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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Blob Formation and Ejection in Coronal Jets due to the Plasmoid and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instabilities

We perform 2D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of coronal jets driven by flux emergence along the lower boundary. The reconnection layers are susceptible to the formation of blobs that are ejected in the jet. Our simulation with low plasma β (Case I) shows that magnetic islands form easily and propagate upward in the jet. These islands are multithermal and thus are predicted to show up in hot channels (335 Å and 211 Å) and the cool channel (304 Å) in observations by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory . The islands have maximum temperatures of 8 MK, lifetimes of 120 s, diameters of 6 Mm, and velocities of 200 km s{sup −1}. These parameters are similar to the properties of blobs observed in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) jets by AIA. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability develops in our simulation with moderately high plasma β (Case II) and leads to the formation of bright vortex-like blobs above the multiple high magnetosonic Mach number regions that appear along the jet. These vortex-like blobs can also be identified in the AIA channels. However, they eventually move downward and disappear after the high magnetosonic Mach number regions disappear. In the lower plasma β case, the lifetime for the jet is shorter, the jet and magnetic islands are formed with higher velocities and temperatures, the current-sheet fragments are more chaotic, and more magnetic islands are generated. Our results show that the plasmoid instability and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability along the jet are both possible causes of the formation of blobs observed at EUV wavelengths.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Experimental observations of turbulent mixing due to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the OMEGA Laser Facility

Shear-flow, Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) turbulent mixing experiments were performed on the OMEGA Laser Facility [Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] in which laser-driven shock waves propagated through a low-density plastic foam placed on top of a higher-density plastic foil. The plastic foil was comprised a thin iodine-doped plastic tracer layer bonded on each side to an undoped density-matched polyamide-imide plastic. Behind the shock front, lower-density foam plasma flowed over the higher-density plastic plasma, such that the interface between the foam and plastic was KH unstable. The initial perturbations consisted of pre-imposed, sinusoidal 2D perturbations, and broadband 3D perturbations due to surface roughness at the interface between the plastic and foam. KH instability growth was measured using side-on radiography with a point-projection 5-keV vanadium backlighter. Time-integrated images were captured on D-8 x-ray film. Spatial density profiles of iodine-doped plastic mixed with foam were inferred using x-ray radiographs. The mixing layer ensuing from the KH instability with layer width up to {approx}100 {mu}m was observed at a location {approx}1 mm behind the shock front. The measured mixing layer width was in good agreement with predictions based on a simple self-similar model of KH instability growth using an estimate of the shear velocity obtained from numerical simulations of the experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Three-dimensional modeling and analysis of a high energy density Kelvin-Helmholtz experiment

A recent series of experiments on the OMEGA laser provided the first controlled demonstration of the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability in a high-energy-density physics context [E. C. Harding et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 045005, (2009); O. A. Hurricane et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 056305, (2009)]. We present 3D simulations which resolve previously reported discrepancies between those experiments and the 2D simulation used to design them. Our new simulations reveal a three-dimensional mechanism behind the low density 'bubble' structures which appeared in the experimental x-ray radiographs at late times but were completely absent in the 2D simulations. We also demonstrate that the three-dimensional expansion of the walls of the target is sufficient to explain the 20% overprediction by 2D simulation of the late-time growth of the KH rollups. The implications of these results for the design of future experiments are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Experimental realization of extraordinary acoustic transmission using Helmholtz resonators

The phenomenon of extraordinary acoustic transmission through a solid barrier with an embedded Helmholtz resonator (HR) is demonstrated. The Helmholtz resonator consists of an embedded cavity and two necks that protrude, one on each side of the barrier. Extraordinary transmission occurs for a narrow spectral range encompassing the resonant frequency of the Helmholtz resonator. We show that an amplitude transmission of 97.5% is achieved through a resonator whose neck creates an open area of 6.25% of the total barrier area. In addition to the enhanced transmission, we show that there is a smooth, continuous phase transition in the transmitted sound as a function of frequency. The frequency dependent phase transition is used to experimentally realize slow wave propagation for a narrow-band Gaussian wave packet centered at the maximum transmission frequency. The use of parallel pairs of Helmholtz resonators tuned to different resonant frequencies is experimentally explored as a means of increasing the transmission bandwidth. These experiments show that because of the phase transition, there is always a frequency between the two Helmholtz resonant frequencies at which destructive interference occurs whether the resonances are close or far apart. Finally, we explain how the phase transition associated with Helmholtz-resonator-mediated extraordinary acoustic transmission can be exploited to produce diffractive acoustic components including sub-wavelength thickness acoustic lenses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Extraordinary acoustic transmission mediated by Helmholtz resonators

We demonstrate perfect transmission of sound through a rigid barrier embedded with Helmholtz resonators. The resonators are confined within a waveguide and they are oriented such that one neck protrudes onto each side of the barrier. Perfect sound transmission occurs even though the open area of the necks is less than 3% of the barrier area. Maximum transmission occurs at the resonant frequency of the Helmholtz resonator. Because the dimensions of the Helmholtz resonators are much smaller than the resonant wavelength, the transmission is independent of the direction of sound on the barrier and of the relative placement of the necks. Further, we show that the transmitted sound experiences a continuous phase transition of π radians as a function of frequency through resonance. In simulations of adjacent resonators with slightly offset resonance frequencies, the phase difference leads to destructive interference. By expanding the simulation to a linear array of tuned Helmholtz resonators we show that it is possible to create an acoustic lens. The ability of Helmholtz resonator arrays to manipulate the phase of a plane acoustic wave enables a new class of sonic beam-forming devices analogous to diffractive optics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulations of the shock-driven Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in inclined gas curtains

In this paper, we present simulation results for the two-dimensional, shock-driven Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Simulations are performed with a Mach 2.0 shock propagating through a finite-thickness curtain of gas inclined at an angle α0=30° with respect to the shock plane. After the passage of the shock, the gas curtain is accelerated along its axis. A perturbation develops due to shock reflection near the lower wall, and a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability forms near the vertical center of the curtain. This is the first known numerical reproduction of these phenomena that have previously been observed in experiments with an inclined cylindrical gas column. The effects of varying Mach number and column width were explored in detail to complement experimental data. Additionally, the dependence of the Kelvin–Helmholtz wavelength on Mach number closely matches the relationship observed in experiments. This supports the notion that the observed instability is effectively two-dimensional and inviscid (like classical Kelvin–Helmholtz). The growth rate of the perturbations in the gas curtain was also found to be similar for different Mach numbers. The perturbation at the curtain foot, previously unreported in experiments, was found to have a similar relationship to Mach number as the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Both perturbation wavelengths are found to be proportional to layer width. Simulations were performed with the fast interfaces and transport in the atmosphere, an exascale ready, graphics processing unit-accelerated compressible flow solver developed at the University of New Mexico.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

A buoyancy–shear–drag–scalar-based turbulence model for power-law acceleration-driven Rayleigh–Taylor, reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and Kelvin–Helmholtz mixing

A previously developed phenomenological turbulence model for Rayleigh–Taylor, reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability-induced mixing based on a general buoyancy–shear–drag model [O. Schilling, “A buoyancy–shear–drag-based turbulence model for Rayleigh–Taylor, reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and Kelvin–Helmholtz mixing,” Physica D 402, 132238 (2020)] is extended to include active or passive scalar mixing and power-law acceleration-driven Rayleigh–Taylor mixing. The buoyancy–shear–drag equations are coupled to a scalar variance equation that is used to define the molecular mixing parameter θ m , and when the scalar is active, modifies the Rayleigh–Taylor and Kelvin–Helmholtz mixing layer growth parameters to depend on the asymptotic value of this parameter, θ mol . Here, the scalar variance equation is closed by algebraically or differentially modeling the scalar variance dissipation rate. Nonlinear analytical solutions of the model are obtained in the total and separate bubble and spike mixing layer width formulations with the algebraic scalar variance dissipation rate for each instability, which are then used to calibrate the mechanical and scalar equation coefficients to predict specific values of physical observables and molecular mixing parameters. Surrogate mechanical and scalar turbulent fields can be constructed by multiplying a presumed self-similar spatial profile by appropriate functions of the width and its time derivative, and of the scalar obtained by solving the ordinary differential model equations. The explicit modeling and solution of turbulent transport equations are not required. The bubble and spike mixing layer width and scalar variance equations are then solved numerically for constant-acceleration Rayleigh–Taylor, impulsively reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and Kelvin–Helmholtz mixing, confirming that the prescribed level of molecular mixing is correctly predicted and illustrating the spatiotemporal evolution of the scalar fields.

Buoyancy–drag↗
DOE OSTI2025

Theory of Cation Solvation in the Helmholtz Layer of Li-Ion Battery Electrolytes

The solvation environments of Li + in conventional nonaqueous battery electrolytes, such as LiPF 6 in mixtures of ethylene carbaronate (EC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), are often used to rationalize transport properties and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation. Solvation environments in the compact electrical double layer (EDL) next to the electrode, also known as the Helmholtz layer, determine (partially) what species can react to form the SEI, with bulk solvation environments often being used as a proxy. Here, we develop and test a theory of cation solvation in the Helmholtz layer of nonaqueous Li-ion battery electrolytes. First, we validate the theory against bulk and diffuse EDL atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of LiPF 6 EC/EMC mixtures as a function of surface charge, where we find the theory can qualitatively capture the solvation environments. Next, we turn to the Helmholtz layer, where we find the main effect of the solvation structures next to the electrode is an apparent reduction in the number of binding sites between Li + and the solvents, again where we find reasonable agreement with our developed theory. Finally, by solving a simplified version of the theory, we find that the probability of Li + binding to each solvent remains equal to the bulk probability, suggesting that the bulk solvation environments are a reasonable place to start when understanding battery electrolytes. Our developed formalism can be parametrized from bulk MD simulations and used to predict the solvation environments in the Helmholtz layer through reducing the number of available coordination sites, which can be used to determine what could react and form the SEI.

Helmholtz↗
DOE OSTI2018

Parallel Ellipsoidal Perfectly Matched Layers for Acoustic Helmholtz Problems on Exterior Domains

Exterior acoustic problems occur in a wide range of applications, making the finite element analysis of such problems a common practice in the engineering community. Various methods for truncating infinite exterior domains have been developed, including absorbing boundary conditions, infinite elements, and more recently, perfectly matched layers (PML). PML are gaining popularity due to their generality, ease of implementation, and effectiveness as an absorbing boundary condition. PML formulations have been developed in Cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical geometries, but not ellipsoidal. In addition, the parallel solution of PML formulations with iterative solvers for the solution of the Helmholtz equation, and how this compares with more traditional strategies such as infinite elements, has not been adequately investigated. In this study, we present a parallel, ellipsoidal PML formulation for acoustic Helmholtz problems. To faciliate the meshing process, the ellipsoidal PML layer is generated with an on-the-fly mesh extrusion. Though the complex stretching is defined along ellipsoidal contours, we modify the Jacobian to include an additional mapping back to Cartesian coordinates in the weak formulation of the finite element equations. This allows the equations to be solved in Cartesian coordinates, which is more compatible with existing finite element software, but without the necessity of dealing with corners in the PML formulation. Herein we also compare the conditioning and performance of the PML Helmholtz problem with infinite element approach that is based on high order basis functions. On a set of representative exterior acoustic examples, we show that high order infinite element basis functions lead to an increasing number of Helmholtz solver iterations, whereas for PML the number of iterations remains constant for the same level of accuracy. Finally, this provides an additional advantage of PML over the infinite element approach.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Kelvin-Helmholtz waves in extratropical cyclones passing over mountain ranges: KH Waves in Extratropical Cyclones over Mountain Ranges

Kelvin–Helmholtz billows with horizontal scales of 3–4 km have been observed in midlatitude cyclones moving over the Italian Alps and the Oregon Cascades when the atmosphere was mostly statically stable with high amounts of shear and Ri < 0.25. In one case, data from a mobile radar located within a windward facing valley documented a layer in which the shear between down-valley flow below 1.2 km and strong upslope cross-barrier flow above was large. Several episodes of Kelvin–Helmholtz waves were observed within the shear layer. The occurrence of the waves appears to be related to the strength of the shear: when the shear attained large values, an episode of billows occurred, followed by a sharp decrease in the shear. The occurrence of large values of shear and Kelvin–Helmholtz billows over two different mountain ranges suggests that they may be important features occurring when extratropical cyclones with statically stable flow pass over mountain ranges.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Magnetised Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the intermediate regime between subsonic and supersonic regimes

The understanding of the dynamics at play at the Earth's Magnetopause, the boundary separating the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind plasmas, is of primary importance for space plasma modeling. We focus our attention on the low latitude flank of the magnetosphere where the velocity shear between the magnetosheath and the magnetospheric plasmas is the energetic source of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. On the shoulder of the resulting vortex chain, different secondary instabilities are at play depending on the local plasma parameters and compete with the vortex pairing process. Most important, secondary instabilities, among other magnetic reconnection, control the plasma mixing as well as the entry of solar wind plasma in the magnetosphere. We make use of a two-fluid model, including the Hall term and the electron mass in the generalized Ohm's law, to study the 2D non-linear evolution of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the magnetosheath-magnetosphere interface, in the intermediate regime between subsonic and supersonic regimes. We study the saturation mechanisms, depending on the density jump across the shear layer and the magnetic field strength in the plane. In the presence of a weak in-plane magnetic field, the dynamics of the Kelvin-Helmholtz rolled-up vortices self-consistently generates thin current sheets where reconnection instability eventually enables fast reconnection to develop. Such a system enables to study guide field multiple-island collisionless magnetic reconnection as embedded in a large-scale dynamic system, unlike the classical static, ad hoc reconnection setups. In this regime, reconnection is shown to inhibit the vortex pairing process. This study provides a clear example of nonlinear, cross-scale, collisionless plasma dynamics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Application of bi-Helmholtz nonlocal elasticity and molecular simulations to the dynamical response of carbon nanotubes

The nonlocal theory of elasticity is employed for the study of the free vibrations of carbon nanotubes (CNT). For the first time, a bi-Helmholtz operator has been used instead of the standard Helmholtz operator in a nonlocal beam model. Alongside the continuum formulation and its numerical solution, atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations have been conducted in order to directly evaluate the eigenfrequencies of vibrating CNTs with a minimum of adjustable parameters. Our results show that the bi-Helmholtz operator is the most appropriate one to fit MD simulation results. However, the estimation of vibration eigenfrequencies from molecular simulations still remains an open (albeit well-posed) problem.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY AT CORONAL MASS EJECTION BOUNDARIES IN THE SOLAR CORONA: OBSERVATIONS AND 2.5D MHD SIMULATIONS

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory observed a coronal mass ejection with an embedded filament on 2011 February 24, revealing quasi-periodic vortex-like structures at the northern side of the filament boundary with a wavelength of approximately 14.4 Mm and a propagation speed of about 310 {+-} 20 km s{sup -1}. These structures could result from the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability occurring on the boundary. We perform 2.5D numerical simulations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and compare the simulated characteristic properties of the instability with the observations, where we obtain qualitative as well as quantitative accordance. We study the absence of Kelvin-Helmholtz vortex-like structures on the southern side of the filament boundary and find that a magnetic field component parallel to the boundary with a strength of about 20% of the total magnetic field has stabilizing effects resulting in an asymmetric development of the instability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Observation of single-mode, Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a supersonic flow

This manuscript reports the first observations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability evolving from well-characterized seed perturbations in a steady, supersonic flow. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability occurs when two fluids move parallel to one another at different velocities, and contributes to an intermixing of fluids and transition to turbulence. It is ubiquitous in nature and engineering, including terrestrial systems such as cloud formations, astrophysical systems such as supernovae, and laboratory systems such as fusion experiments. In a supersonic flow, the growth rate of the instability is inhibited due to effects of compressibility. These effects are still not fully understood, and hold the motivation for the current work. The data presented here were obtained by developing a novel experimental platform capable of sustaining a steady shockwave over a precision-machined interface for unprecedented durations. The chosen interface was a well-characterized, single-mode sine wave, allowing us to document the evolution of individual vortices at high resolution. Understanding the behavior of individual vortices is the first of two fundamental steps towards developing a comprehensive model for the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a compressible flow. The results of this experiment were well reproduced with 2D hydrodynamic simulations. The platform has been extended to additional experiments, which study the evolution of different hydrodynamic instabilities in steady, supersonic flows.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Fast Solver for the Fractional Helmholtz Equation

The purpose of this paper is to study a Helmholtz problem with a spectral fractional Laplacian, instead of the standard Laplacian. Recently, it has been established that such a fractional Helmholtz problem better captures the underlying behavior in Geophysical Electromagnetics. In this work, we establish the well-posedness and regularity of this problem. We introduce a hybrid spectral-finite element approach to discretize it and show well-posedness of the discrete system. In addition, we derive a priori discretization error estimates. Finally, we introduce an efficient solver that scales aswell as the best possible solver for the classical integer-order Helmholtz equation. We conclude withseveral illustrative examples that confirm our theoretical findings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Fast Solver for the Fractional Helmholtz Equation

The purpose of this paper is to study a Helmholtz problem with a spectral fractional Laplacian, instead ofthe standard Laplacian. Recently, it has been established that such a fractional Helmholtz problem better captures the underlying behavior in Geophysical Electromagnetics. We establish the well-posedness and regularity of this problem. We introduce a hybrid finite element-spectral approach to discretize it and show well-posedness of the discrete system. In addition, we derive a priori discretization error estimates. Finally, we introduce an efficient solver that scales as well as the best possible solver for the classical integer-order Helmholtz equation. We conclude with several illustrative examples that confirm our theoretical findings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2010

Bistable dark solitons of a cubic-quintic Helmholtz equation

We provide a report on exact analytical bistable dark spatial solitons of a nonlinear Helmholtz equation with a cubic-quintic refractive-index model. Our analysis begins with an investigation of the modulational instability characteristics of Helmholtz plane waves. We then derive a dark soliton by mapping the desired asymptotic form onto a uniform background field and obtain a more general solution by deploying rotational invariance laws in the laboratory frame. The geometry of the new soliton is explored in detail, and a range of new physical predictions is uncovered. Particular attention is paid to the unified phenomena of arbitrary-angle off-axis propagation and nondegenerate bistability. Crucially, the corresponding solution of paraxial theory emerges in a simultaneous multiple limit. We conclude with a set of computer simulations that examine the role of Helmholtz dark solitons as robust attractors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗