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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 OSTI2019

Numerical analysis and wave tank validation on the optimal design of a two-body wave energy converter

To improve the performance of a ‘point absorber’ type wave energy converter (WEC), an additional submerged body can be deployed. The submerged body can be used to increase the equivalent excitation force on the WEC, as well as provide resonance tuning. This paper presents numerical analysis and experimental validation of a two-body point absorber type WEC using a mechanical motion rectifier (MMR) based power takeoff. The two-body point absorber consists of a floating buoy connected to a neutrally buoyant submerged body via the power-takeoff. The mechanical motion rectifier and a ball screw translate the relative heave motion of the two bodies into unidirectional rotation, which in turn spins a generator. Frequency domain analysis suggests there is an optimal submerged body mass for maximum WEC power absorption. Regular wave simulations in the time domain are compared to the results obtained in the frequency domain. While the time domain and frequency domain results predict the same optimal mass ratio, time domain analysis provides a more complex and accurate power result. To validate the time domain model, experimental wave tank testing is conducted using a 1:30 scale model WEC. The experiment shows the two-body WEC can produce twice the amount of power as the single-body WEC with same floating buoy and can be further increased by PTO design and power electronics optimization. Furthermore, wave tank testing shows the two-body WEC has a capture width ratio up to 58% at 59 kW/m and 51% at 36 kW/m.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
NASA NTRS1985

A general numerical analysis of the superconducting quasiparticle mixer

For very low noise millimeter-wave receivers, the superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) quasiparticle mixer is now competitive with conventional Schottky mixers. Tucker (1979, 1980) has developed a quantum theory of mixing which has provided a basis for the rapid improvement in SIS mixer performance. The present paper is concerned with a general method of numerical analysis for SIS mixers which allows arbitrary terminating impedances for all the harmonic frequencies. This analysis provides an approach for an examination of the range of validity of the three-frequency results of the quantum mixer theory. The new method has been implemented with the aid of a Fortran computer program.

Hicks, R. G.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Analytical and numerical analysis of the slope of von Mises planar trusses

In the present paper, there are presented post-critical stress states which will occur at loading by vertical shift of the top joint in the direction downwards. The formation of certain stress states depends on the size of the angle formed by a straight beam of the von Mises planar truss with horizontal plane. Numerical and analytical methods and their problems with finding the angle were described. The numerical solution applies the method of searching for a minimum of potential energy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Numerical Analysis and Flow Induced Vibration Studies in Pressurized Helium Gas Cooling Channels

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is working with NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (NMR) on their efforts to produce Mo-99 from the irradiation of Mo-100 targets. The NMR target consists of an Inconel window that allows the electron beam to penetrate and irradiate a stack of Mo-100 discs. The irradiation process generates large amounts of heat and is cooled using pressurized helium gas flowing at 400 g/s. LANL provides both numerical analysis support and experimental support. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for both 300 g/s and 400 g/s are performed on the NMR target to analyze the helium flow through the NMR system. The pressure drop, the mass flow rate through each of the disc and window channels and the force applied on the first disc are some of the quantities estimated using CFD. These results will be combined with Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) estimates of heat flux into the system from the electron beam to perform conjugate heat transfer analysis (CHT). The experiments presented in this report focus on the effect of the flow induced vibrations from helium flowing through the coolant gaps between the discs. There is concern that the flow induced vibrations may lead to excessive mass loss of the enriched Mo-100 discs, and the goal would be to mitigate the mass loss. This work presents benchtop tests of flow through a subset of the target stack which involves high speed imaging and displacement measurements used to estimate disc vibration, as well as mass loss.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Numerical analysis of coalescence-induced bubble departure for enhanced boiling heat transfer

Boiling heat transfer plays a crucial role in a wide range of applications, such as power generation, refrigeration, electronics cooling, and pharmaceutics. Among the various factors that influence boiling heat transfer, the dynamics of vapor bubble nucleation, growth, and departure from the heated surface stand out as particularly important. An emerging phenomenon that can promote the departure of bubbles smaller than the Fritz diameter is coalescence-induced departure. If the dynamics of this process are fully understood, then surfaces can be engineered to promote faster bubble departure and substantially increase the performance of boiling heat transfer. Further, this work expands on published results by presenting a detailed numerical analysis of bubble coalescence and departure for a range of initial bubble diameters and size ratios between coalescing bubbles. Analysis of the results is focused on explaining how the release of surface energy and bubble surface dynamics lead to bubble departure, as well as fundamentally distinguishing capillary–inertial jumping and buoyant–inertial departure mechanisms across different bubble sizes and size ratios. The results show that both the initial sizes of the coalescing bubbles and the ratio between their sizes can determine whether the merged bubble will leave the surface through capillary–inertial jumping or buoyant departure. Below a certain bubble size, the release of surface energy by the merger is not sufficient to propel the merged bubble from the surface.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1986

Summary of research in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and computer sciences

The major categories of current ICASE research programs addressed include: numerical methods, with particular emphasis on the development and analysis of basic numerical algorithms; control and parameter identification problems, with emphasis on effective numerical methods; computational problems in engineering and physical sciences, particularly fluid dynamics, acoustics, and structural analysis; and computer systems and software, especially vector and parallel computers.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2020

Longitudinal spatial hole burning in high-power semiconductor lasers: numerical analysis

Longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) in high-power semiconductor lasers is analysed by numerically solving one-dimensional (1D) rate equations. Calculations are performed for GaAs-based lasers operating at a wavelength of 1.06 μm. It is shown that the LSHB-induced decrease in output power can be accounted for by two mechanisms: build-up of spontaneous recombination and decrease in slope efficiency, equivalent to a rise in internal optical loss. We analyse the influence of different laser chip parameters on the magnitude of the LSHB effect. In particular, it is shown that to suppress LSHB it is preferable to increase the optical confinement factor Γ. We examine the relationship between LSHB and other mechanisms capable of reducing the output power. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1993

Numerical analysis of a vortex controlled diffuser

A numerical study of a prototypical vortex controlled diffuser is performed. The basic diffuser geometry consists of a step expansion in a pipe of area ratio 2.25:1. The incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations, employing the K-epsilon turbulence model, are solved. Results are presented for bleed rates ranging from 1 to 7 percent. Diffuser efficiencies in excess of 80 percent are obtained. Reattachment lengths are reduced by a factor of up to 3. These results are in qualitative agreement with previous experimental work. However, differences in some basic details of experimentally observed and the present numerically generated flowfields exist. The effect of swirl is also investigated.

Spall, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Numerical Analysis of a Turbulent Compressible Jet

A numerical method to simulate high Reynolds number jet flows was formulated and applied to gain a better understanding of the flow physics. Large-eddy simulation was chosen as the most promising approach to model the turbulent structures due to its compromise between accuracy and computational expense. The filtered Navier-Stokes equations were developed including a total energy form of the energy equation. Subgrid scale models for the momentum and energy equations were adapted from compressible forms of Smagorinsky's original model. The effect of using disparate temporal and spatial accuracy in a numerical scheme was discovered through one-dimensional model problems and a new uniformly fourth-order accurate numerical method was developed. Results from two- and three-dimensional validation exercises show that the code accurately reproduces both viscous and inviscid flows. Numerous axisymmetric jet simulations were performed to investigate the effect of grid resolution, numerical scheme, exit boundary conditions and subgrid scale modeling on the solution and the results were used to guide the three-dimensional calculations. Three-dimensional calculations of a Mach 1.4 jet showed that this LES simulation accurately captures the physics of the turbulent flow. The agreement with experimental data was relatively good and is much better than results in the current literature. Turbulent intensities indicate that the turbulent structures at this level of modeling are not isotropic and this information could lend itself to the development of improved subgrid scale models for LES and turbulence models for RANS simulations. A two point correlation technique was used to quantify the turbulent structures. Two point space correlations were used to obtain a measure of the integral length scale, which proved to be approximately 1/2 D(sub j). Two point space-time correlations were used to obtain the convection velocity for the turbulent structures. This velocity ranged from 0.57 to 0.71 U(sub j).

DeBonis, James R.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Numerical analysis on seismic behavior of reinforced concrete beam to concrete filled steel tubular column connections with ring-beam

This paper presents numerical study of the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete beam to concrete filled steel tube column connections with ring-beam. The material stress-strain relations, element type and boundary condition are selected, which are consistent with actual situation. Then the seismic behavior of this type of joint are researched by ABAQUS, and finite element analyses are conducted under cyclic loading. Its parameters are discussed including thickness of steel tubular column wall, sectional dimension of the ring-beam and strength of the core concrete. The results show that the ultimate capacity of the connections is improved with sectional dimension of the ring-beam increased. In the meanwhile, the influence on skeleton curve of the joints is slight of which included thickness of steel tubular column wall and strength of the core concrete.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Numerical analysis of hydrodynamics in a rotor-stator reactor for biodiesel synthesis

A rotor-stator spinning disk reactor for intensified biodiesel synthesis is described and numerically simulated. The reactor consists of two flat disks, located coaxially and parallel to each other with a gap ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm between the disks. The upper disk is located on a rotating shaft while the lower disk is stationary. The feed liquids, triglycerides (TG) and methanol are introduced coaxially along the center line of rotating disk and stationary disk, respectively. Fluid hydrodynamics in the reactor for synthesis of biodiesel from TG and methanol in the presence of a sodium hydroxide catalyst are simulated, using convection-diffusion-reaction species transport model by the CFD software ANSYS©Fluent v. 13.0. The effects of upper disk’s spinning speed, gap size and flow rates at inlets are evaluated.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1988

Numerical analysis of laminar and turbulent incompressible flows using the finite element Fluid Dynamics Analysis Package (FIDAP)

The purpose of the study is the evaluation of the numerical accuracy of FIDAP (Fluid Dynamics Analysis Package). Accordingly, four test problems in laminar and turbulent incompressible flows are selected and the computational results of these problems compared with other numerical solutions and/or experimental data. These problems include: (1) 2-D laminar flow inside a wall-driven cavity; (2) 2-D laminar flow over a backward-facing step; (3) 2-D turbulent flow over a backward-facing step; and (4) 2-D turbulent flow through a turn-around duct.

Sohn, Jeong L.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Infrared Radiation on Cryogenic Inertial Confinement Fusion Targets

The present work applies the finite element method to calculate the maximum allowable time that cryogenic inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets can be exposed to infrared radiation (IR). Hence, a 3-D numerical model integrated with discrete coordinate radiation model was developed to investigate the influence of transmittance of the laser entrance holes (LEHs) and boundary conditions on the temperature field distribution and the maximum DT layer deterioration time for CH, Be, and diamond capsules. Our study shows that introducing such a radiation model can accurately obtain more detailed spatial and temporal distribution information in the ICF targets. The simulation results demonstrate that the Be and diamond capsules provided much better temperature field homogenization than the CH capsule under equivalent boundary conditions, but the CH capsule was heated more by IR radiation than the Be and diamond. In addition, the maximum DT layer deterioration time was significantly increased to 3 s when decreasing the transmittance of the LEH from 0.2 to 0.01. However, either reducing the capsule IR absorption or increasing the inner hohlraum IR absorption demonstrated no conclusive increase in the maximum DT layer deterioration time. These results are expected to provide useful parameters in the design of cryogenic targets and shroud systems.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Numerical analysis of amplification of picosecond pulses in a THL-100 laser system with an increase in the pump energy of the XeF(C – A) amplifier

Energy characteristics of laser radiation with a pulse width of 50 ps at an elevated pump energy of the XeF(C – A) amplifier of a hybrid THL-100 laser system are analysed numerically. The dynamics of the change in the energy and maximum intensity of laser radiation with an increase in the pump energy of the XeF(C – A) amplifier from 270 to 400 J is investigated. The results of studying the influence of the input beam divergence on the energy characteristics of the output beam are presented. It is shown that, for the existing system of mirrors, an increase in the pump energy to 400 J leads to an increase in the output energy from 3.2 to 5.5 J at a maximum radiation intensity of 57 GW cm{sup −2}. A system of amplifier mirrors with 27 laser beam passes and enlarged divergence angle of the amplified beam is considered. Theoretically, the proposed system of mirrors allows one to increase the laser pulse energy to 7.5 J at a maximum intensity of no more than 14.8 GW cm{sup −2}. The calculated efficiency of the conversion of the pump energy absorbed in the amplifier gas chamber into the lasing energy exceeds 3 % in this regime. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗