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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 595 records · Page 33

Impact of Janssen effect on thermal transport in granular flow

Using a modulated photothermal radiometry (MPR) technique capable of measuring thermal transport in particle beds, we find asymptotically increasing effective thermal conductivity and decreasing near-wall thermal resistance along gravity-driven downward granular flows through a 1-meter-long narrow vertical channel owing to the Janssen effect. The Janssen effect is confirmed by similar asymptotic trends from particle bed apparent mass measurements as well as separate MPR heat transfer measurements on stationary particle beds under compression at different heights of the channel with and without pressure screening. Furthermore, local heat transfer coefficient along the 1-meter-long channel was modeled based on measured spatially resolved thermal conductivity and near-wall thermal resistance due to the Janssen effect. This work reveals for the first time the impact of the over century-old Janssen effect on heat transfer in granular media. Furthermore, the results from this work can lead to a better understanding of heat transfer in granular flow.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Loop heating by D.C. electric current and electromagnetic wave emissions simulated by 3-D EM particle zone

We have shown that a current-carrying plasma loop can be heated by magnetic pinch driven by the pressure imbalance between inside and outside the loop, using a 3-dimensional electromagnetic (EM) particle code. Both electrons and ions in the loop can be heated in the direction perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field, therefore the perpendicular temperature can be increased about 10 times compared with the parallel temperature. This temperature anisotropy produced by the magnetic pinch heating can induce a plasma instability, by which high-frequency electromagnetic waves can be excited. The plasma current which is enhanced by the magnetic pinch can also excite a kinetic kink instability, which can heat ions perpendicular to the magnetic field. The heating mechanism of ions as well as the electromagnetic emission could be important for an understanding of the coronal loop heating and the electromagnetic wave emissions from active coronal regions.

Sakai, J. I.↗

Potassium carbonate decomposition modeling within rotating detonation engines for direct power extraction applications

We report that recently, there has been a significant interest in detonation-based combustion systems, such as rotating detonation engines (RDE), due to potential performance advantages in propulsion and energy applications. This includes improvements in thermodynamic efficiency, inherently high gas velocities, and the possibility of achieving an increase in total pressure (i.e. pressure gain) through the combustion process. Due to approximating a constant volume combustion process, these devices also tend to exhibit extremely high local gas temperatures relative to a comparable constant pressure combustor. These advantages overlap well with desirable performance characteristics of direct power extraction (DPE) technologies, such as a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator. Typically, in DPE systems hot combustion products are seeded with an easily ionizable material such as potassium carbonate (K 2 CO 3 ) in order to boost the electrical conductivity. However, due to the short gas residence times within an RDE, it was unclear whether forming an electrically conductive combustion plasma would be feasible for integration with a downstream MHD generator. A model is presented which describes the heating, decomposition, and ionization of solid K 2 CO 3 particles and aqueous solutions of K 2 CO 3 in water, for a given initial particle diameter. This model was combined with available computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data for an oxygen-methane RDE in a one-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian framework to predict particle trajectories and the corresponding heating, decomposition, and ionization histories. Electrical conductivities were computed using a previously developed model, and a method was proposed to determine an equivalent average electrical conductivity. Results show that particle sizes below ~30 µm are able to fully decompose before reaching the exit of the RDE. While the one-way coupled nature of the simulations precluded rigorous evaluation of the effects of seed material on detonability, a substantial temperature reduction is expected at the detonation wave front due to heating and decomposition. A preliminary comparison is presented between the RDE and an equivalent constant pressure adiabatic combustor, showing a potential performance advantage for the RDE.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Collisional electrostatic ion cyclotron waves as a possible source of energetic heavy ions in the magnetosphere

A new mechanism is proposed for the source of energetic heavy ions (NO/+/, O2/+/, and O/+/) found in the magnetosphere. Simulations using a multispecies particle simulation code for resistive current-driven electrostatic ion cyclotron waves show transverse and parallel bulk heating of bottomside ionospheric heavy ion populations. The dominant mechanism for the transverse bulk heating is resonant ion heating by wave-particle ion trapping. Using a linear kinetic dispersion relation for a magnetized, collisional, homogenous, and multiion plasma, it is found that collisional electrostatic ion cyclotron waves near the NO(+), O2(+), and O(+) gyrofrequencies are unstable to field-aligned currents of 50 microA/sq m for a typical bottomside ionosphere.

Providakes, Jason↗

Burning of particles undergoing stripping breakup

A simple model for condensed-phase particle burning has been presented. Particles are assumed to start burning in quiescent air. Particles are then accelerated, adding convective effects. Convective effect due to the relative motion between the particle and air on heat and mass transfer is included by introducing the Nusselt number. Stripping of liquid is included at higher particle velocity. Evaporation and burning from the stripped tail are also included.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Glass shell manufacturing in space

Highly-uniform, hollow glass spheres (shells), which are used for inertial confinement fusion targets, were formed from metal-organic gel powder feedstock in a vertical furnace. As a result of the rapid pyrolysis caused by the furnace, the gel is transformed to a shell in five distinct stages: (a) surface closure of the porous gel; (b) generation of a closed-cell foam structure in the gel; (c) spheridization of the gel and further expansion of the foam; (d) coalescence of the closed-cell foam to a single-void shell; and (e) fining of the glass shell. The heat transfer from the furnace to the falling gel particle was modeled to determine the effective heating rate of the gel. The model predicts the temperature history for a particle as a function of mass, dimensions, specific heat, and absorptance as well as furnace temperature profile and thermal conductivity of the furnace gas. A model was developed that predicts the gravity-induced degradation of shell concentricity in falling molten shells as a function of shell characteristics and time.

Downs, R. L.↗

Detailed Studies on the Structure and Dynamics of Reacting Dusty Flows at Normal and Microgravity

Dusty reacting flows are of particular interest for a wide range of applications. Inert particles can alter the flammability and extinction limits of a combustible mixture. Reacting particles can release substantial amount of heat and can be used either for power generation or propulsion. Accumulation of combustible particles in air can result in explosions which, for example, can occur in grain elevators, during lumber milling and in mine galleries. Furthermore, inert particles are used as flow velocity markers in reacting flows, and their velocity is measured by non-intrusive laser diagnostic techniques. Despite their importance, dusty reacting flows have been less studied and understood compared to gas phase as well as sprays. The addition of solid particles in a flowing gas stream can lead to strong couplings between the two phases, which can be of dynamic, thermal, and chemical nature. The dynamic coupling between the two phases is caused by the inertia that causes the phases to move with different velocities. Furthermore, gravitational, thermophoretic, photophoretic, electrophoretic, diffusiophoretic, centrifugal, and magnetic forces can be exerted on the particles. In general, magnetic, electrophoretic, centrifugal, photophoretic, and diffusiophoretic can be neglected. On the other hand, thermophoretic forces, caused by steep temperature gradients, can be important. The gravitational forces are almost always present and can affect the dynamic response of large particles. Understanding and quantifying the chemical coupling between two phases is a challenging task. However, all reacting particles begin this process as inert particles, and they must be heated before they participate in the combustion process. Thus, one must first understand the interactions of inert particles in a combustion environment. The in-detail understanding of the dynamics and structure of dusty flows can be only advanced by considering simple flow geometries such as the opposed-jet, stagnation-type. In such configurations the imposed strain rate is well characterized, and the in-depth understanding of the details of the physico-chemical processes can be systematically obtained. A number of computational and experimental studies on spray and particle flows have been conducted in stagnation-type configurations. Numerically, the need for a hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian approach has been identified by Continillo and Sirignano, and the use of such approach has allowed for the prediction of the phenomenon of droplet flow reversal. Gomez and Rosner have conducted a detailed study on the particle response in the opposed-jet configuration, and the particle thermophoretic diffusivities were determined experimentally. Sung, Law and co-workers have conducted numerical studies on the effect of strain rate and temperature gradients on the dynamics of inert particles, as a way of understanding potential errors in experimental LDV data that may arise from thermophoretic forces. This investigation is a combined experimental and numerical study on the details of reacting dusty flows. The specific tasks are: (1) Experimental determination of laminar flame speeds, and extinction strain rates of dusty flows at normal- and micro-gravity as functions of the particle type, particle initial diameter, particle initial number density, and gas phase chemical composition; (2) Detailed numerical simulation of the experiments. Results are compared with experiments and the adequacy of theoretical models is assessed; and (3) Provision of enhanced insight into the thermo-chemical coupling between the two phases.

Andac, M. Gurhan↗

Modeling Heatshield Erosion due to Dust Particle Impacts for Martian Entries

Heatshield design for spacecraft entering the atmosphere of Mars may be affected by the presence of atmospheric dust. Particle impacts with sufficient kinetic energy can cause spallation damage to the heatshield that must be estimated. The dust environment in terms of particle size distribution and number density can be inferred from ground-based or atmospheric observations at Mars. Using a Lagrangian approach, the particle trajectories through the shock layer can be computed using a set of coupled ordinary differential equations. The dust particles are small enough that non-continuum effects must be accounted for when computing the drag coefficient and heat transfer to the particle surface. Surface damage correlations for impact crater diameter and penetration depth are presented for fused-silica, AVCOAT, Shuttle tiles, cork, and Norcoat Liège. The cork and Norcoat Liège correlations are new and were developed in this study. The modeling equations presented in this paper are applied to compute the heatshield erosion due to dust particle impacts on the ExoMars Schiaparelli entry capsule during dust storm conditions.

Palmer, Grant↗

Modeling Heatshield Erosion Due to Dust Particle Impacts for Martian Entries

Heatshield design for spacecraft entering the atmosphere of Mars may be affected by the presence of atmospheric dust. Particle impacts with sufficient kinetic energy can cause spallation damage to the heatshield that must be estimated. The dust environment in terms of particle size distribution and number density can be inferred from ground-based or atmospheric observations at Mars. Using a Lagrangian approach, the particle trajectories through the shock layer can be computed using a set of coupled ordinary differential equations. The dust particles are small enough that non-continuum effects must be accounted for when computing the drag coefficient and heat transfer to the particle surface. Surface damage correlations for impact crater diameter and penetration depth are presented for fused-silica, AVCOAT, Shuttle tiles, cork, and Norcoat Liège. The cork and Norcoat Liège correlations are new and were developed in this study. The modeling equations presented in this paper are applied to compute the heatshield erosion due to dust particle impacts on the ExoMars Schiaparelli entry capsule during dust storm conditions.

Palmer, Grant↗

Design of a Combined Proportional Integral Derivative Controller to Regulate the Temperature Inside a High-Temperature Tubular Solar Reactor

Solar fuels are proven to be promising candidates for thermochemical energy storage. However, the transient nature of solar radiation is an obstacle to maintaining a stable operational temperature inside a solar reactor. To overcome this challenge, the temperature of a solar reactor can be regulated by controlling the incoming solar radiation or the feedstock flowrate inside the reactor. In this work, a combined proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is implemented to regulate the temperature inside a high-temperature tubular solar reactor with counter-current flowing gas/particles. The control model incorporates two control systems to regulate incoming solar radiation and gas flow simultaneously. The design of the controller is based on a reduced-order numerical model of a high-temperature tubular solar reactor that is vertically oriented with an upward gas flow and downward particle flow. The reactor receives heat circumferentially through its wall over a finite segment of its length. Formulation of the heat transfer model is presented by applying the energy balance for the reactor tube and considering heat and mass transfer inside. A set of governing differential equations are solved numerically by using the finite volume method to obtain reactor wall, particles, and gas temperatures along the reactor length with various boundary conditions. Simulation results are used to tune the PID controller parameters by utilizing the Ziegler–Nichols tuning method. Both the simulation results and the controller performance are visualized on the LABVIEW platform. The controller is challenged to track different temperature setpoints with different scenarios of transient solar radiation. Here, the performance of the PID controller was compared to experimental results obtained from an industrial PID controller embedded in a 7 kW electric furnace. Results show that the combined PID controller is successful in maintaining a stable temperature inside the reactor by regulating the incoming solar radiation and the flowrate via small steady-state error and reasonable settling time and overshoot.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Comparison of Carbon XANES Spectra from an Iron Sulfide from Comet Wild 2 with an Iron Sulfide Interplanetary Dust Particle

Among one of the first particles removed from the aerogel collector from the Stardust sample return mission was an approx. 5 micron sized iron sulfide. The majority of the spectra from 5 different sections of this particle suggests the presence of aliphatic compounds. Due to the heat of capture in the aerogel we initially assumed these aliphatic compounds were not cometary but after comparing these results to a heated iron sulfide interplanetary dust particle (IDP) we believe our initial interpretation of these spectra was not correct. It has been suggested that ice coating on iron sulfides leads to aqueous alteration in IDP clusters which can then lead to the formation of complex organic compounds from unprocessed organics in the IDPs similar to unprocessed organics found in comets [1]. Iron sulfides have been demonstrated to not only transform halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons but also enhance the bonding of rubber to steel [2,3]. Bromfield and Coville (1997) demonstrated using Xray photoelectron spectroscopy that "the surface enhancement of segregated sulfur to the surface of sulfided precipitated iron catalysts facilitates the formation of a low-dimensional structure of extraordinary properties" [4]. It may be that the iron sulfide acts in some way to protect aliphatic compounds from alteration due to heat.

Wirick, S.↗

Method of fabricating a rocket engine combustion chamber

A process for making a combustion chamber for a rocket engine wherein a copper alloy in particle form is injected into a stream of heated carrier gas in plasma form which is then projected onto the inner surface of a hollow metal jacket having the configuration of a rocket engine combustion chamber is described. The particles are in the plasma stream for a sufficient length of time to heat the particles to a temperature such that the particles will flatten and adhere to previously deposited particles but will not spatter or vaporize. After a layer is formed, cooling channels are cut in the layer, then the channels are filled with a temporary filler and another layer of particles is deposited.

Holmes, Richard R.↗

Lunar ash flow with heat transfer.

The most important heat-transfer process in the ash flow under consideration is heat convection. Besides the four important nondimensional parameters of isothermal ash flow (Pai et al., 1972), we have three additional important nondimensional parameters: the ratio of the specific heat of the gas, the ratio of the specific heat of the solid particles to that of gas, and the Prandtl number. We reexamine the one dimensional steady ash flow discussed by Pai et al. (1972) by including the effects of heat transfer. Numerical results for the pressure, temperature, density of the gas, velocities of gas and solid particles, and volume fraction of solid particles as function of altitude for various values of the Jeffreys number, initial velocity ratio, and two different gas species (steam and hydrogen) are presented.

Pai, S. I.↗

Exploring the effect of ELM and code-coupling frequencies on plasma and material modeling of dynamic recycling in divertors

Abstract Integrated modeling of plasma-surface interactions provides a comprehensive and self-consistent description of the system, moving the field closer to developing predictive and design capabilities for plasma facing components. One such workflow, including descriptions for the scrape-off-layer plasma, ion-surface interactions and the sub-surface evolution, was previously used to address steady-state scenarios and has recently been extended to incorporate time-dependence and two-way information flow. The new model can address dynamic recycling in transient scenarios, such as the application presented in this paper: the evolution of W samples pre-damaged by helium and exposed to ELMy H-mode plasmas in the DIII-D DiMES. A first set of simulations explored the effect of ELM frequency. This study was discussed in detail in this conference’s proceedings and is summarized here. The 2nd set of simulations, which is the focus of this paper, explores the effect of code-coupling frequency. These simulations include initial SOLPS solutions converged to the inter-ELM state, ion impact energy ( E in ) and angles ( A in ) calculated by hPIC2, and an improved heat transfer description in Xolotl. The model predicts increases in particle fluxes and decreases in heat fluxes by 10%–20% with the coupling time-step. Compared with the first set of simulations, the less shallow impact angle leads to smaller reflection rates and significant D implantation. The higher fraction of implanted flux (and deeper), in particular during ELMs, increases the accumulated D content in the W near-surface region. Future expansion of the workflow includes coupling to hPIC2 and GITR to ensure accurate descriptions of E in and A in , and W impurity transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Energy input to the lower thermosphere

The asymmetry in solar heat input to the upper atmosphere at the solstice, and the asymmetry in atomic oxygen production, are largely compensated by a large scale wind system towards the winter polar region. At magnetically disturbed times, atmospheric composition at high winter latitudes changes in such a way as to indicate that polar region heating by magnetic variations, energetic particle inputs, and current systems is more intense than solar heating at low latitudes, thus leading to a reversal of the normal pattern of upper atmospheric circulation. Uncertainties in the intensity of solar radiation responsible for upper atmospheric heating and oxygen dissociation, and uncertainties in the degree of oxygen dissociation in the upper atmosphere, are such that the average rates of eddy mixing may be significantly lower than frequently assumed for the lower thermosphere.

Johnson, F. S.↗

Effects of Heat Treatment on the Magnetic Properties of Polymer-Bound Iron Particle Cores

Spherical iron particles of three different size distributions, 6-10 microns in diameter, 100 mesh and 30-80 mesh, were mixed with 2.0 wt. % of soluble imide and compression molded at 300 C under 131 MPa. Post fabrication heat treatments were performed at 960 C for 6 hours resulting in a significant enhancement of the permeability in low field region for all the specimens except for the one made of 30-80 mesh particles. The rate of core loss of these specimens at a magnetic induction of 5 kG measured up to 1 kHz shows a noticeable increase after heat treatment which, along with the permeability enhancement, can be explained by the coalescence of particles forming a network of conductivity paths in the specimens. The scanning electron micrographs taken for the 6-10 micron particle specimens show no evidence of heat treatment-induced grain growth. The untreated specimens show a very weak f(sup 2) dependence of the core loss which clearly indicates a negligible contribution from the eddy current loss. In particular, an almost perfect linearity was found in the frequency dependence of the core loss of the untreated specimen made of 100 mesh iron particles.

Namkung, M.↗

Falling particle impact erosion testing for particle based CSP systems

CSP systems are currently being examined as an effective method for using solar energy to generate electricity. While much of this research has been conducted using molten salt as the heat transfer medium, in recent years, solid particles have been posited as a cheaper and more energy efficient heat transfer medium for use in CSP systems. Many researchers have looked into the effectiveness of solid particles as a heat transfer medium. However, a concern with the use of particles is that the falling particles will impact various components within the CSP system, such as the hopper, the heat exchanger, and the insulating material, resulting in surface erosion and damage. With repeated impacts from falling particles, material from the surfaces under impact is removed. The degree of erosion depends on whether the substrate is made of brittle or ductile material. Furthermore, factors such as particle shape, size, hardness, concentration, impact angle, particle velocity, and substrate hardness will contribute to the erosion process and determine how much and how quickly erosion will takes place in a system. Three types of erosion will be observed simultaneously: impact erosion from particle impact on receiver, particle storage, and heat exchanger walls, abrasion erosion from particle sliding motion along walls, and attrition erosion as the particles breakdown from particle-to-particle contact and particle-to-wall interactions. It is imperative to understand each of these erosions individually for a more comprehensive understanding and prediction of CSP system durability. In this work, we developed an experimental test setup capable of measuring impact erosion at conditions relevant to 1MW CSP plant. Subsequently, Impact erosion measurements were performed for three different candidate substrate materials at low particle velocities using HSP 40/70 ceramic particles.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗