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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

Industrial use of land observation satellite systems

The principal industrial users of land observation satellite systems are the geological industries; oil/gas, mining, and engineering/environmental companies. The primary system used is LANDSAT/MSS. Currently, use is also being made of the limited amounts of SKYLAB photography, SEASAT and SIR-A radar, and the new LANDSAT/TM data available. Although considered experimental, LANDSAT data is now used operationally by several hundred exploration and engineering companies worldwide as a vastly improved geological mapping tool to help direct more expensive geophysical and drilling phases, leading to more efficient decision-making and results. Future needs include global LANDSAT/TM; higher spatial resolution; stereo and radar; improved data handling, processing distribution and archiving systems, and integrated geographical information systems (GIS). For a promising future, governments must provide overall continuity (government and/or private sector) of such systems, insure continued government R and D, and commit to operating internationally under the civil Open Skies policy.

Henderson, F. B., III↗

Comparison of predicted and measured temperatures of UH-60A helicopter transmission

The 2109-kW (2828-hp) UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter transmission was one of the transmissions used to obtain an experimental data base. Component improvements or new transmission concepts can thus be evaluated by comparison with the established data. Results of efficiency and vibration tests of the UH-60A have been reported previously. In this investigation the transmission was instrumented internally and tested over a range of operating conditions. The speed was varied from 50 to 100 percent of the full rated value, and the torque was varied from 10 to 100 percent of the full rated value. Temperatures of internal bearings and gears were measured. The computer program Planetsys was used to simulate the thermal performance of this transmission. The calculated temperatures were then compared with the corresponding measured values. The highest measured temperature was 405 K (270 F) on the outer race of the high-speed input shaft roller bearing, at the 100-percent power condition. In general, the predicted temperatures compared very well with the measured values, most of them being within 5 kelvin (9 F). Specifically, the temperatures predicted for the single-row spherical roller planetary bearing averaged only about 4 kelvin (8 F) lower than the highest measured value.

Coe, Harold H.↗

Continuing adventures in lysozyme crystal growth

Results obtained on the crystal nucleation and growth of lysozyme are presented. Special attention is given to the anion-protein binding, the nucleation kinetics, the mechanisms of aggregation, and the conditions that promote or inhibit lysozyme (110)-face growth rate. The emerging theory that is currently being used for data interpretation and for designing new experimental approaches is outlined.

Pusey, Marc L.↗

Unstructured grid solutions to a wing/pylon/store configuration using VGRID3D/USM3D

The purpose of this paper is to validate an inviscid flow solution package based on a new unstructured grid methodology using experimental data on a wing/pylon/store configuration. The solution package consists of an advancing front unstructured grid generator, VGRID3D, and an efficient Euler equation solver, USM3D. Comparisons of computed data versus experimental data are made for two free-stream Mach numbers at five store locations relative to the wing. Both rigid body aerodynamics and mutual interference effects are explored. A very good agreement is observed between computed and wind tunnel data.

Parikh, Paresh↗

Calculations of Diffuser Flows with an Anisotropic K-Epsilon Model

A newly developed anisotropic K-epsilon model is applied to calculate three axisymmetric diffuser flows with or without separation. The new model uses a quadratic stress-strain relation and satisfies the realizability conditions, i.e., it ensures both the positivity of the turbulent normal stresses and the Schwarz' inequality between any fluctuating velocities. Calculations are carried out with a finite-element method. A second-order accurate, bounded convection scheme and sufficiently fine grids are used to ensure numerical credibility of the solutions. The standard K-epsilon model is also used in order to highlight the performance of the new model. Comparison with the experimental data shows that the anisotropic K-epsilon model performs consistently better than does the standard K-epsilon model in all of the three test cases.

Zhu, J.↗

Vapor Transport Within the Thermal Diffusion Cloud Chamber

A review of the equations used to determine the 1-D vapor transport in the thermal diffusion cloud chamber (TDCC) is presented. These equations closely follow those of the classical Stefan tube problem in which there is transport of a volatile species through a noncondensible, carrier gas. In both cases, the very plausible assumption is made that the background gas is stagnant. Unfortunately, this assumption results in a convective flux which is inconsistent with the momentum and continuity equations for both systems. The approximation permits derivation of an analytical solution for the concentration profile in the Stefan tube, but there is no computational advantage in the case of the TDCC. Furthermore, the degree of supersaturation is a sensitive function of the concentration profile in the TD CC and the stagnant background gas approximation can make a dramatic difference in the calculated supersaturation. In this work, the equations typically used with a TDCC are compared with very general transport equations describing the 1-D diffusion of the volatile species. Whereas no pressure dependence is predicted with the typical equations, a strong pressure dependence is present with the more general equations given in this work. The predicted behavior is consistent with observations in diffusion cloud experiments. It appears that the new equations may account for much of the pressure dependence noted in TDCC experiments, but a comparison between the new equations and previously obtained experimental data are needed for verification.

Ferguson, Frank T.↗

Characterization of Canopy Layering in Forested Ecosystems Using Full Waveform Lidar

Canopy structure, the vertical distribution of canopy material, is an important element of forest ecosystem dynamics and habitat preference. Although vertical stratification, or "canopy layering," is a basic characterization of canopy structure for research and forest management, it is difficult to quantify at landscape scales. In this paper we describe canopy structure and develop methodologies to map forest vertical stratification in a mixed temperate forest using full-waveform lidar. Two definitions-one categorical and one continuous-are used to map canopy layering over Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire with lidar data collected in 2009 by NASA's Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS). The two resulting canopy layering datasets describe variation of canopy layering throughout the forest and show that layering varies with terrain elevation and canopy height. This information should provide increased understanding of vertical structure variability and aid habitat characterization and other forest management activities.

lidar↗

Determination of Uncertainties for the New SSME Model

This report discusses the uncertainty analysis performed in support of a new test analysis and performance prediction model for the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The new model utilizes uncertainty estimates for experimental data and for the analytical model to obtain the most plausible operating condition for the engine system. This report discusses the development of the data sets and uncertainty estimates to be used in the development of the new model. It also presents the application of uncertainty analysis to analytical models and the uncertainty analysis for the conservation of mass and energy balance relations is presented. A new methodology for the assessment of the uncertainty associated with linear regressions is presented.

Coleman, Hugh W.↗

High-frequency techniques for RCS prediction of plate geometries and a physical optics/equivalent currents model for the RCS of trihedral corner reflectors, parts 1 and 2

Formulations for scattering from the coated plate and the coated dihedral corner reflector are included. A coated plate model based upon the Uniform Theory of Diffraction (UTD) for impedance wedges was presented in the last report. In order to resolve inaccuracies and discontinuities in the predicted patterns using the UTD-based model, an improved model that uses more accurate diffraction coefficients is presented. A Physical Optics (PO) model for the coated dihedral corner reflector is presented as an intermediary step in developing a high-frequency model for this structure. The PO model is based upon the reflection coefficients for a metal-backed lossy material. Preliminary PO results for the dihedral corner reflector suggest that, in addition to being much faster computationally, this model may be more accurate than existing moment method (MM) models. An improved Physical Optics (PO)/Equivalent Currents model for modeling the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of both square and triangular, perfectly conducting, trihedral corner reflectors is presented. The new model uses the PO approximation at each reflection for the first- and second-order reflection terms. For the third-order reflection terms, a Geometrical Optics (GO) approximation is used for the first reflection; and PO approximations are used for the remaining reflections. The previously reported model used GO for all reflections except the terminating reflection. Using PO for most of the reflections results in a computationally slower model because many integrations must be performed numerically, but the advantage is that the predicted RCS using the new model is much more accurate. Comparisons between the two PO models, Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) and experimental data are presented for validation of the new model.

Balanis, Constantine A.↗

A prediction method for flow in the Shuttle tile strain isolation pad

The Shuttle Orbiter thermal protection system uses a Strain Isolation Pad (SIP) between the tile and the Orbiter. This paper presents experimental measurements of the pressure drop and associated flow rate through a sample of the SIP material. Included are data for a range of air densities representative of Shuttle ascent and re-entry trajectories. Also presented are new theoretical and correlative methods which predict the experimental data. These methods will help in predicting venting characteristics of tile assemblies during ascent, and hot gas leak under the tiles during descent. The predictive philosophy developed is useful in the study of fibrous and porous media fluid mechanics.

Lawing, Pierce L.↗

Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) of Triboelectrically Charged Particles: Revised Experiments

In a previous work, the addition of basic screened Coulombic electrostatic forces to an existing commercial discrete element modeling (DEM) software was reported. Triboelectric experiments were performed to charge glass spheres rolling on inclined planes of various materials. Charge generation constants and the Q/m ratios for the test materials were calculated from the experimental data and compared to the simulation output of the DEM software. In this paper, we will discuss new values of the charge generation constants calculated from improved experimental procedures and data. Also, planned work to include dielectrophoretic, Van der Waals forces, and advanced mechanical forces into the software will be discussed.

Hogue, Michael D.↗

On Nonlinear Combustion Instability in Liquid Propellant Rocket Motors

All liquid propellant rocket instability calculations in current use have limited value in the predictive sense and serve mainly as a correlating framework for the available data sets. The well-known n-t model first introduced by Crocco and Cheng in 1956 is still used as the primary analytical tool of this type. A multitude of attempts to establish practical analytical methods have achieved only limited success. These methods usually produce only stability boundary maps that are of little use in making critical design decisions in new motor development programs. Recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of combustion instability in solid propellant rockets"' provides a firm foundation for a new approach to prediction, diagnosis, and correction of the closely related problems in liquid motor instability. For predictive tools to be useful in the motor design process, they must have the capability to accurately determine: 1) time evolution of the pressure oscillations and limit amplitude, 2) critical triggering pulse amplitude, and 3) unsteady heat transfer rates at injector surfaces and chamber walls. The method described in this paper relates these critical motor characteristics directly to system design parameters. Inclusion of mechanisms such as wave steepening, vorticity production and transport, and unsteady detonation wave phenomena greatly enhance the representation of key features of motor chamber oscillatory behavior. The basic theoretical model is described and preliminary computations are compared to experimental data. A plan to develop the new predictive method into a comprehensive analysis tool is also described.

Sims, J. D.↗

An Improved Model for the Turbulent PBL

Second order turbulence models of the Mellor and Yamada type have been widely used to simulate the PBL. It is however known that these models have several deficiencies. For example, they all predict a critical Richardson number which is about four times smaller than the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) data, they are unable to match the surface data, and they predict a boundary layer height lower than expected. In the present model, we show that these difficulties are all overcome by a single new physical input: the use of the most complete expression for both the pressure-velocity and the pressure-temperature correlations presently available. Each of the new terms represents a physical process that, was not accounted for by previous models. The new model is presented in three different levels according to Mellor and Yamada's terminology, with new, ready-to-use expressions for the turbulent, moments. We show that the new model reproduces several experimental and LES data better than previous models. As far as the PBL is concerned, we show that the model reproduces both the Kansas data as analyzed by Businger et al. in the context of Monin-Obukhov similarity theory for smaller Richardson numbers, as well as the LES and laboratory data up to Richardson numbers of order unity. We also show that the model yields a higher PBL height than the previous models.

Cheng, Y.↗

Numerical prediction of turbulent flow over airfoil sections with a new nonequilibrium turbulence model

A new nonequilibrium turbulence closure model has been developed for computing wall bounded two-dimensional turbulent flows. This two-layer eddy viscosity model was motivated by the success of the Johnson-King model in separated flow regions. The influence of history effects are described by an ordinary differential equation developed from the turbulent kinetic energy equation. The performance of the present model has been evaluated by solving the flow around three airfoils using the Reynolds time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Excellent results were obtained for both attached and separated turbulent flows about the NACA 0012 airfoil, the RAE 2822 airfoil, and the Integrated Technology A 153W airfoil. Based on the comparison of the numerical solutions with the available experimental data, it is concluded that the new nonequilibrium turbulence model accurately captures the history effects of convection and diffusion on turbulence.

Ahmed, S.↗

Radiation Modeling with Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

Improvements in the modeling of radiation in low density shock waves with direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) are the subject of this study. A new scheme to determine the relaxation collision numbers for excitation of electronic states is proposed. This scheme attempts to move the DSMC programs toward a more detailed modeling of the physics and more reliance on available rate data. The new method is compared with the current modeling technique and both techniques are compared with available experimental data. The differences in the results are evaluated. The test case is based on experimental measurements from the AVCO-Everett Research Laboratory electric arc-driven shock tube of a normal shock wave in air at 10 km/s and .1 Torr. The new method agrees with the available data as well as the results from the earlier scheme and is more easily extrapolated to di erent ow conditions.

Carlson, Ann B.↗

Blunt-Body Entry Vehicle Aerothermodynamics: Transition and Turbulence on the CEV and MSL Configurations

Recent, current, and planned NASA missions that employ blunt-body entry vehicles pose aerothermodynamic problems that challenge the state-of-the art of experimental and computational methods. The issues of boundary-layer transition and turbulent heating on the heat shield have become important in the designs of both the Mars Science Laboratory and Crew Exploration Vehicle. While considerable experience in these general areas exists, that experience is mainly derived from simple geometries; e.g. sharp-cones and flat-plates, or from lifting bodies such as the Space Shuttle Orbiter. For blunt-body vehicles, application of existing data, correlations, and comparisons is questionable because an all, or mostly, subsonic flow field is produced behind the bow shock, as compared to the supersonic (or even hypersonic) flow of other configurations. Because of the need for design and validation data for projects such as MSL and CEV, many new experimental studies have been conducted in the last decade to obtain detailed boundary-layer transition and turbulent heating data on this class of vehicle. In this paper, details of several of the test programs are reviewed. The laminar and turbulent data from these various test are shown to correlate in terms of edge-based Stanton and Reynolds number functions. Correlations are developed from the data for transition onset and turbulent heating augmentation as functions of momentum thickness Reynolds number. These correlation can be employed as engineering-level design and analysis tools.

Hollis, Brian R.↗

An observation about the relative hardiness of bacterial spores and planetary quarantine

Planetary quarantine objectives are shown to be critically dependent on the deviation in the actual decimal-reduction-time or D values (i.e., the time necessary to reduce the population to one-tenth of its original value) of organisms on spacecraft from the values chosen for spacecraft sterilization that have been selected conservatively relative to defined experimental procedures and bacterial spore stocks. New data indicate that these D values are not conservative when compared with those of naturally occurring organisms. The possible implications of these new data for planetary quarantine are analyzed.

Trauth, C. A., Jr.↗

Preferential spectral transport by irrotational straining

The addition of an extra term to the conventional approximate transport equation for the turbulence energy dissipation rate is recommended. The term may be viewed as emphasizing the role of irrotational deformations in promoting energy transfer across the spectrum or, equivalently, as augmenting the influence of normal strains. Calculations including the new term are reported for the plane and round jet and for several turbulent boundary layers. In the cases considered the addition of the new term significantly improves agreement with experimental data.

Hanjalic, K.↗