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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Mesophase pitch-based high performance carbon fiber production using coal extracts from mild direct coal liquefaction

Mild direct coal liquefaction (autogenous pressure, no catalyst, no H2 gas) of Springfield coal in fluid catalytic cracking decant oil is shown to effectively produce coal extract precursors to spinnable mesophase pitch. Here this work demonstrates that the coal extract can be thermally treated to obtain mesophase pitch in a facile one-step process, bypassing the production of an intermediate isotropic pitch. Furthermore, the presence of 25 wt.% coal in the initial slurry can increase the yield to mesophase pitch nearly twofold and yield to carbon fiber by approximately 70%. The coal extract-derived mesophase pitch was melt-spun and heat treated to produce carbon fiber with graphitic texture, high modulus (>400 GPa) and tensile strength up to 943 MPa. Overall, this work demonstrates that coal can be effectively utilized to markedly amplify the mesophase pitch and carbon fiber yield from fluid catalytic cracking decant oil by relatively simple processing, while conserving utility as a precursor to high performance carbon fiber and potentially other high value graphitic products.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimal gas cooling with minimal aero-opticaldistortion for next generation high-average-power lasers (Progress report, Year 2)

Next-generation lasers that combine high-peak-power ultrashort pulses with high repetition rates have the potential to efficiently deliver the high-average-power outputs required for inertial fusion energy generation, laser-based particle acceleration, and to generate compact secondary x- and 𝛾-ray radiation sources, among others. The combination of long gain length with high surface-to-volume ratio to remove residual heat makes gas-cooled multi-slab amplifier heads an inherently aperture- and average power scalable technology that enables this new class of solid-state lasers, and their thermal management becomes the most pressing technical challenge. As the index-of refraction depends on the gas density, heat removal from the slab surfaces unavoidably entails scattering of propagated light from regions of high temperature fluctuations. The requirement to maximize convective heat extraction from the gain medium under the constraint of minimum optical aberration of the beam renders amplifier slab cooling a technological challenge at the intersection of aero-optics, fluid-mechanics and heat transfer. The goal of this research is to leverage computational fluid dynamics and aero optics simulations of different levels of fidelity to devise a numerical modeling and optimization framework for gas-cooled multi-slab amplifiers. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with the Advanced Photon Technologies Group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where a gas-cooled test stand for laser materials and thermal management structures will be developed and installed. The final goal of the collaborative effort is to manufacture and benchmark a physical prototype of an numerically optimized amplifier head design. Measurement data on solid-state and thermo-optical distortions will be used for the validation of the numerical models. The key technical challenge in this multi-objective design problem is that of balancing optimal heat removal with minimal optical distortion. To facilitate computationally efficient design optimization and, at the same time, deepen our basic understanding of the interaction of light with turbulence, a complementary study that combines high and low-fidelity flow simulations and aero-optical models is proposed. Along the lines of these two objectives and solution strategies, the project is organized into two thrusts.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1973

An economical arterial-pulse-wave transducer

Transducer records arterial pulses externally. Device uses thin plastic membrane which is fluid coupled to pressure sensitive transistor. Transistor is connected to amplifier which, in turn, is connected to recorder. End section is threaded to accept suitable holder and contains pressure relief vent allowing transistor to sense only pressure levels greater than atmospheric.

Kim, C.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Pneumatic load compensating or controlling system

A pneumatic load compensating or controlling system for restraining a load with a predetermined force or applying a predetermined force to the load is described; it includes a source of pressurized air, a one-way pneumatic actuator operatively connected to a load, and a fluid conduit fluidically connecting the actuator with the source of pressurized air. The actuator is of the piston and cylinder type, and the end of the fluid conduit is connected to the upper or lower portion of the cylinder whereby the actuator alternatively and selectively restrains the load with a predetermined force or apply a predetermined force to the load. Pressure regulators are included within the system for variably selectively adjusting the pressurized fluid to predetermined values as desired or required; a pressure amplifier is included within the system for multiplying the pressurized values so as to achieve greater load forces. An accumulator is incorporated within the system as a failsafe operating mechanism, and visual and aural alarm devices, operatively associated with pressure detecting apparatus, readily indicate the proper or improper functioning of the system.

Rogers, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Computational Investigation for Determining the Natural Frequencies and Damping Effects of Diaphragm-Implemented Spacecraft Propellant Tanks

Spin-stabilization maneuvers are typically performed by spacecraft entering low-earth orbit to maintain attitude stability. These maneuvers induce periodic fluid movement inside the spacecraft's propellant tank known as fuel slosh, which is responsible for creating forces and moments on the sidewalls of the propellant tank. These forces and moments adversely affect spin-stabilization and risk jeopardizing the mission of the spacecraft. Therefore, propellant tanks are designed with propellant management devices (PMD's) such as barnes or diaphragms which work to counteract the forces and moments associated with fuel slosh. However, despite the presence of PMD's, the threat of spin-stabilization interference still exists should the propellant tank be excited at its natural frequency. When the fluid is excited at its natural frequency, the forces and moments acting on the propellant tank are amplified and may result in destabilizing the spacecraft. Thus, a computational analysis is conducted concerning diaphragm-implemented propellant tanks excited at their natural frequencies. Using multi-disciplinary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, computational models are developed to reflect potential scenarios that spacecraft propellant tanks could experience. By simulating the propellant tank under a wide array of parameters and variables including fill-level, gravity and diaphragm material and shape, a better understanding is gained as to how these parameters individually and collectively affect liquid propellant tanks and ultimately, spacecraft attitude dynamics.

Lenahen, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1978

Leak detector uses ultrasonics

Probe located on outer wall of vacuum-jacketed fluid lines detects leaks on inner wall. Probe picks up and amplifies vibrations that occur when gas rushes through leak and converts them to audible signal or CRT display. System is considerably simpler to use than helium leak detectors and allows rapid checks to be made as part of routine maintenance.

Heisman, R. M.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Towards optimal gas cooling with minimal aero-optical distortion for a laser amplifier head

Next-generation lasers combining high-peak-power, ultrashort pulses with high repetition rates have the potential to efficiently deliver the high-average-power outputs required by many emerging technologies and areas of research. This work introduces a three-stage workflow consisting of low- and high-fidelity fluid simulations, in addition to aero-optical analyses. The final goal is to optimize gas cooling within a laser amplifier head while maintaining minimal aero-optical distortions. Low-fidelity RANS simulations are used to obtain mean flow solutions and transition locations. High-fidelity LES simulations, informed by their RANS counterparts, provide solutions containing density fluctuations, which are then passed on to the aero-optical analysis. The aero-optical analysis provides insight into the optical quality of the laser beam passing through the flow found in the LES results.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1973

Droplet monitoring probe

A droplet monitoring system is disclosed for analysis of mixed-phase fluid flow in development of gas turbines. The system uses a probe comprising two electrical wires spaced a known distance apart and connected at one end to means for establishing a dc potential between the wires. A drop in the fluid stream momentarily contacting both wires simultaneously causes and electrical signal which is amplified, detected and counted.

Baughman, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Improved Electrohydraulic Linear Actuators

A product line of improved electrohydraulic linear actuators has been developed. These actuators are designed especially for use in actuating valves in rocket-engine test facilities. They are also adaptable to many industrial uses, such as steam turbines, process control valves, dampers, motion control, etc. The advantageous features of the improved electrohydraulic linear actuators are best described with respect to shortcomings of prior electrohydraulic linear actuators that the improved ones are intended to supplant. The flow of hydraulic fluid to the two ports of the actuator cylinder is controlled by a servo valve that is controlled by a signal from a servo amplifier that, in turn, receives an analog position-command signal (a current having a value between 4 and 20 mA) from a supervisory control system of the facility. As the position command changes, the servo valve shifts, causing a greater flow of hydraulic fluid to one side of the cylinder and thereby causing the actuator piston to move to extend or retract a piston rod from the actuator body. A linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) directly linked to the piston provides a position-feedback signal, which is compared with the position-command signal in the servo amplifier. When the position-feedback and position-command signals match, the servo valve moves to its null position, in which it holds the actuator piston at a steady position.

Hamtil, James↗
DOE OSTI2023

Turbulent dynamo action and its effects on the mixing at the convective boundary of an idealized oxygen-burning shell

Convection is one of the most important mixing processes in stellar interiors. Hydrodynamic mass entrainment can bring fresh fuel from neighboring stable layers into a convection zone, modifying the structure and evolution of the star. Because flows in stellar convection zones are highly turbulent, multidimensional hydrodynamic simulations are fundamental to accurately capture the physics of mixing processes. Under some conditions, strong magnetic fields can be sustained by the action of a turbulent dynamo, adding another layer of complexity and possibly altering the dynamics in the convection zone and at its boundaries. In this study, we used our fully compressible S EVEN -L EAGUE H YDRO code to run detailed and highly resolved three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of turbulent convection, dynamo amplification, and convective boundary mixing in a simplified setup whose stratification is similar to that of an oxygen-burning shell in a star with an initial mass of 25 M ⊙ . We find that the random stretching of magnetic field lines by fluid motions in the inertial range of the turbulent spectrum (i.e., a small-scale dynamo) naturally amplifies the seed field by several orders of magnitude in a few convective turnover timescales. During the subsequent saturated regime, the magnetic-to-kinetic energy ratio inside the convective shell reaches values as high as 0.33, and the average magnetic field strength is ∼10 10 G. Such strong fields efficiently suppress shear instabilities, which feed the turbulent cascade of kinetic energy, on a wide range of spatial scales. The resulting convective flows are characterized by thread-like structures that extend over a large fraction of the convective shell. The reduced flow speeds and the presence of magnetic fields with strengths up to 60% of the equipartition value at the upper convective boundary diminish the rate of mass entrainment from the stable layer by ≈20% as compared to the purely hydrodynamic case.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2007

Radiolytic Gas-Driven Cryovolcanism in the Outer Solar System

Water ices in surface crusts of Europa, Enceladus, Saturn's main rings, and Kuiper Belt Objects can become heavily oxidized from radiolytic chemical alteration of near-surface water ice by space environment irradiation. Oxidant accumulations and gas production are manifested in part through observed H2O2 on Europa. tentatively also on Enceladus, and found elsewhere in gaseous or condensed phases at moons and rings of Jupiter and Saturn. On subsequent chemical contact in sub-surface environments with significant concentrations of primordially abundant reductants such as NH3 and CH4, oxidants of radiolytic origin can react exothermically to power gas-driven cryovolcanism. The gas-piston effect enormously amplifies the mass flow output in the case of gas formation at basal thermal margins of incompressible fluid reservoirs. Surface irradiation, H2O2 production, NH3 oxidation, and resultant heat, gas, and gas-driven mass flow rates are computed in the fluid reservoir case for selected bodies. At Enceladus the oxidant power inputs are comparable to limits on nonthermal kinetic power for the south polar plumes. Total heat output and plume gas abundance may be accounted for at Enceladus if plume activity is cyclic in high and low "Old Faithful" phases, so that oxidants can accumulate during low activity phases. Interior upwelling of primordially abundant NH3 and CH4 hydrates is assumed to resupply the reductant fuels. Much lower irradiation fluxes on Kuiper Belt Objects require correspondingly larger times for accumulation of oxidants to produce comparable resurfacing, but brightness and surface composition of some objects suggest that such activity may be ongoing.

Cooper, John F.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Hydrological, Geochemical and Geophysical Changes Related to Earthquakes and Slow-Slip Events: Introduction

It has been documented for thousands of years that earthquakes and other tectonic processes have hydrological effects. Fault ruptures and the seismic waves they produce deform the crust, so it is expected that crustal fluids respond. The magnitude of the hydrological response can be very large because small stresses can be greatly amplified as changes in water pressure. This is also the premise behind searching for earthquake precursors; the very small hypothesized strains leading up to rupture might have hydrological, geochemical or geophysical manifestations. The magnitude and spatial and temporal patterns of reported changes are not always straightforward to explain and hence, remain the subject of active research.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1962

STABILITY OF FILM BOILING TWO-PHASE FLOW IN CRYOGENIC SYSTEMS

The stability of film boiling two phase flow is investigated referring in particular to saturated cryogenic liquids. This type of fluid motion is unstable, such that a range of wave numbers will always be present in which disturbances are amplified. Further the mode of operation of the energy supply system may favour temperature fluctuations of large amplitude if the circuit does not provide feed-back compensation. The theoretically predicted stabilization due to capillarity is reduced considerably in liquefied gases with low surface tension, such as hydrogen. This effect causes the transition to turbulent flow to occur at low Reynolds numbers, and increases the heat transport in the turbulent regime. A comparison with experimental data, (horizontal cylinder), shows that the "critical" film Reynolds number ūδ/𝜈, at which instabilities become effective, is lowered from approximately 200, (O2), to about 30, (H2). Similar results have been found with other configurations. Therefore application of laminar film boiling solutions is restricted to small objects, entrance regions, or stagnation points. Turbulent correlations given so far are valid only for a certain group of substances with similar behavior.

LIQUID FLOW↗
NASA NTRS1982

The flux ejection dynamo effect

The mean-field effects of cyclonic convection become increasingly complex when the cyclonic rotation exceeds 1/2 pi. Net helicity is not required, with negative turbulent diffusion for instance, appearing in mirror symmetric turbulence. This paper points out a new dynamo effect arising in convective cells with strong asymmetry in the rotation of updrafts as against downdrafts. The creation of new magnetic flux arises from the ejection of reserve flux through the open boundary of the dynamo region. It is unlike the familiar alpha-effect in that individual components of the field may be amplified independently. Several formal examples are provided to illustrate the effect. Occurrence in nature depends upon the existence of fluid rotations of the order of pi in the convective updrafts. The flux ejection dynamo may possibly contribute to the generation of field in the convective core of earth and in the convective zone of the sun and other stars.

Parker, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Formation of Bright Terrain Bands on Ganymede by Unstable Lithosphere Extension

The surface of Ganymede, as seen in Voyager images, was greatly modified by tectonic activity. Geologic evidence is consistent with the formation of younger bright terrain by the emplacement of icy material into rift zones formed in the older dark terrain. To better understand the formation of both terrestrial rift zones and bright terrain bands on Ganymede, the mechanics of rift initiation by the growth of necking instabilities in an extending lithosphere are studied. In particular, how an initial, small perturbation in lithosphere thickness at the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary is amplified by uniform horizontal extension is studied. The lithosphere is treated as a layer of power-law viscous fluid of thickness H overlying a weaker, viscous mantle substrate. In order to assess the relative importance of buoyant upwelling and mechanical instability in rift formation, both density and strength stratification were incorporated into the model.

Zuber, M. T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Method and Apparatus for Measuring Fluid Flow

The invention is a method and apparatus for monitoring the presence, concentration, and the movement of fluids. It is based on utilizing electromagnetic measurements of the complex permittivity of the fluids for detecting and monitoring the fluid. More particularly the apparatus uses one or more microwave probes which are placed at the locations where the measurements are to be made. A radio frequency signal is transmitted to the probe and the reflected signal is phase and amplitude detected at a rapid rate for the purpose of identifying the fluids, based on their dielectric constant at the probe. The apparatus can be used for multiple purposes including measures of flow rates, turbulence, dispersion, fluid identification, and changes in flow conditions of multiple fluids or multiple states of a single fluid in a flowline or a holding container. The apparatus includes a probe consisting of two electrical conductors separated by an insulator. A radio frequency signal is communicated to the probe and is reflected back from the portion of the probe exposed to the fluid. The radio frequency signal also provides a reference signal. An oscillator generates a second signal which combined with each of the reference signal and the reflected signal to produce signals of lower frequencies to facilitate filtering and amplifying those signals. The two signals are then mixed in a detector to produce an output signal that is representative of the phase and amplitude change caused by the reflection of the signal at the probe exposed to the fluid. The detector may be a dual phase detector that provides two such output signals that are in phase quadrature. A phase shifter may be provided for selectively changing the phase of the reference signal to improve the sensitivity of at least one of the output signals for more accurate readings and/or for calibration purposes. The two outputs that are in quadrature with respect to each other may be simultaneously monitored to account for drift errors. The output signals are digitized and provided to a computer at a sample rate which may be very high. The computer is operable to identify the fluid based on its complex permittivity as may be useful for identifying the flow rates, determining the fluid mixture ratio, detecting impurities in the fluid, and so forth. Novelty is believed to reside in the use of the real part of complex permittivity to measure small difference in permittivity of the fluid.

Arndt, G. Dickey↗
DOE OSTI2021

Resonant amplification of enzymatic chemical oscillations by oscillating flow

Using theory and simulation, we analyzed the resonant amplification of chemical oscillations that occur due to externally imposed oscillatory fluid flows. The chemical reactions are promoted by two enzyme-coated patches located sequentially on the inner surface of a pipe that transports the enclosed chemical solution. In the case of diffusion-limited systems, the period of oscillations in chemical reaction networks is determined by the rate of the chemical transport, which is diffusive in nature and, therefore, can be effectively accelerated by the imposed fluid flows. In this work, we first identify the natural frequencies of the chemical oscillations in the unperturbed reaction–diffusion system and, then, use the frequencies as a forcing input to drive the system to resonance. We demonstrate that flow-induced resonance can be used to amplify the amplitude of the chemical oscillations and to synchronize their frequency to the external forcing. In particular, we show that even 10% perturbations in the flow velocities can double the amplitude of the resulting chemical oscillations. Particularly, effective control can be achieved for the two-step chemical reactions where during the first half-period, the fluid flow accelerates the chemical flux toward the second catalytic patch, while during the second half-period, the flow amplifies the flux to the first patch. The results can provide design rules for regulating the dynamics of coupled reaction–diffusion processes and can facilitate the development of chemical reaction networks that act as chemical clocks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗