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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Refinement of the Robert-Bonamy Formalism: Considering Effects from the Line Coupling

Since it was developed in 1979, the Robert-Bonamy (RB) formalism has been widely used in calculating pressure broadened half-widths and induced shifts for many molecular systems. However, this formalism contains several approximations whose applicability has not been thoroughly justified. One of them is that lines of interest are well isolated. When these authors developed the formalism, they have relied on this assumption twice. First, in calculating the spectral density F(ω), they have only considered the diagonal matrix elements of the relaxation operator. Due to this simplification, effects from the line mixing are ignored. Second, when they applied the linked cluster theorem to remove the cutoff, they have assumed the matrix elements of the operator exp(-iS(sub 1) - S(sub 2)) can be replaced by the exponential of the matrix elements of -iS(sub 1) - S(sub 2). With this replacement, effects from the line coupling are also ignored. Although both these two simplifications relied on the same approximation, their validity criteria are completely different and the latter is more stringent than the former. As a result, in many cases where the line mixing becomes negligible, significant effects from the line coupling have been completely missed. In the present study, we have developed a new method to evaluate the matrix elements of exp(-iS(sub 1) - S(sub 2)) and have refined the RB formalism such that line coupling can be taken into account. Our numerical calculations of the half-widths for Raman Q lines of the N(sub 2)-N(sub 2) pair have demonstrated that effects from the line coupling are important. In comparison with values derived from the RB formalism, new calculated values for these lines are significantly reduced. A recent study has shown that in comparison with the measurements and the most accurate close coupling calculations, the RB formalism overestimates the half-widths by a large amount. As a result, the refinement of the RB formalism goes in the right direction and these new calculated half-widths become closer to the "true" values.

spectra↗
NASA NTRS2014

Assume-Guarantee Abstraction Refinement Meets Hybrid Systems

Compositional verification techniques in the assume- guarantee style have been successfully applied to transition systems to efficiently reduce the search space by leveraging the compositional nature of the systems under consideration. We adapt these techniques to the domain of hybrid systems with affine dynamics. To build assumptions we introduce an abstraction based on location merging. We integrate the assume-guarantee style analysis with automatic abstraction refinement. We have implemented our approach in the symbolic hybrid model checker SpaceEx. The evaluation shows its practical potential. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work combining assume-guarantee reasoning with automatic abstraction-refinement in the context of hybrid automata.

Reliability↗
NASA NTRS2015

Application of the Refined Zigzag Theory to the Modeling of Delaminations in Laminated Composites

The Refined Zigzag Theory is applied to the modeling of delaminations in laminated composites. The commonly used cohesive zone approach is adapted for use within a continuum mechanics model, and then used to predict the onset and propagation of delamination in five cross-ply composite beams. The resin-rich area between individual composite plies is modeled explicitly using thin, discrete layers with isotropic material properties. A damage model is applied to these resin-rich layers to enable tracking of delamination propagation. The displacement jump across the damaged interfacial resin layer is captured using the zigzag function of the Refined Zigzag Theory. The overall model predicts the initiation of delamination to within 8% compared to experimental results and the load drop after propagation is represented accurately.

Groh, Rainer M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Refinement of Objective Motion Cueing Criteria Investigation Based on Three Flight Tasks

The objective of this paper is to refine objective motion cueing criteria for commercial transport simulators based on pilots' performance in three flying tasks. Actuator hardware and software algorithms determine motion cues. Today, during a simulator qualification, engineers objectively evaluate only the hardware. Pilot inspectors subjectively assess the overall motion cueing system (i.e., hardware plus software); however, it is acknowledged that pinpointing any deficiencies that might arise to either hardware or software is challenging. ICAO 9625 has an Objective Motion Cueing Test (OMCT), which is now a required test in the FAA's part 60 regulations for new devices, evaluating the software and hardware together; however, it lacks accompanying fidelity criteria. Hosman has documented OMCT results for a statistical sample of eight simulators which is useful, but having validated criteria would be an improvement. In a previous experiment, we developed initial objective motion cueing criteria that this paper is trying to refine. Sinacori suggested simple criteria which are in reasonable agreement with much of the literature. These criteria often necessitate motion displacements greater than most training simulators can provide. While some of the previous work has used transport aircraft in their studies, the majority used fighter aircraft or helicopters. Those that used transport aircraft considered degraded flight characteristics. As a result, earlier criteria lean more towards being sufficient, rather than necessary, criteria for typical transport aircraft training applications. Considering the prevalence of 60-inch, six-legged hexapod training simulators, a relevant question is "what are the necessary criteria that can be used with the ICAO 9625 diagnostic?" This study adds to the literature as follows. First, it examines well-behaved transport aircraft characteristics, but in three challenging tasks. The tasks are equivalent to the ones used in our previous experiment, allowing us to directly compare the results and add to the previous data. Second, it uses the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS), the world's largest vertical displacement simulator. This allows inclusion of relatively large motion conditions, much larger than a typical training simulator can provide. Six new motion configurations were used that explore the motion responses between the initial objective motion cueing boundaries found in a previous experiment and what current hexapod simulators typically provide. Finally, a sufficiently large pilot pool added statistical reliability to the results.

motion simulation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Influence of Adaptive Mesh Refinement on the Prediction of Vortex Interactions about a Generic Missile Airframe

The complex interaction of forebody and wing vortices significantly impacts missile aerodynamics. The formation of these vortices involves smooth regions of the geometry or geometric discontinuities like leading edges, trailing edges, tips, and corners. Regions of supersonic flow and complex shock topologies interact with boundary layers and vortices. Smooth-body separation and 3D viscous effects strain current Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) techniques. The quantification and control of discretization error is critical to obtaining reliable simulation results and often turbulence model assessments are made in the presence of unquantified (and potentially large) discretization errors. Two mesh adaptation schemes are applied to steady RANS simulations. Multiscale unstructured mesh adaptation is applied to control interpolation error estimates of the Mach field, which resolves boundary layers, vortices, and shocks. A dual-mesh approach with overset communication is applied between an expert-crafted near-body unstructured mesh and an adaptive off-body Cartesian mesh refined with Q-criterion scaled by the strain tensor magnitude. A generic missile configuration is examined in a supersonic flow field to show the interaction of mesh adaptation and turbulence model. Turbulence model modifications for rotational correction and a quadratic constitutive relationship show a strong influence on adaptive mesh refinement and predicted rolling moment.

slender body aerodynamics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Comparison of Trajectory Refinement Schemes for GlennICE

A requirement of computational ice accretion solvers is the ability to predict the water impingement on a geometry of interest. This portion of the tool is typically implemented in an Eulerian or Lagrangian methodology with both approaches having various pros and cons. GlennICE utilizes a Lagrangian framework. For this approach to be tractable in an engineering sense, the trajectories simulated must be chosen in a more intelligent fashion than naïve uniform refinement. This paper investigates a new refinement methodology implemented in GlennICE and compares it to the previous implementation.

Computational↗
DOE OSTI2025

A staged deep learning approach to spatial refinement in 3D temporal atmospheric transport

High-resolution spatiotemporal simulations effectively capture the complexities of atmospheric plume dispersion in complex terrain. However, their high computational cost makes them impractical for applications requiring rapid responses or iterative processes, such as optimization, uncertainty quantification, or inverse modeling. To address this challenge, this work introduces the Dual-Stage Temporal Three-dimensional UNet Super-resolution (DST3D-UNet-SR) model, a highly efficient deep learning model for plume dispersion predictions. DST3D-UNet-SR is composed of two sequential modules: the temporal module (TM), which predicts the transient evolution of a plume in complex terrain from low-resolution temporal data, and the spatial refinement module (SRM), which subsequently enhances the spatial resolution of the TM predictions. We train DST3D-UNet-SR using a comprehensive dataset derived from high-resolution large eddy simulations (LES) of plume transport. We propose the DST3D-UNet-SR model to significantly accelerate LES of three-dimensional (3D) plume dispersion by three orders of magnitude. Additionally, the model demonstrates the ability to dynamically adapt to evolving conditions through the incorporation of new observational data, substantially improving prediction accuracy in high-concentration regions near the source.

3D temporal sequences↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dominant balance-based adaptive mesh refinement for incompressible fluid flows

This work introduces a novel adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) method that utilizes dominant balance analysis (DBA) for efficient and accurate grid adaptation in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The proposed method leverages a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to classify grid cells into active and passive regions based on the dominant physical interactions within the equation space. By modeling truncation error probabilistically from discretized terms, the method identifies regions of high interaction where numerical accuracy is most sensitive to resolution. Unlike traditional AMR strategies, this approach does not rely on heuristic-based sensors or user-defined thresholds, providing a fully automated and problem-independent framework for AMR. Applied to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for steady and unsteady flow past a cylinder, the DBA-based AMR method achieves comparable accuracy to high-resolution grids while reducing computational costs by up to 70 %. The validation highlights the method’s effectiveness in capturing complex flow features while minimizing grid cells, directing computational resources toward regions with the most critical dynamics. This modular and scalable strategy is adaptable to a wide range of applications, presenting a promising tool for efficient high-fidelity simulations in CFD and other multiphysics domains.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

High resolution numerical simulations of methane pool fires using adaptive mesh refinement

The ability to accurately predict the structure and dynamics of pool fires using computational simulations is of great interest in a wide variety of applications, including accidental and wildland fires. However, the presence of physical processes spanning a broad range of spatial and temporal scales poses a significant challenge for simulations of such fires, particularly at conditions near the transition between laminar and turbulent flow. Here, in this study, we examine the transition to turbulence in methane pool fires using high-resolution simulations with multi-step finite rate chemistry, where adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is used to directly resolve small-scale flow phenomena. We perform three simulations of methane pool fires, each with increasing diameter, corresponding to increasing inlet Reynolds and Richardson numbers. As the diameter increases, the flow transitions from organized vortex roll-up via the puffing instability to much more chaotic mixing associated with finger formation along the shear layer and core collapse near the inlet. These effects combine to create additional mixing close to the inlet, thereby enhancing fuel consumption and causing more rapid acceleration of the fluid above the pool. We also make comparisons between the transition to turbulence and core collapse in the present pool fires and in inert helium plumes, which are often used as surrogates for the study of buoyant reacting flows.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

E3SM‐Arctic: Regionally Refined Coupled Model for Advanced Understanding of Arctic Systems Interactions

Earth system models are essential tools for climate projections, but coarse resolutions limit regional accuracy, especially in the Arctic. Regionally refined meshes (RRMs) enhance resolution in key areas while maintaining computational efficiency. This paper provides an overview of the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy's (DOE's) Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 2.1 with an Arctic RRM, hereafter referred to as E3SMv2.1-Arctic, for the atmosphere (25 km), land (25 km), and ocean/ice (10 km) components. We evaluate the atmospheric component and its interactions with land, ocean, and cryosphere by comparing the RRM (E3SM2.1-Arctic) historical simulations (1950–2014) with the uniform low-resolution (LR) counterpart, reanalysis products, and observational data sets. The RRM generally reduces biases in the LR model, improving simulations of Arctic large-scale mean fields, such as precipitation, atmospheric circulation, clouds, atmospheric river frequency, and sea ice thickness. However, it introduces a seasonally dependent surface air temperature bias, reducing the LR cold bias in summer but enhancing the LR warm bias in winter, which contributes to the underestimated winter sea ice area and volume. Radiative feedback analysis shows similar climate feedback strengths in both model configurations, with the RRM exhibiting a more positive surface albedo feedback and contributing to a stronger surface warming than LR. These findings underscore the importance of high-resolution modeling for advancing our understanding of Arctic climate changes and their broader global impacts, although some persistent biases appear to be independent of model resolution at 10–100 km scales.

Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recovery and Refining of Rare Earth Elements from Lignite Mine Wastes

The University of North Dakota (UND), in collaboration with a comprehensive team of technical, business and host-site partners, built on prior technology development to complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) and business planning study to recover and refine rare earth elements (REE) and critical minerals (CM) from North Dakota (ND) lignite mine wastes. The end of project goal was to have an investment quality project and a committed team ready to commercialize the proposed technologies in a future construction and operations phase.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS2014

Line Interference Effects Using a Refined Robert-Bonamy Formalism: the Test Case of the Isotropic Raman Spectra of Autoperturbed N2

A symmetrized version of the recently developed refined Robert-Bonamy formalism [Q. Ma, C. Boulet, and R. H. Tipping, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 034305 (2013)] is proposed. This model takes into account line coupling effects and hence allows the calculation of the off-diagonal elements of the relaxation matrix, without neglecting the rotational structure of the perturbing molecule. The formalism is applied to the isotropic Raman spectra of autoperturbed N2 for which a benchmark quantum relaxation matrix has recently been proposed. The consequences of the classical path approximation are carefully analyzed. Methods correcting for effects of inelasticity are considered. While in the right direction, these corrections appear to be too crude to provide off diagonal elements which would yield, via the sum rule, diagonal elements in good agreement with the quantum results. In order to overcome this difficulty, a re-normalization procedure is applied, which ensures that the off-diagonal elements do lead to the exact quantum diagonal elements. The agreement between the (re-normalized) semi-classical and quantum relaxation matrices is excellent, at least for the Raman spectra of N2, opening the way to the analysis of more complex molecular systems.

nitrogen↗
NASA NTRS2022

Real-time rapid leakage estimation for deep space habitats using exponentially-weighted adaptively-refined search

The recent accelerated growth in space-related research and development activities makes the near-term need for long-term extraterrestrial habitats evident. Such habitats must operate under continuous disruptive conditions arising from extreme environments like meteoroid impacts, extreme temperature fluctuations, galactic cosmic rays, destructive dust, and seismic events. Loss of air or atmospheric leakage from a habitat poses safety challenges that demand proper attention. Such leakage may arise from micro-meteoroid impacts, crack growth, bolt/rivet loosening, and seal deterioration. In this paper, leakage estimation in deep space habitats is posed as an inverse problem. A forward pressure-based dynamical model is formulated for atmospheric leakage. Experiments are performed on a small-scaled pressure chamber where different leakage scenarios are emulated and corresponding pressure values are measured. An exponentially-weighted adaptively-refined search (EWARS) algorithm is developed and validated for the inverse problem of real-time leakage estimation. It is demonstrated that the proposed methodology can achieve real-time estimation and tracking of constant and variable leaks with accuracy.

Deep space habitats↗
DOE OSTI2026

Traveling Molten Zone Refining Process Development for Innovative Fuel Cycle Solutions

This ARPA-E ONWARDS project successfully developed and demonstrated an innovative immiscibility zone refining process for separating actinides from active fission products in metallic nuclear fuel applications. The technology addresses a critical challenge in advanced nuclear fuel cycles by providing a high-throughput, low-waste alternative to conventional electrorefining.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗