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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 721 records · Page 40

An Investigation of Two Acoustic Propagation Codes for Three-Dimensional Geometries

The ability to predict fan noise within complex three-dimensional aircraft engine nacelle geometries is a valuable tool in studying low-noise designs. Recent years have seen the development of aeroacoustic propagation codes using various levels of approximation to obtain such a capability. In light of this, it is beneficial to pursue a design paradigm that incorporates the strengths of the various tools. The development of a quasi-3D methodology (Q3D-FEM) at NASA Langley has brought these ideas to mind in relation to the framework of the CDUCT-LaRC acoustic propagation and radiation tool. As more extensive three dimensional codes become available, it would seem appropriate to incorporate these tools into a framework similar to CDUCT-LaRC and use them in a complementary manner. This work focuses on such an approach in beginning the steps toward a systematic assessment of the errors, and hence the trade-offs, involved in the use of these codes. To illustrate this point, CDUCT-LaRC was used to study benchmark hardwall duct problems to quantify errors caused by wave propagation in directions far removed from that defined by the parabolic approximation. Configurations incorporating acoustic treatment were also studied with CDUCT-LaRC and Q3D-FEM. The cases presented show that acoustic treatment diminishes the effects of CDUCT-LaRC phase error as the solutions are attenuated. The results of the Q3D-FEM were very promising and matched the analytic solution very well. Overall, these tests were meant to serve as a step toward the systematic study of errors inherent in the propagation module of CDUCT-LaRC, as well as an initial test of the higher fidelity Q3D-FEM code.

Nark, D. M.↗

Modernization of NASA's Johnson Space Center Chamber: A Liquid Nitrogen System to Support Cryogenic Vacuum Optical Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

NASA is the mission lead for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the next of the “Great Observatories”, scheduled for launch in 2018. It is directly responsible for the integration and test (I&T) program that will culminate in an end-to-end cryo vacuum optical test of the flight telescope and instrument module in Chamber A at NASA Johnson Space Center. Historic Chamber A is the largest thermal vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center and one of the largest space simulation chambers in the world. Chamber A has undergone a major modernization effort to support the deep cryogenic, vacuum and cleanliness requirements for testing the JWST. This paper describes the steps performed in efforts to convert the existing the 60’s era Liquid Nitrogen System from a forced flow (pumped) process to a natural circulation (thermo-siphon) process. In addition, the paper will describe the dramatic conservation of liquid nitrogen to support the long duration thermal vacuum testing. Lastly, describe the simplistic and effective control system which results in zero to minimal human inputs during steady state conditions.

Garcia, Sammy↗

Lessons Learned from Large-Scale Aerospace Structural Testing

Large-scale testing of aerospace structures is frequently the final step in a development project to validate the structural performance, and that typically involves a large cost and time investment. In order to ensure that the testing provides the required data, avoiding errors that can result in an unsuccessful test and failure to meet objectives is critical. Presented herein are five lessons learned to provide insight to those conducting tests in order to help them avoid known pitfalls that may result in an unsuccessful test. Five subject large-scale tests are described, and include two composite wing tests, a composite hybrid-wing body center section test, a full-scale 27.5-ft diameter metallic barrel test, and an 8-ft diameter metallic barrel test. Problems identified during the testing and mitigation approaches to solve the problems are presented, then the lessons learned are summarized.

Lessons Learned↗

Lessons Learned from Large-Scale Aerospace Structural Testing

Large-scale testing of aerospace structures is frequently the final step in a development project to validate the structural performance, and that typically involves a large cost and time investment. In order to ensure that the testing provides the required data, avoiding errors that can result in an unsuccessful test and failure to meet objectives is critical. Presented herein are five lessons learned to provide insight to those conducting tests in order to help them avoid known pitfalls that may result in an unsuccessful test. Five subject large-scale tests are described, and include two composite wing tests, a composite hybrid-wing body center section test, a full-scale 27.5-ft diameter metallic barrel test, and an 8-ft diameter metallic barrel test. Problems identified during the testing and mitigation approaches to solve the problems are presented, then the lessons learned are summarized.

Lessons Learned↗

Laser Diode Analysis and Verification (Professional Report)

The goal of this project at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was focused on analyzing and verifying laser diodes to ensure that the diodes meet requirements for LLNL mission applications. The different stages of this testing were documented in a process flow map which included location color coding so that each step was clearly defined in scope and location of appropriate testing facility. Data were collected and analyzed and compared to minimum acceptable values to see if requirements were met. The process map documents the initial receipt, inspection, and testing of the laser diodes. Initial inspections started with Keyence Microscope imaging and then moved on to High Potential, Ramp, and Burst Testing. Data from the diode testing were processed through MATLAB and Python codes to verify various metrics such as slope efficiency, threshold current, back irradiance, and beam divergence met requirements. These metrics were then recorded in Excel summary reports. Approximately 95% of the laser diodes passed all tests. Presentations were given to Lawrence Livermore’s internal leadership team, an external partner, and to a Lab-wide audience. The data released for this report was constrained by information protection considerations of LLNL’s national security missions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Quadruple Lap Shear Processing Evaluation

The Thiokol, Science and Engineering Huntsville Operations (SEHO) Laboratory has previously experienced significant levels of variation in testing Quadruple Lap Shear (QLS) specimens. The QLS test is used at Thiokol / Utah for the qualification of Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) nozzle flex bearing materials. A test was conducted to verify that process changes instituted by SEHO personnel effectively reduced variability, even with normal processing variables introduced. A test matrix was designed to progress in a series of steps; the first establishing a baseline, then introducing additional solvents or other variables. Variables included normal test plan delay times, pre-bond solvent hand-wipes and contaminants. Each condition tested utilized standard QLS hardware bonded with natural rubber, two separate technicians and three replicates. This paper will report the results and conclusions of this investigation.

Thornton, Tony N.↗

A Complete Tank Test of a Model of Flying-boat Hull - N.A.C.A. Model 16

A model of a 2-step flying-boat hull, of the type generally used in England, was tested according to the complete method described in the N.A.C.A. Technical Note No. 464. The lines of this model were taken from offsets given by Mr. William Munro in Flight, May 29, 1931. The data cover the range of loads, speeds, and trim angles that may be of use in applying the hull form to the design of any seaplane. The results are reduced to nondimensional form to aid application to design problems and facilitate comparison with the performance of other hulls. The water characteristics of Model 16 are compared with those of Model 11-A, which is representative of current American practice. The results show that when the two forms are applied to a given seaplane design under optimum conditions for each, the performance of Model 16 will be somewhat inferior to that of Model 11-A.

Shoemaker, James H↗

Containerization in ATLAS Software Development and Data Production

The ATLAS experiment's software production and distribution on the grid benefits from a semi-automated infrastructure that provides up-to-date information about software usability and availability through the CVMFS dis-tribution service for all relevant systems. The software development process uses a Continuous Integration pipeline involving testing, validation, packag-ing and installation steps. For opportunistic sites that can not access CVMFS, containerized releases are needed. These standalone containers are currently created manually to support Monte-Carlo data production at such sites. In this paper we will describe an automated procedure for the containerization of AT-LAS software releases in the existing software development infrastructure, its motivation, integration and testing in the distributed computing system.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Full time-dependent SOLPS-ITER simulation of the SPARC tokamak: actuator design for particle and divertor condition control *

Abstract This paper presents the application of full time-dependent SOLPS-ITER simulations for actuator design in the SPARC tokamak. This study employs both the EIRENE module, a neutral solver, and the B2.5 plasma module in a time-dependent mode. This is in contrast to most SOLPS simulations, which focus on steady-state solutions, where the neutral distribution is evolved without any time limit or for a time step of 1 ⋅ 10 − 3 second, which is several orders of magnitude larger than the fluid plasma time step. The time-dependent EIRENE was tested with a fixed B2.5 background and compared with a simple conductance based model in a simplified pump chamber geometry. This comparison aimed to verify the reliability of the neutral relaxation timescale derived from the time-dependent EIRENE. Subsequently, a full time-dependent simulation was performed in a realistic geometry, with the Monte-Carlo neutral time step synchronized with the plasma fluid time step. The numerical setup of the code, including relative time steps and the size of the census data used to store Monte-Carlo particle information is considered. The full-time dependent simulations are then applied to inform the design of the SPARC louver structure, which affects divertor plasma parameters by regulating the neutral conductance from the divertor to the pump. The response of the plasma and neutral parameters was captured on a timescale that enables the design of the actuator to consider time-dependent control capability. It was found that changing the louver opacity has an equivalent effect as varying the gas throughput via puff actuation. Therefore, equivalent divertor plasma conditions can be obtained from both actuators, while the neutral pressure distribution in the pump and divertor differs for each actuator.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Documentation on How to Run the NEAMS Workbench GUI on Sawtooth

This document provides guidelines on how to run Moose-based applications from the NEAMS WorkbenchGUI on the HPC platform Sawtooth located at Idaho National Laboratory. The different steps are illustrated with a multi-app example modeling a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) taken from the virtual test bed (VTB) website. The workflow consists of four steps to demonstrate the capabilities of the NEAMS Workbench GUI, that covers log into Sawtooth, editing and validating input files, submission of the job to the queue and visualization of the numerical solution and the geometry. Each step is illustrated with figures in the text, and a demonstration video is also available.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

UAE6 - Wind Tunnel Tests Data - UAE6 - Sequence K - Raw Data

Sequence K: Step AOA, Probes (P) This sequence was designed to quantify the 3-D blade static angle-of-attack response in the presence of rotational influences by varying the blade pitch angle. Sequence K used an upwind, rigid turbine with a 0° cone angle. The wind speeds ranged from 6 m/s to 20 m/s, and data were collected at yaw angles of 0° and 30°. The rotor rotated at 72 RPM. Blade and probe pressure measurements were collected. The teeter dampers were replaced with rigid links, and these two channels were flagged as not applicable by setting the measured values in the data file to -99999.99 Nm. The teeter link load cell was pre-tensioned to 40,000 N. The blade pitch angle ramped continuously at 0.18°/s over a wide range of increasing and decreasing pitch angles. A step sequence was also performed. The blade pitch was stepped 5°, the flow was allowed to stabilize, and the pitch angle was held for 8 seconds. Then the pitch angle step was repeated. Again, a wide range of pitch angles was obtained, both increasing and decreasing. The file lengths for this sequence varied from 96 seconds to 6 minutes, depending on the pitch angle range. Some short points were collected at 0° yaw and 3° pitch to verify the functionality of the instrumentation. The file name convention used the initial letter K, followed by two digits specifying wind speed, followed by two digits for yaw angle, followed by RU, RD, or ST, followed by the repetition digit. The angle-of-attack motion was differentiated by RU (ramp up), RD (ramp down), and ST (step down then step up). This sequence is related to sequences L and R.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

The momentum transfer of incompressible turbulent separated flow due to cavities with steps

An experimental study was conducted using a plate test bed having a turbulent boundary layer to determine the momentum transfer to the faces of step/cavity combinations on the plate. Experimental data were obtained from configurations including an isolated configuration and an array of blocks in tile patterns. A momentum transfer correlation model of pressure forces on an isolated step/cavity was developed with experimental results to relate flow and geometry parameters. Results of the experiments reveal that isolated step/cavity excrecences do not have a unique and unifying parameter group due in part to cavity depth effects and in part to width parameter scale effects. Drag predictions for tile patterns by a kinetic pressure empirical method predict experimental results well. Trends were not, however, predicted by a method of variable roughness density phenomenology.

White, R. E.↗

STEP flight experiments Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) telescope

Flight testing plans for a large deployable infrared reflector telescope to be tested on a space platform are discussed. Subsystem parts, subassemblies, and whole assemblies are discussed. Assurance of operational deployability, rigidization, alignment, and serviceability will be sought.

Runge, F. C.↗

Dissipating Step Bunches during Crystallization under Transport Control

In studies of crystal formation by the generation and spreading of layers, equidistant step trains are considered unstable---bunches and other spatiotemporal patterns of the growth steps are viewed as ubiquitous. We provide an example to the opposite. We monitor the spatiotemporal dynamics of steps and the resulting step patterns during crystallization of the proteins ferritin and apoferritin using the atomic force microscope. The variations in step velocity and density are not correlated, indicating the lack of a long-range attraction between the steps. We show that (i) because of its coupling to bulk transport, nucleation of new layers is chaotic and occurs at the facet edges, where the interfacial supersaturation is higher; (ii) step bunches self-organize via the competition for supply from the solution; and, (iii) bunches of weakly interacting steps decay as they move along the face. Tests by numerical modeling support the conclusions about the mechanisms underlying our observations. The results from these systems suggest that during crystallization controlled by transport, with weakly or noninteracting growth steps, the stable kinetic state of the surface is an equidistant step train, and step bunches only arise during nucleation of new layers. Since nucleation only occurs at a few sites on the surface, the surface morphology may be controllably patterned or smoothened by locally controlling nucleation.

Lin, Hong↗

Optical Studies of Active Comets

This grant was to support optical studies of comets close enough to the sun to be outgassing. The main focus of the observations was drawn to the two extraordinarily bright comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, but other active comets were also studied in detail during the period of funding. Major findings under this grant include: (1) Combined optical and submillimeter observations of the comet/Centaur P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 were used to study the nature of mass loss from this object. (2) We modelled the rotation of cometary nuclei using time-resolved images of dust jets as the primary constraint. The fortuitous apparition of comet Hale-Bopp allowed us to see the full complexity of this. (3) We obtained broad-band optical images of several comets for which we subsequently attempted submillimeter observations, in order to test and update the cometary ephemerides. This step is essential to the success of submillimeter observations, which are taken by instruments with narrow fields of view and without benefit of optical confirmation of the pointing. (4) Broad-band continuum images of a set of weakly active comets and, apparently, inactive asteroids were obtained in BVRI using the University of Hawaii 2.2-m telescope. These images were taken in support of a program to test the paradigm that many near-Earth asteroids might be dead or dormant comets. We measured coma vs. nucleus colors in active comets (finding that coma particle scattering is different from, and cannot be simply related to, nucleus color). (5) We obtained spectroscopic observations of weakly active comets and other small bodies limits to outgassing from these bodies, aided by the high (40,000) spectral resolution of HIRES.

Jewitt, David↗

The Root Cause of the Overheating Problem

Previously we identified the receding flow, where two fluid streams recede from each other, as an open numerical problem, because all well-known numerical fluxes give an anomalous temperature rise, thus called the overheating problem. This phenomenon, although presented in several textbooks, and many previous publications, has scarcely been satisfactorily addressed and the root cause of the overheating problem not well understood. We found that this temperature rise was solely connected to entropy rise and proposed to use the method of characteristics to eradicate the problem. However, the root cause of the entropy production was still unclear. In the present study, we identify the cause of this problem: the entropy rise is rooted in the pressure flux in a finite volume formulation and is implanted at the first time step. It is found theoretically inevitable for all existing numerical flux schemes used in the finite volume setting, as confirmed by numerical tests. This difficulty cannot be eliminated by manipulating time step, grid size, spatial accuracy, etc, although the rate of overheating depends on the flux scheme used. Finally, we incorporate the entropy transport equation, in place of the energy equation, to ensure preservation of entropy, thus correcting this temperature anomaly. Its applicability is demonstrated for some relevant 1D and 2D problems. Thus, the present study validates that the entropy generated ab initio is the genesis of the overheating problem.

Liou, Meng-Sing↗

Numerical Simulations in Support of a Long-Term Test of Gas Production from Hydrate Accumulations on the Alaska North Slope: Reservoir Response to Interruptions of Production (Shut-Ins)

In this work, we investigate by means of numerical simulation a planned year-long field test of depressurization-induced production from a permafrost-associated hydrate reservoir on the Alaska North Slope at the site of the recently drilled Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well. The main objective of this study is to assess quantitatively the impact of temporary interruptions (well shut-ins) on the expected fluid production performance from the B1 Sand of the stratigraphic Unit B during controlled depressurization over different time scales, as well as on other relevant aspects of the system response that have the potential to significantly affect the design of the field test. We consider eight different cases of depressurization, including (a) rapid depressurization over a 60-day period to a terminal bottomhole pressure P W of 2.8 MPa and (b) a slower depressurization rate to a final P W of 0.6 MPa at the end of the year-long production test, in addition to (c) a multi-step depressurization regime and (d) a quasi-linear continuous depressurization strategy. The results of the study indicate that shut-ins obviously reduce gas release and production during and immediately after their occurrence, but their longer-term effects are strongly dependent on the depressurization regime and on the time of observation, covering the entire range of potential outcomes. Shut-ins (a) have a universally strong negative effect when quasi-linear depressurization is involved regardless of the length of the production period, and (b) have a strong positive effect in multi-step depressurization schemes that becomes apparent earlier for large initial pressure drops, but (c) can also appear to have practically no effect for slow stepwise depressurization at the end of the year-long production test. Shut-ins lead to a rapid reformation of hydrates, even to the point of disappearance of a free gas phase in the reservoir. Rapid depressurization regimes lead to early maximum rates of hydrate dissociation and gas production, while the maximum rates occur at the end of the production test for the cases of slower depressurization. Shut-ins do not appear to have a significant impact on water production, as the cessation of production is followed by higher rates production when depressurization resumes. Similarly, (a) the fraction of produced CH 4 originating from exsolution from the water, (b) the water-to-gas ratio, and (c) the rate of replenishment of produced water by boundary inflows do not appear significantly affected by shut-ins, the effects of which seem to be temporary in the majority of the cases. The study confirmed the superiority of multi-step depressurization methods as the most effective strategies for hydrate dissociation and gas production and showed that two observation wells (located at distances of 30 and 50 m from the production well) are appropriately positioned and both able to capture the P, T, and S G behavior during the fluid production and shut-ins in any of the eight cases we investigated.

03 NATURAL GAS↗