studying quantum entanglement between multiple spins, a quantum mechanical phenomenon wherein the properties of the entangled particles become inherently correlated. Following light-generated sequential electron transfer, RCs generate spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs), also referred to as entangled spin qubit (radical) pairs (SQPs). Understanding and controlling coherence mechanisms in SCRP/SQPs is important for realizing practical uses of electron spin qubits in quantum sensing applications. The bacterial RC (bRC) provides an experimental system for exploring quantum effects in the SCRP P 865 + Q A − , where P 865 , a special pair of bacteriochlorophylls, is the primary donor, and Q A is the primary quinone acceptor. In this study, we focus on understanding how local molecular environments and isotopic substitution, particularly deuteration, influence spin coherence times (T M ). Using high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, we observed that the local environment surrounding P 865 and Q A plays a significant role in determining T M . Our findings show that while deuteration led to a modest increase in T M , particularly at low temperatures, but the effect was substantially smaller than predicted by classical nuclear spin diffusion alone. This result is in contrast to our previous study of the photosystem I (PSI) RC, where no increase in T M was observed upon deuteration. Theoretical modeling identified several methyl groups at key distances from the spin centers of both bRC and PSI, and methyl group tunneling at low temperatures has been previously suggested as a mechanism for enhanced spin decoherence. Additionally, our study revealed a strong dependence of spin coherence on the orientation of the external magnetic field, highlighting the influence of the protein microenvironment on spin dynamics. In conclusion, these results offer new insights for optimizing coherence times in quantum system design for quantum information science and sensing applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hydrogen line and continuum emission in young stellar objects. II - Theoretical results and observational constraints

Theoretical results for H I emission from YSOs are compared with available observations. IR line and radio continuum properties have been gathered for 29 objects that include a number of T Tau stars, several emission-line stars with IR excesses, and many heavily obscured luminous YSOs. The present excitation model can account for the observed Brackett line and radio continuum fluxes of YSOs with luminosities of 20-100,000 solar luminosities. It is argued that the observed Br-alpha line and 6-cm free-free continuum emissions are best explained in terms of a core-halo structure. The small core (ranging from r less than about 30 AU for a 10,000-solar luminosity YSO to r less than about 0.2 AU for a 10-solar luminosity YSO) is responsible for generating the strong IR line fluxes, while the surrounding diffuse halo dominates the 6-cm emission.

Alonso-Costa, Jose L.↗

Non-steady Reconnection in Global Simulations of Magnetosphere Dynamics

To analyze the non-steady magnetic reconnection during quasi-steady solar wind driving we employed high resolution global MHD model BATSRUS with non-MHD corrections in diffusion regions around the reconnection sites. To clarify the role of small-scale non-MHD effects on the global magnetospheric dynamic we performed simulations with different models of dissipation. We found that magnetopause surface is not in steady state even during extended periods of steady solar wind conditions. The so-called tilted reconnection lines become unstable due to formation of pressure bubbles, strong core field flux tubes, vortices, and traveling magnetic field cavities. Non-steady dayside reconnection results in formation of flux tubes with bended axis magnetically connecting magnetic field cavities generated at flanks and strong core segments formed near the subsolar region. We found that the rate of magnetic flux loading to the tail lobes is not very sensitive to the dissipation mechanism and details of the dayside reconnection. On the other hand the magnetotail reconnection rate, the speed of the reconnection site retreat and the global magnetotail dynamics strongly depend on the model of dissipation. THEMIS and Cluster observations are consistent with signatures predicted by simulations.

Kuznetsova, M. M.↗

Taking the Pulse of PyroCumulus Clouds

Forest fires can burn large areas, but can also inject smoke into the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UT/LS), where stakes are even higher for climate, because emissions tend to have a longer lifetime, and can produce significant regional and even global climate effects, as is the case with some volcanoes. Large forest fires are now believed to be more common in summer, especially in the boreal regions, where pyrocumulus (pyroCu), and occasionally pyrocumuionimbus (pyroCb) clouds are formed, which can transport emissions into the UT/LS. A major difficulty in developing realistic fire plume models is the lack of observational data within fire plumes that resolves structure at a few 100 m scales, which can be used to validate these models. Here, we report detailed airborne radiation measurements within strong pyroCu taken over boreal forest fires in Saskatchewan, Canada during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) summer field campaign in 2008. We find that the angular distribution of radiance within the pyroCu is closely related to the diffusion domain in water clouds and can be described by very similar simple cosine functions. We demonstrate with Monte Carlo simulations that radiation transport in pyroCu is inherently a 3D phenomenon and must account for particle absorption. However, the simple cosine function promises to offer an easy solution for climate models. The presence of a prominent smoke core, defined by strong extinction in the UV, VIS and NIR, suggests that the core might be an important pathway for emission transport to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. We speculate that this plume injection core is generated and sustained by complex processes not yet well understood, but not necessarily related directly to the intense fires that originally initiated the plume rise.

Gatebe, C. K.↗

Auroral zone microbursts, substructures, and a model for microburst precipitation

The spatial and temporal characteristics of X-ray microbursts detected by collimated directional telescopes have been analyzed in detail. Results indicate the presence of a persistent periodicity of about 0.5 second and 1.2 seconds, respectively. In one event, microbursts exhibit fine structures similar to those observed by Lampton (1967). These substructures are poorly correlated in both space and time as indicated by the low correlation coefficients obtained in auto- and cross-correlation analyses between various pairs of telescopes. The source dimension of these substructures is deduced to be less than 18 km at ionospheric heights. By considering that microburst electrons are near regions of strong diffusion, we show that microburst precipitation can be generated if electric field turbulence is present in the magnetosphere. We argue that electrons of about 50 keV in bounce resonance with a parallel electric field of about 1 millivolt/meter at about 1 Hz can account for the microburst period as well as the precipitation lifetime of about 0.2 second.

Parks, G. K.↗

Simulating energetic ions and enhanced fusion rates from ion-cyclotron resonance heating with a full-wave/Fokker–Planck model

Reproducing fast-ion enhanced fusion rates from ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) in tokamaks requires the self-consistent coupling of a full-wave solver and a Fokker–Planck solver, which evolves multiple simultaneously resonant ion species. We introduce a new self-consistent model that iterates the TORIC full-wave solver with the CQL3D Fokker–Planck solver using the integrated plasma simulator (IPS). This model evolves the bounce-averaged ion distribution functions in both parallel and perpendicular velocity-space with a quasilinear radio frequency (RF) diffusion operator valid in the ion finite Larmor radius (FLR) limit and the RF electric fields with the resultant non-Maxwellian FLR dielectric tensor. This produces non-Maxwellian ICRH simulations that are fully self-consistent, fast, and interoperable with integrated modeling frameworks, such as TRANSP/GACODE/IPS-FASTRAN. We demonstrate our model's capabilities by validating it against experimental data in Alcator C-Mod. We then perform the first RF heating simulations of SPARC using self-consistent non-Maxwellian ion distributions to investigate the potential to enhance fusion rates using ion cyclotron resonance heating generated fast ions.

Physics↗

A generative artificial intelligence framework for long-time plasma turbulence simulations

Generative deep learning techniques are employed in a novel framework for the construction of surrogate models capturing the spatiotemporal dynamics of 2D plasma turbulence. The proposed Generative Artificial Intelligence Turbulence (GAIT) framework enables the acceleration of turbulence simulations for long-time transport studies. GAIT leverages a convolutional variational auto-encoder and a recurrent neural network to generate new turbulence data from existing simulations, extending the time horizon of transport studies with minimal computational cost. The application of the GAIT framework to plasma turbulence using the Hasegawa–Wakatani (HW) model is presented, evaluating its performance via various analyses. Very good agreement is found between the GAIT and the HW models in the spatiotemporal Fourier and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition spectra, the flow topology characterized by the Okubo–Weiss parameter, and the time autocorrelation function of turbulent fluctuations. Excellent agreement has also been obtained in the probability distribution function of particle displacements and the effective turbulent diffusivity. In-depth analyses of the latent space of turbulent states, choice of hyperparameters and alternative deep learning models for the time prediction are presented. Our results highlight the potential of Artificial Intelligence-based surrogate models to overcome the computational challenges in turbulence simulation, which can be extended to other situations such as geophysical fluid dynamics.

Artificial intelligence↗

Nonintrusive projection-based reduced order modeling using stable learned differential operators

Nonintrusive projection-based reduced order models (ROMs) are essential for dynamics prediction in multi-query applications where underlying governing equations are known but the access to the source of the underlying full order model (FOM) is unavailable; that is, FOM is a glass-box. This article proposes a learn-then-project approach for nonintrusive model reduction. In the first step of this approach, high-dimensional stable sparse learned differential operators (S-LDOs) are determined using the generated data. In the second step, the ordinary differential equations, comprising these S-LDOs, are used with suitable dimensionality reduction and low-dimensional subspace projection methods to provide equations for the evolution of reduced states. This approach allows easy integration into the existing intrusive ROM framework to enable nonintrusive model reduction while allowing the use of Petrov–Galerkin projections. The applicability of the proposed approach is demonstrated for Galerkin and LSPG projection-based ROMs through four numerical experiments: 1-D scalar advection, 1-D Burgers, 2-D scalar advection and 1-D scalar advection–diffusion–reaction equations. In conclusion, the results indicate that the proposed nonintrusive ROM strategy provides accurate and stable dynamics prediction.

42 ENGINEERING↗