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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 1,585 records · Page 88
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Cascade model of coronal heating

It is suggested that the quasi-static evolution of coronal magnetic structures is characterized by a cascade of magnetic energy to smaller length scales. This cascade process takes place on a time scale t sub b determined entirely by the photospheric motions. The Ohmic heating rate E sub H in the statistically stationary state was estimated using observational data on the diffusivity of photospheric motions; E sub H turned out to be too small by a factor of 40 when compared with observed coronal energy losses. However, given the fact that the theoretical estimate is based on a rather uncertain extrapolation to the diffusive regime, current heating cannot be ruled out as a viable mechanism of coronal heating.

Vanballegooijen, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Chemical Dosimeter Tube With Coaxial Sensing Rod

Improved length-of-stain (LOS) chemical dosimeter indicates total dose of chemical vapor in air. Made with rods and tubes of various diameters to obtain various sensitivities and dynamic ranges. Sensitivity larger and dose range smaller when more room for diffusion in gap between tube and rod. Offers greater resistance to changing of color of exposed dye back to color of unexposed condition, greater sensitivity, and higher degree of repeatability. Developed to measure doses of gaseous HCI, dosimeter modified by use of other dyes to indicate doses of other chemical vapors.

Lueck, Dale E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Simulation of the early startup period of high-temperature heat pipes from the frozen state by a rarefied vapor self-diffusion model

The heat pipe startup process is described physically and is divided into five periods for convenience of analysis. The literature survey revealed that none of the previous attempts to simulate the heat pipe startup process numerically were successful, since the rarefied vapor flow in the heat pipe was not considered. Therefore, a rarefied vapor self-diffusion model is proposed, and the early startup periods, in which the rarefied vapor flow is dominant within the heat pipe, are first simulated numerically. The numerical results show that large vapor density gradients existed along the heat pipe length, and the vapor flow reaches supersonic velocities when the density is extremely low. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data of the early startup period with good agreement.

Cao, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Perpendicular blade vortex interaction and its implications for helicopter noise prediction: Wave-number frequency spectra in a trailing vortex for BWI noise prediction

Perpendicular blade vortex interactions are a common occurrence in helicopter rotor flows. Under certain conditions they produce a substantial proportion of the acoustic noise. However, the mechanism of noise generation is not well understood. Specifically, turbulence associated with the trailing vortices shed from the blade tips appears insufficient to account for the noise generated. The hypothesis that the first perpendicular interaction experienced by a trailing vortex alters its turbulence structure in such a way as to increase the acoustic noise generated by subsequent interactions is examined. To investigate this hypothesis a two-part investigation was carried out. In the first part, experiments were performed to examine the behavior of a streamwise vortex as it passed over and downstream of a spanwise blade in incompressible flow. Blade vortex separations between +/- one eighth chord were studied for at a chord Reynolds number of 200,000. Three-component velocity and turbulence measurements were made in the flow from 4 chord lengths upstream to 15 chordlengths downstream of the blade using miniature 4-sensor hot wire probes. These measurements show that the interaction of the vortex with the blade and its wake causes the vortex core to loose circulation and diffuse much more rapidly than it otherwise would. Core radius increases and peak tangential velocity decreases with distance downstream of the blade. True turbulence levels within the core are much larger downstream than upstream of the blade. The net result is a much larger and more intense region of turbulent flow than that presented by the original vortex and thus, by implication, a greater potential for generating acoustic noise. In the second part, the turbulence measurements described above were used to derive the necessary inputs to a Blade Wake Interaction (BWI) noise prediction scheme. This resulted in significantly improved agreement between measurements and calculations of the BWI noise spectrum especially for the spectral peak at low frequencies, which previously was poorly predicted.

Devenport, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

X-ray single Photon Spectrometers

The research at Yale on superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) focussed on x-ray detectors, using a 5.9 keV x-ray source. All the Yale tests were carried out at 0.21 K, in a two-stage helium 3 dewar. Careful attention was given to grounding and shielding. All current waveforms were digitially recorded and analyzed subsequently on computer. The imaging device geometry was studied. This allows imaging along the length of the tantalum (Ta) absorber, which is 600 nm thick to provide good x-ray absorption. The quasiparticles produced by single photon absorption rapidly cool to the Ta gap, E(sub g_Ta) = 1.4 meV, and then diffuse. They are trapped in the A1 traps at the two ends (E(sub g_A1) = 0.4 meV), to give two charges that tunnel out of the A1 traps, Q(sub 1) and Q(sub 2). The total charge is Q = Q(sub 1) + Q(sub 2). This lateral trapping is what allows imaging.

Prober, Daniel↗
DOE OSTI2017

CROSS-CORRELATING THE γ -RAY SKY WITH CATALOGS OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

In this article, we report the detection of a cross-correlation signal between Fermi Large Area Telescope diffuse γ-ray maps and catalogs of clusters. In our analysis, we considered three different catalogs: WHL12, redMaPPer, and PlanckSZ. They all show a positive correlation with different amplitudes, related to the average mass of the objects in each catalog, which also sets the catalog bias. The signal detection is confirmed by the results of a stacking analysis. The cross-correlation signal extends to rather large angular scales, around 1°, that correspond, at the typical redshift of the clusters in these catalogs, to a few to tens of megaparsecs, i.e., the typical scale-length of the large-scale structures in the universe. Most likely this signal is contributed by the cumulative emission from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) associated with the filamentary structures that converge toward the high peaks of the matter density field in which galaxy clusters reside. In addition, our analysis reveals the presence of a second component, more compact in size and compatible with a point-like emission from within individual clusters. At present, we cannot distinguish between the two most likely interpretations for such a signal, i.e., whether it is produced by AGNs inside clusters or if it is a diffuse γ-ray emission from the intracluster medium. Lastly, we argue that this latter, intriguing, hypothesis might be tested by applying this technique to a low-redshift large-mass cluster sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

FAST MAGNETIC RECONNECTION IN THE SOLAR CHROMOSPHERE MEDIATED BY THE PLASMOID INSTABILITY

Magnetic reconnection in the partially ionized solar chromosphere is studied in 2.5 dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations including radiative cooling and ambipolar diffusion. A Harris current sheet with and without a guide field is considered. Characteristic values of the parameters in the middle chromosphere imply a high magnetic Reynolds number of ∼10{sup 6}-10{sup 7} in the present simulations. Fast magnetic reconnection then develops as a consequence of the plasmoid instability without the need to invoke anomalous resistivity enhancements. Multiple levels of the instability are followed as it cascades to smaller scales, which approach the ion inertial length. The reconnection rate, normalized to the asymptotic values of magnetic field and Alfvén velocity in the inflow region, reaches values in the range ∼0.01-0.03 throughout the cascading plasmoid formation and for zero as well as for strong guide field. The outflow velocity reaches ≈40 km s{sup –1}. Slow-mode shocks extend from the X-points, heating the plasmoids up to ∼8 × 10{sup 4} K. In the case of zero guide field, the inclusion of both ambipolar diffusion and radiative cooling causes a rapid thinning of the current sheet (down to ∼30 m) and early formation of secondary islands. Both of these processes have very little effect on the plasmoid instability for a strong guide field. The reconnection rates, temperature enhancements, and upward outflow velocities from the vertical current sheet correspond well to their characteristic values in chromospheric jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Parallel velocity diffusion and slowing-down rate from long-range collisions in a magnetized plasma

This paper derives an expression for the rate of collisional slowing of charges in a magnetized plasma for which r{sub c} < λ{sub D}, where r{sub c} is the mean thermal cyclotron radius and λ{sub D} is the Debye length. The rate depends on a new fundamental length scale d that separates collisions into two impact parameter ranges that yield different slowing rates: a Boltzmann rate due to isolated binary collisions for impact parameters ρ < d and a Fokker-Planck rate due to multiple small scatterings for ρ > d. Slowing due to Boltzmann collisions is also shown to depend on the sign of the Coulomb interaction: for repulsive interactions, the slowing is enhanced by “collisional caging,” while for attractive interactions the Boltzmann slowing rate is zero.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Residence time distribution in a structured packing unit for monitoring aerosol emissions

Solvent absorption in a structured packed column has been demonstrated as a viable option for post-combustion carbon capture. Amine emissions in the form of aerosol particles pose a major challenge that severely impacts the separation efficiency of the packed column. The aerosol particles quickly achieve the motion of the gas flow. In this context, residence time distribution (RTD) of the gaseous phase will provide insights for managing aerosol particles, thereby controlling amine loss in the packed column. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of such columns is a multiscale problem because of a wide range of disparity in length scales. Accordingly, three-dimensional CFD simulations in the representative elementary unit of a structured packing are conducted using OpenFOAM. The RTD is analyzed in terms of residence time distribution function, mean residence time, and variance. Effects of the diffusivity and flow rates on RTD are extensively studied, and the dispersion coefficient is calculated using a one-dimensional axial dispersion model. Furthermore, RTDs computed in a smaller domain are extrapolated to a larger domain using a convolution integral. The computed and corresponding CFD models derived from the convolution integral match well at different flow rates and domain sizes. A comparison of RTD among different packing designs also is presented at a fixed number of repeating units and different flow rates.

structured packings, residence time distribution↗
DOE OSTI2017

Molecular dynamics simulations of NMR relaxation and diffusion of bulk hydrocarbons and water

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to investigate 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation and diffusion of bulk n-C 5 H 12 to n-C 17 H 36 hydrocarbons and bulk water. The MD simulations of the 1H NMR relaxation times T 1,2 in the fast motion regime where T 1 = T 2 agree with measured (de-oxygenated) T2 data at ambient conditions, without any adjustable parameters in the interpretation of the simulation data. Likewise, the translational diffusion DT coefficients calculated using simulation con gurations are well-correlated with measured diffusion data at ambient conditions. The agreement between the predicted and experimentally measured NMR relaxation times and diffusion coefficient also validate the force elds used in the simulation. The molecular simulations naturally separate intramolecular from intermolecular dipole-dipole interactions helping bring new insight into the two NMR relaxation mechanisms as a function of molecular chain-length (i.e. carbon number). Comparison of the MD simulation results of the two relaxation mechanisms with traditional hard-sphere models used in interpreting NMR data reveals important limitations in the latter. With increasing chain length, there is substantial deviation in the molecular size inferred on the basis of the radius of gyration from simulation and the tted hard-sphere radii required to rationalize the relaxation times. This deviation is characteristic of the local nature of the NMR measurement, one that is well-captured by molecular simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Prediction of Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 Interfacial Conductance and Superlattice Thermal Conductivity Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ) and its alloys with antimony telluride (Sb 2 Te 3 ) have long been considered to be the best room-temperature bulk thermoelectric (TE) materials. In recent decades, proof-of-concept demonstrations on Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 nanostructures have shown high TE performance due to reduction in lattice thermal conductivities. Particularly, ultra-low thermal conductivities have been observed in Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 1D superlattices, leading to thermoelectric figures of merit (ZT) as high as 2.4. In contrast, very few computational studies have been performed to provide insight into the phonon transport across these nanostructures. In this work, we use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations with previously developed force fields to simulate thermal transport across Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 interfaces and superlattices. We first calculate the thermal conductance associated with a Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 interface across a temperature range of 200–400 K. Furthermore, the values are also compared with thermal conductances calculated by a modified Landauer transport formalism using phonon transmission coefficients obtained from the diffuse mismatch model. Our results show that inelastic scattering processes contribute to an increase in interfacial thermal conductance at higher temperatures. Finally, we calculate the thermal conductivities of Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 superlattices with varying period lengths from 2 to 18 nm. A minimum thermal conductivity of 0.27 W/mK is observed at a period length of 4 nm, which is attributed to the competition between incoherent and coherent phonon transport regimes. In comparison with previous experimental measurements in the literature, our results show good agreement with respect to the range of thermal conductivity values and the period length corresponding to the minimum superlattice thermal conductivity.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopic study of conical intersection dynamics: an experimental and electronic structure study

The relaxation from the lowest singlet excited state of the triphenylmethane dyes, crystal violet and malachite green, is studied via two-dimensional electronic-vibrational (2DEV) spectroscopy. After excitation of the dyes at their respective absorption maxima, the ensuing excited state dynamics are tracked by monitoring the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C aromatic stretch. With the aid of electronic structure calculations, the observed transitions in the 2DEV spectra are assigned to specific geometries and a detailed story of the evolution of the nuclear wavepacket as it diffuses on the excited state potential energy surface (PES) and ultimately passes through the conical intersection is developed. Notably, it is revealed that the relaxation of the lowest singlet excited state involves intramolecular charge transfer while the nuclear wavepacket is on the excited state PES. Finally, through analyzing the center line slopes of the measured peaks, we show how both solvent motions and changes in the molecular dipole moment affect the correlation between electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom. This work clearly demonstrates the usefulness of 2DEV spectroscopy in following the motion of nuclear wavepackets after photoexcitation and in studying the interactions between the molecular dipole moment and surrounding solvent environment.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of interwire separation on growth kinetics and properties of site-selective GaAs nanowires

We report tuning of the growth kinetics, geometry, and properties of autocatalytic GaAs nanowires (NW) by precisely controlling their density on SiO{sub 2}-mask patterned Si (111) substrates using selective area molecular beam epitaxy. Using patterned substrates with different mask opening size (40–120 nm) and pitch (0.25–3 μm), we find that the NW geometry (length, diameter) is independent of the opening size, in contrast to non-catalytic GaAs NWs, whereas the NW geometry strongly depends on pitch, i.e., interwire separation and NW density. In particular, two distinct growth regimes are identified: a diffusion-limited regime for large pitches (low NW density) and a competitive growth regime for smaller pitches (high NW density), where axial and radial NW growth rates are reduced. The transition between these two regimes is significantly influenced by the growth conditions and shifts to smaller pitches with increasing As/Ga flux ratio. Ultimately, the pitch-dependent changes in growth kinetics lead to distinctly different photoluminescence properties, highlighting that mask template design is a very critical parameter for tuning intrinsic NW properties.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Relaxation processes in a system with logarithmic growth

Here, we discuss relaxation and aging processes in the one- and two-dimensional ABC models. In these driven diffusive systems of three particle types, biased exchanges in one direction yield a coarsening process characterized in the long-time limit by a logarithmic growth of ordered domains that take the form of stripes. From the time-dependent length, derived from the equal-time spatial correlator, and from the mean displacement of individual particles different regimes in the formation and growth of these domains can be identified. Analysis of two-times correlation and response functions reveals dynamical scaling in the asymptotic logarithmic growth regime as well as complicated finite-time and finite-size effects in the early and intermediate time regimes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Short-range order and dynamics of atoms in liquid gallium

The features of the microscopic structure, as well as one-particle and collective dynamics of liquid gallium in the temperature range from T = 313 to 1273 K, are studied on the p = 1.0 atm isobar. Detailed analysis of the data on diffraction of neutrons and X-rays, as well as the results of atomic dynamics simulation, lead to some conclusions about the structure. In particular, for preset conditions, gallium is in the equilibrium liquid phase showing no features of any stable local crystalline clusters. The pronounced asymmetry of the principle peak of the static structure factor and the characteristic “shoulder” in its right-hand part appearing at temperatures close to the melting point, which are clearly observed in the diffraction data, are due to the fact that the arrangement of the nearest neighbors of an arbitrary atom in the system is estimated statistically from the range of correlation length values and not by a single value as in the case of simple liquids. Compactly located dimers with a very short bond make a significant contribution to the statistics of nearest neighbors. The temperature dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient calculated from atomic dynamics simulation agrees well with the results obtained from experimental spectra of the incoherent scattering function. Interpolation of the temperature dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient on a logarithmic scale reveals two linear regions with a transition temperature of about 600 K. The spectra of the dynamic structure factor and spectral densities of the local current calculated by simulating the atomic dynamics indicate the existence of acoustic vibrations with longitudinal and transverse polarizations in liquid gallium, which is confirmed by experimental data on inelastic scattering of neutrons and X-rays. It is found that the vibrational density of states is completely reproduced by the generalized Debye model, which makes it possible to decompose the total vibrational motion into individual contributions associated with the formation of acoustic waves with longitudinal and transverse polarizations. Comparison of the heights of the low-frequency component and of the high-frequency peak in the spectral density of vibrational states also indicates a temperature of T ≈ 600 K, at which the diffusion type of one-particle dynamics changes to the vibrational type upon a decrease in temperature. It is demonstrated that the modified Einstein–Stokes relation can be derived using the generalized Debye model.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Critical Review of Fluid Flow Physics at Micro‐ to Nano‐scale Porous Media Applications in the Energy Sector

While there is a consensus in the literature that embracing nanodevices and nanomaterials helps in improving the efficiency and performance, the reason for the better performance is mostly subscribed to the nanosized material/structure of the system without sufficiently acknowledging the role of fluid flow mechanisms in these systems. This is evident from the literature review of fluid flow modeling in various energy‐related applications, which reveals that the fundamental understanding of fluid transport at micro‐ and nanoscale is not adequately adapted in models. Incomplete or insufficient physics for the fluid flow can lead to untapped potential of these applications that can be used to increase their performance. This paper reviews the current state of research for the physics of gas and liquid flow at micro‐ and nanoscale and identified critical gaps to improve fluid flow modeling in four different applications related to the energy sector. The review for gas flow focuses on fundamentals of gas flow at rarefied conditions, the velocity slip, and temperature jump conditions. The review for liquid flow provides fundamental flow regimes of liquid flow, and liquid slip models as a function of key modeling parameters. The four porous media applications from energy sector considered in this review are (i) electrokinetic energy conversion devices, (ii) membrane‐based water desalination through reverse osmosis, (iii) shale reservoirs, and (iv) hydrogen storage, respectively. Review of fluid flow modeling literature from these applications reveals that further improvements can be made by (i) modeling slip length as a function of key parameters, (ii) coupling the dependency of wettability and slip, (iii) using a reservoir‐on‐chip approach that can enable capturing the subcontinuum effects contributing to fluid flow in shale reservoirs, and (iv) including Knudsen diffusion and slip in the governing equations of hydrogen gas storage.

Singh, Harpreet (ORCID:0000000276185764)↗
NASA NTRS1990

On the possibility of an alpha-sq omega-type dynamo in a thin layer inside the sun

If the solar dynamo operates in a thin layer of 10,000-km thickness at the interface between the convection zone and the radiative core, using the facts that the dynamo should have a period of 22 years and a half-wavelength of 40 deg in the theta-direction, it is possible to impose restrictions on the values which various dynamo parameters are allowed to have. It is pointed out that the dynamo should be of alpha-sq omega nature, and kinematical calculations are presented for free dynamo waves and for dynamos in thin rectangular slabs with appropriate boundary conditions. An alpha-sq omega dynamo is expected to produce a significant poloidal field which does not leak to the solar surface. It is found that the turbulent diffusity eta and alpha-coefficient are restricted to values within about a factor of 10, the median values being eta of about 10 to the 10th sq cm/sec and alpha of about 10 cm/sec. On the basis of mixing length theory, it is pointed out that such values imply a reasonable turbulent velocity of the order 30 m/s, but rather small turbulent length scales like 300 km.

Choudhuri, Arnab Rai↗
NASA NTRS1993

Wind tunnel investigation of three axisymmetric cowls of different lengths at Mach numbers from 0.60 to 0.92

Pressure distributions on three inlets having different cowl lengths were obtained in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel. The cowl diameter ratio (highlight diameter to maximum diameter) was 0.85 and the cowl length ratios (cowl length to maximum diameter) were 0.337, 0.439, and 0.547. The cowls had identical nondimensionalized (with respect to cowl length) external geometry and identical internal geometry. The internal contraction ratio (highlight area to throat area) was 1.250. The inlets had longitudinal rows of static pressure orifices on the top and bottom (external) surfaces and on the contraction (internal) and diffuser surfaces. The afterbody was cylindrical in shape, and its diameter was equal to the maximum diameter of the cowl. Depending on the cowl configuration and free-stream Mach number, the mass-flow ratio varied between 0.27 and 0.87 during the tests. Angle of attack varied from 0 to 4.1 deg at selected Mach numbers and mass-flow ratios, and the Reynolds number varied with the Mach number from 3.2x10(exp 6) to 4.2x10(exp 6) per foot.

Re, Richard J.↗