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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 1,207 records · Page 67
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Simulation of three-dimensional viscous flow within a multistage turbine

This work outlines a procedure for simulating the flow field within multistage turbomachinery which includes the effects of unsteadiness, compressibility, and viscosity. The associated modeling equations are the average passage equation system which governs the time-averaged flow field within a typical passage of a blade row embedded within a multistage configuration. The results from a simulation of a low aspect ratio stage and a one-half turbine will be presented and compared with experimental measurements. It will be shown that the secondary flow field generated by the rotor causes the aerodynamic performance of the downstream vane to be significantly different from that of an isolated blade row.

Adamczyk, John J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Numerical simulations of thermal instabilities in stratified gases. II - Exploration of the parameter space

The temporal evolution of density perturbations in an initially hydrostatic isothermal atmosphere consisting of an optically thin radiating compressible plasma is studied. Numerical techniques are used to describe the nonlinear evolution of the perturbations, and the relative equilibrium between dynamic and thermal instabilities as governed by three independent control parameters are examined, namely, the initial density contrast of the perturbation, the ratio of the local buoyancy oscillation period to the local radiative cooling time, and the ratio of the perturbation radius to the local scaleheight. Four orders of magnitude of initial density contrasts and ratios of buoyancy and cooling times, and one order of magnitude of the bubble dimensions are explored. Well-defined oscillations were found to occur in a limited parameter range, and thermal instability to occur even within secondary condensations deriving from the bubble fragmentation.

Reale, F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Tension, Compression, and Bend Properties for Sic/RBSN Composites

The room-temperature tension, compression, and bend properties of unidirectional SiC fiber-reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride composites (SiC/RBSN) have been investigated. The effects of fiber content on the modulus, first matrix cracking strength, and ultimate strength properties were determined. In tension, composites with greater than 8-percent fiber content showed strain capability beyond matrix fracture and fiber-dominated ultimate strength. In compression, the composites displayed essentially elastic behavior, and matrix-dominated ultimate strength. For both deformation modes, most mechanical properties increased with fiber content. In bend, the modulus, strength properties, and failure modes of the composites were influenced by span-to-thickness ratio.

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.↗
NASA NTRS1950

Study of compressor systems for a gas-generator engine

Various methods of providing compressor-capacity and pressure-ratio control in the gas-generator type of compound engine over a range of altitudes from sea level to 50,000 feet are presented. The analytical results indicate that the best method of control is that in which the first stage of compression is carried out in a variable-speed supercharger driven by a hydraulic slip coupling. The constant-speed second stage could be either a mixed-flow rotary compressor or a piston-type compressor. A variable-area turbine nozzle is shown to be unnecessary for cruising operation of the engine.

Sather, Bernard I↗
NASA NTRS1941

General airfoil theory

On the assumption of infinitely small disturbances the author develops a generalized integral equation of airfoil theory which is applicable to any motion and compressible fluid. Successive specializations yield various simpler integral equations, such as Possio's, Birnbaum's, and Prandtl's integral equations, as well as new ones for the wing of infinite span with periodic downwash distribution and for the oscillating wing with high aspect ratio. Lastly, several solutions and methods for solving these integral equations are give.

Kussner, H G↗
DOE OSTI2017

Evolutionary Description of Giant Molecular Cloud Mass Functions on Galactic Disks

Recent radio observations show that giant molecular cloud (GMC) mass functions noticeably vary across galactic disks. High-resolution magnetohydrodynamics simulations show that multiple episodes of compression are required for creating a molecular cloud in the magnetized interstellar medium. In this article, we formulate the evolution equation for the GMC mass function to reproduce the observed profiles, for which multiple compressions are driven by a network of expanding shells due to H ii regions and supernova remnants. We introduce the cloud–cloud collision (CCC) terms in the evolution equation in contrast to previous work (Inutsuka et al.). The computed time evolution suggests that the GMC mass function slope is governed by the ratio of GMC formation timescale to its dispersal timescale, and that the CCC effect is limited only in the massive end of the mass function. In addition, we identify a gas resurrection channel that allows the gas dispersed by massive stars to regenerate GMC populations or to accrete onto pre-existing GMCs. Our results show that almost all of the dispersed gas contributes to the mass growth of pre-existing GMCs in arm regions whereas less than 60% contributes in inter-arm regions. Our results also predict that GMC mass functions have a single power-law exponent in the mass range <10{sup 5.5} M{sub ⊙} (where M{sub ⊙} represents the solar mass), which is well characterized by GMC self-growth and dispersal timescales. Measurement of the GMC mass function slope provides a powerful method to constrain those GMC timescales and the gas resurrecting factor in various environments across galactic disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Numerical Simulation and Validation of Gas and Molten Metal Flows in Close-Coupled Gas Atomization

Molten metal atomization in close-coupled gas atomization dies can operate between two limiting conditions, jetting and filming, together with several complex mechanisms: liquid-gas drafting, downward/upward shearing, melt bouncing, etc. Liquid jet deformation depends on flow and geometric parameters, such as liquid Reynolds, liquid Weber, and gas Mach numbers, as well as gas jet apex angle and melt tube tip extension and aspect ratio, among others. Understanding their effect is of importance for the metal powder making industry. Numerical gas atomization studies can provide approximated flow information and consider a wide range of conditions, beyond experimental reach. Here, 3D high-resolution simulations employing a 5-equation compressible flow model coupled with the volume-of-fluid method are compared with experiments, for liquid Weber number in the range of 1–30 and liquid Reynolds number below 10,000. This validation explores the predicting capabilities of the numerical model.

Hernandez, F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Rotor design of high tip speed low loading transonic fan.

This paper describes the design concepts, principles and details of a high tip speed transonic rotor having low aerodynamic loading. The purpose of the NASA sponsored investigation was to determine whether good efficiency and large stall margin could be obtained by designing a rotor to avoid flow separation associated with strong normal shocks. Fully supersonic flow through the outboard region of the rotor with compression accomplished by weak oblique shocks were major design concepts employed. Computer programs were written and used to derive blade sections consistent from the all-supersonic tip region to the all-subsonic hub region. Preliminary test results indicate attainment of design pressure ratio and design flow at design speed with about a 1.6 point decrement in efficiency and large stall margin.

Erwin, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Turbulent shear stresses in compressible boundary layers

Hot-wire anemometer measurements of turbulent shear stresses in a Mach 3 compressible boundary layer were performed in order to investigate the effects of heat transfer on turbulence. Measurements were obtained by an x-probe in a flat plate, zero pressure gradient, two dimensional boundary layer in a wind tunnel with wall to freestream temperature ratios of 0.94 and 0.71. The measured shear stress distributions are found to be in good agreement with previous results, supporting the contention that the shear stress distribution is essentially independent of Mach number and heat transfer for Mach numbers from incompressible to hypersonic and wall to freestream temperature ratios of 0.4 to 1.0. It is also found that corrections for frequency response limitations of the electronic equipment are necessary to determine the correct shear stress distribution, particularly at the walls.

Laderman, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Solar photochemical process engineering for production of fuels and chemicals

The engineering costs and performance of a nominal 25,000 scmd (883,000 scfd) photochemical plant to produce dihydrogen from water were studied. Two systems were considered, one based on flat-plate collector/reactors and the other on linear parabolic troughs. Engineering subsystems were specified including the collector/reactor, support hardware, field transport piping, gas compression equipment, and balance-of-plant (BOP) items. Overall plant efficiencies of 10.3 and 11.6% are estimated for the flat-plate and trough systems, respectively, based on assumed solar photochemical efficiencies of 12.9 and 14.6%. Because of the opposing effects of concentration ratio and operating temperature on efficiency, it was concluded that reactor cooling would be necessary with the trough system. Both active and passive cooling methods were considered. Capital costs and energy costs, for both concentrating and non-concentrating systems, were determined and their sensitivity to efficiency and economic parameters were analyzed. The overall plant efficiency is the single most important factor in determining the cost of the fuel.

Biddle, J. R.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Probing the lattice structure of dynamically compressed and released single crystal iron through the alpha to epsilon phase transition

In this work, experiments using broadband Laue x-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to examine the lattice structure of dynamically compressed [100]-oriented single crystal iron samples at the Dynamic Compression Sector at the Advanced Photon Source. These experiments used 1 μm thick iron single crystal samples sandwiched between a polyimide ablator and a polycarbonate window. A 100 J, 10 ns duration laser pulse incident on the polyimide ablator was used to shock compress the iron samples to initial stresses greater than 25 GPa, exceeding the ~13 GPa alpha (body-centered-cubic or bcc structure) to epsilon (hexagonal-close-packed or hcp structure) phase transition stress. XRD measurements were performed at various times relative to the shock wave entering the iron sample: early times, <~150 ps while the initial shock waves propagated through the iron; intermediate times, after the iron equilibrated with the ablator and window reaching a plateau stress state (12 or 17 GPa) lasting several nanoseconds; and late times, during uniaxial strain release. The early time measurements show that in <~150 ps, the high-pressure hcp phase is relaxed with a c/a ratio of 1.61, contrary to previous laser shock experiments where a c/a ratio of 1.7 was inferred. In the plateau stress state and partially released states, XRD measurements showed that the hcp structure retained a c/a ratio of 1.61 with no observable changes in the microstructure. Upon stress release at ~1 GPa/ns release rate, the reverse phase transition (hcp to bcc) to the original single crystal orientation (implying a transformation memory effect) was observed to reach completion somewhere between 13 and 11 GPa, indicating little stress hysteresis under rapid uniaxial strain release. A similar memory effect for the reverse hcp to bcc transformation has been previously observed under hydrostatic compression. However, the bcc/hcp orientation relationships differ somewhat between dynamic and static compression experiments, implying that the transformation pathway under uniaxial dynamic strain differs from the Burgers mechanism.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Structural Evolution of CO 2 -Filled Pure Silica LTA Zeolite under High-Pressure High-Temperature Conditions

The crystal structure of CO 2 -filled pure-SiO 2 LTA zeolite has been studied at high pressures and temperatures using synchrotron-based X-ray powder diffraction. Its structure consists of 13 CO 2 guest molecules, 12 of them accommodated in the large α-cages and one in the β-cages, giving a SiO 2 /CO 2 stoichiometric ratio smaller than 2. The structure remains stable under pressure up to 20 GPa with a slight pressure-dependent rhombohedral distortion, indicating that pressure-induced amorphization is prevented by the insertion of guest species in this open framework. The ambient-temperature lattice compressibility has been determined. In situ high-pressure resistive-heating experiments up to 750 K allow us to estimate the thermal expansivity at P ≈ 5 GPa. Our data confirm that the insertion of CO 2 reverses the negative thermal expansion of the empty zeolite structure. No evidence of any chemical reaction was observed. Finally, the possibility of synthesizing a silicon carbonate at high temperatures and higher pressures is discussed in terms of the evolution of C–O and Si–O distances between molecular and framework atoms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Semi-analytic model of plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion

A semi-analytic model for plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion is presented here. Compressions of a magnetized plasma target by a spherically imploding plasma liner are calculated in one dimension (1D), accounting for compressible hydrodynamics and ionization of the liner material, energy losses due to conduction and radiation, fusion burn and alpha deposition, separate ion and electron temperatures in the target, magnetic pressure, and fuel burn-up. Results show 1D gains of 3–30 at spherical convergence ratio <15 and 20–40 MJ of liner energy, for cases in which the liner thickness is 1 cm and the initial radius of a preheated magnetized target is 4 cm. Some exploration of parameter space and physics settings is presented. The yields observed suggest that there is a possibility of igniting additional dense fuel layers to reach high gain.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Simultaneous Raman and pyrometric temperature measurements in shock-wave-compressed toluene

We fielded experiments to compare temperatures measured simultaneously by pyrometry and Raman spectroscopy in toluene shocked to 9 GPa. A 0.5 mm thick toluene sample was compressed between sapphire windows by plate impact from a gas gun. As the shock wave reverberated between the windows, the pressure increased stepwise to about 9 GPa. While the sample was near its peak pressure, we measured the Raman spectrum and determined temperature from the ratio of the Stokes and anti-Stokes intensities. Simultaneously, we measured the sample thermal radiance from the C-H vibration bands that occur between 3.2 and 3.6 μm to determine temperature pyrometrically. The pyrometer used a biased indium antimonide detector paired with a custom transimpedance amplifier, a system capable of temperature measurements as low as about 400 K. The Raman measurements gave a temperature of 530 ± 25 K in the bulk volume of toluene. Pyrometry gave a temperature of 496 + 15/-20 K, which is in reasonable agreement with the Raman measurement. Comparisons of this type are necessary to validate pyrometry as a temperature diagnostic in dynamic experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1996

Stress Calculations for Carbon Nanotubes

Atomic stresses were calculated for carbon nanotubes under strain conditions. Graphitic tubules with radii ranging from approximately 2 to 11 Angstroms and two different tubule structures with varying atomic orientations were included in the calculations. Elongations and contractions were applied in the axial direction and atomic stress values were calculated for infinitely long tubules. The calculations were carried out using Brenner's function which was developed for carbon species. Results indicate that the stress is tensile in the radial direction while it is compressive in the tangential direction. Variations in stress values in the direction of the cylindrical aids were investigated as a function of applied strain. Furthermore, using the stress-strain curve (calculated based on atomic considerations), the values of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio for nanotubules were also estimated.

Halicioglu, Timur↗
NASA NTRS2004

Processing of High Resolution, Multiparametric Radar Data for the Airborne Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar APR-2

Following the successful Precipitation Radar (PR) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, a new airborne, 14/35 GHz rain profiling radar, known as Airborne Precipitation Radar - 2 (APR-2), has been developed as a prototype for an advanced, dual-frequency spaceborne radar for a future spaceborne precipitation measurement mission. . This airborne instrument is capable of making simultaneous measurements of rainfall parameters, including co-pol and cross-pol rain reflectivities and vertical Doppler velocities, at 14 and 35 GHz. furthermore, it also features several advanced technologies for performance improvement, including real-time data processing, low-sidelobe dual-frequency pulse compression, and dual-frequency scanning antenna. Since August 2001, APR-2 has been deployed on the NASA P3 and DC8 aircrafts in four experiments including CAMEX-4 and the Wakasa Bay Experiment. Raw radar data are first processed to obtain reflectivity, LDR (linear depolarization ratio), and Doppler velocity measurements. The dataset is then processed iteratively to accurately estimate the true aircraft navigation parameters and to classify the surface return. These intermediate products are then used to refine reflectivity and LDR calibrations (by analyzing clear air ocean surface returns), and to correct Doppler measurements for the aircraft motion. Finally, the the melting layer of precipitation is detected and its boundaries and characteristics are identifIed at the APR-2 range resolution of 30m. The resulting 3D dataset will be used for validation of other airborne and spaceborne instruments, development of multiparametric rain/snow retrieval algorithms and melting layer characterization and statistics.

airborne radar↗
DOE OSTI2020

Review—Development of Highly Active and Durable Hybrid Compressive Platinum Lattice Catalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells: Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Work

This review provides a comprehensive overview on the development of highly active and durable platinum catalysts with ultra-low Pt loadings for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) through a combined mathematical modeling and experimental work. First, simulation techniques were applied to evaluate the validity of the Tafel approximation for the calculation of the mass activity (MA) and specific activity (SA). A one-dimensional agglomeration model was developed and solved to understand the effects of exchange current density, porosity, agglomerate size, Nafion ® film thickness, and Pt loading on the MA and SA. High porosity (> 60%) and agglomerations at high Pt loadings cause the loss of the Tafel approximation and consequently the decrease in MA and SA. A new structure parameter was introduced to estimate the real porous structure using the fractal theory. The volumetric catalyst density was corrected by the fractal dimension (measured by Hg porosimetry), which gave a good agreement with the experimental values. The loading-dependent Tafel equation was then derived, which contains both the utilization and the non-linear scaling factor. Second, activated carbon composite support (ACCS) with optimized surface area, porosity, pore size, and pore size distribution was developed. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio, structural properties (amorphous/crystalline ratio), and the number of active sites were optimized through metal-catalyzed pyrolysis. Stability of ACCS and Pt/ACCS were evaluated using an accelerated stress test (AST). The results indicated that Pt/ACCS showed no significant loss of MA and power density after 5,000 cycles at 1.0–1.5 V, while the commercial Pt/C catalysts showed drastic losses of MA and power density. Finally, monolayers of compressed Pt (core–shell-type Pt 3 Co 1 ) catalysts were structured by diffusing Co atoms (previously embedded in ACCS) into Pt. Compressive Pt lattice (Pt * ) catalysts were synthesized through an annealing procedure developed at the University of South Carolina (USC). The Pt * /ACCS catalyst showed high initial power density (rated) of 0.174 g Pt kW −1 and high stability (24 mV loss) at 0.8 A cm −2 after 30,000 cycles (0.6–1.0 V). The outstanding performance of Pt * /ACCS is due to the synergistic effect of ACCS and compressive Pt * lattice.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental and modeling study of C2–C4 alcohol autoignition at intermediate temperature conditions

C2–C4 alcohols are advantageous blendstocks identified by many research groups, including the U.S. Department of Energy Co-Optima Initiative, towards enabling efficient, boosted Spark-Ignition (SI) engines. Their use in advanced engine applications requires a comprehensive understanding of their intermediate-temperature autoignition behavior. This work reports an experimental and modeling study covering their fundamental autoignition characteristics in a twin-piston rapid compression machine at pressures of 20 and 40 bar, intermediate temperatures from 750 to 980 K, and two fuel loading conditions representative of boosted SI engines. Direct comparison between these alcohols is made, where the order of reactivity is established across different thermodynamic and fuel loading conditions. Changes in preliminary exothermicity (or intermediate-temperature heat release) displayed in single-stage autoignition across different alcohols and conditions are also quantified. This provides insight into fuel-to-fuel differences, and how these could affect advanced combustion concepts such as spark-assisted compression ignition. Kinetic models are used to simulate the experiments, and reasonable agreement is obtained. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis results demonstrate the importance of accurately capturing the autoignition kinetics, particularly H-abstraction reactions on the parent fuels by OH and HO 2 , and the branching ratio associated with these.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗