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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 1,171 records · Page 65
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Cholesteric–nematic transitions induced by a shear flow and a magnetic field

The untwisting of the helical structure of a cholesteric liquid crystal under the action of a magnetic field and a shear flow has been studied theoretically. Both factors can induce the cholesteric–nematic transition independently; however, the difference in the orienting actions of the magnetic field and the shear flow leads to competition between magnetic and hydrodynamic mechanisms of influence on the cholesteric liquid crystal. We have analyzed different orientations of the magnetic field relative to the direction of the flow in the shear plane. In a number of limiting cases, the analytic dependences are obtained for the pitch of the cholesteric helix deformed by the shear flow. The phase diagrams of the cholesteric–nematic transitions and the pitch of the cholesteric helix are calculated for different values of the magnetic field strength and the angle of orientation, the flow velocity gradient, and the reactive parameter. It is shown that the magnetic field stabilizes the orientation of the director in the shear flow and expands the boundaries of orientability of cholesterics. It has been established that the shear flow shifts the critical magnetic field strength of the transition. It is shown that a sequence of reentrant orientational cholesteric–nematic–cholesteric transitions can be induced by rotating the magnetic field in certain intervals of its strength and shear flow velocity gradients.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of spin-orbit interaction on the electronic structure of indium-antimonide d bands

The bands and densities of states of d bands in indium antimonide (InSb) are determined taking into account and disregarding the spin-orbit interaction. It is established that taking into account the effect of spin-orbit interaction results also in a substantial change in the dispersion of the obtained bands instead of only in the doublet splitting of the band of core d levels at ∼(0.79–0.86) eV. It is established that it is indium 4d states with e{sub g} and t{sub 2g} symmetry that give the main contribution to the density of states. The calculations are carried out by the LAPW method with the exchange-correlation potential in the generalized gradient approximation (LAPW + GGA)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Type-I ELM mitigation by continuous lithium granule gravitational injection into the upper tungsten divertor in EAST

Large edge-localized modes (ELMs) were mitigated by gravitational injection of lithium granules into the upper X-point region of the EAST device with tungsten plasma-facing components. The maximum ELM size was reduced by ~ 70% in high βN H-mode plasmas. Large ELM stabilization was sustained for up to about 40 energy confinement times, with constant core radiated power and no evidence of high-Z or low-Z impurity accumulation. The lithium granules injection reduced the edge plasma pedestal density and temperature and their gradients, due to increased edge radiation and reduced recycling from the plasma-facing components. Ideal stability calculations using the ELITE code indicate that the stabilization of large ELMs correlates with improved stability of intermediate-n peeling-ballooning modes, due to reduced edge current resulting from the profile changes. The pedestal pressure reduction was partially offset by a core density increase, which resulted in a modest ~ 7% drop in core stored energy and normalized energy confinement time. We surmise that the remnant small ELMs are triggered by the penetration of multiple Li granules just past the separatrix, similar to small ELMs triggered by deuterium pellet [S. Futatani et al., Nucl. Fusion 54 (2014) 073008]. This study extends previous ELM elimination with Li powder injection [R. Maingi et al., Nucl. Fusion 58 (2018) 024003] in EAST because 1) use of small, dust-like powder and the related potential health hazards were eliminated, and 2) use of macroscopic granules should be more applicable to future devices, due to deeper penetration than dust particles, e.g. inside the separatrix with velocities ~ 10 m/s in EAST.

EAST↗
DOE OSTI2021

HFIR SiC Bowing Test Ready to Insert

This report describes the successful assembly of a High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) irradiation experiment designed to assess radiation-induced lateral bowing of silicon carbide fiber–reinforced, silicon carbide matrix composite (SiC/SiC) components under a radial fast neutron flux gradient. Excessive bowing of a SiC/SiC channel box in a boiling water reactor could potentially interfere with control blade movements. Similar concerns exist for SiC/SiC fuel cladding in light water reactors. The experiment described herein will provide experimental validation of the structural response of a miniature SiC/SiC channel box and tube specimens with pressurized water reactor diameters during irradiation. The significant radial fast neutron flux gradients that exist in the permanent reflector of HFIR were characterized using detailed three-dimensional neutronic calculations. The three-dimensional displacement damage dose rate profile and the resulting volumetric swelling in SiC were used as inputs to structural analyses that predicted the deformation and stresses in the channel box specimen. The specimens were thoroughly characterized prior to irradiation using traditional dimensional inspection and surface profilometry so that these measurements can later be compared with similar measurements that will be made post-irradiation to determine radiation-induced deformations. Furthermore, fine engraving markers were inscribed along all outer surfaces of the specimen and mapped using a digital microscope and a three-dimensional stage. This technique allowed for accurate measurements of the marker spacings, which can be compared with similar measurements that will be made post-irradiation to provide local radiation-induced strain mapping. The experiment was successfully assembled and is scheduled for insertion during HFIR cycle 492, which is currently scheduled to run from May 25, 2021 to June 18, 2021.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

HFIR SiC-SiC Composite Clad Tube Bowing Test: Pre-Irradiation Characterization

This report describes the pre-irradiation characterization of the SiC-SiC composite clad tube bowing experiment that will be irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). There are concerns that SiCSiC fuel cladding in light water reactors could undergo bowing because of the non-uniform fast neutron flux profiles. This experiment is combined with the SiC-SiC channel box experiment, which has similar concerns regarding control blade movements in boiling water reactors. The HFIR experiment aims to validate the predicted deformation and stresses in the composite clad specimen after the exposure of fast neutron flux gradients. Significant radial fast neutron flux gradients that exist in the permanent reflector of HFIR were thoroughly characterized by using detailed 3D neutronic calculations. The 3D displacement damage dose rate profile and the resulting volumetric swelling in SiC were used as inputs to structural analyses to determine the predicted deformation that will affect the specimens. The tube specimens were characterized by using traditional dimensional inspection and surface profilometry to provide detailed information regarding the pre-irradiation condition as the first step to evaluate the radiation-induced deformation. Furthermore, fine engraving markers were inscribed along all outer surfaces of the specimen and mapped by using a digital microscope and a multidimensional stage. This allows marker spacings to be accurately measured and compared with similar measurements that will be made post-irradiation to provide local radiation-induced strain mapping. The experiment successfully completed two HFIR cycle irradiations, cycles 492 and 493, which finished on July 25, 2021.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Modifications of the law of the wall and algebraic turbulence modelling for separated boundary layers

Various modifications of the conventional algebraic eddy viscosity turbulence model are investigated for application to separated flows. Friction velocity is defined in a way that avoids singular behavior at separation and reattachment but reverts to the conventional definition for flows with small pressure gradients. This leads to a modified law of the wall for separated flows. The effect on the calculated flow field of changes in the model that affect the eddy viscosity at various distances from the wall are determined by (1) switching from Prandtl's form to an inner layer formula due to Clauser at various distances from the wall, (2) varying the constant in the Van Driest damping factor, (3) using Clauser's inner layer formula all the way to the wall, and (4) applying a relaxation procedure in the evaluation of the constant in Clauser's inner layer formula. Numerical solutions of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations are used to determine the effects of the modifications. Experimental results from shock-induced separated flows at Mach numbers 2.93 and 8.45 are used for comparison. For these cases improved predictions of wall pressure distribution and positions of separation and reattachment are obtained from the relaxation version of the Clauser inner layer eddy viscosity formula.

Baldwin, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Nonlinear transient analysis by energy minimization: A theoretical basis for the ACTION computer code

The formulation basis for establishing the static or dynamic equilibrium configurations of finite element models of structures which may behave in the nonlinear range are provided. With both geometric and time independent material nonlinearities included, the development is restricted to simple one and two dimensional finite elements which are regarded as being the basic elements for modeling full aircraft-like structures under crash conditions. Representations of a rigid link and an impenetrable contact plane are added to the deformation model so that any number of nodes of the finite element model may be connected by a rigid link or may contact the plane. Equilibrium configurations are derived as the stationary conditions of a potential function of the generalized nodal variables of the model. Minimization of the nonlinear potential function is achieved by using the best current variable metric update formula for use in unconstrained minimization. Powell's conjugate gradient algorithm, which offers very low storage requirements at some slight increase in the total number of calculations, is the other alternative algorithm to be used for extremely large scale problems.

Kamat, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The Goertler vortex instability mechanism in three-dimensional boundary layers

The two dimensional boundary layer on a concave wall is centrifugally unstable with respect to vortices aligned with the basic flow for sufficiently high values of the Goertler number. However, in most situations of practical interest the basic flow is three dimensional and previous theoretical investigations do not apply. The linear stability of the flow over an infinitely long swept wall of variable curvature is considered. If there is no pressure gradient in the boundary layer the instability problem can always be related to an equivalent two dimensional calculation. However, in general, this is not the case and even for small values of the crossflow velocity field dramatic differences between the two and three dimensional problems emerge. When the size of the crossflow is further increased, the vortices in the neutral location have their axes locally perpendicular to the vortex lines of the basic flow.

Hall, P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Surface temperature distribution along a thin liquid layer due to thermocapillary convection

The surface temperature distributions due to thermocapillary convections in a thin liquid layer with heat fluxes imposed on the free surface were investigated. The nondimensional analysis predicts that, when convection is important, the characteristics length scale in the flow direction L, and the characteristic temperature difference delta T sub o can be represented by L and delta T sub o approx. (A2Ma)/1/4 delta T sub R, respectively, where L sub R and delta sub R are the reference scales used in the conduction dominant situations with A denoting the aspect ratio and Ma the Marangoni number. Having L and delta sub o defined, the global surface temperature gradient delta sub o/L, the global thermocapillary driving force, and other interesting features can be determined. Numerical calculations involving a Gaussian heat flux distribution are presented to justify these two relations.

Lai, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Surface temperature distribution along a thin liquid layer due to thermocapillary convection

The surface temperature distributions due to thermocapillary convections in a thin liquid layer with heat fluxes imposed on the free surface were investigated. The nondimensional analysis predicts that, when convection is important, the characteristics length scale in the flow direction L, and the characteristic temperature difference delta T sub o can be represented by L and delta T sub o approx. (A2Ma)/1/4 delta T sub R, respectively, where L sub R and delta sub R are the reference scales used in the conduction dominant situations with A denoting the aspect ratio and Ma the Marangoni number. Having L and delta sub o defined, the global surface temperature gradient delta sub o/L, the global thermocapillary driving force, and other interesting features can be determined. Numerical calculations involving a Gaussian heat flux distribution are presented to justify these two relations.

Lai, C.-L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Dendritic solidification in a binary alloy melt - Comparison of theory and experiment

A simple model for 'constrained' growth of an 'array' of cells or dendrites in a binary alloy melt, in the presence of a positive temperature gradient in the liquid ahead of the tips, is presented. The cell or dendrite tip radius is calculated by adopting both the 'ad hoc' assumption of minimum undercooling at the tips as well as the more recently proposed hypothesis of dendritic growth under conditions of 'marginal stability'. Theoretical predictions of the model have been compared with experimental data in binary succinonitrile-acetone alloys. It has been shown that, according to the present model, the 'marginally stable' state may be virtually indistinguishable from the 'minimum undercooled' state, under the usual conditions of dendritic growth.

Laxmanan, V.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Uniform hydrogen fuel layers for inertial fusion targets by microgravity

A critical concern in the fabrication of targets for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is ensuring that the hydrogenic (D(sub 2) or DT) fuel layer maintains spherical symmetry. Solid layered targets have structural integrity, but lack the needed surface smoothness. Liquid targets are inherently smooth, but suffer from gravitationally induced sagging. One method to reduce the effective gravitational field environment is freefall insertion into the target chamber. Another method to counterbalance field gravitational force is to use an applied magnetic field combined with a gradient field to induce a magnetic dipole force on the liquid fuel layer. Based on time dependent calculations of the dynamics of the liquid fuel layer in microgravity environments, we show that it may be possible to produce a liquid layered ICF target that satisfies both smoothness and symmetry requirements.

Parks, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Hydroacoustic forcing function modeling using DNS database

A wall pressure frequency spectrum model (Blake 1971 ) has been evaluated using databases from Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of a turbulent boundary layer (Na & Moin 1996). Good agreement is found for moderate to strong adverse pressure gradient flows in the absence of separation. In the separated flow region, the model underpredicts the directly calculated spectra by an order of magnitude. The discrepancy is attributed to the violation of the model assumptions in that part of the flow domain. DNS computed coherence length scales and the normalized wall pressure cross-spectra are compared with experimental data. The DNS results are consistent with experimental observations.

Zawadzki, I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A time dependent anatomically detailed model of cardiac conduction

In order to understand the determinants of transitions in cardiac electrical activity from normal patterns to dysrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation, we are constructing an anatomically and physiologically detailed finite element simulation of myocardial electrical propagation. A healthy human heart embedded in paraffin was sectioned to provide a detailed anatomical substrate for model calculations. The simulation of propagation includes anisotropy in conduction velocity due to fiber orientation as well as gradients in conduction velocities, absolute and relative refractory periods, action potential duration and electrotonic influence of nearest neighbors. The model also includes changes in the behaviour of myocardial tissue as a function of the past local activity. With this model, we can examine the significance of fiber orientation and time dependence of local propagation parameters on dysrhythmogenesis.

Computer Simulation↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mitigation of Engine Inlet Distortion Through Adjoint-Based Design

The adjoint-based design capability in FUN3D is extended to allow efficient gradient- based optimization and design of concepts with highly integrated aero-propulsive systems. A circumferential distortion calculation, along with the derivatives needed to perform adjoint-based design, have been implemented in FUN3D. This newly implemented distortion calculation can be used not only for design but also to drive the existing mesh adaptation process and reduce the error associated with the fan distortion calculation. The design capability is demonstrated by the shape optimization of an in-house aircraft concept equipped with an aft fuselage propulsor. The optimization objective is the minimization of flow distortion at the aerodynamic interface plane of this aft fuselage propulsor.

Ordaz, Irian↗
DOE OSTI2020

Investigation of mode activity in NBI-heated experiments of Wendelstein 7-X

The 2018 operation phase (OP 1.2b) of the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) included, for the first time, neutral beam injection (NBI) to heat the plasma. Since the injection geometry at W7-X is not parallel, this generates both passing and trapped fast particles. During longer phases of NBI injection, with the primary purpose to study the heating efficiency of this system, Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) were observed by a number of diagnostics, including the phase contrast imaging (PCI) system, the magnetic pick-up coils (Mirnov coils), and the soft x-ray multi-camera tomography system (XMCTS). Alfvén eigenmodes are of great interest for future fusion reactors as it has been shown that the resonant interaction of fast ions with self-excited AEs can lead to enhanced transport of fast ions and potentially to energy losses. This is especially true for so-called gap-modes, Alfvén eigenmodes with frequencies in gaps of the continuous spectrum, since they lack continuum damping. These modes are commonly known to be excited by fast ions, but other destabilizing mechanisms, e.g. the electron-pressure gradient are also possible. In this article we present a first analysis of the experimentally observed frequencies from the theoretical side. The calculation of shear Alfvén wave continua for selected cases and the assignment of observed frequencies to the gaps of the continuous spectra are presented. Using the ideal-MHD code CKA (Könies A. 2007 10th IAEA TM on Energetic Particles in Magnetic Confinement System), we find gap modes that match the experimental measurements in terms of the observed frequencies. We emphasize the crucial roles played by the coupling of sound and Alfvén waves as well as of the Doppler shift arising as a consequence of the radial electric field in W7-X. We employ the perturbative gyrokinetic code CKA-EUTERPE (Feh´er 2013 Simulation of the interaction between Alfv´en waves and fast particles), using a slowing-down distribution function for the fast ions as calculated by the Monte-Carlo particle following code ASCOT (Hirvijoki et al 2014 Comput. Phys. Commun. 185 1310–21) to assess the fast-ion drive. Here we find that the fast-ion drive is insufficient to overcome the background-plasma damping. The fact that unstable modes were observed experimentally may point to problems with the modelling or indicate the existence of other destabilizing mechanisms, e.g. associated with the electron-pressure gradient (Windisch et al 2017 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 59 105002) that sensitively depend on the profiles of the background plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Consistent SPH Simulations of Protostellar Collapse and Fragmentation

We study the consistency and convergence of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) as a function of the interpolation parameters, namely the number of particles N, the number of neighbors n, and the smoothing length h, using simulations of the collapse and fragmentation of protostellar rotating cores. The calculations are made using a modified version of the GADGET-2 code that employs an improved scheme for the artificial viscosity and power-law dependences of n and h on N, as was recently proposed by Zhu et al., which comply with the combined limit N→∞, h→0, and n→∞ with n/N→0 for full SPH consistency as the domain resolution is increased. We apply this realization to the “standard isothermal test case” in the variant calculated by Burkert and Bodenheimer and the Gaussian cloud model of Boss to investigate the response of the method to adaptive smoothing lengths in the presence of large density and pressure gradients. The degree of consistency is measured by tracking how well the estimates of the consistency integral relations reproduce their continuous counterparts. In particular, C {sup 0} and C {sup 1} particle consistency is demonstrated, meaning that the calculations are close to second-order accuracy. As long as n is increased with N, mass resolution also improves as the minimum resolvable mass M{sub min}∼n{sup −1}. This aspect allows proper calculation of small-scale structures in the flow associated with the formation and instability of protostellar disks around the growing fragments, which are seen to develop a spiral structure and fragment into close binary/multiple systems as supported by recent observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Source Estimation by Full Wave Form Inversion

Given time-dependent ground motion recordings at a number of receiver stations, we solve the inverse problem for estimating the parameters of the seismic source. The source is modeled as a point moment tensor source, characterized by its location, moment tensor components, the start time, and frequency parameter (rise time) of its source time function. In total, there are 11 unknown parameters. We use a non-linear conjugate gradient algorithm to minimize the full waveform misfit between observed and computed ground motions at the receiver stations. An important underlying assumption of the minimization problem is that the wave propagation is accurately described by the elastic wave equation in a heterogeneous isotropic material. We use a fourth order accurate finite difference method, developed in [12], to evolve the waves forwards in time. The adjoint wave equation corresponding to the discretized elastic wave equation is used to compute the gradient of the misfit, which is needed by the non-linear conjugated minimization algorithm. A new source point moment source discretization is derived that guarantees that the Hessian of the misfit is a continuous function of the source location. An efficient approach for calculating the Hessian is also presented. We show how the Hessian can be used to scale the problem to improve the convergence of the non-linear conjugated gradient algorithm. Numerical experiments are presented for estimating the source parameters from synthetic data in a layer over half-space problem (LOH.1), illustrating rapid convergence of the proposed approach.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗