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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 19 records

Acoustic Instabilities Driven by Slip Between a Condensed Phase and the Gas Phase in Combustion Systems

In the context of gas turbine combustion chambers, this study describes how slip affects the response time of fuel sprays to pressure fluctuations in a gaseous flow field. Slip between the condensed and gas phases is shown to cause fuel vapor mass fraction fluctuations upstream of the reaction zone. A resulting oscillating heat release can drive the pressure fluctuations, depending on the phase difference between them. This generates an acoustic instability. With relevance to previous experimental results, differences are explored in the evaporation characteristics among three different fuel sprays (JP-4, JP-5, and D-2) in relation to their effect on the magnitude of the fuel vapor mass fraction perturbations.

DiCicco, M.↗

Examining Interactions of Uranyl(VI) Ions with Amino Acids in the Gas Phase

Gas-phase experiments, using electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-QIT/MS), were conducted to probe basic interactions of the uranyl(VI) ion, UO 2 2+ , with selected natural amino acids, namely, L-cysteine (Cys), L-histidine (His), and L-aspartic acid (Asp), which strongly bind to metal ions. The simplest amino acid, glycine (Gly), was also studied for comparison. Cys, His, and Asp have additional potentially coordinating groups beyond the amino and carboxylic acid functional groups, specifically thiol in Cys, imidazole in His, and a second carboxylate in Asp. Gas-phase experiments comprised collision-induced dissociation (CID) of uranyl–amino acid complexes and competitive CID to assess the relative binding strength of different amino acids in the same uranyl complex. Reactivity of selected uranyl–amino acid complexes with water provided further insights into relative stabilities. In positive ion mode, CID and ensuing reactions with water suggested that uranyl–neutral AA binding strength decreased in the order His > Asp > Cys > Gly, which is similar to amino acid proton affinities. In negative ion mode, CID revealed a decreasing dissociation tendency in the order Gly >> His ≈ Cys > Asp, presumably reflecting a reverse enhanced binding to uranyl of the doubly deprotonated amino acids formed in CID.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

An investigation into the flow behavior of a single phase gas system and a two phase gas/liquid system in normal gravity with nonuniform heating from above

The fluid behavior in normal gravity of a single phase gas system and a two phase gas/liquid system in an enclosed circular cylinder heated suddenly and nonuniformly from above was investigated. Flow visualization was used to obtain qualitative data on both systems. The use of thermochromatic liquid crystal particles as liquid phase flow tracers was evaluated as a possible means of simultaneously gathering both flow pattern and temperature gradient data for the two phase system. The results of the flow visualization experiments performed on both systems can be used to gain a better understanding of the behavior of such systems in a reduced gravity environment and aid in the verification of a numerical model of the system.

Disimile, Peter J.↗

A molecular dynamics study of collisional heat transfer to nanoclusters in the gas phase

Nanoclusters in the gas phase grow by condensation and coagulation, which heat up nanoclusters, creating thermal non-equilibrium with the surrounding gas. The extent of non-equilibrium for nanoclusters is dependent upon the rate of heating relative to the rate of cooling brought about by nanocluster-gas molecule collisions, hence the latter process plays an important role in nanocluster energy evolution during growth. We apply molecular dynamics simulations to investigate heat transfer between metal nanoclusters and gas molecules relevant to high temperature aerosol systems. In analysis, we first define a thermal reemission coefficient (TRC), which is a correction factor for the portion of energy possessed by reemitted gas molecules after collision. Here, the TRC differs from the thermal accommodation coefficient (TAC), which is a correction factor for the maximum possible energy transfer rate from nanoclusters to gas molecules based on the diffusive collision model. We find the TRC is insensitive to nanocluster size but is affected by the nanocluster to gas temperature ratio and the nanocluster to gas atomic mass ratio. Comparison to the traditionally-defined TAC shows that the TAC is insensitive to temperature, a phenomenon that has been widely indicated in literature but not quantitatively explained. We show how the temperature insensitivity of the TAC arises because of the manner in which TRCs vary with both nanocluster and gas temperature, i.e. the manner in which the reemitted gas molecule energy from a surface varies with the temperature of that surface relative to that of the gas. In addition, while calculations ultimately reveal temperature insensitive TACs and justify their continued use in modeling gas-phase heat transfer, we argue that the TRC is more appropriate to calculate a priori in analyzing simulations; it is physically more realistic to first introduce a correction factor solely for the energy of reemitted gas molecules after a collision (as TRCs) instead of a correction factor applying to both the reemission energy and the initial energy (as TACs), as the latter is exactly calculable and independent of nanocluster properties. In line with prior work, for monoatomic gases we find the TAC decreases as the nanocluster to gas atomic mass increases, approaching 0.08 for gold nanoclusters in helium.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

The solar system/interstellar medium connection - Gas phase abundances

Gas-phase abundances in the outer solar system are presented as diagnostics of the interstellar medium at the time of the solar system formation, some 4.55 billion years ago. Possible influences of the thermal and chemical histories of the primitive solar nebula and of the processes which led to the formation and evolution of the outer planets and comets on the elemental and molecular composition of the primordial matter are outlined. The major components of the atmospheres of the outer planets and of the comae of comets are identified, and the cosmogonical and cosmological implications are discussed.

Lutz, Barry L.↗

Gas Phase Effects on Slosh Dynamics

Gas phase effects on slosh dynamics were quantified using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for a range of propellant and gas combinations. Historical slosh modeling using potential flow solutions typically neglects gas phase effects. Regardless, the results have been shown to compare well with slosh ground tests typically performed with water and air at standard temperature and pressure. CFD analysis reveals that as the liquid-to-gas density ratio decreases, slosh dynamics change due to the relative increase in gas inertia and thus influence on liquid motion. The result is a profound impact on slosh dynamics over certain parameter spaces particularly for liquid hydrogen. Gas phase effects on slosh dynamics should be considered in slosh models especially for liquid hydrogen propellant tanks.

Jacob M Brodnick↗

Gas Phase Effects on Slosh Dynamics

Gas phase effects on slosh dynamics were quantified using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for a range of propellant and gas combinations. Historical slosh modeling using potential flow solutions typically neglects gas phase effects. Regardless, the results have been shown to compare well with slosh ground tests typically performed with water and air at standard temperature and pressure. CFD analysis reveals that as the liquid-to-gas density ratio decreases, slosh dynamics change due to the relative increase in gas inertia and thus influence on liquid motion. The result is a profound impact on slosh dynamics over certain parameter spaces particularly for liquid hydrogen. Gas phase effects on slosh dynamics should be considered in slosh models especially for liquid hydrogen propellant tanks.

Jacob M Brodnick↗

Gas Phase Effects on Slosh Dynamics

Gas phase effects on slosh dynamics were quantified using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for a range of propellant and ullage gas combinations. Historical slosh modeling using potential flow solutions typically neglects gas phase effects. Regardless, the results have been shown to compare well with slosh ground tests typically performed with water and air at standard temperature and pressure. CFD analysis reveals that as the liquid-to-gas density ratio decreases, slosh dynamics change due to the relative increase in gas inertia and thus influence on liquid motion. The result is a profound impact on slosh dynamics over certain parameter spaces particularly for liquid hydrogen. Gas phase effects on slosh dynamics should be considered in slosh models especially for liquid hydrogen propellant tanks.

Jacob M Brodnick↗

AMORE-Isoprene v1.0: A New Reduced Mechanism for Gas-Phase Isoprene Oxidation

Gas-phase oxidation of isoprene by ozone (O 3 ) and the hydroxyl (OH) and nitrate (NO 3 ) radicals significantly impacts tropospheric oxidant levels and secondary organic aerosol formation. The most comprehensive and up-to-date chemical mechanism for isoprene oxidation consists of several hundred species and over 800 reactions. Therefore, the computational expense of including the entire mechanism in large-scale atmospheric chemical transport models is usually prohibitive, and most models employ reduced isoprene mechanisms ranging in size from ∼ 10 to ∼ 200 species. We have developed a new reduced isoprene oxidation mechanism using a directed-graph path-based automated model reduction approach, with minimal manual adjustment of the output mechanism. The approach takes as inputs a full isoprene oxidation mechanism, the environmental parameter space, and a list of priority species which are protected from elimination during the reduction process. Our reduced mechanism, AMORE-Isoprene (where AMORE stands for Automated Model Reduction), consists of 12 species which are unique to the isoprene mechanism as well as 22 reactions. We demonstrate its performance in a box model in comparison with experimental data from the literature and other current isoprene oxidation mechanisms. AMORE-Isoprene's performance with respect to predicting the time evolution of isoprene oxidation products, including isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) and formaldehyde, is favorable compared with other similarly sized mechanisms. When AMORE-Isoprene is included in the Community Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Multiphase Mechanism 1.0 (CRACMM1AMORE) in the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ, v5.3.3), O 3 and formaldehyde agreement with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality System observations is improved. O 3 bias is reduced by 3.4 ppb under daytime conditions for O 3 concentrations over 50 ppb. Formaldehyde bias is reduced by 0.26 ppb on average for all formaldehyde measurements compared with the base CRACMM1. There was no significant change in computation time between CRACMM1AMORE and the base CRACMM. AMORE-Isoprene shows a 35 % improvement in agreement between simulated IEPOX concentrations and chamber data over the base CRACMM1 mechanism when compared in the Framework for 0-D Atmospheric Modeling (F0AM) box model framework. This work demonstrates a new highly reduced isoprene mechanism and shows the potential value of automated model reduction for complex reaction systems.

Automated Model Reduction↗

Dehydration of gas-phase benzyl amine alcohols studied at atmospheric pressure

Gas-phase ion chemistry is a useful approach for the investigation of physical organic chemistry and the study of reactivity, structure, and thermochemical properties of ionic and neutral organic substrates. Herein, one-step dehydration of gas-phase benzyl amine alcohols to give benzazetidines was discovered without the use of catalysts. Mechanistic investigations of the gas-phase dehydration reactions were explored to study the possible influence of charged microdroplet acceleration during electrospray ionization (ESI) and collisions occurring during ion transfer through the atmospheric pressure interface (API) of the mass spectrometer. The product ion distribution was observed to be less sensitive to droplet effects (spray distance and voltage), and temperature of transfer capillary in the API. However, the product ion distribution exhibit high sensitivity to different S-lens radio frequency (RF) voltage of the API, providing evidence that the dehydration reaction is driven by collisions during ion transfer in the API. With this insight, we developed atmospheric pressure thermal dissociation platform that allowed thermal-induced collisions outside of the mass spectrometer when the benzyl amine alcohols are carried through a heated coiled tube. Up to 98% dissociation efficiency was achieved with the coiled tube heated to a temperature of 200 °C, yielding only the desired benzazetidine product. Finally, by performing the atmospheric pressure thermal dissociation experiment outside of the mass spectrometer, we believe it will be straightforward to collect the dehydration product.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Optical spectroscopy and modeling of uranium gas-phase oxidation: Progress and perspectives

We report that studies related to U gas-phase oxidation through plasma- and thermo-chemistry are important for many fields, including environmental monitoring, forensic analysis, debris analysis in a weapon detonation event, and nucleation physics. Recently, significant efforts have been made to understand the chemical pathways involved in the progression from U atoms to diatoms (UO) and polyatomic molecules (UxOy), employing optical spectroscopy tools and computational modeling. In many studies, laser ablation of U or a U-containing flow reactor are used as a highly resource-efficient, repeatable, tunable, and lab-scale testbed for studying gas-phase oxidation in U plasmas. The spectroscopic analysis of high-temperature gas-phase oxidation of U is challenging due to the congested U spectra, resolution limitations of instrumentation, and the numerous chemical reaction pathways possible. This article focuses on the current understanding and challenges related to studying U plasma chemistry, specifically U gas-phase oxidation and molecular formation, via optical spectroscopy of plasmas and associated computational and spectral modeling. The physical and chemical processes involved in the evolution from U atoms to U oxide molecules to nanoparticles and agglomerates (i.e., debris) are discussed in the context of optical spectroscopic studies. The article concludes by highlighting opportunities for future research efforts based on existing knowledge published in the literature.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

NO formation by N 2 /O 2 plasma catalysis: The impact of surface reactions, gas-phase reactions, and mass transport

Pathways and timescales relevant to facilitate plasma-assisted N 2 -O 2 reactions are assessed by measuring the consumption of plasma-derived N and the formation of NO in the gas phase and over Ag catalytic surfaces. These measurements are enabled by a setup that enables N 2 activation in an atmospheric pressure RF plasma jet, enables O 2 addition in the plasma afterglow, facilitates reactions over an Ag wire catalyst, and allows species density quantification by molecular beam mass spectrometry. Gas-phase reactions consume N but do not form NO with high selectivity. The presence of the non-porous Ag wire catalyst increases the rate of N conversion to NO, though mass transfer processes, not surface reactions, dictate the rate of N consumption. When O 2 concentrations and the ratio of the surface area of the catalyst to the void volume of the reactor are high (3–5 mol% O 2 , 10900 m –1 ), N conversion to NO reaches 100 % selectivity. When both N 2 and O 2 are fed through the plasma jet, gas-phase NO production increases 10×, although plasma and gas-phase processes do not exclusively produce NO. Above a threshold NO density, N cannot diffuse to the catalyst surface faster than it is consumed in the gas phase by reactions with NO. Furthermore, the use of heterogeneous catalysts to enhance plasma-driven N x O y formation and control N x O y product selectivity is limited to cases where diffusive transport of N from the gas phase to the catalyst surface is faster than consumption of N from gas-phase reactions with NO.

Engineering↗

Oscillatory burning of solid propellants including gas phase time lag.

An analysis has been performed for oscillatory burning of solid propellants including gas phase time lag. The gaseous flame is assumed to be premixed and laminar with a one-step overall chemical reaction. The propellant is assumed to decompose according to the Arrenhius Law, with no condensed phase reaction. With this model, strong gas phase resonance has been found in certain cases at the characteristic gas-phase frequencies, but the peaking of the acoustic admittance is in the direction favoring the damping of pressure waves. At still higher frequencies, moderate wave-amplifying ability was found. The limit of low frequency response obtained previously by Denison and Baum was recovered, and the limitations of the quasi-steady theory were investigated.

T'Ien, J. S.↗

Impact of target-derived and ambient oxygen on gas-phase oxidation in laser ablation plumes

Gas-phase oxidation in a laser-produced plasma is significantly influenced by the availability of oxygen in and around the plume. In this study, we investigate the role of target-derived and ambient oxygen on AlO formation in plasmas generated from aluminum (Al) and Al 2 O 3 targets in air and argon, respectively. Our results highlight that gas-phase oxidation occurs early during the evolution of Al 2 O 3 plasmas in argon, in contrast to Al plasmas in air, where the initial exclusion of oxygen from the plume delays the chemical reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Gas-phase oxidation and nanoparticle formation in multi-element laser ablation plumes

The evolution from gas-phase oxidation to nanoparticle and agglomerate formation was studied in nanosecond laser-produced plasmas of a multi-principal element alloy target in air. Here gas-phase oxidation of plasma species was monitored in situ via optical emission spectroscopy, while a custom-built single particle mass spectrometer was used to measure size and compositions of agglomerated nanoparticles formed in laser ablation plumes. Ex situ analysis employing transmission electron microscopy was used to study nanoparticle morphology, crystal structure, and element distribution at the nanoscale. Emission spectra indicate that gas-phase oxidation of elements in the alloy target are formed at varying times during plume evolution, and mass spectrometry results indicate fractal agglomerates contain all principal alloying elements and their oxides. Finally, electron microscopy characterization illustrates that these agglomerates consist of multiple material types: sub-10 nm diameter amorphous, multi-element nanoparticles, ≈10–30 nm diameter Ti-rich crystalline oxide nanoparticles, and ejected base material. Results highlight that the multi-component target composition impacts molecular formation in the gas phase and the morphology, composition, and structure of nanoparticles and agglomerates formed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗