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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 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Progress Toward Simulating Departure from Nucleate Boiling at High-Pressure Applications with Selected Wall Boiling Closures

Recently, a Eulerian-based two-fluid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework with a wall heat flux partitioning approach has been intensively investigated for departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) simulation under the U.S. Department of Energy–funded Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) program. Understanding of the DNB characteristics over a range of pressurized water reactor–like operating conditions and accurate prediction of boiling crisis in the nuclear power system have been grand challenges because of the large impact of DNB on reactor safety and operational economics. The ultimate goal of this task in the CASL program is to introduce a robust multiphase CFD–based DNB modeling framework that is capable of characterizing an entire boiling history in which the wall boiling mode experiences the following through multiple stages of heat transfer mode: (1) single-phase convective heat transfer, (2) nucleate boiling heat transfer, and (3) identification of the departure of nucleate boiling. To validate the CASL boiling model, we have benchmarked simulated DNB over three different flow channel configurations (pipe flow, 5 × 5 fuel bundle with mixing vane tests, and 5 × 5 fuel bundle without mixing vane tests) against experimental measurements, and the validation result with open literature is reported. The DNB detection criteria in the simulation are checked by monitoring the peak wall temperature, wall dryout factor, and net energy balance. In addition to the DNB performance test, some preliminary sensitivity results on closure model selection are reported to address the prediction capability of local void profile against measurements. The boiling simulation tested in this study exhibits a maximum deviation of 24% from the measured DNB value in a high-pressure (i.e., 138 bars) subcooled pipe flow test. The ranges of operating conditions are as follows: 1650 to 2650 kg/m 2 ·s for mass flux and 8.5 to 96 K for subcooled inlet temperature. The deviation is even reduced to 7% when the subcooled temperature is less than 40 K. Besides accuracy, base practice guidelines for DNB detection criteria are tested by monitoring three simulation variables: (1) maximum wall temperature, (2) wall dryout factor (i.e., K-value), and (3) energy balance. Numerical robustness of DNB simulation is largely achieved in most of the validation test except for a few high subcooled test cases.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Document-Based Nuclear Archaeology

Deeper reductions in the nuclear arsenals will require better understanding of historic fissile material management and production. The concept of “nuclear archaeology” has been considered since the 1990s to provide the tools and methods to develop independent production estimates, primarily based on nuclear forensic techniques. Here, we propose to add a framework for reconstructing the history of a nuclear program that complements traditional nuclear archaeology techniques by examining the role of operating records to support such an effort. As a test case, we use the JEEP II reactor, a 2 MW civilian research reactor at Norway’s Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), in operation for more than fifty years, however, recently shut down permanently. We have collected, analyzed, and started to preserve the reactor’s operating records, which exist on both analog and digital media, and to simulate parts of its history using OpenMC/ONIX neutronics calculations. Here, a particular focus of this project has been on digital data curation and preservation to confirm and maintain the integrity, authenticity, and provenance of these records. In developing guidelines for best practices that conform to existing standards for long-term digital preservation and curation, we hope this project can help lay the basis for future nuclear archaeology efforts to support nuclear arms control and disarmament.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2019

A fourth-order adaptive mesh refinement algorithm for the multicomponent, reacting compressible Navier–Stokes equations

In this study, we present a fourth-order in space and time block-structured adaptive mesh refinement algorithm for the compressible multicomponent reacting Navier–Stokes equations. The algorithm uses a finite-volume approach that incorporates a fourth-order discretisation of the convective terms. The time-stepping algorithm is based on a multi-level spectral deferred corrections method that enables explicit treatment of advection and diffusion coupled with an implicit treatment of reactions. The temporal scheme is embedded in a block-structured adaptive mesh refinement algorithm that includes subcycling in time with spectral deferred correction sweeps applied on levels. Here we present the details of the multi-level scheme paying particular attention to the treatment of coarse–fine boundaries required to maintain fourth-order accuracy in time. We then demonstrate the convergence properties of the algorithm on several test cases including both non-reacting and reacting flows. Finally we present simulations of a vitiated dimethyl ether jet in 2D and a turbulent hydrogen jet in 3D, both with detailed kinetics and transport.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Examination of probability distribution of mixture fraction in LES/FDF modelling of a turbulent partially premixed jet flame

An accurate prediction of the probability density function (PDF) of the mixture fraction is crucial to the prediction of combustion since mixing plays an important role in turbulent non-premixed and partially premixed flames. This work provides an assessment of the large-eddy simulation (LES)/filtered density function (FDF) method for the prediction of the PDF of the mixture fraction. The advantage of the LES/FDF method is that it provides the full predictions of the statistical distribution of scalars including the mixture fraction. The predictive accuracy of the method for the PDF is yet to be fully validated. Assessing the prediction of the PDF of the mixture fraction, a conserved scalar, is an important starting point. The Sydney/Sandia inhomogeneous inlet jet flame is used as a test case. A quick comparison shows that the LES/FDF predicted PDF shapes of the mixture fraction deviate significantly from the commonly presumed Beta-PDF as well as from the experimental data in the flame. Here, to examine the source of the discrepancy, we clarify the different PDF definitions used in the comparison among the predictions, measurements, and the presumed shape PDFs. The discrepancy observed from the comparison is largely reconciled by clarifying the difference between the PDFs that are examined. The PDF of the resolved mixture fraction is shown to be close to the Beta-PDF in both the measurements and predictions, while the PDF directly deduced from the LES/FDF particles deviates significantly from the Beta-PDF. A multimodal PDF analysis and a pseudo convergence analysis are conducted to provide plausible evidence to support the predicted multimodal PDF shapes. The sub-filter scale FDF is shown to be close to the Beta-PDF too through the construction of a synthesized PDF, which supports the common presumed Beta-PDF assumption used in the presumed PDF methods when combined with LES.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2012

Glass formability and the Al-Au system

The aluminum-gold system exhibits various features that suggest high glass formability, such as a deep eutectic, formation of icosahedral clusters in the intermetallic compound near the eutectic minimum and a strongly negative heat of mixing. However, it is very difficult to form a glass with this system. Various issues related to glass formability are discussed using the Al-Au system as a negative test-case. In particular, the atomic level pressure was calculated from first principles for the first time for Al{sub 2}Au, AlAu{sub 2} and AlAu{sub 4} intermetallic compounds. The atomic level pressure is very high in these compounds, suggesting frustrated electronic states which destabilize both crystalline and glassy phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

A high-fidelity building performance simulation test bed for the development and evaluation of advanced controls

We present an open-source building performance simulation test bed, the Advanced Controls Test Bed (ACTB), that interfaces high-fidelity Spawn of EnergyPlus building models, with advanced controllers implemented in Python. Additionally, the ACTB leverages the Building Optimization Testing and Alfalfa platforms for managing simulations, providing an external clock, a representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API), and key performance indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of control strategies. The REST API allows the development of external controllers programmed in languages such as Python, which provides flexibility and a rich choice of scientific libraries for designing control sequences. We present three test cases based on the U.S. Department of Energy's Reference Small Office Building to demonstrate the ACTB's capabilities: (a) rule-based controls compliant with ASHRAE Guideline 36 control sequences; (b) an economic model predictive control implemented using do-mpc; and (c) a deep Q-network reinforcement learning agent implemented using OpenAI Gym.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rapid assessment of interfacial stabilization mechanisms of metastable precipitates to accelerate high-temperature Al-alloy development

Precipitate strengthened high-temperature alloys are currently used in safety-critical applications. Understanding precipitate stability and solute segregation mechanisms at high temperatures is key to designing high-strength alloys. Rapid in-situ approaches, therefore, are pivotal in accelerating the alloy design process. Hereby using the test case of a promising high-temperature Al-Cu-Mn-Zr alloy, we demonstrate the value of in-situ atom probe tomography coupled with in-situ transmission electron microscopy to reveal atomic-scale mechanisms that lead to the emergence of non-equilibrium solute segregation. Mn and Zr segregation at strengthening precipitate(θ’)-matrix interface increases the kinetic barrier for phase transformation thus retaining high-temperature strength.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

BINARY ASTEROID ENCOUNTERS WITH TERRESTRIAL PLANETS: TIMESCALES AND EFFECTS

Many asteroids that make close encounters with terrestrial planets are in a binary configuration. Here, we calculate the relevant encounter timescales and investigate the effects of encounters on a binary's mutual orbit. We use a combination of analytical and numerical approaches with a wide range of initial conditions. Our test cases include generic binaries with close, moderate, and wide separations, as well as seven well-characterized near-Earth binaries. We find that close approaches (<10 Earth radii) occur for almost all binaries on 1-10 million year timescales. At such distances, our results suggest substantial modifications to a binary's semimajor axis, eccentricity, and inclination, which we quantify. Encounters within 30 Earth radii typically occur on sub-million year timescales and significantly affect the wider binaries. Important processes in the lives of near-Earth binaries, such as tidal and radiative evolution, can be altered or stopped by planetary encounters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

NON-EQUILIBRIUM IONIZATION IN THE BIFROST STELLAR ATMOSPHERE CODE

The chromosphere and transition region have for the last 20 years been known to be quite dynamic layers of the solar atmosphere, characterized by timescales shorter than the ionization equilibrium timescales of many of the ions dominating emission in these regions. Due to the fast changes in the properties of the atmosphere, long ionization and recombination times can lead these ions to being found far from their equilibrium temperatures. A number of the spectral lines that we observe can therefore not be expected a priori to reflect information about local quantities such as the density or temperature, and interpreting observations requires numerical modeling. Modeling the ionization balance is computationally expensive and has earlier only been done in one dimension. However, one-dimensional models can primarily be used to investigate the possible importance of a physical effect, but cannot verify or disprove the importance of that effect in the fully three-dimensional solar atmosphere. Here, using the atomic database package DIPER, we extend one-dimensional methods and implement a solver for the rate equations of the full three-dimensional problem, using the numerical code Bifrost. We present our implementation and report on a few test cases. We also report on studies of the important C IV and Fe XII ions in a semi-realistic two-dimensional solar atmosphere model, focusing on differences between statistical equilibrium and non-equilibrium ionization results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

NARROW DUST JETS IN A DIFFUSE GAS COMA: A NATURAL PRODUCT OF SMALL ACTIVE REGIONS ON COMETS

Comets often display narrow dust jets but more diffuse gas comae when their eccentric orbits bring them into the inner solar system and sunlight sublimates the ice on the nucleus. Comets are also understood to have one or more active areas covering only a fraction of the total surface active with sublimating volatile ices. Calculations of the gas and dust distribution from a small active area on a comet's nucleus show that as the gas moves out radially into the vacuum of space it expands tangentially, filling much of the hemisphere centered on the active region. The dust dragged by the gas remains more concentrated over the active area. This explains some puzzling appearances of comets having collimated dust jets but more diffuse gaseous atmospheres. Our test case is 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the Rosetta mission target comet, whose activity is dominated by a single area covering only 4% of its surface.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS OF THE WEAKLY IONIZED SOLAR PHOTOSPHERE

We investigate the importance of ambipolar diffusion and Hall currents for high-resolution comprehensive ({sup r}ealistic{sup )} photospheric simulations. To do so, we extended the radiative magnetohydrodynamics code MURaM to use the generalized Ohm's law under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. We present test cases comparing analytical solutions with numerical simulations for validation of the code. Furthermore, we carried out a number of numerical experiments to investigate the impact of these neutral-ion effects in the photosphere. We find that, at the spatial resolutions currently used (5-20 km per grid point), the Hall currents and ambipolar diffusion begin to become significant-with flows of 100 m s{sup -1} in sunspot light bridges, and changes of a few percent in the thermodynamic structure of quiet-Sun magnetic features. The magnitude of the effects is expected to increase rapidly as smaller-scale variations are resolved by the simulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DIRECT INTEGRATION OF THE COLLISIONLESS BOLTZMANN EQUATION IN SIX-DIMENSIONAL PHASE SPACE: SELF-GRAVITATING SYSTEMS

We present a scheme for numerical simulations of collisionless self-gravitating systems which directly integrates the Vlasov-Poisson equations in six-dimensional phase space. Using the results from a suite of large-scale numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the present scheme can simulate collisionless self-gravitating systems properly. The integration scheme is based on the positive flux conservation method recently developed in plasma physics. We test the accuracy of our code by performing several test calculations, including the stability of King spheres, the gravitational instability, and the Landau damping. We show that the mass and the energy are accurately conserved for all the test cases we study. The results are in good agreement with linear theory predictions and/or analytic solutions. The distribution function keeps the property of positivity and remains non-oscillatory. The largest simulations are run on 64{sup 6} grids. The computation speed scales well with the number of processors, and thus our code performs efficiently on massively parallel supercomputers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CONCENTRIC MACLAURIN SPHEROID MODELS OF ROTATING LIQUID PLANETS

I present exact expressions for the interior gravitational potential V of a system of N concentric constant-density (Maclaurin) spheroids. I demonstrate an iteration procedure to find a self-consistent solution for the shapes of the interfaces between spheroids, and for the interior gravitational potential. The external free-space potential, expressed as a multipole expansion, emerges as part of the self-consistent solution. The procedure is both simpler and more precise than perturbation methods. One can choose the distribution and mass densities of the concentric spheroids so as to reproduce a prescribed barotrope to a specified accuracy. I demonstrate the method's efficacy by comparing its results with several published test cases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

FAST DIFFERENTIAL EMISSION MEASURE INVERSION OF SOLAR CORONAL DATA

We present a fast method for reconstructing differential emission measures (DEMs) using solar coronal data. The method consists of a fast, simple regularized inversion in conjunction with an iteration scheme for removal of residual negative emission measure. On average, it computes over 1000 DEMs s{sup -1} for a sample active region observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and achieves reduced chi-squared of order unity with no negative emission in all but a few test cases. The high performance of this method is especially relevant in the context of AIA, which images of order one million solar pixels per second. This paper describes the method, analyzes its fidelity, compares its performance and results with other DEM methods, and applies it to an active region and loop observed by AIA and by the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer on Hinode.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE RED GIANT HR 2582 USING THE CHARA ARRAY

We present the fundamental parameters of HR 2582, a high-mass red giant star whose evolutionary state is a mystery. We used the CHARA Array interferometer to directly measure the star's limb-darkened angular diameter (1.006 {+-} 0.020 mas) and combined our measurement with parallax and photometry from the literature to calculate its physical radius (35.76 {+-} 5.31 R{sub Sun }), luminosity (517.8 {+-} 17.5 L{sub Sun }), bolometric flux (14.8 {+-} 0.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -8} erg s{sup -1} cm{sup -2}), and effective temperature (4577 {+-} 60 K). We then determined the star's mass (5.6 {+-} 1.7 M{sub Sun }) using our new values with stellar oscillation results from Baudin et al. Finally, using the Yonsei-Yale evolutionary models, we estimated HR 2582's age to be 165{sup +20}{sub -15} Myr. While our measurements do not provide the precision required to definitively state where the star is in its evolution, it remains an excellent test case for evaluating stellar interior models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

ON IRON MONOXIDE NANOPARTICLES AS A CARRIER OF THE MYSTERIOUS 21 μm EMISSION FEATURE IN POST-ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STARS

A prominent mysterious emission feature peaking at ∼20.1 μm—historically known as the '21 μm' feature—is seen in over two dozen Galactic and Magellanic Cloud carbon-rich, post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars. The nature of its carrier remains unknown since the first detection of the 21 μm feature in 1989. Over a dozen materials have been suggested as possible carrier candidates. However, none of them has been accepted: they either require too much material (compared to what is available in the circumstellar shells around these post-AGB stars), or exhibit additional emission features that are not seen in these 21 μm sources. Recently, iron monoxide (FeO) nanoparticles seem to be a promising carrier candidate as Fe is an abundant element and FeO emits exclusively at ∼21 μm. In this work, using the proto-typical protoplanetary nebula HD 56126 as a test case, we examine FeO nanoparticles as a carrier for the 21 μm feature by modeling their infrared emission, with FeO being stochastically heated by single stellar photons. We find that FeO emits too broad a 21 μm feature to explain that observed and the Fe abundance required to be locked up in FeO exceeds what is available in HD 56126. We therefore conclude that FeO nanoparticles are not likely to be responsible for the 21 μm feature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

UNDERSTANDING THE UNUSUAL X-RAY EMISSION PROPERTIES OF THE MASSIVE, CLOSE BINARY WR 20a: A HIGH ENERGY WINDOW INTO THE STELLAR WIND INITIATION REGION

The problem of explaining the X-ray emission properties of the massive, close binary WR 20a is discussed. Located near the cluster core of Westerlund 2, WR 20a is composed of two nearly identical Wolf-Rayet stars of 82 and 83 solar masses orbiting with a period of only 3.7 days. Although Chandra observations were taken during the secondary optical eclipse, the X-ray light curve shows no signs of a flux decrement. In fact, WR 20a appears slightly more X-ray luminous and softer during the optical eclipse, opposite to what has been observed in other binary systems. To aid in our interpretation of the data, we compare with the results of hydrodynamical simulations using the adaptive mesh refinement code Mezcal which includes radiative cooling and a radiative acceleration force term. It is shown that the X-ray emission can be successfully explained in models where the wind-wind collision interface in this system occurs while the outflowing material is still being accelerated. Consequently, WR 20a serves as a critical test-case for how radiatively driven stellar winds are initiated and how they interact. Our models not only procure a robust description of current Chandra data, which cover the orbital phases between 0.3 and 0.6, but also provide detailed predictions over the entire orbit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the evolution of cluster scaling relations

Understanding the evolution of scaling relations between the observable properties of clusters and their total mass is key to realizing their potential as cosmological probes. In this study, we investigate whether the evolution of cluster scaling relations is affected by the spurious evolution of mass caused by the evolving reference density with respect to which halo masses are defined (pseudo-evolution). We use the relation between mass, M, and velocity dispersion, σ, as a test case, and show that the deviation from the M-σ relation of cluster-sized halos caused by pseudo-evolution is smaller than 10% for a wide range of mass definitions. The reason for this small impact is a tight relation between the velocity dispersion and mass profiles, σ(<r)=const×√(GM(<r)/r), which holds across a wide range of radii. We show that such a relation is generically expected for a variety of density profiles, as long as halos are in approximate Jeans equilibrium. Thus, as the outer 'virial' radius used to define the halo mass, R, increases due to pseudo-evolution, halos approximately preserve their M-σ relation. This result highlights the fact that tight scaling relations are the result of tight equilibrium relations between radial profiles of physical quantities. We find exceptions at very small and very large radii, where the profiles deviate from the relations they exhibit at intermediate radii. We discuss the implications of these results for other cluster scaling relations and argue that pseudo-evolution should have a small effect on most scaling relations, except for those that involve the stellar masses of galaxies. In particular, we show that the relation between stellar-mass fraction and total mass is affected by pseudo-evolution and is largely shaped by it for halo masses ≲ 10{sup 14} M {sub ☉}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗