Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “heat governance”

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

Thermal/Pyrolysis Gas Flow Analysis of Carbon Phenolic Material

Provided in this study are predicted in-depth temperature and pyrolysis gas pressure distributions for carbon phenolic materials that are externally heated with a laser source. Governing equations, numerical techniques and comparisons to measured temperature data are also presented. Surface thermochemical conditions were determined using the Aerotherm Chemical Equilibrium (ACE) program. Surface heating simulation used facility calibrated radiative and convective flux levels. Temperatures and pyrolysis gas pressures are predicted using an upgraded form of the SINDA/CMA program that was developed by NASA during the Solid Propulsion Integrity Program (SPIP). Multispecie mass balance, tracking of condensable vapors, high heat rate kinetics, real gas compressibility and reduced mixture viscosity's have been added to the algorithm. In general, surface and in-depth temperature comparisons are very good. Specie partial pressures calculations show that a saturated water-vapor mixture is the main contributor to peak in-depth total pressure. Further, for most of the cases studied, the water-vapor mixture is driven near the critical point and is believed to significantly increase the local heat capacity of the composite material. This phenomenon if not accounted for in analysis models may lead to an over prediction in temperature response in charring regions of the material.

Clayton, J. Louie↗

Modeling of transient heat pipe operation

Mathematical models and an associated computer program for heat pipe startup from the frozen state have been developed. Finite element formulations of the governing equations are written for each heat pipe region for each operating condition during startup from the frozen state. The various models were checked against analytical and experimental data available in the literature for three specific types of operation. Computations using the methods developed were made for a space shuttle reentry mission where a heat pipe cooled leading edge was used on the wing.

Colwell, Gene T.↗

Waste heat utilization in industrial processes

A survey is given of new developments in heat exchangers and heat pumps. With respect to practical applications, internal criteria for plant operation are discussed. Possibilities of government support are pointed out. Waste heat steam generators and waste heat aggregates for hot water generation or in some cases for steam superheating are used. The possibilities of utilization can be classified according to the economic improvements and according to their process applications, for example, gascooling. Examples are presented for a large variety of applications.

Weichsel, M.↗

Computer modeling of heat pipe performance

A parametric study of the defining equations which govern the steady state operational characteristics of the Grumman monogroove dual passage heat pipe is presented. These defining equations are combined to develop a mathematical model which describes and predicts the operational and performance capabilities of a specific heat pipe given the necessary physical characteristics and working fluid. Included is a brief review of the current literature, a discussion of the governing equations, and a description of both the mathematical and computer model. Final results of preliminary test runs of the model are presented and compared with experimental tests on actual prototypes.

Peterson, G. P.↗

Capillary priming characteristics of a high capacity dual passage heat pipe

A parametric study of the forces governing the liquid-vapor interface was performed for the purpose of determining the capillary priming characteristics of Grumman's dual passage monogroove heat pipe when subjected to low-g or zero-g conditions. The static liquid-vapor interface configuration was determined through minimization of the free surface energies and a mathematical model and computer program which describe the time to prime was developed. Modeling predictions confirmed expectations of proper priming action and established the criteria for sizing of the liquid and vapor channels.

Peterson, G. P.↗

Two-phase flows and heat transfer within systems with ambient pressure above the thermodynamic critical pressure

In systems where the design inlet and outlet pressures P sub amb are maintained above the thermodynamic critical pressure P sub c, it is often assumed that heat and mass transfer are governed by single-phase relations and that two-phase flows cannot occur. This simple rule of thumb is adequate in many low-power designs but is inadequate for high-performance turbomachines, boilers, and other systems where two-phase regions can exist even though P sub amb P sub c. Heat and mass transfer and rotordynamic-fluid-mechanic restoring forces depend on momentum differences, and those for a two-phase zone can differ significantly from those for a single-phase zone. By using a laminar, variable-property bearing code and a rotating boiler code, pressure and temperature surfaces were determined that illustrate nesting of a two-phase region within a supercritical pressure region. The method of corresponding states is applied to bearings with reasonable rapport.

Hendricks, R. C.↗

Two-phase flows and heat transfer within systems with ambient pressure above the thermodynamic critical pressure

In systems where the design inlet and outlet pressure P sub amb are maintained above the thermodynamic critical pressure P sub c, it is often assumed that heat and mass transfer are governed by single-phase relations and that two-phase flows cannot occur. This simple rule of thumb is adequate in many low-power designs but is inadequate for high-performance turbomachines, boilers, and other systems where two-phase regions can exist even though P sub amb P sub c. Heat and mass transfer and rotordynamic-fluid-mechanic restoring forces depend on momentum differences, and those for a two-phase zone can differ significantly from those for a single-phase zone. By using a laminar, variable-property bearing code and a rotating boiler code, pressure and temperature surfaces were determined that illustrate nesting of a two-phase region within a supercritical pressure region. The method of corresponding states is applied to bearings with reasonable rapport.

Hendricks, R. C.↗

Geospatial characterization of low-temperature heating and cooling demand in residential, commercial, manufacturing, agricultural, and data center sectors for potential geothermal applications in the United States

Thermal demand for heating and cooling has been predominantly supplied by fossil fuel combustion in the United States, although low-carbon alternatives are extensively available including geothermal, solar thermal, and waste heat. Here, this study analyzed end-use energy consumption, fuel expenditure, and data center commissioned power data to geospatially characterize the U.S. low-temperature heating and cooling demand at the county level in residential, commercial, manufacturing, agricultural, and data center sectors and understand potential opportunities for geothermal applications. In the analysis, the regional-scale energy consumption data was incorporated with system efficiencies to address actual demand and was then disaggregated with weighting factors to the county level. The results indicated that total low-temperature heating and cooling demand is 16.7 EJ, combining heating demand of 10.8 EJ and cooling demand of 5.9 EJ. Overall, 59.9 % (10 EJ) of the low-temperature heating and cooling demand occurred in the residential sector. The heating and cooling demand visualized in maps represented that the geospatial distribution of heating and cooling demand in the residential and commercial sectors is governed by the number of housing units and climate zone designations, while heating and cooling demand in the manufacturing, agricultural, and data center sectors is dependent on the number and location of facilities. The results also demonstrated that geothermal heat pumps are broadly used in the residential and commercial sectors for heating and cooling in the U.S. Midwest, South, and Northeast regions but are limited in the West, implying great decarbonization potential in the future.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Thermal gradient effect on helium and self-interstitial transport in tungsten

First-wall materials in a fusion reactor are expected to withstand harsh conditions, with high heat and particle fluxes that modify the materials microstructure. These fluxes will create strong gradients of temperature and concentration of diverse species. Besides the He ash and the hydrogenic species, neutron particles generated in the fusion reaction will collide with the material creating intrinsic defects, such as vacancies, self-interstitials atoms (SIAs), and clusters of such point defects. These defects and the He atoms will then migrate in the presence of the aforementioned gradients. In this study, we use nonequilibrium molecular dynamics to analyze the transport of He and SIAs in the presence of a thermal gradient in tungsten. We observe that, in all cases, the defects and impurity atoms tend to migrate toward the hot regions of the tungsten sample. The resulting species concentration profiles are exponential distributions, rising toward the hot regions of the sample, in agreement with irreversible thermodynamics analysis. For both He atoms and SIAs, we find that the resulting species flux is directed opposite to the heat flux, indicating that species transport is governed by a Soret effect (thermal-gradient-driven diffusion) characterized by a negative heat of transport that drives species diffusion uphill (from the cooler to the hot regions of the sample). Here, we demonstrate that the steady-state species profiles obtained accounting for the Soret effect vary significantly from those where temperature-gradient-driven transport is not considered and discuss the implications of such a Soret effect on the response to plasma exposure of plasma-facing tungsten.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Numerical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for a Butler wing

The flow field is simulated on the surface of a given delta wing (Butler wing) at zero incident in a uniform stream. The simulation is done by integrating a set of flow field equations. This set of equations governs the unsteady, viscous, compressible, heat conducting flow of an ideal gas. The equations are written in curvilinear coordinates so that the wing surface is represented accurately. These equations are solved by the finite difference method, and results obtained for high-speed freestream conditions are compared with theoretical and experimental results. In this study, the Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically. These equations are unsteady, compressible, viscous, and three-dimensional without neglecting any terms. The time dependency of the governing equations allows the solution to progress naturally for an arbitrary initial initial guess to an asymptotic steady state, if one exists. The equations are transformed from physical coordinates to the computational coordinates, allowing the solution of the governing equations in a rectangular parallel-piped domain. The equations are solved by the MacCormack time-split technique which is vectorized and programmed to run on the CDC VPS 32 computer.

Abolhassani, J. S.↗

An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling

Abstract The next generation of aircraft, including more electric aircraft and all‐electric aircraft (AEA), requires electric power systems with high power density and low system mass specifications. Increasing the voltage of the system to the range of a few kV, medium voltage (MV), is a reasonable approach to achieving high‐power‐density and low‐system‐mass EPSs for aircraft applications. Higher voltages, however, pose many challenges for aviation MV power cables such as arcs and arc tracking, partial discharges (PDs), and thermal management. In this regard, thermal management is more challenging since heat transfer by convection is greatly reduced at wide‐body aircraft's cruising altitudes due to the reduced air pressure. In this paper, a finite element method (FEM) model is developed in COMSOL Multiphysics for an aircraft bipolar MVDC (±5 kV) power cable. Using the model, the maximum permissible cable current at a low pressure of 18.8 kPa (at an altitude of 12.2 km from sea level, the usual cruising altitude for wide‐body aircraft) is calculated. Also, an analytical model is developed based on analytical and proven empirical correlations governing conductive, radiative, and convective heat transfers at the steady state to estimate the ampacity of the bipolar cable system at reduced pressure. It was shown that the proposed analytical model can be used for atmospheric pressure and systems with a larger number of poles, expanding its range of applications. The results of the FEM and analytical models correlate at wide ranges of parameters such as ambient temperature, duct size, distance between the positive and negative pole cables, and the overall diameter of the cables. The influence of horizontal and vertical arrangement of poles is included in the analytical model. The results of this study can be used to design bipolar MVDC power cable systems for the envisaged wide‐body AEA.

Azizi, Arian↗

Impact of Soret effect on hydrogen and helium retention in PFC tungsten under ELM-like conditions

Abstract In our previous work, we have demonstrated using nonequilibrium molecular-dynamics simulations that the fluxes of helium and self-interstitial atoms in the presence of a thermal gradient in tungsten are directed opposite to the heat flux, indicating that species transport is governed by a Soret effect, namely, thermal-gradient-driven diffusion, characterized by a negative heat of transport that drives species transport uphill, i.e. from the cooler to the hot regions of the tungsten sample. In this work, the findings of our thermal and species transport analysis have been implemented in our cluster-dynamics code, Xolotl, which has been used to compute temperature and species profiles over spatiotemporal scales representative of plasma-facing component (PFC) tungsten under typical reactor operating conditions, including extreme heat loads at the plasma-facing surface characteristic of plasma instabilities that induce edge localized modes (ELMs). We demonstrate that the steady-state species profiles, when properly accounting for the Soret effect, vary significantly from those where temperature-gradient-driven transport is not accounted for and discuss the implications of such a Soret effect on the response to plasma exposure of plasma-facing tungsten. Although our cluster-dynamics simulations do not yet include self-clustering of helium or hydrogen blister formation, our simulation results show that the Soret effect substantially reduces helium and hydrogenic species retention inside PFC tungsten.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The theory of charged particle temperatures in the upper atmosphere.

The thermal structure of the earth's upper atmosphere is examined in detail, with emphasis on the physical processes that govern the behavior of charged-particle temperatures. The characteristic features of and competition between the heating, cooling, and thermal conduction processes that govern electron and ion temperatures in the mid-latitude and auroral ionospheric regions are theoretically analyzed, and appropriate comparisons are made with experimental data. The proposed elaborate theory is considered qualitatively successful in accounting for the thermal structure of the ionosphere, and points requiring quantitative verification are delineated.

Schunk, R. W.↗

Stability of laser heated flows

A local stability analysis is utilized to determine the stability of disturbances generated at each point along a nozzle of variable area ratio for a one-dimensional flow heated by laser radiation entering from the upstream direction. The governing equations for the quasi-one-dimensional flow without viscous dissipation, diffusion, and thermal conduction but including radiative heat transfer are given. The governing equations are combined to yield a relationship which governs the Mach number variation through the nozzle. The complete steady-state solution can be calculated from knowledge of the Mach number profile, the inlet conditions, and the laser power. The local stability analysis permits obtaining contour (or contours) of neutral stability. Solutions have been obtained for various nozzle configurations, but only one set of example calculations is presented. The results obtained indicate that the analysis serves as an important indicator as to where potential absorption wave phenomena may be initiated.

Wu, P. K. S.↗

Prototype solar heating and cooling systems, including potable hot water

Progress made in the development, delivery, and support of two prototype solar heating and cooling systems including potable hot water is reported. The system consists of the following subsystems: collector, auxiliary heating, potable hot water, storage, control, transport, and government-furnished site data acquisition. A comparison of the proposed Solaron Heat Pump and Solar Desiccant Heating and Cooling Systems, installation drawings, data on the Akron House at Akron, Ohio, and other program activities are included.

Bloomquist, D.↗

Character and stability of axisymmetric thermal convection in spheres and spherical shells

The influence of shell size and mode of heating on the behavior and stability of axisymmetric, infinite Prandtl number convection in a spherical geometry is studied. Heating from within and below features convection onset governed by a self-adjoint system of equations and boundary conditions. For heating only from within or from below, linearized equations and boundary conditions are non-self-adjoint. Identification of the parameter which initiates the departure from self-adjointness, together with the properties of the self-adjoint solution, provide a basis for calculating the heat transfer characteristics of the non-self-adjoint situations. The investigations are an effort to develop a model for heat transfer in planetary interiors. Further development of the technique by modifying the Galerkin method by the introduction of diagonal mode truncation is suggested to permit the consideration of higher values of the Rayleigh numbers, i.e., those more commensurate with terrestrial planet mantles.

Zebib, A.↗

Pronghorn Theory Manual

This manual is intended to provide a thorough description of the governing equations; the relations used for material, heat transfer, and fluid flow parameters; and the numerical method utilized in Pronghorn. Detailed derivations of the governing equations are given, beginning from first principles in order to be as explicit as possible about assumptions made along the way and guide any future methods extensions. Additional explanatory or tangential information that is not required for detailed understanding of the governing equations used in Pronghorn is shown in gray boxes in the text. The convention used in this document is to represent all class names (or file names) in typewriter font.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Long-term sinking of nuclear waste canisters in salt formations by low-stress creep at high temperature

Abstract Rock salt has a self-sealing capacity, low permeability, and high thermal conductivity, making it a potential host for heat-generating nuclear waste. The feasibility of nuclear waste disposal within salt formations has been investigated mostly for small-sized canisters. Geologic disposal of larger-sized canisters originally designed for spent fuel storage and transportation has lately been examined as a cost-effective alternative. This raises questions about their long-term vertical movement due to their weight and high decay heat. Low-stress creep governs this movement; however, most salt constitutive models do not incorporate it. In this paper, the Norton and the WIPP creep models are compared with the Lux/Wolters/Lerche (LWL) model and a simpler model that combines linear and Norton creep laws (named combined creep model). The LWL and combined creep models consider pressure solution creep, though all incorporate dislocation creep. The models are first applied to creep tests under various stress levels. The LWL and the combined creep models results fit the experimental data well in both high and low stress ranges, whereas the Norton and WIPP models results only fit in higher-stress ranges. The different models are further applied for analyzing long-term canister movement. A sinking rate of $$-4.4\times 10^{-7}$$ - 4.4 × 10 - 7 mm/year was predicted using the Norton and WIPP models versus $$-2.1\times 10^{-2}$$ - 2.1 × 10 - 2 mm/year and $$-3.1\times 10^{-2}$$ - 3.1 × 10 - 2 mm/year using the LWL and the combined creep models, respectively. This comparative study confirms that creep models calibrated exclusively against high-deviatoric stress data might result in an inaccurate estimation of waste packages sinking rate in salt formations.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗