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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

Streakline flow visualization of discrete hole film cooling with holes inclined 30 deg to surface

Film injection from three rows of discrete holes angled 30 deg to the surface in line with mainstream flow and spaced 5 diameters apart in a staggered array was visualized by using helium bubbles as tracer particles. Both the main stream and the film injectant were ambient air. Detailed streaklines showing the turbulent motion of the film mixing with the main stream were obtained by photographing small, neutrally buoyant helium-filled soap bubbles which followed the flow field. The ratio of boundary layer thickness to hole diameter and the Reynolds number were typical of gas turbine film cooling applications. The results showed the behavior of the film and its interaction with the main stream for a range of blowing rates and two initial boundary layer thicknesses.

Colladay, R. S.↗

Wind tunnel flow seeding for laser velocimetry applications

Flow-seeding requirements for wind tunnel studies of subsonic and transonic flow fields are discussed with reference to laser velocimeter applications. Design of an aerosol generator with an output flow rate of 60 scfm is presented. The generated aerosol is fairly monodisperse; tracer particle diameter can be varied from 0.2 to 0.5 micron; and seeding density can be varied from 100 to 10,000 particles/cu sec. Experimental data on the use of this aerosol generator with various aerosol injection mechanisms indicate that the method is suitable for wind tunnel flow seeding.

Mazumder, M. K.↗

An investigation of the cratering-induced motions occurring during the formation of bowl-shaped craters

The effects of the dynamic processes which occur during crater formation were examined using small hemispherical high-explosive charges detonated in a tank which had one wall constructed of a thick piece of clear plexiglas. Crater formation and the motions of numerous tracer particles installed in the cratering medium at the medium-wall interface were viewed through the wall of this quarter-space tank and recorded with high-speed cameras. Subsequent study and analysis of particle motions and events recorded on the film provide data needed to develop a time-sequence description of the formation of a bowl-shaped crater. Tables show the dimensions of craters produced in a quarter-space tank compared with dimensions of craters produced in normal half-space tanks. Crater growth rate summaries are also tabulated.

Piekutowski, A. J.↗

Research in Space Physics at the University of Iowa

Currently active projects conducted to extend knowledge of the energetic particles and the electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields associated with Earth, other celestial bodies, and the interplanetary medium are summarized. These include investigations and/or instruments for Hawkeye 1; Pioneers 10 and 11; Voyagers 1 and 2; ISEE; IMP 8; Dynamics Explorer; Galileo; Spacelab and Orbital flight test missions; VLBI; and the International Solar Polar mission. Experiments and instruments proposed for the future international comet mission, the origin of plasmas in the Earth's environment mission, and the NASA active magnetospheric particle tracer experiment are mentioned.

Vanallen, J. A.↗

Low-energy electron flux and its reaction to active experimentation of Spacelab

An instrument capable of observing the natural electron flux in the energy range from 0.1 to 12.0 kiloelectron volts is discussed for use in an experiment intended as a forerunner of a method that will utilize artificially accelerated electrons as tracer particles for electron fields parallel to the magnetic field. Effects that are of importance either as means of detecting the echo beam or as causes of beam perturbations (e.g., spacecraft charging effects and electron background) are to be studied. The use of electron accelerators as a tool to probe magnetospheric processes rather than to modify them is planned.

Wilhelm, K.↗

Resonant Doppler velocimetry in supersonic nitrogen flow

The development of the Resonant Doppler Velocimeter (RDV) is discussed. It is a new nonintrusive laser technique for flow diagnosis. The RDV technique is applied to supersonic nitrogen flow with sodium atoms as tracer particles. The measurements are achieved by shining a tunable single frequency laser beam into the flow. The resonant absorption spectrum of the seeded species is determined by observing the fluorescence signal intensity as a function of excitation wavelength. By comparing the peak absorption wavelength with a reference frequency marker, the flow velocity along the excitation beam can be obtained through the Doppler shift relation. By fitting the spectrum with a theoretical line profile, the static temperature and pressure of the flow an be determined.

Cheng, S. W. S.↗

On the prediction of swirling flowfields found in axisymmetric combustor geometries

The paper reports research restricted to steady turbulence flow in axisymmetric geometries under low speed and nonreacting conditions. Numerical computations are performed for a basic two-dimensional axisymmetrical flow field similar to that found in a conventional gas turbine combustor. Calculations include a stairstep boundary representation of the expansion flow, a conventional k-epsilon turbulence model and realistic accomodation of swirl effects. A preliminary evaluation of the accuracy of computed flowfields is accomplished by comparisons with flow visualizations using neutrally-buoyant helium-filled soap bubbles as tracer particles. Comparisons of calculated results show good agreement, and it is found that a problem in swirling flows is the accuracy with which the sizes and shapes of the recirculation zones may be predicted, which may be attributed to the quality of the turbulence model.

Rhode, D. L.↗

Evaluation program for secondary spacecraft cells. Initial evaluation tests of General Electric Company 4.0 ampere-hour nickel-cadmium spacecraft cells for the AMPTE satellite program

Cells found to have electrolyte leakage, internal shorts, low capacity, or inability of any cell to recover its open circuit voltage above 1.150 volts during the internal short test are addressed. The Active Magnetic Particle Tracer Explorer (AMPTE) cell design was characterized and the effects of specific mission parameters on cell life were demonstrated.

Harkness, J. D.↗

Determining highly elliptical earth orbits with VLBI and Delta-VLBI

This paper shows the feasibility of using Very Long Baseline Interferometric (VLBI) data acquired by the Deep Space Network to navigate highly elliptical earth orbiting satellites. The planned mission orbit of the Ion Release Module of the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers is used as a reference for developing strategies and provides the first opportunity for a possible flight demonstration with a spacecraft in a highly elliptical orbit. The navigation accuracy improvements achievable with VLBI and Delta-VLBI data types are determined for comparison with the capabilities of a reference Doppler strategy. The results show that strategies using wideband Delta-VLBI measurements taken near periapse perform best, determining apoapse position to an order of magnitude better than conventional Doppler, while also substantially reducing the required antenna support.

Frauenholz, R. B.↗

Collective capture of released lithium ions in the solar wind

The capture of newly ionized lithium ions in the solar wind by means of electromagnetic instabilities is investigated through linear analysis and computer simulation. Three instabilities, driven by a lithium velocity ring perpendicular to and drifting along the magnetic field, are considered. The capture time of the lithium by the solar wind is roughly 10 linear growth times, regardless of whether resonant or nonresonant modes dominate initially. Possible implications of the results for the Active Magnetosphere Particle Tracer Explorer (AMPTE) mission are discussed.

Winske, D.↗

Temporal evolution of whistler growth in a cold plasma injection experiment

The evolution of whistler mode turbulence and particle participation in a cold plasma release are studied experimentally as part of the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracers Explorer (AMPTE) program. The investigation used a simple time dependent cold plasma density model, and an atypical ambient radiation belt was assumed. It is shown that a cold lithium injection in the AMPTE parameter range can give rise to whistler mode turbulence with significant gain to the wave amplitude in a single pass through a flux tube. Whistler mode growth results in the pitch angle diffusion of energetic electrons, which are in turn precipitated. The rate of power input into the ionosphere from these precipitating electrons is roughly estimated at 2 ergs per sq cm/s. It is found that this value of the precipitated power is large enough to continue producing a visible aurora until the injected plasma in the flux tube is lost or destroyed by magnetospheric convection or other processes.

Ganguli, G.↗

Some design characteristics of the AMPTE turn and orbit change maneuvers

The maneuvers carried out by the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) including the Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) and the Ion Release Module (IRM) spacecraft are analyzed. Analytic and graphical methods are developed in order to carry out sensitivity analyses that helped design the nominal maneuvers, by taking into account errors in burn initiating time, motor performance, and spin axis pointing. A tradeoff analysis between errors in timing and Delta V magnitude is shown for the IRM orbit transfer, and a technique that allows for the determination of the attitude of spinner spacecraft by way of the observed Doppler shift resulting from an unbalanced turn is investigated.

Kechichian, J. A.↗

Coupling of newborn ions to the solar wind by electromagnetic instabilities and their interaction with the bow shock

The process by which the solar wind assimilates newly ionized atoms is important for understanding the presence of planetary or interstellar helium in the solar wind, the dynamics of the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) lithium releases in front of the earth's bow shock, and the formation of cometary tails. In this paper is examined how newborn ions can be coupled to the solar wind in the direction parallel to the magnetic field by means of electromagnetic instabilities driven by the distribution of newborn ions. The linear properties of three instabilities are analyzed and compared with numerical solutions of the linear dispersion equation, while their nonlinear behavior is followed by means of computer simulation to obtain the characteristic time for the pickup process. With a primary emphasis on the AMPTE lithiuim releases, various degrees of realism are introduced into the calculations to model the upstream conditions and the intersection of the lithium with the bow shock. It is shown that a time-dependent shock model is needed to correctly reproduce the amount of lithium which is transmitted through the shock and that the resulting lithium ion distribution is still likely to be subject to the same type of instabilities in the magnetosheath. Applications of these results to comets, in particular the artificial comet expected to be generated by the AMPTE barium release in the magnetosheath, is also briefly discussed.

Winske, D.↗

The AMPTE CCE Spacecraft

The flight segment of the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) Program consisted of three separate spacecraft which were launched 'piggyback' into orbit aboard a Delta 3924 launch vehicle, from Cape Canaveral, FL, on August 16, 1984. The three spacecaft are the Charge Composition Explorer (CCE), built for NASA by the Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University (APL/JHU); the Ion Release Module (IRM), built in the Federal Republic of Germany; and the United Kingdom Subsatellite (UKS), built in the United Kingdom. This paper describes the CCE Spacecraft design, development, and early performance in orbit.

Dassoulas, J.↗

The AMPTE Charge Composition Explorer science data system

The instrument complement on all three Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorer (AMPTE) spacecraft is devoted to the conduction of the unified measurements which are required to achieve the scientific aims. A single science data base for each spacecaft has, therefore, been established with the objective to facilitate unified analysis. The data are kept in Science Data Centers in the U.S., West Germany, and the United Kingdom. The Science Data Center dedicated to the Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) is located at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University where it was developed. The present paper is concerned with aspects of the computing center's design, development and operations.

Holland, B. B.↗

The AMPTE CCE Magnetic Field Experiment

The Magnetic Field Experiment on the Active Magnetosheric Particle Tracer Explorer (AMPTE) Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) spacecraft consists of a triaxial fluxgate-magnetometer system containing sensors mounted on a 2.3-m two-link collapsible boom. It is pointed out that this instrument is similar to those flown on Voyager 1 and 2, and those scheduled to flight on the Giotto and Viking spacecraft. A description is provided of the sensor system and the analog electronics, and some preliminary data are presented.

Potemra, T. A.↗

AMPTE/CCE magnetic field studies of the September 4, 1984 storm

The AMPTE/CCE (active magnetospheric particle tracer explorer/charge composition explorer) magnetic-field observations acquired during the September 4, 1984 geomagnetic storm are described. The observations are used to determine magnetospheric regions and boundaries and are also used as the primary index of the development, evolution, and distribution of the ring current. The results of an analysis of the observations are presented. It is shown that a magnetic compression observed inside the magnetosphere by CCE and outside by ISEE-2 is interpreted as a sudden impulse. From an estimation of magnetopause normals at each crossing, it is concluded that the magnetic variations that occur are due to a contraction and expansion of the entire magnetosphere. Local magnetic-field depressions are observed during two inbound dusk passes, confirming that the ring current never developed in the dawn sector.

Potemra, T. A.↗