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At least 937 records · Page 52

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NASA NTRS1983

User's manual for a TEACH computer program for the analysis of turbulent, swirling reacting flow in a research combustor

Described is a computer program for the analysis of the subsonic, swirling, reacting turbulent flow in an axisymmetric, bluff-body research combustor. The program features an improved finite-difference procedure designed to reduce the effects of numerical diffusion and a new algorithm for predicting the pressure distribution within the combustor. A research version of the computer program described in the report was supplied to United Technologies Research Center by Professor A. D. Gosman and his students, R. Benodeker and R. I. Issa, of Imperial College, London. The Imperial College staff also supplied much of the program documentation. Presented are a description of the mathematical model for flow within an axisymmetric bluff-body combustor, the development of the finite-difference procedure used to represent the system of equations, an outline of the algorithm for determining the static pressure distribution within the combustor, a description of the computer program including its input format, and the results for representative test cases.

Chiappetta, L. M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Non-Lambertian effects on remote sensing of surface reflectance and vegetation index

This paper discusses the effects of non-Lambertian reflection from a homogeneous surface on remote sensing of the surface reflectance and vegetation index from a satellite. Remote measurement of the surface characteristics is perturbed by atmospheric scattering of sun light. This scattering tends to smooth the angular dependence of non-Lambertian surface reflectances, an effect that is not present in the case of Lambertian surfaces. This effect is calculated to test the validity of a Lambertian assumption used in remote sensing. For the three types of vegetations considered in this study, the assumption of Lambertian surface can be used satisfactorily in the derivation of surface reflectance from remotely measured radiance for a view angle outside the backscattering region. Within the backscattering region, however, the use of the assumption can result in a considerable error in the derived surface reflectance. Accuracy also deteriorates with increasing solar zenith angle. The angular distribution of the surface reflectance derived from remote measurements is smoother than that at the surface. The effect of surface non-Lambertianity on remote sensing of vegetation index is very weak. Since the effect is similiar in the visible and near infrared part of the solar spectrum for the vegetations treated in this study, it is canceled in deriving the vegetation index. The effect of the diffuse skylight on surface reflectance measurements at ground level is also discussed.

Lee, T. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Evolution of interstellar pickup ions in the solar wind

A model is constructed for the evolution of an interstellar pickup ion distribution in the solar wind. The model assumes that the ions are immediately isotropized at ionization and follows the subsequent development of the distribution function as the particles are convected with the solar wind. The effects of energy diffusion in an ambient wave field with a power law spectrum, adiabatic deceleration in the expanding solar wind, and continual addition of newly ionized particles are all included in the model. An analytical expression describing the evolution of the distribution function in phase space velocity and heliocentric radius is obtained. The distribution quickly approaches an asymptotic shape in phase space which depends on the relative efficiency of the energy diffusion process compared to that of adiabatic deceleration. At large distances from the sun the density of pickup ions falls as 1/r in this model. An expression for the distribution function at large distances and for large particle speed is presented. The asymptotic shape should describe the distribution of pickup ions in the outer heliosphere and could be used as an input distribution for a model of the anomalous component of heliosphere and could be used as an input distribution for a model of the anomalous component of cosmic rays. Comparison of this work with the recent observation of He(+) at 1 AU implies that the energy diffusion process is very weak inside 1 AU.

Isenberg, Philip A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Atmospheric optical depth effects on angular anisotropy of plant canopy reflectance

The effects of varying atmospheric aerosol optical depth on the bidirectional reflectance distribution of vegetation canopies is investigated. The reflectance distributions of two pasture grass canopies and one soya bean canopy under different sky irradiance distributions were measured, and the data were analyzed in the visible and IR spectral bands. It is observed that, for the pasture grass canopies, the change in reflectance is due to the percentage of shadowed area viewed by the sensor, and for the soya bean, the specular reflection effect and increased diffuse irradiance penetration into the canopy cause reflectance changes. It is detected that the reflectivity for the soya bean canopy on a hazy day is lower than on a clear day; however, the opposite change is observed for the pasture grass. It is also detected that the normalized difference vegetation index values differ under clear and hazy conditions for the same vegetation canopy conditions.

Deering, Donald W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Studies of pressure-velocity coupling schemes for analysis of incompressible and compressible flows

Two pressure-velocity coupling schemes, both of which solve the fully implicit discretized equations governing the flow of fluids were examined, and the capability of performing large Reynolds number, low Mach number compressible flow calculations were assessed. The semi-implicit iterative SIMPLE algorithm is extended to handle transient compressible flow calculations. This extension takes into account a strong coupling between the pressure and temperature through a correction procedure, based on the equations of state. Results obtained from the extended SIMPLE algorithm are then compared to similar results obtained from the non-iterative PISO algorithm. Both time-dependent and steady state calculations were performed using an axisymmetric 2:1 pipe expansion geometry and laminar flow conditions corresponding to Reynolds number of 1000 and Mach number of 2.0. For calculations simulating a time-dependent compression/expansion process, both schemes exhibit transient features in excellent agreement with each other, and moreover, the PISO method shows a significant computational time reduction of 60 percent over the SIMPLE scheme, regardless of the time step size or grid size employed. The effects of numerical diffusion are shown to be significant in these calculations. For steady state compressible flows, however, the SIMPLE algorithm displays increasing computational efficiency over the PISO method as the time step sizes employed to reach steady state conditions are decreased.

Burgreen, Gregory Wayne↗

NASA NTRS1988

A space-marching method for the computation of viscous internal flows

A space-marching method has been developed to compute 3-D viscous flows in internal geometries. The Navier-Stokes equations have been posed as an initial-value problem by neglecting the effects of streamwise diffusion and treating the streamwise pressure gradient as a known source term. The fully coupled system of equations has been solved by a noniterative algorithm at each streamwise step of the computation. A low Mach number formulation of the equations has been used to compute incompressible flow fields. A computer program has been written to implement all aspects of the space-marching algorithm. The program is modular and is easily adapted to the widely varying geometries of internal flows. The space-marching algorithm has been tested by computing simple flows with known analytical solutions. The method has been used to predict complex 3-D turbulent flows. The algorithm is stable and very economical. A single sweep of the flow field by the space-marching method is approximately equivalent to one time-step of the time-marching method.

Govindan, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Effect of shaft rotation on the incompressible flow in a labyrinth seal

The incompressible flow in a labyrinth seal at low leakage rates was computationally and experimentally investigated over a wide range of seal rotation rates. QUICK differencing was employed in the finite difference code to reduce the effects of false diffusion. The use of measured inlet boundary conditions for the axial and swirl velocity components and for the turbulent kinetic energy resulted in good agreement between velocity predictions and hot-film measurements. It was found that when the rotation rate is increased beyond a certain point, a second recirculation zone forms inside the seal cavity, altering the flow field in the cavity and resulting in a substantial increase in the pressure drop across it.

Demko, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Axisymmetric perturbations of thin gaseous disks. I - Unstable convective modes and their consequences for the solar nebula

The axisymmetric perturbations of a thin, differentially rotating gas disk in which the vertical temperature stratification is superadiabatic are analyzed. The growth rate of adiabatic convective normal modes is calculated, departures from simple polytropic disk models are briefly discussed, and the detailed vertical structure of the eigenfunctions is analyzed. The stabilizing effect of radiative diffusion on convective modes is considered. It is found that rotation and compressibility tend to reduce the rate of growth of the disturbances, and that the growth rate increases without limit and is proportional to the square root of the radial wavenumber in polytropic equilibria. The maximum radial size of convective eddies scales like the square root of the degree of superadiabaticity times the size of the convective zone. There is significant convective penetration into radiatively stable layers only for the fundamental and low-order harmonic modes, whose vertical wavelength is comparable to the size of the convective layer.

Ruden, Steven P.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Morphological evolution of growing crystals - A Monte Carlo simulation

The combined effects of nutrient diffusion and surface kinetics on the crystal morphology were investigated using a Monte Carlo model to simulate the evolving morphology of a crystal growing from a two-component gaseous nutrient phase. The model combines nutrient diffusion, based on a modified diffusion-limited aggregation process, with anisotropic surface-attachment kinetics and surface diffusion. A variety of conditions, ranging from kinetic-controlled to diffusion-controlled growth, were examined. Successive transitions from compact faceted (dominant surface kinetics) to open dendritic morphologies (dominant volume diffusion) were obtained.

Xiao, Rong-Fu↗

NASA NTRS1988

Domain decomposition algorithms and computation fluid dynamics

In the past several years, domain decomposition was a very popular topic, partly motivated by the potential of parallelization. While a large body of theory and algorithms were developed for model elliptic problems, they are only recently starting to be tested on realistic applications. The application of some of these methods to two model problems in computational fluid dynamics are investigated. Some examples are two dimensional convection-diffusion problems and the incompressible driven cavity flow problem. The construction and analysis of efficient preconditioners for the interface operator to be used in the iterative solution of the interface solution is described. For the convection-diffusion problems, the effect of the convection term and its discretization on the performance of some of the preconditioners is discussed. For the driven cavity problem, the effectiveness of a class of boundary probe preconditioners is discussed.

Chan, Tony F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Mass transfer across combustion gas thermal boundary layers - Power production and materials processing implications

The effects of Soret diffusion (for vapors) and thermophoresis (for particles) are illustrated using recent optical experiments and boundary layer computations. Mass transfer rate augmentations of up to a factor of 1000 were observed and predicted for submicron-particle capture by cooled solid surfaces, while mass transfer suppressions of more than 10 to the -10th-fold were predicted for 'overheated' surfaces. It is noted that the results obtained are of interest in connection with such technological applications as fly-ash capture in power generation equipment and glass droplet deposition in optical-waveguide manufacture.

Rosner, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Growth and characterization of Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Se alloys

A detailed evaluation of the influence of growth conditions on the radial and axial compositional variations in directionally solidified Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Se alloys was performed. The measured axial compositional profiles were fitted to theoretical profiles to determine the effective solute (CdSe) diffusion coefficient (D) for the Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Se system. The value for D was estimated to be 3.0 + or - 0.5 x 10 to the -5th sq cm/s and did not appear to be significantly affected by the rate of crystal growth. The axial crystal uniformity was shown to be highly growth-rate dependent, with the faster growth rates producing crystals of more uniform composition in the axial direction. The magnitude of the radial variations was also shown to be highly growth-rate dependent, with the slower growth rates producing crystals of greater radial uniformity. This translation rate dependence of the radial uniformity is discussed in terms of lateral solute diffusion and convective interfacial fluid flows.

Andrews, R. N.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Domain decomposition algorithms and computational fluid dynamics

Some of the new domain decomposition algorithms are applied to two model problems in computational fluid dynamics: the two-dimensional convection-diffusion problem and the incompressible driven cavity flow problem. First, a brief introduction to the various approaches of domain decomposition is given, and a survey of domain decomposition preconditioners for the operator on the interface separating the subdomains is then presented. For the convection-diffusion problem, the effect of the convection term and its discretization on the performance of some of the preconditioners is discussed. For the driven cavity problem, the effectiveness of a class of boundary probe preconditioners is examined.

Chan, Tony F.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Investigation of an excited jet diffusion flame at elevated pressure

Experiments are carried out for studying the relationship between flow structure, flow excitation, and the reaction process in the near field of a low-speed coflowing jet diffusion flame. The effect of axial forcing and increasing pressure on the structure and controllability of the flame is studied to elucidate some of the underlying control mechanisms. The experiments are conducted in a variable-pressure flow facility permitting the study of reacting flows in the 10-1000 kPa (0.1-10 atm) pressure range. The flame is excited by a small-amplitude periodic fluctuation added to the central fuel jet exit velocity. Among the varied excitation frequencies employed, a narrow band is found in which several of the flow instabilities seem to be in coincidence, causing periodic breakup of the flame into a series of distinct eddies. This is called the strongly-coupled state. Effects of excitation frequencies at and above the strongly-coupled range are presented.

Strawa, Anthony W.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Investigation of microstructural changes in polyetherether-ketone films at cryogenic temperatures by positron lifetime spectroscopy

Microstructural changes in Polyetherether-ketone (PEEK) films were investigated in the temperature ranges of 23 to -196 C, using Positron Lifetime Spectroscopy (PLS) technique. It was determined that the total free volume decreases by about 46 percent in amorphous PEEK samples and about 36 percent in semicrystalline PEEK samples when they are cooled down from room temperature to liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperature. If this trend in reduction in free volume with decreasing temperature continues, as expected, it is surmised that PEEK will be able to withstand cooling down to liquid hydrogen (LH2) temperature without any detrimental effect on its diffusivity for liquid hydrogen.

Singh, Jag J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Instabilities of line-driven stellar winds. V - Effect of an optically thick continuum

Earlier analyses of the linear instability of line-driven stellar winds are extended to the case, relevant to Wolf-Rayet stars, in which the continuum remains optically thick well above the sonic point. It is found that an optically thick flow driven by pure scattering lines is stabilized by the drag effect of the diffuse, scattered radiation. However, even a relatively small photon destruction probability can cause a flow with continuum optical thickness much greater than 1 to remain unstable, with a given growth rate. The implications of these results for the variability characteristics of winds from Wolf-Rayet stars are briefly discussed.

Owocki, Stanley P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Simulations of surface winds at the Viking Lander sites using a one-level model

The one-level model developed by Mass and Dempsey for use in predicting surface flows in regions of complex terrain was adapted to simulate surface flows at the Viking lander sites on Mars. In the one-level model, prediction equations for surface winds and temperatures are formulated and solved. Surface temperatures change with time in response to diabatic heating, horizontal advection, adiabatic heating and cooling effects, and horizontal diffusion. Surface winds can change in response to horizontal advection, pressure gradient forces, Coriolis forces, surface drag, and horizontal diffusion. Surface pressures are determined by integration of the hydrostatic equation from the surface to some reference level. The model has successfully simulated surface flows under a variety of conditions in complex-terrain regions on Earth.

Bridger, Alison F. C.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Observations of Ozone-aerosol Correlated Behaviour in the Lower Stratosphere During the EASOE Campaign

The question of possible interactions between ozone and stratospheric aerosol has been open for a long time. Measurements carried out after the Mt. Agung and El Chicon eruptions showed evidence of negative correlations between the presence of volcanic stratospheric aerosols and ozone concentration. Evidence for negative correlations in the polar winter has been also found. It is only after the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole that catalytic effects related to low temperature heterogeneous chemistry have become the object of much investigation, now extended to the role of volcanic aerosol in the ozone reduction. These phenomena can be the object of various interpretations, not mutually exclusive, including the effect of transport, diffuse radiation as well as heterogeneous chemistry. The present paper provides preliminary results of simultaneous measurements of ozone and aerosol, carried out at Thule, Greenland, during the winter 1991-92. The European Stratospheric Ozone Experiment (EASOE) was aimed at monitoring the winter Arctic stratosphere in order to obtain a deeper insight of the ozone destruction processes taking place in the polar regions. A large amount of aerosol was injected into the lower stratosphere by the recent eruption of Volcano Pinatubo. A lidar system, already operational in Thule since November 1990, has provided detailed measurements of the stratospheric aerosol concentration during EASOE. In the same period, a large number of ozonesondes were launched. Although no PSC formation was detected over Thule, the simultaneous measurement of the stratospheric aerosol and ozone profiles give the possibility to study interactions occurring in the stratosphere between these two constituents.

Digirolamo, P.↗