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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 1,351 records · Page 75
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NASA NTRS1992

A hybrid multigrid technique for computing steady-state solutions to supersonic flows

Recently, Li and Sanders have introduced a class of finite difference schemes to approximate generally discontinuous solutions to hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. These equations have the form together with relevant boundary conditions. When modelling hypersonic spacecraft reentry, the differential equations above are frequently given by the compressible Euler equations coupled with a nonequilibrium chemistry model. For these applications, steady state solutions are often sought. Many tens (to hundreds) of super computer hours can be devoted to a single three space dimensional simulation. The primary difficulty is the inability to rapidly and reliably capture the steady state. In these notes, we demonstrate that a particular variant from the schemes presented can be combined with a particular multigrid approach to capture steady state solutions to the compressible Euler equations in one space dimension. We show that the rate of convergence to steady state coming from this multigrid implementation is vastly superior to the traditional approach of artificial time relaxation. Moreover, we demonstrate virtual grid independence. That is, the rate of convergence does not depend on the degree of spatial grid refinement.

Sanders, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2002

A New Method for Estimating the Single Scattering Phase Functions of Regolith Grains

Hapke's photometric model has been widely used in solar system remote sensing applications for nearly two decades. Recently, Hapke extended his model to describe the coherent-backscatter opposition effect and multiple-scattering by particles with anisotropic single particle phase functions (SPPF's). A practical difficulty for retrieving Hapke's model parameters from typical planet, satellite, and asteroid photometry data sets is that the model employs a large number of adjustable parameters (at least eight) that can be reliably constrained only for a small number of planetary data sets in which both disk-resolved and whole-disk observations are available from opposition to very large phase angles. The present work aims to reduce the number of adjustable parameters and preserve (or even enhance) the model's accuracy and usefulness by expressing Hapke's parameters in terms of more fundamental physical properties on which they mutually depend. The most difficult part of this task, described here, is to develop a simple method for computing the effective SPPF for structurally complex regolith grains from optical constants, grain-size distribution, and average regolith porosity. The development of light-scattering models for irregularly shaped particles is a large, complex subject and many sophisticated methods, such as Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) and Monte-Carlo simulations, have been explored elsewhere. Many of these methods are computationally intensive and probably impractical for routine substitution in Hapke's model. Here, progress is reported in developing a practical, semi-empirical method for estimating the directional scattering behavior (i.e. SPPF) of irregular regolith grains. The method employs Optical Transfer Function (OTF) techniques to model how the structural complexity of regolith particles broaden and attenuate the angular distribution of scattered light relative to that expected from ideal spherical particles of equivalent size and composition.

Helfenstein, P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Viscous compressible flow direct and inverse computation and illustrations

An algorithm for laminar and turbulent viscous compressible two dimensional flows is presented. For the application of precise boundary conditions over an arbitrary body surface, a body-fitted coordinate system is used in the physical plane. A thin-layer approximation of tne Navier-Stokes equations is introduced to keep the viscous terms relatively simple. The flow field computation is performed in the transformed plane. A factorized, implicit scheme is used to facilitate the computation. Sample calculations, for Couette flow, developing pipe flow, an isolated airflow, two dimensional compressor cascade flow, and segmental compressor blade design are presented. To a certain extent, the effective use of the direct solver depends on the user's skill in setting up the gridwork, the time step size and the choice of the artificial viscosity. The design feature of the algorithm, an iterative scheme to correct geometry for a specified surface pressure distribution, works well for subsonic flows. A more elaborate correction scheme is required in treating transonic flows where local shock waves may be involved.

Yang, T. T.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Rocket engine thrust chamber wall temperature distribution calculation and analysis

An analytical computational concept is presented which predicts the temperature profiles along a regeneratively cooled thrust chamber wall on the hot gas side and on the coolant side, and also the coolant bulk temperature profile. The computational model is based upon a coupling of the boundary layer heat transfer process with the heat transfer process through the chamber wall and the coolant flow heat absorption. The calculation is started with approximate temperature distributions for the hot gas side wall and the coolant flow. The iteration process of the computer program is terminated when the total heat transfer rates from the hot gas boundary layer to the wall and from the wall to the coolant are equal. The computer program for the integration of regenerative cooling process to a thrust chamber is kept general such that this program can be used with any boundary layer analysis computer program for temperature profile and heat transfer studies. A sample application of this concept is shown by using a boundary layer analysis program for the RL10 rocket engine thrust chamber.

Saha, H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Validation of a Solid Rocket Motor Internal Environment Model

In a prior effort, a thermal/fluid model of the interior of Penn State University's laboratory-scale Insulation Test Motor (ITM) was constructed to predict both the convective and radiative heat transfer to the interior walls of the ITM with a minimum of empiricism. These predictions were then compared to values of total and radiative heat flux measured in a previous series of ITM test firings to assess the capabilities and shortcomings of the chosen modeling approach. Though the calculated fluxes reasonably agreed with those measured during testing, this exercise revealed means of improving the fidelity of the model to, in the case of the thermal radiation, enable direct comparison of the measured and calculated fluxes and, for the total heat flux, compute a value indicative of the average measured condition. By replacing the P1-Approximation with the discrete ordinates (DO) model for the solution of the gray radiative transfer equation, the radiation intensity field in the optically thin region near the radiometer is accurately estimated, allowing the thermal radiation flux to be calculated on the heat-flux sensor itself, which was then compared directly to the measured values. Though the fully coupling the wall thermal response with the flow model was not attempted due to the excessive computational time required, a separate wall thermal response model was used to better estimate the average temperature of the graphite surfaces upstream of the heat flux gauges and improve the accuracy of both the total and radiative heat flux computations. The success of this modeling approach increases confidence in the ability of state-of-the-art thermal and fluid modeling to accurately predict SRM internal environments, offers corrections to older methods, and supplies a tool for further studies of the dynamics of SRM interiors.

Martin, Heath T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Validation of a Solid Rocket Motor Internal Environment Model

In a prior effort, a thermal/fluid model of the interior of Penn State University's laboratory-scale Insulation Test Motor (ITM) was constructed to predict both the convective and radiative heat transfer to the interior walls of the ITM with a minimum of empiricism. These predictions were then compared to values of total and radiative heat flux measured in a previous series of ITM test firings to assess the capabilities and shortcomings of the chosen modeling approach. Though the calculated fluxes reasonably agreed with those measured during testing, this exercise revealed means of improving the fidelity of the model to, in the case of the thermal radiation, enable direct comparison of the measured and calculated fluxes and, for the total heat flux, compute a value indicative of the average measured condition. By replacing the P1-Approximation with the discrete ordinates (DO) model for the solution of the gray radiative transfer equation, the radiation intensity field in the optically thin region near the radiometer is accurately estimated, allowing the thermal radiation flux to be calculated on the heat-flux sensor itself, which was then compared directly to the measured values. Though the fully coupling the wall thermal response with the flow model was not attempted due to the excessive computational time required, a separate wall thermal response model was used to better estimate the average temperature of the graphite surfaces upstream of the heat flux gauges and improve the accuracy of both the total and radiative heat flux computations. The success of this modeling approach increases confidence in the ability of state-of-the-art thermal and fluid modeling to accurately predict SRM internal environments, offers corrections to older methods, and supplies a tool for further studies of the dynamics of SRM interiors.

Martin, Heath T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Bidirectional Reflectance of a Macroscopically Flat, High-Albedo Particulate Surface: An Efficient Radiative Transfer Solution and Applications to Regoliths

Many remote sensing applications rely on accurate knowledge of the bidirectional reflection function (BRF) of surfaces composed of discrete, randomly positioned scattering particles. Theoretical computations of BRFs for plane-parallel particulate layers are usually reduced to solving the radiative transfer equation (RTE) using one of existing exact or approximate techniques. Since semi-empirical approximate approaches are notorious for their low accuracy, violation of the energy conservation law, and ability to produce unphysical results, the use of numerically exact solutions of RTE has gained justified popularity. For example, the computation of BRFs for macroscopically flat particulate surfaces in many geophysical publications is based on the adding-doubling (AD) and discrete ordinate (DO) methods. A further saving of computer resources can be achieved by using a more efficient technique to solve the plane-parallel RTE than the AD and DO methods. Since many natural particulate surfaces can be well represented by the model of an optically semi-infinite, homogeneous scattering layer, one can find the BRF directly by solving the Ambartsumian's nonlinear integral equation using a simple iterative technique. In this way, the computation of the internal radiation field is avoided and the computer code becomes highly efficient and very accurate and compact. Furthermore, the BRF thus obtained fully obeys the fundamental physical laws of energy conservation and reciprocity. In this paper, we discuss numerical aspects and the computer implementation of this technique, examine the applicability of the Henyey-Greenstein phase function and the sigma-Eddington approximation in BRF and flux calculations, and describe sample applications demonstrating the potential effect of particle shape on the bidirectional reflectance of flat regolith surfaces. Although the effects of packing density and coherent backscattering are currently neglected, they can also be incorporated. The FORTRAN implementation of the technique is available on the World Wide Web, and can be applied to a wide range of remote sensing problems. BRF computations for undulated (macroscopically rough) surfaces are more complicated and often rely on time consuming Monte Carlo procedures. This approach is especially inefficient for optically thick, weakly absorbing media (e.g., snow and desert surfaces at visible wavelengths since a photon may undergo many internal scattering events before it exists the medium or is absorbed. However, undulated surfaces can often be represented as collections of locally flat tilted facets characterized by the BRF found from the traditional plane parallel RTE. In this way the MOnte Carlo procedure could be used only to evaluate the effects of surface shadowing and multiple surface reflections, thereby bypassing the time-consuming ray tracing inside the medium and providing a great savings of CPU time.

Mishchenko, Michael I.↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Novel Method for Estimating Shortwave Direct Radiative Effect of Above-Cloud Aerosols Using CALIOP and MODIS Data

This paper describes an efficient and unique method for computing the shortwave direct radiative effect (DRE) of aerosol residing above low-level liquid-phase clouds using CALIOP and MODIS data. It addresses the overlap of aerosol and cloud rigorously by utilizing the joint histogram of cloud optical depth and cloud top pressure while also accounting for subgrid-scale variations of aerosols. The method is computationally efficient because of its use of grid-level cloud and aerosol statistics, instead of pixel-level products, and a pre-computed look-up table based on radiative transfer calculations. We verify that for smoke over the southeast Atlantic Ocean the method yields a seasonal mean instantaneous (approximately 1:30PM local time) shortwave DRE of above cloud aerosol (ACA) that generally agrees with more rigorous pixel-level computation within 4 percent. We also estimate the impact of potential CALIOP aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval bias of ACA on DRE. We find that the regional and seasonal mean instantaneous DRE of ACA over southeast Atlantic Ocean would increase, from the original value of 6.4 W m(-2) based on operational CALIOP AOD to 9.6 W m(-2) if CALIOP AOD retrieval are biased low by a factor of 1.5 (Meyer et al., 2013) and further to 30.9 W m(-2) if CALIOP AOD retrieval are biased low by a factor of 5 as suggested in (Jethva et al., 2014). In contrast, the instantaneous ACA radiative forcing efficiency (RFE) remains relatively invariant in all cases at about 53 W m(-2) AOD(-1), suggesting a near linear relation between the instantaneous RFE and AOD. We also compute the annual mean instantaneous shortwave DRE of light-absorbing aerosols (i.e., smoke and polluted dust) over global oceans based on 4 years of CALIOP and MODIS data. We find that the variability of the annual mean shortwave DRE of above-cloud light-absorbing aerosol is mainly driven by the optical depth of the underlying clouds. While we demonstrate our method using CALIOP and MODIS data, it can also be extended to other satellite data sets, as well as climate model outputs.

CALIOP and MODIS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Efficient optimization of integrated aerodynamic-structural design

The introduction of composite materials is having a profound effect on the design process. Because these materials permit the designer to tailor material properties to improve structural, aerodynamic and acoustic performance, they require a more integrated multidisciplinary design process. Because of the complexity of the design process numerical optimization methods are required. The present paper is focused on a major difficulty associated with the multidisciplinary design optimization process - its enormous computational cost. We consider two approaches for reducing this computational burden: (1) development of efficient methods for cross-sensitivity calculation using perturbation methods; and (2) the use of approximate numerical optimization procedures. Our efforts are concentrated upon combined aerodynamic-structural optimization. Results are presented for the integrated design of a sailplane wing. The impact of our computational procedures on the computational costs of integrated costs of integrated designs are discussed.

Haftka, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Analytic and approximate boundary-fitted coordinate systems for fluid flow simulation

A method for constructing a direct functional relation between the computational and physical domains such that boundaries in the computational domain map into boundaries in the physical domain is presented. This method which is called the 'two-boundary technique' is based on generating functions that represent two disconnected boundaries in the physical domain and an independent function which connects one boundary with another to generate grids. The suggested connecting functions are simple linear and cubic parametric polynomials with parameters based on position and derivatives at the disconnected boundaries. The boundaries can be defined by analytical, approximate, and tension spline functions; the grid density in specified regions is controlled by embedding contraction functions in either the boundary representation or the connecting function.

Smith, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulations of Two Partial-Span Flap Wing Experiments

Structured Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations of two partial-span flap wing experiments were performed. The high-lift aerodynamic and aeroacoustic wind-tunnel experiments were conducted at both the NASA Ames 7-by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel and at the NASA Langley Quiet Flow Facility. The purpose of these tests was to accurately document the acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics associated with the principle airframe noise sources, including flap side-edge noise. Specific measurements were taken that can be used to validate analytic and computational models of the noise sources and associated aerodynamic for configurations and conditions approximating flight for transport aircraft. The numerical results are used to both calibrate a widely used CFD code, CFL3D, and to obtain details of flap side-edge flow features not discernible from experimental observations. Both experimental set-ups were numerically modeled by using multiple block structured grids. Various turbulence models, grid block-interface interaction methods and grid topologies were implemented. Numerical results of both simulations are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements and flow visualization observations. The flow field in the flap-edge region was adequately resolved to discern some crucial information about the flow physics and to substantiate the merger of the two vortical structures. As a result of these investigations, airframe noise modelers have proposed various simplified models which use the results obtained from the steady-state computations as input.

Takalluk, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Space Shuttle Debris Impact Tool Assessment Using the Modern Design of Experiments

Complex computer codes are used to estimate thermal and structural reentry loads on the Shuttle Orbiter induced by ice and foam debris impact during ascent. Such debris can create cavities in the Shuttle Thermal Protection System. The sizes and shapes of these cavities are approximated to accommodate a code limitation that requires simple "shoebox" geometries to describe the cavities -- rectangular areas and planar walls that are at constant angles with respect to vertical. These approximations induce uncertainty in the code results. The Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE) has recently been applied to develop a series of resource-minimal computational experiments designed to generate low-order polynomial graduating functions to approximate the more complex underlying codes. These polynomial functions were then used to propagate cavity geometry errors to estimate the uncertainty they induce in the reentry load calculations performed by the underlying code. This paper describes a methodological study focused on evaluating the application of MDOE to future operational codes in a rapid and low-cost way to assess the effects of cavity geometry uncertainty.

DeLoach, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1982

Approximate boundary condition procedure for the two-dimensional numerical solution of vortex wakes

Research on efficient computational methods for general vorticity fields has been conducted in connection with a need for basic research on vortex-dominated flows. The present investigation is concerned with the evolution of vortex wakes behind aircraft wings. An efficient procedure is presented for the calculation of the boundary values used in the numerical solution of the unsteady, incompressible, two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for an unbounded flow field. The extent of the computational grid can be reduced compared to methods utilizing standard boundary conditions, without loss of accuracy. The efficiencies realized make it feasible to calculate the vortex wake development for realistic wing configurations, including the merging of multiple vortices, for Reynolds numbers of about 10,000 based on wing chord.

Weston, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

An Approximate Axisymmetric Viscous Shock Layer Aeroheating Method for Three-Dimensional Bodies

A technique is implemented for computing hypersonic aeroheating, shear stress, and other flow properties on the windward side of a three-dimensional (3D) blunt body. The technique uses a 2D/axisymmetric flow solver modified by scale factors for a, corresponding equivalent axisymmetric body. Examples are given in which a 2D solver is used to calculate the flow at selected meridional planes on elliptic paraboloids in reentry flight. The report describes the equations and the codes used to convert the body surface parameters into input used to scale the 2D viscous shock layer equations in the axisymmetric viscous shock layer code. Very good agreement is obtained with solutions to finite rate chemistry 3D thin viscous shock layer equations for a finite rate catalytic body.

Brykina, Irina G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Computation of Large-Scale Structure Jet Noise Sources With Weak Nonlinear Effects Using Linear Euler

An approximate technique is presented for the prediction of the large-scale turbulent structure sound source in a supersonic jet. A linearized Euler equations code is used to solve for the flow disturbances within and near a jet with a given mean flow. Assuming a normal mode composition for the wave-like disturbances, the linear radial profiles are used in an integration of the Navier-Stokes equations. This results in a set of ordinary differential equations representing the weakly nonlinear self-interactions of the modes along with their interaction with the mean flow. Solutions are then used to correct the amplitude of the disturbances that represent the source of large-scale turbulent structure sound in the jet.

Dahl, Milo D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Image Processor Electronics (IPE): The High-Performance Computing System for NASA SWIFT Mission

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are believed to be the most powerful explosions that have occurred in the Universe since the Big Bang and are a mystery to the scientific community. Swift, a NASA mission that includes international participation, was designed and built in preparation for a 2003 launch to help to determine the origin of Gamma Ray Bursts. Locating the position in the sky where a burst originates requires intensive computing, because the duration of a GRB can range between a few milliseconds up to approximately a minute. The instrument data system must constantly accept multiple images representing large regions of the sky that are generated by sixteen gamma ray detectors operating in parallel. It then must process the received images very quickly in order to determine the existence of possible gamma ray bursts and their locations. The high-performance instrument data computing system that accomplishes this is called the Image Processor Electronics (IPE). The IPE was designed, built and tested by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in order to meet these challenging requirements. The IPE is a small size, low power and high performing computing system for space applications. This paper addresses the system implementation and the system hardware architecture of the IPE. The paper concludes with the IPE system performance that was measured during end-to-end system testing.

Nguyen, Quang H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Multi-Component Diffusion with Application To Computational Aerothermodynamics

The accuracy and complexity of solving multicomponent gaseous diffusion using the detailed multicomponent equations, the Stefan-Maxwell equations, and two commonly used approximate equations have been examined in a two part study. Part I examined the equations in a basic study with specified inputs in which the results are applicable for many applications. Part II addressed the application of the equations in the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) computational code for high-speed entries in Earth's atmosphere. The results showed that the presented iterative scheme for solving the Stefan-Maxwell equations is an accurate and effective method as compared with solutions of the detailed equations. In general, good accuracy with the approximate equations cannot be guaranteed for a species or all species in a multi-component mixture. 'Corrected' forms of the approximate equations that ensured the diffusion mass fluxes sum to zero, as required, were more accurate than the uncorrected forms. Good accuracy, as compared with the Stefan- Maxwell results, were obtained with the 'corrected' approximate equations in defining the heating rates for the three Earth entries considered in Part II.

Sutton, Kenneth↗
NASA NTRS2018

Imaging for Hypersonic Experimental Aeroheating Testing (IHEAT) Version 4.0: User Manual

The IHEAT v4.0 software is a data reduction code for global thermography data acquired in the NASA Langley Aerothermodynamics Laboratory (LAL) hypersonic wind tunnels. IHEAT uses red and green color-intensity data from two-dimensional images of wind tunnel models to compute temperatures and heat-transfer rates using a semi-infinite, one-dimensional heat transfer approximation at each image pixel. Multiple automated tools in IHEAT v4.0 decrease the time required to reduce the data from a phosphor thermography wind tunnel run. Data at one or all of the image pixel locations can be exported to computer files for further analysis. The prior version of IHEAT, v3.2, was written in PV-WAVE® (now owned by Rogue Wave® Software) in 1994 and was limited in functionality to fit within the memory constraints of the available computers at the time. IHEAT v4.0 is written in MATLAB® by MathWorks® and contains several new features that leverage the increase in available memory of the current computers. A Piecewise tool permits the user to extract data along a segmented line cut that can follow interesting features in the image better than the single, straight line cuts that were possible with the legacy Length and Profile tools. The new Load Run and Batch tools facilitate batch processing by loading in all of the input files and images for a run at the same time. Load Run permits the user to process the available run images manually, while Batch automatically saves heat transfer data from all of the images based on the analysis previously performed on a single frame. IHEAT v4.0 also can automatically calculate the temporal collapse of reference line cuts from the time history heating data for a run to indicate the appropriate frame to reduce for each run. The IHEAT v4.0 source code was compiled into a standalone executable file that can be accessed remotely from several computers with different operating systems, simultaneously. The software is run through the MATLAB® Compiler Runtime engine, and therefore, IHEAT does not require a software license to run. Any software commands executed in the IHEAT v4.0 code will not affect other similar applications running on the same machine. Similarly, changes to the parent software do not affect a compiled code. These features of IHEAT v4.0 are improvements over the legacy v3.2 code, which required regular maintenance to avoid losing functionality as the PVWAVE ® programming language was upgraded.

Mason, Michelle L.↗