Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Heating elements”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,333 records · Page 74
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Heat storage in alloy transformations

The feasibility of using metal alloys as thermal energy storage media was investigated. The elements selected as candidate media were limited to aluminum, copper, magnesium, silicon, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus on the basis of low cost and latent heat of transformation. Several new eutectic alloys and ternary intermetallic phases were determined. A new method employing X-ray absorption techniques was developed to determine the coefficients of thermal expansion of both the solid and liquid phases and the volume change during phase transformation. The method and apparatus are discussed and the experimental results are presented for aluminum and two aluminum-eutectic alloys. Candidate materials were evaluated to determine suitable materials for containment of the metal alloys. Graphite was used to contain the alloys during the volume change measurements. Silicon carbide was identified as a promising containment material and surface-coated iron alloys were also evaluated. System considerations that are pertinent if alloy eutectics are used as thermal energy storage media are discussed. Potential applications to solar receivers and industrial furnaces are illustrated schematically.

Birchenall, C. E.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Resonance Self-shielding Impact on Neutron Spectrum Determination for Missouri S and T Reactor

Neutron Activation Analysis is a useful technique for characterizing the neutron flux at nuclear facilities. It involves irradiating samples to produce unstable isotopes, which enables qualitative and quantitative analyses of unknown samples. In the process, samples are bombarded with neutrons; new elements then become radioactive isotopes due to absorption of neutrons. These emit different amounts of gamma energy during the decay process, and gamma rays are counted using HPGe. Each reaction product has a known half-life and cross-section, and by measuring the amount of gamma radiation energy emitted from a radioactive isotope, it is possible to identify the isotope and activity. However, the neutron spectrum is not precise or representative of the actual neutron environment because of the self-shielding effect. This occurs with large samples that have large cross-sections or thicknesses in the resonance range of the neutron flux spectrum. Several methods have been used to mitigate this problem, such as thinning or diluting alloys samples, calculating the self-shielding factor for each material, and generating a corrected library for the unfolding procedure code. The Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR) is a pool-type research reactor that operates up to 200 kW. It uses light-water for both moderation and natural convective heat removal. The reactor core consists of 15 fuel elements positioned in a 9 x 6 aluminum grid plate, with four elements used for reactor power control. The fuel element is 19.75% low enriched uranium in 18 curved fuel plates. The reactor has seen various configurations starting with configuration designation 101W and subsequent reconfiguration increases the numeric designation by 1. The current configuration, 120W, was implemented in 2010. The new configuration provides more in-core locations for activation experiments and uses more fuel elements than previous ones. One of the irradiation locations in the MSTR core is the source holder. It is desired to improve the documentation of neutronic characteristics of the MSTR which are cardinal to experiments supported by the facility. One of these characteristics is the neutron spectrum at various locations in the reactor. Successful efforts yielded the neutron spectrum at a known location through the unfolding of the activity of irradiated foils. The purpose of this current study is to investigate the impact of resonance self-shielding of some of the activated foils on the determined spectrum.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1978

Recent advances in thermal-structural analysis and design

A continuing effort to develop a comprehensive capability for thermal-structural analysis and automated design (sizing) is reviewed. A principal role in the activity is played by the finite element program SPAR which contains both an efficient structural and thermal analysis capability. The benefit of having thermal and structural analyses in the same finite element program is illustrated by the application of SPAR to design calculations for the National Transonic Facility - a cryogenic wind tunnel under construction at Langley. Some experience with large-scale thermal structural analysis problems, particularly the space shuttle orbiter, has led to the identification of some analysis needs. Those needs include automated model generation and data output for lumped parameter thermal analysis, faster solution methods for nonlinear transient heat transfer, automated interpolation of temperature data from a thermal finite element model to a dissimilar structural finite model, and automated techniques to identify the times at which the critical combinations of transient heating and loads occur on a structure.

Adelman, H. M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Parallel 3D Mortar Element Method for Adaptive Nonconforming Meshes

High order methods are frequently used in computational simulation for their high accuracy. An efficient way to avoid unnecessary computation in smooth regions of the solution is to use adaptive meshes which employ fine grids only in areas where they are needed. Nonconforming spectral elements allow the grid to be flexibly adjusted to satisfy the computational accuracy requirements. The method is suitable for computational simulations of unsteady problems with very disparate length scales or unsteady moving features, such as heat transfer, fluid dynamics or flame combustion. In this work, we select the Mark Element Method (MEM) to handle the non-conforming interfaces between elements. A new technique is introduced to efficiently implement MEM in 3-D nonconforming meshes. By introducing an "intermediate mortar", the proposed method decomposes the projection between 3-D elements and mortars into two steps. In each step, projection matrices derived in 2-D are used. The two-step method avoids explicitly forming/deriving large projection matrices for 3-D meshes, and also helps to simplify the implementation. This new technique can be used for both h- and p-type adaptation. This method is applied to an unsteady 3-D moving heat source problem. With our new MEM implementation, mesh adaptation is able to efficiently refine the grid near the heat source and coarsen the grid once the heat source passes. The savings in computational work resulting from the dynamic mesh adaptation is demonstrated by the reduction of the the number of elements used and CPU time spent. MEM and mesh adaptation, respectively, bring irregularity and dynamics to the computer memory access pattern. Hence, they provide a good way to gauge the performance of computer systems when running scientific applications whose memory access patterns are irregular and unpredictable. We select a 3-D moving heat source problem as the Unstructured Adaptive (UA) grid benchmark, a new component of the NAS Parallel Benchmarks (NPB). In this paper, we present some interesting performance results of ow OpenMP parallel implementation on different architectures such as the SGI Origin2000, SGI Altix, and Cray MTA-2.

Feng, Huiyu↗
NASA NTRS2003

Versatile Turbine Disk Alloy Designed and Processed for Higher Temperature Applications

Advanced turbine engine configurations using higher temperature combustor and airfoil concepts require compressor and turbine disks that can withstand temperatures higher than the 650 C typical of current engines. This requires disk alloy and processing improvements. A versatile disk alloy was needed that could be given either fine grain heat treatments for high strength and fatigue and creep resistance up to 704 C or given coarse grain heat treatments for high strength and creep and dwell crack-growth resistance at higher temperatures. This alloy could produce disks with uniform microstructures and properties, as well as with varied, optimized microstructures at disk bore and rim sections. A series of experimental disk alloys were designed and processed to give subscale disks about 13 cm in diameter and 4 cm thick. These alloys had varying levels of key elements to affect mechanical properties and change the "solvus" solution heat-treatment temperature necessary to produce coarse grain microstructures. Disks were given coarse grain heat treatments followed by rapid oil quenching and slower fan air quenching. These heat treatments were intended to simulate the cooling paths of rapidly cooled full-scale disks at the outermost rim and interior bore locations, respectively. Preliminary quench tests of tensile specimens and coin-size minidisks had indicated that alloys having high solvus temperatures were more prone to cracking during rapid quenching from coarse grain heat treatments. These findings were confirmed in the subscale disks, where such alloys did form undesirable quench cracks. Mechanical tests were performed on specimens from subscale disks given these coarse grain heat treatments, as well as on specimens given a fine grain heat treatment. Tensile, creep, and crack growth tests were performed at 704 C and higher temperatures. A versatile alloy was identified that had a low solvus temperature for resistance to quench cracking as well as an optimal combination of high levels of strengthening refractory elements that produced balanced high mechanical properties for both fine grain and coarse grain microstructures. This low-solvus, high-refractory (LSHR) alloy has been scaled-up to produce prototype full-scale turbine disks typical of regional jet turbofan engines. Disks were successfully heat treated to give uniform coarse grain and uniform fine grain microstructures. Additional disks were given a NASA dual microstructure heat treatment (DMHT) that intentionally varied the solution heat-treatment temperatures between the disk rim and bore (re f. 1). The disk rim was heated to a high enough temperature to produce a coarse grain microstructure, while the bore was maintained at a lower temperature to produce a fine grain microstructure (see the figure). This DMHT can produce optimal high strength, fatigue, and creep resistance up to 704 C in the cooler running disk bore, and high strength, creep resistance, and dwell crack growth resistance at higher temperatures for the hotter disk rim. Extensive mechanical testing is being initiated to compare the mechanical properties of the uniform and DMHT disks.

Gabb, TImothy P.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Property evaluation and microstructure characterization of the A3-3 matrix graphite - 18440

Spherical fuel elements with TRISO fuel will be used in the pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor. The fuel will be located within the center region of the elements, and will be suspended in, and surrounded by a shell of matrix graphite. The matrix graphite provides structural support to the fuel, prevents fuel damage, and allows for heat transfer from the fuel to the coolant. The raw materials for the matrix graphite, type A3-3, includes 64 wt% natural flake graphite, 16 wt% artificial graphite and 20 wt% phenol resin binder. After the final heat treatment, the resulting A3-3 matrix is composed of 71 wt% natural graphite, 18 wt% artificial graphite, and 11 wt% phenol resin-derived coke carbon. The microstructure of A3-3 matrix graphite has direct influences on the material properties, which are crucial to maintaining the integrity and safety of the fuel elements. This presentation will discuss microstructure features, such as lattice, and crystal parameters, porosity, pore size and distribution, and anisotropy. The multiple physical, mechanical and thermal properties of this material, including: elastic modulus, mechanical strength, and oxidation property will also be presented. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Burner liner thermal/structural load modeling: TRANCITS program user's manual

Transfer Analysis Code to Interface Thermal/Structural Problems (TRANCITS) is discussed. The TRANCITS code satisfies all the objectives for transferring thermal data between heat transfer and structural models of combustor liners and it can be used as a generic thermal translator between heat transfer and stress models of any component, regardless of the geometry. The TRANCITS can accurately and efficiently convert the temperature distributions predicted by the heat transfer programs to those required by the stress codes. It can be used for both linear and nonlinear structural codes and can produce nodal temperatures, elemental centroid temperatures, or elemental Gauss point temperatures. The thermal output of both the MARC and SINDA heat transfer codes can be interfaced directly with TRANCITS, and it will automatically produce stress model codes formatted for NASTRAN and MARC. Any thermal program and structural program can be interfaced by using the neutral input and output forms supported by TRANCITS.

Maffeo, R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Challenges in Modelling of Lightning-Induced Delamination; Effect of Temperature-Dependent Interfacial Properties

Lightning is a major cause of damage in laminated composite aerospace structures during flight. Due to the dielectric nature of Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs), the high energy induced by lightning strike transforms into extreme, localized surface temperature accompanied with a high-pressure shockwave resulting in extensive damage. It is crucial to develop a numerical tool capable of predicting the damage induced from a lightning strike to supplement extremely expensive lightning experiments. Delamination is one of the most significant failure modes resulting from a lightning strike. It can be extended well beyond the visible damage zone, and requires sophisticated techniques and equipment to detect. A popular technique used to model delamination is the cohesive zone approach. Since the loading induced from a lightning strike event is assumed to consist of extreme localized heating, the cohesive zone formulation should additionally account for temperature effects. However, the sensitivity to this dependency remains unknown. Therefore, the major focus point of this work is to investigate the importance of this dependency via defining various temperature dependency profiles for the cohesive zone properties, and analyzing the corresponding delamination area. Thus, a detailed numerical model consisting of multidirectional composite plies with temperature-dependent cohesive elements in between is subjected to lightning (excessive amount of heat and pressure) and delamination/damage expansion is studied under specified conditions.

interlaminar damage↗
DOE OSTI2015

TIME-DEPENDENT, COMPOSITIONALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION IN THE OCEANS OF ACCRETING NEUTRON STARS

We discuss the effect of convection driven by chemical separation at the ocean-crust boundary of accreting neutron stars. We extend the steady-state results of Medin and Cumming to transient accretors, by considering the time-dependent cases of heating during accretion outbursts and cooling during quiescence. During accretion outbursts, inward heat transport has only a small effect on the temperature profile in the outer layers until the ocean is strongly enriched in light elements, a process that takes hundreds of years to complete. During quiescence, however, inward heat transport rapidly cools the outer layers of the ocean while keeping the inner layers hot. We find that this leads to a sharp drop in surface emission at around a week followed by a gradual recovery as cooling becomes dominated by the crust. Such a dip should be observable in the light curves of these neutron star transients, if enough data is taken at a few days to a month after the end of accretion. If such a dip is definitively observed, it will provide strong constraints on the chemical composition of the ocean and outer crust.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Effect of Casting Speed on Microstructure, Microsegregation, and Mechanical Properties of High-Strength Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr Alloy

High-quality Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr magnesium alloy billets were successfully prepared by direct chill casting. The effect of casting speed on microstructure, microsegregation, and mechanical properties of the Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy was systematically investigated. The results show that the as-cast microstructure is composed of equiaxed α-Mg and Mg{sub 12}Nd. Optimum values of mechanical properties were obtained corresponding to the casting speed of 90 mm/min. An age hardening at 200 °C took a remarkable effect on the mechanical properties of billets. The maximum ultimate tensile strength ~ 323.4 MPa was obtained in the billet undergoing T6 heat treatment. The shapes of concentration curves of various alloying elements (e.g., Nd and Zn) in Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr, as predicted by the Gulliver–Scheil model, resemble reasonably with the shapes measured by electron probe microanalysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Grid-Scale Ternary-Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage for Flexible Operation of Nuclear Power Generation under High Penetration of Renewable Energy Sources

In this work, the integration of a grid-scale ternary-Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage (t-PTES) with a nuclear power generation to enhance operation flexibility is assessed using physics-based models and digital real time simulation. A part of the electricity from the nuclear power generation is delivered to the grid, and the balance is used to power a heat pump that can be augmented by an auxiliary resistive load element to increase the charging rate of the thermal storage. This increases the thermal potential between hot and cold thermal stores (usually solid materials or molten salts inside large storage tanks). The thermal energy is transformed back into electricity by reversing the heat pump cycle. Different transient scenarios including startup, shutdown, and power change for grid-connected operation are simulated to determine the behavior of the hybrid nuclear-t-PTES system operating under variable loads that constitute a departure from conventional, baseload nuclear plant operation schemes. Ternary refers to the three modes operation: (i) heat pump (including heating coil), (ii) heat engine, and (iii) simultaneous operation of heat pump (including heating coil) and heat engine during changeover from pumping to generation or vice-versa. The controllability of t-PTES in the short timescales as a dynamic load is used to demonstrate operational flexibility of hybrid nuclear plants for flexible operation through advanced load management. The integration of t-PTES into nuclear power systems enhances the system flexibility and is an enabler for high penetration of renewable energy resources.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS2006

Fast Erase Method and Apparatus For Digital Media

A non-contact fast erase method for erasing information stored on a magnetic or optical media. The magnetic media element includes a magnetic surface affixed to a toroidal conductor and stores information in a magnetic polarization pattern. The fast erase method includes applying an alternating current to a planar inductive element positioned near the toroidal conductor, inducing an alternating current in the toroidal conductor, and heating the magnetic surface to a temperature that exceeds the Curie-point so that information stored on the magnetic media element is permanently erased. The optical disc element stores information in a plurality of locations being defined by pits and lands in a toroidal conductive layer. The fast erase method includes similarly inducing a plurality of currents in the optical media element conductive layer and melting a predetermined portion of the conductive layer so that the information stored on the optical medium is destroyed.

Oakely, Ernest C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Wall shear stress measurements using a new transducer

A new instrument has been developed for direct measurement of wall shear stress. This instrument is simple and symmetric in design with small moving mass and no internal friction. Features employed in the design of this instrument eliminate most of the difficulties associated with the traditional floating element balances. Vibration problems associated with the floating element skin friction balances have been found to be minimized by the design features and optional damping provided. The unique design of this instrument eliminates or reduces the errors associated with conventional floating-element devices: such as errors due to gaps, pressure gradient, acceleration, heat transfer and temperature change. The instrument is equipped with various sensing systems and the output signal is a linear function of the wall shear stress. Measurement made in three different tunnels show good agreement with theory and data obtained by the floating element devices.

Vakili, A. D.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Dissimilar Metal Weld Joints of P91/Ni Alloy: Microstructural Characterization of HAZ of P91 and Stress Analysis at the Weld Interfaces

Microstructure evolution and hardness were evaluated at the interface of two friction-welded transition joints between P91 and AISI 304 fabricated applying Inconel interlayers, viz. single-interlayer weld (P91/IN600/AISI304) and three-interlayer weld (P91/IN625/IN600/IN800H/AISI304). The welds were subjected to post-weld heat treatment at 1023 K for 1 h followed by air cooling and a long-term exposure at 973 K for 100, 250, and 500 h. A soft zone with the absence of lath martensite was noticed in both the welds which was located at the intercritical heat-affected zone of the welds. This zone was found to be extending with time toward the fine grain heat-affected zone by carbide precipitation and coarsening at the grain boundaries. Soft zone formation at the interface of the welds was found to be due to carbon diffusion. The presence of high-nickel-content alloy at the interface was proven to be beneficial in stopping carbon diffusion at the interface. Though soft zones existed in both the welds, better creep rupture life was observed for three-interlayer welds. Finite element analysis of these weld joints was performed for thermal loading followed by tensile loading. The results from this analysis indicated that thermal expansion also plays an important role in the failures of these dissimilar weld joints by creating high stress at the interface due to incompatibility.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1979

Thermal metamorphism of primitive meteorites. VIII - Noble gases, carbon and sulfur in Allende /C3/ meteorite heated at 400-1000 C

Noble gases, C and S, are lost from Allende samples heated for 1 week at temperatures of 400-1000 C in a low pressure environment. In the extreme, losses of He-3 and He-4 are about 100 x while for C, S and Ne, Ar and Kr isotopes and Xe-132 these are less than or equal to 10 x. Except for He, these losses are less severe than those of Bi or Tl from samples heated in the same runs. Significant He, Ne and Ar isotopic fractionation during heating indicates preferential outgassing of specific reservoirs. Next to He, Ar-40 is the most labile of those species considered here but still less so than Bi or Tl. L-group (but not H- or LL-group) chondrites may have lost mobile elements like Tl while being outgassed after late impact-associated heating. A less likely alternative involving a collateral relation between condensation conditions and depth in a parent object may also explain the L-group trend.

Herzog, G. F.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermal Model Heat Rate Predictions of the AGR-5/6/7 Experiment

Several fuel and material irradiation experiments have been planned for the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program, which supports the development and qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The goals of these experiments are to provide irradiation performance data to support fuel process development, qualify fuel for normal operating conditions, support development of fuel performance models and codes, and provide irradiated fuel and materials for post-irradiation examination and safety testing. Originally planned and named as separate fuel experiments, but subsequently combined into a single test train. AGR-5/6/7 will test low-enriched uranium oxycarbide (UCO – a heterogeneous mixture of uranium oxide and uranium carbide) TRISO fuel. The AGR-5/6 portion of the experiment will provide data to support qualification of the selected reference fuel design, while the AGR-7 portion will serve as a margin test, irradiating the fuel beyond normal operating conditions. During irradiation, the temperature in each capsule is controlled by varying the helium / neon gas mixture flowing through the capsule until the desired thermocouple temperature is reached. Further adjustments can be made by changing the lobe power and the neutron filter. Three neutron filters are available to use as the experiment burns up the fissionable fuel. A thermal finite element model has been created for the five capsules comprising the AGR-5/6/7 experiment. Heat rates from a physics analysis are imported into the model along with fast neutron fluence. Graphite shrinkage due to the fast neutron fluence is incorporated into the model. Gas gaps change as a function of fast neutron fluence. Radiation heat transfer is a major contributor in this model. This is a large model with more than 1 million finite element brick elements. More than 150 different parts are modeled in the finite element model and communicate with each other from a heat transfer sense. More than 50 thermocouples are used in the experiment and are compared to actual measurements. The experiment is composed of five separate stainless steel capsules all welded together. This paper presents a method used to predict the gas mixture in the event that all of the thermocouples fail in a particular capsule. Curve fitting of heat rates from previous cycles and projecting them into the future is the basis of the method.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2000

Infrared Detector System with Controlled Thermal Conductance

A thermal infrared detector system includes a heat sink, a support member, a connection support member connecting the support member to the heat sink and including a heater unit is reviewed. An infrared detector element is mounted on the support member and a temperature signal representative of the infrared energy contacting the support member can then be derived by comparing the temperature of the support member and the heat sink. The temperature signal from a support member and a temperature signal from the connection support member can then be used to drive a heater unit mounted on the connection support member to thereby control the thermal conductance of the support member. Thus, the thermal conductance can be controlled so that it can be actively increased or decreased as desired.

Cunningham, Thomas J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

COMPASS-U Global Heat Balance Calculations

COMPASS-U is a medium size, high magnetic field experimental tokamak (R = 0.9 m, B t = 5 T, and I p = 2 MA), built at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences (IPP-CAS). This global heat balance calculation for COMPASS-U was done at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). Based on our previous experience of building global thermal model for National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) at PPPL, this 2-D global thermal model geometry represents a typical cross section of COMPASS-U machine. The model includes thermal radiation, conduction, and convection among components and also between the machine and outer environment. Helium gas heating/cooling was modeled with fluid element and surface element. This model was used to calculate component temperatures and heat distribution during heat up, cryogenic cool down, normal operation, and fault operation scenarios. Definition of 14 main thermal scenarios was provided by IPP-CAS. First nine are normal operation scenarios. Scenarios #10–#14 are fault scenarios. Results of thermal scenario #5 will be given and discussed in this article, including peak temperatures, temperature ratcheting, energy distribution, and required cooling power.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗