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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 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

Shaped Recess Flow Control

One or more embodiments of techniques or systems for shaped recess flow control are provided herein. A shaped recess or cavity can be formed on a surface associated with fluid flow. The shaped recess can be configured to create or induce fluid effects, temperature effects, or shedding effects that interact with a free stream or other structures. The shaped recess can be formed at an angle to a free stream flow and may be substantially "V" shaped. The shaped recess can be coupled with a cooling channel, for example. The shaped recess can be upstream or downstream from a cooling channel and aligned in a variety of manners. Due to the fluid effects, shedding effects, and temperature effects created by a shaped recess, lift-off or separation of cooling jets of cooling channels can be mitigated, thereby enhancing film cooling effectiveness.

Shyam, Vikram↗
NASA NTRS1997

Ground Based Studies of Thermocapillary Flows in Levitated Drops: Analytical Part

The main objectives of the analytical part of this investigation are to study the fluid flow phenomena together with the thermal effects on drops levitated in an acoustic field. To a large extent, experimentation on ground requires a strong acoustic field that has a significant interference with other thermal-fluid effects. While most of the work has been directed towards particles in strong acoustic fields to overcome gravity, some results for microgravity have been obtained. One of the objectives was to obtain the thermocapillary flow in a spot-heated drop, and set up a model for the prediction of thermophysical properties. In addition, for acoustically levitated particles, a clear understanding of the underlying fluid mechanics was required. Also, the interaction of acoustics with steady and pulsating thermal stimuli was required to be analyzed. The experimental part of the work was funded through JPL, and has been reported separately.

Sadhal, S. S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Complexity of Nonlinear Flow and non-Fickian Transport in Fractures Driven by Three-Dimensional Recirculation Zones

Subsurface fluid flow and solute transport are typically described by first-order or linear rate laws. However, deviations from the first-order rate laws (or anomalous behavior) are typical and lead to nonlinear flow and non-Fickian transport phenomena. The shared underlying mechanisms for these “anomalous” flow and transport phenomena, which are actually typical of fractures, are seldom analyzed. We investigated the co-occurrence of nonlinear flow and non-Fickian transport through numerical simulation experiments of pore-scale flow and solute transport processes through three-dimensional natural fractures. In these fractures, 3-D recirculation zones (RZs) developed and grew with increasing flow rates. Flow nonlinearity resulted from the RZ development and growth, which shrank the main flow channel. Moreover, the same RZs also captured solutes from the main flow channel and released them back later. This retardation resulted in non-Fickian transport. Thus, nonlinear flow and non-Fickian transport are intertwined via their shared dependence on RZs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Data-driven closure modeling for hypersonic turbulent flows

The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations remain a workhorse technology for simulating compressible fluid flows of practical interest. Due to model-form errors, however, RANS models can yield erroneous predictions that preclude their use on mission-critical problems. This report summarizes work performed from FY22-FY24 focused on improving RANS models for hypersonic flows using data-driven modeling and scientific machine learning. In this work we: 1. Investigate the current capabilities of RANS models in Sandia’s parallel aerodynamics and re-entry code (SPARC) for hypersonic flows with a focus on shock boundary layer interactions (SBLIs), 2. Assess several established corrections that exist in the literature aimed at improving predictions for SBLIs, 3. Develop improved models for the Reynolds stress tensor using tensor-basis neural networks, 4. Develop a neural-network-based variable turbulent Prandtl number model to reduce errors in wall heating in SBLIs. 5. Begin future investigations including employing the LIFE framework to improve wall heating predictions in SBLIs as well as the ensemble Kalman filter. We find that current RANS models in SPARC are deficient for complex SBLI flows. In particular, no current model jointly predicts wall heat flux, wall shear stress, and wall pressure with reasonable accuracy. Existing corrections help, but do not alleviate this issue altogether. The development of improved models for the Reynolds stress tensor via tensor-basis neural networks results in more predictive RANS models across a suite of low-speed and high-speed cases. For hypersonic boundary layers, the inclusion of the wall-normal Reynolds stress via TBNNs has an appreciable impact on the wall-normal momentum balance and wall quantities. However, we find that improvements to the Reynolds stress tensor do not address the over-prediction in wall heat flux in SBLIs. We find that a neural-network-based variable turbulent Prandtl number model systematically and substantially improves wall heating predictions for a range of SBLI cases.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1986

Interaction of flows with the crystal-melt interface

The coupling between a crystal-melt interface and fluid flow is investigated. The solidification boundary conditions at the crystal-melt interface are described. The influences of morphological and double-diffusive instabilities during directional solidification on the interface are studied. The experiments by Glicksman and Mickalonis (1982) and Fang et al. (1985) which examine the relationship between the hydrodynamic state of the phase melt and phase-change interface are analyzed. The Rayleigh-Benard problem, and the effect of crystal-melt interaction on the Rayleigh number are examined. Various applications for melt-flow interactions with solid-liquid interface to engineering and welding are discussed.

Glicksman, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Development of braided rope seals for hypersonic engine applications. Part 2: Flow modeling

Two models based on the Kozeny-Carmen equation were developed to analyze the fluid flow through a new class of braided rope seals under development for advanced hypersonic engines. A hybrid seal geometry consisting of a braided sleeve and a substantial amount of longitudinal fibers with high packing density was selected for development based on its low leakage rates. The models developed allow prediction of the gas leakage rate as a function of fiber diameter, fiber packing density, gas properties, and pressure drop across the seal.

Mutharasan, Rajakkannu↗
NASA NTRS1991

Development of braided rope seals for hypersonic engine applications. II - Flow modeling

Two models based on the Kozeny-Carmen equation were developed to analyze the fluid flow through a new class of braided rope seals under development for advanced hypersonic engines. A hybrid seal geometry consisting of a braided sleeve and a substantial amount of longitudinal fibers with high packing density was selected for development based on its low leakage rates. The models developed allow prediction of the gas leakage rate as a function of fiber diameter, fiber packing density, gas properties, and pressure drop across the seal.

Mutharasan, Rajakkannu↗
NASA NTRS1974

Apparatus for establishing flow of a fluid mass having a known velocity

An apparatus for establishing a flow of fluid mass, such as gas, having a known velocity is introduced. The apparatus is characterized by an hermetically sealed chamber conforming to a closed-loop configuration and including a throat and a plurality of axially displaceable pistons for sweeping through the throat a stream of gas including a core and an unsheared boundary layer. Within the throat there is a cylindrical coring body concentrically related to the throat for receiving the core, and a chamber surrounding the cylindrical body for drawing off the boundary layer, whereby the velocity of the core is liberated from the effects of the velocity of the boundary layer.

Price, P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Simulation of tail buffet using delta wing-vertical tail configuration

Computational simulation of the vertical tail buffet problem is accomplished using a delta wing-vertical tail configuration. Flow conditions are selected such that the wing primary-vortex cores experience vortex breakdown and the resulting flow interacts with the vertical tail. This multidisciplinary problem is solved successively using three sets of equations for the fluid flow, aeroelastic deflections and grid displacements. For the fluid dynamics part, the unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes equations are solved accurately in time using an implicit, upwind, flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme. For the aeroelastic part, the aeroelastic equation for bending vibrations is solved accurately in time using the Galerkin method and the four-stage Runge-Kutta scheme. The grid for the fluid dynamics computations is updated every few time steps using a third set of interpolation equations. The computational application includes a delta wing of aspect ratio 1 and a rectangular vertical tail of aspect ratio 2, which is placed at 0.5 root-chord length downstream of the wing trailing edge. The wing angle of attack is 35 deg and the flow Mach number and Reynolds number are 0.4 and 10,000, respectively.

Kandil, Osama A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Thermocapillary flow with evaporation and condensation at low gravity. Part 2: Deformable surface

The free surface behavior of a volatile wetting liquid at low gravity is studied using scaling and numerical techniques. An open cavity model, which was applied in part 1 to investigate fluid flow and heat transfer in non-deforming pores, is used to evaluate the influence of convection on surface morphology with length scales and subcooling/superheating limits of 1 less than or equal to D less than or equal to 10(exp 2) microns and approximately 1 K, respectively. Results show that the menisci shapes of highly wetting fluids are sensitive to thermocapillary flow and to a lesser extent the recoil force associated with evaporation and condensation. With subcooling, thermocapillarity produces a suction about the pore centerline that promotes loss of mechanical equilibrium, while condensation exerts an opposing force that under some conditions offsets this destabilizing influence. With superheating, thermocapillarity and evaporation act in the same direction and mutually foster surface stability. All of these trends are magnified by high capillary and Biot numbers, and the stronger circulation intensities associated with small contact angles. These phenomena strongly depend on the thermal and interfacial equilibrium between the liquid and vapor, and have important ramifications for systems designed to maintain a pressure differential across a porous surface.

Schmidt, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Self-similar solutions and their stability for the flow of relativistic fluids through channels

The paper analyzes the flow of a perfect relativistic fluid in a circular confining channel of variable cross-section, a situation which is currently thought to be relevant for models of beams protruding from radio galaxies. Families of self-similar solutions are found, and some of their topological characteristics are illustrated. However, a perturbative investigation of the solutions indicates that all such self-similar modes are unstable and would eventually evolve into some non-self-similar form.

Lerche, I.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Designing CO 2 -Responsive Multifunctional Nanoscale Fluids with Tunable Hydrogel Behavior for Subsurface Energy Recovery

The ability to direct subsurface fluid flow or achieve a high level of control on permeability in subsurface environments necessitates the development of tunable novel subsurface fluids. These multifunctional fluids should have the potential to form hydrogels to divert flow or enhance fracture networks at elevated pressures, ability to transport proppants, undergo reversible transformations from gel-like to fluid-like in response to chemical- or pressure-based perturbations, and have improved CO 2 carrying capacity for enhancing the miscibility and flowability of oil and gas. In this paper, we discuss the development of multifunctional nanofluids constructed from silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles and poly(allylamine) (PAA), amine bearing polymer chains with high affinity for CO 2 . A 2-fold increase in CO 2 absorption in SiO 2 -PAA nanofluids compared to the pure polymer was noted. Upon CO 2 absorption, the weakly interacting polymeric chains around the nanoparticles formed relatively compact hydrogels. Time-resolved ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering/small-angle X-ray scattering measurements showed the transition from swollen branched polymers to Gaussian coils with an increased exposure to CO 2 . Further, CO 2 -induced hydrogel formation in aqueous fluids bearing 1 wt % SiO 2 -PAA nanofluids occurred at room temperature, unlike in fluids bearing 1 wt % PAA. These observations point to the feasibility of forming hydrogels at lower temperatures and pressures using novel nanofluids as opposed to using the pure polymer. As a result, the ability to tune the structures and morphologies of these fluids expands the potential applications of these fluids in a wide range of subsurface environments.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

CFD simulations of electric motor end ring cooling for improved thermal management

Proper thermal management of an electric motor for vehicle applications extends its operating range. One cooling approach is to impinge Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) onto the rotor end ring. Increased ATF coverage correlates to enhanced heat transfer. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analytical tools provide a mechanism to assess motor thermal management prior to hardware fabrication. The complexity of the fluid flow (e.g., jet atomization, interface tracking, wall impingement) and heat transfer makes these simulations challenging. Computational costs are high when solving these flows on high-speed rotating meshes. Typically, a Volume-of Fluid (VOF) technique (i.e., two-fluid system) is used to resolve ATF dynamics within this rotating framework. Suitable numerical resolution of the relevant physics for thin films under strong inertial forces at high rotor speeds is computationally expensive, further increasing the run times. In this work, a numerical study of rotor-ring cooling by ATF is presented using a patent automated Cartesian cut-cell based method coupled with Automatic Mesh Refinement (AMR). This approach automatically creates the Cartesian mesh on-the-fly and can effectively handle complex rotating geometries by adaptively refining the mesh based on local gradients in the flow field which results in better resolution of the air-ATF interface. A Single non-inertial Reference Frame (SRF) approach is used to account for the rotating geometry and to further improve the overall computational efficiency. Quasi-steady state conditions are targeted in the analysis of the results. Important physics such as ATF jet structure, velocity detail near the air-jet interface, ATF coverage/accumulation on the ring surface, and cooling capacity are presented for a low-resolution Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), high-resolution RANS, and high-resolution Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) models. Computations are scaled over hundreds of cores on a supercomputer to maximize turnaround time. Each numerical approach is shown to capture the general trajectory of the oil jet prior to surface impingement. The high-resolution LES simulation, however, is superior in capturing small scale details and heat transfer between the free jet and surrounding air.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1986

Evaluation of a hybrid hydrostatic bearing for cryogenic turbopump application

A hybrid hydrostatic bearing was designed to operate in liquid hydrogen at speeds to 80,000 rpm and radial loads to 440 n (100 lbf). The bearing assembly consisted of a pair of 20-mm angular-contact ball bearings encased in a journal, which was in turn supported by a fluid film of liquid hydrogen. The size and operating conditions of the bearing were selected to be compatible with the operating requirements of an advanced technology turbopump. Several test parameters were varied to characterize the bearing's steady-state operation. The rotation of the tester shaft was varied between 0 and 80,000 rpm. Bearing inlet fluid pressure was varied between 2.07 and 4.48 MPa (300 and 650 psia), while the fluid sump pressure was independently varied between 0.34 and 2.07 MPa (50 and 300 psia). The maximum radial load applied to the bearing was 440 N (110 lbf). Measured hybrid-hydrostatic-bearing stiffness was 1.5 times greater than predicted, while the fluid flow rate through the bearing was 35 to 65 percent less than predicted. Under two-phase fluid conditions, the stiffness was even greater and the flow rate was less. The optimal pressure ratio for the bearing should be between 0.2 and 0.55 depending on the balance desired between bearing efficiency and stiffness. Startup and shutdown cyclic tests were conducted to demonstrate the ability of the hybrid-hydrostatic-bearing assembly to survive at least a 300-firing-duty cycle. For a typical cycle, the shaft was accelerated to 50,000 rpm in 1.8 sec. The bearing operated for 337 start-stop cycles without failure.

Spica, P. W.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of Computational Schemes on Coupled Flow and Geo-Mechanical Modeling of CO 2 Leakage through a Compromised Well

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) describes a set of technically viable processes to separate carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from industrial byproduct streams and inject it into deep geologic formations for long-term storage. Legacy wells located within the spatial domain of new injection and production activities represent potential pathways for fluids (i.e., CO 2 and aqueous phase) to leak through compromised components (e.g., through fractures or micro-annulus pathways). The finite element (FE) method is a well-established numerical approach to simulate the coupling between multi-phase fluid flow and solid phase deformation interactions that occur in a compromised well system. We assumed the spatial domain consists of a three-phases system: a solid, liquid, and gas phase. For flow in the two fluids phases, we considered two sets of primary variables: the first considering capillary pressure and gas pressure (PP) scheme, and the second considering liquid pressure and gas saturation (PS) scheme. Fluid phases were coupled with the solid phase using the full coupling (i.e., monolithic coupling) and iterative coupling (i.e., sequential coupling) approaches. The challenge of achieving numerical stability in the coupled formulation in heterogeneous media was addressed using the mass lumping and the upwinding techniques. Numerical results were compared with three benchmark problems to assess the performance of coupled FE solutions: 1D Terzaghi’s consolidation, Liakopoulos experiments, and the Kueper and Frind experiments. We found good agreement between our results and the three benchmark problems. For the Kueper and Frind test, the PP scheme successfully captured the observed experimental response of the non-aqueous phase infiltration, in contrast to the PS scheme. These exercises demonstrate the importance of fluid phase primary variable selection for heterogeneous porous media. We then applied the developed model to the hypothetical case of leakage along a compromised well representing a heterogeneous media. Considering the mass lumping and the upwinding techniques, both the monotonic and the sequential coupling provided identical results, but mass lumping was needed to avoid numerical instabilities in the sequential coupling. Additionally, in the monolithic coupling, the magnitude of primary variables in the coupled solution without mass lumping and the upwinding is higher, which is essential for the risk-based analyses.

deformation flow↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulation of coupled multiphase flow and geomechanics in porous media with embedded discrete fractures

In fractured natural formations, the equations governing fluid flow and geomechanics are strongly coupled. Hydrodynamical properties depend on the mechanical configuration, and they are therefore difficult to accurately resolve using uncoupled methods. In recent years, significant research has focused on discretization strategies for these coupled systems, particularly in the presence of complicated fracture network geometries. In this work, we explore a finite-volume discretization for the multiphase flow equations coupled with a finite-element scheme for the mechanical equations. Fractures are treated as lower dimensional surfaces embedded in a background grid. Interactions are captured using the embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) and the embedded finite element method (EFEM) for the flow and the mechanics, respectively. This nonconforming approach significantly alleviates meshing challenges. EDFM considers fractures as lower dimension finite volumes that exchange fluxes with the rock matrix cells. The EFEM method provides, instead, a local enrichment of the finite-element space inside each matrix cell cut by a fracture element. Both the use of piecewise constant and piecewise linear enrichments are investigated. They are also compared to an extended finite element approach. One key advantage of EFEM is the element-based nature of the enrichment, which reduces the geometric complexity of the implementation and leads to linear systems with advantageous properties. Synthetic numerical tests are presented to study the convergence and accuracy of the proposed method. It is also applied to a realistic scenario, involving a heterogeneous reservoir with a complex fracture distribution, to demonstrate its relevance for field applications.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1972

Quasi-one-dimensional compressible flow across face seals and narrow slots. 2: Computer program

A computer program is presented for compressible fluid flow with friction across face seals and through narrow slots. The computer program carries out a quasi-one-dimensional flow analysis which is valid for laminar and turbulent flows under both subsonic and choked flow conditions for parallel surfaces. The program is written in FORTRAN IV. The input and output variables are in either the International System of Units (SI) or the U.S. customary system.

Zuk, J.↗