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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 577 records · Page 32
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Self-Pressurization and Spray Cooling Simulations of the Multipurpose Hydrogen Test Bed (MHTB) Ground-Based Experiment

This paper presents a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model for simulating the self-pressurization of a large scale liquid hydrogen storage tank. In this model, the kinetics-based Schrage equation is used to account for the evaporative and condensing interfacial mass flows. Laminar and turbulent approaches to modeling natural convection in the tank and heat and mass transfer at the interface are compared. The flow, temperature, and interfacial mass fluxes predicted by these two approaches during tank self-pressurization are compared against each other. The ullage pressure and vapor temperature evolutions are also compared against experimental data obtained from the MHTB (Multipuprpose Hydrogen Test Bed) self-pressurization experiment. A CFD model for cooling cryogenic storage tanks by spraying cold liquid in the ullage is also presented. The Euler- Lagrange approach is utilized for tracking the spray droplets and for modeling interaction between the droplets and the continuous phase (ullage). The spray model is coupled with the VOF (volume of fluid) model by performing particle tracking in the ullage, removing particles from the ullage when they reach the interface, and then adding their contributions to the liquid. Droplet ullage heat and mass transfer are modeled. The flow, temperature, and interfacial mass flux predicted by the model are presented. The ullage pressure is compared with experimental data obtained from the MHTB spray bar mixing experiment. The results of the models with only droplet/ullage heat transfer and with heat and mass transfer between the droplets and ullage are compared.

cryogenic fluid storage↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analysis of AP1000 Small-Break Loss-of-Coolant Accident Using Reactor Transient Simulator

The Westinghouse Electric Company’s Advanced Passive Reactor (AP1000) is characterized by the incorporation of passive safety systems (PSSs) designed to ensure core cooling during transient events. The assessment of PSSs requires evaluation of their performance through a combination of experiments and simulations employing various thermal-hydraulic codes. In addition, detailed evaluation of PSSs for a specific reactor system transient analysis such as loss-of-coolant-accident analysis supports understanding representative integral effects test facility development and the further evolution model development and assessment process. Developing a reactor system code is a complex and time-consuming process that requires significant engineering expertise and effort. It can take several months to even years to complete in the early stages of reactor system design and analysis. However, this process can be expedited through the use of transient simulator models for similar reactor systems, which can be used for lesson learning and training purposes. This study uses the Personal Computer Transient Analyzer (PCTRAN) code. The main advantage of PCTRAN is its ease of use and ability to run faster than real time. This study presents the results obtained for a small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA) for two breaks using the full version (licensed) of PCTRAN. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the overall system behavior during the postulated SBLOCA event as well as assess the capability of the PCTRAN code to reproduce the system response during transient events. The obtained results were compared with the Westinghouse NOTRUMP system code. The PCTRAN code proved to be reliable in predicting the qualitative behavior of the system in both transient cases. As for the system response, it was found that it is contingent on the activation time of the PSSs. The differences in reactor coolant system pressure between the two codes were attributed to the critical flow model and simplification of mass and energy balance. Despite PCTRAN’s limitations, it can still provide a reasonable prediction of various reactor parameters such as pressure, mass flow rate, and void fraction during a SBLOCA scenario. It is worth noting that PCTRAN currently employs a bulk approach similar to that of the Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP) and MELCOR codes. However, the upcoming version of PCTRAN will include an artificial intelligence–based detection and accident prevention system, as well as different models for different reactor components. Consequently, PCTRAN has the potential to be upgraded to match the system thermal-hydraulic codes of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and become more widely used in cybersecurity to safeguard nuclear power plants from cyberattacks.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1974

Coronal transient phenomena

A hydrodynamical description of outward propagating disturbances from the sun's surface in a model solar atmosphere is considered. Use is made of this model to explain the coronal transient phenomenon. It was found that this radial flow model clearly indicates the mass flow as being continuous, going out from the surface of the sun. Detailed results are presented for the disturbed density, velocity and temperature of the corona up to 6 solar radii.

Wu, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Coannular supersonic ejector nozzles

The nozzles described exhibit a flow field which is supersonic except for the initial flow region, and the secondary mass flow is typically about five percent of the primary core flow. The features to improve the accuracy of the performance calculations are discussed. A special calculation is made to get as realistic a sonic line as possible for this geometry, using an analysis developed by Brown. The mixing between the secondary and core flows is treated to account for entrainment of the secondary flow into core. Both of these phenomena directly affect the pressure distribution on the shroud and therefore, the thrust that the nozzle produces. The importance of using a realistic sonic line and a mixing analysis is stressed.

Bishop, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Hybrid plume plasma rocket

A technique for producing thrust by generating a hybrid plume plasma exhaust is disclosed. A plasma flow is generated and introduced into a nozzle which features one or more inlets positioned to direct a flow of neutral gas about the interior of the nozzle. When such a neutral gas flow is combined with the plasma flow within the nozzle, a hybrid plume is constructed including a flow of hot plasma along the center of the nozzle surrounded by a generally annular flow of neutral gas, with an annular transition region between the pure plasma and the neutral gas. The temperature of the outer gas layer is below that of the pure plasma and generally separates the pure plasma from the interior surfaces of the nozzle. The neutral gas flow both insulates the nozzle wall from the high temperatures of the plasma flow and adds to the mass flow rate of the hybrid exhaust. The rate of flow of neutral gas into the interior of the nozzle may be selectively adjusted to control the thrust and specific impulse of the device.

Franklin R Clung↗
NASA NTRS1956

Flight Determination of Drag of Normal-Shock Nose Inlets with Various Cowling Profiles at Mach Numbers from 0.9 to 1.5

External-drag data are presented for normal-shock nose inlets with NACA 1-series, parabolic, and conic cowling profiles. The tests were made at an angle of attack of 0 degrees by using rocket-propelled models in free flight at Mach numbers from 0.9 to 1.5. The Reynolds number based on body maximum diameter varied from 2.5 x 10 sup 6 to 5.5 x 10 sup 6. At maximum flow rate, the inlet models had about the same external drag at a Mach number of approximately 1.1, but at higher Mach numbers the sharp-lip conic cowling had the least drag. Blunting or beveling the lip of the conic cowling while keeping the fineness ratio constant resulted in drag coefficients slightly higher than for the sharp-lip conic cowling at maximum flow rate. At a mass-flow ratio of about 0.8, the conic cowlings with sharp, blunt, or beveled lips and the parabolic cowling all gave about the same drag. The higher drag of the NACA 1-49-300 cowling, compared with the blunt-lip conic cowling, is associated with the greater fullness back of the inlet.

Sears, R I↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of braided fiber seals for engine applications

A new type of braided fiber seal was developed for high temperature engine applications. Development work performed includes seal design, fabrication, leakage flow testing, and flow resistance modeling. This new type of seal utilizes the high flow resistance of tightly packed fibers and the conformability of textile structures. The seal contains a core part with aligned fibers, and a sheath with braided fiber layers. Seal samples are made by using the conventional braiding process. Leakage flow measurements are then performed. Mass flow rate versus the simulated engine pressure and preload pressure is recorded. The flow resistance of the seal is analyzed using the Ergun equation for flow through porous media, including both laminar and turbulent effects. The two constants in the Ergun equation are evaluated for the seal structures. Leakage flow of the seal under the test condition is found to be in the transition flow region. The analysis is used to predict the leakage flow performance of the seal with the determined design parameters.

Cai, Zhong↗
NASA NTRS1996

User's Manual for FOMOCO Utilities-Force and Moment Computation Tools for Overset Grids

In the numerical computations of flows around complex configurations, accurate calculations of force and moment coefficients for aerodynamic surfaces are required. When overset grid methods are used, the surfaces on which force and moment coefficients are sought typically consist of a collection of overlapping surface grids. Direct integration of flow quantities on the overlapping grids would result in the overlapped regions being counted more than once. The FOMOCO Utilities is a software package for computing flow coefficients (force, moment, and mass flow rate) on a collection of overset surfaces with accurate accounting of the overlapped zones. FOMOCO Utilities can be used in stand-alone mode or in conjunction with the Chimera overset grid compressible Navier-Stokes flow solver OVERFLOW. The software package consists of two modules corresponding to a two-step procedure: (1) hybrid surface grid generation (MIXSUR module), and (2) flow quantities integration (OVERINT module). Instructions on how to use this software package are described in this user's manual. Equations used in the flow coefficients calculation are given in Appendix A.

Chan, William M.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Spectroscopic Diagnostics and an Arc Jet Heated Air Plasma

Spectral radiation measurements were made in the range of 200 to 900 nm across a section of the plenum of an arc jet wind tunnel using a series of optical fibers. The spectra contained line radiation from Oxygen and Nitrogen atoms and molecular radiation from N2(+), N2, and NO. Abel inversion technique is used to obtain radial distribution of the spectra. The analysis yielded radial profiles of the electronic excitation, vibrational and rotational temperatures of the flow field. Spectral fitting yielded branching ratios for different vibrational and rotational bands. Relatively mild flow conditions, i.e. enthalpy and mass flow rate, were used for prolonged measurements of up to and over two hours to establish the best experimental methods of temperature determinations. Signal to noise was improved by at least an order of magnitude enabling the molecular vibrational band heads of N2(+) (first negative system), N2 (second positive system), and NO (beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon systems) to be resolved in the lower ultraviolet wavelength regions. The increased signal to noise ratio also enabled partial resolution of the rotational lines of N2(+) and N2 in certain regions of minimal overlap. Comparison of the spectra with theoretical models such as the NEQAIR2 code are presented and show potential for fitting the spectra when reliable calibration is performed for the complete wavelength range.

Mack, Larry Howard, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Entropy Generation in Regenerative Systems

Heat exchange to the oscillating flows in regenerative coolers generates entropy. These flows are characterized by oscillating mass flows and oscillating temperatures. Heat is transferred between the flow and heat exchangers and regenerators. In the former case, there is a steady temperature difference between the flow and the heat exchangers. In the latter case, there is no mean temperature difference. In this paper a mathematical model of the entropy generated is developed for both cases. Estimates of the entropy generated by this process are given for oscillating flows in heat exchangers and in regenerators. The practical significance of this entropy is also discussed.

Kittel, Peter↗
NASA NTRS1990

Method of hybrid plume plasma propulsion

A technique for producing thrust by generating a hybrid plume plasma exhaust is disclosed. A plasma flow is generated and introduced into a nozzle which features one or more inlets positioned to direct a flow of neutral gas about the interior of the nozzle. When such a neutral gas flow is combined with the plasma flow within the nozzle, a hybrid plume is constructed including a flow of hot plasma along the center of the nozzle surrounded by a generally annular flow of neutral gas, with an annular transition region between the pure plasma and the neutral gas. The temperature of the outer gas layer is below that of the pure plasma and generally separates the pure plasma from the interior surfaces of the nozzle. The neutral gas flow both insulates the nozzle walls from the high temperatures of the plasma flow and adds to the mass flow rate of the hybrid exhaust. The rate of flow of neutral gas into the interior of the nozzle may be selectively adjusted to control the thrust and specific impulse of the device.

Chang, Franklin R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Status of the Combined-Cycle Engine Large-Scale Inlet Mode Transition Experiment

The Large-Scale Inlet Mode Transition (LIMX) experiment is currently being conducted in the 10x10 foot supersonic wind tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The experiment has involved the efforts of a team for over four years to get to the first phase of testing, which is examining the aerodynamic characteristics of the inlet. The LIMX inlet involves dual flowpaths: one to provide flow to a turbine engine and one to provide flow to a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet. A rotating splitter cowl can close off the turbine flowpath, which would occur as the propulsion system transitions from turbine power to ramjet/scramjet power at Mach 4. The first phase of the experiment will simulate the turbine and ramjet/scramjet flows using cold pipes with flow rates controlled by mass-flow plugs. Much of the testing will characterize the performance of the turbine flowpath (total pressure recovery and distortion at the engine face location) as factors such as bleed rates and configuration and vortex generators are varied during the inlet mode transition. The performance of the inlet will also be examined at off-design Mach numbers (2.5-3.0) and at angle-of-attack.

Slater, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Study of Electro-Cyclonic Filtration and Pneumatic Transfer of Lunar Regolith Simulants under 1/6-g and 1-g Gravity Conditions

NASA has built a prototype oxygen production plant to process the lunar regolith using the hydrogen reduction chemical process. This plant is known as "ROxygen - making oxygen from moon rocks". The ROxygen regolith transfer team has identified the flow and transfer characteristics of lunar regolith simulant to be a concern for lunar oxygen production efforts. It is important to ISRU lunar exploration efforts to develop hardware designs that can demonstrate the ability to flow and transfer a given mass of regolith simulant to a desired vertical height under lunar gravity conditions in order to introduce it into a reactor. We will present results obtained under both 1/6-g and 1-g gravity conditions for a system that can pneumatically convey 16.5 kg of lunar regolith simulant (NU-LHT-2M, Mauna Kea Tephra, and JSC-1A) from a flat-bottom supply hopper to a simulated ISRU reactor (dual-chambered receiving hopper) where the granular material is separated from the convey gas (air) using a series of cyclone separators, one of which is an electrically enhanced cyclone separator (electrocyclone). The results of our study include (1) the mass flow rate as a function of input air pressure for lunar regolith simulants that are conveyed pneumatically as a dusty gas in a vertical direction against gravity under lunar gravity conditions (for NU-LHT-2M and Mauna Kea Tephra), and under earth gravity conditions (for NU-LHT-2M, Mauna Kea Tephra and JSC-1A), and (2) the efficiency of the cyclone/electrocyclone filtration system in separating the convey gas (air) from the granular particulates as a function of particle size.

Mantovani, James G.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Axial-Flow Turbine Rotor Discharge-Flow Overexpansion and Limit-Loading Condition, Part I: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Investigation

A Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) investigation is conducted over a two-dimensional axial-flow turbine rotor blade row to study the phenomena of turbine rotor discharge flow overexpansion at subcritical, critical, and supercritical conditions. Quantitative data of the mean-flow Mach numbers, mean-flow angles, the tangential blade pressure forces, the mean-flow mass flux, and the flow-path total pressure loss coefficients, averaged or integrated across the two-dimensional computational domain encompassing two blade-passages, are obtained over a series of 14 inlet-total to exit-static pressure ratios, from 1.5 (un-choked; subcritical condition) to 10.0 (supercritical with excessively high pressure ratio.) Detailed flow features over the full domain-of-computation, such as the streamline patterns, Mach contours, pressure contours, blade surface pressure distributions, etc. are collected and displayed in this paper. A formal, quantitative definition of the limit loading condition based on the channel flow theory is proposed and explained. Contrary to the comments made in the historical works performed on this subject, about the deficiency of the theoretical methods applied in analyzing this phenomena, using modern CFD method for the study of this subject appears to be quite adequate and successful. This paper describes the CFD work and its findings.

Axial Flow↗
NASA NTRS1971

Mass, momentum and energy flow from an MPD accelerator

The mass, momentum, and energy flows are measured over a current range of 8 to 50 kA and inlet mass flows of 2 to 36q/sec of argon. The momentum flux profile indicates that the accelerator produces a uniform, 2-inch diameter axial jet at the anode which expands into a Gaussian profile at an axial station 11 inches from the anode. The electromagnetic component of the thrust is found to follow the familiar quadratic dependence on arc current, while a more complex empirical relation is needed to correlate the gasdynamic contribution with the current and mass flow rate. Using available time-of-flight velocity profiles at a current of 16 kA and a mass flow of 5.9 g/sec, calculated flux profiles of mass and kinetic energy exhibit a tendency for some fraction of the inlet mass flow to leak out at a low velocity around the central high velocity core.

Cory, J. S.↗