Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Experimental Data Comparison”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6

A Model for Jet-Surface Interaction Noise Using Physically Realizable Upstream Turbulence Conditions

This paper is a continuation of previous work in which a generalized Rapid Distortion Theory (RDT) formulation was used to model low-frequency trailing-edge noise. The research was motivated by proposed next-generation aircraft configurations where the exhaust system is tightly integrated with the airframe. Data from recent experiments at NASA on the interaction between high-Reynolds-number subsonic jet flows and an external flat plate showed that the power spectral density (PSD) of the far-field pressure underwent considerable amplification at low frequencies. For example, at the 90deg observation angle, the low-frequency noise could be as much as 10 dB greater than the jet noise itself. In this paper, we present predictions of the noise generated by the interaction of a rectangular jet with the trailing edge of a semi-infinite flat plate. The calculations are based on a formula for the acoustic spectrum of this noise source derived from an exact formal solution of the linearized Euler equations involving (in this case) one arbitrary convected scalar quantity and a Rayleigh equation Green's function. A low-frequency asymptotic approximation for the Green's function based on a two-dimensional mean flow is used in the calculations along with a physically realizable upstream turbulence spectrum, which includes a finite decorrelation region. Numerical predictions of the sound field, based on three-dimensional RANS solutions to determine the mean flow, turbulent kinetic energy and turbulence length and time scales, for a range of subsonic acoustic Mach number jets and nozzle aspect ratios are compared with experimental data. Comparisons of the RANS results with flow data are also presented for selected cases. We find that a finite decorrelation region in the turbulence spectrum increases the low-frequency algebraic decay (the low frequency "roll-off") of the acoustic spectrum with angular frequency thereby producing much closer agreement with noise data for Strouhal numbers less than 0.1. Secondly, the large-aspect-ratio theory is able to predict the low-frequency amplification due to the jet-edge interaction reasonably well, even for moderate aspect ratio nozzles. We show also that the noise predictions for smaller aspect ratio jets can be fine-tuned using the appropriate RANS-based mean flow and turbulence properties.

Jet↗

Modelling of LOCA Tests with the BISON Fuel Performance Code

BISON is a modern finite-element based, multidimensional nuclear fuel performance code that is under development at Idaho National Laboratory (USA). Recent advances of BISON include the extension of the code to the analysis of LWR fuel rod behaviour during loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs). In this work, BISON models for the phenomena relevant to LWR cladding behaviour during LOCAs are described, followed by presentation of code results for the simulation of LOCA tests. Analysed experiments include separate effects tests of cladding ballooning and burst, as well as the Halden IFA-650.2 fuel rod test. Two-dimensional modelling of the experiments is performed, and calculations are compared to available experimental data. Comparisons include cladding burst pressure and temperature in separate effects tests, as well as the evolution of fuel rod inner pressure during ballooning and time to cladding burst. Furthermore, BISON three-dimensional simulations of separate effects tests are performed, which demonstrate the capability to reproduce the effect of azimuthal temperature variations in the cladding. The work has been carried out in the frame of the collaboration between Idaho National Laboratory and Halden Reactor Project, and the IAEA Coordinated Research Project FUMAC.

BISON code↗

Calculated X-ray Intensities Using Monte Carlo Algorithms: A Comparison to Experimental EPMA Data

Monte Carlo (MC) modeling has been used extensively to simulate electron scattering and x-ray emission from complex geometries. Here are presented comparisons between MC results and experimental electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) measurements as well as phi(rhoz) correction algorithms. Experimental EPMA measurements made on NIST SRM 481 (AgAu) and 482 (CuAu) alloys, at a range of accelerating potential and instrument take-off angles, represent a formal microanalysis data set that has been widely used to develop phi(rhoz) correction algorithms. X-ray intensity data produced by MC simulations represents an independent test of both experimental and phi(rhoz) correction algorithms. The alpha-factor method has previously been used to evaluate systematic errors in the analysis of semiconductor and silicate minerals, and is used here to compare the accuracy of experimental and MC-calculated x-ray data. X-ray intensities calculated by MC are used to generate a-factors using the certificated compositions in the CuAu binary relative to pure Cu and Au standards. MC simulations are obtained using the NIST, WinCasino, and WinXray algorithms; derived x-ray intensities have a built-in atomic number correction, and are further corrected for absorption and characteristic fluorescence using the PAP phi(rhoz) correction algorithm. The Penelope code additionally simulates both characteristic and continuum x-ray fluorescence and thus requires no further correction for use in calculating alpha-factors.

Carpenter, P. K.↗

On the validity of the Poisson assumption in sampling nanometer-sized aerosols

A Poisson process is traditionally believed to apply to the sampling of aerosols. For a constant aerosol concentration, it is assumed that a Poisson process describes the fluctuation in the measured concentration because aerosols are stochastically distributed in space. Recent studies, however, have shown that sampling of micrometer-sized aerosols has non-Poissonian behavior with positive correlations. The validity of the Poisson assumption for nanometer-sized aerosols has not been examined and thus was tested in this study. Its validity was tested for four particle sizes - 10 nm, 25 nm, 50 nm and 100 nm - by sampling from indoor air with a DMA- CPC setup to obtain a time series of particle counts. Five metrics were calculated from the data: pair-correlation function (PCF), time-averaged PCF, coefficient of variation, probability of measuring a concentration at least 25% greater than average, and posterior distributions from Bayesian inference. To identify departures from Poissonian behavior, these metrics were also calculated for 1,000 computer-generated Poisson time series with the same mean as the experimental data. For nearly all comparisons, the experimental data fell within the range of 80% of the Poisson-simulation values. Essentially, the metrics for the experimental data were indistinguishable from a simulated Poisson process. The greater influence of Brownian motion for nanometer-sized aerosols may explain the Poissonian behavior observed for smaller aerosols. Although the Poisson assumption was found to be valid in this study, it must be carefully applied as the results here do not definitively prove applicability in all sampling situations.

concentration measurement↗

Comparison between computations and experimental data in unsteady three-dimensional transonic aerodynamics, including aeroelastic applications

Comparisons were made of computed and experimental data in three-dimensional unsteady transonic aerodynamics, including aeroelastic applications. The computer code LTRAN3, which is based on small-disturbance aerodynamic theory, was used to obtain the aerodynamic data. A procedure based on the U-g method was developed to compute flutter boundaries by using the unsteady aerodynamic coefficients obtained from LTRAN3. The experimental data were obtained from available NASA publications. All the studies were conducted for thin, unswept, rectangular wings with circular-arc cross sections. Numerical and experimental steady and unsteady aerodynamic data were compared for a wing with an aspect ratio of 3 and a thickness ratio of 5% at Mach numbers of 0.7 and 0.9. Flutter data were compared for a wing with an aspect ratio of 5. Two thickness ratios, 6% at Mach numbers of 0.715, 0.851, and 0.913, and 4% at Mach number of 0.904, were considered. Based on the unsteady aerodynamic data obtained from LTRAN3, flutter boundaries were computed; they were compared with those obtained from experiments and the code NASTRAN, which uses linear aerodynamics.

Guruswamy, P.↗

Tables of Aerodynamic Coefficients Obtained from Developed Newtonian Expressions for Complete and Partial Conic and Spheric Bodies at Combined Angles of Attack and Sideslip with Some Comparisons with Hypersonic Experimental Data

Closed-form expressions and tables composed from these expressions are presented for complete and partial conic and spheric bodies at combined angles of attack and sideslip in Newtonian flow. Aerodynamic coefficients of these bodies are tabulated for various body segments over a range of angles of attack from 1 deg to 85 deg and angles of sideslip from 0 deg to 15 deg. Some comparisons between Newtonian predictions and hypersonic experimental aerodynamic characteristics were made for conic bodies hawing various surface slopes, nose bluntnesses, and body cross sections to indicate the range of validity of the theory. In general, the theory is shown to agree quite well with experimental results for sharp-nose complete cones and for configurations hawing large blunted noses and steep surface slopes. However, agreement between theory and experiment generally is poor for the more slender, slightly blunted complete or half conic bodies and also for sharp-nose half conic bodies where real-flow phenomena such as forebody interference, viscous forces, leeward surface contributions, or leading-edge pressure reductions may have significant effect. The agreement between theory and experiment for the bodies considered can be improved by using the stagnation pressure coefficient behind a normal shock rather than 2 as the Newtonian coefficient, although for the sharp-nose half conic bodies there i s no theoretical justification for this modification.

Armstrong, William O.↗

Comparison of NTF Experimental Data with CFD Predictions from the Third AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop

Recently acquired experimental data for the DLR-F6 wing-body transonic transport con figuration from the National Transonic Facility (NTF) are compared with the database of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions generated for the Third AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop (DPW-III). The NTF data were collected after the DPW-III, which was conducted with blind test cases. These data include both absolute drag levels and increments associated with this wing-body geometry. The baseline DLR-F6 wing-body geometry is also augmented with a side-of-body fairing which eliminates the flow separation in this juncture region. A comparison between computed and experimentally observed sizes of the side-of-body flow-separation bubble is included. The CFD results for the drag polars and separation bubble sizes are computed on grids which represent current engineering best practices for drag predictions. In addition to these data, a more rigorous attempt to predict absolute drag at the design point is provided. Here, a series of three grid densities are utilized to establish an asymptotic trend of computed drag with respect to grid convergence. This trend is then extrapolated to estimate a grid-converged absolute drag level.

Vassberg, John C.↗

Applicability of available Li-ion battery degradation models for system and control algorithm design

Within electrified vehicle powertrains, lithium-ion battery performance degrades with aging and usage, resulting in a loss in both energy and power capacity. As a result, models used for system design and control algorithm development would ideally capture the impact of those efforts on battery capacity degradation, be computationally efficient, and simple enough to be used for algorithm development. This paper provides an assessment of the state-of-the-art in lithium-ion battery degradation models, including accuracy, computational complexity, and amenability to control algorithm development. Various aging and degradation models have been studied in the literature, including physics-based electrochemical models, semi-empirical models, and empirical models. Some of these models have been validated with experimental data; however, comparisons of pre-existing degradation models across multiple experimental data sets have not been previously published. Three representative models, a 1-d electrochemical model (a combination of performance model and degradation model), a semi-empirical degradation model (the performance is predicted by an equivalent circuit model) and an empirical degradation model (the performance is predicted by an equivalent circuit model), are compared against four published experimental data sets for a 2.3-Ah commercial graphite/LiFePO 4 cell. Based on simulation results and comparisons to experimental data, the key differences in the aging factors captured by each of the models are summarized. Here the results show that the physics-based model is best able to capture results across all four representative data sets with an error less than 10%, but is 20x slower than the empirical model, and 134x slower than the semi-empirical model, making it unsuitable for powertrain system design and model-based algorithm development. Despite being computationally efficient, the semi-empirical and empirical models, when used under conditions that lie outside the calibration data set, exhibit up to 71% error in capacity loss prediction. Such models require expensive experimental data collection to recalibrate for every new application. Thus, in the author’s opinion, there exists a need for a physically-based model that generalizes well across operating conditions, is computationally efficient for model-based design, and simple enough for control algorithm development.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Electron transport algorithms in the Integrated Tiger Series (ITS) codes - 25576

We describe the three electron-transport algorithms that have been implemented in the ITS Monte Carlo codes. While the underlying cross-section data is similar, each uses a fundamentally unique method, which at a high level are best characterized as condensed history, multigroup, and single scatter. Through a set of comparisons with experimental data and some comparisons of purely numerical results, we discuss various attributes of each of the algorithms and show some of the defects that can affect results. (authors)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Pore Space Connectivity and the Transport Properties of Rocks

Pore connectivity is likely one of the most important factors affecting the permeability of reservoir rocks. Furthermore, connectivity effects are not restricted to materials approaching a percolation transition but can continuously and gradually occur in rocks undergoing geological processes such as mechanical and chemical diagenesis. Here, we compiled sets of published measurements of porosity, permeability and formation factor, performed in samples of unconsolidated granular aggregates, in which connectivity does not change, and in two other materials, sintered glass beads and Fontainebleau sandstone, in which connectivity does change. We compared these data to the predictions of a Kozeny-Carman model of permeability, which does not account for variations in connectivity, and to those of Bernabé et al. (2010, 2011) model, which does [Bernabé Y., Li M., Maineult A. (2010) Permeability and pore connectivity: a new model based on network simulations, J. Geophys. Res. 115, B10203; Bernabé Y., Zamora M., Li M., Maineult A., Tang Y.B. (2011) Pore connectivity, permeability and electrical formation factor: a new model and comparison to experimental data, J. Geophys. Res. 116, B11204]. Both models agreed equally well with experimental data obtained in unconsolidated granular media. But, in the other materials, especially in the low porosity samples that had undergone the greatest amount of sintering or diagenesis, only Bernabé et al. model matched the experimental data satisfactorily. In comparison, predictions of the Kozeny-Carman model differed by orders of magnitude. The advantage of the Bernabé et al. model was its ability to account for a continuous, gradual reduction in pore connectivity during sintering or diagenesis. Though we can only speculate at this juncture about the mechanisms responsible for the connectivity reduction, we propose two possible mechanisms, likely to be active at different stages of sintering and diagenesis, and thus allowing the gradual evolution observed experimentally.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Experimental Analysis of Steady-State Maneuvering Effects on Transmission Vibration Patterns Recorded in an AH-1 Cobra Helicopter

Flight experiment was designed primarily to determine the extent to which steady-state maneuvers influence characteristic vibration patterns measured at the input pinion and output annulus gear locations of the main transmission. If results were to indicate that maneuvers systematically influence vibration patterns, more extensive studies would be planned to explore the response surface. It was also designed to collect baseline data for comparison with experimental data to be recorded at a later date from test stands at Glenn Research Center. Finally, because this was the first vibration flight study on the Cobra aircraft, considerable energy was invested in developing an in-flight recording apparatus, as well as exploring acceleration mounting methods, and generally learning about the overall vibratory characteristics of the aircraft itself.

Huff, Edward M.↗

Integrated Heat Exchanger-Phase Change Material Thermal Energy Storage System

The purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate the thermal performance of an innovative thermal energy storage (TES) system that combines the advantages of the phase-change material (PCM)/graphite foam latent heat TES medium developed at Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and the internally supported plate-fin (ISPE) cell architecture heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow channels developed at Brayton Energy (Brayton). Several essential tasks were accomplished: (1) Thermal property characterization. Thermal properties of the graphite foam were characterized, providing necessary data for experimental result analysis and numerical simulation. (2) Design and optimization of lab-scale test module. Based on Brayton’s full-scale heat exchanger (HX)-TES system, the experimental test module was designed, optimized, and fabricated. (3) Thermal performance testing and data analysis. Five cycle tests were successfully conducted—including one with approximately 3.5 psig of pressure applied to the diaphragms—to investigate the thermal performance of the experimental test module for charging and discharging. Temperature profiles were generated for each charging test and discharging test as a function of time. The temperature profiles clearly show three TES stages: sensible heat (temperature increase), latent heat (melting), and sensible heat (temperature increase) for the charging process. Similarly, the temperature profiles clearly show three thermal energy release stages: sensible heat (temperature decrease), latent heat (solidification), and sensible heat (temperature decrease). Melting and solidification of the PCM generally occurred in relatively narrow temperature ranges, indicated by the flattened temperature regions in the temperature profiles. These phase changes ranged approximately 3°C for melting and 3.5°C for solidification. The charging and discharging temperature profiles were similar for similar experimental parameter tests whether or not pressure was applied to the diaphragm to eliminate the gap between the HX surface and the TES subsystem. This indicates that the effect of a small gap between the HX surface and the TES subsystem is insignificant for charging and discharging. (4) Comparison of experimental data and simulation results. We compared the experimental data to the numerical simulation results. Numerical simulations were conducted by using the ANSYS FLUENT 2019 R3 commercial computational fluid dynamics software. The predicted phase-change times agreed reasonably well with those from the experimental data. In most cases, the estimated time differences between the relative phase changes were within 16%. The predicted start and end times for the charging process agreed well with those from the experimental data. However, the simulation results showed earlier start and end times than the experimental data for the discharging process. Overall, the experimental data and its comparison with the simulation predictions verified the technical viability of the integrated ISPF HX-PCM/graphite foam latent-heat TES system.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

REGAL International Program: Analysis of experimental data for depletion code validation

The Rod-Extremity and Gadolinia AnaLysis (REGAL) Program is a joint international effort to expand the nuclide inventory experimental data for irradiated nuclear fuel, with a specific focus on addressing two challenging needs associated with the characterization of modern, high duty, nuclear fuel. The first challenge is filling the gaps in experimental nuclide inventory data for gadolinia (UO 2 –Gd 2 O 3 ) fuel rods. The huge absorption cross sections of Gd-155 and Gd-157 in the Gd dopant in these rods lead to atypical spatial self-shielding patterns and have an impact on the neutronic environment within the fuel assembly compared to regular UO 2 fuel rods. Additionally, the second challenge is investigating the impact of burnup gradients at rod extremities on fuel composition and neutron leakage, to provide relevant experimental data for assessing computational capabilities to model such impact. A benchmark has been defined as a first step in the development of best-estimate models in the preliminary phase of the experimental data evaluation. Comparison of experimental results obtained in Phase I of the program for two measured pressurized water reactor (PWR) samples, one UO 2 and one UO 2 –Gd 2 O 3 sample, with calculated results obtained with different computational tools based on the defined benchmark are presented and discussed.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Impact of Changes in ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 235U Nuclear Data Indicated by NDSE Studies on LLNL Pulsed Sphere Simulations

A recent journal article by J.A. Gomez et al. measured gamma-ray die-off curves of three subcritical static highly-enriched uranium (HEU) assemblies driven by an external neutron source with a new detector system. This new detector system was developed for being used in dynamically driven subcritical assemblies as part of the Neutron Diagnosed Subcritical Experiments (NDSE) program. Simulations of these die-off curves with various nuclear data and comparison to experimental data indicated that a decrease of the ENDF/B-VII.1 235 U(n,inl) cross section by a factor 0.8 and 0.85 for ENDF/B-VIII.0 would lead to better predictions of experimental data. Here, we test the proposed changes with another type of measurement response, namely neutron-leakage spectra emitted in LLNL pulsed sphere measurements. These spheres were pulsed by 14-MeV neutrons produced via the D+T reaction in their center. The proposed changes in nuclear data have a distinctly smaller impact on predicting pulsed-sphere neutron-leakage spectra than for the die-off curves; they lead to a worsened prediction of the inelastic valley of LLNL pulsed-sphere neutron spectra indicating that the proposed change could constitute a compensating error. Changes in the inelastic angular distributions along with the cross section might be worthwhile to study

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Toward a CFD nose-to-tail capability - Hypersonic unsteady Navier-Stokes code validation

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research for hypersonic flows presents new problems in code validation because of the added complexity of the physical models. This paper surveys code validation procedures applicable to hypersonic flow models that include real gas effects. The current status of hypersonic CFD flow analysis is assessed with the Compressible Navier-Stokes (CNS) code as a case study. The methods of code validation discussed to beyond comparison with experimental data to include comparisons with other codes and formulations, component analyses, and estimation of numerical errors. Current results indicate that predicting hypersonic flows of perfect gases and equilibrium air are well in hand. Pressure, shock location, and integrated quantities are relatively easy to predict accurately, while surface quantities such as heat transfer are more sensitive to the solution procedure. Modeling transition to turbulence needs refinement, though preliminary results are promising.

Edwards, Thomas A.↗

Evaluation of CFD Turbulent Heating Prediction Techniques and Comparison With Hypersonic Experimental Data

Results from a study to assess the accuracy of turbulent heating and skin friction prediction techniques for hypersonic applications are presented. The study uses the original and a modified Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model with a space marching code. Grid converged turbulent predictions using the wall damping formulation (original model) and local damping formulation (modified model) are compared with experimental data for several flat plates. The wall damping and local damping results are similar for hot wall conditions, but differ significantly for cold walls, i.e., T(sub w) / T(sub t) < 0.3, with the wall damping heating and skin friction 10-30% above the local damping results. Furthermore, the local damping predictions have reasonable or good agreement with the experimental heating data for all cases. The impact of the two formulations on the van Driest damping function and the turbulent eddy viscosity distribution for a cold wall case indicate the importance of including temperature gradient effects. Grid requirements for accurate turbulent heating predictions are also studied. These results indicate that a cell Reynolds number of 1 is required for grid converged heating predictions, but coarser grids with a y(sup +) less than 2 are adequate for design of hypersonic vehicles. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the local damping formulation be used with the Baldwin-Lomax and Cebeci-Smith turbulence models in design and analysis of Hyper-X and future hypersonic vehicles.

Dilley, Arthur D.↗

A Comparison of Experimental EPMA Data and Monte Carlo Simulations

Monte Carlo (MC) modeling shows excellent prospects for simulating electron scattering and x-ray emission from complex geometries, and can be compared to experimental measurements using electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) and phi(rho z) correction algorithms. Experimental EPMA measurements made on NIST SRM 481 (AgAu) and 482 (CuAu) alloys, at a range of accelerating potential and instrument take-off angles, represent a formal microanalysis data set that has been used to develop phi(rho z) correction algorithms. The accuracy of MC calculations obtained using the NIST, WinCasino, WinXray, and Penelope MC packages will be evaluated relative to these experimental data. There is additional information contained in the extended abstract.

Carpenter, P. K.↗