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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 55 records · Page 3

The CE/SE Method: a CFD Framework for the Challenges of the New Millennium

The space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method, which was originated and is continuously being developed at NASA Glenn Research Center, is a high-resolution, genuinely multidimensional and unstructured-mesh compatible numerical method for solving conservation laws. Since its inception in 1991, the CE/SE method has been used to obtain highly accurate numerical solutions for 1D, 2D and 3D flow problems involving shocks, contact discontinuities, acoustic waves, vortices, shock/acoustic waves/vortices interactions, shock/boundary layers interactions and chemical reactions. Without the aid of preconditioning or other special techniques, it has been applied to both steady and unsteady flows with speeds ranging from Mach number = 0.00288 to 10. In addition, the method has unique features that allow for (i) the use of very simple non-reflecting boundary conditions, and (ii) a unified wall boundary treatment for viscous and inviscid flows. The CE/SE method was developed with the conviction that, with a solid foundation in physics, a robust, coherent and accurate numerical framework can be built without involving overly complex mathematics. As a result, the method was constructed using a set of design principles that facilitate simplicity, robustness and accuracy. The most important among them are: (i) enforcing both local and global flux conservation in space and time, with flux evaluation at an interface being an integral part of the solution procedure and requiring no interpolation or extrapolation; (ii) unifying space and time and treating them as a single entity; and (iii) requiring that a numerical scheme be built from a nondissipative core scheme such that the numerical dissipation can be effectively controlled and, as a result, will not overwhelm the physical dissipation. Part I of the workshop will be devoted to a discussion of these principles along with a description of how the ID, 2D and 3D CE/SE schemes are constructed. In Part II, various applications of the CE/SE method, particularly those involving chemical reactions and acoustics, will be presented. The workshop will be concluded with a sketch of the future research directions.

Chang, Sin-Chung↗

Crystalline Li(sub 3)PO(sub 4)/SiO(sub 4) solid solutions as an electrolyte for film batteries using sputtered cathode layers

Crystalline solid solutions of 1:1 Li3PO4/SiO4 were synthesized and tested electrochemically using thin film, physical vapor deposited electrodes. After cathode deposition, the electrolyte/cathode structures were annealed at 700 degrees Celsius for 2 hours, a process that resulted in cathode crystallization without encouraging deleterious interfacial reactions. Results indicate that the electrolyte functioned well in this configuration.

film battery↗

Batteries at NASA - Today and Beyond

NASA uses batteries for virtually all of its space missions. Batteries can be bulky and heavy, and some chemistries are more prone to safety issues than others. To meet NASA's needs for safe, lightweight, compact and reliable batteries, scientists and engineers at NASA develop advanced battery technologies that are suitable for space applications and that can satisfy these multiple objectives. Many times, these objectives compete with one another, as the demand for more and more energy in smaller packages dictates that we use higher energy chemistries that are also more energetic by nature. NASA partners with companies and universities, like Xavier University of Louisiana, to pool our collective knowledge and discover innovative technical solutions to these challenges. This talk will discuss a little about NASA's use of batteries and why NASA seeks more advanced chemistries. A short primer on battery chemistries and their chemical reactions is included. Finally, the talk will touch on how the work under the Solid High Energy Lithium Battery (SHELiB) grant to develop solid lithium-ion conducting electrolytes and solid-state batteries can contribute to NASA's mission.

batteries↗

Advanced Multi-Phase Flow CFD Model Development for Solid Rocket Motor Flowfield Analysis

It is known that the simulations of solid rocket motor internal flow field with AL-based propellants require complex multi-phase turbulent flow model. The objective of this study is to develop an advanced particulate multi-phase flow model which includes the effects of particle dynamics, chemical reaction and hot gas flow turbulence. The inclusion of particle agglomeration, particle/gas reaction and mass transfer, particle collision, coalescence and breakup mechanisms in modeling the particle dynamics will allow the proposed model to realistically simulate the flowfield inside a solid rocket motor. The Finite Difference Navier-Stokes numerical code FDNS is used to simulate the steady-state multi-phase particulate flow field for a 3-zone 2-D axisymmetric ASRM model and a 6-zone 3-D ASRM model at launch conditions. The 2-D model includes aft-end cavity and submerged nozzle. The 3-D model represents the whole ASRM geometry, including additional grain port area in the gas cavity and two inhibitors. FDNS is a pressure based finite difference Navier-Stokes flow solver with time-accurate adaptive second-order upwind schemes, standard and extended k-epsilon models with compressibility corrections, multi zone body-fitted formulations, and turbulence particle interaction model. Eulerian/Lagrangian multi-phase solution method is applied for multi-zone mesh. To simulate the chemical reaction, penalty function corrected efficient finite-rate chemistry integration method is used in FDNS. For the AL particle combustion rate, the Hermsen correlation is employed. To simulate the turbulent dispersion of particles, the Gaussian probability distribution with standard deviation equal to (2k/3)(exp 1/2) is used for the random turbulent velocity components. The computational results reveal that the flow field near the juncture of aft-end cavity and the submerged nozzle is very complex. The effects of the turbulent particles affect the flow field significantly and provide better prediction of the ASRM performance. The multi-phase flow analysis using the FDNS code in the present research can be used as a design tool for solid rocket motor applications.

Liaw, Paul↗

Diffusion Driven Combustion Waves in Porous Media

Filtration of gas containing oxidizer, to the reaction zone in a porous medium, due, e.g., to a buoyancy force or to an external pressure gradient, leads to the propagation of Filtration combustion (FC) waves. The exothermic reaction occurs between the fuel component of the solid matrix and the oxidizer. In this paper, we analyze the ability of a reaction wave to propagate in a porous medium without the aid of filtration. We find that one possible mechanism of propagation is that the wave is driven by diffusion of oxidizer from the environment. The solution of the combustion problem describing diffusion driven waves is similar to the solution of the Stefan problem describing the propagation of phase transition waves, in that the temperature on the interface between the burned and unburned regions is constant, the combustion wave is described by a similarity solution which is a function of the similarity variable x/square root of(t) and the wave velocity decays as 1/square root of(t). The difference between the two problems is that in the combustion problem the temperature is not prescribed, but rather, is determined as part of the solution. We will show that the length of samples in which such self-sustained combustion waves can occur, must exceed a critical value which strongly depends on the combustion temperature T(sub b). Smaller values of T(sub b) require longer sample lengths for diffusion driven combustion waves to exist. Because of their relatively small velocity, diffusion driven waves are considered to be relevant for the case of low heat losses, which occur for large diameter samples or in microgravity conditions, Another possible mechanism of porous medium combustion describes waves which propagate by consuming the oxidizer initially stored in the pores of the sample. This occurs for abnormally high pressure and gas density. In this case, uniformly propagating planar waves, which are kinetically controlled, can propagate, Diffusion of oxidizer decreases the wave velocity. In addition to the reaction and diffusion layers, the uniformly propagating wave structure includes a layer with a pressure gradient, where the gas motion is induced by the production or consumption of the gas in the reaction as well as by thermal expansion of the gas. The width of this zone determines the scale of the combustion wave in the porous medium.

Aldushin, A. P.↗

Process for producing tris s(n-methylamino) methylsilane

A method of producing tris (N-methylamine) methylsilane is described including the steps of forming and cooling a liquid solution of methylamine in an inert solvent and under an inert atmosphere at a temperature of about -30 C and slowly adding a quantity of methyltricholorosilane while maintaining said temperature. The reaction mixture is then heated for about 60 minutes at a temperature of about 40 C, followed by filtering the solid portion from the liquid portion. The liquid is distilled to remove the solvent, resulting in a high yield of tris (N-methylamine) methylsilane.

Clemons, J. M.↗

Fourier transform-infrared studies of thin H2SO4/H2O films: Formation, water uptake, and solid-liquid phase changes

Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to examine films representative of stratospheric sulfuric acid aerosols. Thin films of sulfuric acid were formed in situ by the condensed phase reaction of SO3 with H2O. FTIR spectra show that the sulfuric acid films absorb water while cooling in the presence of water vapor. Using stratospheric water pressures, the most dilute solutions observed were greater than 40 wt % before simultaneous ice formation and sulfuric acid freezing occurred. FTIR spectra also revealed that the sulfuric acid films crystallized mainly as sulfuric acid tetrahydrate (SAT). Crystallization occurred either when the composition was about 60 wt% H2SO4 or after ice formed on the films at temperatures 1-4 K below the ice frost point. Finally, we determined that the melting point for SAT depended on the background water pressure and was 216-219 K in the presence of 4 x 10(exp -4) Torr H2O. Our results suggest that once frozen, sulfuric acid aerosols in the stratosphere are likely to melt at these temperatures, 30 K colder than previously thought.

Middlebrook, Ann M.↗

Carbon in oxides and silicates - Dissolution versus exsolution

A theory of CO2 dissolution in the solid state is developed, using the idea proposed by Freund (1983) concerning dissolution of CO/CO2 in MgO on the basis of their experimental results obtained with an MgO-containing carbon impurity. It is shown that the dissolution mechanism may be linked to an internal redox reaction by which a certain number of lattice oxygens change their formal oxidation state from -2 to -1, while the carbon becomes reduced. The similarities between the mechanisms of CO and/or CO2 dissolution and that of H2O dissolution are pointed out. A hypothesis is proposed concerning the exsolution of reduced carbon from supersaturated solid solutions under conditions which permit C-C bond formation.

Freund, F.↗

Photochemistry of monodentate and bidentate carbonato complexes of rhodium (3)

A scheme for the photochemical fixation of water is proposed which involves a five-step reaction sequence; the first step involves the 2 electron reduction of a metal by a coordinated carbonate ligand, with corresponding oxidation of the carbonate to CO2 and O2. Ligand field photolysis of trans- (RH(en)2 H2O CO3) ClO4, and (Rh(en)2 CO3) CLO4 have been studied in the solid state and in aqueous solution at various pH values. Both salts are photoinert in the solid phase, but are quite photoreactive in aqueous solution. In solution, the monodentate ion undergoes efficient isomerization to a mixture of cis and trans - (Rh(en)2 H2O CO3)+, presumably with water exchange. A minor pH increase upon photolysis is evidence of inefficient carbonate (CO3 =) release, with formation of (Rh(en)2 (H2O)2)3+. In contrast, aqueous solutions of the bidentate carbonato complex undergo efficient pH decrease upon ligand field photolysis. Changes in the electronic spectrum (200-500 nm) and pH changes indicate that the desired redox is occurring. The pH increase is due to the aqueous behavior of CO2.

Sheridan, P. S.↗

Electrochemical incineration of wastes

A low temperature electrolysis process has been developed for the treatment of solid waste material and urine. Experiments are described in which organic materials are oxidized directly at the surface of an electrode. Also, hypochlorite is generated electrochemically from chloride component of urine. Hypochlorite can act as a strong oxidizing agent in solution. The oxidation takes place at 30-60 C and the gaseous products from the anodic reaction are carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen. Hydrogen is formed at the cathode. Carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides and methane were not detected in the off gases. Chlorine was evolved at the anode in relatively low amounts.

Kaba, L.↗

Solid state polymerization and crystallography of polyimide precursors

Although the production of crystallinity in a polymeric system has historically led to commerically useful properties, the polyimides, prized for their high temperature characteristics, as customarily synthesized by melt or solution casting, are amorphous. It is shown that polymide containing residual crystallinity can be synthesized by isothermal annealing of crystals of the salt of the diisopropyl ester of pyromellitic acid and phenylene diamine. The reaction is topochemical in that the geometry of the polymer product is dependent upon that of the crystalline precursor. Infrared spectroscopy reveals the presence of imide absorption in the polymer, while powder diffractometry suggests residual crystallinity. Single crystal X-ray analysis of the monomer yields a structure of chains of alternating acid and base suggesting that the monomer is amenable to polymerization with a minimum of geometrical disruption.

Wakelyn, N. T.↗

Characterization of soil and postlaunch pad debris from Cape Canaveral launch complex and analysis of soil interaction with aqueous HCl

Soil samples were fractionated and analyzed in order to assess the physical and chemical interactions of entrained soil with solid-rocket exhaust clouds. The sandy soil consisted primarily of quartz (silica) particles, 30 to 500 microns in diameter, and also contained seashell fragments. Differential and cumulative soil-mass size distributions are presented along with mineralogy, elemental compositions, and solution pH histories. About 90 percent of the soil mass consisted of particles 165 microns in diameter. Characteristic reaction times in aqueous HC1 slurries varied from a few minutes to several days, and capacities for reaction under acidic conditions varied from 10 to 40 g HCl/kg soil, depending on particle size. Airborne lifetimes of particles 165 microns are conservatively 30 min, and this major grouping is predicted to represent a small short-term chemical sink for up to 5% of the total HC1. The smaller and more minor fractions, below a 165 micron diameter, may act as giant cloud condensation nuclei over much longer airborne lifetimes. Finally, the demonstrated time dependency of neutralization is a complicating factor; it can influence the ability to deduce in-cloud HCl scavenging with reaction and can affect the accuracy of measured chemical compositions of near-field wet deposition.

Pellett, G. L.↗

Physical properties of the stratospheric aerosols

A comparison of the equilibrium vapor pressure over nitric acid solutions with observed water and nitric acid partial pressures in the stratosphere implies that nitric acid cannot be present as an aerosol particle in the lower stratosphere. A similar comparison for sulfuric acid solutions indicates that sulfuric acid aerosol particles are 75% H2SO4 by weight in water, in good agreement with direct observations. The freezing curve of H2SO4 solutions requires that the H2SO4 aerosol particles be solid or supercooled. The equilibrium vapor pressure of H2SO4 in the stratosphere is of the order of 20 picotorr. At stratospheric temperatures, ammonium sulfate is in a ferroelectric phase. As a result, polar molecules may form a surface coating on these aerosols, which may be a fertile ground for further chemical reaction.

Toon, O. B.↗

Synthesis of long Prebiotic Oligomers on Mineral Surfaces

Most theories of the origin of biological organization assume that polymers with lengths in the range of 30-60 monomers are needed to make a genetic system viable. But it has not proved possible to synthesize plausibly prebiotic polymers this long by condensation in aqueous solution, because hydrolysis competes with polymerization. The potential of mineral surfaces to facilitate prebiotic polymerization was pointed out long ago. Here we describe a system that models prebiotic polymerization by the oligomerization of activated monomers -both nucleotides and amino acids. We find that whereas the reactions in solution produce only short oligomers (the longest typically being a 10-mer), the presence of mineral surfaces (montmorillonite for nucleotides, illite and hydroxylapatite for amino adds) induces the formation of oligomers up to 55 monomers long. These are formed by successive "feedings" with the monomers; polymerization takes place on the mineral surfaces in a manner akin to solid-phase synthesis of biopolymers.

Ferris, James P.↗

Transient Catalytic Combustor Model With Detailed Gas and Surface Chemistry

In this work, we numerically investigate the transient combustion of a premixed gas mixture in a narrow, perfectly-insulated, catalytic channel which can represent an interior channel of a catalytic monolith. The model assumes a quasi-steady gas-phase and a transient, thermally thin solid phase. The gas phase is one-dimensional, but it does account for heat and mass transfer in a direction perpendicular to the flow via appropriate heat and mass transfer coefficients. The model neglects axial conduction in both the gas and in the solid. The model includes both detailed gas-phase reactions and catalytic surface reactions. The reactants modeled so far include lean mixtures of dry CO and CO/H2 mixtures, with pure oxygen as the oxidizer. The results include transient computations of light-off and system response to inlet condition variations. In some cases, the model predicts two different steady-state solutions depending on whether the channel is initially hot or cold. Additionally, the model suggests that the catalytic ignition of CO/O2 mixtures is extremely sensitive to small variations of inlet equivalence ratios and parts per million levels of H2.

Struk, Peter M.↗

The formation of peroxonitrites and oxygen on Mars

When Martian regolith samples are moistened with water, a strong oxidant and oxygen gas are released. The many possible oxidants which have been suggested as present, including superoxide (O2(-)) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2(-)), and manganese (IV) oxide (MnO2), as well as peroxonitrite (ONOO(-)), can be distinguished by their ability to account for the numerous observations of the Viking Labelled Release (LR) and Gas Exchange (GEX) experiments. The magnitudes, kinetics, and heat labilities of the LR experiments and the magnitudes and heat labilities of the GEX experiments have been quantitatively replicated with peroxonitrites. Further, it is to be expected from information about the photochemistry of nitrogen in the atmosphere, the calculated fluxes of the NO(x) to the surface, the known reactions of NO(x) with carbonates to produce nitrates and photolysis studies of nitrates, that peroxonitrites are present on Mars. However, considerable uncertainty has existed about the form in which oxygen is stored in photolyzed nitrate crystals. Models have ranged from micropores of O2 to chemically bound oxygen as peroxonitrite (O2NOO(-)), as well as peroxonitrite. Studies of the solution chemistry and solid state photochemistry were completed, which show that much of the oxygen evolved on wetting comes from thermal breakdown of peroxonitrite after it is dissolved. A chemical model is developed for the photochemical processes occurring during UV irradiation of solid nitrates which resolves the several contradictory models discussed in the literature in recent years.

Plumb, Robert C.↗

Synthesis and Photoluminescent Properties of Arylethynyl substituted 9,10-Anthraquinones

A series of arylethynyl substituted anthraquinones were synthesized via Sonogashira coupling reactions of 2,7- dibromo-, 2,6-dibromo- and 2-bromoanthraquinone with para-substituted phenylacetylenes. While the redox properties of those compounds are almost insensitive to substitution, their absorption maxima are linearly related to the Hammett constants for electron donating and electron withdrawing groups separately. All compounds are photoluminescent both in solution (quantum yield of emission approximately 2%) and as solids. X-ray crystallographic characterization of 2,7-bisphenylethynyl anthraquinone indicates a monoclinic p2(l/n) space group and no indication for pi-overlap that would promote self-quenching. The emission maxima are red- shifted by both electron donating and electron withdrawing groups alike. The Stokes shifts of all compounds are significant and are correlated to the electronic properties of the substituents. The reduced forms of these compounds are also photoluminescent and the emission originates from the dihydroanthraquinone core.

Yang, Jin-Hua↗

High Temperature Polymers for use in Fuel Cells

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is currently working on polymers for fuel cell and lithium battery applications. The desire for more efficient, higher power density, and a lower environmental impact power sources has led to interest in proton exchanges membrane fuels cells (PEMFC) and lithium batteries. A PEMFC has many advantages as a power source. The fuel cell uses oxygen and hydrogen as reactants. The resulting products are electricity, heat, and water. The PEMFC consists of electrodes with a catalyst, and an electrolyte. The electrolyte is an ion-conducting polymer that transports protons from the anode to the cathode. Typically, a PEMFC is operated at a temperature of about 80 C. There is intense interest in developing a fuel cell membrane that can operate at higher temperatures in the range of 80 C- 120 C. Operating the he1 cell at higher temperatures increases the kinetics of the fuel cell reaction as well as decreasing the susceptibility of the catalyst to be poisoned by impurities. Currently, Nafion made by Dupont is the most widely used polymer membrane in PEMFC. Nafion does not function well above 80 C due to a significant decrease in the conductivity of the membrane from a loss of hydration. In addition to the loss of conductivity at high temperatures, the long term stability and relatively high cost of Nafion have stimulated many researches to find a substitute for Nafion. Lithium ion batteries are popular for use in portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers and mobile phones. The high power density of lithium batteries makes them ideal for the high power demand of today s advanced electronics. NASA is developing a solid polymer electrolyte that can be used for lithium batteries. Solid polymer electrolytes have many advantages over the current gel or liquid based systems that are used currently. Among these advantages are the potential for increased power density and design flexibility. Automobiles, computers, and cell phones require highly efficient power density for lowering emissions and meeting increasing consumer demands. Many of the solutions can be provided by proton exchange membrane fuel cells and lithium batteries. NASA Glenn Research Center has recognized this need, and is presently engaged in a solution. The goals for the summer include mastering synthesis techniques, understanding the reactions occurring during the synthesis, and characterizing the resulting polymer membranes using NMR, DSC, and TGA for the PEMFC and lithium batteries.

Peplowski, Katherine M.↗