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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Effects of Buoyancy on the Flowfields of Lean Premixed Turbulent V-Flames

Open laboratory turbulent flames used for investigating fundament flame turbulence interactions are greatly affected by buoyancy. Though much of our current knowledge is based on observations made in these open flames, the effects of buoyancy are usually not included in data interpretation, numerical analysis or theories. This inconsistency remains an obstacle to merging experimental observations and theoretical predictions. To better understanding the effects of buoyancy, our research focuses on steady lean premixed flames propagating in fully developed turbulence. We hypothesize that the most significant role of buoyancy forces on these flames is to influence their flowfields through a coupling with mean and fluctuating pressure fields. Changes in flow pattern alter the mean aerodynamic stretch and in turn affect turbulence fluctuation intensities both upstream and downstream of the flame zone. Consequently, flame stabilization, reaction rates, and turbulent flame processes are all affected. This coupling relates to the elliptical problem that emphasizes the importance of the upstream, wall and downstream boundary conditions in determining all aspects of flame propagation. Therefore, buoyancy has the same significance as other parameters such as flow configuration, flame geometry, means of flame stabilization, flame shape, enclosure size, mixture conditions, and flow conditions.

Cheng, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Stress Recovery and Error Estimation for Shell Structures

The Penalized Discrete Least-Squares (PDLS) stress recovery (smoothing) technique developed for two dimensional linear elliptic problems is adapted here to three-dimensional shell structures. The surfaces are restricted to those which have a 2-D parametric representation, or which can be built-up of such surfaces. The proposed strategy involves mapping the finite element results to the 2-D parametric space which describes the geometry, and smoothing is carried out in the parametric space using the PDLS-based Smoothing Element Analysis (SEA). Numerical results for two well-known shell problems are presented to illustrate the performance of SEA/PDLS for these problems. The recovered stresses are used in the Zienkiewicz-Zhu a posteriori error estimator. The estimated errors are used to demonstrate the performance of SEA-recovered stresses in automated adaptive mesh refinement of shell structures. The numerical results are encouraging. Further testing involving more complex, practical structures is necessary.

Yazdani, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Field Effects of Buoyancy on Lean Premixed Turbulent Flames

Buoyancy affects the entire flowfield of steady turbulent flames and this aspect of flame buoyancy coupling is largely unexplored by experiments or by theory. Open flames and flames within large confinements are free to expand and interact with the surrounding environment. In addition to fluid and combustion conditions, their aerodynamic flowfields are determined by the flame brush orientation and geometry, wake of the stabilizer, enclosure size, and of course, the gravitational field. Because the flowfield consists mainly of cold reactants (mostly in the nearfield) and hot products (mostly in the farfield), buoyancy effects are manifested in the farfield region. In upward pointing flames, an obvious effect is a favorable axial pressure gradient that accelerates the products thereby increasing the axial aerodynamic stretch rate. Intrinsic to turbulent flows, changes in mean aerodynamic stretch also couple to the fluctuating pressure field. Consequently, buoyancy can influence the turbulence intensities upstream and downstream of the flame. Flame wrinkling process, and heat release rate are also directly affected. This backward coupling mechanism is the so-called elliptic problem. To resolve the field effects of buoyancy would require the solution of three-dimensional non-linear Navier Stokes equations with full specification of the upstream, wall and downstream boundary conditions.

Cheng, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Analysis of a parallelized nonlinear elliptic boundary value problem solver with application to reacting flows

A parallelized finite difference code based on the Newton method for systems of nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems in two dimensions is analyzed in terms of computational complexity and parallel efficiency. An approximate cost function depending on 15 dimensionless parameters is derived for algorithms based on stripwise and boxwise decompositions of the domain and a one-to-one assignment of the strip or box subdomains to processors. The sensitivity of the cost functions to the parameters is explored in regions of parameter space corresponding to model small-order systems with inexpensive function evaluations and also a coupled system of nineteen equations with very expensive function evaluations. The algorithm was implemented on the Intel Hypercube, and some experimental results for the model problems with stripwise decompositions are presented and compared with the theory. In the context of computational combustion problems, multiprocessors of either message-passing or shared-memory type may be employed with stripwise decompositions to realize speedup of O(n), where n is mesh resolution in one direction, for reasonable n.

Keyes, David E.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Robust Multigrid Smoothers for Three Dimensional Elliptic Equations with Strong Anisotropies

We discuss the behavior of several plane relaxation methods as multigrid smoothers for the solution of a discrete anisotropic elliptic model problem on cell-centered grids. The methods compared are plane Jacobi with damping, plane Jacobi with partial damping, plane Gauss-Seidel, plane zebra Gauss-Seidel, and line Gauss-Seidel. Based on numerical experiments and local mode analysis, we compare the smoothing factor of the different methods in the presence of strong anisotropies. A four-color Gauss-Seidel method is found to have the best numerical and architectural properties of the methods considered in the present work. Although alternating direction plane relaxation schemes are simpler and more robust than other approaches, they are not currently used in industrial and production codes because they require the solution of a two-dimensional problem for each plane in each direction. We verify the theoretical predictions of Thole and Trottenberg that an exact solution of each plane is not necessary and that a single two-dimensional multigrid cycle gives the same result as an exact solution, in much less execution time. Parallelization of the two-dimensional multigrid cycles, the kernel of the three-dimensional implicit solver, is also discussed. Alternating-plane smoothers are found to be highly efficient multigrid smoothers for anisotropic elliptic problems.

Llorente, Ignacio M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

New Boundary Constraints for Elliptic Systems used in Grid Generation Problems

This paper discusses new boundary constraints for elliptic partial differential equations as used in grid generation problems in generalized curvilinear coordinate systems. These constraints, based on the principle of local conservation of thermal energy in the vicinity of the boundaries, are derived using the Green's Theorem. They uniquely determine the so called decay parameters in the source terms of these elliptic systems. These constraints' are designed for boundary clustered grids where large gradients in physical quantities need to be resolved adequately. It is observed that the present formulation also works satisfactorily for mild clustering. Therefore, a closure for the decay parameter specification for elliptic grid generation problems has been provided resulting in a fully automated elliptic grid generation technique. Thus, there is no need for a parametric study of these decay parameters since the new constraints fix them uniquely. It is also shown that for Neumann type boundary conditions, these boundary constraints uniquely determine the solution to the internal elliptic problem thus eliminating the non-uniqueness of the solution of an internal Neumann boundary value grid generation problem.

Kaul, Upender K.↗
NASA NTRS1972

On the elliptic restricted three-body problem.

This article describes the most important features of the elliptic restricted three-body problem. The methods of numerical integration with recurrent power series are developed for both the equations of motion and the variational equations. The conditions for the existence of periodic orbits and families of periodic orbits are also outlined in detail, and finally illustrated with a family of symmetric periodic orbits.

Broucke, R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Subregions of Motion and Elliptic Halo Orbits in the Elliptic Restricted Three-Body Problem

In this paper we present regions of motion and periodic orbits in the spatial elliptic restricted three body problem (ER3BP). Periodic orbits and regions of motion are fundamental keys to understand any dynamical system; for this reason the Hill's surfaces or the families of halo orbits have been extensively studied in the frame of the circular restricted three body problem. It is our opinion that their natural extensions to the ER3BP have not been studied enough. We divide the position space into forbidden subregions, subregions of motion and low-velocity subregions.We use these notions to define necessary condition for a transfer trajectory in the ER3BP. Also we compute branches of elliptic halo orbits bifurcating from halo orbits in the circular restricted three body problem. The new periodic orbits have principal periods and stability properties different from those of the originating halo orbit.

mission design↗
NASA NTRS1995

Analysis and Development of Finite Element Methods for the Study of Nonlinear Thermomechanical Behavior of Structural Components

Underintegrated methods are investigated with respect to their stability and convergence properties. The focus was on identifying regions where they work and regions where techniques such as hourglass viscosity and hourglass control can be used. Results obtained show that underintegrated methods typically lead to finite element stiffness with spurious modes in the solution. However, problems exist (scalar elliptic boundary value problems) where underintegrated with hourglass control yield convergent solutions. Also, stress averaging in underintegrated stiffness calculations does not necessarily lead to stable or convergent stress states.

Oden, J. Tinsley↗