Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “surface tension liquid surfaces”

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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

FLUTE: Fluidic Telescope

The future of space-based UV/optical/IR astronomy requires ever larger telescopes. The highest priority astrophysics targets (including Earth-like exoplanets, first generation stars, and early galaxies) are all extremely faint, which presents an ongoing challenge for current missions and is the opportunity space for next generation telescopes: larger telescopes are the primary way to address this issue. The FLUTE project aims to revolutionize space astronomy (and in-space manufacturing of high-precision optics for a variety of other applications) by leveraging the physics of wetting and hydrostatic phenomena in microgravity. The approach being developed by the team uses surface tension to shape a liquid into a desired optical form with sub-nanometer surface quality. A liquid with appropriate optical properties is brought into contact with a high affinity bounding frame, resulting in pinning of the liquid to the frame. In microgravity, the shape of the free surface is dictated solely by surface tension, thus assuming the shape of a spherical cap. Further dynamic control over the shape is possible through changing the liquid volume, the frame geometry, and — if desired — with the addition of external forces (e.g., electromagnetic forces). The approach is scale-invariant and is expected to enable space telescopes with optical apertures measuring in tens or even hundreds of meters, allowing, for instance, direct imaging of extra-solar planets. Both refractive and reflective optical components can be created using this approach. If the liquid’s properties enable solidification (e.g., a liquid metal), the resulting component can then become an optical-grade solid object, without post-processing steps. The approach has been successfully validated in a laboratory neutral buoyancy environment, in parabolic microgravity flights, and in experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). FLUTE is a collaboration between NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. More on information on FLUTE can be found at https://www.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/what-is-the-fluidic-telescope/. This presentation provides an update on the project's accomplishments to-date and discusses next steps.

Space observatory↗
NASA NTRS1982

Instability of a solidifying binary mixture

An analysis is performed on the stability of a solidifying binary mixture due to surface tension variation of the free liquid surface. The basic state solution is obtained numerically as a nonstationary function of time. Due to the time dependence of the basic state, the stability analysis is of the global type which utilizes a variational technique. Also due to the fact that the basic state is a complex function of both space and time, the stability analysis is performed through numerical means.

Antar, B. N.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM) Experiment on the International Space Station

The concept of using low gravity experimental data together with fluid dynamical numerical simulations for measuring the viscosity of highly viscous liquids was recently validated on the International Space Station (ISS). After testing the proof of concept for this method with parabolic flight experiments, an ISS experiment was proposed and later conducted onboard the ISS in July, 2004 and subsequently in May of 2005. In that experiment a series of two liquid drops were brought manually together until they touched and then were allowed to merge under the action of capillary forces alone. The merging process was recorded visually in order to measure the contact radius speed as the merging proceeded. Several liquids were tested and for each liquid several drop diameters were used. It has been shown that when the coefficient of surface tension for the liquid is known, the contact radius speed can then determine the coefficient of viscosity for that liquid. The viscosity is determined by fitting the experimental speed to theoretically calculated contact radius speed for the same experimental parameters. Experimental and numerical results will be presented in which the viscosity of different highly viscous liquids were determined, to a high degree of accuracy, using this technique.

Antar, Basil N.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Review of literature surface tension data for molten silicon

Measurements of the surface tension of molten silicon are reported. For marangoni flow, the important parameter is the variation of surface tension with temperature, not the absolute value of the surface tension. It is not possible to calculate temperature coefficients using surface tension measurements from different experiments because the systematic errors are usually larger than the changes in surface tension because of temperature variations. The lack of good surface tension data for liquid silicon is probably due to its extreme chemical reactivity. A material which resists attack by molten silicon is not found. It is suggested that all of the sessile drip surface tension measurements are probably for silicon which is contaminated by the substrate materials.

Hardy, S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational Modeling of Magnetically Actuated Propellant Orientation

Unlike terrestrial applications where gravity positions liquid at the "bottom" of the tank, the location of liquid propellant in spacecraft tanks is uncertain unless specific actions are taken or special features are built into the tank. Some mission events require knowledge of liquid position prior to a particular action: liquid must be positioned over the tank outlet prior to starting the main engines and must be moved away from the tank vent before vapor can be released overboard to reduce pressure. It may also be desirable to positively position liquid to improve propulsion system performance: moving liquid away from the tank walls will dramatically decrease the rate of heat transfer to the propellant, suppressing the boil-off rate, thereby reducing overall mission propellant requirements. The process of moving propellant to a desired position is referred to as propellant orientation or reorientation. Propulsive reorientation relies on small auxiliary thrusters to accelerate the tank. The inertia of the liquid causes it to collect in the aft-end of the tank if the acceleration is forward. Liquid Acquisition Devices (LAD's) rely on surface tension to hold the liquid within special geometries, (i.e. vanes, wire-mesh channels, start-baskets), to positively position propellants. Both of these technologies add significant weight and complexity to the spacecraft and can be limiting systems for long duration missions. The subject of the present research is an alternate technique for positively positioning liquid within spacecraft propellant tanks: magnetic fields. LOX is paramagnetic (attracted toward a magnet) and LH2 is diamagnetic (repelled from a magnet). Order-of-magnitude analyses, performed in the 1960's to determine required magnet size, concluded that the magnets would be prohibitively massive and this option has remained dormant during the intervening years. Recent advances in high-temperature superconducting materials hold the promise of electromagnets with sufficient performance to support cryogenic propellant management tasks. In late 1992, NASA MSFC began a new investigation in this technology commencing with the design of the Magnetically-Actuated Propellant Orientation (MAPO) experiment. A mixture of ferrofluid and water is used to simulate the paramagnetic properties of LOX and the experiment is being flown on the KC-135 aircraft to provide a reduced gravity environment. The influence of a 0.4 Tesla ring magnet on flow into and out of a subscale Plexiglas tank is being recorded on video tape. The most efficient approach to evaluating the feasibility of MAPO is to compliment the experimental program with development of a computational tool to model the process of interest. The goal of the present research is to develop such a tool. Once confidence in its fidelity is established by comparison to data from the MAPO experiment, it can be used to assist in the design of future experiments and to study the parameter space of the process. Ultimately, it is hoped that the computational model can serve as a design tool for full-scale spacecraft applications.

Hochstein, John I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Rotary radiators for reduced space powerplant temperatures

If new radiator concepts can achieve radiator weights below 3 kg/sq m, nuclear space powerplants can operate at temperatures below 900 K and use stainless steel construction. Tube-and-fin or heat-pipe radiators weigh at least 5 kg/sq m because the tube walls must be thick enough to prevent or limit meteoroid punctures. However, radiators that require no meteoroid protection can be built using low-vapor-pressure liquids that can be exposed directly to space. One possible design for such a radiator is the 'rotary radiator' that uses centrifugal force to move the liquid across a thin radiating disk and uses surface tension to retain the liquid despite meteoroid punctures.

Elliott, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ground based studies of the vibrational and rotational dynamics of acoustically levitated drops and shells

A substantial amount of experimental data can be gathered on the dynamics of acoustically positioned liquids in a ground-based laboratory and during short duration low-gravity parabolic flights of the KC-135. The preliminary results of a set of measurements of the static shape, of the vibrational spectrum, and the rotation equilibrium shapes of simple drops and liquid shells carried out using ultrasonic levitators working between 19 and 40 kHz is presented. The droplet diameter ranges between 1 and 5 mm, the surface tension of the liquid used varies between 25 and 70 dynes/cm, and the viscosity is changed between 1 to 1,000 cP. Of particular interest is the variation of the frequency of the fundamental mode of shape oscillation with various factors, and the effects of static drop shape deformation on the limit of stability of the axisymmetric shape of a drop in solid-body rotation.

Trinh, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Baffle Effect on Sloshing-Modulated Torques Responsed to Orbital Accelerations in Microgravity

The behavior of sloshing-dynamics-modulated fluid systems driven by orbital accelerations including gravity gradient and jitter accelerations has been studied. Partly liquid-filled rotating Dewars applicable to a full-scale Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft container with and without baffle are considered. Results show that a slosh wave excited along the liquid-vapor interface induced by jitter-acceleration-dominated orbital accelerations provides a torsional moment with an up-and-down movement of bubble oscillations in the rotating Dewar. The fluctuations of fluid forces and fluid moment (torque) exerted on the Dewar wall of the container caused by slosh-wave excitation driven by orbital accelerations are also investigated. Since the viscous force across a liquid-solid interface and the surface-tension force across a liquid-vapor or liquid-solid interface can greatly contribute to the damping effect of slosh-wave excitation, a rotating Dewar with a baffle provides more areas of liquid-solid, and liquid-vapor, and solid-vapor interfaces than does a rotating Dewar without a baffle. Results show that the damping effect provided by the baffle reduces the amplitudes of force and moment feedback from the fluids to the container-in particular, the components of fluctuations transverse to the direction of the baffle boards.

Pan, H. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Experiments On Rotating, Charged Liquid Drops

Report describes experiments in which electrically charged drops of liquid levitated electrostatically and rotated and vibrated acoustically. Discusses possibility of measuring charges of drops of low-viscosity liquids by drop-oscillation method, and measurement of surface tensions of highly viscous liquids by drop-rotation method. Results have implications for containerless processing and modeling of atomic nuclei.

Rhim, Won-Kyu↗
NASA NTRS1995

Measurement of Density, Sound Velocity, Surface Tension, and Viscosity of Freely Suspended Supercooled Liquids

Non-contact methods have been implemented in conjunction with levitation techniques to carry out the measurement of the macroscopic properties of liquids significantly cooled below their nominal melting point. Free suspension of the sample and remote methods allow the deep excursion into the metastable liquid state and the determination of its thermophysical properties. We used this approach to investigate common substances such as water, o-terphenyl, succinonitrile, as well as higher temperature melts such as molten indium, aluminum and other metals. Although these techniques have thus far involved ultrasonic, electromagnetic, and more recently electrostatic levitation, we restrict our attention to ultrasonic methods in this paper. The resulting magnitude of maximum thermal supercooling achieved have ranged between 10 and 15% of the absolute temperature of the melting point for the materials mentioned above. The physical properties measurement methods have been mostly novel approaches, and the typical accuracy achieved have not yet matched their standard equivalent techniques involving contained samples and invasive probing. They are currently being refined, however, as the levitation techniques become more widespread, and as we gain a better understanding of the physics of levitated liquid samples.

Supercooling Liquids↗
NASA NTRS2023

A Review on the Coalescence of Confined Drops with a Focus on Scaling Laws for the Growth of the Liquid Bridge

The surface–tension-driven coalescence of drops has been extensively studied because of the omnipresence of the phenomenon and its significance in various natural and engineering systems. When two drops come into contact, a liquid bridge is formed between them and then grows in its lateral dimensions. As a result, the two drops merge to become a bigger drop. The growth dynamics of the bridge are governed by a balance between the driving force and the viscous and inertial resistances of involved liquids, and it is usually represented by power–law scaling relations on the temporal evolution of the bridge dimension. Such scaling laws have been well-characterized for the coalescence of unconfined or freely suspended drops. However, drops are often confined by solid or liquid surfaces and thus are a different shape from spheres, which affects their coalescence dynamics. As such, the coalescence of confined drops poses more complicated interfacial fluid dynamics challenges compared to that of unconfined drops. Although there have been several studies on the coalescence of confined drops, they have not been systematically reviewed in terms of the properties and geometry of the confining surface. Thus, we aim to review the current literature on the coalescence of confined drops in three categories: drop coalescence on a solid surface, drop coalescence on a deformable surface, and drop coalescence between two parallel surfaces with a small gap (i.e., Hele-Shaw cell), with a focus on power–law scaling relations, and to suggest challenges and outlooks for future research on the phenomena.

Sangjin Ryu↗
NASA NTRS1998

On Pulsating and Cellular Forms of Hydrodynamic Instability in Liquid-Propellant Combustion

An extended Landau-Levich model of liquid-propellant combustion, one that allows for a local dependence of the burning rate on the (gas) pressure at the liquid-gas interface, exhibits not only the classical hydrodynamic cellular instability attributed to Landau but also a pulsating hydrodynamic instability associated with sufficiently negative pressure sensitivities. Exploiting the realistic limit of small values of the gas-to-liquid density ratio p, analytical formulas for both neutral stability boundaries may be obtained by expanding all quantities in appropriate powers of p in each of three distinguished wave-number regimes. In particular, composite analytical expressions are derived for the neutral stability boundaries A(sub p)(k), where A, is the pressure sensitivity of the burning rate and k is the wave number of the disturbance. For the cellular boundary, the results demonstrate explicitly the stabilizing effect of gravity on long-wave disturbances, the stabilizing effect of viscosity (both liquid and gas) and surface tension on short-wave perturbations, and the instability associated with intermediate wave numbers for negative values of A(sub p), which is characteristic of many hydroxylammonium nitrate-based liquid propellants over certain pressure ranges. In contrast, the pulsating hydrodynamic stability boundary is insensitive to gravitational and surface-tension effects but is more sensitive to the effects of liquid viscosity because, for typical nonzero values of the latter, the pulsating boundary decreases to larger negative values of A(sub p) as k increases through O(l) values. Thus, liquid-propellant combustion is predicted to be stable (that is, steady and planar) only for a range of negative pressure sensitivities that lie below the cellular boundary that exists for sufficiently small negative values of A(sub p) and above the pulsating boundary that exists for larger negative values of this parameter.

Margolis, Stephen B.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Hydrodynamic Instability in an Extended Landau/Levich Model of Liquid-Propellant Combustion at Normal and Reduced Gravity

The classical Landau/Levich models of liquid-propellant combustion, despite their relative simplicity, serve as seminal examples that correctly describe the onset of hydrodynamic instability in reactive systems. Recently, these two separate models have been combined and extended to account for a dynamic dependence, absent in the original formulations, of the local burning rate on the local pressure and temperature fields. The resulting model admits an extremely rich variety of both hydrodynamic and reactive/diffusive instabilities that can be analyzed either numerically or analytically in various limiting parameter regimes. In the present work, a formal asymptotic analysis, based on the realistic smallness of the gas-to-liquid density ratio, is developed to investigate the combined effects of gravity and other parameters on the hydrodynamic instability of the propagating liquid/gas interface. In particular, an analytical expression is derived for the neutral stability boundary A(p)(k), where A(p) is the pressure sensitivity of the burning rate and k is the wavenumber of the disturbance. The results demonstrate explicitly the stabilizing effect of gravity on long-wave disturbances, the stabilizing effect of viscosity (both liquid and gas) and surface tension on short-wave perturbations, and the instability associated with intermediate wavenumbers for negative values of A(p). In the limiting case of weak gravity, it is shown that hydrodynamic instability in liquid-propellant combustion is a long-wave instability phenomenon, whereas at normal gravity, this instability is first manifested through O(1) wavenumber disturbances. it is also demonstrated that, in general, surface tension and the viscosity of both the liquid and gas phases each produce comparable stabilizing effects in the long-wavenumber regime, thereby providing important modifications to previous analyses in which one or more of these effects were neglected.

Margolis, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Heat flow and convection demonstration (Apollo 14)

Apollo 14 Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa conducted a group of experiments during the lunar flyback on February 7, 1971, to obtain information on heat flow and convection in gases and liquids in an environment of less than 0.000001 g. Flow observations and thermal data have shown that: (1) as expected, there are convective motions caused by surface tension gradients in a plane liquid layer with a free upper surface; (2) heat flow in enclosed liquids and gases occurs mainly by diffusive heat conduction; and (3) some convective processes, whose characteristics are not fully known, add to the heat transfer. The raw data are presented, and the analysis approach is given.

Bannister, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Heat flow and convection demonstration experiments aboard Apollo 14.

A group of experiments was conducted by Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart A. Roosa during the lunar flyback on Feb. 7, 1971, to obtain information on heat flow and convection in gases and liquids in an environment of less than 0.000001 g gravity. Flow observations and thermal data have shown that: (1) there are, as expected, convective motions caused by surface tension gradients in a plane liquid layer with a free upper surface; (2) heat flow in enclosed liquids and gases occurs mainly by diffusive heat conduction; and (3) some convective processes, whose characteristics are not fully known, add to the heat transfer.

Grodzka, P. G.↗