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Results for “Thermal Radiative Transfer”

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
NASA NTRS1992

Three-dimensional surface grid generation for calculation of thermal radiation shape factors

A technique is described to generate three dimensional surface grids suitable for calculating shape factors for thermal radiative heat transfer. The surface under consideration is approximated by finite triangular elements generated in a special manner. The grid is generated by dividing the surface into a two dimensional array of nodes. Each node is defined by its coordinates. Each set of four adjacent nodes is used to construct two triangular elements. Each triangular element is characterized by the vector representation of its vertices. Vector algebra is used to calculate all desired geometric properties of grid elements. The properties are used to determine the shape factor between the element and an area element in space. The grid generation can be graphically displayed using any software with three dimensional features. DISSPLA was used to view the grids.

Aly, Hany M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Technical report series on global modeling and data assimilation. Volume 3: An efficient thermal infrared radiation parameterization for use in general circulation models

A detailed description of a parameterization for thermal infrared radiative transfer designed specifically for use in global climate models is presented. The parameterization includes the effects of the main absorbers of terrestrial radiation: water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone. While being computationally efficient, the schemes compute very accurately the clear-sky fluxes and cooling rates from the Earth's surface to 0.01 mb. This combination of accuracy and speed makes the parameterization suitable for both tropospheric and middle atmospheric modeling applications. Since no transmittances are precomputed the atmospheric layers and the vertical distribution of the absorbers may be freely specified. The scheme can also account for any vertical distribution of fractional cloudiness with arbitrary optical thickness. These features make the parameterization very flexible and extremely well suited for use in climate modeling studies. In addition, the numerics and the FORTRAN implementation have been carefully designed to conserve both memory and computer time. This code should be particularly attractive to those contemplating long-term climate simulations, wishing to model the middle atmosphere, or planning to use a large number of levels in the vertical.

Suarex, Max J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Multiphysics Thermal-Fluid Design Analysis of a Non-Nuclear Tester for Hot-Hydrogen Materials and Component Development

The objective of this effort is to perform design analyses for a non-nuclear hot-hydrogen materials tester, as a first step towards developing efficient and accurate multiphysics, thermo-fluid computational methodology to predict environments for hypothetical solid-core, nuclear thermal engine thrust chamber design and analysis. The computational methodology is based on a multidimensional, finite-volume, turbulent, chemically reacting, thermally radiating, unstructured-grid, and pressure-based formulation. The multiphysics invoked in this study include hydrogen dissociation kinetics and thermodynamics, turbulent flow, convective, and thermal radiative heat transfers. The goals of the design analyses are to maintain maximum hot-hydrogen jet impingement energy and to minimize chamber wall heating. The results of analyses on three test fixture configurations and the rationale for final selection are presented. The interrogation of physics revealed that reactions of hydrogen dissociation and recombination are highly correlated with local temperature and are necessary for accurate prediction of the hot-hydrogen jet temperature.

Wang, Ten-See↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of an Additively Manufactured Subscale Secondary Sealed Container for the NASA FROSTE Project

This presentation details the development of an additively manufactured (AM) subscale test article for the secondary sealed container (SSC) as part of the NASA FROSTE project. FROSTE is focused on the collection of regolith samples from shadowed regions of the Moon and the preservation of those samples at cryogenic temperatures for return to Earth. Our team was integrated into the FROSTE program to leverage innovative design approaches and additive manufacturing capabilities in support of a scalable development strategy, where the subscale configuration serves as the development path toward a full-scale SSC. Scalmalloy was selected as the primary material for all AM components due to its favorable strength-to-weight ratio, thermal conductivity, and demonstrated performance in aerospace applications. Its aluminum-based composition supports robust mechanical behavior at cryogenic temperatures while enabling efficient heat transfer and control of thermal gradients within the containment system. The SSC architecture consists of an outer container assembly that houses a phase change material (PCM) tank, which in turn contains primary containers holding the regolith. Thermal management relies on controlled conductive and radiative heat transfer, including a thermal connection assembly that interfaces the PCM tank to an external cryocooler via a thermal strap, and IMLI surrounding the PCM tank to inhibit radiative heat transfer. The outer container assembly incorporates sealing interfaces, thermal connection ports, and I/O feedthroughs, with PTFE spring seals used at critical interfaces to maintain containment integrity. The PCM tank is manufactured as a single monolithic Scalmalloy component and incorporates an integral lattice structure to minimize thermal gradients, internal channels for thermocouple routing, and interface features for thermal connection assembly integration. The tank is centrally suspended within the outer container using support rings, with G10 insulating components employed to inhibit thermal leaks. This work describes the design methodology, AM approach, and key considerations used to inform the design.

regolith↗
NASA NTRS1999

Heat Transfer Issues in Thin-Film Thermal Radiation Detectors

The Thermal Radiation Group at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has been working closely with scientists and engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center to develop accurate analytical and numerical models suitable for designing next generation thin-film thermal radiation detectors for earth radiation budget measurement applications. The current study provides an analytical model of the notional thermal radiation detector that takes into account thermal transport phenomena, such as the contact resistance between the layers of the detector, and is suitable for use in parameter estimation. It was found that the responsivity of the detector can increase significantly due to the presence of contact resistance between the layers of the detector. Also presented is the effect of doping the thermal impedance layer of the detector with conducting particles in order to electrically link the two junctions of the detector. It was found that the responsivity and the time response of the doped detector decrease significantly in this case. The corresponding decrease of the electrical resistance of the doped thermal impedance layer is not sufficient to significantly improve the electrical performance of the detector. Finally, the "roughness effect" is shown to be unable to explain the decrease in the thermal conductivity often reported for thin-film layers.

Barry, Mamadou Y.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A multi-layer discrete-ordinate method for vector radiative transfer in a vertically-inhomogeneous, emitting and scattering atmosphere. I - Theory. II - Application

A theory is developed for discretizing the vector integro-differential radiative transfer equation including both solar and thermal radiation. A complete solution and boundary equations are obtained using the discrete-ordinate method. An efficient numerical procedure is presented for calculating the phase matrix and achieving computational stability. With natural light used as a beam source, the Stokes parameters from the model proposed here are compared with the analytical solutions of Chandrasekhar (1960) for a Rayleigh scattering atmosphere. The model is then applied to microwave frequencies with a thermal source, and the brightness temperatures are compared with those from Stamnes'(1988) radiative transfer model.

Weng, Fuzhong↗
NASA NTRS1993

Two-dimensional radiative transfer in cloudy atmospheres - The spherical harmonic spatial grid method

A new two-dimensional monochromatic method that computes the transfer of solar or thermal radiation through atmospheres with arbitrary optical properties is described. The model discretizes the radiative transfer equation by expanding the angular part of the radiance field in a spherical harmonic series and representing the spatial part with a discrete grid. The resulting sparse coupled system of equations is solved iteratively with the conjugate gradient method. A Monte Carlo model is used for extensive verification of outgoing flux and radiance values from both smooth and highly variable (multifractal) media. The spherical harmonic expansion naturally allows for different levels of approximation, but tests show that the 2D equivalent of the two-stream approximation is poor at approximating variations in the outgoing flux. The model developed here is shown to be highly efficient so that media with tens of thousands of grid points can be computed in minutes. The large improvement in efficiency will permit quick, accurate radiative transfer calculations of realistic cloud fields and improve our understanding of the effect of inhomogeneity on radiative transfer in cloudy atmospheres.

Evans, K. F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Radiation Effects in a Semitransparent Gray Coating Heated by Convection and Cooled by Radiation

A parametric study using a one dimensional model of a semitransparent gray thermal barrier coating was performed to gain an understanding of the role thermal radiation can play in the heat transferred. Some ceramic materials are semitransparent in the wavelength ranges were thermal radiation is important. Therefore, absorption, emission, and scattering of thermal radiation can affect the he at transfer through the coating. In this paper, a one dimensional layer was used to model the heat transfer process occurring, in a burner test rig. The semitransparent layer is heated by a hot gas flowing over its surface. The layer and substrate at a cooled by radiation to the surroundings. The back side of the substrate is insulated. The coating is assumed to be gray (absorption and scattering coefficients are not function of wavelength). An absorption coefficient of 0.3/cm and scatter a rig coefficients of 0 (no scattering) and 100/cm (isotropic scattering) were used. The thickness and thermal conductivity of the layer are varied. The results show that the temperatures are affected by the properties of the semitransparent .ever and the emissivity of the substrate. The substrate and surface temperatures are presented. The apparent temperature an optical pyrometer would read for the emitted energy is also given. An apparent thermal conductivity was calculated for the layer.

Spuckler, Charles M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The chromospheres and coronae of five G-K main-sequence stars

Previous data and high and low dispersion IUE observations of Chi 1 Ori, Alpha Cen A, Xi Boo A, Alpha Cen B, and Epsilon Eri are used to model the atmospheres of these stars from the high chromosphere to the corona. The energy lost by radiation and transferred by thermal conduction is investigated to establish the heating requirements, and results similar to those found for the solar atmosphere are found. The observed emission measurement distribution below 100,000 K can be described by a model in which Alfven wave energy input, observed through nonthermal line broadening, is balanced by radiation losses. Comparison of the coronal, transition region, and chromospheric pressures shows scaling relations which are compatible with previous flux correlations.

Jordan, C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Net Thermal Radiation in the Atmosphere of Venus

The four entry probes of the Pioneer Venus mission measured the radiative net flux in the atmosphere of Venus at latitudes of 60 deg N, 31 deg S, 27 deg S, and 4 deg N. The three higher latitude probes carried instruments (small probe net flux radiometers; SNFR) with external sensors. The measured SNFR net fluxes are too large below the clouds, but an error source and correction scheme have been found. The near-equatorial probe carried an infrared radiometer (LIR) which viewed the atmosphere through a window in the probe. The LIR measurements are reasonable in the clouds, but increase to physically unreasonable levels shortly below the clouds. The probable error source and a correction procedure are identified. Three main conclusions can be drawn from comparisons of the four corrected flux profiles with radiative transfer calculations: (1) thermal net fluxes for the sounder probe do not require a reduction in the Mode 3 number density as has been suggested, but the probe measurements as a whole are most consistent with a significantly reduced mode 3 contribution to the cloud opacity; (2) at all probe sites, the fluxes imply that the upper cloud contains a yet undetected source of IR opacity; and (3) beneath the clouds the fluxes at a given altitude increase with latitude, suggesting greater IR cooling below the clouds at high latitudes and water vapor mixing ratios of about 2-5 x 10(exp -5) near 60 deg, 2-5 x 10(exp -4) near 30 deg, and greater than 5 x 10(exp -4) near the equator. The suggested latitudinal variation of IR cooling is consistent with descending motions at high latitudes, and it is speculated that it could provide an important additional drive for the general circulation.

Sromovsky, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Shuttle and Transfer Orbit Thermal Analysis and Testing of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Charge-Couple Device Imaging Spectrometer Radiator Shades

Thermal analyses of the Shuttle and Transfer Orbit of the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS), one of two science instruments on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, revealed a low-earth orbit (LEO) overheating problem on the goldized Kapton faces of two radiator shades. The shades were coated with the goldized Kapton to provide a low hemispherical emittance to minimize direct and backloaded heating from the sun and the observatory and high specularity to optimize the coupling to space on two passive radiators which cool the focal plane to -120 C +/- 1 C during on-orbit operations. Since the observatory has a highly elliptical final orbit of 10,000 kilometers by 140,000 kilometers and the ACIS radiators and shades are oriented anti-sun, the high solar absorptance to emittance ratio of the goldized Kapton was not an issue. However, during Shuttle bay-to-earth operations, the short duration solar heating occurring near the eclipse entry and exit resulted in shade temperatures in excess of the cure temperature of the adhesive used to bond the goldized Kapton and honeycomb face-sheets. The detailed thermal analysis demonstrating the LEO overheating as well as the redesign options and thermal testing of a redesigned development unit shade are presented.

Sharp, John R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Net Thermal Radiation in the Atmosphere of Venus

The four entry probes of the Pioneer Venus mission measured the radiative net flux in the atmosphere of Venus at latitudes of 60 deg. N, 31 deg. S, 27 deg. S, and 4 deg. N. The three higher latitude probes carried instruments (small probe net flux radiometers; SNFR) with external sensors. The measured SNFR net fluxes are too large below the clouds, but an error source and correction scheme have been found (H. E. Revercomb, L. A. Sromovsky, and V. E. Suomi, 1982, Icarus 52, 279-300). The near-equatorial probe carried an infrared radiometer (LIR) which viewed the atmosphere through a window in the probe. The LIR measurements are reasonable in the clouds, but increase to physically unreasonable levels shortly below the clouds. The probable error source and a correction procedure are identified. Three main conclusions can be drawn from comparisons of the four corrected flux profiles with radiative transfer calculations: (1) thermal net fluxes for the sounder probe do not require a reduction in the Mode 3 number density as has been suggested by O.B. Toon, B. Ragent, D. Colburn, J. Blamont, and C. Cot (1964. Icarus 37, 143-160), but the probe measurements as a whole are most consistent with a significantly reduced mode 3 contribution to the cloud opacity; (2) at all probe sites, the fluxes imply that the upper cloud contains a yet undetected source of IR opacity; and (3) beneath the clouds the fluxes at a given altitude increase with latitude, suggesting greater IR cooling below the clouds a( high latitudes and water vapor mixing ratios of about 2-5 x 10(exp -5) near 6 deg., 2-5 x 10(exp -11) near 30 deg., and less than 5 x 10(exp -4 ) near the equator. The suggested latitudinal variation of IR cooling is consistent with descending motions at high latitudes, and it is speculated that it could provide an important additional drive for the general circulation.

Revercomb, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Effect of Core Configuration on Thermal Barrier Thermal Performance

Thermal barriers and seals are integral components in the thermal protection systems (TPS) of nearly all aerospace vehicles. They are used to minimize heat transfer through interfaces and gaps and protect underlying temperature-sensitive components. The core insulation has a significant impact on both the thermal and mechanical properties of compliant thermal barriers. Proper selection of an appropriate core configuration to mitigate conductive, convective and radiative heat transfer through the thermal barrier is challenging. Additionally, optimization of the thermal barrier for thermal performance may have counteracting effects on mechanical performance. Experimental evaluations have been conducted to better understand the effect of insulation density on permeability and leakage performance, which can significantly impact the resistance to convective heat transfer. The effect of core density on mechanical performance was also previously investigated and will be reviewed. Simple thermal models were also developed to determine the impact of various core parameters on downstream temperatures. An extended understanding of these factors can improve the ability to design and implement these critical TPS components.

flow tests↗