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Quantification of resolution and noise effects on thermal dissipation measurements in turbulent non-premixed jet flames

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute

Wang, G.H.; Barlow, R.S.; Clemens, N.T.

One-dimensional (1-D) line Rayleigh thermometry is used to investigate the effects of spatial resolution and noise on thermal dissipation in turbulent non-premixed CH4/H2/N2 jet flames. The high signal-tonoise ratio and spatial resolution of the measured temperature field enables determination of the cutoff wavenumber in the 1-D temperature dissipation spectrum obtained at each flame location. The local scale inferred from this cutoff is analogous to the Batchelor scale in nonreacting flows. At downstream locations in the flames studied here, it is consistent with estimates of the Batchelor scale based on the scaling laws using local Reynolds numbers. The spectral cutoff information is used to design data analysis schemes for determining mean thermal dissipation. Laminar flame measurements are used to characterize experimental noise and correct for the noise-induced apparent dissipation in the turbulent flame results. These experimentally determined resolution and noise correction techniques are combined to give measurements of the mean thermal dissipation that are essentially fully resolved and noise-free. The prospects of using spectral results from high-resolution 1-D Rayleigh imaging measurements to design filtering schemes for Raman-based measurements of mixture fraction dissipation are also discussed.

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Experimental study of scalar filtered mass density function in turbulent partially premixed flames

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute

Wang, Danhong; Tong, Chenning; Barlow, R.S.; Karpetis, A.N.

The mixture fraction filtered mass density function (FMDF) used in large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent combustion is studied experimentally using line images obtained in turbulent partially premixed methane flames (Sandia flames D and E). Cross-stream filtering is employed to obtain the FMDF and other filtered variables. The means of the FMDF conditional on the subgrid-scale (SGS) scalar variance at a given location are found to vary from close to Gaussian to bimodal, indicating well-mixed and non-premixed SGS mixing regimes, respectively. The bimodal SGS scalar has a structure (ramp-cliff) similar to the counter-flow model for laminar flamelets. Therefore, while the burden on mixing models to predict the well-mixed SGS scalar is expected to lessen with decreasing filter scale, the burden to predict the bimodal one is not. These SGS scalar structures can result in fluctuations of the SGS flame structure between distributed reaction zones and laminar flamelets, but for reasons different from the scalar dissipation rate fluctuations associated with the turbulence cascade. Furthermore, the bimodal SGS scalar contributes a significant amount of the scalar dissipation in the reaction zones, highlighting its importance and the need for mixing models to predict the bimodal FMDFs. © 2006 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Structure of a spatially developing turbulent lean methane-air Bunsen flame

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute

Sankaran, Ramanan; Hawkes, Evatt R.; Chen, Jacqueline H.; Lu, Tianfeng; Law, Chung K.

Direct numerical simulation of a three-dimensional spatially developing turbulent slot-burner Bunsen flame has been performed with a new reduced methane-air mechanism. The mechanism, derived from sequential application of directed relation graph theory, sensitivity analysis and computational singular perturbation over the GRI-1.2 detailed mechanism is non-stiff and tailored to the lean conditions of the DNS. The simulation is performed for three flow through times, long enough to achieve statistical stationarity. The turbulence parameters have been chosen such that the combustion occurs in the thin reaction zones regime of premixed combustion. The data is analyzed to study possible influences of turbulence on the structure of the preheat and reaction zones. The results show that the mean thickness of the turbulent flame, based on progress variable gradient, is greater than the corresponding laminar flame. The effects of flow straining and flame front curvature on the mean flame thickness are quantified through conditional means of the thickness and by examining the balance equation for the evolution of the flame thickness. Finally, conditional mean reaction rate of key species compared to the laminar reaction rate profiles show that there is no significant perturbation of the heat release layer.

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Effects of hydrogen gas on steel vessels and pipelines

Materials for the Hydrogen Economy

Somerday, Brian P.; San Marchi, Christopher W.

Carbon and low-alloy steels are common structural materials for high-pressure hydrogen gas vessels and pipelines. These steels are low cost, and a wide range of properties can be achieved through alloying, processing, and heat treatment.1 Fabricating complex structures such as gas containment vessels and pipelines is readily accomplished with steels since these materials can be formed, welded, and heat treated in large sections.

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Combinatorial scientific computing: The enabling power of discrete algorithms in computational science

Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

Hendrickson, Bruce A.; Pothen, Alex

Combinatorial algorithms have long played a crucial, albeit under-recognized role in scientific computing. This impact ranges well beyond the familiar applications of graph algorithms in sparse matrices to include mesh generation, optimization, computational biology and chemistry, data analysis and parallelization. Trends in science and in computing suggest strongly that the importance of discrete algorithms in computational science will continue to grow. This paper reviews some of these many past successes and highlights emerging areas of promise and opportunity. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.

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Excitation of electromagnetic flute modes in the process of interaction of plasma flow with inhomogeneous magnetic field

Astrophysics and Space Science

Sotnikov, V.I.; Presura, R.; Ivanov, V.V.; Cowan, T.E.; Leboeuf, J.N.; Oliver, Bryan V.

Laboratory experiments on the interaction of a plasma flow, produced by laser ablation of a solid target with the inhomogeneous magnetic field from the Zebra pulsed power generator demonstrated the presence of strong wave activity in the region of the flow deceleration. The deceleration of the plasma flow can be interpreted as the appearance of a gravity-like force. The drift due to this force can lead to the excitation of flute modes. In this paper a linear dispersion equation for the excitation of electromagnetic flute-type modes with plasma and magnetic field parameters, corresponding to the ongoing experiments is examined. Results indicate that the wavelength of the excited flute modes strongly depends on the strength of the external magnetic field. For magnetic field strengths ∼ 0.1 MG the excited wavelengths are larger than the width of the laser ablated plasma plume and cannot be observed during the experiment. But for magnetic field strengths ∼ 1 MG the excited wavelengths are much smaller and can then be detected. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007.

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Atomistic simulation of Si/SiO2 interfaces

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

Van Ginhoven, Renee M.; Hjalmarson, Harold P.

Atomistic models of the Si(1 0 0)/SiO2 interface were generated using a classical reactive force field, and subsequently optimized using density functional theory. The interfaces consist of amorphous oxide bound to crystalline silicon substrate. Each system has a sub-oxide layer of partially oxidized silicon atoms at the interface, and a distribution of oxygen-deficient centers in the oxide. Both periodic and slab configurations are considered. © 2006.

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Ignition and devolatilization of pulverized bituminous coal particles during oxygen/carbon dioxide coal combustion

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute

Molina, Alejandro; Shaddix, Christopher R.

Oxygen/carbon dioxide recycle coal combustion is actively being investigated because of its potential to facilitate CO2 sequestration and to achieve emission reductions. In the work reported here, the effect of enhanced oxygen levels and CO2 bath gas is independently analyzed for their influence on single-particle pulverized coal ignition of a U.S. eastern bituminous coal. The experiments show that the presence of CO2 and a lower O2 concentration increase the ignition delay time but have no measurable effect on the time required to complete volatile combustion, once initiated. For the ignition process observed in the experiments, the CO 2 results are explained by its higher molar specific heat and the O2 results are explained by the effect of O2 concentration on the local mixture reactivity. Particle ignition and devolatilization properties in a mixture of 30% O2 in CO2 are very similar to those in air.

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Driver transition geometries and inductance considerations leading to design guidelines for a Z-IFE power plant

Fusion Science and Technology

Smith, David L.; Mazarakis, Michael G.; Olson, Craig L.

A 70-MA, 7-MV, ∼100-ns driver for a Z-pinch Inertial Fusion Energy (Z-IFE) power plant has been proposed. In this summary we address the transition region between the 70 Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) modules and the center Recyclable Transmission Line (RTL) load section, which convolves from the coaxial vacuum Magnetically Insulated Transmission Lines (MITL) to a parallel tri-plate and then a bi-plate disk feed. An inductive annular chamber terminates one side of the tri-plate in a manner that preserves vacuum and electrical circuit integrity without significant energy losses. The simplicity is offset by the disadvantage of the chamber size, which is proportional to the driver impedance and decreases with the addition of more parallel modules. Inductive isolation chamber sizes are estimated in this paper, based on an optimized LTD equivalent circuit simulation source driving a matched load using transmission line models. We consider the trade-offs between acceptable energy loss and the size of the inductive isolation chamber; accepting a 6% energy loss would only require a 60-nH chamber.

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Detailed characterization of defect production in molecular dynamics simulations of cascades in Si

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

Foiles, Stephen M.

Numerous molecular dynamics simulation studies of radiation cascades in Si have elucidated many of the general features of the initial defect production. However, the resulting defect structures have been analyzed with techniques that are not sensitive to changes in the local bonding topology. Here the results of analyzing the ring content in Si cascades, in addition to more traditional defect characterization such as Wigner-Seitz cell analysis, will be presented for recoil energies ranging from 25 eV up to 25 keV. The ring content of local amorphous regions in the cascades will be compared to the ring content in simulations of bulk amorphous Si. The number of atoms in the amorphous regions and the number of point defects as a function of recoil energy are determined. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Large eddy simulation of swirling particle-laden flow in a model axisymmetric combustor

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute

Oefelein, Joseph C.; Sankaran, Vaidyanathan S.; Drozda, Tomasz D.

This paper focuses on the application of the large eddy simulation (LES) technique to a swirling particle-laden flow in a model combustion chamber. A series of calculations have been performed and compared directly with detailed experimental measurements. The computational domain identically matches the laboratory configuration, which effectively isolates effects related to dilute particle dispersion and momentum coupling. Results highlight the predictive capabilities of LES when implemented with the appropriate numerics, grid resolution (as dictated by the class of models employed) and well-defined boundary conditions. The case study provides a clearer understanding of the effectiveness and feasibility of current state-of-the-art models and a quantitative understanding of relevant modeling issues by analyzing the characteristic parameters and scales of importance. The novel feature of the results presented is that they establish a baseline level of confidence in our ability to simulate complex flows at conditions representative of those typically observed in gas-turbine (and similar) combustors. © 2006 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Summary of resources available to small water systems for meeting the 10 ppb arsenic drinking water limit

Krumhansl, James L.; Larese, Kathleen C.

With the lowering of the EPA maximum contaminant level of arsenic from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb, many public water systems in the country and in New Mexico in particular, are faced with making decisions about how to bring their system into compliance. This document provides detail on the options available to the water systems and the steps they need to take to achieve compliance with this regulation. Additionally, this document provides extensive resources and reference information for additional outreach support, financing options, vendors for treatment systems, and media pilot project results.

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The evolving story of information assurance at the DoD

Campbell, Philip L.

This document is a review of five documents on information assurance from the Department of Defense (DoD), namely 5200.40, 8510.1-M, 8500.1, 8500.2, and an ''interim'' document on DIACAP [9]. The five documents divide into three sets: (1) 5200.40 & 8510.1-M, (2) 8500.1 & 8500.2, and (3) the interim DIACAP document. The first two sets describe the certification and accreditation process known as ''DITSCAP''; the last two sets describe the certification and accreditation process known as ''DIACAP'' (the second set applies to both processes). Each set of documents describes (1) a process, (2) a systems classification, and (3) a measurement standard. Appendices in this report (a) list the Phases, Activities, and Tasks of DITSCAP, (b) note the discrepancies between 5200.40 and 8510.1-M concerning DITSCAP Tasks and the System Security Authorization Agreement (SSAA), (c) analyze the DIACAP constraints on role fusion and on reporting, (d) map terms shared across the documents, and (e) review three additional documents on information assurance, namely DCID 6/3, NIST 800-37, and COBIT{reg_sign}.

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Biological research survey for the efficient conversion of biomass to biofuels

Kent, Michael S.; Andrews, Katherine M.

The purpose of this four-week late start LDRD was to assess the current status of science and technology with regard to the production of biofuels. The main focus was on production of biodiesel from nonpetroleum sources, mainly vegetable oils and algae, and production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. One goal was to assess the major technological hurdles for economic production of biofuels for these two approaches. Another goal was to compare the challenges and potential benefits of the two approaches. A third goal was to determine areas of research where Sandia's unique technical capabilities can have a particularly strong impact in these technologies.

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Final report for the ASC gas-powder two-phase flow modeling project AD2006-09

Winters, William S.; Evans, Gregory H.

This report documents activities performed in FY2006 under the ''Gas-Powder Two-Phase Flow Modeling Project'', ASC project AD2006-09. Sandia has a need to understand phenomena related to the transport of powders in systems. This report documents a modeling strategy inspired by powder transport experiments conducted at Sandia in 2002. A baseline gas-powder two-phase flow model, developed under a companion PEM project and implemented into the Sierra code FUEGO, is presented and discussed here. This report also documents a number of computational tests that were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and robustness of the new model. Although considerable progress was made in implementing the complex two-phase flow model, this project has identified two important areas that need further attention. These include the need to compute robust compressible flow solutions for Mach numbers exceeding 0.35 and the need to improve conservation of mass for the powder phase. Recommendations for future work in the area of gas-powder two-phase flow are provided.

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Efficient MATLAB computations with sparse and factored tensors

SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing

Bader, Brett W.

In this paper, the term tensor refers simply to a multidimensional or N-way array, and we consider how specially structured tensors allow for efficient storage and computation. First, we study sparse tensors, which have the property that the vast majority of the elements are zero. We propose storing sparse tensors using coordinate format and describe the computational efficiency of this scheme for various mathematical operations, including those typical to tensor decomposition algorithms. Second, we study factored tensors, which have the property that they can be assembled from more basic components. We consider two specific types: A Tucker tensor can be expressed as the product of a core tensor (which itself may be dense, sparse, or factored) and a matrix along each mode, and a Kruskal tensor can be expressed as the sum of rank-1 tensors. We are interested in the case where the storage of the components is less than the storage of the full tensor, and we demonstrate that many elementary operations can be computed using only the components. All of the efficiencies described in this paper are implemented in the Tensor Toolbox for MATLAB. © 2007 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

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Nanostructured surfaces for microfluidics and sensing applications

Bell, Nelson S.

The present work demonstrates the use of light to move liquids on a photoresponsive monolayer, providing a new method for delivering analyses in lab-on-chip environments for microfluidic systems. The light-driven motion of liquids was achieved on photoresponsive azobenzene modified surfaces. The surface energy components of azobenzene modified surfaces were calculated by Van Oss theory. The motion of the liquid was achieved by generation of a surface tension gradient by isomerization of azobenzene monolayers using UV and Visible light, thereby establishing a surface energy heterogeneity on the edge of the droplet. Contact angle measurements of various solvents were used to demonstrate the requirement for fluid motion.

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Simulating human behavior for national security human interactions

Bernard, Michael L.; Glickman, Matthew R.; Hart, Derek H.; Xavier, Patrick G.; Verzi, Stephen J.; Wolfenbarger, Paul W.

This 3-year research and development effort focused on what we believe is a significant technical gap in existing modeling and simulation capabilities: the representation of plausible human cognition and behaviors within a dynamic, simulated environment. Specifically, the intent of the ''Simulating Human Behavior for National Security Human Interactions'' project was to demonstrate initial simulated human modeling capability that realistically represents intra- and inter-group interaction behaviors between simulated humans and human-controlled avatars as they respond to their environment. Significant process was made towards simulating human behaviors through the development of a framework that produces realistic characteristics and movement. The simulated humans were created from models designed to be psychologically plausible by being based on robust psychological research and theory. Progress was also made towards enhancing Sandia National Laboratories existing cognitive models to support culturally plausible behaviors that are important in representing group interactions. These models were implemented in the modular, interoperable, and commercially supported Umbra{reg_sign} simulation framework.

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Active assembly for large-scale manufacturing of integrated nanostructures

Bachand, George B.; Orendorff, Christopher O.; McKenzie, Bonnie B.; Bunker, B.C.; Spoerke, Erik D.

Microtubules and motor proteins are protein-based biological agents that work cooperatively to facilitate the organization and transport of nanomaterials within living organisms. This report describes the application of these biological agents as tools in a novel, interdisciplinary scheme for assembling integrated nanostructures. Specifically, selective chemistries were used to direct the favorable adsorption of active motor proteins onto lithographically-defined gold electrodes. Taking advantage of the specific affinity these motor proteins have for microtubules, the motor proteins were used to capture polymerized microtubules out of suspension to form dense patterns of microtubules and microtubule bridges between gold electrodes. These microtubules were then used as biofunctionalized templates to direct the organization of functionalized nanocargo including single-walled carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles. This biologically-mediated scheme for nanomaterials assembly has shown excellent promise as a foundation for developing new biohybrid approaches to nanoscale manufacturing.

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Adaptive Peircean decision aid project summary assessments

Senglaub, Michael E.

This efforts objective was to identify and hybridize a suite of technologies enabling the development of predictive decision aids for use principally in combat environments but also in any complex information terrain. The technologies required included formal concept analysis for knowledge representation and information operations, Peircean reasoning to support hypothesis generation, Mill's's canons to begin defining information operators that support the first two technologies and co-evolutionary game theory to provide the environment/domain to assess predictions from the reasoning engines. The intended application domain is the IED problem because of its inherent evolutionary nature. While a fully functioning integrated algorithm was not achieved the hybridization and demonstration of the technologies was accomplished and demonstration of utility provided for a number of ancillary queries.

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Separation of p-Xylene from Multicomponent Vapor Mixtures using Tubular MFI Zeolite Membranes

Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis

Gu, Xuehong; Dong, Junhang; Nenoff, Tina M.; Ozokwelu, Dickson E.

MFI zeolite membranes have been synthesized on tubular α-alumina substrates to investigate the separation of p-xylene (PX) from m-xylene (MX) and o-xylene (OX) in multicomponent mixtures and ranges of feed pressure and operating temperature. 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene was added to the feed stream for online membrane modification. Separation of PX from MX and OX through the MFI membranes relies primarily on shape-selectivity when the xylene sorption level in the zeolite is sufficiently low. For an eight-component mixture containing hydrogen, hydrocarbons, PX, MX, and OX, PX/(MX+OX) selectivity of 7.71 with PX flux of 6.8×10-6mol/m2.s was obtained at 250°C and atmospheric feed pressure. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Defect-related internal dissipation in mechanical resonators and the study of coupled mechanical systems

Sullivan, J.P.; Czaplewski, David A.; Friedmann, Thomas A.; Modine, N.A.; Wendt, J.R.

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Generalization of von Neumann analysis for a model of two discrete half-spaces: The acoustic case

Geophysics

Haney, Matthew M.

Evaluating the performance of finite-difference algorithms typically uses a technique known as von Neumann analysis. For a given algorithm, application of the technique yields both a dispersion relation valid for the discrete time-space grid and a mathematical condition for stability. In practice, a major shortcoming of conventional von Neumann analysis is that it can be applied only to an idealized numerical model - that of an infinite, homogeneous whole space. Experience has shown that numerical instabilities often arise in finite-difference simulations of wave propagation at interfaces with strong material contrasts. These interface instabilities occur even though the conventional von Neumann stability criterion may be satisfied at each point of the numerical model. To address this issue, I generalize von Neumann analysis for a model of two half-spaces. I perform the analysis for the case of acoustic wave propagation using a standard staggered-grid finite-difference numerical scheme. By deriving expressions for the discrete reflection and transmission coefficients, I study under what conditions the discrete reflection and transmission coefficients become unbounded. I find that instabilities encountered in numerical modeling near interfaces with strong material contrasts are linked to these cases and develop a modified stability criterion that takes into account the resulting instabilities. I test and verify the stability criterion by executing a finite-difference algorithm under conditions predicted to be stable and unstable. © 2007 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

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Results 81026–81050 of 96,771
Results 81026–81050 of 96,771