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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
DOE OSTI2014

Effects of heating power on divertor in-out asymmetry and scrape-off layer flow in reversed field on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

The dependence of divertor asymmetry and scrape-off layer (SOL) flow on heating power has been investigated in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Divertor plasma exhibits an outboard-enhanced in-out asymmetry in heat flux in lower single null configuration for in reversed (ion ∇B drift direction toward the upper X-point) field directions. Upper single null exhibits an inboard-favored asymmetry in low heating power condition, while exhibits an outboard-favored asymmetry when increasing the heating power. Double null has the strongest in-out asymmetry in heat flux, favoring the outer divertor. The in-out asymmetry ratios of q{sub t,out}/q{sub t,in} and P{sub out}/P{sub total} increase with the power across the separatrix P{sub loss}, which is probably induced by the enhanced radial particle transport due to a large pressure gradient. The characteristics of the measured SOL parallel flow under various discharge conditions are consistent with the Pfirsch-Schlüter (PS) flow with the parallel Mach number M{sub ∥} decreasing with the line averaged density but increasing with P{sub loss}, in the same direction as the PS flow. The contributions of both poloidal E×B drift and parallel flow on poloidal particle transport in SOL on EAST are also assessed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fluctuation-induced shear flow and energy transfer in plasma interchange turbulence

Fluctuation-induced E × B shear flow and energy transfer for plasma interchange turbulence are examined in a flux-driven system with both closed and open magnetic field lines. The nonlinear evolution of interchange turbulence shows the presence of two confinement regimes characterized by low and high E × B flow shear. In the first regime, the large-scale turbulent convection is dominant and the mean E × B shear flow is at a relatively low level. By increasing the heat flux above a certain threshold, the increased turbulent intensity gives rise to the transfer of energy from fluctuations to mean E × B flows. As a result, a transition to the second regime occurs, in which a strong mean E × B shear flow is generated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Magnetohydrodynamic pressure drop and flow balancing of liquid metal flow in a prototypic fusion blanket manifold

Understanding magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena associated with the flow of electrically conducting fluids in complex geometry ducts subject to a strong magnetic field is required to effectively design liquid metal (LM) blankets for fusion reactors. Specifically, accurately predicting the 3D MHD pressure drop and flow distribution is important. To explore these topics, we simulate a LM MHD flow through an electrically non-conducting prototypic manifold for a wide range of flow and geometry parameters using a 3D MHD solver, HyPerComp incompressible MHD solver for arbitrary geometry. The reference manifold geometry consists of a rectangular feeding duct which suddenly expands such that the duct thickness in the magnetic field direction abruptly increases by a factor r exp . Downstream of the sudden expansion, the LM is distributed into several parallel channels. As a first step in qualifying the flow, a magnitude of the curl of the induced Lorentz force was used to distinguish between inviscid, irrotational core flows and boundary and internal shear layers where inertia and/or viscous forces are important. Scaling laws have been obtained which characterize the 3D MHD pressure drop and flow balancing as a function of the flow parameters and the manifold geometry. Associated Hartmann and Reynolds numbers in the computations were ~10 3 and ~10 1 -10 3 , respectively, while r exp was varied from 4 to 12. An accurate model for the pressure drop was developed for the first time for inertial-electromagnetic and viscous-electromagnetic regimes based on 96 computed cases. Analysis reflects that flow balance can be improved by lengthening the distance between the manifold inlet and the entrances of the parallel channels by utilizing the effect of flow transitioning to a quasi-two-dimensional state in the expansion region of the manifold.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Numerical fluid dynamics for FRG flow equations: Zero-dimensional QFTs as numerical test cases. II. Entropy production and irreversibility of RG flows

Herein we demonstrate that the reformulation of renormalization group (RG) flow equations as nonlinear heat equations has severe implications on the understanding of RG flows in general. We demonstrate by explicitly constructing an entropy function for a zero-dimensional Z 2 -symmetric model that the dissipative character of generic nonlinear diffusion equations is also hard-coded in the functional RG equation. This renders RG flows manifestly irreversible, revealing the semigroup property of RG transformations on the level of the flow equation itself. Additionally, we argue that the dissipative character of RG flows, its irreversibility and the entropy production during the RG flow may be linked to the existence of a so-called C– / A-function. In total, this introduces an asymmetry in the so-called RG time—in complete analogy to the thermodynamic arrow of time—and allows for an interpretation of infrared actions as equilibrium solutions of dissipative RG flows equations. The impossibility of resolving microphysics from macrophysics is evident in this framework. Furthermore, we directly link the irreversibility and the entropy production in RG flows to an explicit numerical entropy production, which is manifest in diffusive and non-linear partial differential equations (PDEs) and a standard mathematical tool for the analysis of PDEs. Using exactly solvable zero-dimensional Z 2 -symmetric models, we explicitly compute the (numerical) entropy production related to the total variation nonincreasing property of the PDE during RG flows toward the infrared limit. Finally, we discuss generalizations of our findings and relations to the C– / A-theorem as well as how our work may help to construct truncations of RG flow equations in the future, including numerically stable schemes for solving the corresponding PDEs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Semiempirical method of determining flow coefficients for pitot rake mass flow rate measurements

Flow coefficients applicable to area-weighted pitot rake mass flow rate measurements are presented for fully developed, turbulent flow in an annulus. A turbulent velocity profile is generated semiempirically for a given annulus hub-to-tip radius ratio and integrated numerically to determine the ideal mass flow rate. The calculated velocities at each probe location are then summed, and the flow rate as indicated by the rake is obtained. The flow coefficient to be used with the particular rake geometry is subsequently obtained by dividing the ideal flow rate by the rake-indicated flow rate. Flow coefficients ranged from 0.903 for one probe placed at a radius dividing two equal areas to 0.984 for a 10-probe area-weighted rake. Flow coefficients were not a strong function of annulus hub-to-tip radius ratio for rakes with three or more probes. The semiempirical method used to generate the turbulent velocity profiles is described in detail.

Trefny, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Static Flow Characteristics of a Mass Flow Injecting Valve

A sleeve valve is under development for ground-based forced response testing of air compression systems. This valve will be used to inject air and to impart momentum to the flow inside the first stage of a multi-stage compressor. The valve was designed to deliver a maximum mass flow of 0.22 lbm/s (0.1 kg/s) with a maximum valve throat area of 0.12 sq. in (80 sq. mm), a 100 psid (689 KPA) pressure difference across the valve and a 68 F, (20 C) air supply. It was assumed that the valve mass flow rate would be proportional to the valve orifice area. A static flow calibration revealed a nonlinear valve orifice area to mass flow relationship which limits the maximum flow rate that the valve can deliver. This nonlinearity was found to be caused by multiple choking points in the flow path. A simple model was used to explain this nonlinearity and the model was compared to the static flow calibration data. Only steady flow data is presented here. In this report, the static flow characteristics of a proportionally controlled sleeve valve are modelled and validated against experimental data.

Mattern, Duane↗
NASA NTRS1997

Effect of Flow Misalignment and Multi-Hole Interaction on Boundary-Layer Bleed Hole Flow Coefficient Behavior

The effect of flow misalignment on the flow coefficient behavior of a 20 deg. boundary-layer bleed hole and the effect of the interaction between two 90 deg. bleed holes separated by two hole diameters on flow coefficient behavior has been studied experimentally. Both tests were run at freestream Mach numbers of 0.61, 1.62 and 2.49. The flow misalignment study was conducted over a range of 0 to 30 deg. The results show that neither flow misalignment nor hole interaction has much effect on the flow coefficient for the subsonic case. For the supersonic cases, flow misalignment causes significant degradation in the performance of the slant hole. For the supersonic normal hole interaction cases, depending on the hole orientation, either an increase or decrease in overall flow coefficient was observed. The largest change in flow coefficient, 6% increase at near choke conditions, occurred when the holes were oriented in line with the flow direction.

Davis, David O.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Recurrent flow analysis in spatiotemporally chaotic 2-dimensional Kolmogorov flow

Motivated by recent success in the dynamical systems approach to transitional flow, we study the efficiency and effectiveness of extracting simple invariant sets (recurrent flows) directly from chaotic/turbulent flows and the potential of these sets for providing predictions of certain statistics of the flow. Two-dimensional Kolmogorov flow (the 2D Navier-Stokes equations with a sinusoidal body force) is studied both over a square [0, 2π]{sup 2} torus and a rectangular torus extended in the forcing direction. In the former case, an order of magnitude more recurrent flows are found than previously [G. J. Chandler and R. R. Kerswell, “Invariant recurrent solutions embedded in a turbulent two-dimensional Kolmogorov flow,” J. Fluid Mech. 722, 554–595 (2013)] and shown to give improved predictions for the dissipation and energy pdfs of the chaos via periodic orbit theory. Analysis of the recurrent flows shows that the energy is largely trapped in the smallest wavenumbers through a combination of the inverse cascade process and a feature of the advective nonlinearity in 2D. Over the extended torus at low forcing amplitudes, some extracted states mimic the statistics of the spatially localised chaos present surprisingly well recalling the findings of Kawahara and Kida [“Periodic motion embedded in plane Couette turbulence: Regeneration cycle and burst,” J. Fluid Mech. 449, 291 (2001)] in low-Reynolds-number plane Couette flow. At higher forcing amplitudes, however, success is limited highlighting the increased dimensionality of the chaos and the need for larger data sets. Algorithmic developments to improve the extraction procedure are discussed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE): Summary of Findings for Flow Boiling based on Completed ISS Experiments

Since 2011, researchers from Purdue University and NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have been collaborating to investigate the effects of gravity on several aspects of flow boiling and flow condensation. This massive research endeavor, termed the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE), has culminated in development of NASA’s largest and most complex facility for investigation of two-phase fluid physics onboard the ISS. FBCE consists of two separate studies: flow boiling, using the Flow Boiling Module (FBM), and flow condensation, using the Condensation Module for Heat Transfer Measurements (CM-HT); this presentation concerns the FBM portion of FBCE. Fitted with FBM, FBCE was launched to the ISS in August 2021 and experiments were successfully performed starting in February 2022 to amass a large microgravity-flow-boiling database supported by extensive visualization of interfacial behavior using high-speed video. Based on FBCE experiments performed previously in Earth gravity and parabolic flight, along with the new ISS data, several empirical correlations, theoretical models, and CFD models have been developed, enabling the prediction of crucial flow boiling parameters, including heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux (CHF). These predictive tools, which will be summarized in this presentation, are expected to serve as foundation for design of future space systems involving flow boiling.

Two-phase flow and phase transition↗
DOE OSTI2020

Time-Sequenced Flow Field Prediction in an Optima Spark-Ignition Direct-Injection Engine Using Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Network (bi-RNN) with Long Short-Term Memory

To further improve the energy conversion efficiency of internal combustion engine, the transient and complex air flow movement inside the cylinder needs to be better understood and controlled. Although the in-cylinder flow fields are highly stochastic with strong cycle-to-cycle fluctuations, machine learning can still provide an efficient way to learn and regress the complex flow movement process inside the cylinder. In this work, a bidirectional recurrent neural network (bi-RNN) model with long short-term memory was applied to predict the in-cylinder flow fields at different time steps using training data from mull-cycle particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. To evaluate the agreement between the true and predicted flow fields, structure and magnitude comparison indices are calculated both globally and locally. The comparison results show that the bi-RNN model can accurately predict the bulk flow and vortex motions from early intake stroke to compression stroke. This work demonstrates that the machine learning model has the potential to predict the underlying dynamics of the interaction between in-cylinder flows and provides a reliable way to improve temporal resolution in PIV flow data to better reveal transient in-cylinder flow features.

Bi-RNN model↗
DOE OSTI2016

Simultaneous moisture content and mass flow measurements in wood chip flows using coupled dielectric and impact sensors

An 8-electrode capacitance tomography (ECT) sensor was built and used to measure moisture content (MC) and mass flow of pine chip flows. The device was capable of directly measuring total water quantity in a sample but was sensitive to both dry matter and moisture, and therefore required a second measurement of mass flow to calculate MC. Two means of calculating the mass flow were used: the first being an impact sensor to measure total mass flow, and the second a volumetric approach based on measuring total area occupied by wood in images generated using the capacitance sensor’s tomographic mode. Tests were made on 109 groups of wood chips ranging in moisture content from 14% to 120% (dry basis) and wet weight of 280 to 1100 g. Sixty groups were randomly selected as a calibration set, and the remaining were used for validation of the sensor’s performance. For the combined capacitance/force transducer system, root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) for wet mass flow and moisture content were 13.42% and 16.61%, respectively. RMSEP using the combined volumetric mass flow/capacitance sensor for dry mass flow and moisture content were 22.89% and 24.16%, respectively. Either of the approaches was concluded to be feasible for prediction of moisture content in pine chip flows, but combining the impact and capacitance sensors was easier to implement. As a result, in situations where flows could not be impeded, however, the tomographic approach would likely be more useful.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerical analyses of high temperature dense, granular flows coupled to high temperature flow property measurements for solar thermal energy storage

High temperature particle flow properties necessary to predict granular flow behavior for solar thermal energy storage applications were measured and calculated for Carbobead CP 30/60 up to 800 °C. Here, the measured properties included elastic and shear moduli, particle-particle coefficients of static sliding and rolling friction, and particle-particle coefficients of restitution. Poisson’s ratio was calculated with elastic and shear moduli. The flow properties were used as inputs for a numerical model using the discrete element method to examine granular flows along an inclined plane at high temperature. The flow behavior was strongly influenced by the coefficients of static friction, which impacted the particle residence time, shear effects from the side walls, and particle flow mass flux. An 8.7%, 15.6%, and 8.5% increase and 37.9% decrease in steady state mass flow rate was observed for 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C, respectively, when compared to room temperature simulations. A 52%, 59%, and 33% decrease in the time to reach steady state was observed for 200 °C, 400 °C, and 600 °C, respectively, while a 53% increase in time was observed for 800 °C. A significant delay in the flow development at 800 °C was observed due to significantly higher frictional forces.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Interface tracking simulations of bubbly flows in PWR relevant geometries

[en] Highlights: • Simulations were performed for turbulent bubbly flows in PWR subchannel geometry. • Liquid turbulence is fully resolved by direct numerical simulation approach. • Bubble behavior is captured using level-set interface tracking method. • Time-averaged single- and two-phase turbulent flow statistical quantities are obtained. - Abstract: The advances in high performance computing (HPC) have allowed direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach coupled with interface tracking methods (ITM) to perform high fidelity simulations of turbulent bubbly flows in various complex geometries. In this work, we have chosen the geometry of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) core subchannel to perform a set of interface tracking simulations (ITS) with fully resolved liquid turbulence. The presented research utilizes a massively parallel finite-element based code, PHASTA, for the subchannel geometry simulations of bubbly flow turbulence. The main objective for this research is to demonstrate the ITS capabilities in gaining new insight into bubble/turbulence interactions and assisting the development of improved closure laws for multiphase computational fluid dynamics (M-CFD). Both single- and two-phase turbulent flows were studied within a single PWR subchannel. The analysis of numerical results includes the mean gas and liquid velocity profiles, void fraction distribution and turbulent kinetic energy profiles. Two sets of flow rates and bubble sizes were used in the simulations. The chosen flow rates corresponded to the Reynolds numbers of 29,079 and 80,775 based on channel hydraulic diameter (D_h) and mean velocity. The finite element unstructured grids utilized for these simulations include 53.8 million and 1.11 billion elements, respectively. This has allowed to fully resolve all the turbulence scales and the deformable interfaces of individual bubbles. For the two-phase flow simulations, a 1% bubble volume fraction was used which resulted in 17 bubbles in the smaller case and 262 bubbles in the larger case. In the larger simulation case the size of the resolved bubbles is 0.65 mm in diameter, and the bulk mesh cell size is about 30 microns. Those large-scale simulations provide new level of details previously unavailable and were enabled by the excellent scaling performance of our two-phase flow solver and access to the state-of-the-art supercomputing resources. The presented simulations used up to 256 thousand processing threads on the IBM BG/Q supercomputer “Mira” (Argonne National Laboratory).

Nuclear Science & Technology↗
DOE OSTI2017

Differential flow correlations in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

A systematic analysis of correlations between different orders of p T -differential flow is presented here, including mode coupling effects in flow vectors, correlations between flow angles (a.k.a. event-plane correlations), and correlations between ow magnitudes, all of which were previously studied with integrated flows. Furthermore, we find that the mode coupling effects among differential flows largely mirror those among the corresponding integrated flows, except at small transverse momenta where mode coupling contributions are small. For the fourth- and fifth-order flow vectors V 4 and V 5 we argue that the event plane correlations can be understood as the ratio between the mode coupling contributions to these flows and the flow magnitudes. We also find that for V 4 and V 5 the linear response contribution scales linearly with the corresponding cumulant-defined eccentricities but not with the standard eccentricities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Physical Controls on Irrigation Return Flow Contributions to Stream Flow in Irrigated Alluvial Valleys

Irrigation can be a significant source of groundwater recharge in many agricultural regions, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates. Once infiltrated, irrigation recharge can travel via subsurface flowpaths that return to the river system in a lagged manner, supplementing natural streamflow weeks, months, or even years from when the irrigation was applied. In regions that experience low flows during summer and early fall, return flows can be a significant source of supplementary streamflow. Many water planning and operations models either ignore return flows or roughly approximate them with analytical solutions. Thus, return flows represent an important but often overlooked component of the hydrological exchange and overall water balance in agricultural regions. This study uses groundwater models to explore a wide range of factors that control irrigation return flow timing in irrigated alluvial valleys. A sensitivity analysis approach is used to assess how factors such as the extent of irrigated land adjacent to a stream, irrigation recharge rate, aquifer hydraulic conductivity, aquifer thickness, water table configuration, and seasonal fluctuations in stream stage control the timing of subsurface return flows. Modeling is conducted using MODFLOW models representing an irrigated alluvial valley adjacent to a stream. While a simplification of the full complexity in real systems, the models are a significant advancement from the analytical solution and provide new insight into the timescales of return flows over a broad range of possible conditions. To contextualize our modeling results, they are compared to an analytical solution commonly used for approximating return flows to evaluate its performance. Our findings show what factors and conditions influence return flow timing and control whether they contribute to streamflow over short term (months) or longer term (seasonal) time scales.

Ferencz, Stephen B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Flow direction determination of lava flows.

The flow direction technique, previously applied to ash-flow sheets, can be used to determine direction of movement and locate eruptive centers for lava flows. The method provides statistically stronger and more consistent flow direction data for lava than ash-flow tuff. The accuracy and reliability of the technique was established on the porphyritic basaltic andesite of Mount Taylor, New Mexico, which erupted from a known center, the Mount Taylor Amphitheater. The technique was then applied to volcanic units with unknown sources: the John Kerr Peak Quartz Latite and mid-Tertiary andesite flows in the Mogollon Mountains, both in southwestern New Mexico. The flow direction technique indicated flow patterns and suggested source areas for each rock unit. In the Mogollon Mountains flow direction measurements were supported by independent directional criteria such as dips of cross beds, stratigraphic thickening, facies changes, and megascopic textures.-

Smith, E. I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Field Measurements of the 1983 Royal Gardens Lava Flows, Kilauea Volcano, and 1984 Mauna Loa Lava Flow, Hawaii

Theoretical models used in the remote determination of lava flow rheology and compositions rely on estimates of such geometric and flow parameters as volume flow rates, levee heights, and channel dimensions, as well as morphologic and structural patterns on the flow surfaces. Quantitative measures of these variables are difficult to obtain, even under optimum conditions. Detailed topographic profiles across several Hawaiian lava flows that were carefully monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey during their emplacement in 1983 were surveyed in order to test various flow emplacement models. Twenty two accurate channel cross sections were constructed by combining these profiles with digitized pre-flow topographic measurements. Levee heights, shear zone widths, and flow depths could then be read directly from the cross sections and input into the models. The profiles were also compared with ones constructed for some Martian lava flows.

Fink, J.↗