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Results for “Monte Carlo simulations”

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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

A Comparison of Experimental EPMA Data and Monte Carlo Simulations

Monte Carlo (MC) modeling shows excellent prospects for simulating electron scattering and x-ray emission from complex geometries, and can be compared to experimental measurements using electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) and phi(rho z) correction algorithms. Experimental EPMA measurements made on NIST SRM 481 (AgAu) and 482 (CuAu) alloys, at a range of accelerating potential and instrument take-off angles, represent a formal microanalysis data set that has been used to develop phi(rho z) correction algorithms. The accuracy of MC calculations obtained using the NIST, WinCasino, WinXray, and Penelope MC packages will be evaluated relative to these experimental data. There is additional information contained in the extended abstract.

Carpenter, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Investigation of radiative interaction in laminar flows using Monte Carlo simulation

The Monte Carlo method (MCM) is employed to study the radiative interactions in fully developed laminar flow between two parallel plates. Taking advantage of the characteristics of easy mathematical treatment of the MCM, a general numerical procedure is developed for nongray radiative interaction. The nongray model is based on the statistical narrow band model with an exponential-tailed inverse intensity distribution. To validate the Monte Carlo simulation for nongray radiation problems, the results of radiative dissipation from the MCM are compared with two available solutions for a given temperature profile between two plates. After this validation, the MCM is employed to solve the present physical problem and results for the bulk temperature are compared with available solutions. In general, good agreement is noted and reasons for some discrepancies in certain ranges of parameters are explained.

Liu, Jiwen↗
NASA NTRS1974

Micrometeoroid abrasion of lunar rocks - A Monte Carlo simulation

A Monte Carlo computer model simulating the randomness of the impact process both in space and in time is developed in order to provide insight into lunar rock erosion by single particle abrasion and into bombardment history of fractional surface areas of lunar rocks. Microcrater frequencies derived from lunar rocks are used to calculate magnitude and probability of each cratering event, and experimental cratering results are employed to determine the eroded volumina for individual crater sizes. It is shown that a fractional surface area of a lunar rock sample may have a completely different bombardment history, and that the exposure histories and actual erosion depths of the surfaces vary accordingly and are highly heterogeneous. A minimum erosion rate of 0.3 to 0.6 mm for the past one million years is obtained.

Hoerz, F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Radiative interactions in multi-dimensional chemically reacting flows using Monte Carlo simulations

The Monte Carlo method (MCM) is applied to analyze radiative heat transfer in nongray gases. The nongray model employed is based on the statistical narrow band model with an exponential-tailed inverse intensity distribution. The amount and transfer of the emitted radiative energy in a finite volume element within a medium are considered in an exact manner. The spectral correlation between transmittances of two different segments of the same path in a medium makes the statistical relationship different from the conventional relationship, which only provides the non-correlated results for nongray methods is discussed. Validation of the Monte Carlo formulations is conducted by comparing results of this method of other solutions. In order to further establish the validity of the MCM, a relatively simple problem of radiative interactions in laminar parallel plate flows is considered. One-dimensional correlated Monte Carlo formulations are applied to investigate radiative heat transfer. The nongray Monte Carlo solutions are also obtained for the same problem and they also essentially match the available analytical solutions. the exact correlated and non-correlated Monte Carlo formulations are very complicated for multi-dimensional systems. However, by introducing the assumption of an infinitesimal volume element, the approximate correlated and non-correlated formulations are obtained which are much simpler than the exact formulations. Consideration of different problems and comparison of different solutions reveal that the approximate and exact correlated solutions agree very well, and so do the approximate and exact non-correlated solutions. However, the two non-correlated solutions have no physical meaning because they significantly differ from the correlated solutions. An accurate prediction of radiative heat transfer in any nongray and multi-dimensional system is possible by using the approximate correlated formulations. Radiative interactions are investigated in chemically reacting compressible flows of premixed hydrogen and air in an expanding nozzle. The governing equations are based on the fully elliptic Navier-Stokes equations. Chemical reaction mechanisms were described by a finite rate chemistry model. The correlated Monte Carlo method developed earlier was employed to simulate multi-dimensional radiative heat transfer. Results obtained demonstrate that radiative effects on the flowfield are minimal but radiative effects on the wall heat transfer are significant. Extensive parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of equivalence ratio, wall temperature, inlet flow temperature, and nozzle size on the radiative and conductive wall fluxes.

Liu, Jiwen↗
NASA NTRS1993

Monte Carlo simulation of radiating reentry flows

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is applied to a radiating, hypersonic, axisymmetric flow over a blunt body in the near continuum regime. The ability of the method to predict the flowfield radiation and the radiative heating is investigated for flow over the Project Fire II configuration at 11.36 kilometers per second at an altitude of 76.42 kilometers. Two methods that differ in the manner in which they treat ionization and estimate electronic excitation are employed. The calculated results are presented and compared with both experimental data and solutions where radiation effects were not included. Differences in the results are discussed. Both methods ignore self absorption and, as a result, overpredict measured radiative heating.

Taylor, Jeff C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Monte Carlo simulation of reentry flows with ionization

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method is applied to a rarefied, weakly ionized, hypersonic flow over a blunt axisymmetric body. An ionization model based on the concept of ambipolar diffusion is used and a model for the sheath is presented. The effects of the new modeling techniques are investigated for flow over the Project Fire II configuration at 11.37 km/s at an altitude of 84.6 km. The calculated results are presented and compared with both experimental data and solutions where ionization effects were not included. In general, the calculated results overpredict the experimental values by about 15-20 percent.

Taylor, Jeff C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Monte Carlo simulation of entry in the Martian atmosphere

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method of Bird is used to investigate the characteristics of low density hypersonic flowfields for typical aerobrakes during Martian atmospheric entry. The method allows for both thermal and chemical nonequilibrium. Results are presented for a sixty-degree spherically blunt cone for various nose radii and altitudes.

Hash, David B.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Adaptive domain decomposition for Monte Carlo simulations on parallel processors

A method is described for performing direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) calculations on parallel processors using adaptive domain decomposition to distribute the computational work load. The method has been implemented on a commercially available hypercube and benchmark results are presented which show the performance of the method relative to current supercomputers. The problems studied were simulations of equilibrium conditions in a closed, stationary box, a two-dimensional vortex flow, and the hypersonic, rarefield flow in a two-dimensional channel. For these problems, the parallel DSMC method ran 5 to 13 times faster than on a single processor of a Cray-2. The adaptive decomposition method worked well in uniformly distributing the computational work over an arbitrary number of processors and reduced the average computational time by over a factor of two in certain cases.

Wilmoth, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Adaptive domain decomposition for Monte Carlo simulations on parallel processors

A method is described for performing direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) calculations on parallel processors using adaptive domain decomposition to distribute the computational work load. The method has been implemented on a commercially available hypercube and benchmark results are presented which show the performance of the method relative to current supercomputers. The problems studied were simulations of equilibrium conditions in a closed, stationary box, a two-dimensional vortex flow, and the hypersonic, rarefied flow in a two-dimensional channel. For these problems, the parallel DSMC method ran 5 to 13 times faster than on a single processor of a Cray-2. The adaptive decomposition method worked well in uniformly distributing the computational work over an arbitrary number of processors and reduced the average computational time by over a factor of two in certain cases.

Wilmoth, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Direct Monte Carlo Simulations of Hypersonic Viscous Interactions Including Separation

Results of calculations obtained using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method for Mach 25 flow over a control surface are presented. The numerical simulations are for a 35-deg compression ramp at a low-density wind-tunnel test condition. Calculations obtained using both two- and three-dimensional solutions are reviewed, and a qualitative comparison is made with the oil flow pictures highlight separation and three-dimensional flow structure.

Moss, James N.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Role of Boundary Conditions in Monte Carlo Simulation of MEMS Devices

A study is made of the issues surrounding prediction of microchannel flows using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. This investigation includes the introduction and use of new inflow and outflow boundary conditions suitable for subsonic flows. A series of test simulations for a moderate-size microchannel indicates that a high degree of grid under-resolution in the streamwise direction may be tolerated without loss of accuracy. In addition, the results demonstrate the importance of physically correct boundary conditions, as well as possibilities for reducing the time associated with the transient phase of a simulation. These results imply that simulations of longer ducts may be more feasible than previously envisioned.

Nance, Robert P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Monte Carlo simulation of reentry plasmas

Attention is given to the treatment of ionization and plasma effects in the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. The requirements for accurate modeling of reentry plasmas are discussed along with the difficulties these requirements present. The current method for modeling such plasmas is reviewed and an alternative method is presented. Both methods are applied to the flow of a 10 km/s shock wave in air at 0.1 torr; a flowfield directly relevant to the projected aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicle. The results are compared and the differences between the methods are discussed.

Carlson, Ann B.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Monte Carlo simulation of a near-continuum shock-shock interaction problem

A complex shock interaction is calculated with direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC). The calculation is performed for the near-continuum flow produced when an incident shock impinges on the bow shock of a 0.1 in. radius cowl lip for freestream conditions of approximately Mach 15 and 35 km altitude. Solutions are presented both for a full finite-rate chemistry calculation and for a case with chemical reactions suppressed. In each case, both the undisturbed flow about the cowl lip and the full shock interaction flowfields are calculated. Good agreement has been obtained between the no-chemistry simulation of the undisturbed flow and a perfect gas solution obtained with the viscous shock-layer method. Large differences in calculated surface properties when different chemical models are used demonstrate the necessity of adequately representing the chemistry when making surface property predictions. Preliminary grid refinement studies make it possible to estimate the accuracy of the solutions.

Carlson, Ann B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Monte Carlo simulations in support of the Shuttle upper atmospheric mass spectrometer experiment

This paper presents the results of calculations obtained with a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method that describes both the external flow about the nose region of the Shuttle Orbiter and the internal flow in an inlet tube that provides the initial path between the shock-processed gases and a mass spectrometer mounted inside the Orbiter. A dedicated, three-dimensional version of the DSMC was developed during this study for the internal flow simulation along with the procedure for interfacing the external and internal flows. The calculations span the 140 to 95 km altitude range, which includes most of the hypersonic transitional flow encountered during reentry. All calculations were for a multicomponent gas mixture consisting of five chemical species while simulating the effects of transitional, rotational, vibrational, and chemical nonequilibrium. The results of the calculations show that within the entry region of the inlet tube where the gas has equilibrated with the sidewall tube temperature, the pressure is substantially less than the pressure at the external surface. This pressure correction for the entry region is significant for all conditions investigated and increases with altitude. The results highlight the structure of both the external and internal flow. Results of parametric studies show the sensitivity of the equilibrated inlet sidewall pressure to mass flow rates, gas-surface reflection model, tube side-wall temperature variations, and surface recombinations.

Moss, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Efficient Monte Carlo simulation of rarefied flow in a small nozzle

The flow of carbon dioxide through a small conical nozzle is computed using two different numerical approaches. The first of these is the direct simulation Monte Carlo method in which the physical phenomena are modeled at the molecular level. The second technique solves the Navier-Stokes equations of fluid flow. The purpose of the paper is to compare the solutions generated by these two methods for the conditions prevailing in a small, low density nozzle. The comparison between the two sets of solutions reveals only small differences. However, the flow properties in the thick viscous layer close to the nozzle at the exit plane show important deviations which have implications for the subsequent determination of the plume backflow.

Boyd, Iain D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A generalized hard-sphere model for Monte Carlo simulation

A new molecular model, called the generalized hard-sphere, or GHS model, is introduced. This model contains, as a special case, the variable hard-sphere model of Bird (1981) and is capable of reproducing all of the analytic viscosity coefficients available in the literature that are derived for a variety of interaction potentials incorporating attraction and repulsion. In addition, a new procedure for determining interaction potentials in a gas mixture is outlined. Expressions needed for implementing the new model in the direct simulation Monte Carlo methods are derived. This development makes it possible to employ interaction models that have the same level of complexity as used in Navier-Stokes calculations.

Hassan, H. A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Proton Upset Monte Carlo Simulation

The Proton Upset Monte Carlo Simulation (PROPSET) program calculates the frequency of on-orbit upsets in computer chips (for given orbits such as Low Earth Orbit, Lunar Orbit, and the like) from proton bombardment based on the results of heavy ion testing alone. The software simulates the bombardment of modern microelectronic components (computer chips) with high-energy (.200 MeV) protons. The nuclear interaction of the proton with the silicon of the chip is modeled and nuclear fragments from this interaction are tracked using Monte Carlo techniques to produce statistically accurate predictions.

O'Neill, Patrick M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Learning About Ares I from Monte Carlo Simulation

This paper addresses Monte Carlo simulation analyses that are being conducted to understand the behavior of the Ares I launch vehicle, and to assist with its design. After describing the simulation and modeling of Ares I, the paper addresses the process used to determine what simulations are necessary, and the parameters that are varied in order to understand how the Ares I vehicle will behave in flight. Outputs of these simulations furnish a significant group of design customers with data needed for the development of Ares I and of the Orion spacecraft that will ride atop Ares I. After listing the customers, examples of many of the outputs are described. Products discussed in this paper include those that support structural loads analysis, aerothermal analysis, flight control design, failure/abort analysis, determination of flight performance reserve, examination of orbit insertion accuracy, determination of the Upper Stage impact footprint, analysis of stage separation, analysis of launch probability, analysis of first stage recovery, thrust vector control and reaction control system design, liftoff drift analysis, communications analysis, umbilical release, acoustics, and design of jettison systems.

Hanson, John M.↗