Implementation of a Parallel 3D Thermal Convection Software Package
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Thermostructural Analysis of the SOFIA Fine Field and Wide Field Imagers Subjected to Convective Thermal Shock
The originally designed SOFIA aircraft configuration included a system to pre-cool the telescope cavity on the ground before flight, however, due to various factors in the history of the project that system was not installed. This lack of ground pre-cooling was thus the source of the concern over whether or not the imagers would be exposed to a potentially unsafe thermostructural environment when the telescope cavity door was opened at altitude. This concern was in addition to the already existing concern that the air temperature rate of change during flight (both at the same altitude as well as ascent or descent) could cause the imagers to be exposed to an unsafe thermostructural environment. Four optical components were identified as the components of concern - two of higher concern (one in each imager) and two of lower concern (one in each imager). The requirement was to perform transient, coupled thermostructural analyses to determine whether the stress would ever achieve unsafe levels in these components. The analysis effort began by analyzing one component, after which the analyses for the other components was deemed unnecessary.
Kostyk, Chris↗
Thermostructural Analysis of the SOFIA Fine Field and Wide Field Imagers Subjected to Convective Thermal Shock
The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a highly modified Boeing 747-SP with a 17- ton infrared telescope installed in the aft portion of the aircraft. Unlike ground- and space-based platforms, SOFIA can deploy to make observations anytime, anywhere, in the world. The originally designed aircraft configuration included a ground pre-cool system, however, due to various factors in the history of the project, that system was not installed. This lack of ground pre-cooling was the source of the concern about whether or not the imagers would be exposed to a potentially unsafe thermostructural environment. This concern was in addition to the already-existing concern of some project members that the air temperature rate of change during flight (both at the same altitude as well as ascent or descent) could cause the imagers to be exposed to an unsafe thermostructural environment. Four optical components were identified as the components of concern: two of higher concern (one in each imager), and two of lower concern (one in each imager). The analysis effort began by analyzing one component, after which the analyses for the other components was deemed unnecessary. The purpose of this report is to document these findings as well as lessons learned from the effort.
Kostyk, Christopher B.↗
Thermal and convection analyses of the dendrite remelting rocket experiment; Experiment 74-21 in the space processing rocket program
The Dendrite Remelting Rocket Experiment was performed aboard a Black Brant VC Sounding Rocket during a period which gravity levels of approximately 0.00001 g prevailed. The experiment consisted of cooling an aqueous ammonium chloride solution in a manner such that crystallization of ammonium chloride crystals proceeded throughout a three minute period of zero-g. The crystallization process during flight was recorded on 35 mm panatomic-x film. A number of ground crystallizations were similarly recorded for comparison purposes. The convective and thermal conditions in aqueous and metallic liquid systems were assessed under conditions of the flight experiment to help establish the relevance of the rocket experiment to metals casting phenomena. The results indicate that aqueous or metallic convective velocities in the Dendrite Remelting Rocket Experiment cell are of insignificant magnitudes at the 0.0001 to 0.00001 g levels of the experiment. The crystallization phenomena observed in the Rocket Experiment, therefore, may be indicative of how metals will solidify in low-g.
Grodzka, P. G.↗
Thermal and fluid flow analyses of sounding rocket experiment 74-21/2R and 74-21/3R
The thermal convective velocities during the 4-21/2R and 74-21/3R flight tests were calculated. The 74-21/2R and 74-21/3R ground tests were analyzed using a convection formula. Thermal convection velocities of 0.1 to 0.5 cm/sec were calculated for the 74-21/2R and 74-21/3R ground tests which were two to four orders of magnitude greater than for the flight tests. For the 74-21/2R flight test, solutal effects do not produce any convective motion. For the 74-21/3R flight test closed form convection equations estimated the solutal convective velocities on the order of 1/0.003 cm/sec.
Robertson, S. J.↗
HEAT TRANSFER BY COMBINED FORCED CONVECTION AND THERMAL RADIATION IN A HEATED TUBE
Heat transfer by combined forced convection and thermal radiation in a heated tube
THERMAL RADIATION↗
Flow regimes in a shallow rotating cylindrical annulus with temperature gradients imposed on the horizontal boundaries
Experimental flow regime diagrams are determined for a new rotating cylindrical annulus configuration which permits a measure of control over the internal vertical temperature gradient. The new annulus has radial temperature gradients imposed on plane horizontal thermally conducting endwalls (with the cylindrical sidewalls as insulators) and is considered to be more relevant to atmospheric dynamics studies than the classical cylindrical annulus. Observations have revealed that, in addition to the axisymmetric flow and nonaxisymmetric baroclinic wave flow which occur in the classical annulus, two additional nonaxisymmetric flow types occur in the new annulus: boundary-layer thermal convection and deep thermal convection. Flow regime diagrams for three different values of the imposed vertical temperature difference are presented, and explanations for the flow transitions are offered. The new annulus provides scientific backup for the proposed Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment for Spacelab. The apparatus diagram is included.
Hathaway, D. H.↗
Thermal Vibrational Convection in a Two-phase Stratified Liquid
The response of a two-phase stratified liquid system subject to a vibration parallel to an imposed temperature gradient is analyzed using a hybrid thermal lattice Boltzmann method (HTLB). The vibrations considered correspond to sinusoidal translations of a rigid cavity at a fixed frequency. The layers are thermally and mechanically coupled. Interaction between gravity-induced and vibration-induced thermal convection is studied. The ability of applied vibration to enhance the flow, heat transfer and interface distortion is investigated. For the range of conditions investigated, the results reveal that the effect of vibrational Rayleigh number and vibrational frequency on a two-phase stratified fluid system is much different than that for a single-phase fluid system. Comparisons of the response of a two-phase stratified fluid system with a single-phase fluid system are discussed.
Chang, Qingming↗
Probing the clear atmosphere with high power, high resolution radars.
Radar echoes observed from clear atmosphere, discussing scattering mechanisms of thin stable inversions, convective thermals, Benard convection cells, breaking gravity waves, etc
Hardy, K. R.↗
probing the atmosphere with high power, high resolution radars
Observations of radar echoes from the clear atmosphere are presented and the scattering mechanisms responsible for the two basic types of clear-air echoes are discussed. The commonly observed dot echo originates from a point in space and usually shows little variation in echo intensity over periods of about 0.1 second. The second type of clear-air radar echo appears diffuse in space, and signal intensities vary considerably over periods of less than 0.1 second. The echoes often occur in thin horizontal layers or as boundaries of convective activity; these are characterized by sharp gradients of refractive index. Some features of clear-air atmospheric structures as observed with radar are presented. These structures include thin stable inversions, convective thermals, Benard convection cells, breaking gravity waves, and high tropospheric layers which are sufficiently turbulent to affect aircraft.
Hardy, K. R.↗
Numerical studies of penetrative convective instabilities
Penetrative thermal convection stability for statically unstable layer surmounted by statically stable layer from numerical integration of linearized equations of motion and heat conduction
Faller, A. J.↗
A laboratory model of planetary and stellar convection
Experiments on thermal convection in a rotating, differentially-heated spherical shell with a radial buoyancy force were conducted in an orbiting microgravity laboratory. A variety of convective structures, or planforms, were observed depending on the magnitude of the rotation and the nature of the imposed heating distribution. The results are in agreement with numerical simulations that can be conducted at modest parameter values, and suggest possible regimes of motion in rotating planets and stars.
Hart, J. E.↗
Investigation of Thermal Stress Convection in Nonisothermal Gases Under Microgravity Conditions
Microgravity conditions offer an environment in which convection in a nonisothermal gas could be driven primarily by thermal stress. A direct examination of thermal stress flows would be invaluable in assessing the accuracy of the Burnett terms in the fluid stress tensor. We present a preliminary numerical investigation of the competing effects of thermal stress, thermal creep at the side walls, and buoyancy on gas convection in nonuniformly heated containers under normal and reduced gravity levels. Conditions in which thermal stress convection becomes dominant are identified, and issues regarding the experimental measurement of the flows are discussed.
Mackowski, Daniel W.↗
Thermally-included convection in confined air
This study includes the development and design of a space experiment for the investigation of the thermally-induced convection heat transfer process in an enclosure containing air. Various features of the design including the optical method used in the fluid temperature measurement are presented and discussed. A series of ground experiments were carried out in support of the in-space experiment design. Their results are discussed briefly and compared with numerical predictions.
Crocker, D. S.↗
Investigation of Thermal Stress Convection in Nonisothermal Gases under Microgravity Conditions
The project has sought to ascertain the veracity of the Burnett relations, as applied to slow moving, highly nonisothermal gases, by comparison of convection and stress predictions with those generated by the DSMC method. The Burnett equations were found to provide reasonable descriptions of the pressure distribution and normal stress in stationary gases with a 1-D temperature gradient. Continuum/Burnett predictions of thermal stress convection in 2-D heated enclosures, however, are not quantitatively supported by DSMC results. For such situations, it appears that thermal creep flows, generated at the boundaries of the enclosure, will be significantly larger than the flows resulting from thermal stress in the gas.
Mackowski, Daniel W.↗
Steady-state thermal-solutal convection and diffusion in a simulated float zone
Models describing the steady-state thermal diffusion in a pure system, the thermal-solutal diffusion in a binary system, and heat and momentum transverse in a pure system are presented. The geometry of the model is described by a 2D Cartesian coordinate system that is applicable for crystal sheets. The melting, solidifying, and melt/gas interfacial shapes as well as the thermal, flow, and solutal profiles are analytically evaluated as functions of the heat and ambient temperature profiles and material properties. The solution procedure involves a coupled asymptotic/numerical approach which reduces the coupled set of partial differential equations to ordinary type. The results should be applicable in situations where melt flows are not intense enough to change the thermal field in pure systems, or where the physical properties of the melt are such that the convective field is decoupled from the thermal field, the latter being established primarily by diffusion.
Young, G. W.↗
Thermal History and Mantle Dynamics of Venus
One objective of this research proposal is to develop a 3-D thermal history model for Venus. The basis of our study is a finite-element computer model to simulate thermal convection of fluids with highly temperature- and pressure-dependent viscosities in a three-dimensional spherical shell. A three-dimensional model for thermal history studies is necessary for the following reasons. To study planetary thermal evolution, one needs to consider global heat budgets of a planet throughout its evolution history. Hence, three-dimensional models are necessary. This is in contrasts to studies of some local phenomena or local structures where models of lower dimensions may be sufficient. There are different approaches to treat three-dimensional thermal convection problems. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the choice of the various approaches is subjective and dependent on the problem addressed. In our case, we are interested in the effects of viscosities that are highly temperature dependent and that their magnitudes within the computing domain can vary over many orders of magnitude. In order to resolve the rapid change of viscosities, small grid spacings are often necessary. To optimize the amount of computing, variable grids become desirable. Thus, the finite-element numerical approach is chosen for its ability to place grid elements of different sizes over the complete computational domain. For this research proposal, we did not start from scratch and develop the finite element codes from the beginning. Instead, we adopted a finite-element model developed by Baumgardner, a collaborator of this research proposal, for three-dimensional thermal convection with constant viscosity. Over the duration supported by this research proposal, a significant amount of advancements have been accomplished.
Hsui, Albert T.↗
Solidification of eutectic system alloys in space (M-19)
It is well known that in the liquid state eutectic alloys are theoretically homogeneous under 1 g conditions. However, the homogeneous solidified structure of this alloy is not obtained because thermal convection and non-equilibrium solidification occur. The present investigators have clarified the solidification mechanisms of the eutectic system alloys under 1 g conditions by using the in situ observation method; in particular, the primary crystals of the eutectic system alloys never nucleated in the liquid, but instead did so on the mold wall, and the crystals separated from the mold wall by fluid motion caused by thermal convection. They also found that the equiaxed eutectic grains (eutectic cells) are formed on the primary crystals. In this case, the leading phase of the eutectic must agree with the phase of the primary crystals. In space, no thermal convection occurs so that primary crystals should not move from the mold wall and should not appear inside the solidified structure. Therefore no equiaxed eutectic grains will be formed under microgravity conditions. Past space experiments concerning eutectic alloys were classified into two types of experiments: one with respect to the solidification mechanisms of the eutectic alloys and the other to the unidirectional solidification of this alloy. The former type of experiment has the problem that the solidified structures between microgravity and 1 g conditions show little difference. This is why the flight samples were prepared by the ordinary cast techniques on Earth. Therefore it is impossible to ascertain whether or not the nucleation and growth of primary crystals in the melt occur and if primary crystals influence the formation of the equiaxed eutectic grains. In this experiment, hypo- and hyper-eutectic aluminum copper alloys which are near eutectic point are used. The chemical compositions of the samples are Al-32.4mass%Cu (Hypo-eutectic) and Al-33.5mass%Cu (hyper-eutectic). Long rods for the samples are cast by the Ohno Continuous Casting Process and they show the unidirectionally solidified structure. Each flight and ground sample was made of these same rods. The dimensions of all samples are 4.5 mm in diameter and 23.5 mm in length. Each sample is put in a graphite capsule and then vacuum sealed in a double silica ampoule. Then the ampoule is put in the tantalum cartridge and sealed by electron beam welding. For onbard experiments, a Continuous Heating Furnance (CHF) will be used for melting and solidifying samples under microgravity conditions. Six flight samples will be used. Four samples are hypo-eutectic and two are hyper-eutectic alloys. The surface of the two hypo-eutectic alloy samples are covered with aluminum oxide film to prevent Marangoni convection expected under microgravity conditions. Each sample will be heated to 700 C and held at that temperature for 5 min. After that the samples will be allowed to cool to 500 C in the furnace and they will be taken out of the furnace for He gas cooling. The heating and cooling diagrams for the flight experiments are shown. After collecting the flight samples, the solidified structures of the samples will be examined and the mechanisms of eutectic solidification under microgravity conditions will be determined. It is likely that successful flight experiment results will lead to production of high quality eutectic alloys and eutectic composite materials in space.
Ohno, Atsumi↗