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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 127 records · Page 7

High Temperature Damping Behavior of Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier and Protective Coatings

A high temperature damping test apparatus has been developed using a high heat flux CO 2 laser rig in conjunction with a TIRA S540 25 kHz Shaker and Polytec OFV 5000 Vibrometer system. The test rig has been successfully used to determine the damping performance of metallic and ceramic protective coating systems at high temperature for turbine engine applications. The initial work has been primarily focused on the microstructure and processing effects on the coating temperature-dependence damping behavior. Advanced ceramic coatings, including multicomponent tetragonal and cubic phase thermal barrier coatings, along with composite bond coats, have also been investigated. The coating high temperature damping mechanisms will also be discussed.

Zhu, Dongming↗

Comprehensive 3D Multiphysics Model on Electrochemical Recovery of O 2 from Metabolic CO 2 at the International Space Station (ISS)

The International Space Station (ISS) is presently equipped with an elaborate, heavy, and high-power consuming system that recovers approximately 50% of O 2 from metabolic CO 2 as part of the atmospheric revitalization (AR) at the ISS habitat. Future long-duration missions will require a sustainable and efficient system capable of yielding a minimum of 75% O 2 recovery to reach the self-sufficiency required for long space missions beyond earth’s low orbit. A Macrofluidic Electrochemical Reactor (MFECR) technology development effort is currently underway at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to not only increase significantly current O 2 recovery efficiency, improving self-sufficiency on AR at the ISS habitat and future long missions, but also reduce the complexity of the system. The authors have developed and deployed a comprehensive 3D multiphysics model that thoroughly replicates the actual configuration and fluid/material domains of the MFECR. The coupled physics in this multiphysics model include multicomponent-multiphase electrochemical-driven reactions, non-ideal mass transport mechanism, free and porous flow, heat transfer, CO 2 solubility on alkaline electrolyte, water condensation on porous medium, and DC electrical current generation along with Joule heating effect. This model is aimed to conduct quantitive benchmark on three different MFECR’s layouts, one without serpentine paths (plain) and two with serpentines leading to four and twelve paths respectively. Once experimental data is generated via a test matrix of 200 tests, the model will be validated to conduct MFECR’s process optimization and revalidate the quantitive benchmark on three different MFECR’s layouts.

Jesus A. Dominguez↗

Flight contaminant trace analyser. Phase 1: Chromatographic input system

The development of a chromatographic column capable of resolving compounds associated with spacecraft atmospheres is presented. Consideration is given to sampling techniques, column parameters and operation, and column interface with a mass spectrometer. A capillary column coated with a mixture of polyalkylene glycols is found to provide the best selectivity for resolving multicomponent mixtures found in spacecraft atmospheres. Temperature programming and isothermal operation of the column are evaluated and it is found that temperature programming has a shorter analysis time for a given carrier gas flow rate and overall superior resolution. It is observed that hydrogen provides a 15% savings in analysis time over helium. Following the optimization of column operational parameters, a mixed phase Ucon capillary is prepared for evaluation during the column test period in which the test sample is automatically analyzed. Analysis of the multicomponent test mixture is completed within 45 minutes provided temperature programming is used. All but two of the test compounds are well resolved.

Source record↗

Analysis of positron lifetime spectra in polymers

A new procedure for analyzing multicomponent positron lifetime spectra in polymers was developed. It requires initial estimates of the lifetimes and the intensities of various components, which are readily obtainable by a standard spectrum stripping process. These initial estimates, after convolution with the timing system resolution function, are then used as the inputs for a nonlinear least squares analysis to compute the estimates that conform to a global error minimization criterion. The convolution integral uses the full experimental resolution function, in contrast to the previous studies where analytical approximations of it were utilized. These concepts were incorporated into a generalized Computer Program for Analyzing Positron Lifetime Spectra (PAPLS) in polymers. Its validity was tested using several artificially generated data sets. These data sets were also analyzed using the widely used POSITRONFIT program. In almost all cases, the PAPLS program gives closer fit to the input values. The new procedure was applied to the analysis of several lifetime spectra measured in metal ion containing Epon-828 samples. The results are described.

Singh, Jag J.↗

Mixing and mixing enhancement in supersonic reacting flowfields

Propulsion systems planned for use late in this century and beyond will require appropriate physical models for describing supersonic combustion and numerical techniques for solving the model governing equations. A computer program to study these flows is reported which considers the multicomponent diffusion and convection of important chemical species, the finite-rate reaction of these species, and the resulting interaction of the field mechanics and the chemistry. The application of the program to a spatially developing and reacting mixing layer, which serves an an excellent physical model for the mixing and reaction processes that take place in a scramjet combustor, is reported. Several techniques to enhance the fuel-air mixing and growth of that layer and improve its overall combustion efficiency are considered.

Drummond, J. P.↗

Combustion of LOX with H2(sub g) under subcritical, critical, and supercritical conditions and experimental observation of dense spray and mixing of impinging jets

Progress made during the period of February 1 to October 15, 1992 is reported. The overall objective of Task 1 of the investigation is to achieve a better understanding of the combustion processes of liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen under subcritical, critical, and supercritical conditions. Specific objectives of the research program are: (1) to determine the evaporation- and burning-rate characteristics of LOX in hydrogen/helium environments under broad ranges of operating conditions; (2) to measure species concentration profile and surface temperature of LOX employing the gas chromatography and fine-wire thermocouples under non-reacting flow situations; (3) to perform a fugacity-based multicomponent thermodynamic phase equilibrium analysis for examining the high-pressure vapor-liquid equilibrium behavior at the liquid surface of LOX; (4) to formulate and solve a theoretical model for simulating the evaporation and combustion processes in a LOX/H2/He system; and (5) to validate the theoretical model with the measured experimental data. Task 2 of the investigation is described. Observation of a like-on-like injector element in the near-injector region performed in the previous phase of this project has identified the existence of a high Reynolds number regime in which the pre-impingement jets are fully turbulent and undergoing surface breakup. The new spray regime, which has not been observed by previous investigators, is characterized by the presence of many fine droplets and the disappearance of the well-defined liquid breakup wave pattern in the post-impingement region. It is speculated that a cavitating region may be present within the orifice so that it could induce strong turbulence, leading to an onset of atomization of the jets prior to impingement. To further investigate the dense spray behavior of the impinging jets in the high Reynolds number region, experiments were conducted using Plexiglas injector components for direct internal flow observation. The main objective is to determine under what conditions a cavitating region would form and whether or not the cavitation is reponsible for the development of the high Reynolds number spray regime. The procedure and major findings of the injector cavitation study are described.

Kuo, Kenneth K.↗

Comprehensive Digital Twin of a Macro-fluidic Electrochemical Reactor to Optimize the Electrochemical-based Recovery of O2 from Metabolic CO2

Future long-duration missions will require a sustainable and efficient system capable of yielding a minimum of 75% O 2 recovery from metabolic CO 2 to achieve self-sufficiency for long space missions beyond Earth's low orbit. A Macro-fluidic Electrochemical Reactor (MFECR) development effort to electrochemically recover O 2 from CO 2 is underway at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to increase current O 2 recovery efficiency and reduce air revitalization (AR) system complexity at the International Space Station (ISS) habitat and future long missions. The authors have developed and deployed a digital twin of an actual single cell of the MFECR via a comprehensive 3D multiphysics model that thoroughly replicates the exact configuration and fluid/material domains of the MFECR. This model's electrochemical physics consists of multicomponent-multiphase electrochemical-driven reactions leading to CO 2 conversion to C 2 H 4 and CO along with the formation of H 2 on the cathode in parallel with the generation of O 2 and H 2 O on the anode. This electrochemical model is coupled with all the physics phenomena involved in the process, including but not limited to fluid and non-ideal mass transfer of reactant and product species in free and porous media, convective/conduction/radiative heat transfer, and conduction of DC electrical current with Joule heating generation. The digital twin has proved to be an essential tool for performing different qualitative studies, including the effect of reducing the height (increasing the respect ratio) of the serpentine walls, leading to a further redesign of the EDU (the newly redesigned MFECR EDU has been fabricated and is expected to be used in future tests), the evaluation of setting different MFECRs connected in series, and the assessment of feeding air directly to the MFECR skipping the preceding metabolic CO 2 separation from air. The MFECR's test stand is fully automated and equipped with several inline measurements (flow, pressure, temperature, pH, component concentration) systems on all six MFECR's IO streams, allowing reliable experimental validation of the model, parametric determination of all electrochemical reactions, and process optimization.

Jesus A Dominguez↗

General Model for Multicomponent Ablation Thermochemistry

A previous paper (AIAA 94-2042) presented equations and numerical procedures for modeling the thermochemical ablation and pyrolysis of thermal protection materials which contain multiple surface species. This work describes modifications and enhancements to the Multicomponent Ablation Thermochemistry (MAT) theory and code for application to the general case which includes surface area constraints, rate limited surface reactions, and non-thermochemical mass loss (failure). Detailed results and comparisons with data are presented for the Shuttle Orbiter reinforced carbon-carbon oxidation protection system which contains a mixture of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), silica (SiO2), silicon carbide (SiC), and carbon (C).

Milos, Frank S.↗

The ultraviolet spectrum of the gravitational lens candidate UM 425 = QSO 1120+019: Evidence for broad absorption line (BAL) structure

The UV line profile structure of high-ionization resonance lines found with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) in the brightest of four multiply imaged sources (images-A) in the candidate gravitational lens UM 425 = QSO 1120+019 indicates broad absorption line (BAL) structure. The deep-broad trough associated with the O IV line extends to velocities approiximately -12,000 km/s, and contains disrete features that suggest multicomponent velocity structure. This structure may include contributions from C IV absorption from the early-type galaxy that is believed to lens UM 425. A strong absorption feature in the blue wing of the Lyman-alpha lambda 1216 emission line may be a Lyman alpha absorption system at a Z(sub Ly alpha) = 1.437 +/- 0.003, or it may be formed by the superposition of the broad N V lambda lambda 1238, 1242 absorption trough on the extended blue emission wing of the QSO Lyman-alpha line. We obtained a redshift of Z(sub QSO) = 1.471 +/- 0.003 from Lyman-alpha lambda 1215, consistent with the redshift found by Meylan and Djorgovski in the optical. The Lyman-alpha line appears unusally weak due to the presence of N V lambda 1240 BAL absorption. A Lyman-limit absorption system at lambda 912 was not observed in the QSO rest frame. The detection of BAL structure in the other weaker ground-state resonance lines of N II (l) and S IV (l) was not found, suggesting these lines are formed in a region that is distinct from the BAL component. Detection of BAL structure in the other fainter images in this system with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) instrumentation, similar to structure observed here in image A, could provide evidence that UM 425 is a gravitational lens.

Michelitsianos, A. G.↗

NPSS on NASA's Information Power Grid: Using CORBA and Globus to Coordinate Multidisciplinary Aeroscience Applications

This paper describes a project to evaluate the feasibility of combining Grid and Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) technologies, with a view to leveraging the numerous advantages of commodity technologies in a high-performance Grid environment. A team from the NASA Glenn Research Center and Argonne National Laboratory has been studying three problems: a desktop-controlled parameter study using Excel (Microsoft Corporation); a multicomponent application using ADPAC, NPSS, and a controller program-, and an aviation safety application running about 100 jobs in near real time. The team has successfully demonstrated (1) a Common-Object- Request-Broker-Architecture- (CORBA-) to-Globus resource manager gateway that allows CORBA remote procedure calls to be used to control the submission and execution of programs on workstations and massively parallel computers, (2) a gateway from the CORBA Trader service to the Grid information service, and (3) a preliminary integration of CORBA and Grid security mechanisms. We have applied these technologies to two applications related to NPSS, namely a parameter study and a multicomponent simulation.

Lopez, Isaac↗

Interface procedures for overlapping grids

The solution of partial differential equations by means of either implicit or conservative explicit finite-difference methods, on the one hand, or multicomponent overlapping grid schemes on the other, is presently subjected to interpolation at grid boundaries in an attempt to eliminate the time lag. The accuracy of the transient solution of a hyperbolic or parabolic partial differential equation is dependent on the procedures used to transfer information between grids in a composite grid system. The present techniques reduce numerical solution errors.

Mastin, C. Wayne↗

Experimental and theoretical studies of the laws governing condensate deposition from combustion gases

A description is presented of the results of a research program directed at an improved understanding of condensate deposition rate phenomena in combustion systems. The conducted experiments make use of real-time optical laser reflectance-interference-polarization techniques in flame environments. The obtained new data and the results of previous gravimetric experiments are employed as a basis for the development of a comprehensive convective diffusion deposition theory, taking into account the assumption of a multicomponent vapor or multisize class particles 'source-free' boundary layer. The theory makes it possible to provide self-consistent salt/ash/soot deposition rate predictions over a wide variety of environmental conditions.

Rosner, D. E.↗

Control-oriented modeling of combustion and flow processes in liquid propellant rocket engines

This paper presents a control-oriented model of the flow, reaction, and transport processes in liquid propellant rocket combustion chambers, based on the multicomponent conservation laws of gas dynamics. This model provides a framework for the inclusion of detailed chemical kinetic relations, viscous and other dissipative effects, a variety of actuators and sensors, as well as process and measurement disturbances. In addition to its potential usefulness to the designer in understanding the dynamical complexity of the system and the sources of model uncertainty, the model provides a rigorous basis for control system design. An appraisal of current and feasible actuators and sensors, and their mathematical representation are included.

Bentsman, Joseph↗

Quantum Approximate Methods for the Atomistic Modeling of Multicomponent Alloys

This chapter describes the role of quantum approximate methods in the understanding of complex multicomponent alloys at the atomic level. The need to accelerate materials design programs based on economical and efficient modeling techniques provides the framework for the introduction of approximations and simplifications in otherwise rigorous theoretical schemes. As a promising example of the role that such approximate methods might have in the development of complex systems, the BFS method for alloys is presented and applied to Ru-rich Ni-base superalloys and also to the NiAI(Ti,Cu) system, highlighting the benefits that can be obtained from introducing simple modeling techniques to the investigation of such complex systems.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗

Tricritical points in multicomponent fluid mixtures

In view of experimental considerations, we give a model-independent argument that the novel tricritical points in multicomponent fluid mixtures, where three phases simultaneously become critical, are points on the boundary of a single two-dimensional surface of critical points. This result is corroborated by the Landau model suggested by Griffiths. The relationship between these tricritical points and the complex 'higher-order' critical points proposed to exist in certain magnetic systems is elucidated.

Hankey, A.↗

Homogeneity of gels and gel-derived glasses

The significance and implications of gel preparation procedures in controlling the homogeneity of multicomponent oxide gels are discussed. The role of physicochemical factors such as the structure and chemical reactivities of alkoxides, the formation of double-metal alkoxides, and the nature of solvent(s) are critically analyzed in the context of homogeneity of gels during gelation. Three procedures for preparing gels in the SiO2-B2O3-Na2O system are examined in the context of cation distribution. Light scattering results for glasses in the SiO2-B2O3-Na2O system prepared by both the gel technique and the conventional technique are examined.

Mukherjee, S. P.↗

Development of a One-Domain Volume-Averaged Navier–Stokes Solver

The interaction between a high-enthalpy flow and a thermal protection material is inherently multiscale and multiphysics. In conventional aerothermal analyses, the external flow and material response are generally modeled using separate computational domains coupled through boundary conditions at the material surface. Although this approach has supported many practical applications, it requires assumptions about the location and behavior of the interface and may become difficult to apply when material decomposition, internal reactions, and surface recession substantially alter the porous structure. This report presents the development of a one-domain formulation in which the free-fluid and porous-material regions are represented within a single computational domain. The formulation is based on the volume-averaged Navier–Stokes (VANS) equations, derived from the governing equations for reacting, compressible flow and condensed material. Volume averaging transfers the influence of the unresolved material microstructure to the macroscale equations through effective transport properties, interfacial source terms, and dispersion fluxes. Particular attention is given to regions in which porosity and permeability vary rapidly, including the diffuse transition between a porous material and the surrounding fluid. The resulting equations are implemented in the Porous-material Analysis Toolbox based on OpenFOAM (PATO). The report describes the pressure–velocity coupling strategy used by the solver, examines spatial filtering techniques for deriving effective properties, and evaluates the influence of a smoothly varying interface permeability. Numerical demonstrations include canonical porous-flow configurations, a flow-tube configuration representative of FiberForm® permeability experiments, and the oxidation of a porous carbon material. The purpose of this work is to establish a mathematical and computational foundation for a unified treatment of flow and thermal protection material response. The present formulation is intended to support the progressive inclusion of additional physical processes, including multicomponent transport, finite-rate gas–surface chemistry, pyrolysis, internal oxidation, and material recession. It also provides a framework for connecting pore-scale simulations and microstructural characterization with macroscale aerothermal-response calculations. This report is intended for researchers and engineers working in computational fluid dynamics, porous-media transport, material response, and thermal protection system modeling. It documents both the theoretical development and the initial numerical assessment of the one-domain approach, while identifying the closure of effective and dispersion terms as an important subject for continued investigation.

Ablation↗

Design and Performance Optimizations of Advanced Erosion-Resistant Low Conductivity Thermal Barrier Coatings for Rotorcraft Engines

Thermal barrier coatings will be more aggressively designed to protect gas turbine engine hot-section components in order to meet future rotorcraft engine higher fuel efficiency and lower emission goals. For thermal barrier coatings designed for rotorcraft turbine airfoil applications, further improved erosion and impact resistance are crucial for engine performance and durability, because the rotorcraft are often operated in the most severe sand erosive environments. Advanced low thermal conductivity and erosion-resistant thermal barrier coatings are being developed, with the current emphasis being placed on thermal barrier coating toughness improvements using multicomponent alloying and processing optimization approaches. The performance of the advanced thermal barrier coatings has been evaluated in a high temperature erosion burner rig and a laser heat-flux rig to simulate engine erosion and thermal gradient environments. The results have shown that the coating composition and architecture optimizations can effectively improve the erosion and impact resistance of the coating systems, while maintaining low thermal conductivity and cyclic oxidation durability

Zhu, Dongming↗