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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
NASA NTRS1990

A kinetic equation with kinetic entropy functions for scalar conservation laws

A nonlinear kinetic equation is constructed and proved to be well-adapted to describe general multidimensional scalar conservation laws. In particular, it is proved to be well-posed uniformly in epsilon - the microscopic scale. It is also shown that the proposed kinetic equation is equipped with a family of kinetic entropy functions - analogous to Boltzmann's microscopic H-function, such that they recover Krushkov-type entropy inequality on the macroscopic scale. Finally, it is proved by both - BV compactness arguments in the one-dimensional case, that the local density of kinetic particles admits a continuum limit, as it converges strongly with epsilon below 0 to the unique entropy solution of the corresponding conservation law.

Perthame, Benoit↗
NASA NTRS1972

General chemical kinetics computer program for static and flow reactions, with application to combustion and shock-tube kinetics

A general chemical kinetics program is described for complex, homogeneous ideal-gas reactions in any chemical system. Its main features are flexibility and convenience in treating many different reaction conditions. The program solves numerically the differential equations describing complex reaction in either a static system or one-dimensional inviscid flow. Applications include ignition and combustion, shock wave reactions, and general reactions in a flowing or static system. An implicit numerical solution method is used which works efficiently for the extreme conditions of a very slow or a very fast reaction. The theory is described, and the computer program and users' manual are included.

Bittker, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Kinetics of the Reaction C2H + O2 from 193 to 350 K Using Laser Flash Kinetic Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

Rate coefficients for the reaction C2H + O2 are measured from 193 to 350 K by using transient absorption spectroscopy with an infrared color center laser. Ethynyl radicals are produced by pulsed laser photolysis of C2H2 in a temperature variable flow cell and a tunable color center laser probes the transient removal Of C2H ((bar-X(sup 2))Sigma(+))(0,0,0)) in absorption. The rate coefficient has a slight negative temperature dependence over the range 193-350 K which can be expressed as k(O2) = (1.5 +/- 0.3) x 10(exp -11) exp((230 +/- 36)/T) Cu cm/(Molecule.s). The lack of a pressure dependence under our experimental conditions strongly suggests that the HCCOO* complex is short lived with respect to encountering a collision and rapidly dissociates to products without competition from collisional stabilization to HCCOO or collisionally induced dissociation to reactants.

Opansky, Brian J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Kinetic energy equations for the average-passage equation system

Important kinetic energy equations derived from the average-passage equation sets are documented, with a view to their interrelationships. These kinetic equations may be used for closing the average-passage equations. The turbulent kinetic energy transport equation used is formed by subtracting the mean kinetic energy equation from the averaged total instantaneous kinetic energy equation. The aperiodic kinetic energy equation, averaged steady kinetic energy equation, averaged unsteady kinetic energy equation, and periodic kinetic energy equation, are also treated.

Johnson, Richard W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A study of the kinetic energy generation with general circulation models

The history data of winter simulation by the GLAS climate model and the NCAR community climate model are used to examine the generation of atmospheric kinetic energy. The contrast between the geographic distributions of the generation of kinetic energy and divergence of kinetic energy flux shows that kinetic energy is generated in the upstream side of jets, transported to the downstream side and destroyed there. The contributions from the time-mean and transient modes to the counterbalance between generation of kinetic energy and divergence of kinetic energy flux are also investigated. It is observed that the kinetic energy generated by the time-mean mode is essentially redistributed by the time-mean flow, while that generated by the transient flow is mainly responsible for the maintenance of the kinetic energy of the entire atmospheric flow.

Chen, T.-C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Comparison of hydrodynamic and semi-kinetic treatments for plasma flow along closed field lines

Hydrodynamic and semi-kinetic treatments of plasma flow along closed geomagnetic field lines are compared. The hydrodynamic treatment is based on a simplified 16-moment set of transport equations as the equations for the heat flows are not solved; the heat flows are treated heuristically. The semi-kinetic treatment is based on a particle code. The comparison deals with the distributions of the plasma density, flow velocity, and parallel and perpendicular temperatures as obtained from the two treatments during the various stages of the flow. In the kinetic treatment, the appropriate boundary condition is the prescription of the velocity distribution functions for the particles entering the flux tubes at the ionospheric boundaries; those particles leaving the system are determined by the processes occurring in the flux tube. The prescribed distributions are half-Maxwellian with temperature T(sub 0) and density n(sub 0). In the hydrodynamic model, the prescribed boundary conditions are on density (n(sub 0)), flow velocity (V(sub 0)) and temperature (T(sub 0). It was found that results from the hydrodynamic treatment critically depend on V(sub 0); for early stages of the flow this treatment yields results in good agreement with those from the kinetic treatment, when V(sub 0) = square root of (kT(sub 0)/2 (pi)m), which is the average velocity of particles moving in a given direction for a Maxwellian distribution. During this early stage, the flows developing form the conjugate ionospheres show some distinct transitions. For the first hour or so, the flows are highly supersonic and penetrate deep into the opposite hemispheres, and both hydrodynamics and kinetic treatments yield almost similar features. It is found that during this period heatflow effects are negligibly small. When a flow penetrates deep into the opposite hemisphere, the kinetic treatment predicts reflection and setting up of counterstreaming. In contrast, the hydrodynamic treatment yields a shock in the flow. The reasons for this difference in the two treatments is discussed, showing that in view of the relatively warm ions, the coupling of ion beams and the consequent shock formation in the offequatorial region are not likely due to the enhancements in the beam temperatures. The counterstreaming in the kinetic treatment and the shock in the hydrodynamic treatment first advance upward to the equator and then downward to the ionospheric boundary from where the flow originated. The transit time for this advancement is found to be about 1 hour for the respective models. After 2 hours or so, both models predict that the flows from the ionospheric boundaries are generally subsonic with respect to the local ion-sound speed. At late stages of the flow, when a substantial fraction of ions entering the flux tube begin to return back in the kinetic treatment, the hydrodynamic treatment with the boundary condition V(sub 0) = square root of (kT(sub 0)/2(pi)m) yields an over-refilling, and the choice of V(sub 0) becomes uncertain.

Singh, Nagendra↗
NASA NTRS2012

Polarization and Compressibility of Oblique Kinetic Alfven Waves

Even though solar wind, as a collisionless plasma, is properly described by the kineticMaxwell-Vlasov description, it can be argued that much of our understanding of solar wind observational data comes from an interpretation and numerical modeling which is based on a fluid description of magnetohydrodynamics. In recent years, there has been a significant interest in better understanding the importance of kinetic effects, i.e. the differences between the kinetic and usual fluid descriptions. Here we concentrate on physical properties of oblique kinetic Alfvn waves (KAWs), which are often recognized as one of the key ingredients in the solar wind turbulence cascade. We use three different fluid models with various degrees of complexity and calculate polarization and magnetic compressibility of oblique KAWs (propagation angle q = 88), which we compare to solutions derived from linear kinetic theory. We explore a wide range of possible proton plasma b = [0.1,10.0] and a wide range of length scales krL = [0.001,10.0]. It is shown that the classical isotropic two-fluid model is very compressible in comparison with kinetic theory and that the largest discrepancy occurs at scales larger than the proton gyroscale. We also show that the two-fluid model contains a large error in the polarization of electric field, even at scales krL 1. Furthermore, to understand these discrepancies between the two-fluid model and the kinetic theory, we employ two versions of the Landau fluid model that incorporate linear low-frequency kinetic effects such as Landau damping and finite Larmor radius (FLR) corrections into the fluid description. It is shown that Landau damping significantly reduces the magnetic compressibility and that FLR corrections (i.e. nongyrotropic contributions) are required to correctly capture the polarization.We also show that, in addition to Landau damping, FLR corrections are necessary to accurately describe the damping rate of KAWs. We conclude that kinetic effects are important even at scales which are significantly larger than the proton gyroscale krL 1.

Turbulence↗
NASA NTRS2017

Kinetic Scale Structure of Low-Frequency Waves and Fluctuations

The dissipation of solar wind turbulence at kinetic scales is believed to be important for the heating of the corona and for accelerating the wind. The linear Vlasov kinetic theory is a useful tool for identifying various wave modes, including kinetic Alfven, fast magnetosonic/whistler, and ion-acoustic (or kinetic slow), and their possible roles in the dissipation. However, the kinetic mode structure in the vicinity of ion-cyclotron modes is not clearly understood. The present paper aims to further elucidate the structure of these low-frequency waves by introducing discrete particle effects through hybrid simulations and Klimontovich formalism of spontaneous emission theory. The theory and simulation of spontaneously emitted low-frequency fluctuations are employed to identify and distinguish the detailed mode structures associated with ion-Bernstein modes versus quasi-modes. The spontaneous emission theory and simulation also confirm the findings of the Vlasov theory in that the kinetic Alfven waves can be defined over a wide range of frequencies, including the proton cyclotron frequency and its harmonics, especially for high-beta plasmas. This implies that these low-frequency modes may play predominant roles even in the fully kinetic description of kinetic scale turbulence and dissipation despite the fact that cyclotron harmonic and Bernstein modes may also play important roles in wave-particle interactions.

waves↗
NASA NTRS1983

Spectral study of wintertime kinetic energy of the Northern Hemisphere in the troposphere

Characteristics of the kinetic energy of wind fields at various pressure levels were analyzed, and significant wavenumbers in the wavenumber-frequency domain were identified. The nonlinear interaction terms of the kinetic energy equation were examined, and the distribution of the kinetic energy at the 850 mb, 500 mb, and 200 mb levels was calculated. A 5 deg latitude-longitude square grid was used, with NMC data for the 1975-1976 winter in the 20-60 deg N at 500 mb and 20-85 deg N for the 200 mb and 850 mb levels. The kinetic energy distribution was determined to be geography-dependent, with wavenumbers 6-9 westerly waves in the midfrequency range contributing significantly to kinetic energy maxima over the North Pacific and the east coast of North America. The contribution of the nonlinear interactions of these waves, which correspond to the longitudinal convergence of the kinetic energy flux, was found to be larger than the meridional convergence of the kinetic energy flux, and to occur mainly between 30-50 deg N. The nonlinear interactions were a negative contribution over the North Pacific at the 200 mb level.

Lee, H. N.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Simulations of Magnetic Reconnection - Kinetic Mechanisms Underlying the Fluid Description of Ions

Because of its ability to transfer the energy stored in magnetic field together with the breaking of the flux freezing constraint, magnetic reconnection is considered as one of the most important phenomena in plasma physics. When it happens in a collision less environment such as the terrestrial magnetosphere, it should a priori be modelled with in the framework of kinetic physics. The evidence of kinetic features has incidentally for a long time, been shown by researchers with the help of both numerical simulations and satellite observations. However, most of our understanding of the process comes from the more intuitive fluid interpretation with simple closure hypothesis which do not include kinetic effects. To what extent are these two separate descriptions of the same phenomenon related? What is the role of kinetic effects in the averaged/fluid dynamics of reconnection? This thesis addresses these questions for the proton population in the particular case of anti parallel merging with the help of 2D Hybrid simulations. We show that one can not assume, as is usually done, that the acceleration of the proton flow is only due to the Laplace force. Our results show, for symmetric and asymmetric connection, the importance of the pressure force, opposed to the electric one on the separatrices, in the decoupling region. In the symmetric case, we emphasize the kinetic origin of this force by analyzing the proton distribution functions and explain their structure by studying the underlying particle dynamics. Protons, as individual particles, are shown to bounce in the electric potential well created by the Hall effect. The spatial divergence of this well results in a mixing in phase space responsible for the observed structure of the pressure tensor. A detailed energy budget analysis confirms the role of the pressure force for the acceleration; but, contrary to what is sometimes assumed, it also reveals that the major part of the incoming Poynting flux is transferred to the thermal energy flux rather than to the convective kinetic energy flux, although the latter is generally supposed dominant. In the symmetric case, we propose the pressure tensor to be an additional proxy of the ion decoupling region in satellite data and verify this suggestion by studying a reconnection event encountered by the Cluster spacecrafts. Finally, the last part of this thesis is devoted to the study of the kinetic structure of asymmetric tangential current sheets where connection can develop. This theoretical part consists in finding a steady state solution to the Vlasov-Maxwell system for the protons in such a configuration. We present the theory and its first confrontation to numerical tests.

Aunai, icolas↗
NASA NTRS2017

Kinetic Damage from Meteorites

A Near Earth object impacting into Earth's atmosphere may produce damaging effects at the surface due to airblast, thermal pulse, or kinetic impact in the form of meteorites. At large sizes (greater than many tens of meters), the damage is amplified by the hypersonic impact of these large projectiles moving with cosmic velocity, leaving explosively produced craters. However, much more common is simple "kinetic" damage caused by the impact of smaller meteorites moving at terminal speeds. As of this date a handful of instances are definitively known of people or structures being directly hit and/or damaged by the kinetic impact of meteorites. Meteorites known to have struck humans include the Sylacauga, Alabama fall (1954) and the Mbale meteorite fall (1992). Much more common is kinetic meteorite damage to cars, buildings, and even a post box (Claxton, Georgia - 1984). Historical accounts indicate that direct kinetic damage by meteorites may be more common than recent accounts suggest (Yau et al., 1994). In this talk we will examine the contemporary meteorite flux and estimate the frequency of kinetic damage to various structures, as well as how the meteorite flux might affect the rate of human casualties. This will update an earlier study by Halliday et al (1985), adding variations expected in meteorite flux with latitude (Le Feuvre and Wieczorek, 2008) and validating these model predictions of speed and entry angle with observations from the NASA and SOMN fireball networks. In particular, we explore the physical characteristics of bright meteors which may be used as a diagnostic for estimating which fireballs produce meteorites and hence how early warning of such kinetic damage may be estimated in advance through observations and modeling.

Cooke, William↗
NASA NTRS2017

Kinetic Damage from Meteorites

A Near Earth object impacting into Earth's atmosphere may produce damaging effects at the surface due to airblast, thermal pulse, or kinetic impact in the form of meteorites. At large sizes (>many tens of meters), the damage is amplified by the hypersonic impact of these large projectiles moving with cosmic velocity, leaving explosively produced craters. However, much more common is simple "kinetic" damage caused by the impact of smaller meteorites moving at terminal speeds. As of this date a handful of instances are definitively known of people or structures being directly hit and/or damaged by the kinetic impact of meteorites. Meteorites known to have struck humans include the Sylacauga, Alabama fall (1954) and the Mbale meteorite fall (1992). Much more common is kinetic meteorite damage to cars, buildings, and even a post box (Claxton, Georgia - 1984). Historical accounts indicate that direct kinetic damage by meteorites may be more common than recent accounts suggest (Yau et al., 1994). In this talk we will examine the contemporary meteorite flux and estimate the frequency of kinetic damage to various structures, as well as how the meteorite flux might affect the rate of human casualties. This will update an earlier study by Halliday et al (1985), adding variations expected in meteorite flux with latitude (Le Feuvre and Wieczorek, 2008) and validating these model predictions of speed and entry angle with observations from the NASA and SOMN fireball networks. In particular, we explore the physical characteristics of bright meteors which may be used as a diagnostic for estimating which fireballs produce meteorites and hence how early warning of such kinetic damage may be estimated in advance through observations and modelling.

Cooke, William↗
NASA NTRS1978

The effects of divergent and nondivergent winds on the kinetic energy budget of a mid-latitude cyclone - A case study

The magnitude of the divergent component of the wind is relatively small compared to that of the nondivergent component in large-scale atmospheric flows; nevertheless, it plays an important role in the case of explosive cyclogenesis examined here. The kinetic energy budget for the life cycle of an intense, developing cyclone over North America is calculated. The principal kinetic energy source is the net horizontal transport across the boundaries of the region enclosing the cyclone. By investigating the relative importance of the divergent and nondivergent wind components in the kinetic energy budget, it was found, as expected, that neglecting the divergent wind component in calculating the magnitude of the kinetic energy is of little consequence, but that the horizontal flux convergence and generation of kinetic energy depend crucially upon the divergent component. Modification of the divergent wind component can result in significant changes in the kinetic energy budget of the synoptic system.

Chen, T.-C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A comparison of observed and numerically predicted eddy kinetic energy budgets for a developing extratropical cyclone

The eddy kinetic energy budget is calculated for a 48-hour forecast of an intense occluding winter cyclone associated with a strong well-developed jet stream. The model output consists of the initialized (1200 GMT January 9, 1975) and the 12, 24, 36, and 48 hour forecast fields from the Drexel/NCAR Limited Area Mesoscale Prediction System (LAMPS) model. The LAMPS forecast compares well with observations for the first 24 hours, but then overdevelops the low-level cyclone while inadequately developing the upper-air wave and jet. Eddy kinetic energy was found to be concentrated in the upper-troposphere with maxima flanking the primary trough. The increases in kinetic energy were found to be due to an excess of the primary source term of kinetic energy content, which is the horizontal flux of eddy kinetic energy over the primary sinks, and the generation and dissipation of eddy kinetic energy.

Dare, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Kinetic parameters from thermogravimetric analysis

High performance polymeric materials are finding increased use in aerospace applications. Proposed high speed aircraft will require materials to withstand high temperatures in an oxidative atmosphere for long periods of time. It is essential that accurate estimates be made of the performance of these materials at the given conditions of temperature and time. Temperatures of 350 F (177 C) and times of 60,000 to 100,000 hours are anticipated. In order to survey a large number of high performance polymeric materials on a reasonable time scale, some form of accelerated testing must be performed. A knowledge of the rate of a process can be used to predict the lifetime of that process. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has frequently been used to determine kinetic information for degradation reactions in polymeric materials. Flynn and Wall studied a number of methods for using TGA experiments to determine kinetic information in polymer reactions. Kinetic parameters, such as the apparent activation energy and the frequency factor, can be determined in such experiments. Recently, researchers at the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratory suggested that a graph of the logarithm of the frequency factor against the apparent activation energy can be used to predict long-term thermo-oxidative stability for polymeric materials. Such a graph has been called a kinetic map. In this study, thermogravimetric analyses were performed in air to study the thermo-oxidative degradation of several high performance polymers and to plot their kinetic parameters on a kinetic map.

Kiefer, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Mode properties of low-frequency waves: Kinetic theory versus Hall-MHD

In fluid theory, the ordering of low-frequency modes in a homogeneous plasma is based on the phase velocity, since modes do not intersect each other in dispersion diagrams as a function of wavenumber or other parameters. In linear kinetic theory, modes cross each other. Thus a consistent and useful classification should be based on the physical properties of the modes instead. This paper attempts such a classification by documeting the dispersion and general mode properties of the low-frequency waves (omega much less than (OMEGA(sub ci) OMEGA(sub ce) (exp 1/2)), where OMEGA(sub ci), OMEGA(sub ce) are the cyclotron frequencies of the ions and electrons, respectively) in kinetic theory, and by comparing them to the results of two-fluid theory. Kinetic theory gives a seperate Alfven/ion-cyclotron (A/IC) wave with phase speed Omega/k approximately = v(sub A) cos theta for omega much less than OMEGA(sub ci), where v(sub A) is the Alfven velocity and theta the angle of propagation between wave vector k and background magnetic field B(sub o). For a given wavenumber, the magnetosonic mode is a double-valued solution with a singular point in theta, beta parameter space, where beta is the ratio of thermal pressure to magnetic pressure. It is shown that a branch cut starting at the singular point theta approximately 30 deg, beta approximately 3 and leading to larger beta gives a practical and consitent seperation of this double-valued magnetosonic solution. Selection of this branch cut results in a moderately damped fast/magnetos onic and a heavily damped slow/sound wave. A comprehensive review of the polarization, compressibility and other mode properties is given and shown to be consistent with the selected branch cut. At small wavenumbers, the kinetic mode properties typically start to deviate significantly from their fluid counterparts at beta approximately 0.5. At larger beta, there is no longer a consistent correspondence between the fluid and kinetic modes. Kinetic theory also dictates the use of different mode properties to distinguish between them in observational data. For example, the phase between the density and magnetic field perturbation may become useless at high beta, whereas the direction of the magnetic field perturbations with respect to k and B(sub o) remains a useful characteristic. Two quantities based on this characteristic are suggested and are shown to be useful also to distinguish between the mirror mode and A/IC waves in a plasma with temperature anisotropy.

Krauss-Varban, D.↗