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Results for “Flow Improvers”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Flow improvements in the circuit of the Langley 4- by 7-meter tunnel

In order to identify the most promising means for improving the flow in the Langley 4- by 7-Meter Tunnel, detailed surveys of the mean velocity profiles were measured in both the horizontal and vertical planes of symmetry at specific locations throughout the tunnel circuit. These data were obtained at test-section dynamic pressures of 1.53, 2.78, and 4.79 kPa (3 2, 58, and 100 psf, respectively) for tunnel operation in both the closed and open test-section configurations. In the base-line tunnel-flow surveys, the flow patterns near the end of the test section indicate a uniform mean velocity distribution. Downstream of the test section, unsymmetrical flow patterns result in low velocities along the inner walls and in flow separation along the inner wall of the diffuser upstream of the drive fan and along the outer wall of the large diffuser downstream of the drive fan. In order to correct these unsymmetrical flow patterns, a set of trailing-edge flaps attached to the five flow-control vanes located just downstream of the first corner were installed. These flaps were very successful in making the tunnel flow more symmetrical and in eliminating the regions of separation in the diffusers upstream and downstream of the drive fan.

Zachary T Applin↗
NASA NTRS1984

Flow improvements in the NASA Langley 4- by 7-meter tunnel circuit

The mean velocity profiles in both the horizontal and vertical planes of symmetry at specific locations throughout the tunnel circuit to identify the most promising means for improving the flow in the 4 by 7 meter wind tunnel were measured. In the base line tunnel flow surveys, the flow patterns near the end of the test section indicate a uniform mean velocity distribution. Downstream of the test section, unsymmetrical flow patterns result in low velocities along the inner walls and in flow separation along the inner wall of the diffuser upstream of the drive fan and along the outer wall of the large diffuser downstream of the drive fan. A set of trailing-edge flaps attached to the five flow-control vanes located just downstream of the first corner were installed. These flaps are successful in making the tunnel flow more symmetrical and in eliminating the regions of separation in the diffusers upstream and downstream of the drive fan. Previously announced in STAR as N84-15117

Applin, Z. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

4 X 7 M Modeling Program. The Use of Small-Scale Modeling in Defining Flow Improvements for the Langley 4 X 7-Meter Tunnel

The use of small scale modeling in defining flow improvements for the Langley 4 x 7 meter wind tunnel is presented. Topics covered in viewgraph format include: description of the 4 x 7 meter wind tunnel, description of the 1/24 scale model, wind tunnel circuit flow characteristics, open test section turbulence characteristics, and conclusions.

Applin, Zachery T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Juncture flow improvement for wing/pylon configurations by using CFD methodology

Transonic flow field around a fighter wing/pylon configuration was simulated by using an implicit upwinding Navier-Stokes flow solver (F3D) and overset grid technology (Chimera). Flow separation and local shocks near the wing/pylon junction were observed in flight and predicted by numerical calculations. A new pylon/fairing shape was proposed to improve the flow quality. Based on numerical results, the size of separation area is significantly reduced and the onset of separation is delayed farther downstream. A smoother pressure gradient is also obtained near the junction area. This paper demonstrates that computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology can be used as a practical tool for aircraft design.

Gea, Lie-Mine↗
DOE OSTI2018

Results from an improved flowing liquid lithium limiter with increased flow uniformity in high power plasmas in EAST

Significant engineering and physic progress was made by the upgrade of a flowing liquid lithium limiter (FLiLi) inserted into EAST H-mode discharges in 2016. The progress includes an improvement of liquid Li coverage uniformity, no macroscopic surface erosion by plasma materials interaction, effective removal of 55% of the discharge heat flux using high pressure He cooling during ohmic discharges, and the demonstrated ability to restart Li flow for a second experiment performed a week after the first. With increasing Li flow rate, fuel particle recycling and Fe impurity radiation gradually decreased, and plasma performance slightly improved, but there was no impact on the edge tungsten influx. No obvious Li bursts appeared during operation with up to about 4.5 MW auxiliary heating power with peak heat flux reaching ~4 MW m –2 on FLiLi. In addition, a gradual mitigation of edge localized mode (ELM) activity was observed with FLiLi operation. Lastly, short-lived ELM-free phases were observed for the first time in EAST during FLiLi insertion, with increasing τ E and transient H 98(y, 2) < 2.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2006

An Improved Flow Cytometry Method For Precise Quantitation Of Natural-Killer Cell Activity

The ability to assess NK cell cytotoxicity using flow cytometry has been previously described and can serve as a powerful tool to evaluate effector immune function in the clinical setting. Previous methods used membrane permeable dyes to identify target cells. The use of these dyes requires great care to achieve optimal staining and results in a broad spectral emission that can make multicolor cytometry difficult. Previous methods have also used negative staining (the elimination of target cells) to identify effector cells. This makes a precise quantitation of effector NK cells impossible due to the interfering presence of T and B lymphocytes, and the data highly subjective to the variable levels of NK cells normally found in human peripheral blood. In this study an improved version of the standard flow cytometry assay for NK activity is described that has several advantages of previous methods. Fluorescent antibody staining (CD45FITC) is used to positively identify target cells in place of membranepermeable dyes. Fluorescent antibody staining of target cells is less labor intensive and more easily reproducible than membrane dyes. NK cells (true effector lymphocytes) are also positively identified by fluorescent antibody staining (CD56PE) allowing a simultaneous absolute count assessment of both NK cells and target cells. Dead cells are identified by membrane disruption using the DNA intercalating dye PI. Using this method, an exact NK:target ratio may be determined for each assessment, including quantitation of NK target complexes. Backimmunoscatter gating may be used to track live vs. dead Target cells via scatter properties. If desired, NK activity may then be normalized to standardized ratios for clinical comparisons between patients, making the determination of PBMC counts or NK cell percentages prior to testing unnecessary. This method provides an exact cytometric determination of NK activity that highly reproducible and may be suitable for routine use in the clinical setting.

Crucian, Brian↗
DOE OSTI2019

Joint Chance Constraints in AC Optimal Power Flow: Improving Bounds through Learning

This paper considers distribution systems with a high penetration of distributed, renewable generation and addresses the problem of incorporating the associated uncertainty into the optimal operation of these networks. Joint chance constraints, which satisfy multiple constraints simultaneously with a prescribed probability, are one way to incorporate uncertainty across sets of constraints, leading to a chance-constrained optimal power flow problem. Departing from the computationally-heavy scenario-based approaches or approximations that transform the joint constraint into conservative deterministic constraints, this paper develops a scalable, data-driven approach which learns operational trends in a power network, eliminates zero-probability events (e.g., inactive constraints), and accurately and efficiently approximates bounds on the joint chance constraint iteratively. In particular, the proposed framework improves upon the classic methods based on the union bound (or Boole's inequality) by generating a much less conservative set of single chance constraints that also guarantees the satisfaction of the original joint constraint. The proposed framework is evaluated numerically using the IEEE 37-node test feeder, focusing on the problem of voltage regulation in distribution grids.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1991

Improved Ultrasonic Transducer For Measuring Cryogenic Flow

Improved ultrasonic transducer used to measure flow of cryogenic fluid. Includes wedge made nonintrusive by machining it out of bulk material of duct carrying fluid. Skewed surfaces of wedge suppress standing waves, thus reducing ringing and increasing signal-to-noise ratio. Increases accuracy of measurements of times of arrival of ultrasonic pulses, from which times flow inferred.

Barkhoudarian, Sarkis↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Passive Controls of Tip Clearance Flow in A Transonic Compressor for Stall Margin Improvement: Common Flow Physics

Two passive tip clearance control devices for stall margin improvement in a transonic compressor are compared in detail. The primary objective of the current study is to examine the overall performance in terms of stall margin increase and any associated performance penalties near design operation with axial casing grooves (ACGs)and circumferential casing grooves (CCGs). The underlying flow physics of these passive flow control devices are examined and compared to identify any relative advantages in the development of optimized casing treatment designs.

compressor↗
DOE OSTI2016

CRADA: Improved H2/Br2 Flow Batteries

This CRADA is established to jointly develop H2/Br2 flow batteries with improved materials sets and understanding between TVN Systems and LBNL. The focus of the activities is the testing and optimization of flow battery components to meet efficiency and power requirements. The proposed work is essentially all experimental where TVN Systems will use their knowledge and expertise in membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA) design and fabrication using novel catalyst and membrane materials and LBNL will use their existing knowledge and expertise in flow-battery cell assembly and testing for performance and durability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1965

P-107A hydrogen leak meter Final report

Flow improvement, mass flow calculations, matching cell factors, and temperature control of meter for hydrogen leakage measurements in liquid propulsion systems

MEASURING APPARATUS↗
NASA NTRS1991

Faster Algorithm For Computation Of Incompressible Flow

Improved algorithm yields faster numerical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations of steady or unsteady three-dimensional flow of incompressible fluid. In artificial-compressibility method, unsteady flow treated as incompressible in advancing from one time step to next, but at each time step (or in steady state), fluid treated as having variable compressibility enabling propagation of flow field, and subiterations performed in increments of pseudotime until effects of compressibility subside. Directly couples pressure and velocity fields at same time step and converts elliptic incompressible Navier-Stokes equations to hyperbolic form more amenable to numerical integration.

Rogers, S. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Atmospheric winds with deep optical flow

Improved capabilities of earth monitoring satellites are enabling a wide range of studies on the environmental effects of climate change, often leveraging the recent advancements in machine learning. At the same time, the new capabilities, including higher spatial resolution and temporal frequency, are expanding the amount of data generated at exponential rates. At the NASA Earth eXchange (NEX), we build deep learning methods to learn from cross sensor satellite-based Earth observations for generating new datasets with efficient processing techniques. Using current generation geostationary satellites on NEX, we present an interchangeable set of machine models to perform spectral adjustment, physical model emulation, LEO-GEO emulation, and optical flow. These tools are used to generate consistent virtual observations across sensors, perform atmospheric correction and cloud detection, and estimate land surface temperature and atmospheric winds. This approach aims to improve the robustness of remotely sensed data processing by learning from diverse sets of observations while enabling near real-time and on-demand capabilities.

Atmospheric winds↗
NASA NTRS1988

Theoretical evaluation of engine auxiliary inlet design for supersonic V/STOL aircraft

A higher order panel method is used to evaluate the potential flow of a two dimensional supersonic V/STOL inlet. A non-symmetric analytical inlet model is developed to closely match a wind tunnel model. The analytical inlet is analyzed for flow characteristics around the lower cowl lip and auxiliary inlets. The results are obtained from the output of a computer program that is based on the Hess Panel Method which determines source strengths of panels distributed over a three dimensional body. The analytical model was designed for the implementation of drooped/translated cowl lip and auxiliary inlets as flow improvement concepts. A 40 or 70 degree droop lip can be incorporated on the inlet to determine if these geometry modifications result in flow improvements which may reduce the propensity for flow separation on the interior portion of the lip. Auxiliary inlets are employed to decrease the mass flow over the inlet lip. Thus, the peak flow velocity is reduced at the lip which also lessens the likelihood of flow separation on the interior portion of the lip. A 2, 4, and 6 inch translated lip can be employed to also decrease mass flow over the inlet lower lip in the same manner as the auxiliary inlet. The performance results of the flow improvement concepts show that three possible inlet configurations provide a situation where separation is less likely to occur. A 70 degree droop lip maintains flow conditions such that attached flow over the lower cowl lip may exist for the entire angle of attack range studied. A 0 degree droop and translated lip combination provides similar results for the angle of attack range. The third configuration consists of a 0 degree droop and auxiliary inlet combination. This configuration provides slightly less favorable results than the other two, but still allows for conditions favorable to attached flow within the inlet.

Boles, Michael A.↗