Astronaut William S. McArthur in training for contingency EVA in WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Astronaut William S. McArthur, mission specialist, participates in training for contingency extravehicular activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. He is wearing the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) minus his helmet. For simulation purposes, McArthur was about to be submerged to a point of neutral buoyancy in the JSC Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF).

12. NBS LOWER ROOM. BEHIND FAR GLASS WALL IS VIDEO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. NBS LOWER ROOM. BEHIND FAR GLASS WALL IS VIDEO TAPE EQUIPMENT AND VOICE INTERCOM EQUIPMENT. THE MONITORS ABOVE GLASS WALL DISPLAY UNDERWATER TEST VIDEO TO CONTROL ROOM. FARTHEST CONSOLE ROW CONTAINS CAMERA SWITCHING, PANNING, TILTING, FOCUSING, AND ZOOMING. MIDDLE CONSOLE ROW CONTAINS TEST CONDUCTOR CONSOLES FOR MONITORING TEST ACTIVITIES AND DATA. THE CLOSEST CONSOLE ROW IS NBS FACILITY CONSOLES FOR TEST DIRECTOR, SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE REPRESENTATIVES. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

13. NBS LOWER ROOM. BEHIND FAR GLASS WALL IS VIDEO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. NBS LOWER ROOM. BEHIND FAR GLASS WALL IS VIDEO TAPE EQUIPMENT AND VOICE INTERCOM EQUIPMENT. THE MONITORS ABOVE GLASS WALL DISPLAY UNDERWATER TEST VIDEO TO CONTROL ROOM. FARTHEST CONSOLE ROW CONTAINS CAMERA SWITCHING, PANNING, TILTING, FOCUSING, AND ZOOMING. MIDDLE CONSOLE ROW CONTAINS TEST CONDUCTOR CONSOLES FOR MONITORING TEST ACTIVITIES AND DATA. THE CLOSEST CONSOLE ROW IS NBC FACILITY CONSOLES FOR TEST DIRECTOR, SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE REPRESENTATIVES. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

16. NBS TOPSIDE CONTROL ROOM, THE NBS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER IS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

16. NBS TOPSIDE CONTROL ROOM, THE NBS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER IS VERY CLOSE TO THE WATER'S EDGE AND HERE FOR DIVER EMERGENCY SUPPORT. A MEDICAL STAFF IS LOCATED ON THE MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (MSFC) AND SUPPORTS THE NBS PERSONNEL WHEN HYPERBARIC CHAMBER OPERATION IS NECESSARY. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Mixing with applications to inertial-confinement-fusion implosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rana, V.; Lim, H.; Melvin, J.; Glimm, J.; Cheng, B.; Sharp, D. H.

2017-01-01

Approximate one-dimensional (1D) as well as 2D and 3D simulations are playing an important supporting role in the design and analysis of future experiments at National Ignition Facility. This paper is mainly concerned with 1D simulations, used extensively in design and optimization. We couple a 1D buoyancy-drag mix model for the mixing zone edges with a 1D inertial confinement fusion simulation code. This analysis predicts that National Ignition Campaign (NIC) designs are located close to a performance cliff, so modeling errors, design features (fill tube and tent) and additional, unmodeled instabilities could lead to significant levels of mix. The performance cliff we identify is associated with multimode plastic ablator (CH) mix into the hot-spot deuterium and tritium (DT). The buoyancy-drag mix model is mode number independent and selects implicitly a range of maximum growth modes. Our main conclusion is that single effect instabilities are predicted not to lead to hot-spot mix, while combined mode mixing effects are predicted to affect hot-spot thermodynamics and possibly hot-spot mix. Combined with the stagnation Rayleigh-Taylor instability, we find the potential for mix effects in combination with the ice-to-gas DT boundary, numerical effects of Eulerian species CH concentration diffusion, and ablation-driven instabilities. With the help of a convenient package of plasma transport parameters developed here, we give an approximate determination of these quantities in the regime relevant to the NIC experiments, while ruling out a variety of mix possibilities. Plasma transport parameters affect the 1D buoyancy-drag mix model primarily through its phenomenological drag coefficient as well as the 1D hydro model to which the buoyancy-drag equation is coupled.

Mixing with applications to inertial-confinement-fusion implosions.

PubMed

Rana, V; Lim, H; Melvin, J; Glimm, J; Cheng, B; Sharp, D H

2017-01-01

Approximate one-dimensional (1D) as well as 2D and 3D simulations are playing an important supporting role in the design and analysis of future experiments at National Ignition Facility. This paper is mainly concerned with 1D simulations, used extensively in design and optimization. We couple a 1D buoyancy-drag mix model for the mixing zone edges with a 1D inertial confinement fusion simulation code. This analysis predicts that National Ignition Campaign (NIC) designs are located close to a performance cliff, so modeling errors, design features (fill tube and tent) and additional, unmodeled instabilities could lead to significant levels of mix. The performance cliff we identify is associated with multimode plastic ablator (CH) mix into the hot-spot deuterium and tritium (DT). The buoyancy-drag mix model is mode number independent and selects implicitly a range of maximum growth modes. Our main conclusion is that single effect instabilities are predicted not to lead to hot-spot mix, while combined mode mixing effects are predicted to affect hot-spot thermodynamics and possibly hot-spot mix. Combined with the stagnation Rayleigh-Taylor instability, we find the potential for mix effects in combination with the ice-to-gas DT boundary, numerical effects of Eulerian species CH concentration diffusion, and ablation-driven instabilities. With the help of a convenient package of plasma transport parameters developed here, we give an approximate determination of these quantities in the regime relevant to the NIC experiments, while ruling out a variety of mix possibilities. Plasma transport parameters affect the 1D buoyancy-drag mix model primarily through its phenomenological drag coefficient as well as the 1D hydro model to which the buoyancy-drag equation is coupled.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator - Fluid line repair kit development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Marshall's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) is used to simulate the gravitational fields and buoyancy effects outer space has on astronauts and their ability to perform tasks in this environment. In this example, a diver performs a temporary fluid line repair task using a repair kit developed by Marshall engineers. The analysis will determine the value of this repair kit and its feasibility.

Buoyancy Effects on Flow Transition in Low-Density Inertial Gas Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasumarthi, Kasyap S.; Agrawal, Ajay K.

2005-01-01

Effects of buoyancy on transition from laminar to turbulent flow are presented for momentum-dominated helium jet injected into ambient air. The buoyancy was varied in a 2.2-sec drop tower facility without affecting the remaining operating parameters. The jet flow in Earth gravity and microgravity was visualized using the rainbow schlieren deflectometry apparatus. Results show significant changes in the flow structure and transition behavior in the absence of buoyancy.

Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev receives assistance from suit technician

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Sergei Krikalev, alternative mission specialist for STS-63, gets help from Dawn Mays, a Boeing suit technician. The cosmonaut was about to participate in a training session at JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF). Wearing the training version of the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) space suit, weighted to allow neutral buoyancy in the 25 feet deep WETF pool, Krikalev minutes later was underwater simulating a contingency spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA).

Return to Flight: Crew Activities Resource Reel 1 of 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

The crew of the STS-114 Discovery Mission is seen in various aspects of training for space flight. The crew activities include: 1) STS-114 Return to Flight Crew Photo Session; 2) Tile Repair Training on Precision Air Bearing Floor; 3) SAFER Tile Inspection Training in Virtual Reality Laboratory; 4) Guidance and Navigation Simulator Tile Survey Training; 5) Crew Inspects Orbital Boom and Sensor System (OBSS); 6) Bailout Training-Crew Compartment; 7) Emergency Egress Training-Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT); 8) Water Survival Training-Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL); 9) Ascent Training-Shuttle Motion Simulator; 10) External Tank Photo Training-Full Fuselage Trainer; 11) Rendezvous and Docking Training-Shuttle Engineering Simulator (SES) Dome; 12) Shuttle Robot Arm Training-SES Dome; 13) EVA Training Virtual Reality Lab; 14) EVA Training Neutral Buoyancy Lab; 15) EVA-2 Training-NBL; 16) EVA Tool Training-Partial Gravity Simulator; 17) Cure in Place Ablator Applicator (CIPAA) Training Glove Vacuum Chamber; 16) Crew Visit to Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA); 17) Crew Inspection-Space Shuttle Discovery; and 18) Crew Inspection-External Tank and Orbital Boom and Sensor System (OBSS). The crew are then seen answering questions from the media at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility.

STS-104 Crew Training Clips

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The crewmembers of STS-104, Commander Steven Lindsey, Pilot Charles Hobaugh, and Mission Specialists Michael Gernhardt, James Reilly, and Janet Kavandi, are seen during various stages of their training. Footage shows the following: (1) Water Survival Training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL); (2) Rendezvous and Docking Training in the Shuttle Mission Simulator; (3) Training in the Space Station Airlock; (4) Training in the Virtual Reality Lab; (5) Post-insertion Operations in the Fixed Base Simulator; (6) Extravehicular Activity Training at the NBL; (7) Crew Stowage Training in the Space Station Mock-up Training Facility; and (8) Water Transfer Training in the Crew Compartment Trainer.

Buoyancy Effects in Turbulent Jet Flames in Crossflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boxx, Isaac; Idicheria, Cherian; Clemens, Noel

2003-11-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of buoyancy on the structure of turbulent, non-premixed hydrocarbon jet-flames in crossflow (JFICF). This was accomplished using a small jet-in-crossflow facility which can be oriented at a variety of angles with respect to the gravity vector. This facility enables us to alter the relative influence of buoyancy on the JFICF without altering the jet-exit Reynolds number, momentum flux ratio or the geometry of the system. Results are compared to similar, but non-buoyant, JFICF studied in microgravity. Departures of jet-centerline trajectory from the well-known power-law scaling of turbulent JFICF were used to explore the transition from a buoyancy-influenced regime to a momentum dominated one. The primary diagnostic was CCD imaging of soot-luminosity. We present results on ethylene jet flames with jet-exit Reynolds numbers of 1770 to 8000 and momentum flux ratios of 5 to 13.

17. NBS TOOL ROOM. MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS USED DURING EXTRA VEHICULAR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

17. NBS TOOL ROOM. MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS USED DURING EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITY (EVA) MISSIONS AND NBS TRAINING. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT THE TOOLS ARE: SHUTTLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (STS) PORTABLE FOOT RESTRAINT (PFR), ESSEX WRENCH, SOCKET WRENCH, SAFETY TETHER REEL (LEFT REAR), MINI WORKSTATION (CENTER REAR), TETHERS (FRONT CENTER), HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE (HST) POWER TOOL (FRONT RIGHT), HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE & PORTABLE FOOT RESTRAINT (REAR RIGHT). - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Surface Buoyancy Fluxes and the Strength of the Subpolar Gyre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, A. M.; Gayen, B.

2017-12-01

Midlatitude ocean gyres have long been considered to be driven by the mechanical wind stress on the ocean's surface (strictly speaking, the potential vorticity input from wind stress curl). However, surface buoyancy forcing (i.e. heating/cooling or freshening/salinification) also modifies the potential vorticity at the surface. Here, we present a simple argument to demonstrate that ocean gyres may (in principle) be driven by surface buoyancy forcing. This argument is derived in two ways: A Direct Numerical Simulation, driven purely by buoyancy forcing, which generates strong nonlinear gyers in the absence of wind stress; and A series of idealised eddy-resolving numerical ocean model simulations, in which wind stress and buoyancy flux are varied independently and together, are used to understand the relative importance of these two types of forcing. In these simulations, basin-scale gyres and western boundary currents with realistic magnitudes, remain even in the absence of mechanical forcing by surface wind stress. These results support the notion that surface buoyancy forcing can reorganise the potential vorticity in the ocean in such a way as to drive basin-scale gyres. The role of buoyancy is stronger in the subpolar gyre than in the subtropical gyre. We infer that surface buoyancy fluxes are likely to play a contributing role in governing the strength, variability and predictability of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre.

14. NBS REMOTE MANIPULATOR SIMULATOR (RMS) CONTROL ROOM. THE RMS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

14. NBS REMOTE MANIPULATOR SIMULATOR (RMS) CONTROL ROOM. THE RMS CONTROL PANEL IS IDENTICAL TO THE SHUTTLE ORBITER AFT FLIGHT DECK WITH ALL RMS SWITCHES AND CONTROL KNOBS FOR INVOKING ANY POSSIBLE FLIGHT OPERATIONAL MODE. THIS INCLUDES ALL COMPUTER AIDED OPERATIONAL MODES, AS WELL AS FULL MANUAL MODE. THE MONITORS IN THE AFT FLIGHT DECK WINDOWS AND THE GLASSES THE OPERATOR WEARS PROVIDE A 3-D VIDEO PICTURE TO AID THE OPERATOR WITH DEPTH PERCEPTION WHILE OPERATING THE ARM. THIS IS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE RMS OPERATOR CANNOT VIEW RMS MOVEMENTS IN THE WATER WHILE AT THE CONTROL PANEL. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Dr. von Braun Tries Out the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Director, Dr. von Braun, submerges after spending some time under water in the MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). Weighted to a neutrally buoyant condition, Dr. von Braun was able to perform tasks underwater which simulated weightless conditions found in space.

20. NBS SUIT LAB. TABLE WITH MISCELLANEOUS SUIT PARTS AND ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

20. NBS SUIT LAB. TABLE WITH MISCELLANEOUS SUIT PARTS AND TERRY WEST, A SPACE SUIT ASSEMBLY TECHNICIAN LOGGING SUIT PART DATA. PARTS ON THE TABLE ARE A HARD UPPER TORSO (HUT) (REAR LEFT), FULL HELMET (FRONT LEFT), TWO HELMETS WITHOUT PROTECTIVE VISORS, A PAIR OF GLOVES, AND A BACKPACK WITHOUT VOLUMETRIC COVER (REAR RIGHT). THE BACKPACK ATTACHES TO THE HUT TO MAKE-UP THE UPPER TORSO COMPONENTS OF THE SUIT. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Premixed Turbulent Flame Propagation in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menon, Suresh

1999-01-01

A combined numerical-experimental study has been carried out to investigate the structure and propagation characteristics of turbulent premixed flames with and without the influence of buoyancy. Experimentally, the premixed flame characteristics are studied in the wrinkled regime using a Couette flow facility and an isotropic flow facility in order to resolve the scale of flame wrinkling. Both facilities were chosen for their ability to achieve sustained turbulence at low Reynolds number. This implies that conventional diagnostics can be employed to resolve the smallest scales of wrinkling. The Couette facility was also built keeping in mind the constraints imposed by the drop tower requirements. Results showed that the flow in this Couette flow facility achieves full-developed turbulence at low Re and all turbulence statistics are in good agreement with past measurements on large-scale facilities. Premixed flame propagation studies were then carried out both using the isotropic box and the Couette facility. Flame imaging showed that fine scales of wrinkling occurs during flame propagation. Both cases in Ig showed significant buoyancy effect. To demonstrate that micro-g can remove this buoyancy effect, a small drop tower was built and drop experiments were conducted using the isotropic box. Results using the Couette facility confirmed the ability to carry out these unique reacting flow experiments at least in 1g. Drop experiments at NASA GRC were planned but were not completed due to termination of this project.

Analysis of Buoyancy Module Auxiliary Installation Technology Based on Numerical Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Songsen; Jiao, Chunshuo; Ning, Meng; Dong, Sheng

2018-04-01

To reduce the requirement for lifting capacity and decrease the hoist cable force during the descending and laying process of a subsea production system (SPS), a buoyancy module auxiliary installation technology was proposed by loading buoyancy modules on the SPS to reduce the lifting weight. Two models are established, namely, the SPS lowering-down model and the buoyancy module floating-up model. The main study results are the following: 1) When the buoyancy module enters the water under wave condition, the amplitude of tension fluctuation is twice that when SPS enters water; 2) Under current condition, the displacement of SPS becomes three times larger because of the existence of the buoyancy module; 3) After being released, the velocity of the buoyancy module increases to a large speed rapidly and then reaches a balancing speed gradually. The buoyancy module floats up at a balancing speed and rushes out from the water at a pop-up distance; 4) In deep water, the floating-up velocity of the buoyancy module is related to its mass density and shape, and it is not related to water depth; 5) A drag parachute can reduce floating-up velocity and pop-up distance effectively. Good agreement was found between the simulation and experiment results.

Microbiological assay of the Marshall Space Flight Center neutral buoyancy simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beyerle, F. J.

1973-01-01

A neutral buoyancy simulator tank system is described in terms of microbiological and medical safety for astronauts. The system was designed to simulate a gravity-free state for evaluation of orbital operations in a microorganism-free environment. Methods for the identification and elimination of specific microorganisms are dealt with as measures for a pure system of space environment simulation.

Dr. von Braun Tries Out the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Director, Dr. von Braun, is shown leaving the suiting-up van wearing a pressure suit prepared for a tryout in the MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). Weighted to a neutrally buoyant condition, Dr. von Braun was able to perform tasks underwater which simulated weightless conditions found in space.

Simulations of buoyancy-generated horizontal roll vortices over multiple heating lines

Treesearch

W.E. Heilman

1994-01-01

A two-dimensional nonhydrostatic atmospheric model is used to simulate the boundary-layer circulations that develop from multiple lines of extremely high surface temperatures. Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the role of buoyancy and ambient crossflow effects in generating horizontal roll vortices in the vicinity of adjacent wildland fire perimeters...

Large eddy simulation of pollutant gas dispersion with buoyancy ejected from building into an urban street canyon.

PubMed

Hu, L H; Xu, Y; Zhu, W; Wu, L; Tang, F; Lu, K H

2011-09-15

The dispersion of buoyancy driven smoke soot and carbon monoxide (CO) gas, which was ejected out from side building into an urban street canyon with aspect ratio of 1 was investigated by large eddy simulation (LES) under a perpendicular wind flow. Strong buoyancy effect, which has not been revealed before, on such pollution dispersion in the street canyon was studied. The buoyancy release rate was 5 MW. The wind speed concerned ranged from 1 to 7.5m/s. The characteristics of flow pattern, distribution of smoke soot and temperature, CO concentration were revealed by the LES simulation. Dimensionless Froude number (Fr) was firstly introduced here to characterize the pollutant dispersion with buoyancy effect counteracting the wind. It was found that the flow pattern can be well categorized into three regimes. A regular characteristic large vortex was shown for the CO concentration contour when the wind velocity was higher than the critical re-entrainment value. A new formula was theoretically developed to show quantitatively that the critical re-entrainment wind velocities, u(c), for buoyancy source at different floors, were proportional to -1/3 power of the characteristic height. LES simulation results agreed well with theoretical analysis. The critical Froude number was found to be constant of 0.7. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New technique for simulation of microgravity and variable gravity conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Rosa, R.; Alonso, A.; Abasolo, D. E.; Hornero, R.; Abasolo, D. E.

2005-08-01

This paper suggests a microgravity or variable gravity conditions simulator based on a Neuromuscular Control System (NCS), working as a man-machine interface. The subject under training lies on an active platform that counteracts his weight. And a Virtual Reality (VR) system displays a simulated environment, where the subject can interact a number of settings: extravehicular activity (EVA), walking on the Moon or training the limb response faced with variable acceleration scenes. Results related to real-time voluntary control have been achieved with neuromuscular interfaces at the Bioengineering Group in the University of Valladolid. It has been employed a custom real-time system to train arm movements. This paper outlines a more complex design that can complement other training facilities, like the buoyancy pool, in the task of microgravity simulation.

A design methodology for neutral buoyancy simulation of space operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akin, David L.

1988-01-01

Neutral buoyancy has often been used in the past for EVA development activities, but little has been done to provide an analytical understanding of the environment and its correlation with space. This paper covers a set of related research topics at the MIT Space Systems Laboratory, dealing with the modeling of the space and underwater environments, validation of the models through testing in neutral buoyancy, parabolic flight, and space flight experiments, and applications of the models to gain a better design methodology for creating meaningful neutral buoyancy simulations. Examples covered include simulation validation criteria for human body dynamics, and for applied torques in a beam rotation task, which is the pacing crew operation for EVA structural assembly. Extensions of the dynamics models are presented for powered vehicles in the underwater environment, and examples given from the MIT Space Telerobotics Research Program, including the Beam Assembly Teleoperator and the Multimode Proximity Operations Device. Future expansions of the modeling theory are also presented, leading to remote vehicles which behave in neutral buoyancy exactly as the modeled system would in space.

Effect of buoyancy on appearance and characteristics of surface tension repeated auto-oscillations.

PubMed

Kovalchuk, N M; Vollhardt, D

2005-08-11

The effect of buoyancy on spontaneous repeated nonlinear oscillations of surface tension, which appear at the free liquid interface by dissolution of a surfactant droplet under the interface, is considered on the basis of direct numerical simulation of the model system behavior. The oscillations are the result of periodically rising and fading Marangoni instability. The buoyancy force per se cannot lead to the oscillatory behavior in the considered system, but it influences strongly both the onset and decay of the instability and therefore, affects appearance and characteristics of the oscillations. If the surfactant solution density is smaller than the density of the pure liquid, then the buoyancy force leads to a considerable decrease of the induction period and the period of oscillations. The buoyancy force affects also the dependence of the oscillation characteristics on the system dimensions. The results of the simulations are compared with the available experimental data.

Jernigan and Wolf in Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Astronauts Tamara Jernigan (#1) and David Wolf (#2) are training in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at Marshall Space Flight center with an exercise for International Space Station Alpha. The NBS provided the weightless environment encountered in space needed for testing and the practices of Extravehicular Activities (EVA).

Evaluation of COSTAR mass handling characteristics in an environment. A simulation of the Hubble Space Telescope service mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rajulu, Sudhakar L.; Klute, Glenn K.; Fletcher, Lauren

1994-01-01

The STS-61 Shuttle mission, which took place in December 1993, was solely aimed at servicing the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Successful completion of this mission was critical to NASA since it was necessary to rectify a flaw in the HST mirror. In addition, NASA had never scheduled a mission with such a high quantity of complex extravehicular activity. To meet the challenge of this mission, the STS-61 crew trained extensively in the Weightless Environment Test Facility at the Johnson Space Center and in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at the Marshall Space Flight Center. However, it was suspected that neutral buoyancy training might induce negative training by virtue of the viscous damping effect present in water. The mockups built for this training also did not have the mass properties of the actual orbital replacement units (ORUs). It was felt that the crew should be further trained on mockups with similar mass characteristics. A comprehensive study was designed to address these issues. The study was quantitative, and instrumentation was set up to measure and quantify the forces and moments experienced during ORU mass handling and remote manipulator system run conditions.

Dr. von Braun Tries Out the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper checks the neck ring of a space suit worn by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Director, Dr. von Braun before he submerges into the water of the MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). Wearing a pressurized suit and weighted to a neutrally buoyant condition, Dr. von Braun was able to perform tasks underwater which simulated weightless conditions found in space.

Simulation and preparation of surface EVA in reduced gravity at the Marseilles Bay subsea analogue sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, P.; Gardette, B.; Chirié, B.; Collina-Girard, J.; Delauze, H. G.

2012-12-01

Extravehicular activity (EVA) of astronauts during space missions is simulated nowadays underwater in neutral buoyancy facilities. Certain aspects of weightlessness can be reproduced underwater by adding buoyancy to a diver-astronaut, therefore exposing the subject to the difficulties of working without gravity. Such tests were done at the COMEX' test pool in Marseilles in the 1980s to train for a French-Russian mission to the MIR station, for the development of the European HERMES shuttle and the COLUMBUS laboratory. However, space agencies are currently studying missions to other destinations than the International Space Station in orbit, such as the return to the Moon, NEO (near-Earth objects) or Mars. All these objects expose different gravities: Moon has one sixth of Earth's gravity, Mars has a third of Earth's gravity and asteroids have virtually no surface gravity; the astronaut "floats" above the ground. The preparation of such missions calls for a new concept in neutral buoyancy training, not on man-made structures, but on natural terrain, underwater, to simulate EVA operations such as sampling, locomotion or even anchoring in low gravity. Underwater sites can be used not only to simulate the reduced gravity that astronauts will experience during their field trips, also human factors like stress are more realistically reproduced in such environment. The Bay of Marseille hosts several underwater sites that can be used to simulate various geologic morphologies, such as sink-holes which can be used to simulate astronaut descends into craters, caves where explorations of lava tubes can be trained or monolithic rock structures that can be used to test anchoring devices (e.g., near Earth objects). Marseilles with its aerospace and maritime/offshore heritage hosts the necessary logistics and expertise that is needed to perform such simulations underwater in a safe manner (training of astronaut-divers in local test pools, research vessels, subsea robots and submarines). COMEX is currently preparing a space mission simulation in the Marseilles Bay (foreseen in June 2012), and the paper will give an overview of the different underwater analogue sites that are available to the scientific community for the simulation of surface EVA or the test of scientific instruments and devices.

Investigating Students' Ideas about Buoyancy and the Influence of Haptic Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minogue, James; Borland, David

2016-01-01

While haptics (simulated touch) represents a potential breakthrough technology for science teaching and learning, there is relatively little research into its differential impact in the context of teaching and learning. This paper describes the testing of a haptically enhanced simulation (HES) for learning about buoyancy. Despite a lifetime of…

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-04-18

Marshall's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) is used to simulate the gravitational fields and buoyancy effects outer space has on astronauts and their ability to perform tasks in this environment. In this example, a diver performs a temporary fluid line repair task using a repair kit developed by Marshall engineers. The analysis will determine the value of this repair kit and its feasibility.

Senator John Glenn during water survival training at the NBL

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-04-06

S98-04610 (6 April 1998) --- U.S. Sen. John H. Glenn Jr. (D.-Ohio), attired in a training version of the Space Shuttle partial pressure launch and entry suit, surveys the scene of a bailout training exercise. The giant pool in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL)at the Sonny Carter Training Facility allows the STS-95 crewmembers the opportunity to simulate ejection from an aircraft over water. A number of SCUBA-equipped divers assist in the training exercises. The nearby structure contains a simulated version of the escape pole which is located in the middeck on each of four NASA Space Shuttle vehicles. Parachute drops, raft deployment, water bailing, flare signaling and other survival techniques are also covered in the session.

Astronaut William S. McArthur in training for contingency EVA in WETF

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-09-10

S93-43840 (6 Sept 1993) --- Astronaut William S. McArthur, mission specialist, participates in training for contingency Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. For simulation purposes, McArthur was about to be submerged to a point of neutral buoyancy in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Though the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-2) mission does not include a planned EVA, all crews designate members to learn proper procedures to perform outside the spacecraft in the event of failure of remote means to accomplish those tasks.

Homogeneous buoyancy-generated turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batchelor, G. K.; Canuto, V. M.; Chasnov, J. R.

1992-01-01

Using a theoretical analysis of fundamental equations and a numerical simulation of the flow field, the statistically homogeneous motion that is generated by buoyancy forces after the creation of homogeneous random fluctuations in the density of infinite fluid at an initial instant is examined. It is shown that analytical results together with numerical results provide a comprehensive description of the 'birth, life, and death' of buoyancy-generated turbulence. Results of numerical simulations yielded the mean-square density mean-square velocity fluctuations and the associated spectra as functions of time for various initial conditions, and the time required for the mean-square density fluctuation to fall to a specified small value was estimated.

Using Optimization to Improve NASA Extravehicular Activity Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

Mission Operations Directorate NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NBL Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory ORU Orbital Replacement Unit PET...training is conducted in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab ( NBL ) for full dress rehearsal. The active response gravity offload system is a facility that helps...three NBL runs are dedicated to task and timeline duration validation in normal circumstances, with the possibility of more if the tasks and procedures

Isostasy for Geoscience Labs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diecchio, Richard Joseph

1995-01-01

Presents simple laboratory experiments to help students understand the principle of buoyancy and mass balance. Buoyancy experiments can simulate lithospheric mass balance, crustal loading and unloading, and can be used to model differences between the oceanic and continental lithosphere. (MKR)

Results of Buoyancy-gravity Effects in ITER Cable-in- Conduit Conductor with Dual Channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruzzone, P.; Stepanov, B.; Zanino, R.; Richard, L. Savoldi

2006-04-01

The coolant in the ITER cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) flows at significant higher speed in the central channel than in the strand bundle region due to the large difference of hydraulic impedance. When energy is deposited in the bundle region, e.g. by ac loss or radiation, the heat removal in vertically oriented dual channel CICC with the coolant flowing downward is affected by the reduced density of helium (buoyancy) in the bundle region, which is arising from the temperature gradient due to poor heat exchange between the two channels. At large deposited power, flow stagnation and back-flow can cause in the strand bundle area a slow temperature runaway eventually leading to quench. A new test campaign of the thermal-hydraulic behavior was carried out in the SULTAN facility on an instrumented section of the ITER Poloidal Field Conductor Insert (PFIS). The buoyancy-gravity effect was investigated using ac loss heating, with ac loss in the cable calibrated in separate runs. The extent of upstream temperature increase was explored over a broad range of mass flow rate and deposited power. The experimental behavior is partly reproduced by numerical simulations. The results from the tests are extrapolated to the likely operating conditions of the ITER Toroidal Field conductor with the inboard leg cooled from top to bottom and heat deposited by nuclear radiation from the burning plasma.

Report for neutral buoyancy simulations of transfer orbit stage contingency extravehicular activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sexton, J. D.

1992-01-01

The transfer orbit stage (TOS) will propel the advanced communications technology satellite (ACTS) from the Space Shuttle to an Earth geosynchronous transfer orbit. Two neutral buoyancy test series were conducted at MSFC to validate the extravehicular activities (EVA) contingency operations for the ACTS/TOS/mission. The results of the neutral buoyancy tests are delineated and a brief history of the TOS EVA program is given.

The measurement of solute diffusion coefficients in dilute liquid alloys: the influence of unit gravity and g-jitter on buoyancy convection.

PubMed

Smith, R W; Yang, B J; Huang, W D

2004-11-01

Liquid diffusion experiments conducted on the MIR space station using the Canadian Space Agency QUELD II processing facility and the microgravity isolation mount (MIM) showed that g-jitter significantly increased the measured solute diffusion coefficients. In some experiments, milli-g forced vibration was superimposed on the sample when isolated from the ambient g-jitter; this resulted in markedly increased solute transport. To further explore the effects arising in these long capillary diffusion couples from the absence of unit-gravity and the presence of the forced g-jitter, the effects of a 1 milli-g forcing vibration on the mass transport in a 1.5 mm diameter long capillary diffusion couple have been simulated. In addition, to increase understanding of the role of unit gravity in determining the extent to which gravity can influence measured diffusion coefficient values, comparative experiments involving gold, silver, and antimony diffusing in liquid lead have been carried out using a similar QUELD II facility to that employed in the QUELD II/MIM/MIR campaign but under terrestrial conditions. It was found that buoyancy-driven convection may still persist in the liquid even when conditions are arranged for a continuously decreasing density gradient up the axis of a vertical long capillary diffusion couple due to the presence of small radial temperature gradients.

Role of gas vesicles and intra-colony spaces during the process of algal bloom formation.

PubMed

Zhang, Yongsheng; Zheng, Binghui; Jiang, Xia; Zheng, Hao

2013-06-01

Aggregation morphology, vertical distribution, and algal density were analyzed during the algal cell floating process in three environments. The role of gas vesicles and intra-colony spaces was distinguished by algal blooms treated with ultrasonic waves and high pressure. Results demonstrated that the two buoyancy providers jointly provide buoyancy for floating algal cells. The results were also confirmed by force analysis. In the simulation experiment, the buoyancy acting on algal cells was greater than its gravity at sample ports 2 and 3 of a columnar-cultivated cell vessel, and intra-colony spaces were not detected. In Taihu Lake, gas vesicle buoyancy was notably less than total algal cell gravity. Buoyancy provided by intra-colony spaces exceeded total algal cell gravity at the water surface, but not at other water depths. In the Daning River, total buoyancies provided by the two buoyancy providers were less than total algal cell gravity at different water depths.

Low-g simulation testing of propellant systems using neutral buoyancy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balzer, D. L.; Lake, R. J., Jr.

1972-01-01

A two liquid, neutral buoyancy technique is being used to simulate propellant behavior in a weightless environment. By equalizing the density of two immiscible liquids within a container (propellant tank), the effect of gravity at the liquid interface is balanced. Therefore the surface-tension forces dominate to control the liquid/liquid system configuration in a fashion analogous to a liquid/gas system in a zero gravity environment.

Virtual reality applications in robotic simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homan, David J.; Gott, Charles J.; Goza, S. Michael

1994-01-01

Virtual reality (VR) provides a means to practice integrated extravehicular activities (EVA)/remote manipulator system (RMS) operations in the on-orbit configuration with no discomfort or risk to crewmembers. VR afforded the STS-61 crew the luxury of practicing the integrated EVA/RMS operations in an on-orbit configuration prior to the actual flight. The VR simulation was developed by the Automation and Robotics Division's Telepresence/Virtual Reality Lab and Integrated Graphics, Operations, and Analysis Lab (IGOAL) at JSC. The RMS Part Task Trainer (PTT) was developed by the IGOAL for RMS training in 1988 as a fully functional, kinematic simulation of the shuttle RMS and served as the RMS portion of the integrated VR simulation. Because the EVA crewmember could get a realistic view of the shuttle and payload bay in the VR simulation, he/she could explore different positions and views to determine the best method for performing a specific task, thus greatly increasing the efficiency of use of the neutral buoyancy facilities.

Turbulent convection in geostrophic circulation with wind and buoyancy forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohail, Taimoor; Gayen, Bishakhdatta; Hogg, Andy

2017-11-01

We conduct a direct numerical simulation of geostrophic circulation forced by surface wind and buoyancy to model a circumpolar ocean. The imposed buoyancy forcing (represented by Rayleigh number) drives a zonal current and supports small-scale convection in the buoyancy destabilizing region. In addition, we observe eddy activity which transports heat southward, supporting a large amount of heat uptake. Increasing wind stress enhances the meridional buoyancy gradient, triggering more eddy activity inside the boundary layer. Therefore, heat uptake increases with higher wind stress. The majority of dissipation is confined within the surface boundary layer, while mixing is dominant inside the convective plume and the buoyancy destabilizing region of the domain. The relative strength of the mixing and dissipation in the system can be expressed by mixing efficiency. This study finds that mixing is much greater than viscous dissipation, resulting in higher values of mixing efficiency than previously used. Supported by Australian Research Council Grant DP140103706.

Large eddy simulations of time-dependent and buoyancy-driven channel flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cabot, William H.

1993-01-01

The primary goal of this work has been to assess the performance of the dynamic SGS model in the large eddy simulation (LES) of channel flows in a variety of situations, viz., in temporal development of channel flow turned by a transverse pressure gradient and especially in buoyancy-driven turbulent flows such as Rayleigh-Benard and internally heated channel convection. For buoyancy-driven flows, there are additional buoyant terms that are possible in the base models, and one objective has been to determine if the dynamic SGS model results are sensitive to such terms. The ultimate goal is to determine the minimal base model needed in the dynamic SGS model to provide accurate results in flows with more complicated physical features. In addition, a program of direct numerical simulation (DNS) of fully compressible channel convection has been undertaken to determine stratification and compressibility effects. These simulations are intended to provide a comparative base for performing the LES of compressible (or highly stratified, pseudo-compressible) convection at high Reynolds number in the future.

A Quantitative Investigation of Entrainment and Detrainment in Numerically Simulated Convective Clouds. Pt. 2; Simulations of Cumulonimbus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Charles

1998-01-01

Deep cumulonimbus clouds are simulated using a model that makes accurate diagnoses of entrainment and detrainment rates and of the properties of entrained and detrained air. Clouds generated by a variety of initial thermodynamic soundings are compared. In the simulations, updraft entrainment rates are large near and above cloud base, through the entire depth of the conditionally unstable layer. Stronger updrafts in a more unstable environment are better able to entrain relatively undisturbed environmental air, while weaker updrafts can entrain only air that has been modified by the clouds. When the maximum buoyancy is large, the updraft includes parcels with a wide range of buoyancies, while weaker clouds are more horizontally uniform. Strong downdrafts originate from levels at which updrafts detrain, and their mass flux depends on the mass flux of the updraft. The magnitude of mixing between cloud and environment, not the entrainment rate, varies inversely with the cloud radius. How much of the mixed air is entrained depends on the buoyancy.

Space telescope neutral buoyancy simulations: The first two years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, F. G.

1982-01-01

Neutral Buoyancy simulations which were conducted to validate the crew systems interface as it relates to space telescope on-orbit maintenance and contingency operations is discussed. The initial concept validation tests using low fidelity mockups is described. The entire spectrum of proposed space telescope refurbishment and selected contingencies using upgraded mockups which reflect flight hardware are reported. Findings which may be applicable to future efforts of a similar nature are presented.

EVA Development and Verification Testing at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jairala, Juniper; Durkin, Robert

2012-01-01

As an early step in preparing for future EVAs, astronauts perform neutral buoyancy testing to develop and verify EVA hardware and operations. To date, neutral buoyancy demonstrations at NASA JSC’s Sonny Carter Training Facility have primarily evaluated assembly and maintenance tasks associated with several elements of the ISS. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, completion of ISS assembly, and introduction of commercial participants for human transportation into space, evaluations at the NBL will take on a new focus. In this session, Juniper Jairala briefly discussed the design of the NBL and, in more detail, described the requirements and process for performing a neutral buoyancy test, including typical hardware and support equipment requirements, personnel and administrative resource requirements, examples of ISS systems and operations that are evaluated, and typical operational objectives that are evaluated. Robert Durkin discussed the new and potential types of uses for the NBL, including those by non-NASA external customers.

EVA Development and Verification Testing at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jairala, Juniper; Durkin, Robert

2012-01-01

As an early step in preparing for future EVAs, astronauts perform neutral buoyancy testing to develop and verify EVA hardware and operations. To date, neutral buoyancy demonstrations at NASA JSC's Sonny Carter Training Facility have primarily evaluated assembly and maintenance tasks associated with several elements of the ISS. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, completion of ISS assembly, and introduction of commercial participants for human transportation into space, evaluations at the NBL will take on a new focus. In this session, Juniper Jairala briefly discussed the design of the NBL and, in more detail, described the requirements and process for performing a neutral buoyancy test, including typical hardware and support equipment requirements, personnel and administrative resource requirements, examples of ISS systems and operations that are evaluated, and typical operational objectives that are evaluated. Robert Durkin discussed the new and potential types of uses for the NBL, including those by non-NASA external customers.

Deployment, release and recovery of ocean riser pipes

DOEpatents

Person, Abraham; Wetmore, Sherman B.; McNary, James F.

1980-11-18

An ocean thermal energy conversion facility includes a long pipe assembly which is supported at its upper end by the hull of the floating facility. Cold water flows to the facility from deep in the ocean. The pipe assembly comprises an elongate pipe construction and a weight connected to the lower end of the construction by a line of selected length. A floatation collar is connected to the construction at its upper end to cause the construction to have positive buoyancy and a center of buoyancy closer to the upper end of the construction than its center of mass. The weight renders the entire pipe assembly negatively buoyant. In the event that support of the pipe assembly should be lost, as by release of the assembly from the facility hull in an emergency, the assembly sinks to the ocean floor where it is moored by the weight. The pipe construction floats submerged above the ocean floor in a substantially vertical attitude which facilitates recovery of the assembly.

Assessment of RANS and LES Turbulence Modeling for Buoyancy-Aided/Opposed Forced and Mixed Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clifford, Corey; Kimber, Mark

2017-11-01

Over the last 30 years, an industry-wide shift within the nuclear community has led to increased utilization of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to supplement nuclear reactor safety analyses. One such area that is of particular interest to the nuclear community, specifically to those performing loss-of-flow accident (LOFA) analyses for next-generation very-high temperature reactors (VHTR), is the capacity of current computational models to predict heat transfer across a wide range of buoyancy conditions. In the present investigation, a critical evaluation of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) turbulence modeling techniques is conducted based on CFD validation data collected from the Rotatable Buoyancy Tunnel (RoBuT) at Utah State University. Four different experimental flow conditions are investigated: (1) buoyancy-aided forced convection; (2) buoyancy-opposed forced convection; (3) buoyancy-aided mixed convection; (4) buoyancy-opposed mixed convection. Overall, good agreement is found for both forced convection-dominated scenarios, but an overly-diffusive prediction of the normal Reynolds stress is observed for the RANS-based turbulence models. Low-Reynolds number RANS models perform adequately for mixed convection, while higher-order RANS approaches underestimate the influence of buoyancy on the production of turbulence.

STS-55 MS3 Bernard A. Harris, Jr in EMU at JSC's WETF for EVA simulation

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-11-08

S91-51058 (Dec 1991) --- Partially attired in a special training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, astronaut Bernard A. Harris Jr. is pictured before a training session at the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Minutes later the STS-55 mission specialist was in a 25-feet deep pool simulating a contingency extravehicular activity (EVA). The platform on which he is standing was used to lower him into the water where, with the aid of weights on his environmentally-controlled pressurized suit, he was able to achieve neutral buoyancy. There is no scheduled EVA for the 1993 flight but each space flight crew includes astronauts trained for a variety of contingency tasks that could require exiting the shirt-sleeve environment of a Shuttle's cabin.

STS-114: Crew Training Clip from JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

STS-114 Discovery crew is shown in various training exercises at Johnson Space Center. The crew consists of Eileen Collins, Commander; James Kelley, Pilot; Charles Camarda, Mission Specialist; Wendy Lawrence, Mission Specialist; Soichi Noguchi, Mission Specialist; Steve Robinson, Mission Specialist; and Andy Thomas, Mission Specialist. The exercises include: 1) EVA training in the VR lab; 2) Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) EVA Training; 3) Walk to Motion Base Simulator; 4) EVA Preparations in ISS Airlock; and 7) Emergency Egress from Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT). A crew photo session is also presented. Footage of The Space Shuttle Atlantis inside the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) after its demating from the Solid Rocket Booster and External Tank is shown. The video ends with techniques for inspecting and repairing Thermal Protection System tiles, a video of external tank production at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) and redesign of the foam from the bipod ramp at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF).

Astronaut David Wolf participates in training for contingency EVA in WETF

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-04-03

S93-31706 (3 April 1993) --- With the aid of technicians and training staffers astronaut David A. Wolf prepares to participate in training for contingency Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. Sharing a moveable platform with Wolf was astronaut Shannon W. Lucid (out of frame). For simulation purposes, the two mission specialists were about to be submerged to a point of neutral buoyancy in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Though the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-2) mission does not include a planned EVA, all crews designate members to learn proper procedures to perform outside the spacecraft in the event of failure of remote means to accomplish those tasks.

Astronaut Shannon Lucid in training for contingency EVA for STS-58 in WETF

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-04-03

S93-31697 (3 April 1993) --- Astronaut Shannon W. Lucid participates in training for contingency Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. Behind Lucid, sharing a moveable platform with her, is astronaut David A. Wolf (out of frame). For simulation purposes, the two mission specialists were about to be submerged to a point of neutral buoyancy in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Though the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-2) mission does not include a planned EVA, all crews designate members to learn proper procedures to perform outside the spacecraft in the event of failure of remote means to accomplish those tasks.

EVA Development and Verification Testing at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jairala, Juniper C.; Durkin, Robert; Marak, Ralph J.; Sipila, Stepahnie A.; Ney, Zane A.; Parazynski, Scott E.; Thomason, Arthur H.

2012-01-01

As an early step in the preparation for future Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), astronauts perform neutral buoyancy testing to develop and verify EVA hardware and operations. Neutral buoyancy demonstrations at NASA Johnson Space Center's Sonny Carter Training Facility to date have primarily evaluated assembly and maintenance tasks associated with several elements of the International Space Station (ISS). With the retirement of the Shuttle, completion of ISS assembly, and introduction of commercial players for human transportation to space, evaluations at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) will take on a new focus. Test objectives are selected for their criticality, lack of previous testing, or design changes that justify retesting. Assembly tasks investigated are performed using procedures developed by the flight hardware providers and the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD). Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) maintenance tasks are performed using a more systematic set of procedures, EVA Concept of Operations for the International Space Station (JSC-33408), also developed by the MOD. This paper describes the requirements and process for performing a neutral buoyancy test, including typical hardware and support equipment requirements, personnel and administrative resource requirements, examples of ISS systems and operations that are evaluated, and typical operational objectives that are evaluated.

High-Speed Rainbow Schlieren Visualization of an Oscillating Helium Jet Undergoing Gravitational Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leptuch, Peter A.; Agrawal, Ajay K.

2005-01-01

Rainbow schlieren deflectometry combined with high-speed digital imaging was used to study buoyancy effects on flow structure of a helium jet discharged vertically into air. The experimental data were taken using the 2.2-sec drop tower facility at the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The test conditions pertained to jet Reynolds number of 490 and jet Richardson number of 0.11, for which buoyancy is often considered unimportant. Experimental results show global oscillations at a frequency of 27 Hz in Earth gravity. In microgravity, the jet oscillations vanished and the jet width increased. Results provide a direct physical evidence of the importance of buoyancy on the flow structure of low-density gas jets at a Richardson number considered too small to account for gravity.

Large eddy simulation of fire-induced buoyancy driven plume dispersion in an urban street canyon under perpendicular wind flow.

PubMed

Hu, L H; Huo, R; Yang, D

2009-07-15

The dispersion of fire-induced buoyancy driven plume in and above an idealized street canyon of 18 m (width) x 18 m (height) x 40 m (length) with a wind flow perpendicular to its axis was investigated by Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Former studies, such as that by Oka [T.R. Oke, Street design and urban canopy layer climate, Energy Build. 11 (1988) 103-113], Gayev and Savory [Y.A. Gayev, E. Savory, Influence of street obstructions on flow processes within street canyons. J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 82 (1999) 89-103], Xie et al. [S. Xie, Y. Zhang, L. Qi, X. Tang, Spatial distribution of traffic-related pollutant concentrations in street canyons. Atmos. Environ. 37 (2003) 3213-3224], Baker et al. [J. Baker, H. L. Walker, X. M. Cai, A study of the dispersion and transport of reactive pollutants in and above street canyons--a large eddy simulation, Atmos. Environ. 38 (2004) 6883-6892] and Baik et al. [J.-J. Baik, Y.-S. Kang, J.-J. Kim, Modeling reactive pollutant dispersion in an urban street canyon, Atmos. Environ. 41 (2007) 934-949], focus on the flow pattern and pollutant dispersion in the street canyon with no buoyancy effect. Results showed that with the increase of the wind flow velocity, the dispersion pattern of a buoyant plume fell into four regimes. When the wind flow velocity increased up to a certain critical level, the buoyancy driven upward rising plume was re-entrained back into the street canyon. This is a dangerous situation as the harmful fire smoke will accumulate to pollute the environment and thus threaten the safety of the people in the street canyon. This critical re-entrainment wind velocity, as an important parameter to be concerned, was further revealed to increase asymptotically with the heat/buoyancy release rate of the fire.

Why does tropical convective available potential energy (CAPE) increase with warming?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, Jacob T.; Romps, David M.

2015-12-01

Recent work has produced a theory for tropical convective available potential energy (CAPE) that highlights the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) scaling of the atmosphere's saturation deficit as a driver of increases in CAPE with warming. Here we test this so-called "zero-buoyancy" theory for CAPE by modulating the saturation deficit of cloud-resolving simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium in two ways: changing the sea surface temperature (SST) and changing the environmental relative humidity (RH). For earthlike and warmer SSTs, undilute parcel buoyancy in the lower troposphere is insensitive to increasing SST because of a countervailing CC scaling that balances the increase in the saturation deficit; however, buoyancy increases dramatically with SST in the upper troposphere. Conversely, in the RH experiment, undilute buoyancy throughout the troposphere increases monotonically with decreasing RH. We show that the zero-buoyancy theory successfully predicts these contrasting behaviors, building confidence that it describes the fundamental physics of CAPE and its response to warming.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator: MSFC-Langley joint test of large space structures component assembly:

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Another facet of the space station would be electrical cornectors which would be used for powering tools the astronauts would need for construction, maintenance and repairs. Shown is an astronaut training during an underwater electrical connector test in the NBS.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-NB32-Assembly of Large Space Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, theprospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

Wind influence on a coastal buoyant outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitney, Michael M.; Garvine, Richard W.

2005-03-01

This paper investigates the interplay between river discharge and winds in forcing coastal buoyant outflows. During light winds a plume influenced by the Earth's rotation will flow down shelf (in the direction of Kelvin wave propagation) as a slender buoyancy-driven coastal current. Downwelling favorable winds augment this down-shelf flow, narrow the plume, and mix the water column. Upwelling favorable winds drive currents that counter the buoyancy-driven flow, spread plume waters offshore, and rapidly mix buoyant waters. Two criteria are developed to assess the wind influence on a buoyant outflow. The wind strength index (Ws) determines whether a plume's along-shelf flow is in a wind-driven or buoyancy-driven state. Ws is the ratio of the wind-driven and buoyancy-driven along-shelf velocities. Wind influence on across-shelf plume structure is rated with a timescale (ttilt) for the isopycnal tilting caused by wind-driven Ekman circulation. These criteria are used to characterize wind influence on the Delaware Coastal Current and can be applied to other coastal buoyant outflows. The Delaware buoyant outflow is simulated for springtime high-river discharge conditions. Simulation results and Ws values reveal that the coastal current is buoyancy-driven most of the time (∣Ws∣ < 1 on average). Wind events, however, overwhelm the buoyancy-driven flow (∣Ws∣ > 1) several times during the high-discharge period. Strong upwelling events reverse the buoyant outflow; they constitute an important mechanism for transporting fresh water up shelf. Across-shelf plume structure is more sensitive to wind influence than the along-shelf flow. Values of ttilt indicate that moderate or strong winds persisting throughout a day can modify plume width significantly. Plume widening during upwelling events is accompanied by mixing that can erase the buoyant outflow.

Front fingering and complex dynamics driven by the interaction of buoyancy and diffusive instabilities.

PubMed

D'Hernoncourt, J; Merkin, J H; De Wit, A

2007-09-01

Traveling fronts can become transversally unstable either because of a diffusive instability arising when the key variables diffuse at sufficiently different rates or because of a buoyancy-driven Rayleigh-Taylor mechanism when the density jump across the front is statically unfavorable. The interaction between such diffusive and buoyancy instabilities of fronts is analyzed theoretically for a simple model system. Linear stability analysis and nonlinear simulations show that their interplay changes considerably the stability properties with regard to the pure Rayleigh-Taylor or diffusive instabilities of fronts. In particular, an instability scenario can arise which triggers convection around statically stable fronts as a result of differential diffusion. Moreover, spatiotemporal chaos can be observed when both buoyancy and diffusive effects cooperate to destabilize the front. Experimental conditions to test our predictions are suggested.

Dynamical buoyancy of hydrodynamic eddies. [in solar atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, E. N.

1991-01-01

The dynamical pressure reduction within a vortex tube produces both a tension along the tube and a general buoyancy, analogous to magnetic flux tubes. The dynamical buoyancy causes convective cells to rise at speeds comparable to the rms fluid velocity within the cell. Consequently, the convective cells in a stratified atmosphere are more active than indicated by the standard anelastic approximation. The coherent convective cells at each level actively crowd upward into the convective cells above, elbowing weaker cells out of the way and flattening themselves and others against the upper surface of the convective region. These effects can be seen in the recent SOUP observations of the solar granulation. Deeper in the convective zone the inhomogeneity of the buoyancy may explain the random character of the convective motions that turns up in recent numerical simulations.

Astronauts Hoffman and Musgrave monitor Neutral Buoyancy Simulator training

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-06-15

Astronauts Jeffrey A. Hoffman (far left) and F. Story Musgrave (second left) monitor a training session from consoles in the control room for the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Seen underwater in the NBS on the big screen and the monitors at the consoles is astronaut Thomas D. Akers. The three mission specialists, along with astronaut Kathryn C. Thornton, are scheduled to be involved in a total of five sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) to service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in orbit during the STS-61 mission, scheduled for December 1993.

Astronaut David Wolf participates in training for contingency EVA in WETF

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-04-03

S93-31701 (3 April 1993) --- Displaying the flexibility of his training version of the Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, astronaut David A. Wolf participates in training for contingency Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. Behind Wolf, sharing the platform with him was astronaut Shannon W. Lucid. For simulation purposes, the two mission specialists were about to be submerged to a point of neutral buoyancy in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Though the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-2) mission does not include a planned EVA, all crews designate members to learn proper procedures to perform outside the spacecraft in the event of failure of remote means to accomplish those tasks.

Investigating Students' Ideas About Buoyancy and the Influence of Haptic Feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minogue, James; Borland, David

2016-04-01

While haptics (simulated touch) represents a potential breakthrough technology for science teaching and learning, there is relatively little research into its differential impact in the context of teaching and learning. This paper describes the testing of a haptically enhanced simulation (HES) for learning about buoyancy. Despite a lifetime of everyday experiences, a scientifically sound explanation of buoyancy remains difficult to construct for many. It requires the integration of domain-specific knowledge regarding density, fluid, force, gravity, mass, weight, and buoyancy. Prior studies suggest that novices often focus on only one dimension of the sinking and floating phenomenon. Our HES was designed to promote the integration of the subconcepts of density and buoyant forces and stresses the relationship between the object itself and the surrounding fluid. The study employed a randomized pretest-posttest control group research design and a suite of measures including an open-ended prompt and objective content questions to provide insights into the influence of haptic feedback on undergraduate students' thinking about buoyancy. A convenience sample (n = 40) was drawn from a university's population of undergraduate elementary education majors. Two groups were formed from haptic feedback (n = 22) and no haptic feedback (n = 18). Through content analysis, discernible differences were seen in the posttest explanations sinking and floating across treatment groups. Learners that experienced the haptic feedback made more frequent use of "haptically grounded" terms (e.g., mass, gravity, buoyant force, pushing), leading us to begin to build a local theory of language-mediated haptic cognition.

An analytic model for buoyancy resonances in protoplanetary disks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lubow, Stephen H.; Zhu, Zhaohuan, E-mail: lubow@stsci.edu, E-mail: zhzhu@astro.princeton.edu

2014-04-10

Zhu et al. found in three-dimensional shearing box simulations a new form of planet-disk interaction that they attributed to a vertical buoyancy resonance in the disk. We describe an analytic linear model for this interaction. We adopt a simplified model involving azimuthal forcing that produces the resonance and permits an analytic description of its structure. We derive an analytic expression for the buoyancy torque and show that the vertical torque distribution agrees well with the results of the Athena simulations and a Fourier method for linear numerical calculations carried out with the same forcing. The buoyancy resonance differs from themore » classic Lindblad and corotation resonances in that the resonance lies along tilted planes. Its width depends on damping effects and is independent of the gas sound speed. The resonance does not excite propagating waves. At a given large azimuthal wavenumber k{sub y} > h {sup –1} (for disk thickness h), the buoyancy resonance exerts a torque over a region that lies radially closer to the corotation radius than the Lindblad resonance. Because the torque is localized to the region of excitation, it is potentially subject to the effects of nonlinear saturation. In addition, the torque can be reduced by the effects of radiative heat transfer between the resonant region and its surroundings. For each azimuthal wavenumber, the resonance establishes a large scale density wave pattern in a plane within the disk.« less

Structural assembly demonstration experiment, phase 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akin, David L.; Bowden, Mary L.; Miller, Rene H.

1983-03-01

The goal of this phase of the structural assembly and demonstration experiment (SADE) program was to begin to define a shuttle flight experiment that would yield data to compare on-orbit assembly operations of large space structures with neutral buoyancy simulations. In addition, the experiment would be an early demonstration of structural hardware and human capabilities in extravehicular activity (EVA). The objectives of the MIT study, as listed in the statement of work, were: to provide support in establishing a baseline neutral buoyancy testing data base, to develop a correlation technique between neutral buoyancy test results and on-orbit operations, and to prepare the SADE experiment plan (MSFC-PLAN-913).

Buoyancy compensation of juvenile chinook salmon implanted with two different size dummy transmitters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, R.W.; Adams, N.S.; Rondorf, D.W.

2001-01-01

We investigated the effect of two different sizes of surgically implanted transmitters on the buoyancy compensation of juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. We determined buoyancy by measuring the density of fish with a filled air bladder in graded salinity baths. In addition, we examined the effect of pressure changes on buoyancy by measuring the pressure reduction (PR) at which fish became neutrally buoyant. We found no significant difference between the density of control and tagged groups, indicating that fish were able to compensate for the transmitter by filling their air bladders. However, both groups of tagged fish had significantly lower PR than control fish. Regression analysis of fish density on PR indicated that density of the tagged groups changed at a higher rate than that of the controls. As a result, tagged fish attained neutral buoyancy with less pressure reduction even though the tagged and control groups exhibited similar densities. This relation was confirmed by using Boyle's law to simulate buoyancy changes with change in depth. Although fish compensated for the transmitter, changes in depth affected the buoyancy of tagged fish more than that of untagged fish. Reduced buoyancy at depth may affect the behavior and physiology of tagged juvenile salmonids, and researchers should be aware of this potential bias in telemetry data. In addition, there was little difference in PR or the slope of the density - PR regression lines between tagged groups. This was caused by the small difference in excess mass (i.e., weight in water) of the two transmitters. Thus, although two transmitters may not weigh the same, their effects on buoyancy may be similar depending on the excess mass.

Numerical Simulations of Buoyancy Effects in low Density Gas Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Satti, R. P.; Pasumarthi, K. S.; Agrawal, A. K.

2004-01-01

This paper deals with the computational analysis of buoyancy effects in the near field of an isothermal helium jet injected into quiescent ambient air environment. The transport equations of helium mass fraction coupled with the conservation equations of mixture mass and momentum were solved using a staggered grid finite volume method. Laminar, axisymmetric, unsteady flow conditions were considered for the analysis. An orthogonal system with non-uniform grids was used to capture the instability phenomena. Computations were performed for Earth gravity and during transition from Earth to different gravitational levels. The flow physics was described by simultaneous visualizations of velocity and concentration fields at Earth and microgravity conditions. Computed results were validated by comparing with experimental data substantiating that buoyancy induced global flow oscillations present in Earth gravity are absent in microgravity. The dependence of oscillation frequency and amplitude on gravitational forcing was presented to further quantify the buoyancy effects.

Verification Study of Buoyancy-Driven Turbulent Nuclear Combustion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2010-01-01

Buoyancy-driven turbulent nuclear combustion determines the rate of nuclear burning during the deflagration phase (i.e., the ordinary nuclear flame phase) of Type 1a supernovae, and hence the amount of nuclear energy released during this phase. It therefore determines the amount the white dwarf star expands prior to initiation of a detonation wave, and so the amount of radioactive nickel and thus the peak luminosity of the explosion. However, this key physical process is not fully understood. To better understand this process, the Flash Center has conducted an extensive series of large-scale 3D simulations of buoyancy-driven turbulent nuclear combustion for threemore » different physical situations. This movie shows the results for some of these simulations. Credits: Science: Ray Bair, Katherine Riley, Argonne National Laboratory; Anshu Dubey, Don Lamb, Dongwook Lee, University of Chicago; Robert Fisher, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and Dean Townsley, University of Alabama Visualization: Jonathan Gallagher, University of Chicago; Randy Hudson, John Norris and Michael E. Papka, Argonne National Laboratory/University of Chicago« less

Large-Scale Flow Structure in Turbulent Nonpremixed Flames under Normal- And Low-Gravity Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clemens, N. T.; Idicheria, C. A.; Boxx, I. G.

2001-01-01

It is well known that buoyancy has a major influence on the flow structure of turbulent nonpremixed jet flames. Buoyancy acts by inducing baroclinic torques, which generate large-scale vortical structures that can significantly modify the flow field. Furthermore, some suggest that buoyancy can substantially influence the large-scale structure of even nominally momentum-dominated flames, since the low velocity flow outside of the flame will be more susceptible to buoyancy effects. Even subtle buoyancy effects may be important because changes in the large-scale structure affects the local entrainment and fluctuating strain rate, and hence the structure of the flame. Previous studies that have compared the structure of normal- and micro-gravity nonpremixed jet flames note that flames in microgravity are longer and wider than in normal-gravity. This trend was observed for jet flames ranging from laminar to turbulent regimes. Furthermore, imaging of the flames has shown possible evidence of helical instabilities and disturbances starting from the base of the flame in microgravity. In contrast, these characteristics were not observed in normal-gravity. The objective of the present study is to further advance our knowledge of the effects of weak levels of buoyancy on the structure of transitional and turbulent nonpremixed jet flames. In later studies we will utilize the drop tower facilities at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), but the preliminary work described in this paper was conducted using the 1.25-second drop tower located at the University of Texas at Austin. A more detailed description of these experiments can be found in Idicheria et al.

jsc2016e014547

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-01-12

PHOTO DATE: 12 January 2016 LOCATION: Sonny Carter Training Facility - Neutral Buoyancy Lab SUBJECT: Expedition 50/51 crew members Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet of ESA underwater during a suited run for ISS EVA Maintenance 7 (Battery) training. PHOTOGRAPHER: Bill Brassard (NBL)

jsc2016e014543

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-01-12

PHOTO DATE: 12 January 2016 LOCATION: Sonny Carter Training Facility - Neutral Buoyancy Lab SUBJECT: Expedition 50/51 crew members Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet of ESA underwater during a suited run for ISS EVA Maintenance 7 (Battery) training. PHOTOGRAPHER: Bill Brassard (NBL)

A Combined Experimental/Computational Study of Flow in Turbine Blade Cooling Passage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tse, D. G. N.; Kreskovsky, J. P.; Shamroth, S. J.; Mcgrath, D. B.

1994-01-01

Laser velocimetry was utilized to map the velocity field in a serpentine turbine blade cooling passage at Reynolds and Rotation numbers of up to 25.000 and 0.48. These results were used to assess the combined influence of passage curvature and Coriolis force on the secondary velocity field generated. A Navier-Stokes code (NASTAR) was validated against incompressible test data and then used to simulate the effect of buoyancy. The measurements show a net convection from the low pressure surface to high pressure surface. The interaction of the secondary flows induced by the turns and rotation produces swirl at the turns, which persisted beyond 2 hydraulic diameters downstream of the turns. The incompressible flow field predictions agree well with the measured velocities. With radially outward flow, the buoyancy force causes a further increase in velocity on the high pressure surface and a reduction on the low pressure surface. The results were analyzed in relation to the heat transfer measurements of Wagner et al. (1991). Predicted heat transfer is enhanced on the high pressure surfaces and in turns. The incompressible flow simulation underpredicts heat transfer in these locations. Improvements observed in compressible flow simulation indicate that the buoyancy force may be important.

Launch Deployment Assembly Extravehicular Activity Neutral Buoyancy Development Test Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loughead, T.

1996-01-01

This test evaluated the Launch Deployment Assembly (LDA) design for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) work sites (setup, igress, egress), reach and visual access, and translation required for cargo item removal. As part of the LDA design, this document describes the method and results of the LDA EVA Neutral Buoyancy Development Test to ensure that the LDA hardware support the deployment of the cargo items from the pallet. This document includes the test objectives, flight and mockup hardware description, descriptions of procedures and data collection used in the testing, and the results of the development test at the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS).

Space Station Freedom combustion research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faeth, G. M.

1992-01-01

Extended operations in microgravity, on board spacecraft like Space Station Freedom, provide both unusual opportunities and unusual challenges for combustion science. On the one hand, eliminating the intrusion of buoyancy provides a valuable new perspective for fundamental studies of combustion phenomena. On the other hand, however, the absence of buoyancy creates new hazards of fires and explosions that must be understood to assure safe manned space activities. These considerations - and the relevance of combustion science to problems of pollutants, energy utilization, waste incineration, power and propulsion systems, and fire and explosion hazards, among others - provide strong motivation for microgravity combustion research. The intrusion of buoyancy is a greater impediment to fundamental combustion studies than to most other areas of science. Combustion intrinsically heats gases with the resulting buoyant motion at normal gravity either preventing or vastly complicating measurements. Perversely, this limitation is most evident for fundamental laboratory experiments; few practical combustion phenomena are significantly affected by buoyancy. Thus, we have never observed the most fundamental combustion phenomena - laminar premixed and diffusion flames, heterogeneous flames of particles and surfaces, low-speed turbulent flames, etc. - without substantial buoyant disturbances. This precludes rational merging of theory, where buoyancy is of little interest, and experiments, that always are contaminated by buoyancy, which is the traditional path for developing most areas of science. The current microgravity combustion program seeks to rectify this deficiency using both ground-based and space-based facilities, with experiments involving space-based facilities including: laminar premixed flames, soot processes in laminar jet diffusion flames, structure of laminar and turbulent jet diffusion flames, solid surface combustion, one-dimensional smoldering, ignition and flame spread of liquids, drop combustion, and quenching of panicle-air flames. Unfortunately, the same features that make microgravity attractive for fundamental combustion experiments, introduce new fire and explosion hazards that have no counterpart on earth. For example, microgravity can cause broader flammability limits, novel regimes of flame spread, enhanced effects of flame radiation, slower fire detector response, and enhanced combustion upon injecting fire extinguishing agents, among others. On the other hand, spacecraft provide an opportunity to use 'fire-safe' atmospheres due to their controlled environment. Investigation of these problems is just beginning, with specific fire safety experiments supplementing the space based fundamental experiments listed earlier; thus, much remains to be done to develop an adequate technology base for fire and explosion safety considerations for spacecraft.

NIF laboratory astrophysics simulations investigating the effects of a radiative shock on hydrodynamic instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angulo, A. A.; Kuranz, C. C.; Drake, R. P.; Huntington, C. M.; Park, H.-S.; Remington, B. A.; Kalantar, D.; MacLaren, S.; Raman, K.; Miles, A.; Trantham, Matthew; Kline, J. L.; Flippo, K.; Doss, F. W.; Shvarts, D.

2016-10-01

This poster will describe simulations based on results from ongoing laboratory astrophysics experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) relevant to the effects of radiative shock on hydrodynamically unstable surfaces. The experiments performed on NIF uniquely provide the necessary conditions required to emulate radiative shock that occurs in astrophysical systems. The core-collapse explosions of red supergiant stars is such an example wherein the interaction between the supernova ejecta and the circumstellar medium creates a region susceptible to Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instabilities. Radiative and nonradiative experiments were performed to show that R-T growth should be reduced by the effects of the radiative shocks that occur during this core-collapse. Simulations were performed using the radiation hydrodynamics code Hyades using the experimental conditions to find the mean interface acceleration of the instability and then further analyzed in the buoyancy drag model to observe how the material expansion contributes to the mix-layer growth. This work is funded by the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas under Grant Number DE-FG52-09NA29548.

Numerical analysis of buoyancy effects during the dissolution and transport of oxygenated gasoline in groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molson, J.; Mocanu, M.; Barker, J.

2008-07-01

Dissolution of oxygenated gasoline, as well as buoyancy-driven groundwater flow and transport of the multicomponent dissolved phase plumes, is simulated numerically in three dimensions. The simulations are based on a field experiment described by Mocanu (2007) in which three oxygenated gasoline sources were emplaced as nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) below the water table of the shallow sand aquifer at Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario. The sources were composed of an ethanol-free gasoline mixture spiked with 9.8% methyl tert-butyl ether and 0.2% tert-butyl alcohol (GMT-E0), a gasoline with 10% ethanol (E10), and a source with 95% ethanol (E95). The numerical model includes dissolution of gasoline as a NAPL, density-dependent groundwater flow, advective-dispersive transport of the dissolved components, and ethanol cosolvency and degradation. Buoyancy effects in the dissolved plumes were compared under a homogeneous hydraulic conductivity field as well as with five realizations of spatially correlated random fields representing the Borden aquifer. The simulations showed that buoyancy was most significant in the E95 source plumes within the homogeneous system, having induced after 150 days a net upward displacement of the local peak concentrations for all but the least soluble component of approximately 1.5 m. The peak rise in ethanol from the GMT-E0 and E10 plumes was about 0.6 m. The results highlight the importance of shallow monitoring wells when monitoring high oxygenate fraction gasoline spills in groundwater and have implications for assessing mass fluxes and biodegradation rates.

A sharp interface immersed boundary method for vortex-induced vibration in the presence of thermal buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garg, Hemanshul; Soti, Atul K.; Bhardwaj, Rajneesh

2018-02-01

We report the development of an in-house fluid-structure interaction solver and its application to vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of an elastically mounted cylinder in the presence of thermal buoyancy. The flow solver utilizes a sharp interface immersed boundary method, and in the present work, we extend it to account for the thermal buoyancy using Boussinesq approximation and couple it with a spring-mass system of the VIV. The one-way coupling utilizes an explicit time integration scheme and is computationally efficient. We present benchmark code verifications of the solver for natural convection, mixed convection, and VIV. In addition, we verify a coupled VIV-thermal buoyancy problem at a Reynolds number, Re = 150. We numerically demonstrate the onset of the VIV in the presence of the thermal buoyancy for an insulated cylinder at low Re. The buoyancy is induced by two parallel plates, kept in the direction of flow and symmetrically placed around the cylinder. The plates are maintained at the hot and cold temperature to the same degree relative to the ambient. In the absence of the thermal buoyancy (i.e., the plates are at ambient temperature), the VIV does not occur for Re ≤ 20 due to stable shear layers. By contrast, the thermal buoyancy induces flow instability and the vortex shedding helps us to achieve the VIV at Re ≤ 20, lower than the critical value of Re (≈21.7), reported in the literature, for a self-sustained VIV in the absence of the thermal buoyancy. The present simulations show that the lowest Re to achieve VIV in the presence of the thermal buoyancy is around Re ≈ 3, at Richardson number, Ri = 1. We examine the effect of the reduced velocity (UR), mass ratio (m), Prandtl number (Pr), Richardson number (Ri) on the displacement of the cylinder, lift coefficient, oscillation frequency, the phase difference between displacement and lift force, and wake structures. We obtain a significantly larger vibration amplitude of the cylinder over a wide range of UR as compared to that in the absence of the thermal buoyancy.

15. NBS TOP SIDE CONTROL ROOM. THE SUIT SYSTEMS CONSOLE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. NBS TOP SIDE CONTROL ROOM. THE SUIT SYSTEMS CONSOLE IS USED TO CONTROL AIR FLOW AND WATER FLOW TO THE UNDERWATER SPACE SUIT DURING THE TEST. THE SUIT SYSTEMS ENGINEER MONITORS AIR FLOW ON THE PANEL TO THE LEFT, AND SUIT DATA ON THE COMPUTER MONITOR JUST SLIGHTLY TO HIS LEFT. WATER FLOW IS MONITORED ON THE PANEL JUST SLIGHTLY TO HIS RIGHT AND TEST VIDEO TO HIS FAR RIGHT. THE DECK CHIEF MONITORS THE DIVER'S DIVE TIMES ON THE COMPUTER IN THE UPPER RIGHT. THE DECK CHIEF LOGS THEM IN AS THEY ENTER THE WATER, AND LOGS THEM OUT AS THEY EXIT THE WATER. THE COMPUTER CALCULATES TOTAL DIVE TIME. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Field Effects of Buoyancy on Lean Premixed Turbulent Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, R. K.; Johnson, M. R.; Greenberg, P. S.; Wernet, M. P.

2003-01-01

The study of field effects of buoyancy on premixed turbulent flames is directed towards the advancement of turbulent combustion theory and the development of cleaner combustion technologies. Turbulent combustion is considered the most important unsolved problem in combustion science and laboratory studies of turbulence flame processes are vital to theoretical development. Although buoyancy is dominant in laboratory flames, most combustion models are not yet capable to consider buoyancy effects. This inconsistency has impeded the validation of theories and numerical simulations with experiments. Conversely, the understanding of buoyancy effects is far too limited to help develop buoyant flame models. Our research is also relevant to combustion technology because lean premixed combustion is a proven method to reduce the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). In industrial lean premixed combustion systems, their operating conditions make them susceptible to buoyancy thus affecting heat distribution, emissions, stability, flashback and blowoff. But little knowledge is available to guide combustion engineers as to how to avoid or overcome these problems. Our hypothesis is that through its influence on the mean pressure field, buoyancy has direct and indirect effects on local flame/turbulence interactions. Although buoyancy acts on the hot products in the farfield the effect is also felt in the nearfield region upstream of the flame. These changes also influence the generation and dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy inside the flame brush and throughout the flowfield. Moreover, the plume of an open flame is unstable and the periodic fluctuations make additional contributions to flame front dynamics in the farfield. Therefore, processes such as flame wrinkling, flow acceleration due to heat release and flame- generated vorticity are all affected. Other global flame properties (e.g. flame stabilization limits and flame speed) may all be coupled to buoyancy. This problem poses major challenges to combustion modeling due to its need for a computation domain extending into the farfield and full specifications of upstream, wall and downstream boundary conditions.

Buoyancy forcing and the MOC: insights from experiments, simulations and global models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, B. L.; Passaggia, P. Y.; Zemskova, V.

2017-12-01

The driving forces behind the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) have been widely debated, with wind-driven upwelling, surface buoyancy fluxes due to heating/cooling/freshwater input, and vertical diffusion due to turbulent mixing all thought to play significant roles. To explore the specific role of buoyancy forcing we present results from experiments and simulations of Horizontal Convection (HC), where a circulation is driven by differential buoyancy forcing applied along a horizontal surface. We interpret these results using energy budgets based on the local Available Potential Energy framework introduced in [Scotti and White, J. Fluid Mech., 2014]. We first describe HC experiments driven by the diffusion of salt in water across membranes localized at the surface, at Schmidt numbers {Sc}≈ 610 and Rayleigh numbers in the range 1012 < Ra=Δ b L3/(ν κ ) < 1017, where ν is the kinematic viscosity of water, κ is the diffusion coefficient of salt, L=[.5,2,5]m is the length of the different tanks and Δ b=g(ρ salt}-ρ {fresh}/ρ_{fresh is the reduced gravity difference. We show that the scaling follows a Nu ˜ Ra1/4 type scaling recently theorized by Shishkina et; al. (2016). We then present numerical results for rotating horizontal convection with a zonally re-entrant channel to represent the Southern Ocean branch of the MOC. While the zonal wind stress profile is important to the spatial pattern of the circulation, perhaps surprisingly, the energy budget shows only a weak dependence on the magnitude of the wind input, suggesting that surface APE generation by buoyancy forcing is dominant in driving the overturning circulation.

Segregation of large granules from close-packed cluster of small granules due to buoyancy.

PubMed

Yang, Xian-qing; Zhou, Kun; Qiu, Kang; Zhao, Yue-min

2006-03-01

Segregation of large granules in a vibrofluidized granular bed with inhomogeneous granular number density distribution is studied by an event-driven algorithm. Simulation results show that the mean vertical position of large granules decreases with the increase of the density ration of the large granules to the small ones. This conclusion is consistent with the explanation that the net pressure due to the small surrounding particle impacts balances the large granular weight, and indict that the upward movement of the large granules is driven by the buoyancy. The values of temperature, density, and pressure of the systems are also computed by changing the conditions such as heating temperature on the bottom and restitution coefficient of particles. These results indicate that the segregation of large granules also happen in the systems with density inversion or even close-packed cluster of particles floating on a low-density fluid, due to the buoyancy. An equation of state is proposed to explain the buoyancy.

Transient laminar opposing mixed convection in a symmetrically heated duct with a plane symmetric sudden contraction-expansion: Buoyancy an inclination effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Suástegui, Lorenzo; Barreto, Enrique; Treviño, César

2015-11-01

Transient laminar opposing mixed convection is studied experimentally in an open vertical rectangular channel with two discrete protruded heat sources subjected to uniform heat flux simulating electronic components. Experiments are performed for a Reynolds number of Re = 700, Prandtl number of Pr = 7, inclination angles with respect to the horizontal of γ =0o , 45o and 90o, and different values of buoyancy strength or modified Richardson number, Ri* =Gr* /Re2 . From the experimental measurements, the space averaged surface temperatures, overall Nusselt number of each simulated electronic chip, phase-space plots of the self-oscillatory system, characteristic times of temperature oscillations and spectral distribution of the fluctuating energy have been obtained. Results show that when a threshold in the buoyancy parameter is reached, strong three-dimensional secondary flow oscillations develop in the axial and spanwise directions. This research was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Grant number 167474 and by the Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado del IPN, Grant number SIP 20141309.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luke Chen; Hsu-Cheng Chang

An air pollutant (CO) distribution in a typical street canyon is simulated to evaluate pedestrian exposure. In this study, we consider factors those may affect the pollutant distribution in a typical street canyon. The considered factors include aspect ratio of a street canyon, atmospheric stability, traffic load and turbulent buoyancy effect. A two-dimensional domain that includes suburban roughness and urban street canyon is considered. The factors such as atmospheric stability, traffic load and turbulent buoyancy are imposed through the associated boundary conditions. With numerical simulation, the critical aspect ration of a street canyon the includes two vortices and results inmore » pollutant accumulation are found. The buoyant effect is found to raise the same pollutant concentration up to the position higher than the results come out from the case without buoyancy. The pedestrian exposure to the street air pollutant under various traffic loads and atmospheric stability are evaluated. This study conclude that the local building regulations that specify the building height/street width ratio will not cause significant pedestrian exposure to the street air pollution in most of traffic loads and atmospheric stability conditions.« less

Floating-pulsatile release multiparticulate system for chronopharmacotherapy: effect of some hydrophobic additives on the buoyancy and release behavior of particles.

PubMed

Maghsoodi, M

2014-01-01

A blend of floating and pulsatile principles of a drug delivery system would have the advantage that a drug can be released in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract after a lag period, which is anticipated for chronotherapy. In this study, microballoons were prepared by an emulsion solvent diffusion technique using Eudragit S100, and hydrophobic additive (magnesium stearate, stearic acid or talc) for time- and site-specific drug release of piroxicam. The effect of hydrophobic additives on the production yield of floating microparticles, buoyant ability for 8 h, release of drug in simulated GI fluids (simulated gastric fluid [SGF] and simulated intestinal fluid [SIF]), mean particle size, apparent particle density, encapsulation efficiency of drug and physical state of incorporated drug were studied. Both production yield and buoyancy of the microballoons were affected by additives in the following order: magnesium stearate, stearic acid>free-additive>talc. The observed difference in yield and the buoyancy of the microballoons could be attributed to the hydrophobic character of the additives and the shell rigidity of the obtained microballoons. Incorporation of hydrophobic additives in the microballoons was found to impart the desired release properties to the microballoons by providing a 2-phase release pattern with initial slow release (5-6%) through 8 h in SGF followed by rapid pulse release (>92%) in SIF through 15 min. The microballoons co-formulated with magnesium stearate or stearic acid, combining excellent buoyancy and suitable drug release pattern of piroxicam, could be useful in chronopharmacotherapy in arthritis. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Neutral Buoyancy Test NB-14 Large Space Structure Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built.Pictured is an experiment where the astronaut is required to move a large object which weighed 19,000 pounds. It was moved with realitive ease once the astronaut became familiar with his environment and his near weightless condition. Experiments of this nature provided scientists with the information needed regarding weight and mass allowances astronauts could manage in preparation for building a permanent space station in the future.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator: MSFC-Langley joint test of large space structures component assembly:

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. With the help of the NBS, building a space station became more of a reality. In a joint venture between NASA/Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA and MSFC, the Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures (ACCESS) was developed and demonstrated at MSFC's NBS. The primary objective of this experiment was to test the ACCESS structural assembly concept for suitability as the framework for larger space structures and to identify ways to improve the productivity of space construction. Pictured is a demonstration of ACCESS.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-08-13

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Included in the plans for the space station was a space telescope. This telescope would be attached to the space station and directed towards outerspace. Astronomers hoped that the space telescope would provide a look at space that is impossible to see from Earth because of Earth's atmosphere and other man made influences. In an effort to make replacement and repairs easier on astronauts the space telescope was designed to be modular. Practice makes perfect as demonstrated in this photo: an astronaut practices moving modular pieces of the space telescope in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at MSFC. The space telescope was later deployed in April 1990 as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-NB32-Large Space Structure Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. As part of this experimentation, the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. Pictured is an entire unit that has been constructed and is sitting in the bottom of a mock-up shuttle cargo bay pallet.

Is evaporative colling important for shallow clouds?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentine, P.; Park, S. B.; Davini, P.; D'Andrea, F.

2017-12-01

We here investigate and test using large-eddy simulations the hypothesis that evaporative cooling might not be crucial for shallow clouds. Results from various Shallow convection and stratocumulus LES experiments show that the influence of evaporative cooling is secondary compared to turbulent mixing, which dominates the buoyancy reversal. In shallow cumulus subising shells are not due to evaporative cooling but rather reflect a vortical structure, with a postive buoyancy anomaly in the core due to condensation. Disabling evaporative cooling has negligible impact on this vortical structure and on buoyancy reversal. Similarly in non-precipitating stratocumuli evaporative cooling is negeligible copmared to other factors, especially turbulent mixing and pressure effects. These results emphasize that it may not be critical to icnlude evaporative cooling in parameterizations of shallow clouds and that it does not alter entrainment.

STS-57 MS2 Sherlock in EMU is ready for underwater EVA simulation at JSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-06-25

S92-40376 (March 1992) --- Attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), astronaut Nancy J. Sherlock participates in a training session at the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Training as a mission specialist for the STS-57 mission, Sherlock was rehearsing a contingency space walk. Astronauts scheduled for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) duty and those who might be called upon for unscheduled space walk duty use a nearby 25 feet deep pool to practice various chores. The suits used in the training are equipped with communications gear, pressurized and weighted to create a neutral buoyancy in the water tank. EDITOR'S NOTE: Nancy J. Currie (formerly Sherlock) has been assigned as a mission specialist for the STS-70 mission, scheduled for launch in spring of 1995.

Safety divers prepare HST mockup in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at MSFC

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-06-01

Safety divers in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) prepare a mockup of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for one of 32 separate training sessions conducted by four of the STS-61 crew members in June. The three-week process allowed mission trainers to refine the timelines for the five separate spacewalks scheduled to be conducted on the actual mission scheduled for December 1993. The HST is separated into two pieces since the water tank depth cannot support the entire structure in one piece. The full length payload bay mockup shows the Solar Array Carrier in the foreground and the various containers that will house replacement hardware that will be carried on the mission.

Astronaut Training in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This photograph shows an STS-61 astronaut training for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission (STS-61) in the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). Two months after its deployment in space, scientists detected a 2-micron spherical aberration in the primary mirror of the HST that affected the telescope's ability to focus faint light sources into a precise point. This imperfection was very slight, one-fiftieth of the width of a human hair. A scheduled Space Service servicing mission (STS-61) in 1993 permitted scientists to correct the problem. The MSFC NBS provided an excellent environment for testing hardware to examine how it would operate in space and for evaluating techniques for space construction and spacecraft servicing.

Implementing Nonlinear Buoyancy and Excitation Forces in the WEC-Sim Wave Energy Converter Modeling Tool: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawson, M.; Yu, Y. H.; Nelessen, A.

2014-05-01

Wave energy converters (WECs) are commonly designed and analyzed using numerical models that combine multi-body dynamics with hydrodynamic models based on the Cummins Equation and linearized hydrodynamic coefficients. These modeling methods are attractive design tools because they are computationally inexpensive and do not require the use of high performance computing resources necessitated by high-fidelity methods, such as Navier Stokes computational fluid dynamics. Modeling hydrodynamics using linear coefficients assumes that the device undergoes small motions and that the wetted surface area of the devices is approximately constant. WEC devices, however, are typically designed to undergo large motions in order to maximizemore » power extraction, calling into question the validity of assuming that linear hydrodynamic models accurately capture the relevant fluid-structure interactions. In this paper, we study how calculating buoyancy and Froude-Krylov forces from the instantaneous position of a WEC device (referred to as instantaneous buoyancy and Froude-Krylov forces from herein) changes WEC simulation results compared to simulations that use linear hydrodynamic coefficients. First, we describe the WEC-Sim tool used to perform simulations and how the ability to model instantaneous forces was incorporated into WEC-Sim. We then use a simplified one-body WEC device to validate the model and to demonstrate how accounting for these instantaneously calculated forces affects the accuracy of simulation results, such as device motions, hydrodynamic forces, and power generation.« less

DYNAMO EFFECTS NEAR THE TRANSITION FROM SOLAR TO ANTI-SOLAR DIFFERENTIAL ROTATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simitev, Radostin D.; Kosovichev, Alexander G.; Busse, Friedrich H.

2015-09-01

Numerical MHD simulations play an increasingly important role for understanding the mechanisms of stellar magnetism. We present simulations of convection and dynamos in density-stratified rotating spherical fluid shells. We employ a new 3D simulation code for obtaining the solution of a physically consistent anelastic model of the process with a minimum number of parameters. The reported dynamo simulations extend into a “buoyancy-dominated” regime where the buoyancy forcing is dominant while the Coriolis force is no longer balanced by pressure gradients, and strong anti-solar differential rotation develops as a result. We find that the self-generated magnetic fields, despite being relatively weak,more » are able to reverse the direction of differential rotation from anti-solar to solar-like. We also find that convection flows in this regime are significantly stronger in the polar regions than in the equatorial region, leading to non-oscillatory dipole-dominated dynamo solutions, and to a concentration of magnetic field in the polar regions. We observe that convection has a different morphology in the inner and the outer part of the convection zone simultaneously such that organized geostrophic convection columns are hidden below a near-surface layer of well-mixed highly chaotic convection. While we focus our attention on the buoyancy-dominated regime, we also demonstrate that conical differential rotation profiles and persistent regular dynamo oscillations can be obtained in the parameter space of the rotation-dominated regime even within this minimal model.« less

Influence of Capillary Force and Buoyancy on CO2 Migration During CO2 Injection in a Sandstone Reservoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, H.; Pollyea, R.

2017-12-01

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is one component of a broad carbon management portfolio designed to mitigate adverse effects of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. During CCS, capillary trapping is an important mechanism for CO2 isolation in the disposal reservoir, and, as a result, the distribution of capillary force is an important factor affecting CO2 migration. Moreover, the movement of CO2 being injected to the reservoir is also affected by buoyancy, which results from the density difference between CO2 and brine. In order to understand interactions between capillary force and buoyancy, we implement a parametric modeling experiment of CO2 injections in a sandstone reservoir for combinations of the van Genuchten capillary pressure model that bound the range of capillary pressure-saturation curves measured in laboratory experiments. We simulate ten years supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injections within a 2-D radially symmetric sandstone reservoir for five combinations of the van Genuchten model parameters λ and entry pressure (P0). Results are analyzed on the basis of a modified dimensionless ratio, ω, which is similar to the Bond number and defines the relationship between buoyancy pressure and capillary pressure. We show how parametric variability affects the relationship between buoyancy and capillary force, and thus controls CO2 plume geometry. These results indicate that when ω >1, then buoyancy governs the system and CO2 plume geometry is governed by upward flow. In contrast, when ω <1, then buoyancy is smaller than capillary force and lateral flow governs CO2 plume geometry. As a result, we show that the ω ratio is an easily implemented screening tool for qualitative assessment of reservoir performance.

Model Simulation of Diurnal Vertical Migration Patterns of Different-Sized Colonies of Microcystis Employing a Particle Trajectory Approach.

PubMed

Chien, Yu Ching; Wu, Shian Chee; Chen, Wan Ching; Chou, Chih Chung

2013-04-01

Microcystis , a genus of potentially harmful cyanobacteria, is known to proliferate in stratified freshwaters due to its capability to change cell density and regulate buoyancy. In this study, a trajectory model was developed to simulate the cell density change and spatial distribution of Microcystis cells with nonuniform colony sizes. Simulations showed that larger colonies migrate to the near-surface water layer during the night to effectively capture irradiation and become heavy enough to sink during daytime. Smaller-sized colonies instead took a longer time to get to the surface. Simulation of the diurnally varying Microcystis population profile matched the observed pattern in the field when the radii of the multisized colonies were in a beta distribution. This modeling approach is able to take into account the history of cells by keeping track of their positions and properties, such as cell density and the sizes of colonies. It also serves as the basis for further developmental modeling of phytoplanktons that are forming colonies and changing buoyancy.

Motion analysis and trials of the deep sea hybrid underwater glider Petrel-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fang; Wang, Yan-hui; Wu, Zhi-liang; Wang, Shu-xin

2017-03-01

A hybrid underwater glider Petrel-II has been developed and field tested. It is equipped with an active buoyancy unit and a compact propeller unit. Its working modes have been expanded to buoyancy driven gliding and propeller driven level-flight, which can make the glider work in strong currents, as well as many other complicated ocean environments. Its maximal gliding speed reaches 1 knot and the propelling speed is up to 3 knots. In this paper, a 3D dynamic model of Petrel-II is derived using linear momentum and angular momentum equations. According to the dynamic model, the spiral motion in the underwater space is simulated for the gliding mode. Similarly the cycle motion on water surface and the depth-keeping motion underwater are simulated for the level-flight mode. These simulations are important to the performance analysis and parameter optimization for the Petrel-II underwater glider. The simulation results show a good agreement with field trials.

Numerical investigation of the onset of centrifugal buoyancy in a rotating cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitz, Diogo B.; Marxen, Olaf; Chew, John

2016-11-01

Buoyancy-induced flows in a differentially heated rotating annulus present a multitude of dynamics when control parameters such as rotation rate, temperature difference and Prandtl number are varied. Whilst most of the work in this area has been motivated by applications involving geophysics, the problem of buoyancy-induced convection in rotating systems is also relevant in industrial applications such as the flow between rotating disks of turbomachinery internal air systems, in which buoyancy plays a major role and poses a challenge to accurately predict temperature distributions and heat transfer rates. In such applications the rotational speeds involved are very large, so that the centrifugal accelerations induced are much higher than gravity. In this work we perform direct numerical simulations and linear stability analysis of flow induced by centrifugal buoyancy in a sealed rotating annulus of finite gap with flat end-walls, using a canonical setup representative of an internal air system rotating cavity. The analysis focuses on the behaviour of small-amplitude disturbances added to the base flow, and how those affect the onset of Rossby waves and, ultimately, the transition to a fully turbulent state where convection columns no longer have a well-defined structure. Diogo B. Pitz acknowledges the financial support from the Capes foundation through the Science without Borders program.

ISS Expedition 45 / 46 Underwater Crew Training

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-03

Underwater camera views of ISS Expedition 45 (Soyuz 42) crewmember Scott Kelly and ISS Expedition 46 (Soyuz 43) crewmember Kjell Lindgren during ISS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Maintenance 9 Training (PMA/PMM Relocate) at JSC's Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) Pool Deck at Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF). TIME magazine film crew filming activities.

JSC Features and Web Stories Photos of the International Underwater ROV Competition

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-24

View of students participating in the International Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) competition, organized by the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center (MATE), at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). Photos taken for Johnson Space Center (JSC) Features and Web stories.

EVA console personnel during STS-61 simulations

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-09-01

Susan P. Rainwater monitors an extravehicular activity (EVA) simulation from the EVA console at JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) during joint integrated simulations for the STS-61 mission. Astronauts assigned to extravehicular activity (EVA) tasks with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) were simultaneously rehearsing in a neutral buoyancy tank at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Alabama.

Material Processing Facility - Skylab Experiment M512

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

This chart details Skylab's Materials Processing Facility experiment (M512). This facility, located in the Multiple Docking Adapter, was developed for Skylab and accommodated 14 different experiments that were carried out during the three marned missions. The abilities to melt and mix without the contaminating effects of containers, to suppress thermal convection and buoyancy in fluids, and to take advantage of electrostatic and magnetic forces and otherwise masked by gravitation opened the way to new knowledge of material properties and processes. This beginning would ultimately lead to the production of valuable new materials for use on Earth.

ON THE IMPACT OF THREE DIMENSIONS IN SIMULATIONS OF NEUTRINO-DRIVEN CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Couch, Sean M., E-mail: smc@flash.uchicago.edu

2013-09-20

We present one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamical simulations of core-collapse supernovae including a parameterized neutrino heating and cooling scheme in order to investigate the critical core neutrino luminosity (L{sub crit}) required for explosion. In contrast to some previous works, we find that 3D simulations explode later than 2D simulations, and that L{sub crit} at fixed mass accretion rate is somewhat higher in three dimensions than in two dimensions. We find, however, that in two dimensions L{sub crit} increases as the numerical resolution of the simulation increases. In contrast to some previous works, we argue that the averagemore » entropy of the gain region is in fact not a good indicator of explosion but is rather a reflection of the greater mass in the gain region in two dimensions. We compare our simulations to semi-analytic explosion criteria and examine the nature of the convective motions in two dimensions and three dimensions. We discuss the balance between neutrino-driven buoyancy and drag forces. In particular, we show that the drag force will be proportional to a buoyant plume's surface area while the buoyant force is proportional to a plume's volume and, therefore, plumes with greater volume-to-surface-area ratios will rise more quickly. We show that buoyant plumes in two dimensions are inherently larger, with greater volume-to-surface-area ratios, than plumes in three dimensions. In the scenario that the supernova shock expansion is dominated by neutrino-driven buoyancy, this balance between buoyancy and drag forces may explain why 3D simulations explode later than 2D simulations and why L{sub crit} increases with resolution. Finally, we provide a comparison of our results with other calculations in the literature.« less

Schlieren Measurements of Buoyancy Effects on Flow Transition in Low-Density Gas Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasumarthi, Kasyap S.; Agrawal, Ajay K.

2005-01-01

The transition from laminar to turbulent flow in helium jets discharged into air was studied using Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry technique. In particular, the effects of buoyancy on jet oscillations and flow transition length were considered. Experiments to simulate microgravity were conducted in the 2.2s drop tower at NASA Glenn Research Center. The jet Reynolds numbers varied from 800 to1200 and the jet Richardson numbers ranged between 0.01 and 0.004. Schlieren images revealed substantial variations in the flow structure during the drop. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis of the data obtained in Earth gravity experiments revealed the existence of a discrete oscillating frequency in the transition region, which matched the frequency in the upstream laminar regime. In microgravity, the transition occurred farther downstream indicating laminarization of the jet in the absence of buoyancy. The amplitude of jet oscillations was reduced by up to an order of magnitude in microgravity. Results suggest that jet oscillations were buoyancy induced and that the brief microgravity period may not be sufficient for the oscillations to completely subside.

High resolution modeling of dense water formation in the north-western Mediterranean during winter 2012-2013: Processes and budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estournel, Claude; Testor, Pierre; Damien, Pierre; D'Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Marsaleix, Patrick; Conan, Pascal; Kessouri, Faycal; Durrieu de Madron, Xavier; Coppola, Laurent; Lellouche, Jean-Michel; Belamari, Sophie; Mortier, Laurent; Ulses, Caroline; Bouin, Marie-Noelle; Prieur, Louis

2016-07-01

The evolution of the stratification of the north-western Mediterranean between summer 2012 and the end of winter 2013 was simulated and compared with different sets of observations. A summer cruise and profiler observations were used to improve the initial conditions of the simulation. This improvement was crucial to simulate winter convection. Variations of some parameters involved in air - sea exchanges (wind, coefficient of transfer used in the latent heat flux formulation, and constant additive heat flux) showed that the characteristics of water masses and the volume of dense water formed during convection cannot be simply related to the time-integrated buoyancy budget over the autumn - winter period. The volume of dense water formed in winter was estimated to be about 50,000 km3 with a density anomaly larger than 29.113 kg m-3. The effect of advection and air/sea fluxes on the heat and salt budget of the convection zone was quantified during the preconditioning phase and the mixing period. Destratification of the surface layer in autumn occurs through an interaction of surface and Ekman buoyancy fluxes associated with displacements of the North Balearic front bounding the convection zone to the south. During winter convection, advection stratifies the convection zone: from December to March, the absolute value of advection represents 58 % of the effect of surface buoyancy fluxes.

Tropical cloud buoyancy is the same in a world with or without ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, Jacob T.; Romps, David M.

2016-04-01

When convective clouds grow above the melting line, where temperatures fall below 0°C, condensed water begins to freeze and water vapor is deposited. These processes release the latent heat of fusion, which warms cloud air, and many previous studies have suggested that this heating from fusion increases cloud buoyancy in the upper troposphere. Here we use numerical simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium with and without ice processes to argue that tropical cloud buoyancy is not systematically higher in a world with fusion than in a world without it. This insensitivity results from the fact that the environmental temperature profile encountered by developing tropical clouds is itself determined by convection. We also offer a simple explanation for the large reservoir of convective available potential energy in the tropical upper troposphere that does not invoke ice.

Compressibility Corrections to Closure Approximations for Turbulent Flow Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cloutman, L D

2003-02-01

We summarize some modifications to the usual closure approximations for statistical models of turbulence that are necessary for use with compressible fluids at all Mach numbers. We concentrate here on the gradient-flu approximation for the turbulent heat flux, on the buoyancy production of turbulence kinetic energy, and on a modification of the Smagorinsky model to include buoyancy. In all cases, there are pressure gradient terms that do not appear in the incompressible models and are usually omitted in compressible-flow models. Omission of these terms allows unphysical rates of entropy change.

Calculating Measurement Uncertainty of the “Conventional Value of the Result of Weighing in Air”

DOE PAGES

Flicker, Celia J.; Tran, Hy D.

2016-04-02

The conventional value of the result of weighing in air is frequently used in commercial calibrations of balances. The guidance in OIML D-028 for reporting uncertainty of the conventional value is too terse. When calibrating mass standards at low measurement uncertainties, it is necessary to perform a buoyancy correction before reporting the result. When calculating the conventional result after calibrating true mass, the uncertainty due to calculating the conventional result is correlated with the buoyancy correction. We show through Monte Carlo simulations that the measurement uncertainty of the conventional result is less than the measurement uncertainty when reporting true mass.more » The Monte Carlo simulation tool is available in the online version of this article.« less

Flight Director works out problem during STS-61 simulations

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-09-01

Flight Director Robert E. Castle Jr. works out a problem during joint integrated simulations for the STS-61 mission. Astronauts assigned to extravehicular activity (EVA) tasks with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) were simultaneously rehearsing in a neutral buoyancy tank at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Alabama.

Dr. von Braun Tries Out the NBS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Director, Dr. von Braun, is shown fitted with suit and diving equipment as he prepares for a tryout in the MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). Weighted to a neutrally buoyant condition, Dr. von Braun was able to perform tasks underwater which simulated weightless conditions found in space.

Wind Shear Effects on the Structure and Dynamics of the Daytime Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghshenas, Armin; Mellado, Juan Pedro

2017-04-01

The daytime atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), in which the positive buoyancy flux at the surface creates convective instability and generates turbulence, has been a subject of extensive research during the last century. However, fewer studies have considered wind shear in detail and most of them are single-case studies. So most of the available theories and parameterizations have not been sufficiently tested over a wide range of atmospheric conditions. Moreover, since previous numerical studies were mostly carried out by large eddy simulation, a complete understanding of the physics of the problem is still missing due to the lack of information about the small-scale dynamics. Specifically, despite the consensus in the community that wind shear enhances the entrainment process, the amount of enhancement is still matter of contention. In order to investigate the effects of wind shear on the structure and dynamics of the ABL in detail, direct numerical simulations are used in this study. Shear is prescribed by a height-constant velocity in the troposphere and the simulation runs until a fully turbulent, quasi-equilibrium regime is observed. Despite the simplification of neglecting the Coriolis force, our configuration reproduces the main features observed in the previous studies, which had taken the Coriolis force into account. As a novelty compared to previous single-case studies, we introduce a dimensionless parameter that allows us to study systematically any combination of surface buoyancy flux, buoyancy stratification, and wind shear; We refer to this dimensionless number as shear number. Seven simulations with shear numbers ranging from 0 (no wind) to 20 (moderate wind) are conducted; this range of shear numbers corresponds to wind strength from 0 to 15 m/s in the free troposphere for typical midday atmospheric conditions. In general, we find that shear effects are negligibly small when the shear number is below 10, and for larger values the effects remain constrained inside the entrainment zone and surface layer. This critical shear number is justified by scrutinizing the turbulence regimes (convective and mechanical) within the entrainment zone in the sense that, for this shear number, the turbulence transport of turbulence kinetic energy inside the entrainment zone equals the shear-production rate. Following this analysis a critical flux Richardson number of 0.6 inside the entrainment zone is found. In particular, we observe the following: First, the mean buoyancy and total buoyancy flux inside the mixed layer remain invariant under a change of shear number and they follow the free-convection scaling laws. Second, the height of minimum buoyancy flux increases due to shear effects, but just moderately (less than 5%). Nevertheless, this increment represents a growth of entrainment zone's thickness by 50% for shear numbers of the order of 20. Third, we observe that for shear numbers larger than 10, the entrainment flux ratio grows by up to 50% in an early state of ABL development. We provide explicit parameterizations of all these shear effects.

The Impact on Simulated Storm Structure and Intensity of Variations in the Lifted Condensation Level and the Level of Free Convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCaul, Eugene W., Jr.; Cohen, Charles; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The sensitivities of convective storm structure and intensity to changes in the altitudes of the prestorm environmental lifted condensation level and level of free convection axe studied using a full-physics three-dimensional cloud model. Matrices of simulations are conducted for a range of LCL=LFC altitudes, using a single moderately-sheared curved hodograph trace in conjunction with 1 convective available potential energy values of either 800 or 2000 J/kg, with the matrices consisting of all four combinations of two distinct choices of buoyancy and shear profile shape. For each value of CAPE, the LCL=LFC altitudes are also allowed to vary in a series of simulations based on the most highly compressed buoyancy and shear profiles for that CAPE, with the environmental buoyancy profile shape, subcloud equivalent potential temperature, subcloud lapse rates of temperature and moisture, and wind profile held fixed. For each CAPE, one final simulation is conducted using a near optimal LFC, but a lowered LCL, with a neutrally buoyant environmental thermal profile specified in between. Results show that, for the buoyancy-starved small-CAPE environments, the simulated storms are supercells and are generally largest and most intense when LCL=LFC altitudes lie in the approximate range 1.5-2.5 km above the surface. The simulations show similar trends for the shear-starved large-CAPE environments, except that conversion from supercell to multicell morphology frequently occurs when the LCL is high. For choices of LCL=LFC height within the optimal 1.5-2.5 km range, peak storm updraft overturning efficiency may approaches unity relative to parcel theory, while for lower LCL=LFC heights, overturning efficiency is reduced significantly. The enhancements of overturning efficiency and updraft diameter with increasing LFC height are shown to be the result of systematic increases in the mean equivalent potential temperature of the updraft at cloud base. For the shear-starved environments, the tendency for outflow dominance is eliminated, but a large overturning efficiency maintained, when a low LCL is used in conjunction with a high LFC. The result regarding outflow dominance at high LCL is consistent with expectations, but the beneficial effect of a high LFC on convective overturning efficiency has not previously been widely recognized. The simulation findings here also appear to be consistent with statistics from previous severe storm environment climatologies, but provide a new framework for interpreting those statistics.

Processes governing transient responses of the deep ocean buoyancy budget to a doubling of CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palter, J. B.; Griffies, S. M.; Hunter Samuels, B. L.; Galbraith, E. D.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2012-12-01

Recent observational analyses suggest there is a temporal trend and high-frequency variability in deep ocean buoyancy in the last twenty years, a phenomenon reproduced even in low-mixing models. Here we use an earth system model (GFDL's ESM2M) to evaluate physical processes that influence buoyancy (and thus steric sea level) budget of the deep ocean in quasi-steady state and under a doubling of CO2. A new suite of model diagnostics allows us to quantitatively assess every process that influences the buoyancy budget and its temporal evolution, revealing surprising dynamics governing both the equilibrium budget and its transient response to climate change. The results suggest that the temporal evolution of the deep ocean contribution to sea level rise is due to a diversity of processes at high latitudes, whose net effect is then advected in the Eulerian mean flow to mid and low latitudes. In the Southern Ocean, a slowdown in convection and spin up of the residual mean advection are approximately equal players in the deep steric sea level rise. In the North Atlantic, the region of greatest deep steric sea level variability in our simulations, a decrease in mixing of cold, dense waters from the marginal seas and a reduction in open ocean convection causes an accumulation of buoyancy in the deep subpolar gyre, which is then advected equatorward.

Fabrication of bismuth superhydrophobic surface on zinc substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Tianlong; Lu, Shixiang; Xu, Wenguo; He, Ge

2018-06-01

The dendritic Bi/Bi2O3/ZnO superhydrophobic surface (SHPS) was facilely obtained on zinc substrate via etching in 0.5 mol L-1 HCl solution for 2 min, immersing in 2 mmol L-1 Bi(NO3)3/0.1 mol L-1 HNO3 solution for 2.5 min and annealing treatment at 180 °C for 2 h. The wetting property results demonstrated that the superhydrophobic sample had excellent water-repellency with a static water contact angle of 160° and sliding angle of 0° under the optimum condition, which can be visually confirmed by the impacting droplet could rebound back immediately and roll off the horizontally placed sample. Moreover, it exhibited remarkable self-cleaning ability, buoyancy, desired stability in long-term storage in air, corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, ice-over delay at - 16 °C and durability in lab-simulated abrasion test.

STS-109 Flight Day 8 Highlights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Footage of the eighth day of STS-109 is shown during which Mission Specialists John Grunsfeld and Rick Linnehan service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). A broad overview of the Columbia Orbiter mission is presented. On the fifth extravehicular activity (EVA) of the mission, Grunsfeld and Linnehan installed a new cryogenic cooling system and radiator on HST for NICMOS (Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer) which had not been previously operational due to the failure of an earlier cooling system. Linnehan and Grunsfeld are both shown on the end of the Orbiter's robot arm, the Remote Manipulator System, which was controlled by Commander Scott Altman. Following the completion of their spacewalks, the two Mission Specialists make statements which include thanking the numerous support personnel. Linnehan answers questions on the differences between training simulation at facilities such as the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) and his actual experiences in space.

Arctic sea-ice decline weakens the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sévellec, Florian; Fedorov, Alexey V.; Liu, Wei

2017-08-01

The ongoing decline of Arctic sea ice exposes the ocean to anomalous surface heat and freshwater fluxes, resulting in positive buoyancy anomalies that can affect ocean circulation. In this study, we use an optimal flux perturbation framework and comprehensive climate model simulations to estimate the sensitivity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to such buoyancy forcing over the Arctic and globally, and more generally to sea-ice decline. It is found that on decadal timescales, flux anomalies over the subpolar North Atlantic have the largest impact on the AMOC, while on multi-decadal timescales (longer than 20 years), flux anomalies in the Arctic become more important. These positive buoyancy anomalies spread to the North Atlantic, weakening the AMOC and its poleward heat transport. Therefore, the Arctic sea-ice decline may explain the suggested slow-down of the AMOC and the `Warming Hole’ persisting in the subpolar North Atlantic.

Numerical analysis of natural convection in liquid droplets by phase change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duh, J. C.; Yang, Wen-Jei

1989-09-01

A numerical analysis is performed on thermocapillary buoyancy convection induced by phase change in a liquid droplet. A finite-difference code is developed using an alternating-direction implicit (ADI) scheme. The intercoupling relation between thermocapillary force, buoyancy force, fluid property, heat transfer, and phase change, along with their effects on the induced flow patterns, are disclosed. The flow is classified into three types: thermocapillary, buoyancy, and combined convection. Among the three mechanisms, the combined convection simulates the experimental observations quite well, and the basic mechanism of the observed convection inside evaporating sessile drops is thus identified. It is disclosed that evaporation initiates unstable convection, while condensation always brings about a stable density distribution which eventually damps out all fluid disturbances. Another numerical model is presented to study the effect of boundary recession due to evaporation, and the 'peeling-off' effect (the removal of the surface layer of fluid by evaporation) is shown to be relevant.

Numerical analysis of natural convection in liquid droplets by phase change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duh, J. C.; Yang, Wen-Jei

1989-01-01

A numerical analysis is performed on thermocapillary buoyancy convection induced by phase change in a liquid droplet. A finite-difference code is developed using an alternating-direction implicit (ADI) scheme. The intercoupling relation between thermocapillary force, buoyancy force, fluid property, heat transfer, and phase change, along with their effects on the induced flow patterns, are disclosed. The flow is classified into three types: thermocapillary, buoyancy, and combined convection. Among the three mechanisms, the combined convection simulates the experimental observations quite well, and the basic mechanism of the observed convection inside evaporating sessile drops is thus identified. It is disclosed that evaporation initiates unstable convection, while condensation always brings about a stable density distribution which eventually damps out all fluid disturbances. Another numerical model is presented to study the effect of boundary recession due to evaporation, and the 'peeling-off' effect (the removal of the surface layer of fluid by evaporation) is shown to be relevant.

3D Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Buoyant Flow and Heat Transport in a Curved Open Channel

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A three-dimensional buoyancy-extended version of kappa-epsilon turbulence model was developed for simulating the turbulent flow and heat transport in a curved open channel. The density- induced buoyant force was included in the model, and the influence of temperature stratification on flow field was...

Astronauts Ross and Helms at CAPCOM station during STS-61 simulations

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-09-01

S93-43752 (1 Sept 1993) --- Astronauts Jerry L. Ross and Susan J. Helms are pictured at the Spacecraft Communicators Console during joint integrated simulations for the STS-61 mission. Astronauts assigned to extravehicular activity (EVA) tasks with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) were simultaneously rehearsing in a Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) tank at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Alabama.

Global simulation of the induction heating TSSG process of SiC for the effects of Marangoni convection, free surface deformation and seed rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Takuya; Okano, Yasunori; Ujihara, Toru; Dost, Sadik

2017-07-01

A global numerical simulation was performed for the induction heating Top-Seeded Solution Growth (TSSG) process of SiC. Analysis included the furnace and growth melt. The effects of interfacial force due to free surface tension gradient, the RF coil-induced electromagnetic body force, buoyancy, melt free surface deformation, and seed rotation were examined. The simulation results showed that the contributions of free surface tension gradient and the electromagnetic body force to the melt flow are significant. Marangoni convection affects the growth process adversely by making the melt flow downward in the region under the seed crystal. This downward flow reduces carbon flux into the seed and consequently lowers growth rate. The effects of free surface deformation and seed rotation, although positive, are not so significant compared with those of free surface tension gradient and the electromagnetic body force. Due to the small size of the melt the contribution of buoyancy is also small.

Review of factors affecting recovery of freshwater stored in saline aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merritt, Michael L.

1989-01-01

A simulation analysis reported previously, and summarized herein, identified the effects of various geohydrologic and operational factors on recoverability of the injected water. Buoyancy stratification, downgradient advection, and hydrodynamic dispersion are the principal natural processes that reduce the amount of injected water that can be recovered. Buoyancy stratification is shown to depend on injection-zone permeability and the density contrast between injected and saline native water. Downgradient advection occurs as a result of natural or induced hydraulic gradients in the aquifer. Hydrodynamic dispersion reduces recovery efficiency by mixing some of the injected water with native saline aquifer water. In computer simulations, the relation of recovery efficiency to volume injected and its improvement during successive injection-recovery cycles was shown to depend on changes in the degree of hydrodynamic dispersion that occurs. Additional aspects of the subject are discussed.

Turbulent Heat Transfer from a Thermally Forced Boundary in a Stratified Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, K. J.; Wells, A.; Flierl, G.

2017-12-01

When a marine-terminating glacier melts into a stratified ocean, a buoyancy-driven flow develops along the ice surface. The resulting turbulent heat and salt fluxes provide a key feedback on the ice melting rate. To build insight into such flows, we consider direct numerical simulations of an analogue problem with convection driven by a thermally forced sidewall in a stably stratified Boussinesq fluid. Our model considers vertical and inclined periodic channels in 2D with a constant background buoyancy gradient. When the lateral or upper boundary is given a sufficient thermal perturbation relative to the ambient, a confined and homogeneous turbulent plume emerges along the heated wall. We present a scaling analysis for the resulting heat transport across the plume, and compare it to simulations over a range of Rayleigh numbers, Prandtl numbers, and wall-inclination angles.

Registration of 3D ultrasound computer tomography and MRI for evaluation of tissue correspondences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopp, T.; Dapp, R.; Zapf, M.; Kretzek, E.; Gemmeke, H.; Ruiter, N. V.

2015-03-01

3D Ultrasound Computer Tomography (USCT) is a new imaging method for breast cancer diagnosis. In the current state of development it is essential to correlate USCT with a known imaging modality like MRI to evaluate how different tissue types are depicted. Due to different imaging conditions, e.g. with the breast subject to buoyancy in USCT, a direct correlation is demanding. We present a 3D image registration method to reduce positioning differences and allow direct side-by-side comparison of USCT and MRI volumes. It is based on a two-step approach including a buoyancy simulation with a biomechanical model and free form deformations using cubic B-Splines for a surface refinement. Simulation parameters are optimized patient-specifically in a simulated annealing scheme. The method was evaluated with in-vivo datasets resulting in an average registration error below 5mm. Correlating tissue structures can thereby be located in the same or nearby slices in both modalities and three-dimensional non-linear deformations due to the buoyancy are reduced. Image fusion of MRI volumes and USCT sound speed volumes was performed for intuitive display. By applying the registration to data of our first in-vivo study with the KIT 3D USCT, we could correlate several tissue structures in MRI and USCT images and learn how connective tissue, carcinomas and breast implants observed in the MRI are depicted in the USCT imaging modes.

Forces on a segregating particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lueptow, Richard M.; Shankar, Adithya; Fry, Alexander M.; Ottino, Julio M.; Umbanhowar, Paul B.

2017-11-01

Size segregation in flowing granular materials is not well understood at the particle level. In this study, we perform a series of 3D Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations to measure the segregation force on a single spherical test particle tethered to a spring in the vertical direction in a shearing bed of particles with gravity acting perpendicular to the shear. The test particle is the same size or larger than the bed particles. At equilibrium, the downward spring force and test particle weight are offset by the upward buoyancy-like force and a size ratio dependent force. We find that the buoyancy-like force depends on the bed particle density and the Voronoi volume occupied by the test particle. By changing the density of the test particle with the particle size ratio such that the buoyancy force matches the test particle weight, we show that the upward size segregation force is a quadratic function of the particle size ratio. Based on this, we report an expression for the net force on a single particle as the sum of a size ratio dependent force, a buoyancy-like force, and the weight of the particle. Supported by NSF Grant CBET-1511450 and the Procter and Gamble Company.

Evaluation of lens distortion errors using an underwater camera system for video-based motion analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poliner, Jeffrey; Fletcher, Lauren; Klute, Glenn K.

1994-01-01

Video-based motion analysis systems are widely employed to study human movement, using computers to capture, store, process, and analyze video data. This data can be collected in any environment where cameras can be located. One of the NASA facilities where human performance research is conducted is the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF), a pool of water which simulates zero-gravity with neutral buoyance. Underwater video collection in the WETF poses some unique problems. This project evaluates the error caused by the lens distortion of the WETF cameras. A grid of points of known dimensions was constructed and videotaped using a video vault underwater system. Recorded images were played back on a VCR and a personal computer grabbed and stored the images on disk. These images were then digitized to give calculated coordinates for the grid points. Errors were calculated as the distance from the known coordinates of the points to the calculated coordinates. It was demonstrated that errors from lens distortion could be as high as 8 percent. By avoiding the outermost regions of a wide-angle lens, the error can be kept smaller.

Stone Aerospace Testing of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-06-21

View of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) known as Endurance designed by Stone Aerospace being lowered into the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) pool at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) for testing. The AUV is being tested for potential exploration of Jupiter's moon Europa. This image was featured in the August 2008 JSC Roundup, Volume 47, Number 8.

Sensitivity of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation to surface buoyancy forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, A.; Hogg, A.; Ward, M.

2011-12-01

The southern limb of the ocean's meridional overturning circulation plays a key role in the Earth's response to climate change. The rise in atmospheric CO2 during glacial-interglacial transitions has been attributed to outgassing of enhanced upwelling water masses in the Southern Ocean. However a dynamical understanding of the physical mechanisms driving the change in overturning is lacking. Previous modelling studies of the Southern Ocean have focused on the effect of wind stress forcing on the overturning, while largely neglecting the response of the upper overturning cell to changes in surface buoyancy forcing. Using a series of eddy-permitting, idealised simulations of the Southern Ocean, we show that surface buoyancy forcing in the mid-latitudes is likely to play a significant role in setting the strength of the overturning circulation. Air-sea fluxes of heat and precipitation over the Antarctic Circumpolar Current region act to convert dense upwelled water masses into lighter waters at the surface. Additional fluxes of heat or freshwater thereby facilitate the meridional overturning up to a theoretical limit derived from Ekman transport. The sensitivity of the overturning to surface buoyancy forcing is strongly dependent on the relative locations of the wind stress profile, buoyancy forcing and upwelling region. The idealised model results provide support for the hypothesis that changes in upwelling during deglaciations may have been driven by changes in heat and freshwater fluxes, instead of, or in addition to, changes in wind stress. Morrison, A. K., A. M. Hogg, and M. L. Ward (2011), Sensitivity of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation to surface buoyancy forcing, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L14602, doi:10.1029/2011GL048031.

The effects of buoyancy on turbulent nonpremixed jet flames in crossflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boxx, Isaac G.

An experimental research study was conducted to investigate what effect buoyancy had on the mean and instantaneous flow-field characteristics of turbulent jet-flames in crossflow (JFICF). The study used an experimental technique wherein a series of normal-gravity, hydrogen-diluted propane JFICF were compared with otherwise identical ones in low-gravity. Experiments were conducted at the University of Texas Drop Tower Facility, a new microgravity science laboratory built for this study at the University of Texas at Austin. Two different diagnostic techniques were employed, high frame-rate digital cinematographic imaging and planar laser Mie scattering (PLMS). The flame-luminosity imaging revealed significant elongation and distortion of the large-scale luminous structure of the JFICF. This was seen to affect the flametip oscillation and burnout characteristics. Mean and root-mean-square (RMS) images of flame-luminosity were computed from the flame-luminosity image sequences. These were used to compare visible flame-shapes, flame chord-lengths and jet centerline-trajectories of the normal- and low-gravity flames. In all cases the jet-centerline penetration and mean luminous flame-width were seen to increase with decreasing buoyancy. The jet-centerline trajectories for the normal-gravity flames were seen to behave differently to those of the low-gravity flames. This difference led to the conclusion that the jet transitions from a momentum-dominated forced convection limit to a buoyancy-influenced regime when it reaches xiC ≈ 3, where xiC is the Becker and Yamazaki (1978) buoyancy parameter based on local flame chord-length. The mean luminous flame-lengths showed little sensitivity to buoyancy or momentum flux ratio. Consistent with the flame-luminosity imaging experiments, comparison of the instantaneous PLMS flow-visualization images revealed substantial buoyancy-induced elongation and distortion of the large-scale shear-layer vortices in the flow. This effect became apparent in the JFICF at around xiy = 3.1 and grew in influence to become a dominant flow-field characteristic approximately xi y = 4.3. The PLMS images also yielded physical-insight into the nature of the fore-aft asymmetry of JFICF characteristics noted by previous researchers. Ensemble-averages of PLMS images were used to investigate centerline mixture fraction decay. Consistent with previous studies of non-reacting JICF studies, the mixture-fraction of the JFICF showed a power-law decay profile which scaled with (rd)-0.66. Over the region these measurements were made (xiy = 0--1.9), the mixture fraction decay scaling showed little sensitivity to buoyancy. Taken as a whole, these measurements show that buoyancy has the potential to significantly modify both the mean and instantaneous flow-field of a turbulent JFICF, even at relatively modest length-scales.

Study of Buoyancy Effects in Diffusion Flames Using Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agrawal, Ajay K.; Gollahalli, Subramanyam R.; Griffin, DeVon

1997-01-01

Diffusion flames are extensively encountered in many domestic and industrial processes. Even after many decades of research, a complete understanding of the diffusion flame structure is not available. The structure and properties of the flames are governed by the mixing (laminar or turbulent), chemical kinetics, radiation and soot processes. Another important phenomenon that affects flame structure in normal gravity is buoyancy. The presence of buoyancy has long hindered the rational understanding of many combustion processes. In gas jet diffusion flames, buoyancy affects the structure of the shear layer, the development of fluid instabilities, and formation of the coherent structures in the near nozzle region of the gas jets. The buoyancy driven instabilities generate vorticial structures outside the flame resulting in flame flicker. The vortices also strongly interact with the small-scale structures in the jet shear layer. This affects the transitional and turbulence characteristics of the flame. For a fundamental understanding of diffusion flames it is essential to isolate the effects of buoyancy. This is the primary goal of the experiments conducted in microgravity. Previous investigations, have shown dramatic differences between the jet flames in microgravity and normal gravity. It has been observed that flames in microgravity are taller and more sooty than in normal gravity. The fuels used in these experiments were primarily hydrocarbons. In the absence of buoyancy the soot resides near the flame region, which adversely affects the entrainment of reactants. It is very important to eliminate the interference of soot on flame characteristics in microgravity. The present work, therefore, focuses on the changes in the flame structure due to buoyancy without the added complexities of heterogeneous reactions. Clean burning hydrogen is used as the fuel to avoid soot formation and minimize radiative losses. Because of the low luminosity of hydrogen flames, we use rainbow schlieren deflectometry for visualization. The visualized images are digitized for quantification.The work reported here is divided into three sections; rainbow schlieren deflectometry (RSD), microgravity experiments and sub-atmospheric pressure experiments. The first section demonstrates the application of RSD for quantitative measurements in non-reacting and reacting flow systems. A computational effort to complement the experimental work is also included. In the second section, the experiments conducted at the 2.2s NASA Lewis Drop tower facility are described. The experiments were conducted to study the behavior of laminar, transitional and turbulent hydrogen flames in microgravity. The ability of RSD technique to provide quantitative data is highlighted. The final section deals with the sub-atmospheric pressure tests, which demonstrate that buoyancy in hydrogen diffusion flames can be scaled with pressure at normal gravity.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-01-01

This chart details Skylab's Materials Processing Facility experiment (M512). This facility, located in the Multiple Docking Adapter, was developed for Skylab and accommodated 14 different experiments that were carried out during the three marned missions. The abilities to melt and mix without the contaminating effects of containers, to suppress thermal convection and buoyancy in fluids, and to take advantage of electrostatic and magnetic forces and otherwise masked by gravitation opened the way to new knowledge of material properties and processes. This beginning would ultimately lead to the production of valuable new materials for use on Earth.

Magneto-vibratory separation of glass and bronze granular mixtures immersed in a paramagnetic liquid.

PubMed

López-Alcaraz, P; Catherall, A T; Hill, R J A; Leaper, M C; Swift, Michael R; King, P J

2007-10-01

A fluid-immersed granular mixture may spontaneously separate when subjected to vertical vibration, separation occurring when the ratio of particle inertia to fluid drag is sufficiently different between the component species of the mixture. Here, we describe how fluid-driven separation is influenced by magneto-Archimedes buoyancy, the additional buoyancy force experienced by a body immersed in a paramagnetic fluid when a strong inhomogeneous magnetic field is applied. In our experiments glass and bronze mixtures immersed in paramagnetic aqueous solutions of MnCl2 have been subjected to sinusoidal vertical vibration. In the absence of a magnetic field the separation is similar to that observed when the interstitial fluid is water. However, at modest applied magnetic fields, magneto-Archimedes buoyancy may balance the inertia/fluid-drag separation mechanism, or it may dominate the separation process. We identify the vibratory and magnetic conditions for four granular configurations, each having distinctive granular convection. Abrupt transitions between these states occur at well-defined values of the magnetic and vibrational parameters. In order to gain insight into the dynamics of the separation process we use computer simulations based on solutions of the Navier-Stokes' equations. The simulations reproduce the experimental results revealing the important role of convection and gap formation in the stability of the different states.

Quasi-Geostrophic Diagnosis of Mixed-Layer Dynamics Embedded in a Mesoscale Turbulent Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavanne, C. P.; Klein, P.

2016-02-01

A new quasi-geostrophic model has been developed to diagnose the three-dimensional circulation, including the vertical velocity, in the upper ocean from high-resolution observations of sea surface height and buoyancy. The formulation for the adiabatic component departs from the classical surface quasi-geostrophic framework considered before since it takes into account the stratification within the surface mixed-layer that is usually much weaker than that in the ocean interior. To achieve this, the model approximates the ocean with two constant-stratification layers : a finite-thickness surface layer (or the mixed-layer) and an infinitely-deep interior layer. It is shown that the leading-order adiabatic circulation is entirely determined if both the surface streamfunction and buoyancy anomalies are considered. The surface layer further includes a diabatic dynamical contribution. Parameterization of diabatic vertical velocities is based on their restoring impacts of the thermal-wind balance that is perturbed by turbulent vertical mixing of momentum and buoyancy. The model skill in reproducing the three-dimensional circulation in the upper ocean from surface data is checked against the output of a high-resolution primitive-equation numerical simulation. Correlation between simulated and diagnosed vertical velocities are significantly improved in the mixed-layer for the new model compared to the classical surface quasi-geostrophic model, reaching 0.9 near the surface.

Studies of Premixed Laminar and Turbulent Flames at Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abid, M.; Aung, K.; Ronney, P. D.; Sharif, J. A.; Wu, M.-S.

1999-01-01

Several topics relating to combustion limits in premixed flames at reduced gravity have been studied. These topics include: (1) flame balls; (2) numerical simulation of flame ball and planar flame structure and stability; (3) experimental simulation of buoyancy effects in premixed flames using aqueous autocatalytic reactions; and (4) premixed flame propagation in Hele-Shaw cells.

EASE (Experimental Assembly of Structures in EVA) overview of selected results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akin, David L.

1987-01-01

Experimental Assembly of Structures in EVA (EASE) objectives, experimental protocol, neutral buoyancy simulation, task time distribution, assembly task performance, metabolic rate/biomedical readouts are summarized. This presentation is shown in charts, figures, and graphs.

Astronaut David Wolf participates in training for contingency EVA in WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Astronaut David A. Wolf participates in training for contingency extravehicular activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. The mission specialist was about to be submerged to a point of neutral buoyancy in the JSC Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF). In this view, Wolf is aided by technicians in donning the gloves for his extravehicular mobility unit (EMU).

Neutral Buoyancy Test - Large Space Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. With the help of the NBS, building a space station became more of a reality. In a joint venture between NASA/Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia and the MSFC, the Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures (ACCESS) was developed and demonstrated at MSFC's NBS. The primary objective of this experiment was to test the ACCESS structural assembly concept for suitability as the framework for larger space structures and to identify ways to improve the productivity of space construction. Pictured is a demonstration of ACCESS.

Neutral Buoyancy Test - NB-18 - Large Space Structure Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. With the help of the NBS, building a space station became more of a reality. In a joint venture between NASA/Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia and the MSFC, the Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures (ACCESS) was developed and demonstrated at MSFC's NBS. The primary objective of this experiment was to test the ACCESS structural assembly concept for suitability as the framework for larger space structures and to identify ways to improve the productivity of space construction. Pictured is a demonstration of ACCESS.

A numerical study on the influence of slope and curvature on smoke flow in special section tunnel with natural ventilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenzhou; Zhou, Xianping; Liu, Zhigang; Liu, Ya; Liu, Wanfu; Hong, Li

2017-09-01

In this study, a special section tunnel model was established by using FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator). The influences of lope and curvature on smoke flow under natural ventilation have been studied. The results showed that under the condition of natural ventilation, the slope has some influences on the smoke flow in special section tunnel. The smoke spreading speed is accelerated along the upstream direction and decrease along the downstream direction due to buoyancy effect of slope. The steeper the tunnel, the more obvious the buoyancy effect. The curvature has little effect on the flow of flue gas.

Large Eddy Simulation of a Forced Round Turbulent Buoyant Plume in Neutral Surroundings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basu, A. J.; Mansour, N. N.; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

Buoyant flows play an important role in various technological and environmental issues. For example, dispersal of pollutants, smoke, or volcano exhaust in the atmosphere, vertical motion of air, formation of clouds and other weather systems, and flows in cooling towers and fires are all determined primarily by buoyancy effects. The buoyancy force in such flows can originate from either a heat source or due to different densities between a fluid and its surroundings. Whatever the cause, the flow can be understood by studying the effects of the tight coupling between the thermal and the velocity fields since density differences can be characterized as temperature differences.

2D Lattice Boltzmann Simulation Of Chemical Reactions Within Rayleigh-Bénard And Poiseuille-Bénard Convection Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaya-Ventura, Gilberto; Rodríguez-Romo, Suemi

2011-09-01

This paper deals with the computational simulation of the reaction-diffusion-advection phenomena emerging in Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) and Poiseuille-Bénard reactive convection systems. We use the Boussinesq's approximation for buoyancy forces and the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The first kinetic mesoscopic model proposed here is based on the discrete Boltzmann equation needed to solve the momentum balance coupled with buoyancy forces. Then, a second lattice Boltzmann algorithm is applied to solve the reaction-diffusion-advection equation to calculate the evolution of the chemical species concentration. We use a reactive system composed by nitrous oxide (so call laughing gas) in air as an example; its spatio-temporal decomposition is calculated. Two cases are considered, a rectangular enclosed cavity and an open channel. The simulations are performed at low Reynolds numbers and in a steady state between the first and second thermo-hydrodynamic instabilities. The results presented here, for the thermo-hydrodynamic behavior, are in good agreement with experimental data; while our| chemical kinetics simulation yields expected results. Some applications of our approach are related to chemical reactors and atmospheric phenomena, among others.

Development and validation of a turbulent-mix model for variable-density and compressible flows.

PubMed

Banerjee, Arindam; Gore, Robert A; Andrews, Malcolm J

2010-10-01

The modeling of buoyancy driven turbulent flows is considered in conjunction with an advanced statistical turbulence model referred to as the BHR (Besnard-Harlow-Rauenzahn) k-S-a model. The BHR k-S-a model is focused on variable-density and compressible flows such as Rayleigh-Taylor (RT), Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM), and Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) driven mixing. The BHR k-S-a turbulence mix model has been implemented in the RAGE hydro-code, and model constants are evaluated based on analytical self-similar solutions of the model equations. The results are then compared with a large test database available from experiments and direct numerical simulations (DNS) of RT, RM, and KH driven mixing. Furthermore, we describe research to understand how the BHR k-S-a turbulence model operates over a range of moderate to high Reynolds number buoyancy driven flows, with a goal of placing the modeling of buoyancy driven turbulent flows at the same level of development as that of single phase shear flows.

Effects of gravity on sheared and nonsheared turbulent nonpremixed flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elghobashi, Said; Lee, Yong-Yao; Zhong, Rongbin

1995-01-01

The present numerical study is concerned with the fundamental physics of the multiway interaction between turbulence, chemical reaction, and buoyancy in a nonpremixed flame. The method of direct numerical simulation (DNS) is used to solve the instantaneous, three-dimensional governing equations. Because of the present supercomputer limitations, we consider two simple flow geometries, namely an initially uniform flow without shear (equivalent to grid-generated turbulence) and an initially uniform shear flow. In each flow, the fuel and oxidant initially exist as two separate streams. As the reactants mix, chemical reaction takes place and exothermic energy is released causing variations in density. In the presence of a gravity field, the spatial and temporal distributions of the induced buoyancy forces depend on the local density gradients and the direction of the gravitational acceleration. The effects of buoyancy include the generation of local shear, baroclinic production or destruction of vorticity, and countergradient heat and mass transport. Increased vorticity and small-scale turbulence promote further mixing and reaction. However, if the strain-rates become too high, local flame extinction can occur. Our objective is to gain an understanding of the complex interactions between the physical phenomena involved, with particular attention to the effects of buoyancy on the turbulence structure, flame behavior, and factors influencing flame extinction.

Modeling and simulations of radiative blast wave driven Rayleigh-Taylor instability experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimony, Assaf; Huntington, Channing M.; Trantham, Matthew; Malamud, Guy; Elbaz, Yonatan; Kuranz, Carolyn C.; Drake, R. Paul; Shvarts, Dov

2017-10-01

Recent experiments at the National Ignition Facility measured the growth of Rayleigh-Taylor RT instabilities driven by radiative blast waves, relevant to astrophysics and other HEDP systems. We constructed a new Buoyancy-Drag (BD) model, which accounts for the ablation effect on both bubble and spike. This ablation effect is accounted for by using the potential flow model ]Oron et al PoP 1998], adding another term to the classical BD formalism: βDuA / u , where β the Takabe constant, D the drag term, uA the ablation velocity and uthe instability growth velocity. The model results are compared with the results of experiments and 2D simulations using the CRASH code, with nominal radiation or reduced foam opacity (by a factor of 1000). The ablation constant of the model, βb / s, for the bubble and for the spike fronts, are calibrated using the results of the radiative shock experiments. This work is funded by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under subcontract B614207, and was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Titan Explorer Entry, Descent and Landing Trajectory Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Jody L.; Lindberg, Robert E.; Lockwood, Mary Kae

2006-01-01

The Titan Explorer mission concept includes an orbiter, entry probe and inflatable airship designed to take remote and in-situ measurements of Titan's atmosphere. A modified entry, descent and landing trajectory at Titan that incorporates mid-air airship inflation (under a parachute) and separation is developed and examined for Titan Explorer. The feasibility of mid-air inflation and deployment of an airship under a parachute is determined by implementing and validating an airship buoyancy and inflation model in the trajectory simulation program, Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2). A nominal POST2 trajectory simulation case study is generated which examines different descent scenarios by varying airship inflation duration, orientation, and separation. The buoyancy model incorporation into POST2 is new to the software and may be used in future trajectory simulations. Each case from the nominal POST2 trajectory case study simulates a successful separation between the parachute and airship systems with sufficient velocity change as to alter their paths to avoid collision throughout their descent. The airship and heatshield also separate acceptably with a minimum distance of separation from the parachute system of 1.5 km. This analysis shows the feasibility of airship inflation on a parachute for different orientations, airship separation at various inflation times, and preparation for level-flight at Titan.

Critical conditions for the buoyancy-driven detachment of a wall-bound pendant drop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamorgese, A.; Mauri, R.

2016-03-01

We investigate numerically the critical conditions for detachment of an isolated, wall-bound emulsion droplet acted upon by surface tension and wall-normal buoyancy forces alone. To that end, we present a simple extension of a diffuse-interface model for partially miscible binary mixtures that was previously employed for simulating several two-phase flow phenomena far and near the critical point [A. G. Lamorgese et al. "Phase-field approach to multiphase flow modeling," Milan J. Math. 79(2), 597-642 (2011)] to allow for static contact angles other than 90°. We use the same formulation of the Cahn boundary condition as first proposed by Jacqmin ["Contact-line dynamics of a diffuse fluid interface," J. Fluid Mech. 402, 57-88 (2000)], which accommodates a cubic (Hermite) interpolation of surface tensions between the wall and each phase at equilibrium. We show that this model can be successfully employed for simulating three-phase contact line problems in stable emulsions with nearly immiscible components. We also show a numerical determination of critical Bond numbers as a function of static contact angle by phase-field simulation.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-01-01

This photograph shows the Skylab Materials Processing Facility (M512) and the Multipurpose Furnace System (M518). This facility, located in the Multiple Docking Adapter, was developed for Skylab and accommodated 14 different experiments that were carried out during the three marned missions. The abilities to melt and mix without the contaminating effects of containers, to suppress thermal convection and buoyancy in fluids, and to take advantage of electrostatic and magnetic forces and otherwise masked by gravitation opened the way to new knowledge of material properties and processes. This beginning would ultimately lead to the production of valuable new materials for use on Earth.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-01-01

This photograph shows the Skylab Materials Processing Facility (M512) and the Multipurpose Furnace System (M518). This facility, located in the Multiple Docking Adapter, was developed for Skylab,and accommodated 14 different experiments that were carried out during the three marned missions. The abilities to melt and mix without the contaminating effects of containers, to suppress thermal convection and buoyancy in fluids, and to take advantage of electrostatic and magnetic forces and otherwise masked by gravitation opened the way to new knowledge of material properties and processes. This beginning would ultimately lead to the production of valuable new materials for use on Earth.

Parametric instability and wave turbulence driven by tidal excitation of internal waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Reun, Thomas; Favier, Benjamin; Le Bars, Michael

2018-04-01

We investigate the stability of stratified fluid layers undergoing homogeneous and periodic tidal deformation. We first introduce a local model which allows to study velocity and buoyancy fluctuations in a Lagrangian domain periodically stretched and sheared by the tidal base flow. While keeping the key physical ingredients only, such a model is efficient to simulate planetary regimes where tidal amplitudes and dissipation are small. With this model, we prove that tidal flows are able to drive parametric subharmonic resonances of internal waves, in a way reminiscent of the elliptical instability in rotating fluids. The growth rates computed via Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) are in very good agreement with WKB analysis and Floquet theory. We also investigate the turbulence driven by this instability mechanism. With spatio-temporal analysis, we show that it is a weak internal wave turbulence occurring at small Froude and buoyancy Reynolds numbers. When the gap between the excitation and the Brunt-V\\"ais\\"al\\"a frequencies is increased, the frequency spectrum of this wave turbulence displays a -2 power law reminiscent of the high-frequency branch of the Garett and Munk spectrum (Garrett & Munk 1979) which has been measured in the oceans. In addition, we find that the mixing efficiency is altered compared to what is computed in the context of DNS of stratified turbulence excited at small Froude and large buoyancy Reynolds numbers and is consistent with a superposition of waves.

Stratification by cyanobacteria in lakes: a dynamic buoyancy model indicates size limitations met by Planktothrix rubescens filaments.

PubMed

Walsby, Anthony E

2005-11-01

The ability of the Planktothrix rubescens to stratify in Lake Zürich is related to the size and shape of the cyanobacterial filaments. Detailed measurements made in the lake are used in a dynamic computer model of buoyancy regulation to investigate the vertical movements of filaments tracking the depth at which the irradiance would support neutral buoyancy. The movement of the filament lags behind the constantly changing target depth owing to (a) the time taken for the filament to respond to the irradiance by changing its density and (b) the time it takes to move by sinking down or floating up through the water column. The model simulates the stratification depth over a 5-month period of the summer from the continuous measurements of irradiance and weekly measurements of light attenuation and temperature, without any further adjustment over the period. Models using filaments of the size observed in Lake Zürich explain several details of the observed depth changes: smaller planktonic cyanobacteria (e.g. Limnothrix sp.) are unable to migrate fast enough and larger ones (e.g. Anabaena spp.) will overshoot and become entrained in the epilimnion. The model can be used to simulate recruitment of Planktothrix filaments from different depths after vernal stratification. Recruitment of filaments from depths down to 45 m will contribute to the metalimnetic population increase in early July.

Effects of Convection During the Photodeposition of Polydiacetylene Thin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frazier, D. O.; Hung, R. J.; Paley, M. S.; Long, Y. T.

1997-01-01

In this work, we describe a preliminary investigation of buoyancy-driven heat transfer during the growth of thin films from solution following exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Irradiation of the growth cell occurs at various directions relative to gravitational acceleration. Through numerical computations, the steady-state flow and temperature profiles are simulated during the course of light exposure. Light-induced polymerization accompanies a heat transfer process through a fairly complicated recirculating flow pattern. A scaling analysis shows that buoyancy-driven velocities only reduce by a factor of 10 for gravity levels as low as 10(exp -2)g(sub 0). Paley et al. observe what appears to be gravitationally sensitive particle development and inclusion in thin films using a photodeposition process. From this study it is clear that production of homogeneous thin films would have to occur in the environment of a complicated flow pattern of recirculation with a nonuniform temperature distribution. Indeed, even when irradiation occurs from the top of the cell, the most stable stratified cell orientation, defects remain in our films due to the persistence of buoyancy-driven convection. To achieve homogeneity, minimal scattering centers, and possible molecular order, photodeposition of polymer films by UV light exposure must proceed in a reduced-convection environment. Fluid mechanics simulations are useful for establishing gravitational sensitivity to this recently discovered process (patent # 5,451,433) for preparing thin films having quite promising nonlinear optical characteristics.

Effects of Convection during the Photodeposition of Polydiacetylene Thin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frazier, D. O.; Hung, R. J.; Paley, M. S.; Long, Y. T.

1997-01-01

In this work, we describe a preliminary investigation of buoyancy-driven heat transfer during the growth of thin films from solution following exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Irradiation of the growth cell occurs at various directions relative to gravitational acceleration. Through numerical computations, the steady-state flow and temperature profiles are simulated during the course of light exposure. Light-induced polymerization accompanies a heat transfer process through a fairly complicated recirculating flow pattern. A scaling analysis shows that buoyancy-driven velocities only reduce by a factor of 10 for gravity levels as low as 10(exp -2) g(sub 0). Paley et al. observe what appears to be gravitationally sensitive particle development and inclusion in thin films using a photodeposition process. From this study, it is clear that production of homogeneous thin films would have to occur in the environment of a complicated flow pattern of recirculation with a nonuniform temperature distribution. Indeed, even when irradiation occurs from the top of the cell, the most stable stratified cell orientation, defects remain in our films due to the persistence of buoyancy-driven convection. To achieve homogeneity, minimal scattering centers, and possible molecular order, photodeposition of polymer films by UV light exposure must proceed in a reduced-convection environment. Fluid mechanics simulations are useful for establishing gravitational sensitivity to this recently discovered process (patent # 5,451,433) for preparing thin films having quite promising nonlinear optical characteristics.

Effects of Buoyancy in Hydrogen Jet Diffusion Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agrawal, A. K.; Al-Ammar, K.; Gollahalli, S. R.; Griffin, D. W.

1999-01-01

This project was carried out to understand the effects of heat release and buoyancy on the flame structure of diffusion flames. Experiments were conducted at atmospheric pressure in both normal gravity and microgravity conditions in the NASA LeRC 2.2 s drop tower. Experiments were also conducted in a variable pressure combustion facility in normal gravity to scale buoyancy and thus, to supplement the drop tower experiments. Pure H2 or H2 mixed with He was used as the jet fluid to avoid the complexities associated with soot formation. Fuel jet burning in quiescent air was visualized and quantified by the Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry (RSD) to obtain scalar profiles (temperature, oxygen concentration) within the flame. Burner tube diameter (d) was varied from 0.3 to 1.19 mm producing jet exit Reynolds numbers ranging from 40 to 1900, and generating flames encompassing laminar and transitional (laminar to turbulent) flow structure. Some experiments were also complemented with the CFD analysis. In a previous paper, we have presented details of the RSD technique, comparison of computed and measured scalar distributions, and effects of buoyancy on laminar and transitional H2 gas-jet diffusion flames. Results obtained from the RSD technique, variable pressure combustion chamber, and theoretical models have been published. Subsequently, we have developed a new drop rig with improved optical and image acquisition. In this set up, the schlieren images are acquired in real time and stored digitally in RAM of an onboard computer. This paper deals with laminar diffusion flames of pure H2 in normal and microgravity.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-26

This plaque, displayed on the grounds of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama commemorates the Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator as a National Historic Landmark. The site was designated as such in 1986 by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior.

Testing of the Japanese Experimental Module in NBS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This photograph was taken in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) during the testing of the Japanese Experimental Module. The NBS provided the weightless environment encountered in space needed for testing and the practices of extra-vehicular activities.

STS-106 crew water survival training

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-21

JSC2000-02564 (21 March 2000) --- Astronaut Terrence W. (Terry) Wilcutt, STS-106 mission commander, talks with crew training staff members during a simulation of an emergency bailout exercise in the water of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

SIMULATION OF TRANSIENT CAVITY FLOWS DRIVEN BY BUOYANCY AND SHEAR. (R824801)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Development of a Device to Deploy Fluid Droplets in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, David W.; Chai, An-Ti

1997-01-01

A free-floating droplet in microgravity is ideal for scientific observation since it is free of confounding factors such as wetting and nonsymmetrical heat transfer introduced by contact with surfaces. However, the technology to reliably deploy in microgravity has not yet been developed. In some recent fluid deployment experiments, droplets are either shaken off the dispenser or the dispenser is quickly retracted from the droplet. These solutions impart random residual motion to deployed droplet, which can be undesirable for certain investigations. In the present study, two new types of droplet injectors were built and tested. Testing of the droplet injectors consisted of neutral buoyancy tank tests, 5-sec drop tower tests at the NASA Lewis Zero Gravity Facility, and DC-9 tests. One type, the concentric injector, worked well in the neutral buoyancy tank but did not do well in low-gravity. However, it appeared that it makes a fine apparatus for constructing bubbles in low-gravity conditions. The other type, the T-injector, showed the most promise for future development. In both neutral buoyancy and DC-9 tests, water droplets were formed and deployed with some control and repeatability, although in low-gravity the residual velocities were higher than desirable. Based on our observations, further refinements are suggested for future development work.

Experimental Investigation of the Influence of Small Scale Geological Heterogeneity on Capillary Trapping of CO2 Using Engineered Beadpacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesan Krishnamurthy, P.; Trevisan, L.; Meckel, T. A.

2017-12-01

During geologic CO2 sequestration, most of the storage domain far from the injection sites is likely to be dominated by buoyancy and capillary forces. Under such flow regimes, small scale geological heterogeneities have been shown to dampen plume migration rates and cause trapping beneath capillary barriers. To understand the impact of such heterogeneities on CO2 trapping processes experimentally, many core-scale and lab scale flow studies have been conducted. Reservoir cores are limited by the scale of investigation possible and most lab experiments are conducted in macroheterogeneous media constructed by arranging homogeneous units to represent heterogeneity. However, most natural sedimentary facies display heterogeneity at a hierarchy of scales, and heterogeneity at the mesoscale (mm to decimeters) goes unrepresented in laboratory experiments due to the difficulty in reproducibility. This work presents results from buoyancy driven migration experiments conducted at the meter scale using glass beads packed in a quasi 2D glass cell and complementary reduced physics simulations. We demonstrate a novel automated technique to build beadpacks with 2D heterogeneous sedimentary features in a reproducible manner. A fluid pair that mimics the phase density and viscosity contrasts, and interfacial tension of CO2-Brine at reservoir pressures and temperatures is employed for the flow experiments. Light transmission technique is used for visualization, and to calibrate and quantify saturation of the trapped non-wetting fluid during the experiments. Invasion Percolation is used to simulate the buoyancy driven flow. With the ability to generate different types of heterogeneous structures in a reproducible manner, and by comparing experiments and simulations, a systematic investigation of the effect of heterogeneity on capillary trapping becomes possible.

Long-wave-instability-induced pattern formation in an evaporating sessile or pendent liquid layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Tao; Duan, Fei

2018-03-01

We investigate the nonlinear dynamics and stability of an evaporating liquid layer subject to vapor recoil, capillarity, thermocapillarity, ambient cooling, viscosity, and negative or positive gravity combined with buoyancy effects in the lubrication approximation. Using linear theory, we identify the mechanisms of finite-time rupture, independent of thermocapillarity and direction of gravity, and predict the effective growth rate of an interfacial perturbation which reveals competition among the mechanisms. A stability diagram is predicted for the onset of long-wave (LW) evaporative convection. In the two-dimensional simulation, we observe well-defined capillary ridges on both sides of the valley under positive gravity and main and secondary droplets under negative gravity, while a ridge can be trapped in a large-scale drained region in both cases. Neglecting the other non-Boussinesq effects, buoyancy does not have a significant influence on interfacial evolution and rupture time but makes contributions to the evaporation-driven convection and heat transfer. The average Nusselt number is found to increase with a stronger buoyancy effect. The flow field and interface profile jointly manifest the LW Marangoni-Rayleigh-Bénard convection under positive gravity and the LW Marangoni convection under negative gravity. In the three-dimensional simulation of moderate evaporation with a random perturbation, the rupture patterns are characterized by irregular ridge networks with distinct height scales for positive and negative gravity. A variety of interfacial and internal dynamics are displayed, depending on evaporation conditions, gravity, Marangoni effect, and ambient cooling. Reasonable agreement is found between the present results and the reported experiments and simulations. The concept of dissipative compacton also sheds light on the properties of interfacial fractalization.

Incorporating Density Properties of MgSO4 Brines Into Icy World Ocean Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, J. C.; Vance, S.

2011-12-01

The structure and flow of the subsurface oceans in icy worlds depends on the sources of buoyancy within these oceans. Buoyancy is determined by the equation of state, in which density is a nonlinear function of temperature, salinity, and pressure. Equations of state for terrestrial seawater (with Na and Cl as the principal dissolved species) are well-developed, but icy world oceans may contain a different balance of species, including Na, Mg, SO4, and NH4 (Kargel et al, 2000). Recent work by Vance and Brown (2011, pers. comm.) has mapped out the density and thermodynamic properties of MgSO4 brines under icy world conditions. We have developed code to incorporate this equation of state data for MgSO4 brines into two different ocean simulation models. First, we investigate a single-column convection model, which is able to find the equilibrium structure and heat transport of an icy world ocean. We explore the heat transport through the ocean subject to a variety of assumptions about ocean salinity and seafloor heat and salt flux. We resolve the paradox posed by Vance and Brown (2004): warm salty MgSO4 brine emitted by a seafloor hydrothermal system may be positively buoyant at the seafloor, but become negatively buoyant (sinking) at lower pressure. How does heat escape the ocean, if it cannot be transported by convection? Second, we add MgSO4 dynamics to a full 3-D time-dependent general circulation model (the MIT GCM), which is able to simulate both the global-scale circulation of the world's ocean and investigate the highly turbulent dynamics of buoyant hydrothermal systems. We ask, "Are buoyancy-driven flows in a MgSO4 brine ocean significantly different than similarly-driven flows in terrestrial seawater?"

Prominence Bubbles and Plumes: Thermo-magnetic Buoyancy in Coronal Cavity Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Thomas; Hurlburt, N.

2009-05-01

The Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope continues to produce high spatial and temporal resolution images of solar prominences in both the Ca II 396.8 nm H-line and the H-alpha 656.3 nm line. Time series of these images show that many quiescent prominences produce large scale (50 Mm) dark "bubbles" that "inflate" into, and sometimes burst through, the prominence material. In addition, small-scale (2--5 Mm) dark plumes are seen rising into many quiescent prominences. We show typical examples of both phenomena and argue that they originate from the same mechanism: concentrated and heated magnetic flux that rises due to thermal and magnetic buoyancy to equilibrium heights in the prominence/coronal-cavity system. More generally, these bubbles and upflows offer a source of both magnetic flux and mass to the overlying coronal cavity, supporting B.C. Low's theory of CME initiation via steadily increasing magnetic buoyancy breaking through the overlying helmut streamer tension forces. Quiescent prominences are thus seen as the lowermost parts of the larger coronal cavity system, revealing through thermal effects both the cooled downflowing "drainage" from the cavity and the heated upflowing magnetic "plasmoids" supplying the cavity. We compare SOT movies to new 3D compressible MHD simulations that reproduce the dark turbulent plume dynamics to establish the magnetic and thermal character of these buoyancy-driven flows into the corona.

Inertial effects on thermochemically driven convection and hydromagnetic dynamos in a spherical shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šimkanin, Ján; Kyselica, Juraj; Guba, Peter

2018-03-01

We investigate the thermochemical convection and hydromagnetic dynamos in a spherical shell using the so-called codensity formulation with different buoyancy sources: the secular cooling from the mantle, the buoyancy sources due to the solidification at the inner core boundary and the combination of the two sources. Numerical simulations of the fully non-linear problem are performed using the PARODY code. In the thermochemical regime, we find that when the Prandtl numbers are lower than Ekman numbers, inertial convection is preferred, while the large-scale columnar convection is preferred otherwise. Unlike the large-scale convection, the inertial convection is found to be almost independent of the nature of driving buoyancy source. Moreover, the codensity field evolves to a new, radially symmetric stationary state. At the Ekman numbers much smaller than the Prandtl numbers, we have obtained the westward equatorial zonal flow in the chemically driven regime, while for the other cases zonal flows are eastward near the equator. In the dynamo regime, inertial convection is preferred when the Prandtl numbers are lower than Ekman numbers and the generated dipolar magnetic fields oscillate from the polar region to the mid-latitudes and back. In this case, the generated magnetic fields are independent of the type of buoyancy source. At the Prandtl numbers greater than Ekman numbers, both dipolar and hemispherical dynamos are found.

Hybrid Upwinding for Two-Phase Flow in Heterogeneous Porous Media with Buoyancy and Capillarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamon, F. P.; Mallison, B.; Tchelepi, H.

2016-12-01

In subsurface flow simulation, efficient discretization schemes for the partial differential equations governing multiphase flow and transport are critical. For highly heterogeneous porous media, the temporal discretization of choice is often the unconditionally stable fully implicit (backward-Euler) method. In this scheme, the simultaneous update of all the degrees of freedom requires solving large algebraic nonlinear systems at each time step using Newton's method. This is computationally expensive, especially in the presence of strong capillary effects driven by abrupt changes in porosity and permeability between different rock types. Therefore, discretization schemes that reduce the simulation cost by improving the nonlinear convergence rate are highly desirable. To speed up nonlinear convergence, we present an efficient fully implicit finite-volume scheme for immiscible two-phase flow in the presence of strong capillary forces. In this scheme, the discrete viscous, buoyancy, and capillary spatial terms are evaluated separately based on physical considerations. We build on previous work on Implicit Hybrid Upwinding (IHU) by using the upstream saturations with respect to the total velocity to compute the relative permeabilities in the viscous term, and by determining the directionality of the buoyancy term based on the phase density differences. The capillary numerical flux is decomposed into a rock- and geometry-dependent transmissibility factor, a nonlinear capillary diffusion coefficient, and an approximation of the saturation gradient. Combining the viscous, buoyancy, and capillary terms, we obtain a numerical flux that is consistent, bounded, differentiable, and monotone for homogeneous one-dimensional flow. The proposed scheme also accounts for spatially discontinuous capillary pressure functions. Specifically, at the interface between two rock types, the numerical scheme accurately honors the entry pressure condition by solving a local nonlinear problem to compute the numerical flux. Heterogeneous numerical tests demonstrate that this extended IHU scheme is non-oscillatory and convergent upon refinement. They also illustrate the superior accuracy and nonlinear convergence rate of the IHU scheme compared with the standard phase-based upstream weighting approach.

Clausius-Clapeyron Scaling of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) in Cloud-Resolving Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, J.; Romps, D. M.

2015-12-01

Recent work by Singh and O'Gorman has produced a theory for convective available potential energy (CAPE) in radiative-convective equilibrium. In this model, the atmosphere deviates from a moist adiabat—and, therefore, has positive CAPE—because entrainment causes evaporative cooling in cloud updrafts, thereby steepening their lapse rate. This has led to the proposal that CAPE increases with global warming because the strength of evaporative cooling scales according to the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relation. However, CAPE could also change due to changes in cloud buoyancy and changes in the entrainment rate, both of which could vary with global warming. To test the relative importance of changes in CAPE due to CC scaling of evaporative cooling, changes in cloud buoyancy, and changes in the entrainment rate, we subject a cloud-resolving model to a suite of natural (and unnatural) forcings. We find that CAPE changes are primarily driven by changes in the strength of evaporative cooling; the effect of changes in the entrainment rate and cloud buoyancy are comparatively small. This builds support for CC scaling of CAPE.

STS-105 preflight water survival training in NBL pool in SCTF

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-12-11

JSC2000-07459 (11 December 2000) --- Astronaut Scott J. Horowitz, STS-105 commander, simulates a parachute drop into water during emergency bailout training with his crew members. The exercise took place in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

STS_135_NBL

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-10

JSC2011-E-040215 (10 March 2011) --- A bank of video screens shows the progress of a simulated spacewalk as the crew of STS-135 trains in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near NASA?s Johnson Space Center in Houston March 10, 2011. Photo credit: NASA Photo/Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool

Containerless Processing Studies in the MSFC Electrostatic Levitator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, J. R.; SanSoucie, M. P.

2012-01-01

Levitation or containerless processing represents an important tool in materials research. Levitated specimens are free from contact with a container, which permits studies of deeply undercooled melts, and high-temperature, highly reactive materials. Containerless processing provides data for studies of thermophysical properties, phase equilibria, metastable state formation, microstructure formation, undercooling, and nucleation. Levitation techniques include: acoustic, aero-acoustic, electromagnetic, and electrostatic. In microgravity, levitation can be achieved with greatly reduced positioning forces. Microgravity also reduces the effects of buoyancy and sedimentation in melts. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) jointly developed an electromagnetic levitator facility (MSL-EML) for containerless materials processing in space. The MSL-EML will be accommodated in the European Columbus Facility on the International Space Station (ISS). The electrostatic levitator (ESL) facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center provides support for the development of containerless processing studies for the ISS. The capabilities of the facility and recent results will be discussed.

Computational Analysis of Gravitational Effects in Low-Density Gas Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Satti, Rajani P.; Agrawal, Ajay K.

2004-01-01

This study deals with the computational analysis of buoyancy-induced instability in the nearfield of an isothermal helium jet injected into quiescent ambient air environment. Laminar, axisymmetric, unsteady flow conditions were considered for the analysis. The transport equations of helium mass fraction coupled with the conservation equations of mixture mass and momentum were solved using a staggered grid finite volume method. The jet Richardson numbers of 1.5 and 0.018 were considered to encompass both buoyant and inertial jet flow regimes. Buoyancy effects were isolated by initiating computations in Earth gravity and subsequently, reducing gravity to simulate the microgravity conditions. Computed results concur with experimental observations that the periodic flow oscillations observed in Earth gravity subside in microgravity.

An investigation of the convective region of numerically simulated squall lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryan, George Howard

High resolution numerical simulations are utilized to investigate the thermodynamic and kinematic structure of the convective region of squall lines. A new numerical modeling system was developed for this purpose. The model incorporates several new and/or recent advances in numerical modeling, including: a mass- and energy-conserving equation set, based on the compressible system of equations; third-order Runge-Kutta time integration, with high (third to sixth) order spatial discretization; and a new method for conserved-variable mixing in saturated environments, utilizing an exact definition for ice-liquid water potential temperature. A benchmark simulation for moist environments was designed to evaluate the new model. It was found that the mass- and energy-conserving equation set was necessary to produce acceptable results, and that traditional equation sets have a cool bias that leads to systematic underprediction of vertical velocity. The model was developed to run on massively-parallel distributed memory computing systems. This allows for simulations with very high resolution. In this study, squall lines were simulated with grid spacing of 125 m over a 300 km x 60 km x 18 km domain. Results show that the 125 m simulations contain sub-cloud-scale turbulent eddies that stretch and distort plumes of high equivalent potential temperature (thetae) that rise from the pre-squall-line boundary layer. In contrast, with 1 km grid spacing the high thetae plumes rise in a laminar manner, and require parameterized subgrid terms to diffuse the high theta e air. The high resolution output is used to refine the conceptual model of the structure and lifecycle of moist absolutely unstable layers (MAULs). Moist absolute instability forms in the inflow region of the squall line and is subsequently removed by turbulent processes of varying scales. Three general MAUL regimes (MRs) are identified: a laminar MR, characterized by deep (˜2 km) MAULs that extend continuously in both the cross-line and along-line directions; a convective MR, containing deep (˜10 km) cellular pulses and plumes; and a turbulent MR, characterized by numerous moist turbulent eddies that are a few km (or smaller) in scale. The character of the laminar MR is of particular interest. Parcels in this region experience moist absolute instability for 11--17 minutes before beginning to overturn. Conventional theory suggests that overturning would ensue immediately in these conditions. Two explanations are offered to elucidate why this layer persists without overturning. First, it is found that buoyancy forcing (defined as the sum of buoyancy and the vertical pressure gradient due to the buoyancy field) is reduced in the laminar MR as compared to that of an isolated parcel. The geometry of the laminar MR is directly responsible for this reduction in buoyancy forcing; specifically, the MAUL extends continuously in the along-line direction and for 10 km in the cross-line direction, which inhibits the development of vertical motions due to mass continuity considerations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Expedition Five Crewmembers during Water Survival Training at SCTF

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-12

JSC2001-01922 (12 July 2001) --- Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun, Expedition Five mission commander, assisted by Johnson Engineering diver Gabriel Meyer, simulates a parachute drop into water during an emergency bailout training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Korzun represents Rosaviakosmos.

STS-106 crew water survival training

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-21

JSC2000-02567 (21 March 2000) --- Astronaut Terrence W. (Terry) Wilcutt, STS-106 mission commander, empties water from his newly-deployed life raft during a simulation of an emergency bailout exercise. The water survival training routinely takes place in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Longitudinal modelling of academic buoyancy and motivation: do the '5Cs' hold up over time?

PubMed

Martin, Andrew J; Colmar, Susan H; Davey, Louise A; Marsh, Herbert W

2010-09-01

Academic buoyancy is students' ability to successfully deal with setbacks and challenges that are typical of academic life. The present study extends previous preliminary cross-sectional work that tentatively identified five motivational predictors of academic buoyancy - referred to as the '5Cs' of academic buoyancy: confidence (self-efficacy), coordination (planning), commitment (persistence), composure (low anxiety), and control (low uncertain control). The study seeks to more clearly ascertain the effects of motivation (and its mediating role) on academic buoyancy over and above prior academic buoyancy. The study comprised N=1,866 high school students from six schools. Longitudinal data were collected (1 year apart) and the hypothesized model exploring longitudinal effects was tested using structural equation modelling. After controlling for prior variance in academic buoyancy, the 5Cs were significant predictors of subsequent academic buoyancy. Furthermore, over and above the direct effects of prior academic buoyancy on subsequent academic buoyancy, the 5Cs significantly mediated this relationship. The study concludes with a discussion of the substantive, applied, and methodological implications for researchers and practitioners seeking to investigate and address the academic buoyancy of students who require the capacity to effectively function in an ever-challenging school environment.

Turbulent convective heat transfer of methane at supercritical pressure in a helical coiled tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chenggang; Sun, Baokun; Lin, Wei; He, Fan; You, Yingqiang; Yu, Jiuyang

2018-02-01

The heat transfer of methane at supercritical pressure in a helically coiled tube was numerically investigated using the Reynolds Stress Model under constant wall temperature. The effects of mass flux ( G), inlet pressure ( P in) and buoyancy force on the heat transfer behaviors were discussed in detail. Results show that the light fluid with higher temperature appears near the inner wall of the helically coiled tube. When the bulk temperature is less than or approach to the pseudocritical temperature ( T pc ), the combined effects of buoyancy force and centrifugal force make heavy fluid with lower temperature appear near the outer-right of the helically coiled tube. Beyond the T pc , the heavy fluid with lower temperature moves from the outer-right region to the outer region owing to the centrifugal force. The buoyancy force caused by density variation, which can be characterized by Gr/ Re 2 and Gr/ Re 2.7, enhances the heat transfer coefficient ( h) when the bulk temperature is less than or near the T pc , and the h experiences oscillation due to the buoyancy force. The oscillation is reduced progressively with the increase of G. Moreover, h reaches its peak value near the T pc . Higher G could improve the heat transfer performance in the whole temperature range. The peak value of h depends on P in. A new correlation was proposed for methane at supercritical pressure convective heat transfer in the helical tube, which shows a good agreement with the present simulated results.

40 CFR 1065.690 - Buoyancy correction for PM sample media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Buoyancy correction for PM sample media. (a) General. Correct PM sample media for their buoyancy in air if you weigh them on a balance. The buoyancy correction depends on the sample media density, the density of air, and the density of the calibration weight used to calibrate the balance. The buoyancy...

Evolution of Training in NASA's Mission Operations Directorate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutt, Jason

2012-01-01

NASA s Mission Operations Directorate provides all the mission planning, training, and operations support for NASA's human spaceflight missions including the International Space Station (ISS) and its fleet of supporting vehicles. MOD also develops and maintains the facilities necessary to conduct training and operations for those missions including the Mission Control Center, Space Station Training Facility, Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. MOD's overarching approach to human spaceflight training is to "train like you fly." This approach means not only trying to replicate the operational environment in training but also to approach training with the same mindset as real operations. When in training, this means using the same approach for executing operations, responding to off-nominal situations, and conducting yourself in the operations environment in the same manner as you would for the real vehicle.

Facilities for microgravity combustion research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sacksteder, Kurt R.

1988-01-01

Combustion science and applications have benefited in unforeseen ways from experimental research performed in the low-gravity environment. The capability to control for the first time the influence of gravitational buoyancy has provided some insight into soot formation in droplet combustion, the nature of flammability limits in premixed gases, and the relationship between normal-gravity and low-gravity material flammability that may influence how materials are best selected for routine use in habitable spacecraft. The opportunity to learn about these complex phenomena is derived from the control of the ambient body-force field and, perhaps as importantly, the simplified boundary conditions that can be established in well designed low-gravity combustion experiments. A description of the test facilities and typical experimental apparatus are provided; and conceptual plans for a Space Station Freedom capability, the Modular Combustion Facility, are described.

Effects of simulated microgravity on the development of the swimbladder and buoyancy control in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio).

PubMed

Lindsey, Benjamin W; Dumbarton, Tristan C; Moorman, Stephen J; Smith, Frank M; Croll, Roger P

2011-06-01

The gas-filled swimbladder of teleost fishes provides hydrodynamic lift which counteracts the high density of other body tissues, and thereby allows the fish to achieve neutral buoyancy with minimal energy expenditure. In this study, we examined whether the absence of a constant direction gravitational vector affects the ontogeny of the swimbladder and buoyancy control in zebrafish (Danio rerio). We exposed fertilized eggs to simulated microgravity (SMG) in a closed rotating wall vessel with control eggs placed in a similar but nonrotating container. All eggs hatched in both groups. At 96 hr of postfertilization (hpf), all larvae were removed from the experimental and control vessels. At this point, 62% of the control larvae, but only 14% of SMG-exposed larvae, were observed to have inflated their swimbladder. In addition, the mean volume of the inflated swimbladders was significantly greater in the control larvae compared with larvae raised in SMG. After transfer to open stationary observation tanks, larvae with uninflated swimbladders in both groups swam to the surface to complete inflation, but this process was significantly delayed in larvae exposed to SMG. Initial differences in swimbladder inflation and volume between groups disappeared by 144 hpf. Furthermore, there were no apparent changes in patterns of development and maturation of swimbladder musculature, vasculature, or innervation resulting from SMG exposure at later stages of ontogeny. These data indicate that, despite a transient delay in swimbladder inflation in zebrafish larvae exposed to SMG, subsequent swimbladder development in these animals proceeded similarly to that in normal larvae. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Flame-vortex interactions imaged in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Driscoll, James F.; Dahm, Werner J. A.; Sichel, Martin

1995-01-01

The scientific objective is to obtain high quality color-enhanced digital images of a vortex exerting aerodynamic strain on premixed and nonpremixed flames with the complicating effects of buoyancy removed. The images will provide universal (buoyancy free) scaling relations that are required to improve several types of models of turbulent combustion, including KIVA-3, discrete vortex, and large-eddy simulations. The images will be used to help quantify several source terms in the models, including those due to flame stretch, flame-generated vorticity, flame curvature, and preferential diffusion, for a range of vortex sizes and flame conditions. The experiment is an ideal way to study turbulence-chemistry interactions and isolate the effect of vortices of different sizes and strengths in a repeatable manner. A parallel computational effort is being conducted which considers full chemistry and preferential diffusion.

Development and Utilization of Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) & Delicacy, Imprecision, and Uncertainty of Oceanic Simulations: An Investigation with ROMS

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-30

and Ecosystems: An important community use for ROMS is biogeochemisty: chemical cycles, water quality, blooms , micro-nutrients, larval dispersal... Chile current system. J. Climate, submitted. Colas, F., X. Capet, and J. McWilliams, 2010b: Mesoscale eddy buoyancy flux and eddy-induced

A priori testing of subgrid-scale models for large-eddy simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juneja, Anurag; Brasseur, James G.

1996-11-01

Subgrid-scale models are generally developed assuming homogeneous isotropic turbulence with the filter cutoff lying in the inertial range. In the surface layer and capping inversion regions of the atmospheric boundary layer, the turbulence is strongly anisotropic and, in general, influenced by both buoyancy and shear. Furthermore, the integral scale motions are under-resolved in these regions. Herein we perform direct numerical simulations of shear and buoyancy-generated homogeneous anisotropic turbulence to compute and analyze the actual subgrid-resolved-scale (SGS-RS) dynamics as the filter cutoff moves into the energy-containing scales. These are compared with the SGS-RS dynamics predicted by Smagorinsky-based models with a focus on motivating improved closures. We find that, in general, the underlying assumption of such models, that the anisotropic part of the subgrid stress tensor be aligned with the resolved strain rate tensor, is a poor approximation. Similarly, we find poor alignment between the actual and predicted stress divergence, and find low correlations between the actual and modeled subgrid-scale contribution to the pressure and pressure gradient. Details will be given in the talk.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator - Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Skylab's success proved that scientific experimentation in a low gravity environment was essential to scientific progress. A more permanent structure was needed to provide this space laboratory. President Ronald Reagan, on January 25, 1984, during his State of the Union address, claimed that the United States should exploit the new frontier of space, and directed NASA to build a permanent marned space station within a decade. The idea was that the space station would not only be used as a laboratory for the advancement of science and medicine, but would also provide a staging area for building a lunar base and manned expeditions to Mars and elsewhere in the solar system. President Reagan invited the international community to join with the United States in this endeavour. NASA and several countries moved forward with this concept. By December 1985, the first phase of the space station was well underway with the design concept for the crew compartments and laboratories. Pictured are two NASA astronauts, at Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS), practicing construction techniques they later used to construct the space station after it was deployed.

Direct numerical simulation of vacillation in convection induced by centrifugal buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitz, Diogo B.; Marxen, Olaf; Chew, John W.

2017-11-01

Flows induced by centrifugal buoyancy occur in industrial systems, such as in the compressor cavities of gas turbines, as well as in flows of geophysical interest. In this numerical study we use direct numerical simulation (DNS) to investigate the transition between the steady waves regime, which is characterized by great regularity, to the vacillation regime, which is critical to understand transition to the fully turbulent regime. From previous work it is known that the onset of convection occurs in the form of pairs of nearly-circular rolls which span the entire axial length of the cavity, with small deviations near the parallel, no-slip end walls. When non-linearity sets in triadic interactions occur and, depending on the value of the centrifugal Rayleigh number, the flow is dominated by either a single mode and its harmonics or by broadband effects if turbulence develops. In this study we increase the centrifugal Rayleigh number progressively and investigate mode interactions during the vacillation regime which eventually lead to chaotic motion. Diogo B. Pitz acknowledges the financial support from the Capes foundation through the Science without Borders program.

Large-eddy simulation of slope flow over and within a vegetation canopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.; Katul, G. G.; Parlange, M. B.; Giometto, M. G.

2017-12-01

Large-eddy simulation is used to characterize the turbulent structure of katabatic flows interacting with vegetation canopies in the absence of rotation. Numerical experiments are conducted first considering homogeneous surface forcing over an infinite planar slope, resembling the settings of the classic Prandtl one-dimensional slope flow model. A series of homogeneous plant canopies are accounted for using a spatially-distributed drag and buoyancy-induced forces, both function of the canopy leaf-area density parameter. The current study provides a new perspective on the problem of canopy flows, whose numerical studies have to-date mostly focused on pressure-driven atmospheric boundary-layer flow settings or on complex topography but without buoyancy. The dependence of the solution to the grid stencil, subgrid-scale model, and domain size will be analyzed, to assess the quality and reliability of the proposed results. A sensitivity analysis will then be conducted to test the dependence of mean flow and turbulence to the model parameters. Results will be contrasted with those from corresponding runs with no vegetation canopy.

Density-ratio effects on buoyancy-driven variable-density turbulent mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslangil, Denis; Livescu, Daniel; Banerjee, Arindam

2017-11-01

Density-ratio effects on the turbulent mixing of two incompressible, miscible fluids with different densities subject to constant acceleration are studied by means of high-resolution Direct Numerical Simulations. In a triply periodic domain, turbulence is generated by stirring in response to the differential buoyancy forces within the flow. Later, as the fluids become molecularly mixed, dissipation starts to overcome turbulence generation by bouyancy. Thus, the flow evolution includes both turbulence growth and decay, and it displays features present in the core region of the mixing layer of the Rayleigh-Taylor as well as Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities. We extend the previous studies by investigating a broad range of density-ratio, from 1-14.4:1, corresponding to Atwood numbers of 0.05-0.87. Here, we focus on the Atwood number dependence of mixing-efficiency, that is defined based on the energy-conversion ratios from potential energy to total and turbulent kinetic energies, the decay characteristics of buoyancy-assisted variable-density homogeneous turbulence, and the effects of high density-ratios on the turbulence structure and mixing process. Authors acknowledge financial support from DOE-SSAA (DE-NA0003195) and NSF CAREER (#1453056) awards.

Numerical modeling of heat transfer in molten silicon during directional solidification process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Srinivasan, M.; Ramasamy, P., E-mail: ramasamyp@ssn.edu.in

2015-06-24

Numerical investigation is performed for some of the thermal and fluid flow properties of silicon melt during directional solidification by numerical modeling. Dimensionless numbers are extremely useful to understand the heat and mass transfer of fluid flow on Si melt and control the flow patterns during crystal growth processes. The average grain size of whole crystal would increase when the melt flow is laminar. In the silicon growth process, the melt flow is mainly driven by the buoyancy force resulting from the horizontal temperature gradient. The thermal and flow pattern influences the quality of the crystal through the convective heatmore » and mass transport. The computations are carried out in a 2D axisymmetric model using the finite-element technique. The buoyancy effect is observed in the melt domain for a constant Rayleigh number and for different Prandtl numbers. The convective heat flux and Reynolds numbers are studied in the five parallel horizontal cross section of melt silicon region. And also, velocity field is simulated for whole melt domain with limited thermal boundaries. The results indicate that buoyancy forces have a dramatic effect on the most of melt region except central part.« less

Buoyancy-Marangoni convection in confined volatile binary fluids subject to a horizontal temperature gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Tongran; Grigoriev, Roman

2017-11-01

We consider convection in a layer of binary fluid with free surface subject to a horizontal temperature gradient in the presence of noncondensable gases, which is driven by a combination of three different forces: buoyancy, thermocapillarity, and solutocapillarity. Unlike buoyancy, both thermo- and solutocapillary stresses depend sensitively on the local phase equilibrium at the liquid-gas interface. In particular, thermocapillarity associated with the interfacial temperature gradient is controlled by the vapors' concentration along the interface, and solutocapillarity associated with the interfacial concentration gradient is controlled by differential phase change of two components of the liquid, which is strongly influenced by the presence of noncondensables. Therefore, flows in both phases, phase change, and effect of noncondensables all have to be considered. Numerical simulations based on a comprehensive model taking these effects into account show qualitative agreement with recent experiments which identified a number of flow regimes at various compositions of both phases. In particular,we find that the composition of both the gas and liquid phase have a significant effect on the observed convection patterns; this dependence can be understood using a simple analytical model. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1511470.

PLANET-DISK INTERACTION IN THREE DIMENSIONS: THE IMPORTANCE OF BUOYANCY WAVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu Zhaohuan; Stone, James M.; Rafikov, Roman R., E-mail: zhzhu@astro.princeton.edu, E-mail: jstone@astro.princeton.edu, E-mail: rrr@astro.princeton.edu

2012-10-20

We carry out local three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic simulations of planet-disk interaction in stratified disks with varied thermodynamic properties. We find that whenever the Brunt-Vaeisaelae frequency (N) in the disk is non-zero, the planet exerts a strong torque on the disk in the vicinity of the planet, with a reduction in the traditional 'torque cutoff'. In particular, this is true for adiabatic perturbations in disks with isothermal density structure, as should be typical for centrally irradiated protoplanetary disks. We identify this torque with buoyancy waves, which are excited (when N is non-zero) close to the planet, within one disk scale heightmore » from its orbit. These waves give rise to density perturbations with a characteristic 3D spatial pattern which is in close agreement with the linear dispersion relation. The torque due to these waves can amount to as much as several tens of percent of the total planetary torque, which is not expected based on analytical calculations limited to axisymmetric or low-m modes. Buoyancy waves should be ubiquitous around planets in the inner, dense regions of protoplanetary disks, where they might possibly affect planet migration.« less

Numerical Study of the Buoyancy-Driven Flow in a Four-Electrode Rectangular Electrochemical Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhanyu; Agafonov, Vadim; Rice, Catherine; Bindler, Jacob

2009-11-01

Two-dimensional numerical simulation is done on the buoyancy-driven flow in a four-electrode rectangular electrochemical cell. Two kinds of electrode layouts, the anode-cathode-cathode-anode (ACCA) and the cathode-anode-anode-cathode (CAAC) layouts, are studied. In the ACCA layout, the two anodes are placed close to the channel outlets while the two cathodes are located between the two anodes. The CAAC layout can be converted from the ACCA layout by applying higher electric potential on the two middle electrodes. Density gradient was generated by the electrodic reaction I3^-+2e^- =3I^-. When the electrochemical cell is accelerated axially, buoyancy-driven flow occurs. In our model, electro-neutrality is assumed except at the electrodes. The Navier-Stokes equations with the Boussinesq approximation and the Nernst-Planck equations are employed to model the momentum and mass transports, respectively. It is found that under a given axial acceleration, the electrolyte density between the two middle electrodes determines the bulk flow through the electrochemical cell. The cathodic current difference is found to be able to measure the applied acceleration. Other important electro-hydrodynamic characteristics are also discussed.

Potential roles for EVA and telerobotics in a unified worksite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akin, David; Howard, Russel D.

1993-02-01

Although telerobotics and extravehicular activity (EVA) are often portrayed as competitive approaches to space operations, ongoing research in the Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) has demonstrated the utility of cooperative roles in an integrated EVA/telerobotic work site. Working in the neutral buoyancy simulation environment, tests were performed on interactive roles or EVA subjects and telerobots in structural assembly and satellite servicing tasks. In the most elaborate of these tests to date, EVA subjects were assisted by the SSL's Beam Assembly Teleoperator (BAT) in several servicing tasks planned for Hubble Space Telescope, using the high-fidelity crew training article in the NASA Marshall Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. These tests revealed several shortcomings in the design of BAT for satellite servicing and demonstrated the utility of a free-flying or RMS-mounted telerobot for providing EVA crew assistance. This paper documents the past tests, including the use of free-flying telerobots to effect the rescue of a simulated incapacitated EVA subject, and details planned future efforts in this area, including the testing of a new telerobotic system optimized for the satellite servicing role, the development of dedicated telerobotic devices designed specifically for assisting EVA crew, and conceptual approaches to advanced EVA/telerobotic operations such as the Astronaut Operations Vehicle.

On Cascade Energy Transfer in Convective Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestakov, A. V.; Stepanov, R. A.; Frick, P. G.

2017-12-01

The paper is devoted to specificities of the cascade processes in developed turbulence existing on a background of the density (temperature) gradient either parallel (turbulence in a stably stratified (SS) medium) or antiparallel (convective turbulence (CT)) to the gravitational force. Our main attention is paid to the Obukhov-Bolgiano (OB) regime, which presumes a balance between the buoyancy and nonlinear forces in a sufficiently extensive part of the inertial interval. Up to now, there has been no reliable evidence of the existence of the OB regime, although fragments of spectra with slopes close to-11/5 and-7/5 were detected in some works on the numerical simulations of convective turbulence. The paper presents a critical comparison of these data with the results obtained in this work using the cascade model of convective turbulence, which makes it possible to consider a wide range of control parameters. The cascade model is new and was obtained by the generalization of the class of helical cascade models to the case of turbulent convection. It is shown that, in developed turbulence, which is characterized by an interval with a constant spectral flux of kinetic energy, the buoyancy force cannot compete with nonlinear interactions and has no essential effect on the dynamics of the inertial interval. It is the buoyancy force that supplies the cascade process with energy in convective turbulence but only in the maximum scales. Under the SS conditions, the buoyancy forces reduce the energy of turbulent pulsations. In the case of stable stratification, the buoyancy force reduces the turbulence pulsation energy. The OB regime arises in none of these cases, but, in the scales beyond the inertial interval, Kolmogorov's turbulence with the "-5/3" law, in which temperature behaves like a passive admixture, is established. The observed deviations from the "-5/3" spectrum, erroneously interpreted as the OB regime, are manifested in the case of insufficient separation of the macroscale of turbulence and the dissipative scale.

Surface shear stress dependence of gas transfer velocity parameterizations using DNS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fredriksson, S. T.; Arneborg, L.; Nilsson, H.; Handler, R. A.

2016-10-01

Air-water gas-exchange is studied in direct numerical simulations (DNS) of free-surface flows driven by natural convection and weak winds. The wind is modeled as a constant surface-shear-stress and the gas-transfer is modeled via a passive scalar. The simulations are characterized via a Richardson number Ri=Bν/u*4 where B, ν, and u* are the buoyancy flux, kinematic viscosity, and friction velocity respectively. The simulations comprise 0Ric or kg=AShearu*Sc-n, Ri

Buoyancy differences among two deepwater ciscoes from the Great Lakes and their putative ancestor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krause, A.E.; Eshenroder, R.L.; Begnoche, L.J.

2002-01-01

We analyzed buoyancy in two deepwater ciscoes, Coregonus hoyi and C. kiyi, and in C. artedi, their putative ancestor, and also analyzed how variations in fish weight, water content, and lipid content affected buoyancy. Buoyancy was significantly different among the three species (p < 0.0001). Estimates of percent buoyancy (neutral buoyancy = 0.0%) were: kiyi, 3.8%; hoyi, 4.7%; and artedi, 5.7%. Buoyancy did not change with fish weight alone (p = 0.38). Fish weight was negatively related to water content for all three species (p = 0.037). Lipid content was not significantly different between hoyi and kiyi, but artedi had significantly fewer lipids than hoyi and kiyi (p < 0.10). When artedi was removed from the analysis, fish weight and lipids accounted for 48% of the variation in buoyancy (p = 0.003), fatter hoyi were less dense than leaner hoyi, but fatter and leaner kiyi were no different in density. Our findings provide additional evidence that buoyancy regulation was a speciating mechanism in deepwater ciscoes and that kiyi is more specialized than hoyi for diel-vertical migration in deep water.

Numerical analysis of two and three dimensional buoyancy driven water-exit of a circular cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshari, Shahab; Nikseresht, Amir Hossein; Mehryar, Reza

2014-06-01

With the development of the technology of underwater moving bodies, the need for developing the knowledge of surface effect interaction of free surface and underwater moving bodies is increased. Hence, the two-phase flow is a subject which is interesting for many researchers all around the world. In this paper, the non-linear free surface deformations which occur during the water-exit of a circular cylinder due to its buoyancy are solved using finite volume discretization based code, and using Volume of Fluid (VOF) scheme for solving two phase flow. Dynamic mesh model is used to simulate dynamic motion of the cylinder. In addition, the effect of cylinder mass in presence of an external force is studied. Moreover, the oblique exit and entry of a circular cylinder with two exit angles is simulated. At last, water-exit of a circular cylinder in six degrees of freedom is simulated in 3D using parallel processing. The simulation errors of present work (using VOF method) for maximum velocity and height of a circular cylinder are less than the corresponding errors of level set method reported by previous researchers. Oblique exit shows interesting results; formation of waves caused by exit of the cylinder, wave motion in horizontal direction and the air trapped between the waves are observable. In 3D simulation the visualization of water motion on the top surface of the cylinder and the free surface breaking on the front and back faces of the 3D cylinder at the exit phase are observed which cannot be seen in 2D simulation. Comparing the results, 3D simulation shows better agreement with experimental data, specially in the maximum height position of the cylinder.

Array Simulation at the Bearing Stake Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

C) The array was generally towed at 300 m depth. Four depth sensors on the array gave depth and tilt. With the exception of Site 1B the array was...Site 2, weights were added to the array to overcome its apparent buoyancy. The depth sensors failed on this run and the actual *ilt is not known. Data...horizontal axis title, " Sensor Group Separation," refers to posicion along che array. It .s equivalent to our simulated receiver depth with shallower

An overview of the EASE/ACCESS space construction demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levin, George M.; Ross, Jerry L.; Spring, Sherwood C.

1988-01-01

Consideration is given to the development of the Experimental Assembly of Structures in EVA/Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures (EASE/ACCESS) space construction demonstration, which was performed during Space Shuttle mission 61-B. The mission equipment is described and illustrated and the EASE/ACCESS mission management structure is outlined. Simulations of the assembly and disassembly in the NASA neutral buoyancy simulators were used to test the mission plans. In addition, EVA training and crew performance for the mission are discussed.

Studies of Radiation-Driven and Buoyancy-Driven Fluid Flows and Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ronney, Paul D.; Fortmeyer, Justin M.

1994-01-01

It is well known that radiative heat transport influences many types of buoyant flows due to its effect on the temperature and thus density field in the fluid medium. It is of interest to study gaseous flows driven solely by radiation in the absence of buoyancy, particularly because of its application to astrophysical flows that are well known from astronomical observations and numerical simulation. However, no laboratory-scale experiments of this phenomenon have ever been conducted. To study the possibility of obtaining such flows in the laboratory, an apparatus was built to produce large temperature differences (Delta T) up to 300 K in a gas confined between flat parallel plates. SF6 was used as the radiatively-active gas because its Planck absorption length is much shorter than that of any other common non-reactive gas. The NASA-Lewis 2.2 second drop tower was used to obtain reduced gravity in order to suppress buoyancy effects. To image the resulting flows, a laser shearing interferometer was employed. Initial results indicate the presence of flow that does not appear to be attributable to the residual flow resulting from buoyancy influences before the drop. For Delta T greater than 70 K, slight deformations in the interferometer fringes seen at lower Delta T became large unsteady swirls. Such behavior did not occur for radiatively-inactive gases, suggesting that a flow driven solely by radiation was obtained in SF6 and to a lesser extent in CO2 This was more pronounced at higher pressures and plate spacings, consistent with our scaling predictions.

Studies of Radiation-Driven and Buoyancy-Driven Fluid Flows and Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ronney, Paul D.; Fortmeyer, Justin M.

1996-01-01

It is well known that radiative heat transport influences many types of buoyant flows due to its effect on the temperature and thus density field in the fluid medium. It is of interest to study gaseous flows driven solely by radiation in the absence of buoyancy, particularly because of its application to astrophysical flows that are well known from astronomical observations and numerical simulation. However, no laboratory-scale experiments of this phenomenon have ever been conducted. To study the possibility of obtaining such flows in the laboratory, an apparatus was built to produce large temperature differences (Delta (T)) up to 300 K in a gas confined between flat parallel plates. SF6 was used as the radiatively-active gas because its Planck absorption length is much shorter than that of any other common non-reactive gas. The NASA-Lewis 2.2 second drop tower was used to obtain reduced gravity in order to suppress buoyancy effects. To image the resulting flows, a laser shearing interferometer was employed. Initial results indicate the presence of flow that does not appear to be attributable to the residual flow resulting from buoyancy influences before the drop. For Delta(T) greater than 70 K, slight deformations in the interferometer fringes seen at lower Delta(T) became large unsteady swirls. Such behavior did not occur for radiatively-inactive gases, suggesting that a flow driven solely by radiation was obtained in SF6 and to a lesser extent in CO2. This was more pronounced at higher pressures and plate spacings, consistent with our scaling predictions.

Turbulent entrainment across turbulent-nonturbulent interfaces in stably stratified mixing layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, T.; Riley, J. J.; Nagata, K.

2017-10-01

The entrainment process in stably stratified mixing layers is studied in relation to the turbulent-nonturbulent interface (TNTI) using direct numerical simulations. The statistics are calculated with the interface coordinate in an Eulerian frame as well as with the Lagrangian fluid particles entrained from the nonturbulent to the turbulent regions. The characteristics of entrainment change as the buoyancy Reynolds number Reb decreases and the flow begins to layer. The baroclinic torque delays the enstrophy growth of the entrained fluids at small Reb, while this effect is less efficient for large Reb. The entrained particle movement within the TNTI layer is dominated by the small dissipative scales, and the rapid decay of the kinetic energy dissipation rate due to buoyancy causes the entrained particle movement relative to the interface location to become slower. Although the Eulerian statistics confirm that there exists turbulent fluid with strong vorticity or with large buoyancy frequency near the TNTI, the entrained fluid particles circumvent these regions by passing through the TNTI in strain-dominant regions or in regions with small buoyancy frequency. The multiparticle statistics show that once the nonturbulent fluid volumes are entrained, they are deformed into flattened shapes in the vertical direction and diffuse in the horizontal direction. When Reb is large enough for small-scale turbulence to exist, the entrained fluid is able to penetrate into the turbulent core region. Once the flow begins to layer with decreasing Reb, however, the entrained fluid volume remains near the outer edge of the turbulent region and forms a stably stratified layer without vertical overturning.

Effects of Buoyancy and Forcing on Transitioning and Turbulent Lifted Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosaly, George; Kramlich, John C.; Riley, James J.; Nichols, Joseph W.

2003-01-01

The objectives of this paper are two-fold. First, a numerical scheme for the simulation of a buoyant, reacting jet is presented with special attention given to boundary conditions. In the absence of coflow, a jet flame is particularly sensitive to boundary conditions enforced upon the computational domain. However, careful consideration of proper boundary conditions can minimize their effect upon the overall simulation. Second, results of some preliminary simulations are presented over a range of Froude and Damkohler numbers. This range was chosen so as to produce lifted flames in both normal gravity and microgravity environments.

Astronaut David Wolf participates in training for contingency EVA in WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Astronaut David A. Wolf participates in training for contingency extravehicular activity (EVA) for the STS-58 mission. The mission specialist was about to be submerged ito a point of neutral buoyancy in the JSC Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF). In this view, Wolf is displaying the flexibility of his training version of the Shuttle extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) by lifting his arms above his head (31701); Wolf waves to the camera before he is submerged in the WETF (31702).

Operation and Performance Measurement on Engines in Sea Level Test Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-01

progressively larger collector to ’:7.. *: capture the efflux, but secondary airflow increases rapidly as collector area .-- increases. Therefore...1 + Dbm + Dc + Dts + Dbt - WeVe + (Pe - P 2 )Ae where the terms above and to follow are defined as Fa - measured thrust from load cell Pn - net thrust...Dbt - buoyancy (boat-tail) drag on exhaust nozzle. Considering that . (Pe-P" 2 )Ae + WeVe - (Pe-P..)Ae + (P-1-P- 2 )Ae + WeVe and .. .* Pg (Pe-PŖ)Ae

The Buoyancy Budget With a Nonlinear Equation of State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hieronymus, M. H.; Nycander, J.

2012-12-01

There has been a number of studies focusing on different aspects of having a nonlinear equation of state for seawater. Amongst other things it has been shown that the nonlinear equation of state has implications for the oceanic energy budget and that nonlinear processes can be a significant source of dense water production. This presentation will focus on the oceanic buoyancy budget. The nonlinear equation of state of seawater can introduce a sink or source of buoyancy when water parcels of unequal salinities and temperatures are mixed. A common example is the process known as cabbeling, which is responsible for forming a water mass that is denser than the original constituents in a mixture of two water masses with equal densities but different salinities and temperatures. This presentation will contain quantitative estimates of these nonlinear effects on the buoyancy budget of the global ocean. Because of these nonlinear effects there is a net sink of buoyancy in the oceans interior and the size of this sink can be determined from the buoyancy fluxes at the ocean boundaries. These boundary buoyancy fluxes are calculated using two surface heat flux climatologies one based on in situ measurements, the other on a reanalysis and in both cases using a nonlinear equation of state. The presentation also treats the buoyancy budget in the State of the art ocean model Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) and the results from NEMO are seen to be in good agreement with the buoyancy budgets based on the heat flux climatologies. Using the ocean model is a good complement to the surface flux climatologies, because in NEMO the buoyancy fluxes can be evaluated at all vertical model levels. This means that the vertical distribution of the buoyancy sink can be looked into. The results from NEMO shows that in large parts of the ocean the nonlinear buoyancy sink is the largest contribution to the buoyancy budget.

Optimizing smoke and plume rise modeling approaches at local scales

Treesearch

Derek V. Mallia; Adam K. Kochanski; Shawn P. Urbanski; John C. Lin

2018-01-01

Heating from wildfires adds buoyancy to the overlying air, often producing plumes that vertically distribute fire emissions throughout the atmospheric column over the fire. The height of the rising wildfire plume is a complex function of the size of the wildfire, fire heat flux, plume geometry, and atmospheric conditions, which can make simulating plume rises difficult...

Experimental study of forced convection heat transfer during upward and downward flow of helium at high pressure and high temperature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Francisco Valentin; Narbeh Artoun; Masahiro Kawaji

2015-08-01

Fundamental high pressure/high temperature forced convection experiments have been conducted in support of the development of a Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) with a prismatic core. The experiments utilize a high temperature/high pressure gas flow test facility constructed for forced convection and natural circulation experiments. The test section has a single 16.8 mm ID flow channel in a 2.7 m long, 108 mm OD graphite column with four 2.3kW electric heater rods placed symmetrically around the flow channel. This experimental study presents the role of buoyancy forces in enhancing or reducing convection heat transfer for helium at high pressures upmore » to 70 bar and high temperatures up to 873 degrees K. Wall temperatures have been compared among 10 cases covering the inlet Re numbers ranging from 500 to 3,000. Downward flows display higher and lower wall temperatures in the upstream and downstream regions, respectively, than the upward flow cases due to the influence of buoyancy forces. In the entrance region, convection heat transfer is reduced due to buoyancy leading to higher wall temperatures, while in the downstream region, buoyancyinduced mixing causes higher convection heat transfer and lower wall temperatures. However, their influences are reduced as the Reynolds number increases. This experimental study is of specific interest to VHTR design and validation of safety analysis codes.« less

Materials Science Experiments Under Microgravity - A Review of History, Facilities, and Future Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, Ch.

2012-01-01

Materials science experiments have been a key issue already since the early days of research under microgravity conditions. A microgravity environment facilitates processing of metallic and semiconductor melts without buoyancy driven convection and sedimentation. Hence, crystal growth of semiconductors, solidification of metallic alloys, and the measurement of thermo-physical parameters are the major applications in the field of materials science making use of these dedicated conditions in space. In the last three decades a large number of successful experiments have been performed, mainly in international collaborations. In parallel, the development of high-performance research facilities and the technological upgrade of diagnostic and stimuli elements have also contributed to providing optimum conditions to perform such experiments. A review of the history of materials science experiments in space focussing on the development of research facilities is given. Furthermore, current opportunities to perform such experiments onboard ISS are described and potential future options are outlined.

Thermal-hydraulic posttest analysis for the ANL/MCTF 360/sup 0/ model heat-exchanger water test under mixed convection. [LMFBR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, C.I.; Sha, W.T.; Kasza, K.E.

As a result of the uncertainties in the understanding of the influence of thermal-buoyancy effects on the flow and heat transfer in Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor heat exchangers and steam generators under off-normal operating conditions, an extensive experimental program is being conducted at Argonne National Laboratory to eliminate these uncertainties. Concurrently, a parallel analytical effort is also being pursued to develop a three-dimensional transient computer code (COMMIX-IHX) to study and predict heat exchanger performance under mixed, forced, and free convection conditions. This paper presents computational results from a heat exchanger simulation and compares them with the results from amore » test case exhibiting strong thermal buoyancy effects. Favorable agreement between experiment and code prediction is obtained.« less

Neutral buoyancy test evaluation of hardware and extravehicular activity procedures for on-orbit assembly of a 14 meter precision reflector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heard, Walter L., Jr.; Lake, Mark S.

1993-01-01

A procedure that enables astronauts in extravehicular activity (EVA) to perform efficient on-orbit assembly of large paraboloidal precision reflectors is presented. The procedure and associated hardware are verified in simulated Og (neutral buoyancy) assembly tests of a 14 m diameter precision reflector mockup. The test article represents a precision reflector having a reflective surface which is segmented into 37 individual panels. The panels are supported on a doubly curved tetrahedral truss consisting of 315 struts. The entire truss and seven reflector panels were assembled in three hours and seven minutes by two pressure-suited test subjects. The average time to attach a panel was two minutes and three seconds. These efficient assembly times were achieved because all hardware and assembly procedures were designed to be compatible with EVA assembly capabilities.

A Prescribed Flight Performance Assessment for Undersea Vehicle Autopilot Robustness

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-16

parameters are defined. These two non-dimensional parameters are effective buoyancy, effB , and effective center of mass offset, ,CM effX , shown in... effective buoyancy is one minus the weight of the vehicle over the buoyancy of the vehicle. Hence, an effective buoyancy value of -0.1 is equivalent to the...vehicle weight being 10 percent larger in magnitude than the buoyancy of the vehicle causing the vehicle to sink. Effective center of mass offset

Dynamic Turbulence Modelling in Large-eddy Simulations of the Cloud-topped Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirkpatrick, M. P.; Mansour, N. N.; Ackerman, A. S.; Stevens, D. E.

2003-01-01

The use of large eddy simulation, or LES, to study the atmospheric boundary layer dates back to the early 1970s when Deardor (1972) used a three-dimensional simulation to determine velocity and temperature scales in the convective boundary layer. In 1974 he applied LES to the problem of mixing layer entrainment (Deardor 1974) and in 1980 to the cloud-topped boundary layer (Deardor 1980b). Since that time the LES approach has been applied to atmospheric boundary layer problems by numerous authors. While LES has been shown to be relatively robust for simple cases such as a clear, convective boundary layer (Mason 1989), simulation of the cloud-topped boundary layer has proved more of a challenge. The combination of small length scales and anisotropic turbulence coupled with cloud microphysics and radiation effects places a heavy burden on the turbulence model, especially in the cloud-top region. Consequently, over the past few decades considerable effort has been devoted to developing turbulence models that are better able to parameterize these processes. Much of this work has involved taking parameterizations developed for neutral boundary layers and deriving corrections to account for buoyancy effects associated with the background stratification and local buoyancy sources due to radiative and latent heat transfer within the cloud (see Lilly 1962; Deardor 1980a; Mason 1989; MacVean & Mason 1990, for example). In this paper we hope to contribute to this effort by presenting a number of turbulence models in which the model coefficients are calculated dynamically during the simulation rather than being prescribed a priori.

C1-Continuous relative permeability and hybrid upwind discretization of three phase flow in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. H.; Efendiev, Y.

2016-10-01

Three-phase flow in a reservoir model has been a major challenge in simulation studies due to slowly convergent iterations in Newton solution of nonlinear transport equations. In this paper, we examine the numerical characteristics of three-phase flow and propose a consistent, "C1-continuous discretization" (to be clarified later) of transport equations that ensures a convergent solution in finite difference approximation. First, we examine three-phase relative permeabilities that are critical in solving nonlinear transport equations. Three-phase relative permeabilities are difficult to measure in the laboratory, and they are often correlated with two-phase relative permeabilities (e.g., oil-gas and water-oil systems). Numerical convergence of non-linear transport equations entails that three-phase relative permeability correlations are a monotonically increasing function of the phase saturation and the consistency conditions of phase transitions are satisfied. The Modified Stone's Method II and the Linear Interpolation Method for three-phase relative permeability are closely examined for their mathematical properties. We show that the Linear Interpolation Method yields C1-continuous three-phase relative permeabilities for smooth solutions if the two phase relative permeabilities are monotonic and continuously differentiable. In the second part of the paper, we extend a Hybrid-Upwinding (HU) method of two-phase flow (Lee, Efendiev and Tchelepi, ADWR 82 (2015) 27-38) to three phase flow. In the HU method, the phase flux is divided into two parts based on the driving forces (in general, it can be divided into several parts): viscous and buoyancy. The viscous-driven and buoyancy-driven fluxes are upwinded differently. Specifically, the viscous flux, which is always co-current, is upwinded based on the direction of the total velocity. The pure buoyancy-induced flux is shown to be only dependent on saturation distributions and counter-current. In three-phase flow, the buoyancy effect can be expressed as a sum of two buoyancy effects from two-phase flows, i.e., oil-water and oil-gas systems. We propose an upwind scheme for the buoyancy flux term from three-phase flow as a sum of two buoyancy terms from two-phase flows. The upwind direction of the buoyancy flux in two phase flow is always fixed such that the heavier fluid goes downward and the lighter fluid goes upward. It is shown that the Implicit Hybrid-Upwinding (IHU) scheme for three-phase flow is locally conservative and produces physically-consistent numerical solutions. As in two phase flow, the primary advantage of the IHU scheme is that the flux of a fluid phase remains continuous and differentiable as the flow regime changes between co-current and counter-current conditions as a function of time, or (Newton) iterations. This is in contrast to the standard phase-potential-based upwinding scheme, in which the overall fractional-flow (flux) function is non-differentiable across the transition between co-current and counter-current flows.

40 CFR 1065.690 - Buoyancy correction for PM sample media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... media. 1065.690 Section 1065.690 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... Buoyancy correction for PM sample media. (a) General. Correct PM sample media for their buoyancy in air if you weigh them on a balance. The buoyancy correction depends on the sample media density, the density...

40 CFR 1065.690 - Buoyancy correction for PM sample media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... media. 1065.690 Section 1065.690 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... Buoyancy correction for PM sample media. (a) General. Correct PM sample media for their buoyancy in air if you weigh them on a balance. The buoyancy correction depends on the sample media density, the density...

40 CFR 1065.690 - Buoyancy correction for PM sample media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... media. 1065.690 Section 1065.690 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... Buoyancy correction for PM sample media. (a) General. Correct PM sample media for their buoyancy in air if you weigh them on a balance. The buoyancy correction depends on the sample media density, the density...

40 CFR 1065.690 - Buoyancy correction for PM sample media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... media. 1065.690 Section 1065.690 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... Buoyancy correction for PM sample media. (a) General. Correct PM sample media for their buoyancy in air if you weigh them on a balance. The buoyancy correction depends on the sample media density, the density...

Approaching a realistic force balance in geodynamo simulations

PubMed Central

Yadav, Rakesh K.; Gastine, Thomas; Christensen, Ulrich R.; Wolk, Scott J.; Poppenhaeger, Katja

2016-01-01

Earth sustains its magnetic field by a dynamo process driven by convection in the liquid outer core. Geodynamo simulations have been successful in reproducing many observed properties of the geomagnetic field. However, although theoretical considerations suggest that flow in the core is governed by a balance between Lorentz force, rotational force, and buoyancy (called MAC balance for Magnetic, Archimedean, Coriolis) with only minute roles for viscous and inertial forces, dynamo simulations must use viscosity values that are many orders of magnitude larger than in the core, due to computational constraints. In typical geodynamo models, viscous and inertial forces are not much smaller than the Coriolis force, and the Lorentz force plays a subdominant role; this has led to conclusions that these simulations are viscously controlled and do not represent the physics of the geodynamo. Here we show, by a direct analysis of the relevant forces, that a MAC balance can be achieved when the viscosity is reduced to values close to the current practical limit. Lorentz force, buoyancy, and the uncompensated (by pressure) part of the Coriolis force are of very similar strength, whereas viscous and inertial forces are smaller by a factor of at least 20 in the bulk of the fluid volume. Compared with nonmagnetic convection at otherwise identical parameters, the dynamo flow is of larger scale and is less invariant parallel to the rotation axis (less geostrophic), and convection transports twice as much heat, all of which is expected when the Lorentz force strongly influences the convection properties. PMID:27790991

Heat and mass transfer boundary conditions at the surface of a heated sessile droplet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ljung, Anna-Lena; Lundström, T. Staffan

2017-12-01

This work numerically investigates how the boundary conditions of a heated sessile water droplet should be defined in order to include effects of both ambient and internal flow. Significance of water vapor, Marangoni convection, separate simulations of the external and internal flow, and influence of contact angle throughout drying is studied. The quasi-steady simulations are carried out with Computational Fluid Dynamics and conduction, natural convection and Marangoni convection are accounted for inside the droplet. For the studied conditions, a noticeable effect of buoyancy due to evaporation is observed. Hence, the inclusion of moisture increases the maximum velocities in the external flow. Marangoni convection will, in its turn, increase the velocity within the droplet with up to three orders of magnitude. Results furthermore show that the internal and ambient flow can be simulated separately for the conditions studied, and the accuracy is improved if the internal temperature gradient is low, e.g. if Marangoni convection is present. Simultaneous simulations of the domains are however preferred at high plate temperatures if both internal and external flows are dominated by buoyancy and natural convection. The importance of a spatially resolved heat and mass transfer boundary condition is, in its turn, increased if the internal velocity is small or if there is a large variation of the transfer coefficients at the surface. Finally, the results indicate that when the internal convective heat transport is small, a rather constant evaporation rate may be obtained throughout the drying at certain conditions.

A New Approach for 3D Ocean Reconstruction from Limited Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, X.

2014-12-01

Satellites can measure ocean surface height and temperature with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to capture mesoscale features across the globe. Measurements of the ocean's interior, however, remain sparse and irregular, thus the dynamical inference of subsurface flows is necessary to interpret surface measurements. The most common (and accurate) approach is to incorporate surface measurements into a data-assimilating forward ocean model, but this approach is expensive and slow, and thus completely impractical for time-critical needs, such as offering guidance to ship-based observational campaigns. Two recently-developed approaches have made use of the apparent partial consistency of upper ocean dynamics with quasigeostrophic flows that take into account surface buoyancy gradients (i.e. the "surface quasigeostrophic" (SQG) model) to "reconstruct" the interior flow from knowledge of surface height and buoyancy. Here we improve on these methods in three ways: (1) we adopt a modal decomposition that represents the surface and interior dynamics in an efficient way, allowing the separation of surface energy from total energy; (2) we make use of instantaneous vertical profile observations (e.g. from ARGO data) to improve the reconstruction of eddy variables at depth; and (3) we use advanced statistical methods to choose the optimal modes for the reconstruction. The method is tested using a series of high horizontal and vertical resolution quasigeostrophic simulation, with a wide range of surface buoyancy and interior potential vorticity gradient combinations. In addtion, we apply the method to output from a very high resolution primitive equation simulation of a forced and dissipated baroclinic front in a channel. Our new method is systematically compared to the existing methods as well. Its advantages and limitations will be discussed.

Numerical modeling of a spherical buoy moored by a cable in three dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiangqian; Yoo, Wan-Suk

2016-05-01

Floating facilities have been studied based on the static analysis of mooring cables over the past decades. To analyze the floating system of a spherical buoy moored by a cable with a higher accuracy than before, the dynamics of the cables are considered in the construction of the numerical modeling. The cable modeling is established based on a new element frame through which the hydrodynamic loads are expressed efficiently. The accuracy of the cable modeling is verified with an experiment that is conducted by a catenary chain moving in a water tank. In addition, the modeling of a spherical buoy is established with respect to a spherical coordinate in three dimensions, which can suffers the gravity, the variable buoyancy and Froude-Krylov loads. Finally, the numerical modeling for the system of a spherical buoy moored by a cable is established, and a virtual simulation is proceeded with the X- and Y-directional linear waves and the X-directional current. The comparison with the commercial simulation code ProteusDS indicates that the system is accurately analyzed by the numerical modeling. The tensions within the cable, the motions of the system, and the relationship between the motions and waves are illustrated according to the defined sea state. The dynamics of the cables should be considered in analyzing the floating system of a spherical buoy moored by a cable.

Thermal stratification in LH2 tank of cryogenic propulsion stage tested in ISRO facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xavier, M.; Raj, R. Edwin; Narayanan, V.

2017-02-01

Liquid oxygen and hydrogen are used as oxidizer and fuel respectively in cryogenic propulsion system. These liquids are stored in foam insulated tanks of cryogenic propulsion system and are pressurized using warm pressurant gas supplied for tank pressure maintenance during cryogenic engine operation. Heat leak to cryogenic propellant tank causes buoyancy driven liquid stratification resulting in formation of warm liquid stratum at liquid free surface. This warm stratum is further heated by the admission of warm pressurant gas for tank pressurization during engine operation. Since stratified layer temperature has direct bearing on the cavitation free operation of turbo pumps integrated in cryogenic engine, it is necessary to model the thermal stratification for predicting stratified layer temperature and mass of stratified liquid in tank at the end of engine operation. These inputs are required for estimating the minimum pressure to be maintained by tank pressurization system. This paper describes configuration of cryogenic stage for ground qualification test, stage hot test sequence, a thermal model and its results for a foam insulated LH2 tank subjected to heat leak and pressurization with hydrogen gas at 200 K during liquid outflow at 38 lps for engine operation. The above model considers buoyancy flow in free convection boundary layer caused by heat flux from tank wall and energy transfer from warm pressurant gas etc. to predict temperature of liquid stratum and mass of stratified liquid in tank at the end of engine operation in stage qualification tests carried out in ISRO facility.

Large Eddy Simulation of Gravitational Effects on Transitional and Turbulent Gas-Jet Diffusion Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Givi, Peyman; Jaberi, Farhad A.

2001-01-01

The basic objective of this work is to assess the influence of gravity on "the compositional and the spatial structures" of transitional and turbulent diffusion flames via large eddy simulation (LES), and direct numerical simulation (DNS). The DNS is conducted for appraisal of the various closures employed in LES, and to study the effect of buoyancy on the small scale flow features. The LES is based on our "filtered mass density function"' (FMDF) model. The novelty of the methodology is that it allows for reliable simulations with inclusion of "realistic physics." It also allows for detailed analysis of the unsteady large scale flow evolution and compositional flame structure which is not usually possible via Reynolds averaged simulations.

Can Arctic Sea Ice Decline Weaken the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorov, A. V.; Sevellec, F.; Liu, W.

2017-12-01

The ongoing decline of Arctic sea ice exposes the ocean to anomalous surface heat and freshwater fluxes, resulting in positive buoyancy anomalies that can affect ocean circulation. In this study (detailed in Sevellec, Fedorov, Liu 2017, Nature Climate Change) we apply an optimal flux perturbation framework and comprehensive climate model simulations (using CESM) to estimate the sensitivity of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) to such buoyancy forcing over the Arctic and globally, and more generally AMOC sensitivity to sea ice decline. We find that on decadal timescales flux anomalies over the subpolar North Atlantic have the largest impact on the AMOC; however, on multi-decadal timescales (longer than 20 years), anomalies in the Arctic become more important. These positive buoyancy anomalies from the Arctic spread to the North Atlantic, weakening the AMOC and its poleward heat transport after several decades. Therefore, the Arctic sea ice decline may explain the suggested slow-down of the AMOC and the "Warming Hole" persisting in the subpolar North Atlantic. Further, we discuss how the proposed connection, i.e. Arctic sea ice contraction would lead to an AMOC slow-down, varies across different earth system models. Overall, this study demonstrates that Arctic sea ice decline can play an active role in ocean and climate change.

The effect of centrifugal buoyancy on the heat transport in rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Susanne; Aurnou, Jonathan

2017-11-01

In a rapidly rotating and differentially heated fluid, the centrifugal acceleration can play a similar role to that of gravity in generating convective motion. However, in the paradigm system of rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection, centrifugal buoyancy is typically not considered in theoretical studies and, thus, usually undesired in laboratory experiments, despite being unavoidable. How centrifugal buoyancy affects the turbulent flow, including the heat transport, is still largely unknown, in particular, when it can be considered negligible. We study this problem by means of direct numerical simulations. Unlike in experiments, we are able to systematically vary the Froude number Fr (ratio of centrifugal to gravitational acceleration) and the Rossby number Ro (dimensionless rotation rate) independently, and even set each to zero exactly. We show that the centrifugal acceleration simultaneously leads to contending phenomena, e.g. reflected by an increase and a decrease of the center temperature, or a suppression and an enhancement of the heat transfer efficiency. Which one prevails as net effect strongly depends on the combination of Fr and Ro. Furthermore, we discuss implications for experiments of rapidly rotating convection. SH acknowledges funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under Grant HO 5890/1-1, JA by the NSF Geophysics Program.

STS-117 Crew during an EVA 3 Run at the NBL

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-16

JSC2006-E-44666 (16 Oct. 2006) --- STS-117 underwater training activities in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center are visible on the monitors in the simulation control area in the NBL. The STS-117 crew is using the NBL to rehearse both assigned and contingency spacewalks for its scheduled February 2007 mission.

Three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics of the emerging magnetic flux in the solar atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsumoto, R.; Tajima, T.; Shibata, K.; Kaisig, M.

1993-01-01

The nonlinear evolution of an emerging magnetic flux tube or sheet in the solar atmosphere is studied through 3D MHD simulations. In the initial state, a horizontal magnetic flux sheet or tube is assumed to be embedded at the bottom of MHD two isothermal gas layers, which approximate the solar photosphere/chromosphere and the corona. The magnetic flux sheet or tube is unstable against the undular mode of the magnetic buoyancy instability. The magnetic loop rises due to the linear and then later nonlinear instabilities caused by the buoyancy enhanced by precipitating the gas along magnetic field lines. We find by 3D simulation that during the ascendance of loops the bundle of flux tubes or even the flux sheet develops into dense gas filaments pinched between magnetic loops. The interchange modes help produce a fine fiber flux structure perpendicular to the magnetic field direction in the linear stage, while the undular modes determine the overall buoyant loop structure. The expansion of such a bundle of magnetic loops follows the self-similar behavior observed in 2D cases studied earlier. Our study finds the threshold flux for arch filament system (AFS) formation to be about 0.3 x 10 exp 20 Mx.

The evaporatively driven cloud-top mixing layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellado, Juan Pedro

2010-11-01

Turbulent mixing caused by the local evaporative cooling at the top cloud-boundary of stratocumuli will be discussed. This research is motivated by the lack of a complete understanding of several phenomena in that important region, which translates into an unacceptable variability of order one in current models, including those employed in climate research. The cloud-top mixing layer is a simplified surrogate to investigate, locally, particular aspects of the fluid dynamics at the boundary between the stratocumulus clouds and the upper cloud-free air. In this work, direct numerical simulations have been used to study latent heat effects. The problem is the following: When the cloud mixes with the upper cloud-free layer, relatively warm and dry, evaporation tends to cool the mixture and, if strong enough, the buoyancy reversal instability develops. This instability leads to a turbulent convection layer growing next to the upper boundary of the cloud, which is, in several aspects, similar to free convection below a cold horizontal surface. In particular, results show an approximately self-preserving behavior that is characterized by the molecular buoyancy flux at the inversion base, fact that helps to explain the difficulties found when doing large-eddy simulations of this problem using classical subgrid closures.

Monitoring and Controlling an Underwater Robotic Arm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haas, John; Todd, Brian Keith; Woodcock, Larry; Robinson, Fred M.

2009-01-01

The SSRMS Module 1 software is part of a system for monitoring an adaptive, closed-loop control of the motions of a robotic arm in NASA s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where buoyancy in a pool of water is used to simulate the weightlessness of outer space. This software is so named because the robot arm is a replica of the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). This software is distributed, running on remote joint processors (RJPs), each of which is mounted in a hydraulic actuator comprising the joint of the robotic arm and communicating with a poolside processor denoted the Direct Control Rack (DCR). Each RJP executes the feedback joint-motion control algorithm for its joint and communicates with the DCR. The DCR receives joint-angular-velocity commands either locally from an operator or remotely from computers that simulate the flight like SSRMS and perform coordinated motion calculations based on hand-controller inputs. The received commands are checked for validity before they are transmitted to the RJPs. The DCR software generates a display of the statuses of the RJPs for the DCR operator and can shut down the hydraulic pump when excessive joint-angle error or failure of a RJP is detected.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator - SADE NBS Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

One of the main components of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is the Solar Array Drive Electronics (SADE) system. This system interfaces with the Support System Module (SSM) for exchange of operational commands and telemetry data. SADE operates and controls the Solar Array Drive Mechanisms (SADM) for the orientation of the Solar Array Drive (SAD). It also monitors the position of the arrays and the temperature of the SADM. During the first HST servicing mission, the astronauts replaced the SADE component because of some malfunctions. This turned out to be a very challenging extravehicular activity (EVA). Two transistors and two diodes had been thermally stressed with the conformal coating discolored and charred. Soldered cornections became molten and reflowed between the two diodes. The failed transistors gave no indication of defective construction. All repairs were made and the HST was redeposited into orbit. Prior to undertaking this challenging mission, the orbiter's crew trained at Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) to prepare themselves for working in a low gravity environment. They also practiced replacing HST parts and exercised maneuverability and equipment handling. Pictured is an astronaut practicing climbing a space platform that was necessary in making repairs on the HST.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-NB50B-SADE Training Exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

One of the main components of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is the Solar Array Drive Electronics (SADE) system. This system interfaces with the Support System Module (SSM) for exchange of operational commands and telemetry data. SADE operates and controls the Solar Array Drive Mechanisms (SADM) for the orientation of the Solar Array Drive (SAD). It also monitors the position of the arrays and the temperature of the SADM. During the first HST servicing mission, the astronauts replaced the SADE component because of some malfunctions. This turned out to be a very challenging extravehicular activity (EVA). Two transistors and two diodes had been thermally stressed with the conformal coating discolored and charred. Soldered cornections became molten and reflowed between the two diodes. The failed transistors gave no indication of defective construction. All repairs were made and the HST was redeposited into orbit. Prior to undertaking this challenging mission, the orbiter's crew trained at Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) to prepare themselves for working in a low gravity environment. They also practiced replacing HST parts and exercised maneuverability and equipment handling. Pictured are crew members practicing on a space platform.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-11-18

After the end of the Apollo missions, NASA's next adventure into space was the marned spaceflight of Skylab. Using an S-IVB stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle, Skylab was a two-story orbiting laboratory, one floor being living quarters and the other a work room. The objectives of Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. At the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), astronauts and engineers spent hundreds of hours in an MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) rehearsing procedures to be used during the Skylab mission, developing techniques, and detecting and correcting potential problems. The NBS was a 40-foot deep water tank that simulated the weightlessness environment of space. This photograph shows astronaut Ed Gibbon (a prime crew member of the Skylab-4 mission) during the neutral buoyancy Skylab extravehicular activity training at the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) mockup. One of Skylab's major components, the ATM was the most powerful astronomical observatory ever put into orbit to date.

Large-eddy-simulation approach in understanding flow structures of 2D turbulent density currents over sloping surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayamatullah, M.; Rao Pillalamarri, Narasimha; Bhaganagar, Kiran

2018-04-01

A numerical investigation was performed to understand the flow dynamics of 2D density currents over sloping surfaces. Large eddy simulation was conducted for lock-exchange (L-E) release currents and overflows. 2D Navier-Stokes equations were solved using the Boussinesq approximation. The effects of the lock aspect-ratio (height/length of lock), slope, and Reynolds number on the flow structures and turbulence mixing have been analyzed. Results have confirmed buoyancy within the head of the two-dimensional currents is not conserved which contradicts the classical thermal theory. The lock aspect-ratio dictates the fraction of initial buoyancy which is carried by the head of the current at the beginning of the slumping (horizontal) and accelerating phase (over a slope), which has important implications on turbulence kinetic energy production, and hence mixing in the current. For L-E flows over a slope, increasing slope angle enhances the turbulence production. Increasing slope results in shear reversal within the density current resulting in shear-instabilities. Differences in turbulence production mechanisms and flow structures exist between the L-E and constant-flux release currents resulting in significant differences in the flow characteristics between different releases.

46 CFR 160.010-5 - Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy. 160.010-5... Vessels § 160.010-5 Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy. (a) Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy must have a plastic foam body with an external protective covering. The body may be reinforced as...

46 CFR 160.010-5 - Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy. 160.010-5... Vessels § 160.010-5 Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy. (a) Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy must have a plastic foam body with an external protective covering. The body may be reinforced as...

46 CFR 160.010-5 - Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy. 160.010-5... Vessels § 160.010-5 Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy. (a) Buoyant apparatus with plastic foam buoyancy must have a plastic foam body with an external protective covering. The body may be reinforced as...

Dynamic behavior and deformation analysis of the fish cage system using mass-spring model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chun Woo; Lee, Jihoon; Park, Subong

2015-06-01

Fish cage systems are influenced by various oceanic conditions, and the movements and deformation of the system by the external forces can affect the safety of the system itself, as well as the species of fish being cultivated. Structural durability of the system against environmental factors has been major concern for the marine aquaculture system. In this research, a mathematical model and a simulation method were presented for analyzing the performance of the large-scale fish cage system influenced by current and waves. The cage system consisted of netting, mooring ropes, floats, sinkers and floating collar. All the elements were modeled by use of the mass-spring model. The structures were divided into finite elements and mass points were placed at the mid-point of each element, and mass points were connected by springs without mass. Each mass point was applied to external and internal forces, and total force was calculated in every integration step. The computation method was applied to the dynamic simulation of the actual fish cage systems rigged with synthetic fiber and copper wire simultaneously influenced by current and waves. Here, we also tried to find a relevant ratio between buoyancy and sinking force of the fish cages. The simulation results provide improved understanding of the behavior of the structure and valuable information concerning optimum ratio of the buoyancy to sinking force according to current speeds.

ROLE OF MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH AND NUMERICAL RESOLUTION IN SIMULATIONS OF THE HEAT-FLUX-DRIVEN BUOYANCY INSTABILITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Avara, Mark J.; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Bogdanovic, Tamara, E-mail: mavara@astro.umd.edu, E-mail: chris@astro.umd.edu, E-mail: tamarab@gatech.edu

2013-08-20

The role played by magnetic fields in the intracluster medium (ICM) of galaxy clusters is complex. The weakly collisional nature of the ICM leads to thermal conduction that is channeled along field lines. This anisotropic heat conduction profoundly changes the instabilities of the ICM atmosphere, with convective stabilities being driven by temperature gradients of either sign. Here, we employ the Athena magnetohydrodynamic code to investigate the local non-linear behavior of the heat-flux-driven buoyancy instability (HBI) relevant in the cores of cooling-core clusters where the temperature increases with radius. We study a grid of two-dimensional simulations that span a large rangemore » of initial magnetic field strengths and numerical resolutions. For very weak initial fields, we recover the previously known result that the HBI wraps the field in the horizontal direction, thereby shutting off the heat flux. However, we find that simulations that begin with intermediate initial field strengths have a qualitatively different behavior, forming HBI-stable filaments that resist field-line wrapping and enable sustained vertical conductive heat flux at a level of 10%-25% of the Spitzer value. While astrophysical conclusions regarding the role of conduction in cooling cores require detailed global models, our local study proves that systems dominated by the HBI do not necessarily quench the conductive heat flux.« less

Venusian Applications of 3D Convection Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonaccorso, Timary Annie

2011-01-01

This study models mantle convection on Venus using the 'cubed sphere' code OEDIPUS, which models one-sixth of the planet in spherical geometry. We are attempting to balance internal heating, bottom mantle viscosity, and temperature difference across Venus' mantle, in order to create a realistic model that matches with current planetary observations. We also have begun to run both lower and upper mantle simulations to determine whether layered (as opposed to whole-mantle) convection might produce more efficient heat transfer, as well as to model coronae formation in the upper mantle. Upper mantle simulations are completed using OEDIPUS' Cartesian counterpart, JOCASTA. This summer's central question has been how to define a mantle plume. Traditionally, we have defined a hot plume the region with temperature at or above 40% of the difference between the maximum and horizontally averaged temperature, and a cold plume as the region with 40% of the difference between the minimum and average temperature. For less viscous cases (1020 Pa?s), the plumes generated by that definition lacked vigor, displaying buoyancies 1/100th of those found in previous, higher viscosity simulations (1021 Pa?s). As the mantle plumes with large buoyancy flux are most likely to produce topographic uplift and volcanism, the low viscosity cases' plumes may not produce observable deformation. In an effort to eliminate the smallest plumes, we experimented with different lower bound parameters and temperature percentages.

Near-Surface Effects of Free Atmosphere Stratification in Free Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellado, Juan Pedro; van Heerwaarden, Chiel C.; Garcia, Jade Rachele

2016-04-01

The effect of a linear stratification in the free atmosphere on near-surface properties in a free convective boundary layer (CBL) is investigated by means of direct numerical simulation. We consider two regimes: a neutral stratification regime, which represents a CBL that grows into a residual layer, and a strong stratification regime, which represents the equilibrium (quasi-steady) entrainment regime. We find that the mean buoyancy varies as z^{-1/3}, in agreement with classical similarity theory. However, the root-mean-square (r.m.s.) of the buoyancy fluctuation and the r.m.s. of the vertical velocity vary as z^{-0.45} and ln z, respectively, both in disagreement with theory. These scaling laws are independent of the stratification regime, but the depth over which they are valid depends on the stratification. In the strong stratification regime, this depth is about 20 to 25 % of the CBL depth instead of the commonly used 10 %, which we only observe under neutral conditions. In both regimes, the near-surface flow structure can be interpreted as a hierarchy of circulations attached to the surface. Based on this structure, we define a new near-surface layer in free convection, the plume-merging layer, that is conceptually different from the constant-flux layer. The varying depth of the plume-merging layer depending on the stratification accounts for the varying depth of validity of the scaling laws. These findings imply that the buoyancy transfer law needed in mixed-layer and single-column models is well described by the classical similarity theory, independent of the stratification in the free atmosphere, even though other near-surface properties, such as the r.m.s. of the buoyancy fluctuation and the r.m.s. of the vertical velocity, are inconsistent with that theory.

Effects of buoyancy on gas jet diffusion flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahadori, M. Yousef; Edelman, Raymond B.

1993-01-01

The objective of this effort was to gain a better understanding of the fundamental phenomena involved in laminar gas jet diffusion flames in the absence of buoyancy by studying the transient phenomena of ignition and flame development, (quasi-) steady-state flame characteristics, soot effects, radiation, and, if any, extinction phenomena. This involved measurements of flame size and development, as well as temperature and radiation. Additionally, flame behavior, color, and luminosity were observed and recorded. The tests quantified the effects of Reynolds number, nozzle size, fuel reactivity and type, oxygen concentration, and pressure on flame characteristics. Analytical and numerical modeling efforts were also performed. Methane and propane flames were studied in the 2.2 Second Drop Tower and the 5.18-Second Zero-Gravity Facility of NASA LeRC. In addition, a preliminary series of tests were conducted in the KC-135 research aircraft. Both micro-gravity and normal-gravity flames were studied in this program. The results have provided unique and new information on the behavior and characteristics of gas jet diffusion flames in micro-gravity environments.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-05-01

This photograph was taken during testing of an emergency procedure to free jammed solar array panels on the Skylab workshop. A metal strap became tangled over one of the folded solar array panels when Skylab lost its micrometeoroid shield during the launch. This photograph shows astronauts Schweickart and Gibson in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) using various cutting tools and methods developed by the MSFC to free the jammed solar wing. Extensive testing and many hours of practice in simulators such as the NBS tank helped prepare the Skylab crewmen for extravehicular performance in the weightless environment. This huge water tank simulated the weightless environment that the astronauts would encounter in space.

Thermocapillary-Induced Phase Separation with Coalescence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Robert H.

2003-01-01

Research has been undertaken on interactions of two or more deformable drops (or bubbles) in a viscous fluid and subject to a temperature, gravitational, or flow field. An asymptotic theory for nearly spherical drops shows that small deformations reduce the coalescence and phase separation rates. Boundary-integral simulations for large deformations show that bubbles experience alignment and enhanced coalescence, whereas more viscous drops may break as a result of hydrodynamic interactions. Experiments for buoyancy motion confirm these observations. Simulations of the sedimentation of many drops show clustering phenomena due to deformations, which lead to enhanced phase separation rates, and simulations of sheared emulsions show that deformations cause a reduction in the effective viscosity.

Stabilization of a finite slice in miscible displacement in homogeneous porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pramanik, Satyajit; Mishra, Manoranjan

2016-11-01

We numerically studied the miscible displacement of a finite slice of variable viscosity and density. The stability of the finite slice depends on different flow parameters, such as displacement velocity U, mobility ratio R , and the density contrast. Series of numerical simulations corresponding to different ordered pair (R, U) in the parameter space, and a given density contrast reveal six different instability regions. We have shown that independent of the width of the slice, there always exists a region of stable displacement, and below a critical value of the slice width, this stable region increases with decreasing slice width. Further we observe that the viscous fingering (buoyancy-induced instability) at the upper interface induces buoyancy-induced instability (viscous fingering) at the lower interface. Besides the fundamental fluid dynamics understanding, our results can be helpful to model CO2 sequestration and chromatographic separation.

Advanced underwater lift device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flanagan, David T.; Hopkins, Robert C.

1993-01-01

Flexible underwater lift devices ('lift bags') are used in underwater operations to provide buoyancy to submerged objects. Commercially available designs are heavy, bulky, and awkward to handle, and thus are limited in size and useful lifting capacity. An underwater lift device having less than 20 percent of the bulk and less than 10 percent of the weight of commercially available models was developed. The design features a dual membrane envelope, a nearly homogeneous envelope membrane stress distribution, and a minimum surface-to-volume ratio. A proof-of-concept model of 50 kg capacity was built and tested. Originally designed to provide buoyancy to mock-ups submerged in NASA's weightlessness simulators, the device may have application to water-landed spacecraft which must deploy flotation upon impact, and where launch weight and volume penalties are significant. The device may also be useful for the automated recovery of ocean floor probes or in marine salvage applications.

Theory and simulation of buoyancy-driven convection around growing protein crystals in microgravity.

PubMed

Carotenuto, L; Cartwright, J H E; Castagnolo, D; Garcia Ruiz, J M; Otalora, F

2002-01-01

We present an order-of-magnitude analysis of the Navier-Stokes equations in a time-dependent, incompressible and Boussinesq formulation. The hypothesis employed of two different length scales allows one to determine the different flow regimes on the basis of the geometrical and thermodynamical parameters alone, without solving the Navier-Stokes equations. The order-of-magnitude analysis is then applied to the field of protein crystallization, and to the flow field around a crystal, where the driving forces are solutal buoyancy-driven convection, from density dependence on species concentration, and sedimentation caused by the different densities of the crystal and the protein solution. The main result of this paper is to provide predictions of the conditions in which a crystal is growing in a convective regime, rather than in the ideal diffusive state, even under the typical microgravity conditions of space platforms.

Using Magnetic Field Gradients to Simulate Variable Gravity in Fluids and Materials Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, Narayanan

2006-01-01

Fluid flow due to a gravitational field is caused by sedimentation, thermal buoyancy, or solutal buoyancy induced convection. During crystal growth, for example, these flows are undesirable and can lead to crystal imperfections. While crystallization in microgravity can approach diffusion limited growth conditions (no convection), terrestrially strong magnetic fields can be used to control fluid flow and sedimentation effects. In this work, a theory is presented on the stability of solutal convection of a magnetized fluid(weak1y paramagnetic) in the presence of a magnetic field. The requirements for stability are developed and compared to experiments performed within the bore of a superconducting magnet. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experiments. Extension of the technique can also be applied to study artificial gravity requirements for long duration exploration missions. Discussion of this application with preliminary experiments and application of the technique to crystal growth will be provided.

Origins and Early History of Underwater Neutral Buoyancy Simulation of Weightlessness for EVA Procedures Development and Training. Part 2; Winnowing and Regrowth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charles, John B.

2013-01-01

The technique of neutral buoyancy during water immersion was applied to a variety of questions pertaining to human performance factors in the early years of the space age. It was independently initiated by numerous aerospace contractors at nearly the same time, but specific applications depended on the problems that the developers were trying to solve. Those problems dealt primarily with human restraint and maneuverability and were often generic across extravehicular activity (EVA) and intravehicular activity (IVA) worksites. The same groups often also considered fractional gravity as well as weightless settings and experimented with ballasting to achieve lunar and Mars-equivalent loads as part of their on-going research and development. Dr. John Charles reviewed the association of those tasks with contemporary perceptions of the direction of NASA's future space exploration activities and with Air Force assessments of the military value of man in space.

Laboratory experiments on stability and entrainment of oceanic stratocumulus. Part 1: Instability experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shy, Shenqyang S.

1990-01-01

The existence and persistence of marine stratocumulus play a significant role in the overall energy budget of the earth. Their stability and entrainment process are important in global climate studies, as well as for local weather forecasting. The purposes of the experimental simulations are to study this process and to address this paradox. The effects of buoyancy reversal is investigated, followed by two types of experiments. An instability experiment involves the behavior of a fully turbulent wake near the inversion generated by a sliding plate. Due to buoyancy reversal, the heavy, mixed fluid starts to sink, turning the potential energy created by the mixing process into kinetic energy, thereby increasing the entrainment rate. An entrainment experiment, using a vertically oscillating grid driven by a controllable speed motor, produces many eddy-induced entrainments at a surface region on scales much less than the depth of the layer.

Space engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Harold L.

1991-01-01

Human productivity was studied for extravehicular tasks performed in microgravity, particularly including in-space assembly of truss structures and other large objects. Human factors research probed the anthropometric constraints imposed on microgravity task performance and the associated workstation design requirements. Anthropometric experiments included reach envelope tests conducted using the 3-D Acoustic Positioning System (3DAPS), which permitted measuring the range of reach possible for persons using foot restraints in neutral buoyancy, both with and without space suits. Much neutral buoyancy research was conducted using the support of water to simulate the weightlessness environment of space. It became clear over time that the anticipated EVA requirement associated with the Space Station and with in-space construction of interplanetary probes would heavily burden astronauts, and remotely operated robots (teleoperators) were increasingly considered to absorb the workload. Experience in human EVA productivity led naturally to teleoperation research into the remote performance of tasks through human controlled robots.

Single Bubble Sonoluminescence in Low Gravity and Optical Radiation Pressure Positioning of the Bubble

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thiessen, D. B.; Young, J. E.; Marr-Lyon, M. J.; Richardson, S. L.; Breckon, C. D.; Douthit, S. G.; Jian, P. S.; Torruellas, W. E.; Marston, P. L.

1999-01-01

Several groups of researchers have demonstrated that high frequency sound in water may be used to cause the regular repeated compression and luminescence of a small bubble of gas in a flask. The phenomenon is known as single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL). It is potentially important because light emitted by the bubble appears to be associated with a significant concentration of energy within the volume of the bubble. Unfortunately, the detailed physical mechanisms causing the radiation of light by oscillating bubbles are poorly understood and there is some evidence that carrying out experiments in a weightless environment may provide helpful clues. In addition, the radiation pressure of laser beams on the bubble may provide a way of simulating weightless experiments in the laboratory. The standard model of SBSL attributes the light emission to heating within the bubble by a spherically imploding shock wave to achieve temperatures of 50,000 K or greater. In an alternative model, the emission is attributed to the impact of a jet of water which is required to span the bubble and the formation of the jet is linked to the buoyancy of the bubble. The coupling between buoyancy and jet formation is a consequence of the displacement of the bubble from a velocity node (pressure antinode) of the standing acoustic wave that drives the radial bubble oscillations. One objective of this grant is to understand SBSL emission in reduced buoyancy on KC-135 parabolic flights. To optimize the design of those experiments and for other reasons which will help resolve the role of buoyancy, laboratory experiments are planned in simulated low gravity in which the radiation pressure of laser light will be used to position the bubble at the acoustic velocity node of the ultrasonic standing wave. Laser light will also be used to push the bubble away from the velocity node, increasing the effective buoyancy. The original experiments on the optical levitation and radiation pressure on bubbles in water by Unger and Marston noted above were carried out using a continuous wave (CW) beam of an Argon laser. For lateral stability the beam had a intensity minimum along its axis. Calculations of the optical radiation force on an SBSL bubble indicate that ion laser technology is a poor choice for providing the magnitude of the average optical radiation force required. Consequently it is necessary to examine various diode-pumped solid state laser technologies. The approach for this part of the research will be to achieve optical levitation of a quiescent bubble based on contemporary laser technology and then to strobe the laser synchronously with the SBSL bubble oscillations.

Is academic buoyancy anything more than adaptive coping?

PubMed

Putwain, David W; Connors, Liz; Symes, Wendy; Douglas-Osborn, Erica

2012-05-01

Academic buoyancy refers to a positive, constructive, and adaptive response to the types of challenges and setbacks experienced in a typical and everyday academic setting. In this project we examined whether academic buoyancy explained any additional variance in test anxiety over and above that explained by coping. Two hundred and ninety-eight students in their final two years of compulsory schooling completed self-report measures of academic buoyancy, coping, and test anxiety. Results suggested that buoyancy was inversely related to test anxiety and unrelated to coping. With the exception of test-irrelevant thoughts, test anxiety was positively related to avoidance coping and social support. Test-irrelevant thoughts were inversely related to task focus, unrelated to social support, and positively related to avoidance. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that academic buoyancy explained a significant additional proportion of variance in test anxiety when the variance for coping had already been accounted for. These findings suggest that academic buoyancy can be considered as a distinct construct from that of adaptive coping.

XRMON-GF: A novel facility for solidification of metallic alloys with in situ and time-resolved X-ray radiographic characterization in microgravity conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen-Thi, H.; Reinhart, G.; Salloum Abou Jaoude, G.; Mathiesen, R. H.; Zimmermann, G.; Houltz, Y.; Voss, D.; Verga, A.; Browne, D. J.; Murphy, A. G.

2013-07-01

As most of the phenomena involved during the growth of metallic alloys from the melt are dynamic, in situ and time-resolved X-ray imaging should be retained as the method of choice for investigating the solidification front evolution. On Earth, the gravity force is the major source of various disturbing effects (natural convection, buoyancy/sedimentation, and hydrostatic pressure) which can significantly modify or mask certain physical mechanisms. Therefore solidification under microgravity is an efficient way to eliminate such perturbations to provide unique benchmark data for the validation of models and numerical simulations. Up to now, in situ observation during microgravity solidification experiments were limited to the investigations on transparent organic alloys, using optical methods. On the other hand, in situ observation on metallic alloys generally required synchrotron facilities. This paper reports on a novel facility we have designed and developed to investigate directional solidification on metallic alloys in microgravity conditions with in situ X-ray radiography observation. The facility consists of a Bridgman furnace and an X-ray radiography device specifically devoted to the study of Al-based alloys. An unprecedented experiment was recently performed on board a sounding rocket, with a 6 min period of microgravity. Radiographs were successfully recorded during the entire experiment including the melting and solidification phases of the sample, with a Field-of-View of about 5 mm×5 mm, a spatial resolution of about 4 µm and a frequency of 2 frames per second. Some preliminary results are presented on the solidification of the Al-20 wt% Cu sample, which validate the apparatus and confirm the potential of in situ X-ray characterization for the investigation of dynamical phenomena in materials processing, and particularly for the studying of metallic alloys solidification.

Inherent work suit buoyancy distribution: effects on lifejacket self-righting performance.

PubMed

Barwood, Martin J; Long, Geoffrey M; Lunt, Heather; Tipton, Michael J

2014-09-01

Accidental immersion in cold water is an occupational risk. Work suits and life jackets (LJ) should work effectively in combination to keep the airway clear of the water (freeboard) and enable self-righting. We hypothesized that inherent buoyancy, in the suit or LJ, would be beneficial for enabling freeboard, but its distribution may influence LJ self-righting. Six participants consented to complete nine immersions. Suits and LJ tested were: flotation suit (FLOAT; 85 N inherent buoyancy); oilskins 1 (OS-1) and 2 (OS-2), both with no inherent buoyancy; LJs (inherent buoyancy/buoyancy after inflation/total buoyancy), LJ-1 50/150/200 N, LJ-2 0/290/290 N, LJ-3 80/190/270 N. Once dressed, the subject entered an immersion pool where uninflated freeboard, self-righting performance, and inflated freeboard were measured. Data were compared using Friedman's test to the 0.05 alpha level. All suits and LJs enabled uninflated and inflated freeboard, but differences were seen between the suits and LJs. Self-righting was achieved on 43 of 54 occasions, irrespective of suit or LJ. On all occasions that self-righting was not achieved, this occurred in an LJ that included inherent buoyancy (11/54 occasions). Of these 11 failures, 8 occurred (73% of occasions) when the FLOAT suit was being worn. LJs that included inherent buoyancy, that are certified as effective on their own, worked less effectively from the perspective of self-righting in combination with a work suit that also included inherent buoyancy. Equipment that is approved for use in the workplace should be tested in combination to ensure adequate performance in an emergency scenario.

Academic buoyancy and academic outcomes: towards a further understanding of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), students without ADHD, and academic buoyancy itself.

PubMed

Martin, Andrew J

2014-03-01

Academic buoyancy is students' capacity to successfully overcome setback and challenge that is typical of the ordinary course of everyday academic life. It may represent an important factor on the psycho-educational landscape assisting students who experience difficulties in school and schoolwork. This study investigated the role of academic buoyancy in the achievement and cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement of (1) students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and (2) 'regular' (or 'general') students residing in the same classrooms and schools. The study also sought to extend prior research into academic buoyancy by including previously neglected and potentially influential factors such as personality and socio-economic status. Participants were n = 87 high school students with ADHD, n = 3374 non-ADHD peers, and n = 87 randomly drawn non-ADHD students. Survey-based data were analysed using multigroup (ADHD, non-ADHD, randomly weighted non-ADHD) multivariate (multiple independent/covariate and dependent variables) path analysis. The findings revealed a significant and positive association between academic buoyancy and outcomes for students with ADHD that generalized to non-ADHD groups. On occasion where academic buoyancy effects differed between the groups, effects favoured students with ADHD. Furthermore, academic buoyancy explained significant variance in outcomes for both groups of students after covariates (age, gender, parent education, language background, socio-economic status, personality) were entered. It is concluded that there is merit in widely promoting and fostering academic buoyancy among ADHD and non-ADHD students alike - and that academic buoyancy explains variance in outcomes beyond major intrapersonal factors such as personality, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and the like. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Neutral buoyancy is optimal to minimize the cost of transport in horizontally swimming seals

PubMed Central

Sato, Katsufumi; Aoki, Kagari; Watanabe, Yuuki Y.; Miller, Patrick J. O.

2013-01-01

Flying and terrestrial animals should spend energy to move while supporting their weight against gravity. On the other hand, supported by buoyancy, aquatic animals can minimize the energy cost for supporting their body weight and neutral buoyancy has been considered advantageous for aquatic animals. However, some studies suggested that aquatic animals might use non-neutral buoyancy for gliding and thereby save energy cost for locomotion. We manipulated the body density of seals using detachable weights and floats, and compared stroke efforts of horizontally swimming seals under natural conditions using animal-borne recorders. The results indicated that seals had smaller stroke efforts to swim a given speed when they were closer to neutral buoyancy. We conclude that neutral buoyancy is likely the best body density to minimize the cost of transport in horizontal swimming by seals. PMID:23857645

Neutral buoyancy is optimal to minimize the cost of transport in horizontally swimming seals.

PubMed

Sato, Katsufumi; Aoki, Kagari; Watanabe, Yuuki Y; Miller, Patrick J O

2013-01-01

Flying and terrestrial animals should spend energy to move while supporting their weight against gravity. On the other hand, supported by buoyancy, aquatic animals can minimize the energy cost for supporting their body weight and neutral buoyancy has been considered advantageous for aquatic animals. However, some studies suggested that aquatic animals might use non-neutral buoyancy for gliding and thereby save energy cost for locomotion. We manipulated the body density of seals using detachable weights and floats, and compared stroke efforts of horizontally swimming seals under natural conditions using animal-borne recorders. The results indicated that seals had smaller stroke efforts to swim a given speed when they were closer to neutral buoyancy. We conclude that neutral buoyancy is likely the best body density to minimize the cost of transport in horizontal swimming by seals.

jsc2002-00417

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-02-04

JSC2002-00417 (4 February 2002) --- Astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, STS-111 mission specialist, simulates a parachute drop into water during an emergency bailout training session at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Chang-Diaz is attired in a training version of the shuttle launch and entry garment. STS-111 will be the 14th shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

Effects of spatial gradients in thermophysical properties on the topology of turbulence in heated channel flow of supercritical fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azih, Chukwudi; Yaras, Metin I.

2018-01-01

The current literature suggests that large spatial gradients of thermophysical properties, which occur in the vicinity of the pseudo-critical thermodynamic state, may result in significant variations in forced-convection heat transfer rates. Specifically, these property gradients induce inertia- and buoyancy-driven phenomena that may enhance or deteriorate the turbulence-dominated heat convection process. Through direct numerical simulations, the present study investigates the role of coherent flow structures in channel geometries for non-buoyant and buoyant flows of supercritical water, with buoyant configurations involving wall-normal oriented gravitational acceleration and downstream-oriented gravitational acceleration. This sequence of simulations enables the evaluation of the relative contributions of inertial and buoyancy phenomena to heat transfer variations. In these simulations, the state of the working fluid is in the vicinity of the pseudo-critical point. The uniform wall heat flux and the channel mass flux are specified such that the heat to mass flux ratio is 3 kJ/kg, with an inflow Reynolds number of 12 000 based on the channel hydraulic diameter, the area-averaged inflow velocity, and fluid properties evaluated at the bulk temperature and pressure of the inflow plane. In the absence of buoyancy forces, notable reductions in the density and viscosity in close proximity of the heated wall are observed to promote generation of small-scale vortices, with resultant breakdown into smaller scales as they interact with preexisting larger near-wall vortices. This interaction results in a reduction in the overall thermal mixing at particular wall-normal regions of the channel. Under the influence of wall-normal gravitational acceleration, the wall-normal density gradients are noted to enhance ejection motions due to baroclinic vorticity generation on the lower wall, thus providing additional wall-normal thermal mixing. Along the upper wall, the same mechanism generates streamwise vorticity of the opposing sense of rotation in the close vicinity to the respective legs of the hairpin vortices causing a net reduction in thermal mixing. Finally, in the case of downstream-oriented gravitational acceleration, baroclinic vorticity generation as per spanwise density gradients causes additional wall-normal thermal mixing by promoting larger-scale ejection and sweep motions.

Melt Stabilization of PbSnTe in a Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fripp, Archibald L.; Debnam, William J.; Rosch, William; Chait, Arnon; Yao, Minwu; Szofran, Frank R.

1999-01-01

Both the experimental observation and numerical simulation indicate that the Bridgman growth of PbSnTe under the microgravity environment in space is still greatly influenced by buoyancy-induced convection. The application of a magnetic field during the semiconductor growth can dampen the convective flow in the metal-like melt. However, for Bridgman growth of PbSnTe on earth (with either vertical or horizontal configuration), both experimental observation and numerical modeling suggest that even with a strong magnetic furnace (5-Tesla constant axial magnetic field), the convective flow in the melt still cannot be sufficiently suppressed to reach the diffusion-controlled level. In order to completely dampen the buoyancy-induced convection on earth, estimates based on scaling analysis indicate that for common experimental conditions, an extremely high magnetic field is required, far beyond the capacity of the experimental apparatus currently available. Therefore, it is proposed that only the combination of microgravity environment and magnetic damping will produce the desired diffusion-controlled growth state for this particular material. The primary objectives of this study are to provide a quantitative understanding of the complex transport phenomena during solidification of non-dilute binarys, to furnish a numerical tool for furnace design and growth condition optimization, to provide estimates of the required magnetic field strength for low gravity growth, and to assess the role of magnetic damping for space and earth control of the double-diffusive convection. As an integral part of a NASA research program, our numerical simulation supports both the flight and ground-based experiments in an effort to bring together a complete picture of the complex physical phenomena involved in the crystal growth process. For Bridgman growth of PbSnTe under microgravity (with both vertical and horizontal configurations), the simulations suggest that a moderate axial magnetic field of only a few kilo-Gauss in strength could effectively eliminate buoyancy-induced convection in the melt and control solute segregation. Therefore, this work confirms the idea that the combination of microgravity environment and the magnetic damping will indeed be sufficient to produce the desired diffusion-controlled growth state for PbSnTe.

Simulation of wind-driven dispersion of fire pollutants in a street canyon using FDS.

PubMed

Pesic, Dusica J; Blagojevic, Milan Dj; Zivkovic, Nenad V

2014-01-01

Air quality in urban areas attracts great attention due to increasing pollutant emissions and their negative effects on human health and environment. Numerous studies, such as those by Mouilleau and Champassith (J Loss Prevent Proc 22(3): 316-323, 2009), Xie et al. (J Hydrodyn 21(1): 108-117, 2009), and Yassin (Environ Sci Pollut Res 20(6): 3975-3988, 2013) focus on the air pollutant dispersion with no buoyancy effect or weak buoyancy effect. A few studies, such as those by Hu et al. (J Hazard Mater 166(1): 394-406, 2009; J Hazard Mater 192(3): 940-948, 2011; J Civ Eng Manag (2013)) focus on the fire-induced dispersion of pollutants with heat buoyancy release rate in the range from 0.5 to 20 MW. However, the air pollution source might very often be concentrated and intensive, as a consequence of the hazardous materials fire. Namely, transportation of fuel through urban areas occurs regularly, because it is often impossible to find alternative supply routes. It is accompanied with the risk of fire accident occurrences. Accident prevention strategies require analysis of the worst scenarios in which fire products jeopardize the exposed population and environment. The aim of this article is to analyze the impact of wind flow on air pollution and human vulnerability to fire products in a street canyon. For simulation of the gasoline tanker truck fire as a result of a multivehicle accident, computational fluid dynamics large eddy simulation method has been used. Numerical results show that the fire products flow vertically upward, without touching the walls of the buildings in the absence of wind. However, when the wind velocity reaches the critical value, the products touch the walls of the buildings on both sides of the street canyon. The concentrations of carbon monoxide and soot decrease, whereas carbon dioxide concentration increases with the rise of height above the street canyon ground level. The longitudinal concentration of the pollutants inside the street increases with the rise of the wind velocity at the roof level of the street canyon.

Mantle thermal history during supercontinent assembly and breakup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudolph, M. L.; Zhong, S.

2013-12-01

We use mantle convection simulations driven by plate motion boundary conditions to investigate changes in mantle temperature through time. It has been suggested that circum-Pangean subduction prevented convective thermal mixing between sub-continental and sub-oceanic regions. We performed thermo-chemical simulations of mantle convection with velocity boundary conditions based on plate motions for the past 450 Myr using Earth-like Rayleigh number and ~60% internal heating using three different plate motion models for the last 200 Myr [Lithgow-Bertelloni and Richards 1998; Gurnis et al. 2012; Seton et al. 2012; Zhang et al. 2010]. We quantified changes in upper-mantle temperature between 200-1000 km depth beneath continents (defined as the oldest 30% of Earth's surface) and beneath oceans. Sub-continental upper mantle temperature was relatively stable and high between 330 and 220 Ma, coincident with the existence of the supercontinent Pangea. The average sub-continental temperature during this period was, however, only ~10 K greater than during the preceding 100 Myr. In the ~200 Myr since the breakup of Pangea, sub-continental temperatures have decreased only ~15 K in excess of the 0.02 K/Myr secular cooling present in our models. Sub-oceanic upper mantle temperatures did not vary more than 5 K between 400 and 200 Ma and the cooling trend following Pangea breakup is less pronounced. Recent geochemical observations imply rapid upper mantle cooling of O(10^2) K during continental breakup; our models do not produce warming of this magnitude beneath Pangea or cooling of similar magnitude associated with the breakup of Pangea. Our models differ from those that produce strong sub-continental heating in that the circum-Pangean subduction curtain does not completely inhibit mixing between the sub-continental and sub-oceanic regions and we include significant internal heating, which limits the rate of temperature increase. Heat transport in our simulations is controlled to first order by plate motions. Most of the temporal variability in surface heat flow is driven by variations in seafloor spreading rate and the accompanying changes in slab velocities dominate variations in buoyancy flux at all mantle depths. Variations in plume buoyancy flux are small but are correlated with the slab buoyancy flux variations.

Numerical Study of Buoyancy and Different Diffusion Effects on the Structure and Dynamics of Triple Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Jyh-Yuan; Echekki, Tarek

2001-01-01

Numerical simulations of 2-D triple flames under gravity force have been implemented to identify the effects of gravity on triple flame structure and propagation properties and to understand the mechanisms of instabilities resulting from both heat release and buoyancy effects. A wide range of gravity conditions, heat release, and mixing widths for a scalar mixing layer are computed for downward-propagating (in the same direction with the gravity vector) and upward-propagating (in the opposite direction of the gravity vector) triple flames. Results of numerical simulations show that gravity strongly affects the triple flame speed through its contribution to the overall flow field. A simple analytical model for the triple flame speed, which accounts for both buoyancy and heat release, is developed. Comparisons of the proposed model with the numerical results for a wide range of gravity, heat release and mixing width conditions, yield very good agreement. The analysis shows that under neutral diffusion, downward propagation reduces the triple flame speed, while upward propagation enhances it. For the former condition, a critical Froude number may be evaluated, which corresponds to a vanishing triple flame speed. Downward-propagating triple flames at relatively strong gravity effects have exhibited instabilities. These instabilities are generated without any artificial forcing of the flow. Instead disturbances are initiated by minute round-off errors in the numerical simulations, and subsequently amplified by instabilities. A linear stability analysis on mean profiles of stable triple flame configurations have been performed to identify the most amplified frequency in spatially developed flows. The eigenfunction equations obtained from the linearized disturbance equations are solved using the shooting method. The linear stability analysis yields reasonably good agreements with the observed frequencies of the unstable triple flames. The frequencies and amplitudes of disturbances increase with the magnitude of the gravity vector. Moreover, disturbances appear to be most amplified just downstream of the premixed branches. The effects of mixing width and differential diffusion are investigated and their roles on the flame stability are studied.

Effect of STS space suit on astronaut dominant upper limb EVA work performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenisen, Michael C.

1987-01-01

The STS Space Suited and unsuited dominant upper limb performance was evaluated in order to quantify future EVA astronaut skeletal muscle upper limb performance expectations. Testing was performed with subjects standing in EVA STS foot restraints. Data was collected with a CYBEX Dynamometer enclosed in a waterproof container. Control data was taken in one g. During one g testing, weight of the Space Suit was relieved from the subject via an overhead crane with a special connection to the PLSS of the suit. Experimental data was acquired during simulated zero g, accomplished by neutral buoyancy in the Weightless Environment Training Facility. Unsuited subjects became neutrally buoyant via SCUBA BC vests. Actual zero g experimental data was collected during parabolic arc flights on board NASA's modified KC-135 aircraft. During all test conditions, subjects performed five EVA work tasks requiring dominant upper limb performance and ten individual joint articulation movements. Dynamometer velocities for each tested movement were 0 deg/sec, 30 or 60 deg/sec and 120 or 180 deg/sec, depending on the test, with three repetitions per test. Performance was measured in foot pounds of torque.

Splitting turbulence algorithm for mixing parameterization embedded in the ocean climate model. Examples of data assimilation and Prandtl number variations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshonkin, Sergey; Gusev, Anatoly; Zalesny, Vladimir; Diansky, Nikolay

2017-04-01

Series of experiments were performed with a three-dimensional, free surface, sigma coordinate eddy-permitting ocean circulation model for Atlantic (from 30°S) - Arctic and Bering sea domain (0.25 degrees resolution, Institute of Numerical Mathematics Ocean Model or INMOM) using vertical grid refinement in the zone of fully developed turbulence (40 sigma-levels). The model variables are horizontal velocity components, potential temperature, and salinity as well as free surface height. For parameterization of viscosity and diffusivity, the original splitting turbulence algorithm (STA) is used when total evolutionary equations for the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and turbulence dissipation frequency (TDF) split into the stages of transport-diffusion and generation-dissipation. For the generation-dissipation stage the analytical solution was obtained for TKE and TDF as functions of the buoyancy and velocity shift frequencies (BF and VSF). The proposed model with STA is similar to the contemporary differential turbulence models, concerning the physical formulations. At the same time, its algorithm has high enough computational efficiency. For mixing simulation in the zone of turbulence decay, the two kind numerical experiments were carried out, as with assimilation of annual mean climatic buoyancy frequency, as with variation of Prandtl number function dependence upon the BF, VSF, TKE and TDF. The CORE-II data for 1948-2009 were used for experiments. Quality of temperature T and salinity S structure simulation is estimated by the comparison of model monthly profiles T and S averaged for 1980-2009, with T and S monthly data from the World Ocean Atlas 2013. Form of coefficients in equations for TKE and TDF on the generation-dissipation stage makes it possible to assimilate annual mean climatic buoyancy frequency in a varying degree that cardinally improves adequacy of model results to climatic data in all analyzed model domain. The numerical experiments with modified Prandtl number presents possibility for essential improvement of the TKE attenuation with depth and more realistic water entrainment from pycnocline into the mixed layer. The high sensitivity is revealed of the eddy-permitting circulation stable model solution to the change of the used above mixing parameterizations. This sensitivity is connected with significant changes of density fields in the upper baroclinic ocean layer over the total considered area. For instance, assimilation of annual mean climatic buoyancy frequency in equations for TKE and TDF leads to more realistic circulation in the North Atlantic. Variations of Prandtl number made it possible to simulate intense circulation in Beaufort Gyre owing to steric effect during the whole period under consideration. The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants №16-05-00534 and 15-05-00557).

Effects of Buoyancy on the Flowfields of Lean Premixed Turbulent V-Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, R. K.; Bedat, B.; Yegian, D. T.; Greenberg, P.

1999-01-01

Open laboratory turbulent flames used for investigating fundamental flame turbulence interactions are greatly affected by buoyancy. Though much of our current knowledge is based on observations made in open flames, buoyancy effects are usually not considered in data interpretation, numerical analysis or theories. This inconsistency remains an obstacle to merging experimental observations and theoretical predictions. To better understanding the effects of buoyancy, our research focuses on steady lean premixed flames propagating in fully developed turbulence. We hypothesize that the most significant role of buoyancy forces on these flames is to influence their flowfields through a coupling with the mean and the fluctuating pressure fields. This coupling relates to the elliptical problem that emphasizes the importance of the upstream, wall and downstream boundary conditions in determining all aspects of flame propagation. Therefore, buoyancy has the same significance as other parameters such as flow configuration, and flame geometry.

A novel buoyancy technique optimizes simulated microgravity conditions for whole sensory organ culture in rotating bioreactors.

PubMed

Arnold, Heinz J P; Müller, Marcus; Waldhaus, Jörg; Hahn, Hartmut; Löwenheim, Hubert

2010-02-01

Whole-organ culture of a sensory organ in a rotating wall vessel bioreactor provides a powerful in vitro model for physiological and pathophysiological investigation as previously demonstrated for the postnatal inner ear. The model is of specific relevance as a tool for regeneration research. In the immature inner ear explant, the density was only 1.29 g/cm(3). The high density of 1.68 g/cm(3) of the functionally mature organ resulted in enhanced settling velocity and deviation from its ideal circular orbital path causing enhanced shear stress. The morphometric and physical properties, as well as the dynamic motion patterns of explants, were analyzed and numerically evaluated by an orbital path index. Application of a novel buoyancy bead technique resulted in a 6.5- to 14.8-fold reduction of the settling velocity. The deviation of the explant from its ideal circular orbital path was adjusted as indicated by an optimum value for the orbital path index (-1.0). Shear stress exerted on the inner ear explant was consequently reduced 6.4- to 15.0-fold. The culture conditions for postnatal stages were optimized, and the preconditions for transferring this in vitro model toward mature high-density stages established. This buoyancy technique may also be useful in tissue engineering of other high-density structures.

Boiling Experiment Facility for Heat Transfer Studies in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delombard, Richard; McQuillen, John; Chao, David

2008-01-01

Pool boiling in microgravity is an area of both scientific and practical interest. By conducting tests in microgravity, it is possible to assess the effect of buoyancy on the overall boiling process and assess the relative magnitude of effects with regards to other "forces" and phenomena such as Marangoni forces, liquid momentum forces, and microlayer evaporation. The Boiling eXperiment Facility is now being built for the Microgravity Science Glovebox that will use normal perfluorohexane as a test fluid to extend the range of test conditions to include longer test durations and less liquid subcooling. Two experiments, the Microheater Array Boiling Experiment and the Nucleate Pool Boiling eXperiment will use the Boiling eXperiment Facility. The objectives of these studies are to determine the differences in local boiling heat transfer mechanisms in microgravity and normal gravity from nucleate boiling, through critical heat flux and into the transition boiling regime and to examine the bubble nucleation, growth, departure and coalescence processes. Custom-designed heaters will be utilized to achieve these objectives.

Energy and variance budgets of a diffusive staircase with implications for heat flux scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hieronymus, M.; Carpenter, J. R.

2016-02-01

Diffusive convection, the mode of double-diffusive convection that occur when both temperature and salinity increase with increasing depth, is commonplace throughout the high latitude oceans and diffusive staircases constitute an important heat transport process in the Arctic Ocean. Heat and buoyancy fluxes through these staircases are often estimated using flux laws deduced either from laboratory experiments, or from simplified energy or variance budgets. We have done direct numerical simulations of double-diffusive convection at a range of Rayleigh numbers and quantified the energy and variance budgets in detail. This allows us to compare the fluxes in our simulations to those derived using known flux laws and to quantify how well the simplified energy and variance budgets approximate the full budgets. The fluxes are found to agree well with earlier estimates at high Rayleigh numbers, but we find large deviations at low Rayleigh numbers. The close ties between the heat and buoyancy fluxes and the budgets of thermal variance and energy have been utilized to derive heat flux scaling laws in the field of thermal convection. The result is the so called GL-theory, which has been found to give accurate heat flux scaling laws in a very wide parameter range. Diffusive convection has many similarities to thermal convection and an extension of the GL-theory to diffusive convection is also presented and its predictions are compared to the results from our numerical simulations.

Noninvasive embryo assessment technique based on buoyancy and its association with embryo survival after cryopreservation.

PubMed

Wessels, Cara; Penrose, Lindsay; Ahmad, Khaliq; Prien, Samuel

2017-11-01

Embryo cryopreservation offers many benefits by allowing genetic preservation, genetic screening, cost reduction, global embryo transport and single embryo transfer. However, freezing of embryos decreases embryo viability, as intracellular ice crystal formation often damages embryos. Success rates of frozen embryo transfer are expected to be 15-20% less than fresh embryo transfer. We have developed a noninvasive embryo assessment technique (NEAT) which enables us to predict embryo viability based on buoyancy. The purpose of this research was twofold. First was to determine if a NEAT, through a specific gravity device can detect embryo survival of cryopreservation. Second, it was to relate embryo buoyancy to embryo viability for establishing pregnancies in sheep. Blastocysts descent times were measured on one-hundred sixty-nine mice blastocysts before cryopreservation, according to standard protocol and post-thawing blastocysts descent times were measured again. There was a significant difference in blastocyst post-thaw descent times with NEAT in those blastocysts which demonstrated viability from those that did not (P < 0.05). This suggests NEAT is successful in determining blastocysts viability in cryopreserved mice blastocysts. At a commercial ovine facility, NEAT was performed on fourteen frozen and thawed ovine blastocysts. Blastocysts of similar descent times were paired and transferred into recipient ewes as twins. Pregnancy was later confirmed by blood test and multiple gestation outcomes were determined at lambing. Six of seven recipient ewes were pregnant and all pregnant ewes delivered lambs without complication. Four ewes delivered twin lambs and two ewes delivered singletons, which totals ten of the fourteen (71%) blastocysts surviving to term. This pregnancy rate is comparable to expected to pregnancy rates in a commercial setting. The blastocysts which did not establish pregnancy demonstrated less buoyancy versus those blastocysts which established pregnancies which survived to term (P < 0.05). These results suggest NEAT can identify which blastocysts survive cryopreservation, thus significantly reduce the transfer of non-viable embryos. Further studies on a larger scale commercial setting will evaluate the efficacy of NEAT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Macro-Fiber Composite Based Transduction

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

displacements, resonance frequencies, and acoustic performance. In addition to the experimental work, ATILA++ finite element models were developed and...done free flooded and with a simulated air backing made from a foam core (a weight was suspended below the device for negative buoyancy). Figure 13 and...Layer Ring -- 80000 100.000 100000 ~ Figure 15 shows the TVR and phase of the MFC cylinder in-water with an air backing ( foam core). The wide

STS-106 crew water survival training

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-21

JSC2000-02568 (21 March 2000) --- Astronaut Richard A. Mastracchio, STS-106 mission specialist, awaits his turn to be dropped by a simulated parachute into water during an emergency bailout exercise in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). Mastracchio, an alumnus of NASA's 1996 class of astronaut candidates, will join four other astronauts and two cosmonauts, representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, for a late summer visit to the International Space Station.

Linking the Earth's surface with the deep-mantle plume beneath a region from Iceland to the city of Perm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glišović, Petar; Forte, Alessandro; Simmons, Nathan; Grand, Stephen

2014-05-01

Current tomography models consistently reveal three large-scale regions of strongly reduced seismic velocity in the lowermost mantle under the Pacific, Africa and a region that extends from below Iceland to the city of Perm (the Perm Anomaly). We have carried out mantle dynamic simulations (Glišović et al., GJI 2012; Glišović & Forte, EPSL 2014) of the evolution of these large-scale structures that directly incorporate: 1) robust constraints provided by joint seismic-geodynamic inversions of mantle density structure with constraints provided by mineral physics data (Simmons et al., GJI 2009); and 2) constraints on mantle viscosity inferred by inversion of a suite of convection-related and glacial isostatic adjustment data sets (Mitrovica & Forte, EPSL 2004) characterised by Earth-like Rayleigh numbers. The convection simulations provide a detailed insight into the very-long-time evolution of the buoyancy of these lower-mantle anomalies. We find, in particular, that the buoyancy associated with the Perm Anomaly generates a very long-lived superplume that is connected to the paleomagnetic location of the Siberian Traps at the time of their eruption (Smirnov & Tarduno, EPSL 2010) and also to location of North Atlantic Igneous Provinces (i.e., the opening of North Atlantic Ocean).

Internally driven inertial waves in geodynamo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranjan, A.; Davidson, P. A.; Christensen, U. R.; Wicht, J.

2018-05-01

Inertial waves are oscillations in a rotating fluid, such as the Earth's outer core, which result from the restoring action of the Coriolis force. In an earlier work, it was argued by Davidson that inertial waves launched near the equatorial regions could be important for the α2 dynamo mechanism, as they can maintain a helicity distribution which is negative (positive) in the north (south). Here, we identify such internally driven inertial waves, triggered by buoyant anomalies in the equatorial regions in a strongly forced geodynamo simulation. Using the time derivative of vertical velocity, ∂uz/∂t, as a diagnostic for traveling wave fronts, we find that the horizontal movement in the buoyancy field near the equator is well correlated with a corresponding movement of the fluid far from the equator. Moreover, the azimuthally averaged spectrum of ∂uz/∂t lies in the inertial wave frequency range. We also test the dispersion properties of the waves by computing the spectral energy as a function of frequency, ϖ, and the dispersion angle, θ. Our results suggest that the columnar flow in the rotation-dominated core, which is an important ingredient for the maintenance of a dipolar magnetic field, is maintained despite the chaotic evolution of the buoyancy field on a fast timescale by internally driven inertial waves.

Particle dynamics and pattern formation in a rotating suspension of positively buoyant particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konidena, Sudarshan; Lee, Jonghoon; Reddy, K. Anki; Singh, Anugrah

2018-04-01

Numerical simulations of positively buoyant suspension in a horizontally rotating cylinder were performed to study the formation of radial and axial patterns. The order parameter for the low-frequency segregated phase and dispersed phase is similar to that predicted for the settling suspension by Lee and Ladd [J. Fluid Mech. 577, 183 (2007), 10.1017/S002211200700465X], which is the average angular velocity of the particles. The particle density profiles for axial bands in the buoyancy-dominated phase shows an amplitude equivalent to the diameter of the cylinder. Axial density profiles show sinusoidal behavior for the drag-dominant phase and oscillating sinusoidal behavior for the centrifugal-force-dominant phase. Results also indicate that the traveling bands are formed as a consequence of the inhomogeneous distribution of particles arising from a certain imbalance of drag, buoyancy, and centrifugal forces. In the centrifugal limit, particles move towards the center of the cylinder, aggregating to form a dense core of particles with its axis coinciding with that of the rotating cylinder, a behavior which is in contrast to the sedimenting particles. The particle distribution patterns obtained from the simulations are found to be in good agreement with the experiments of Kalyankar et al. [Phys. Fluids 20, 083301 (2008), 10.1063/1.2970156].

Developing students’ learning achievement and experimental skills on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law through experimental sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chokchai, Jaewijarn; Khanti, Toedtanya; Sura, Wuttiprom

2017-09-01

The purposes of this research were: to construct packages of operations on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law, to enhance achievement score of students on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law, to enhance experimental skills on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law and to evaluate students’ attitude towards the packages of operations on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law using inquiry method. The samples were 42 grade 11 students in academic year 2016 at Hatyaiwittayalai School, Hatyai, Songkhla. The research method was one group pretest-posttest design. The research tools consisted of experimental set on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law, the learning achievement test on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law and the students’ attitude questionnaires. The experimental skills of most students was in a good level . The satisfaction of most students was in a good level. The research showed the learning achievement after instruction higher than that before instruction using experimental set at the significant level of 0.05 and the class average normalized gain is in the medium gain

Sink fast and swim harder! Round-trip cost-of-transport for buoyant divers.

PubMed

Miller, Patrick J O; Biuw, Martin; Watanabe, Yuuki Y; Thompson, Dave; Fedak, Mike A

2012-10-15

Efficient locomotion between prey resources at depth and oxygen at the surface is crucial for breath-hold divers to maximize time spent in the foraging layer, and thereby net energy intake rates. The body density of divers, which changes with body condition, determines the apparent weight (buoyancy) of divers, which may affect round-trip cost-of-transport (COT) between the surface and depth. We evaluated alternative predictions from external-work and actuator-disc theory of how non-neutral buoyancy affects round-trip COT to depth, and the minimum COT speed for steady-state vertical transit. Not surprisingly, the models predict that one-way COT decreases (increases) when buoyancy aids (hinders) one-way transit. At extreme deviations from neutral buoyancy, gliding at terminal velocity is the minimum COT strategy in the direction aided by buoyancy. In the transit direction hindered by buoyancy, the external-work model predicted that minimum COT speeds would not change at greater deviations from neutral buoyancy, but minimum COT speeds were predicted to increase under the actuator disc model. As previously documented for grey seals, we found that vertical transit rates of 36 elephant seals increased in both directions as body density deviated from neutral buoyancy, indicating that actuator disc theory may more closely predict the power requirements of divers affected by gravity than an external work model. For both models, minor deviations from neutral buoyancy did not affect minimum COT speed or round-trip COT itself. However, at body-density extremes, both models predict that savings in the aided direction do not fully offset the increased COT imposed by the greater thrusting required in the hindered direction.

Buoyancy under Control: Underwater Locomotor Performance in a Deep Diving Seabird Suggests Respiratory Strategies for Reducing Foraging Effort

PubMed Central

Cook, Timothée R.; Kato, Akiko; Tanaka, Hideji; Ropert-Coudert, Yan; Bost, Charles-André

2010-01-01

Background Because they have air stored in many body compartments, diving seabirds are expected to exhibit efficient behavioural strategies for reducing costs related to buoyancy control. We study the underwater locomotor activity of a deep-diving species from the Cormorant family (Kerguelen shag) and report locomotor adjustments to the change of buoyancy with depth. Methodology/Principal Findings Using accelerometers, we show that during both the descent and ascent phases of dives, shags modelled their acceleration and stroking activity on the natural variation of buoyancy with depth. For example, during the descent phase, birds increased swim speed with depth. But in parallel, and with a decay constant similar to the one in the equation explaining the decrease of buoyancy with depth, they decreased foot-stroke frequency exponentially, a behaviour that enables birds to reduce oxygen consumption. During ascent, birds also reduced locomotor cost by ascending passively. We considered the depth at which they started gliding as a proxy to their depth of neutral buoyancy. This depth increased with maximum dive depth. As an explanation for this, we propose that shags adjust their buoyancy to depth by varying the amount of respiratory air they dive with. Conclusions/Significance Calculations based on known values of stored body oxygen volumes and on deep-diving metabolic rates in avian divers suggest that the variations of volume of respiratory oxygen associated with a respiration mediated buoyancy control only influence aerobic dive duration moderately. Therefore, we propose that an advantage in cormorants - as in other families of diving seabirds - of respiratory air volume adjustment upon diving could be related less to increasing time of submergence, through an increased volume of body oxygen stores, than to reducing the locomotor costs of buoyancy control. PMID:20352122

Effects of Buoyancy on Lean Premixed V-Flames Part I: Laminar and Turblent Flame Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Robert K.; Bedat, Benoit; Kostiuk, Larry W.

1998-01-01

Laser schlieren and planar laser-induced fluorescence techniques have been used to investigate laminar and turbulent v-flames in +g, -g, and micro g under flow conditions that span the regimes of momentum domination (Ri < 0. 1) and buoyancy domination (Ri > 0.1). Overall flame features shown by schlieren indicate that buoyancy dominates the entire flow field for conditions close to Ri = 1. With decreasing Ri, buoyancy effects are observed only in the far-field regions. Analyses of the mean flame angles demonstrate that laminar and turbulent flames do not have similar responses to buoyancy. Difference in the laminar +g and -g flame angles decrease with Ri (i.e., increasing Re) and converge to the microgravity flame angle at the momentum limit (Ri - 0). This is consistent with the notion that the effects of buoyancy diminish with increasing flow momentum. The +g and -g turbulent flame angles, however, do not converge at Ri = 0. As shown by OH-PLIF images, the inconsistency in +g and -g turbulent flame angles is associated with the differences in flame wrinkles. Turbulent flame wrinkles evolve more slowly in +g than in -g. The difference in flame wrinkle structures, however, cannot be explained in terms of buoyancy effects on flame instability mechanisms. It seems to be associated with the field effects of buoyancy that stretches the turbulent flame brushes in +g and compresses the flame brush in -g. Flame wrinkling offers a mechanism through which the flame responds to the field effects of buoyancy despite increasing flow momentum. These observations point to the need to include both upstream and downstream contributions in theoretical analysis of flame turbulence interactions.

Lifetime of oil drops pressed by buoyancy against a planar interface: Large drops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas, Clara; García-Sucre, Máximo; Urbina-Villalba, Germán

2010-11-01

In a previous report [C. Rojas, G. Urbina-Villalba, and M. García-Sucre, Phys. Rev. E 81, 016302 (2010)10.1103/PhysRevE.81.016302] it was shown that emulsion stability simulations are able to reproduce the lifetime of micrometer-size drops of hexadecane pressed by buoyancy against a planar water-hexadecane interface. It was confirmed that small drops (ri<10μm) stabilized with β -casein behave as nondeformable particles, moving with a combination of Stokes and Taylor tensors as they approach the interface. Here, a similar methodology is used to parametrize the potential of interaction of drops of soybean oil stabilized with bovine serum albumin. The potential obtained is then employed to study the lifetime of deformable drops in the range 10≤ri≤1000μm . It is established that the average lifetime of these drops can be adequately replicated using the model of truncated spheres. However, the results depend sensibly on the expressions of the initial distance of deformation and the maximum film radius used in the calculations. The set of equations adequate for large drops is not satisfactory for medium-size drops (10≤ri≤100μm) , and vice versa. In the case of large particles, the increase in the interfacial area as a consequence of the deformation of the drops generates a very large repulsive barrier which opposes coalescence. Nevertheless, the buoyancy force prevails. As a consequence, it is the hydrodynamic tensor of the drops which determine the characteristic behavior of the lifetime as a function of the particle size. While the average values of the coalescence time of the drops can be justified by the mechanism of film thinning, the scattering of the experimental data of large drops cannot be rationalized using the methodology previously described. A possible explanation of this phenomenon required elaborate simulations which combine deformable drops, capillary waves, repulsive interaction forces, and a time-dependent surfactant adsorption.

Sample Results From Tank 48H Samples HTF-48-14-158, -159, -169, and -170

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peters, T.; Hang, T.

2015-04-28

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) analyzed samples from Tank 48H in support of determining the cause for the unusually high dose rates at the sampling points for this tank. A set of two samples was taken from the quiescent tank, and two additional samples were taken after the contents of the tank were mixed. The results of the analyses of all the samples show that the contents of the tank have changed very little since the analysis of the previous sample in 2012. The solids are almost exclusively composed of tetraphenylborate (TPB) salts, and there is no indication of accelerationmore » in the TPB decomposition. The filtrate composition shows a moderate increase in salt concentration and density, which is attributable to the addition of NaOH for the purposes of corrosion control. An older modeling simulation of the TPB degradation was updated, and the supernate results from a 2012 sample were run in the model. This result was compared to the results from the 2014 recent sample results reported in this document. The model indicates there is no change in the TPB degradation from 2012 to 2014. SRNL measured the buoyancy of the TPB solids in Tank 48H simulant solutions. It was determined that a solution of density 1.279 g/mL (~6.5M sodium) was capable of indefinitely suspending the TPB solids evenly throughout the solution. A solution of density 1.296 g/mL (~7M sodium) caused a significant fraction of the solids to float on the solution surface. As the experiments could not include the effect of additional buoyancy elements such as benzene or hydrogen generation, the buoyancy measurements provide an upper bound estimate of the density in Tank 48H required to float the solids.« less

Developing a Learning Progression of Buoyancy to Model Conceptual Change: A Latent Class and Rule Space Model Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yizhu; Zhai, Xiaoming; Andersson, Björn; Zeng, Pingfei; Xin, Tao

2018-06-01

We applied latent class analysis and the rule space model to verify the cumulative characteristic of conceptual change by developing a learning progression for buoyancy. For this study, we first abstracted seven attributes of buoyancy and then developed a hypothesized learning progression for buoyancy. A 14-item buoyancy instrument was administered to 1089 8th grade students to verify and refine the learning progression. The results suggest four levels of progression during conceptual change when 8th grade students understand buoyancy. Students at level 0 can only master Density. When students progress to level 1, they can grasp Direction, Identification, Submerged volume, and Relative density on the basis of the prior level. Then, students gradually master Archimedes' theory as they reach level 2. The most advanced students can further grasp Relation with motion and arrive at level 3. In addition, this four-level learning progression can be accounted for by the Qualitative-Quantitative-Integrative explanatory model.

Compiling a Comprehensive EVA Training Dataset for NASA Astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laughlin, M. S.; Murray, J. D.; Lee, L. R.; Wear, M. L.; Van Baalen, M.

2016-01-01

Training for a spacewalk or extravehicular activity (EVA) is considered a hazardous duty for NASA astronauts. This places astronauts at risk for decompression sickness as well as various musculoskeletal disorders from working in the spacesuit. As a result, the operational and research communities over the years have requested access to EVA training data to supplement their studies. The purpose of this paper is to document the comprehensive EVA training data set that was compiled from multiple sources by the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) epidemiologists to investigate musculoskeletal injuries. The EVA training dataset does not contain any medical data, rather it only documents when EVA training was performed, by whom and other details about the session. The first activities practicing EVA maneuvers in water were performed at the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This facility opened in 1967 and was used for EVA training until the early Space Shuttle program days. Although several photographs show astronauts performing EVA training in the NBS, records detailing who performed the training and the frequency of training are unavailable. Paper training records were stored within the NBS after it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1985 and closed in 1997, but significant resources would be needed to identify and secure these records, and at this time LSAH has not pursued acquisition of these early training records. Training in the NBS decreased when the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, opened the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) in 1980. Early training records from the WETF consist of 11 hand-written dive logbooks compiled by individual workers that were digitized at the request of LSAH. The WETF was integral in the training for Space Shuttle EVAs until its closure in 1998. The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility near JSC opened in March 1997 and is the current site for US EVA training. Other space agencies also have used water to simulate weightlessness and train for EVAs. Russia has a training facility similar to the NBL named the Hydro Lab. The Hydro Lab began operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in 1980 and has been used extensively to the present. Although a majority of training in the Hydro Lab uses the Russian Orlan suit, a small number of sessions have been conducted using a NASA suit. The Japanese Weightlessness Environment Test System (WETS) went into service at the Tsukuba Space Center in 1997 but was closed in 2011 due to extensive earthquake damage. Several sessions were performed using a NASA suit, but these sessions were short and considered "development" runs. LSAH has assembled records from the WETF, NBL and Hydro Lab. Recording of the EVA training data has changed considerably from 1967 to present. The goal of early record keeping was to track use of hardware components, and the person involved was treated as a suited operator, not as a focus of interest. Records from the past two decades are fairly precise with the person, date, suit type and size noted. On occasion the length of the session was listed, but this data is not included on all records. Records were merged from data sources and extensive cleaning of the records was required since the multiple sources frequently overlapped and duplicated records. To date the LSAH EVA training dataset includes over 12,500 EVA training sessions performed by NASA astronauts since 1981. The following variables are included for most records: Name, Sex, Event date, Event name, HUT type, HUT size, Facility, and Estimated run time. For a smaller subset of records, the following variables are available: Actual run time, Time inverted, and the suit components Waist bearing type, Shoulder harness, Shoulder pads, and Teflon inserts. The LSAH dataset is currently the most complete resource for data regarding EVA training sessions performed by NASA astronauts. However, it is not 100 percent complete since the WETS (Japan) and NBS (Marshall) training facility data were not included. This dataset has been compiled by LSAH to study the relationship of EVA training to musculoskeletal injuries but has many other non-medical applications. This dataset can be provided to other groups in order to respond to program and research questions with appropriate board approvals.

Thermodynamic Controls on Deep Convection in the Tropics: Observations and Applications to Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiro, Kathleen Anne

Constraining precipitation processes in climate models with observations is crucial to accurately simulating current climate and reducing uncertainties in future projections. This work presents robust relationships between tropical deep convection, column-integrated water vapor (CWV), and other thermodynamic quantities analyzed with data from the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility in Manacapuru, Brazil as part of the GOAmazon campaign and are directly compared to such relationships at DOE ARM sites in the tropical western Pacific. A robust relationship between CWV and precipitation, as explained by variability in lower tropospheric humidity, exists just as strongly in a tropical continental region as it does in a tropical oceanic region. Given sufficient mixing in the lower troposphere, higher CWV generally results in greater plume buoyancies through a deep convective layer. Although sensitivity of convection to other controls is suggested, such as microphysical processes and dynamical lifting mechanisms, the increase in buoyancy with CWV is consistent with the sharp increase in precipitation observed. Entraining plume buoyancy calculations confirm that CWV is a good proxy for the conditional instability of the environment, yet differences in convective onset as a function of CWV exist over land and ocean, as well as seasonally and diurnally over land. This is largely due to variability in the contribution of lower tropospheric humidity to the total column moisture. Over land, the relationship between deep convection and lower free tropospheric moisture is robust across all seasons and times of day, whereas the relation to boundary layer moisture is robust for the daytime only. Using S-Band radar, these transition statistics are examined separately for unorganized and mesoscale-organized convection, which exhibit sharp increases in probability of occurrence with increasing moisture throughout the column, particularly in the lower free troposphere. An observational basis for an integrated buoyancy measure from a single plume buoyancy formulation that provides a strong relation to precipitation can be useful for constraining convective parameterizations. A mixing scheme corresponding to deep inflow of environmental air into a plume that grows with height provides a weighting of boundary layer and free tropospheric air that yields buoyancies consistent with the observed onset of deep convection across seasons and times of day, across land and ocean sites, and for all convection types. This provides a substantial improvement relative to more traditional constant mixing assumptions, and a dramatic improvement relative to no mixing. Furthermore, it provides relationships that are as strong or stronger for mesoscale-organized convection as for unorganized convection. Downdrafts and their associated parameters are poorly constrained in models, as physical and microphysical processes of leading order importance are difficult to observe with sufficient frequency for development of robust statistics. Downdrafts and cold pool characteristics for mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and isolated, unorganized deep precipitating convection in the Amazon are composited and both exhibit similar signatures in wind speed, surface fluxes, surface equivalent potential temperature (theta e) and precipitation. For both MCSs and unorganized convection, downdrafts associated with the strongest modifications to surface thermodynamics have increasing probability of occurrence with decreasing height through the lowest 4 km and show similar mean downdraft magnitudes with height. If theta e is approximately conserved following descent, a large fraction of the air reaching the surface likely originates at altitudes in the lowest 2 km. Mixing computations suggest that, on average, air originating at heights greater than 3 km would require substantial mixing, particularly in the case of isolated cells, to match the observed cold pool thetae . Statistics from two years of surface meteorological data at the GOAmazon site and 15 years of data at the DOE ARM site on Manus Island in the tropical western Pacific show that Deltathetae conditioned on precipitation levels off with increasing precipitation rate, bounded by the maximum difference between surface thetae and its minimum in the profile aloft. Robustness of these statistics observed across scales and regions suggests their potential use as model diagnostic tools for the improvement of downdraft parameterizations in climate models.

Influence of the weighing bar size to determine optimal time of biodiesel-glycerol separation by using the buoyancy weighing-bar method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tambun, R.; Sibagariang, Y.; Manurung, J.

2018-02-01

The buoyancy weighing-bar method is a novel method in the particle size distribution measurement. This method can measure particle size distributions of the settling particles and floating particles. In this study, the buoyancy weighing-bar method is applied to determine optimal time of biodiesel-glycerol separation. The buoyancy weighing-bar method can be applied to determine the separation time because biodiesel and glycerol have the different densities. The influences of diameter of weighing-bar by using the buoyancy weighing-bar method would be experimentally investigated. The diameters of weighing-bar in this experiment are 8 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm and 20 mm, while the graduated cylinder (diameter : 65 mm) is used as vessel. The samples used in this experiment are the mixture of 95 % of biodiesel and 5 % of glycerol. The data obtained by the buoyancy weighing-bar method are analized by using the gas chromatography to determine the purity of biodiesel. Based on the data obtained, the buoyancy weighing-bar method can be used to detect the separation time of biodiesel-glycerol by using the weighing-bar diameter of 8 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm and 20 mm, but the most accuracy in determination the biodiesel-glycerol separation time is obtained by using the weighing-bar diameter of 20 mm. The biodiesel purity of 97.97 % could be detected at 64 minutes by using the buoyancy weighing-bar method when the weighing-bar diameter of 20 mm is used.

Onshore Wind Stress and Buoyancy Flux Observed on a Dissipative Mediterranean Beach

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

a climatologically Mediterranean coastline to explore the wind stress and buoyancy flux. An eddy covariance system was deployed in the intertidal... climatologically Mediterranean coastline to explore the wind stress and buoyancy flux. An eddy covariance system was deployed in the intertidal zone

14 CFR 29.755 - Hull buoyancy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hull buoyancy. 29.755 Section 29.755... STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Floats and Hulls § 29.755 Hull buoyancy. Water-based and amphibian rotorcraft. The hull and auxiliary floats, if used, must have enough...

A Mass-Flux Scheme View of a High-Resolution Simulation of a Transition from Shallow to Deep Cumulus Convection.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Zhiming; Bretherton, Christopher S.

2006-07-01

In this paper, an idealized, high-resolution simulation of a gradually forced transition from shallow, nonprecipitating to deep, precipitating cumulus convection is described; how the cloud and transport statistics evolve as the convection deepens is explored; and the collected statistics are used to evaluate assumptions in current cumulus schemes. The statistical analysis methodologies that are used do not require tracing the history of individual clouds or air parcels; instead they rely on probing the ensemble characteristics of cumulus convection in the large model dataset. They appear to be an attractive way for analyzing outputs from cloud-resolving numerical experiments. Throughout the simulation, it is found that 1) the initial thermodynamic properties of the updrafts at the cloud base have rather tight distributions; 2) contrary to the assumption made in many cumulus schemes, nearly undiluted air parcels are too infrequent to be relevant to any stage of the simulated convection; and 3) a simple model with a spectrum of entraining plumes appears to reproduce most features of the cloudy updrafts, but significantly overpredicts the mass flux as the updrafts approach their levels of zero buoyancy. A buoyancy-sorting model was suggested as a potential remedy. The organized circulations of cold pools seem to create clouds with larger-sized bases and may correspondingly contribute to their smaller lateral entrainment rates. Our results do not support a mass-flux closure based solely on convective available potential energy (CAPE), and are in general agreement with a convective inhibition (CIN)-based closure. The general similarity in the ensemble characteristics of shallow and deep convection and the continuous evolution of the thermodynamic structure during the transition provide justification for developing a single unified cumulus parameterization that encompasses both shallow and deep convection.

Linking the geological record for large igneous provinces and hotspots with tomography-based numerical models of thermal convection in the Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glisovic, P.; Forte, A. M.; Rowley, D. B.; Simmons, N. A.; Grand, S. P.

2013-12-01

Current tomographic imaging of the 3-D structure in Earth's interior reveals several large-scale anomalies of strongly reduced seismic velocity in the deep lower mantle, in particular beneath the Perm region in Western Siberia, the East Pacific Rise, the West Pacific (Caroline Islands), the Southwest Indian Ocean, as well as under Western and Southern Africa. We have carried out mantle dynamic simulations (Glisovic et al., GJI 2012) of the evolution of these large-scale structures that directly incorporate robust constraints provided by joint seismic-geodynamic inversions of mantle density structure with further constraints provided by mineral physics data (Simmons et al., GJI 2009, JGR 2010). These tomography-based convection simulations also incorporate constraints on mantle viscosity inferred by inversion of a suite of convection-related and glacial isostatic adjustment data sets (Mitrovica & Forte, EPSL 2004) and are characterized by Earth-like Rayleigh numbers. The convection simulations provide a detailed insight into the very-long-time evolution of the buoyancy of these lower-mantle anomalies. We find, in particular, that the buoyancy associated with the 'Perm Anomaly' generates a very long-lived hot upwelling or 'superplume' that is connected to the paleomagnetic location of the Siberian Traps (Smirnov & Tarduno, EPSL 2010) and also to location of North Atlantic Igneous Provinces (i.e., the opening of North Atlantic Ocean). These convection simulations (both backwards and forwards in time) also reveal stable and long-lived plume-like upwellings under the East Pacific Rise, as previously identified by Rowley et al. (AGU 2011, Nature - in review), in particular beneath the Easter & Pitcairn hotspots. Finally we also provide detailed reconstructions of the 65 Myr evolution of the 'Reunion plume' that gave rise to the Deccan Traps.

Evolution of the single-mode Rayleigh-Taylor instability under the influence of time-dependent accelerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramaprabhu, P.; Karkhanis, V.; Banerjee, R.; Varshochi, H.; Khan, M.; Lawrie, A. G. W.

2016-01-01

From nonlinear models and direct numerical simulations we report on several findings of relevance to the single-mode Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability driven by time-varying acceleration histories. The incompressible, direct numerical simulations (DNSs) were performed in two (2D) and three dimensions (3D), and at a range of density ratios of the fluid combinations (characterized by the Atwood number). We investigated several acceleration histories, including acceleration profiles of the general form g (t ) ˜tn , with n ≥0 and acceleration histories reminiscent of the linear electric motor experiments. For the 2D flow, results from numerical simulations compare well with a 2D potential flow model and solutions to a drag-buoyancy model reported as part of this work. When the simulations are extended to three dimensions, bubble and spike growth rates are in agreement with the so-called level 2 and level 3 models of Mikaelian [K. O. Mikaelian, Phys. Rev. E 79, 065303(R) (2009), 10.1103/PhysRevE.79.065303], and with corresponding 3D drag-buoyancy model solutions derived in this article. Our generalization of the RT problem to study variable g (t ) affords us the opportunity to investigate the appropriate scaling for bubble and spike amplitudes under these conditions. We consider two candidates, the displacement Z and width s2, but find the appropriate scaling is dependent on the density ratios between the fluids—at low density ratios, bubble and spike amplitudes are explained by both s2 and Z , while at large density differences the displacement collapses the spike data. Finally, for all the acceleration profiles studied here, spikes enter a free-fall regime at lower Atwood numbers than predicted by all the models.

Low-Reynolds-number swimming at pycnoclines.

PubMed

Doostmohammadi, Amin; Stocker, Roman; Ardekani, Arezoo M

2012-03-06

Microorganisms play pivotal functions in the trophic dynamics and biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems. Their concentrations and activities often peak at localized hotspots, an important example of which are pycnoclines, where water density increases sharply with depth due to gradients in temperature or salinity. At pycnoclines organisms are exposed to different environmental conditions compared to the bulk water column, including reduced turbulence, slow mass transfer, and high particle and predator concentrations. Here we show that, at an even more fundamental level, the density stratification itself can affect microbial ecology at pycnoclines, by quenching the flow signature, increasing the energetic expenditure, and stifling the nutrient uptake of motile organisms. We demonstrate this through numerical simulations of an archetypal low-Reynolds-number swimmer, the "squirmer." We identify the Richardson number--the ratio of buoyancy forces to viscous forces--as the fundamental parameter that quantifies the effects of stratification. These results demonstrate an unexpected effect of buoyancy on low-Reynolds-number swimming, potentially affecting a broad range of abundant organisms living at pycnoclines in oceans and lakes.

Influence of the variable thermophysical properties on the turbulent buoyancy-driven airflow inside open square cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamora, Blas; Kaiser, Antonio S.

2012-01-01

The effects of the air variable properties (density, viscosity and thermal conductivity) on the buoyancy-driven flows established in open square cavities are investigated, as well as the influence of the stated boundary conditions at open edges and the employed differencing scheme. Two-dimensional, laminar, transitional and turbulent simulations are obtained, considering both uniform wall temperature and uniform heat flux heating conditions. In transitional and turbulent cases, the low-Reynolds k - ω turbulence model is employed. The average Nusselt number and the dimensionless mass-flow rate have been obtained for a wide and not yet covered range of the Rayleigh number varying from 103 to 1016. The results obtained taking into account variable properties effects are compared with those calculated assuming constant properties and the Boussinesq approximation. For uniform heat flux heating, a correlation for the critical heating parameter above which the burnout phenomenon can be obtained is presented, not reported in previous works. The effects of variable properties on the flow patterns are analyzed.

Extravehicular activity compatibility evaluation of developmental hardware for assembly and repair of precision reflectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heard, Walter L., Jr.; Lake, Mark S.; Bush, Harold G.; Jensen, J. Kermit; Phelps, James E.; Wallsom, Richard E.

1992-01-01

This report presents results of tests performed in neutral buoyancy by two pressure-suited test subjects to simulate Extravehicular Activity (EVA) tasks associated with the on-orbit construction and repair of a precision reflector spacecraft. Two complete neutral buoyancy assemblies of the test article (tetrahedral truss with three attached reflector panels) were performed. Truss joint hardware, two different panel attachment hardware concepts, and a panel replacement tool were evaluated. The test subjects found the operation and size of the truss joint hardware to be acceptable. Both panel attachment concepts were found to be EVA compatible, although one concept was judged by the test subjects to be considerably easier to operate. The average time to install a panel from a position within arm's reach of the test subjects was 1 min 14 sec. The panel replacement tool was used successfully to demonstrate the removal and replacement of a damaged reflector panel in 10 min 25 sec.

A Lot of Good Physics in the Cartesian Diver

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Luca, Roberto; Ganci, Salvatore

2011-01-01

The Cartesian diver experiment certainly occupies a place of honour in old physics textbooks as a vivid demonstration of Archimedes' buoyancy. The original experiment, as described in old textbooks, shows Archimedes buoyancy qualitatively: when the increased weight of the diver is not counterbalanced by Archimedes' buoyancy, the diver sinks. When…

A novel method for calculating and measuring the second-order buoyancy experienced by a magnet immersed in magnetic fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jun; Hao, Du; Li, Decai

2018-01-01

The phenomenon whereby an object whose density is greater than magnetic fluid can be suspended stably in magnetic fluid under the magnetic field is one of the peculiar properties of magnetic fluids. Examples of applications based on the peculiar properties of magnetic fluid are sensors and actuators, dampers, positioning systems and so on. Therefore, the calculation and measurement of magnetic levitation force of magnetic fluid is of vital importance. This paper concerns the peculiar second-order buoyancy experienced by a magnet immersed in magnetic fluid. The expression for calculating the second-order buoyancy was derived, and a novel method for calculating and measuring the second-order buoyancy was proposed based on the expression. The second-order buoyancy was calculated by ANSYS and measured experimentally using the novel method. To verify the novel method, the second-order buoyancy was measured experimentally with a nonmagnetic rod stuck on the top surface of the magnet. The results of calculations and experiments show that the novel method for calculating the second-order buoyancy is correct with high accuracy. In addition, the main causes of error were studied in this paper, including magnetic shielding of magnetic fluid and the movement of magnetic fluid in a nonuniform magnetic field.

Physical trade-offs shape the evolution of buoyancy control in sharks.

PubMed

Gleiss, Adrian C; Potvin, Jean; Goldbogen, Jeremy A

2017-11-15

Buoyancy control is a fundamental aspect of aquatic life that has major implications for locomotor performance and ecological niche. Unlike terrestrial animals, the densities of aquatic animals are similar to the supporting fluid, thus even small changes in body density may have profound effects on locomotion. Here, we analysed the body composition (lipid versus lean tissue) of 32 shark species to study the evolution of buoyancy. Our comparative phylogenetic analyses indicate that although lean tissue displays minor positive allometry, liver volume exhibits pronounced positive allometry, suggesting that larger sharks evolved bulkier body compositions by adding lipid tissue to lean tissue rather than substituting lean for lipid tissue, particularly in the liver. We revealed a continuum of buoyancy control strategies that ranged from more buoyant sharks with larger livers in deeper ecosystems to relatively denser sharks with small livers in epipelagic habitats. Across this eco-morphological spectrum, our hydrodynamic modelling suggests that neutral buoyancy yields lower drag and more efficient steady swimming, whereas negative buoyancy may be more efficient during accelerated movements. The evolution of buoyancy control in sharks suggests that ecological and physiological factors mediate the selective pressures acting on these traits along two major gradients, body size and habitat depth. © 2017 The Author(s).

Combined effects of oil exposure, temperature and ultraviolet radiation on buoyancy and oxygen consumption of embryonic mahi-mahi, Coryphaena hippurus.

PubMed

Pasparakis, Christina; Sweet, Lauren E; Stieglitz, John D; Benetti, Daniel; Casente, Conrad T; Roberts, Aaron P; Grosell, Martin

2017-10-01

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the summer of 2010 and coincided with the spawning window of the ecologically and economically important pelagic fish mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus). During summer months, early life stage mahi-mahi were likely also exposed to other naturally occurring stressors such as increased temperature and ultraviolet radiation (UV). Previous research has shown that co-exposure to oil and additional natural stressors can affect the timing and duration of negative buoyancy in mahi-mahi embryos. The current study aimed to elucidate the factors affecting the onset of negative buoyancy and to also explore possible mechanisms behind buoyancy change. Embryos co-exposed to oil and/or increased temperature and UV radiation displayed early onset of negative buoyancy with concurrent increases in oxygen consumption and sinking rates, which are normally only seen during the period directly preceding hatch. Results also suggest a behavioral response in which embryos avoid UV radiation by sinking down the water column but reestablish positive buoyancy once the UV radiation is removed. These findings imply that embryos can dynamically change their position in the water column in response to external cues and thus may have much greater control over buoyancy than previously thought. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A System for Measurement of Convection Aboard Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogatyrev, Gennady P.; Gorbunov, Aleksei V; Putin, Gennady F.; Ivanov, Alexander I.; Nikitin, Sergei A.; Polezhaev, Vadim I.

1996-01-01

A simple device for direct measurement of buoyancy driven fluid flows in a low-gravity environment is proposed. A system connecting spacecraft accelerometers data and results of thermal convection in enclosure measurements and numerical simulations is developed. This system will permit also to evaluate the low frequency microacceleration component. The goal of the paper is to present objectives and current results of ground-based experimental and numerical modeling of this convection detector.

A laboratory model of planetary and stellar convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, J. E.; Toomre, J.; Deane, A. E.; Hurlburt, N. E.; Glatzmaier, G. A.; Fichtl, G. H.; Leslie, F.; Fowlis, W. W.; Gilman, P. A.

1987-01-01

Experiments on thermal convection in a rotating, differentially-heated spherical shell with a radial buoyancy force were conducted in an orbiting microgravity laboratory. A variety of convective structures, or planforms, were observed depending on the magnitude of the rotation and the nature of the imposed heating distribution. The results are in agreement with numerical simulations that can be conducted at modest parameter values, and suggest possible regimes of motion in rotating planets and stars.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-03-23

A diver tests a secondary camera and maneuvering platform in Marshall's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS).The secondary camera will be beneficial for recording repairs and other extra vehicular activities (EVA) the astronuats will perform while making repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The maneuvering platform was developed to give the astronauts something to stand on while performing maintenance tasks. These platforms were developed to be mobile so that the astronauts could move them to accommadate different sites.

STS-61 Crew Members Sign Autographs in MSFC's Morris Auditorium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

STS-61 astronauts Kathryn Thornton, Jeffrey Hoffman and Thomas Akers (standing) sign autographs in Marshall Space Flight Center's Morris Auditorium, January 19, 1994. Space Shuttle crews traditionally visited NASA field centers following each mission to present mission highlights and recognize employees who made contributions to the Shuttle program. Many of the techniques used during the STS-61 Hubble Space Telescope Servicing mission were rehearsed at the Center's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator.

Rate correlation for condensation of pure vapor on turbulent, subcooled liquid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, J. Steven; Khoo, Boo Cheong; Sonin, Ain A.

1990-01-01

An empirical correlation is presented for the condensation of pure vapor on a subcooled, turbulent liquid with a shear-free interface. The correlation expresses the dependence of the condensation rate on fluid properties, on the liquid-side turbulence (which is imposed from below), and on the effects of buoyancy in the interfacial thermal layer. The correlation is derived from experiments with steam and water, but under conditions which simulate typical cryogenic fluids.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-05-01

This photograph was taken in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) during the testing of an emergency procedure to deploy a twin-pole sunshade to protect the orbiting workshop from overheating due to the loss of its thermal shield. The spacecraft suffered damage to its sunshield during its launch on May 14, 1973. This photograph shows the base plate used to hold the twin-pole in place, the bag to hold the fabric sail, and the lines that were used to draw the sail into place. Extensive testing and many hours of practice in simulators, such as the NBS, helped prepare the Skylab crewmen for extravehicular performance in the weightless environment. This huge water tank simulated the weightless environment that the astronauts would encounter in space.

Realistic Solar Surface Convection Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, Robert F.; Nordlund, Ake

2000-01-01

We perform essentially parameter free simulations with realistic physics of convection near the solar surface. We summarize the physics that is included and compare the simulation results with observations. Excellent agreement is obtained for the depth of the convection zone, the p-mode frequencies, the p-mode excitation rate, the distribution of the emergent continuum intensity, and the profiles of weak photospheric lines. We describe how solar convection is nonlocal. It is driven from a thin surface thermal boundary layer where radiative cooling produces low entropy gas which forms the cores of the downdrafts in which most of the buoyancy work occurs. We show that turbulence and vorticity are mostly confined to the intergranular lanes and underlying downdrafts. Finally, we illustrate our current work on magneto-convection.

Thermo-Chemical Convection in Europa's Icy Shell with Salinity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, L.; Showman, A. P.

2005-01-01

Europa's icy surface displays numerous pits, uplifts, and chaos terrains that have been suggested to result from solid-state thermal convection in the ice shell, perhaps aided by partial melting. However, numerical simulations of thermal convection show that plumes have insufficient buoyancy to produce surface deformation. Here we present numerical simulations of thermochemical convection to test the hypothesis that convection with salinity can produce Europa's pits and domes. Our simulations show that domes (200-300 m) and pits (300-400 m) comparable to the observations can be produced in an ice shell of 15 km thick with 5-10% compositional density variation if the maximum viscosity is less than 10(exp 18) Pa sec. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Effects of Buoyancy on Laminar and Turbulent Premixed V-Flame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Robert K.; Bedat, Benoit

1997-01-01

Turbulent combustion occurs naturally in almost all combustion systems and involves complex dynamic coupling of chemical and fluid mechanical processes. It is considered as one of the most challenging combustion research problems today. Though buoyancy has little effect on power generating systems operating under high pressures (e.g., IC engines and turbines), flames in atmospheric burners and the operation of small to medium furnaces and boilers are profoundly affected by buoyancy. Changes in burner orientation impacts on their blow-off, flash-back and extinction limits, and their range of operation, burning rate, heat transfer, and emissions. Theoretically, buoyancy is often neglected in turbulent combustion models. Yet the modeling results are routinely compared with experiments of open laboratory flames that are obviously affected by buoyancy. This inconsistency is an obstacle to reconciling experiments and theories. Consequently, a fundamental understanding of the coupling between turbulent flames and buoyancy is significant to both turbulent combustion science and applications. The overall effect of buoyancy relates to the dynamic interaction between the flame and its surrounding, i.e., the so-called elliptical problem. The overall flame shape, its flowfield, stability, and mean and local burning rates are dictated by both upstream and downstream boundary conditions. In steady propagating premixed flames, buoyancy affects the products region downstream of the flame zone. These effects are manifested upstream through the mean and fluctuating pressure fields to influence flame stretch and flame wrinkling. Intuitively, the effects buoyancy should diminish with increasing flow momentum. This is the justification for excluding buoyancy in turbulent combustion models that treats high Reynolds number flows. The objectives of our experimental research program is to elucidate flame-buoyancy coupling processes in laminar and turbulent premixed flames, and to characterize microgravity (micro g) premixed flames. The results are used to derive appropriate scaling parameters for guiding the development of theoretical models to include the effects of buoyancy. Knowledge gain from the analysis will also contribute to further understanding of the elliptical nature of premixed flames. Our current emphasis is to examine the momentum limit above which the effects of buoyancy would become insignificant. This is accomplished by comparing the flowfields and the mean properties of normal gravity flames (+g), and reversed gravity flames (-g, up-side-down flames) at different flow velocities and turbulence intensities. Microgravity (micro g) flames experiments provide the key reference data to reconcile the differences between flames in +g and -g. As flame configuration has significant impact on premixed flames characteristics we have studied axi-symmetric conical flames and plane-symmetric rod-stabilized v-flames. The two configurations produce distinct features that dictates how the flames couple with buoyancy. In a conical flame, the hot products plume completely envelopes the flame cone and shields the flame from direct interaction with the ambient air. The plume originates at the burner rim and generates a divergent flowfield. In comparison, the products region of v-flames forms between the twin flame sheets and it is convergent towards the center-plane. Interaction with ambient air is limited to the two end regions of the stabilized rod and beyond the flame sheets.

Drag, but not buoyancy, affects swim speed in captive Steller sea lions

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Ippei; Sato, Katsufumi; Fahlman, Andreas; Naito, Yasuhiko; Miyazaki, Nobuyuki; Trites, Andrew W.

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Swimming at an optimal speed is critical for breath-hold divers seeking to maximize the time they can spend foraging underwater. Theoretical studies have predicted that the optimal swim speed for an animal while transiting to and from depth is independent of buoyancy, but is dependent on drag and metabolic rate. However, this prediction has never been experimentally tested. Our study assessed the effects of buoyancy and drag on the swim speed of three captive Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) that made 186 dives. Our study animals were trained to dive to feed at fixed depths (10–50 m) under artificially controlled buoyancy and drag conditions. Buoyancy and drag were manipulated using a pair of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes attached to harnesses worn by the sea lions, and buoyancy conditions were designed to fall within the natural range of wild animals (∼12–26% subcutaneous fat). Drag conditions were changed with and without the PVC tubes, and swim speeds were recorded and compared during descent and ascent phases using an accelerometer attached to the harnesses. Generalized linear mixed-effect models with the animal as the random variable and five explanatory variables (body mass, buoyancy, dive depth, dive phase, and drag) showed that swim speed was best predicted by two variables, drag and dive phase (AIC = −139). Consistent with a previous theoretical prediction, the results of our study suggest that the optimal swim speed of Steller sea lions is a function of drag, and is independent of dive depth and buoyancy. PMID:24771620

Fishing for drifts: detecting buoyancy changes of a top marine predator using a step-wise filtering method

PubMed Central

Gordine, Samantha Alex; Fedak, Michael; Boehme, Lars

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT In southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), fasting- and foraging-related fluctuations in body composition are reflected by buoyancy changes. Such buoyancy changes can be monitored by measuring changes in the rate at which a seal drifts passively through the water column, i.e. when all active swimming motion ceases. Here, we present an improved knowledge-based method for detecting buoyancy changes from compressed and abstracted dive profiles received through telemetry. By step-wise filtering of the dive data, the developed algorithm identifies fragments of dives that correspond to times when animals drift. In the dive records of 11 southern elephant seals from South Georgia, this filtering method identified 0.8–2.2% of all dives as drift dives, indicating large individual variation in drift diving behaviour. The obtained drift rate time series exhibit that, at the beginning of each migration, all individuals were strongly negatively buoyant. Over the following 75–150 days, the buoyancy of all individuals peaked close to or at neutral buoyancy, indicative of a seal's foraging success. Independent verification with visually inspected detailed high-resolution dive data confirmed that this method is capable of reliably detecting buoyancy changes in the dive records of drift diving species using abstracted data. This also affirms that abstracted dive profiles convey the geometric shape of drift dives in sufficient detail for them to be identified. Further, it suggests that, using this step-wise filtering method, buoyancy changes could be detected even in old datasets with compressed dive information, for which conventional drift dive classification previously failed. PMID:26486362

Understanding the destabilizing role for surface tension in planar shear flows in terms of wave interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biancofiore, L.; Heifetz, E.; Hoepffner, J.; Gallaire, F.

2017-10-01

Both surface tension and buoyancy force in stable stratification act to restore perturbed interfaces back to their initial positions. Hence, both are intuitively considered as stabilizing agents. Nevertheless, the Taylor-Caulfield instability is a counterexample in which the presence of buoyancy forces in stable stratification destabilize shear flows. An explanation for this instability lies in the fact that stable stratification supports the existence of gravity waves. When two vertically separated gravity waves propagate horizontally against the shear, they may become phase locked and amplify each other to form a resonance instability. Surface tension is similar to buoyancy but its restoring mechanism is more efficient at small wavelengths. Here, we show how a modification of the Taylor-Caulfield configuration, including two interfaces between three stably stratified immiscible fluids, supports interfacial capillary gravity whose interaction yields resonance instability. Furthermore, when the three fluids have the same density, an instability arises solely due to a pure counterpropagating capillary wave resonance. The linear stability analysis predicts a maximum growth rate of the pure capillary wave instability for an intermediate value of surface tension corresponding to We-1=5 , where We denotes the Weber number. We perform direct numerical nonlinear simulation of this flow and find nonlinear destabilization when 2 ≤We-1≤10 , in good agreement with the linear stability analysis. The instability is present also when viscosity is introduced, although it is gradually damped and eventually quenched.

Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Roo, Frederik; Banerjee, Tirtha

Under non-neutral stratification and in the presence of topography the dynamics of turbulent flow within a canopy is not yet completely understood. This has, among others, serious implications for the measurement of surface – atmosphere exchange by means of eddy-covariance: for example the measurement of carbon dioxide fluxes are strongly influenced if drainage flows occur during night, when the flow within the canopy decouples from the flow aloft. An improved physical understanding of the behavior of scalars under canopy turbulence in complex terrain is urgently needed. In the present work, we investigate the dynamics of turbulent flow within sloped canopies,more » focusing on the slope wind and potential temperature. We concentrate on the presence of oscillatory behavior in the flow variables in terms of switching of flow regimes by conducting linear stability analysis. We revisit and correct the simplified theory that exists in the literature, which is based on the interplay between the drag force and the buoyancy. We find that the simplified description of this dynamical system cannot exhibit the observed richness of the dynamics. To augment the simplified dynamical system’s analysis, we make use of large-eddy simulation of a three-dimensional hill covered by a homogeneous forest and analyze the phase synchronization behavior of the buoyancy and drag forces in the momentum budget to explore the turbulent dynamics in more detail.« less

Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?

DOE PAGES

De Roo, Frederik; Banerjee, Tirtha

2018-02-23

Under non-neutral stratification and in the presence of topography the dynamics of turbulent flow within a canopy is not yet completely understood. This has, among others, serious implications for the measurement of surface – atmosphere exchange by means of eddy-covariance: for example the measurement of carbon dioxide fluxes are strongly influenced if drainage flows occur during night, when the flow within the canopy decouples from the flow aloft. An improved physical understanding of the behavior of scalars under canopy turbulence in complex terrain is urgently needed. In the present work, we investigate the dynamics of turbulent flow within sloped canopies,more » focusing on the slope wind and potential temperature. We concentrate on the presence of oscillatory behavior in the flow variables in terms of switching of flow regimes by conducting linear stability analysis. We revisit and correct the simplified theory that exists in the literature, which is based on the interplay between the drag force and the buoyancy. We find that the simplified description of this dynamical system cannot exhibit the observed richness of the dynamics. To augment the simplified dynamical system’s analysis, we make use of large-eddy simulation of a three-dimensional hill covered by a homogeneous forest and analyze the phase synchronization behavior of the buoyancy and drag forces in the momentum budget to explore the turbulent dynamics in more detail.« less

46 CFR 170.245 - Foam flotation material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... submerged to its margin line. (4) The effective buoyancy at the end of the submergence test must be used as the buoyancy credit; however, in no case will a credit greater than 55 lbs per cubic foot (881... accommodate the buoyancy of the foam. (6) Piping and cables must not pass through foamed spaces unless they...

46 CFR 179.240 - Foam flotation material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... accommodate the buoyancy of the foam; (5) Piping and cables must not pass through foamed spaces unless they... submerged to its bulkhead deck; (8) The effective buoyancy of the foam must be determined at the end of the submergence test required by paragraph (b)(7) of this section. The effective buoyancy or 881 kilograms per...

46 CFR 170.245 - Foam flotation material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... submerged to its margin line. (4) The effective buoyancy at the end of the submergence test must be used as the buoyancy credit; however, in no case will a credit greater than 55 lbs per cubic foot (881... accommodate the buoyancy of the foam. (6) Piping and cables must not pass through foamed spaces unless they...

46 CFR 179.240 - Foam flotation material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... accommodate the buoyancy of the foam; (5) Piping and cables must not pass through foamed spaces unless they... submerged to its bulkhead deck; (8) The effective buoyancy of the foam must be determined at the end of the submergence test required by paragraph (b)(7) of this section. The effective buoyancy or 881 kilograms per...

46 CFR 179.240 - Foam flotation material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... accommodate the buoyancy of the foam; (5) Piping and cables must not pass through foamed spaces unless they... submerged to its bulkhead deck; (8) The effective buoyancy of the foam must be determined at the end of the submergence test required by paragraph (b)(7) of this section. The effective buoyancy or 881 kilograms per...

46 CFR 170.245 - Foam flotation material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... submerged to its margin line. (4) The effective buoyancy at the end of the submergence test must be used as the buoyancy credit; however, in no case will a credit greater than 55 lbs per cubic foot (881... accommodate the buoyancy of the foam. (6) Piping and cables must not pass through foamed spaces unless they...

The Role of Assessment Feedback in Developing Academic Buoyancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ahmed Shafi, Adeela; Hatley, Jenny; Middleton, Tristan; Millican, Richard; Templeton, Sian

2018-01-01

This research focuses on the everyday challenge in academic learning of assessment, and argues that academic buoyancy is a key factor in academic success. To scaffold students' learning and effectively support academic buoyancy, there is arguably a need for a better understanding of: (i) what students find most and least useful in their assessment…

Effect of bioadhesion on initial in vitro buoyancy of effervescent floating matrix tablets of ciprofloxacin HCL

PubMed Central

Negi, Jeetendra Singh; Trivedi, Abhinav; Khanduri, Praveen; Negi, Vandana; Kasliwal, Nikhil

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of bioadhesion on the initial in vitro buoyancy behaviour of effervescent matrix tablets of ciprofloxacin HCl (CIPRO). Tablets were prepared by direct compression using HPMC K4M and Carbopol 971P as hydrophilic-controlled release polymers, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) as gas-generating agent, polyplasdone XL, Explotab and Ac-Di-Sol as swelling agents. Tablets were evaluated for normal and modified initial in vitro floating behavior, floating duration, swelling behavior and in vitro drug release studies. A modified buoyancy lag time for tablets was determined in order to include the effect of bioadhesion on initial buoyancy. The initial buoyancy was found depended on bioadhesion ability of tablets. The lowest modified buoyancy lag time of 20 seconds was obtained for Formulation F7 having both NaHCO3 and polyplasdone XL. The floating duration was also found dependent on concentration of NaHCO3 and swelling agents. The drug release of F7 was also sustained up to 12-hr duration with anomalous drug transport mechanism. PMID:22171304

Magnetic Control of Solutal Buoyancy Driven Convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, N.; Leslie, F. W.

2003-01-01

Volumetric forces resulting from local density variations and gravitational acceleration cause buoyancy induced convective motion in melts and solutions. Solutal buoyancy is a result of concentration differences in an otherwise isothermal fluid. If the fluid also exhibits variations in magnetic susceptibility with concentration then convection control by external magnetic fields can be hypothesized. Magnetic control of thermal buoyancy induced convection in ferrofluids (dispersions of ferromagnetic particles in a carrier fluid) and paramagnetic fluids have been demonstrated. Here we show the nature of magnetic control of solutal buoyancy driven convection of a paramagnetic fluid, an aqueous solution of Manganese Chloride hydrate. We predict the critical magnetic field required for balancing gravitational solutal buoyancy driven convection and validate it through a simple experiment. We demonstrate that gravity driven flow can be completely reversed by a magnetic field but the exact cancellation of the flow is not possible. This is because the phenomenon is unstable. The technique can be applied to crystal growth processes in order to reduce convection and to heat exchanger devices for enhancing convection. The method can also be applied to impose a desired g-level in reduced gravity applications.

Potential capabilities of Reynolds stress turbulence model in the COMMIX-RSM code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, F. C.; Bottoni, M.

1994-01-01

A Reynolds stress turbulence model has been implemented in the COMMIX code, together with transport equations describing turbulent heat fluxes, variance of temperature fluctuations, and dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy. The model has been verified partially by simulating homogeneous turbulent shear flow, and stable and unstable stratified shear flows with strong buoyancy-suppressing or enhancing turbulence. This article outlines the model, explains the verifications performed thus far, and discusses potential applications of the COMMIX-RSM code in several domains, including, but not limited to, analysis of thermal striping in engineering systems, simulation of turbulence in combustors, and predictions of bubbly and particulate flows.

Simulation of Mesoscale Cellular Convection in Marine Stratocumulus. Part I: Drizzling Conditions

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.; ...

2018-01-01

This study uses eddy-permitting simulations to investigate the mechanisms that promote mesoscale variability of moisture in drizzling stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layers. Simulations show that precipitation tends to increase horizontal scales. Analysis of terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance indicates that moisture stratification plays a leading role in setting horizontal scales. This result is supported by simulations in which horizontal mean thermodynamic profiles are strongly nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which limits cloud scales. It is found that the spatial variability of subcloud moist cold pools surprisingly tends to respond to, rather than determine, themore » mesoscale variability, which may distinguish them from dry cold pools associated with deeper convection. Finally, simulations also indicate that moisture stratification increases cloud scales specifically by increasing latent heating within updrafts, which increases updraft buoyancy and favors greater horizontal scales.« less

Simulation of Mesoscale Cellular Convection in Marine Stratocumulus. Part I: Drizzling Conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.

This study uses eddy-permitting simulations to investigate the mechanisms that promote mesoscale variability of moisture in drizzling stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layers. Simulations show that precipitation tends to increase horizontal scales. Analysis of terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance indicates that moisture stratification plays a leading role in setting horizontal scales. This result is supported by simulations in which horizontal mean thermodynamic profiles are strongly nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which limits cloud scales. It is found that the spatial variability of subcloud moist cold pools surprisingly tends to respond to, rather than determine, themore » mesoscale variability, which may distinguish them from dry cold pools associated with deeper convection. Finally, simulations also indicate that moisture stratification increases cloud scales specifically by increasing latent heating within updrafts, which increases updraft buoyancy and favors greater horizontal scales.« less

Rigorous buoyancy driven bubble mixing for centrifugal microfluidics.

PubMed

Burger, S; Schulz, M; von Stetten, F; Zengerle, R; Paust, N

2016-01-21

We present batch-mode mixing for centrifugal microfluidics operated at fixed rotational frequency. Gas is generated by the disk integrated decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to liquid water (H2O) and gaseous oxygen (O2) and inserted into a mixing chamber. There, bubbles are formed that ascent through the liquid in the artificial gravity field and lead to drag flow. Additionaly, strong buoyancy causes deformation and rupture of the gas bubbles and induces strong mixing flows in the liquids. Buoyancy driven bubble mixing is quantitatively compared to shake mode mixing, mixing by reciprocation and vortex mixing. To determine mixing efficiencies in a meaningful way, the different mixers are employed for mixing of a lysis reagent and human whole blood. Subsequently, DNA is extracted from the lysate and the amount of DNA recovered is taken as a measure for mixing efficiency. Relative to standard vortex mixing, DNA extraction based on buoyancy driven bubble mixing resulted in yields of 92 ± 8% (100 s mixing time) and 100 ± 8% (600 s) at 130g centrifugal acceleration. Shake mode mixing yields 96 ± 11% and is thus equal to buoyancy driven bubble mixing. An advantage of buoyancy driven bubble mixing is that it can be operated at fixed rotational frequency, however. The additional costs of implementing buoyancy driven bubble mixing are low since both the activation liquid and the catalyst are very low cost and no external means are required in the processing device. Furthermore, buoyancy driven bubble mixing can easily be integrated in a monolithic manner and is compatible to scalable manufacturing technologies such as injection moulding or thermoforming. We consider buoyancy driven bubble mixing an excellent alternative to shake mode mixing, in particular if the processing device is not capable of providing fast changes of rotational frequency or if the low average rotational frequency is challenging for the other integrated fluidic operations.

Swimming gaits, passive drag and buoyancy of diving sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus.

PubMed

Miller, Patrick J O; Johnson, Mark P; Tyack, Peter L; Terray, Eugene A

2004-05-01

Drag and buoyancy are two primary external forces acting on diving marine mammals. The strength of these forces modulates the energetic cost of movement and may influence swimming style (gait). Here we use a high-resolution digital tag to record depth, 3-D orientation, and sounds heard and produced by 23 deep-diving sperm whales in the Ligurian Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Periods of active thrusting versus gliding were identified through analysis of oscillations measured by a 3-axis accelerometer. Accelerations during 382 ascent glides of five whales (which made two or more steep ascents and for which we obtained a measurement of length) were strongly affected by depth and speed at Reynold's numbers of 1.4-2.8x10(7). The accelerations fit a model of drag, air buoyancy and tissue buoyancy forces with an r(2) of 99.1-99.8% for each whale. The model provided estimates (mean +/- S.D.) of the drag coefficient (0.00306+/-0.00015), air carried from the surface (26.4+/-3.9 l kg(-3) mass), and tissue density (1030+/-0.8 kg m(-3)) of these five animals. The model predicts strong positive buoyancy forces in the top 100 m of the water column, decreasing to near neutral buoyancy at 250-850 m. Mean descent speeds (1.45+/-0.19 m s(-1)) were slower than ascent speeds (1.63+/-0.22 m s(-1)), even though sperm whales stroked steadily (glides 5.3+/-6.3%) throughout descents and employed predominantly stroke-and-glide swimming (glides 37.7+/-16.4%) during ascents. Whales glided more during portions of dives when buoyancy aided their movement, and whales that glided more during ascent glided less during descent (and vice versa), supporting the hypothesis that buoyancy influences behavioural swimming decisions. One whale rested at approximately 10 m depth for more than 10 min without fluking, regulating its buoyancy by releasing air bubbles.

Holographic Interferometry and Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames in the Presence of Non-Uniform Magnetic Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, J.; Calvert, M. E.; Saito, K.; VanderWal, R.

2001-01-01

Magnetic fields impact combustion processes in a manner analogous to that of buoyancy, i.e., as a body force. It is well known that in a terrestrial environment buoyancy is one of the principal transport mechanisms associated with diffusion flame behavior. Unfortunately, in a terrestrial environment it is difficult if not impossible to isolate flame behavior due magnetic fields from the behavior associated with buoyancy. A micro-, or reduced, gravity environment is ideally suited for studying the impact of magnetic fields on diffusion flames due to the decreased impact of buoyancy on flame behavior.

Thermal buoyancy on Venus - Underthrusting vs subduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burt, Jeffrey D.; Head, James W.

1992-01-01

The thermal and buoyancy consequences of the subduction endmember are modeled in an attempt to evaluate the conditions distinguishing underthrusting and subduction. Thermal changes in slabs subducting into the Venusian mantle with a range of initial geotherms are used to predict density changes and, thus, slab buoyancy. Based on a model for subduction-induced mantle flow, it is then argued that the angle of the slab dip helps differentiate between underthrusting and subduction. Mantle flow applies torques to the slab which, in combination with torques due to slab buoyancy, act to change the angle of slab dip.

What causes the buoyancy reversal in compressible convection?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, K. L.

1983-01-01

The problem posed by the existence of a negative buoyancy work region at the top of cellular type convection in a deeply stratified superadiabatic layer (Massaguer and Zahn, 1980) is addressed. It is approached by studying two-dimensional cellular compressible convection with different physical parameters. The results suggest that a large viscosity, together with density stratification, is responsible for the buoyancy reversal. The numerical results obtained are analyzed. It is pointed out, however, that in an astrophysical situation a fluid involved in convection will generally have very small viscosity. It is therefore thought unlikely that buoyancy reversal occurs in this way.

Hybrid LTA vehicle controllability as affected by buoyancy ratio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyers, D. N.; Kubicki, P.; Tarczynski, T.; Fairbanks, A.; Piasecki, F. N.

1979-01-01

The zero and low speed controllability of heavy lift airships under various wind conditions as affected by the buoyancy ratio are investigated. A series of three hybrid LTA vehicls were examined, each having a dynamic thrust system comprised of four H-34 helicopters, but with buoyant envelopes of different volumes (and hence buoyancies), and with varying percentage of helium inflation and varying useful loads (hence gross weights). Buoyancy ratio, B, was thus examined varying from approximately 0.44 to 1.39. For values of B greater than 1.0, the dynamic thrusters must supply negative thrust (i.e. downward).

Time-dependent computational studies of flames in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oran, Elaine S.; Kailasanath, K.

1989-01-01

The research performed at the Center for Reactive Flow and Dynamical Systems in the Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, at the Naval Research Laboratory, in support of the NASA Microgravity Science and Applications Program is described. The primary focus was on investigating fundamental questions concerning the propagation and extinction of premixed flames in Earth gravity and in microgravity environments. The approach was to use detailed time-dependent, multispecies, numerical models as tools to simulate flames in different gravity environments. The models include a detailed chemical kinetics mechanism consisting of elementary reactions among the eight reactive species involved in hydrogen combustion, coupled to algorithms for convection, thermal conduction, viscosity, molecular and thermal diffusion, and external forces. The external force, gravity, can be put in any direction relative to flame propagation and can have a range of values. A combination of one-dimensional and two-dimensional simulations was used to investigate the effects of curvature and dilution on ignition and propagation of flames, to help resolve fundamental questions on the existence of flammability limits when there are no external losses or buoyancy forces in the system, to understand the mechanism leading to cellular instability, and to study the effects of gravity on the transition to cellular structure. A flame in a microgravity environment can be extinguished without external losses, and the mechanism leading to cellular structure is not preferential diffusion but a thermo-diffusive instability. The simulations have also lead to a better understanding of the interactions between buoyancy forces and the processes leading to thermo-diffusive instability.

Role of buoyancy and heat release in fire modeling, propagation, and instability

Treesearch

Shahid M. Mughal; Yousuff M. Hussaini; Scott L. Goodrick; Philip Cunningham

2007-01-01

In an investigation of the dynamics of coupled fluid-combustion-buoyancy driven problems, an idealised model formulation is used to investigate the role of buoyancy and heat release in an evolving boundary layer, with particular emphasis on examining underlying fluid dynamics to explain observed phenomena arising in forest fire propagation. The role played by the...

Academically Buoyant Students Are Less Anxious about and Perform Better in High-Stakes Examinations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putwain, David W.; Daly, Anthony L.; Chamberlain, Suzanne; Sadreddini, Shireen

2015-01-01

Background: Prior research has shown that test anxiety is negatively related to academic buoyancy, but it is not known whether test anxiety is an antecedent or outcome of academic buoyancy. Furthermore, it is not known whether academic buoyancy is related to performance on high-stakes examinations. Aims: To test a model specifying reciprocal…

Development of N_2O-MTV for low-speed flow and in-situ deployment to an integral effect test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

André, Matthieu A.; Burns, Ross A.; Danehy, Paul M.; Cadell, Seth R.; Woods, Brian G.; Bardet, Philippe M.

2018-01-01

A molecular tagging velocity (MTV) technique is developed to non-intrusively measure velocity in an integral effect test (IET) facility simulating a high-temperature helium-cooled nuclear reactor in accident scenarios. In these scenarios, the velocities are expected to be low, on the order of 1 m/s or less, which forces special requirements on the MTV tracer selection. Nitrous oxide (N_2O) is identified as a suitable seed gas to generate NO tracers capable of probing the flow over a large range of pressure, temperature, and flow velocity. The performance of N_2O-MTV is assessed in the laboratory at temperature and pressure ranging from 295 to 781 K and 1 to 3 atm. MTV signal improves with a temperature increase, but decreases with a pressure increase. Velocity precision down to 0.004 m/s is achieved with a probe time of 40 ms at ambient pressure and temperature. Measurement precision is limited by tracer diffusion, and absorption of the tag laser beam by the seed gas. Processing by cross-correlation of single-shot images with high signal-to-noise ratio reference images improves the precision by about 10% compared to traditional single-shot image correlations. The instrument is then deployed to the IET facility. Challenges associated with heat, vibrations, safety, beam delivery, and imaging are addressed in order to successfully operate this sensitive instrument in-situ. Data are presented for an isothermal depressurized conduction cooldown. Velocity profiles from MTV reveal a complex flow transient driven by buoyancy, diffusion, and instability taking place over short (<1 s) and long (>30 min) time scales at sub-meter per second speed. The precision of the in-situ results is estimated at 0.027, 0.0095, and 0.006 m/s for a probe time of 5, 15, and 35 ms, respectively.

STS-109 Crew Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Footage shows the crew of STS-109 (Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Duane Carey, Payload Commander John Grunsfeld, and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, James Newman, Richard Linnehan, and Michael Massimino) during various parts of their training. Scenes show the crew's photo session, Post Landing Egress practice, training in Dome Simulator, Extravehicular Activity Training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), and using the Virtual Reality Laboratory Robotic Arm. The crew is also seen tasting food as they choose their menus for on-orbit meals.

Studies of Premixed Laminar and Turbulent Flames at Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwon, O. C.; Abid, M.; Porres, J.; Liu, J. B.; Ronney, P. D.; Struk, P. M.; Weiland, K. J.

2003-01-01

Several topics relating to premixed flame behavior at reduced gravity have been studied. These topics include: (1) flame balls; (2) flame structure and stability at low Lewis number; (3) experimental simulation of buoyancy effects in premixed flames using aqueous autocatalytic reactions; and (4) premixed flame propagation in Hele-Shaw cells. Because of space limitations, only topic (1) is discussed here, emphasizing results from experiments on the recent STS-107 Space Shuttle mission, along with numerical modeling efforts.

3-D numerical evaluation of density effects on tracer tests.

PubMed

Beinhorn, M; Dietrich, P; Kolditz, O

2005-12-01

In this paper we present numerical simulations carried out to assess the importance of density-dependent flow on tracer plume development. The scenario considered in the study is characterized by a short-term tracer injection phase into a fully penetrating well and a natural hydraulic gradient. The scenario is thought to be typical for tracer tests conducted in the field. Using a reference case as a starting point, different model parameters were changed in order to determine their importance to density effects. The study is based on a three-dimensional model domain. Results were interpreted using concentration contours and a first moment analysis. Tracer injections of 0.036 kg per meter of saturated aquifer thickness do not cause significant density effects assuming hydraulic gradients of at least 0.1%. Higher tracer input masses, as used for geoelectrical investigations, may lead to buoyancy-induced flow in the early phase of a tracer test which in turn impacts further plume development. This also holds true for shallow aquifers. Results of simulations with different tracer injection rates and durations imply that the tracer input scenario has a negligible effect on density flow. Employing model cases with different realizations of a log conductivity random field, it could be shown that small variations of hydraulic conductivity in the vicinity of the tracer injection well have a major control on the local tracer distribution but do not mask effects of buoyancy-induced flow.

Study of fluid behaviour under gravity compensated by a magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatain, D.; Beysens, D.; Madet, K.; Nikolayev, V.; Mailfert, A.

2006-09-01

Fluids, and especially cryogenic fluids like hydrogen and oxygen, are widely used in space technology for propulsion and cooling. The knowledge of fluid behaviour during the acceleration variation and under reduced gravity is necessary for an efficient management of fluids in space. Such a management also rises fundamental questions about thermo-hydrodynamics and phase change once buoyancy forces are cancelled. For security reasons, it is nearly impossible to use the classical microgravity means to experiment with such cryofluids. However, it is possible to counterbalance gravity by using the paramagnetic (O2) or diamagnetic (H2) properties of fluids. By applying a magnetic field gradient on these materials, a volume force is created that is able to impose to the fluid a varying effective gravity, including microgravity. We have set up a magnetic levitation facility for H2 in which numerous experiments have been performed. A new facility for O2 is under construction. It will enable fast change in the effective gravity by quenching down the magnetic field. The facilities and some particularly representative experimental results are presented.

10 CFR 55.46 - Simulation facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Simulation facilities. 55.46 Section 55.46 Energy NUCLEAR... Simulation facilities. (a) General. This section addresses the use of a simulation facility for the... applicants for operator and senior operator licenses. (b) Commission-approved simulation facilities and...

10 CFR 55.46 - Simulation facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Simulation facilities. 55.46 Section 55.46 Energy NUCLEAR... Simulation facilities. (a) General. This section addresses the use of a simulation facility for the... applicants for operator and senior operator licenses. (b) Commission-approved simulation facilities and...

10 CFR 55.46 - Simulation facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Simulation facilities. 55.46 Section 55.46 Energy NUCLEAR... Simulation facilities. (a) General. This section addresses the use of a simulation facility for the... applicants for operator and senior operator licenses. (b) Commission-approved simulation facilities and...

10 CFR 55.46 - Simulation facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Simulation facilities. 55.46 Section 55.46 Energy NUCLEAR... Simulation facilities. (a) General. This section addresses the use of a simulation facility for the... applicants for operator and senior operator licenses. (b) Commission-approved simulation facilities and...

10 CFR 55.46 - Simulation facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Simulation facilities. 55.46 Section 55.46 Energy NUCLEAR... Simulation facilities. (a) General. This section addresses the use of a simulation facility for the... applicants for operator and senior operator licenses. (b) Commission-approved simulation facilities and...

Shape-tunable wax microparticle synthesis via microfluidics and droplet impact

PubMed Central

Lee, Doojin; Beesabathuni, Shilpa N.; Shen, Amy Q.

2015-01-01

Spherical and non-spherical wax microparticles are generated by employing a facile two-step droplet microfluidic process which consists of the formation of molten wax microdroplets in a flow-focusing microchannel and their subsequent off-chip crystallization and deformation via microdroplet impingement on an immiscible liquid interface. Key parameters on the formation of molten wax microdroplets in a microfluidic channel are the viscosity of the molten wax and the interfacial tension between the dispersed and continuous fluids. A cursory phase diagram of wax morphology transition is depicted depending on the Capillary number and the Stefan number during the impact process. A combination of numerical simulation and analytical modeling is carried out to understand the physics underlying the deformation and crystallization process of the molten wax. The deformation of wax microdroplets is dominated by the viscous and thermal effects rather than the gravitational and buoyancy effects. Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of the wax illustrates the time dependent thermal effects on the droplet deformation and crystallization. The work presented here will benefit those interested in the design and production criteria of soft non-spherical particles (i.e., alginate gels, wax, and polymer particles) with the aid of time and temperature mediated solidification and off-chip crosslinking. PMID:26697124

Field Effects of Buoyancy on Lean Premixed Turbulent Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, R. K.; Dimalanta, R.; Wernet, M. P.; Greenberg, P. S.

2001-01-01

Buoyancy affects the entire flowfield of steady turbulent flames and this aspect of flame buoyancy coupling is largely unexplored by experiments or by theory. Open flames and flames within large confinements are free to expand and interact with the surrounding environment. In addition to fluid and combustion conditions, their aerodynamic flowfields are determined by the flame brush orientation and geometry, wake of the stabilizer, enclosure size, and of course, the gravitational field. Because the flowfield consists mainly of cold reactants (mostly in the nearfield) and hot products (mostly in the farfield), buoyancy effects are manifested in the farfield region. In upward pointing flames, an obvious effect is a favorable axial pressure gradient that accelerates the products thereby increasing the axial aerodynamic stretch rate. Intrinsic to turbulent flows, changes in mean aerodynamic stretch also couple to the fluctuating pressure field. Consequently, buoyancy can influence the turbulence intensities upstream and downstream of the flame. Flame wrinkling process, and heat release rate are also directly affected. This backward coupling mechanism is the so-called elliptic problem. To resolve the field effects of buoyancy would require the solution of three-dimensional non-linear Navier Stokes equations with full specification of the upstream, wall and downstream boundary conditions.

The Competition Between a Localised and Distributed Source of Buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partridge, Jamie; Linden, Paul

2012-11-01

We propose a new mathematical model to study the competition between localised and distributed sources of buoyancy within a naturally ventilated filling box. The main controlling parameters in this configuration are the buoyancy fluxes of the distributed and local source, specifically their ratio Ψ. The steady state dynamics of the flow are heavily dependent on this parameter. For large Ψ, where the distributed source dominates, we find the space becomes well mixed as expected if driven by an distributed source alone. Conversely, for small Ψ we find the space reaches a stable two layer stratification. This is analogous to the classical case of a purely local source but here the lower layer is buoyant compared to the ambient, due to the constant flux of buoyancy emanating from the distributed source. The ventilation flow rate, buoyancy of the layers and also the location of the interface height, which separates the two layer stratification, are obtainable from the model. To validate the theoretical model, small scale laboratory experiments were carried out. Water was used as the working medium with buoyancy being driven directly by temperature differences. Theoretical results were compared with experimental data and overall good agreement was found. A CASE award project with Arup.

Effects of Buoyancy on the Flowfields of Lean Premixed Turbulent V-Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, R. K.; Greenberg, P.; Bedat, B.; Yegian, D. T.

1999-01-01

Open laboratory turbulent flames used for investigating fundament flame turbulence interactions are greatly affected by buoyancy. Though much of our current knowledge is based on observations made in these open flames, the effects of buoyancy are usually not included in data interpretation, numerical analysis or theories. This inconsistency remains an obstacle to merging experimental observations and theoretical predictions. To better understanding the effects of buoyancy, our research focuses on steady lean premixed flames propagating in fully developed turbulence. We hypothesize that the most significant role of buoyancy forces on these flames is to influence their flowfields through a coupling with mean and fluctuating pressure fields. Changes in flow pattern alter the mean aerodynamic stretch and in turn affect turbulence fluctuation intensities both upstream and downstream of the flame zone. Consequently, flame stabilization, reaction rates, and turbulent flame processes are all affected. This coupling relates to the elliptical problem that emphasizes the importance of the upstream, wall and downstream boundary conditions in determining all aspects of flame propagation. Therefore, buoyancy has the same significance as other parameters such as flow configuration, flame geometry, means of flame stabilization, flame shape, enclosure size, mixture conditions, and flow conditions.

The argonaut shell: gas-mediated buoyancy control in a pelagic octopus.

PubMed

Finn, Julian K; Norman, Mark D

2010-10-07

Argonauts (Cephalopoda: Argonautidae) are a group of rarely encountered open-ocean pelagic octopuses with benthic ancestry. Female argonauts inhabit a brittle 'paper nautilus' shell, the role of which has puzzled naturalists for millennia. The primary role attributed to the shell has been as a receptacle for egg deposition and brooding. Our observations of wild argonauts have revealed that the thin calcareous shell also functions as a hydrostatic structure, employed by the female argonaut to precisely control buoyancy at varying depths. Female argonauts use the shell to 'gulp' a measured volume of air at the sea surface, seal off the captured gas using flanged arms and forcefully dive to a depth where the compressed gas buoyancy counteracts body weight. This process allows the female argonaut to attain neutral buoyancy at depth and potentially adjust buoyancy to counter the increased (and significant) weight of eggs during reproductive periods. Evolution of this air-capture strategy enables this negatively buoyant octopus to survive free of the sea floor. This major shift in life mode from benthic to pelagic shows strong evolutionary parallels with the origins of all cephalopods, which attained gas-mediated buoyancy via the closed-chambered shells of the true nautiluses and their relatives.

Documentation of STS-88 Node evaluation

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-09-08

S97-11949 (8 Sept 1997) --- Wearing training versions of the Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, astronauts Jerry L. Ross (left), and James Newman perform the first training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) of the Sonny Carter Training Facility. The training was actually a dress rehearsal of three Extravehicular Activity?s (EVA) the pair will conduct during the July 1998 flight (STS-88) -- the first International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission. During the six-hour training session, the crew practiced hooking up power and data cables between full-scale mockups of the Functional Cargo Block and the United States-built Node 1 (foreground).

Field Effects of Buoyancy on a Premixed Turbulent Flame Studied by Particle Image Velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Robert K.

2003-01-01

Typical laboratory flames for the scientific investigation of flame/turbulence interactions are prone to buoyancy effects. Buoyancy acts on these open flame systems and provides upstream feedbacks that control the global flame properties as well as local turbulence/flame interactions. Consequently the flame structures, stabilization limits, and turbulent reaction rates are directly or indirectly coupled with buoyancy. The objective of this study is to characterize the differences between premixed turbulent flames pointing upwards (1g), pointing downwards (-1g), and in microgravity (mg). The configuration is an inverted conical flame stabilized by a small cone-shaped bluff body that we call CLEAN Flames (Cone-Stabilized Lean Flames). We use two laser diagnostics to capture the velocity and scalar fields. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measures the mean and root mean square velocities and planar imaging by the flame fronts method outlines the flame wrinkle topology. The results were obtained under typical conditions of small domestic heating systems such as water heaters, ovens, and furnaces. Significant differences between the 1g and -1g flames point to the need for including buoyancy contributions in theoretical and numerical calculations. In Earth gravity, there is a complex coupling of buoyancy with the turbulent flow and heat release in the flame. An investigation of buoyancy-free flames in microgravity will provide the key to discern gravity contributions. Data obtained in microgravity flames will provide the benchmark for interpreting and analyzing 1g and -1g flame results.

Effects of body condition on buoyancy in endangered North Atlantic right whales.

PubMed

Nousek-McGregor, Anna E; Miller, Carolyn A; Moore, Michael J; Nowacek, Douglas P

2014-01-01

Buoyancy is an important consideration for diving marine animals, resulting in specific ecologically relevant adaptations. Marine mammals use blubber as an energy reserve, but because this tissue is also positively buoyant, nutritional demands have the potential to cause considerable variation in buoyancy. North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are known to be positively buoyant as a result of their blubber, and the thickness of this layer varies considerably, but the effect of this variation on buoyancy has not been explored. This study compared the duration and rate of ascending and descending glides, recorded with an archival tag, with blubber thickness, measured with an ultrasound device, in free-swimming right whales. Ascending whales with thicker blubber had shorter portions of active propulsion and longer passive glides than whales with thinner blubber, suggesting that blubber thickness influences buoyancy because the buoyant force is acting in the same direction as the animal's movement during this phase. Whales with thinner layers also used similar body angles and velocities when traveling to and from depth, while those with thicker layers used shallower ascent angles but achieved higher ascent velocities. Such alterations in body angle may help to reduce the cost of transport when swimming against the force of buoyancy in a state of augmented positive buoyancy, which represents a dynamic response to reduce the energetic consequences of physiological changes. These results have considerable implications for any diving marine animal during periods of nutritional stress, such as during seasonal migrations and annual variations in prey availability.

The design, fabrication and delivery of a spacelab neutral buoyancy Instrument Pointing System (IPS) mockup. [underwater training simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanvalkenburgh, C. N.

1984-01-01

Underwater simulations of EVA contingency operations such as manual jettison, payload disconnect, and payload clamp actuation were used to define crew aid needs and mockup pecularities and characteristics to verify the validity of simulation using the trainer. A set of mockup instrument pointing system tests was conducted and minor modifications and refinements were made. Flight configuration struts were tested and verified to be operable by the flight crew. Tasks involved in developing the following end items are described: IPS gimbal system, payload, and payload clamp assembly; the igloos (volumetric); spacelab pallets, experiments, and hardware; experiment, and hardware; experiment 7; and EVA hand tools, support hardware (handrails and foot restraints). The test plan preparation and test support are also covered.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1978-08-24

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Another facet of the space station would be electrical cornectors which would be used for powering tools the astronauts would need for construction, maintenance and repairs. Shown is an astronaut training during an underwater electrical connector test in the NBS.

Non-Intrusive Velocity Measurements with MTV During DCC Event in the HTTF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andre, M. A.; Bardet, P. M.; Cadell, S. R.; Woods, B.; Burns, R. A.; Danehy, P. M.

2017-01-01

Velocity profiles are measured using molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) in the high temperature test facility (HTTF) at Oregon State University during a depressurized conduction cooldown (DCC) event. The HTTF is a quarter scale electrically heated nuclear reactor simulator designed to replicate various accident scenarios. During a DCC, a double ended guillotine break results in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) depressurizing into the reactor cavity and ultimately leading to air ingress in the reactor core (lock-exchange and gas diffusion). It is critical to understand the resulting buoyancy-driven flow to characterize the reactor self-cooling capacity through natural circulation. During tests conducted at ambient pressure and temperature, the RPV containing helium is opened (via the hot and cold legs) to a large vessel filled with nitrogen to simulate the atmosphere. The velocity profile on the hot leg pipe centerline is recorded at 10 Hz with MTV based on NO tracers. The precision of the velocimetry was measured to be 0.02 m/s in quiescent flow prior to the tests. A helium flow from the RPV is initially observed in the top quarter of the pipe. During the first 20 seconds of the event, helium flows out of the RPV with a maximum velocity below 2 m/s. The velocity profile transitions from parabolic to linear in character and decays slowly over the rest of the recording; peak velocities of 0.2 m/s are observed after 30 min. A counter-flow of nitrogen is also observed intermittently, which occurs at lower velocities (>0.1 m/s).

Academic Buoyancy and Academic Outcomes: Towards a Further Understanding of Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Students without ADHD, and Academic Buoyancy Itself

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Background: Academic buoyancy is students' capacity to successfully overcome setback and challenge that is typical of the ordinary course of everyday academic life. It may represent an important factor on the psycho-educational landscape assisting students who experience difficulties in school and schoolwork. Aims: This study investigated the…

Electrophoretic interactions and aggregation of colloidal biological particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Robert H.; Nichols, Scott C.; Loewenberg, Michael; Todd, Paul

1994-01-01

The separation of cells or particles from solution has traditionally been accomplished with centrifuges or by sedimentation; however, many particles have specific densities close to unity, making buoyancy-driven motion slow or negligible, but most cells and particles carry surface charges, making them ideal for electrophoretic separation. Both buoyancy-driven and electrophoretic separation may be influenced by hydrodynamic interactions and aggregation of neighboring particles. Aggregation by electrophoresis was analyzed for two non-Brownian particles with different zeta potentials and thin double layers migrating through a viscous fluid. The results indicate that the initial rate of electrophoretically-driven aggregation may exceed that of buoyancy-driven aggregation, even under conditions in which buoyancy-driven relative motion of noninteracting particles is dominant.

A dimensionless parameter approach to the thermal behavior of an aquifer thermal energy storage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doughty, C.; Hellstrom, G.; Tsang, C. F.; Claesson, J.

1982-09-01

The purpose of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) site-characterization studies is to develop a general procedure whereby the energy recovery factor for a given site may be predicted readily for a wide range of operating conditions without doing detailed numerical simulations. The thermal behavior of a ATES system with steady radial fluid flow around a single injection/production well is discussed. Buoyancy flow is neglected, and the aquifer is confined above and below by impermeable confining layers.

The Sensitivity of Large-Eddy Simulation to Local and Nonlocal Drag Coefficients at the Lower Boundary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schowalter, D. G.; DeCroix, D. S.; Lin, Y. L.; Arya, S. P.; Kaplan, M. L.

1996-01-01

It was found that the homogeneity of the surface drag coefficient plays an important role in the large scale structure of turbulence in large-eddy simulation of the convective atmospheric boundary layer. Particularly when a ground surface temperature was specified, large horizontal anisotropies occurred when the drag coefficient depended upon local velocities and heat fluxes. This was due to the formation of streamwise roll structures in the boundary layer. In reality, these structures have been found to form when shear is approximately balanced by buoyancy. The present cases, however, were highly convective. The formation was caused by particularly low values of the drag coefficient at the entrance to thermal plume structures.

Puffing flame instability - Part II: Predicting the onset and frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boettcher, Philipp; Shepherd, Joseph; Menon, Shyam; Blanquart, Guillaume

2011-11-01

Experiments and simulations have been performed on fuel rich n- hexane air mixtures in a closed vessel. Both experiments and simulations show a distinct cyclic combustion or ``puffing'' mode. The misalignment of buoyancy induced pressure gradients and density gradients across the flame front is responsible for the generation of vorticity and its subsequent roll-up into vortex rings. In the present work, a simplified model is proposed based on the fundamental interactions between fluid mechanical and chemical parameters. This simplified fluid mechanics model is based on dimensional analysis and is used to predict the onset and frequency of the puffing behavior. This work was sponsored by The Boeing Company through CTBA-GTA-1.

Buoyancy Driven Coolant Mixing Studies of Natural Circulation Flows at the ROCOM Test Facility Using ANSYS CFX

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hohne, Thomas; Kliem, Soren; Rohde, Ulrich

2006-07-01

Coolant mixing in the cold leg, downcomer and the lower plenum of pressurized water reactors is an important phenomenon mitigating the reactivity insertion into the core. Therefore, mixing of the de-borated slugs with the ambient coolant in the reactor pressure vessel was investigated at the four loop 1:5 scaled ROCOM mixing test facility. Thermal hydraulics analyses showed, that weakly borated condensate can accumulate in particular in the pump loop seal of those loops, which do not receive safety injection. After refilling of the primary circuit, natural circulation in the stagnant loops can re-establish simultaneously and the de-borated slugs are shiftedmore » towards the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In the ROCOM experiments, the length of the flow ramp and the initial density difference between the slugs and the ambient coolant was varied. From the test matrix experiments with 0 resp. 2% density difference between the de-borated slugs and the ambient coolant were used to validate the CFD software ANSYS CFX. To model the effects of turbulence on the mean flow a higher order Reynolds stress turbulence model was employed and a mesh consisting of 6.4 million hybrid elements was utilized. Only the experiments and CFD calculations with modeled density differences show a stratification in the downcomer. Depending on the degree of density differences the less dense slugs flow around the core barrel at the top of the downcomer. At the opposite side the lower borated coolant is entrained by the colder safety injection water and transported to the core. The validation proves that ANSYS CFX is able to simulate appropriately the flow field and mixing effects of coolant with different densities. (authors)« less

Preparation and evaluation of sustained release microballoons of propranolol.

PubMed

Porwal, A; Swami, G; Saraf, Sa

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to characterize, optimize and evaluate microballoons of Propranolol hydrochloride and to increase its boioavailability by increasing the retention time of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract. Propranolol hydrochloride-loaded microballoons were prepared by the non-aqueous O/O emulsion solvent diffusion evaporation method using Eudragit RSPO as polymer. It was found that preparation temperature determined the formation of cavity inside the microballoon and this in turn determined the buoyancy. Microballoons were subjected to particle size determination, micromeritic properties, buoyancy, entrapment efficiency, drug loading, in vitro drug release and IR study. The correlation between the buoyancy, bulk density and porosity of microballoons were elucidated. The release rate was determined in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) of pH 1.2 at 37±0.5°C. The microballoons presented spherical and smooth morphologies (SEM) and were porous due to presence of hollow cavity. Microballoons remained buoyant for >12 hrs for the optimized formulation. The formulation demonstrated favorable in vitro floating and release characteristics. The encapsulation efficiency was high. In vitro dissolution kinetics followed the Higuchi model. The drug release from microballoons was mainly controlled by diffusion and showed a biphasic pattern with an initial burst release, followed by sustained release for 12 hrs. The amount of the drug which released up to 12 hrs was 82.05±0.64%. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) showed significant difference (p<0.05) in the cumulative amount of drug released after 30 min, and up to 12 hrs from optimized formulations. The designed system for propanolol would possibly be advantageous in terms of increased bioavailability and patient compliance.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Buoyancy Driven Convection During PDAMNA Thin Film Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antar, Basil N.; Witherow, William K.; Paley, Mark S.; Curreri, Peter A. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This paper presents results from numerical simulations as well as laboratory experiments of buoyancy driven convection in an ampoule under varying heating and gravitational acceleration loadings. The modeling effort in this work resolves the large scale natural convective motion that occurs in the fluid during photodeposition of polydiacetelene films which is due to energy absorbed by the growth solution from a UV source. Consequently, the growth kinetics of the film are ignored in the model discussed here, and also a much simplified ampoule geometry is considered. The objective of this work is to validate the numerical prediction on the strength and structure of buoyancy driven convection that could occur under terrestrial conditions during nonlinear optical film growth. The validation is used to enable a reliable predictive capability on the nature and strength of the convective motion under low gravity conditions. The ampoule geometry is in the form of a parallelepiped with rectangular faces. The numerical results obtained from the solution to the Boussinesq equations show that natural convection will occur regardless of the orientation of the UV source with respect to the gravity vector. The least strong convective motion occurred with the UV beam directed at the top face of the parallelepiped. The strength of the convective motion was found to be almost linearly proportional to the total power of the UV source. Also, it was found that the strength of the convective motion decreased linearly with the gravity due to acceleration. The pattern of the convective flow on the other hand, depended on the source location.

Magnetic Field Transport in Accretion Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jafari, Amir; Vishniac, Ethan T.

2018-02-01

The leading models for launching astrophysical jets rely on strong poloidal magnetic fields threading the central parts of their host accretion disks. Numerical simulations of magneto-rotationally turbulent disks suggest that such fields are actually advected from the environment by the accreting matter rather than generated by internal dynamos. This is puzzling from a theoretical point of view, since the reconnection of the radial field across the midplane should cause an outward drift on timescales much shorter than the accretion time. We suggest that a combination of effects are responsible for reducing the radial field near the midplane, causing efficient inward advection of the poloidal field. Magnetic buoyancy in subsonic turbulence pushes the field lines away from the midplane, decreasing the large-scale radial field in the main body of the disk. In magneto-rotationally driven turbulence, magnetic buoyancy dominates over the effects of turbulent pumping, which works against it, and turbulent diamagnetism, which works with it, in determining the vertical drift of the magnetic field. Balancing buoyancy with diffusion implies that the bending angle of the large-scale poloidal field can be very large near the surface, as required for outflows, but vanishes near the midplane, which impedes turbulent reconnection and outward diffusion. This effect becomes less efficient as the poloidal flux increases. This suggests that accretion disks are less likely to form jets if they have a modest ratio of outer to inner radii or if the ambient field is very weak. The former effect is probably responsible for the scarcity of jets in cataclysmic variable systems.

Coupling between Buoyancy Forces and Electroconvective Instability near Ion-Selective Surfaces.

PubMed

Karatay, Elif; Andersen, Mathias Bækbo; Wessling, Matthias; Mani, Ali

2016-05-13

Recent investigations have revealed that ion transport from aqueous electrolytes to ion-selective surfaces is subject to electroconvective instability that stems from coupling of hydrodynamics with electrostatic forces. These systems inherently involve fluid density variation set by salinity gradients. However, the coupling between the buoyancy effects and electroconvective instability has not yet been investigated although a wide range of electrochemical systems are naturally prone to these interplaying effects. In this study we thoroughly examine the interplay of gravitational convection and chaotic electroconvection. Our results reveal that buoyant forces can significantly influence the transport rates, otherwise set by electroconvection, when the Rayleigh number Ra of the system exceeds a value Ra∼1000. We show that buoyancy forces can significantly alter the flow patterns in these systems. When the buoyancy acts in the stabilizing direction, it limits the extent of penetration of electroconvection, but without eliminating it. When the buoyancy destabilizes the flow, it alters the electroconvective patterns by introducing upward and downward fingers of respectively light and heavy fluids.

Moments applied in the manual assembly of space structures - Ease biomechanics results from STS-61B. [Experimental Assembly of Structures in EVA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cousins, D.; Akin, D. L.

1989-01-01

Measurements of the level and pattern of moments applied in the manual assembly of a space structure were made in extravehicular activity (EVA) and neutral buoyancy simulation (NBS). The Experimental Assembly of Structures in EVA program included the repeated assembly of a 3.6 m tetrahedral truss structure in EVA on STS-61B after extensive neutral buoyancy crew training. The flight and training structures were of equivalent mass and geometry to allow a direct correlation between EVA and NBS performance. A stereo photographic motion camera system was used to reconstruct in three dimensions rotational movements of structural beams during assembly. Moments applied in these manual handling tasks were calculated on the basis of the reconstructed movements taking into account effects of inertia, drag and virtual mass. Applied moments of 2.0 Nm were typical for beam rotations in EVA. Corresponding applied moments in NBS were typically up to five times greater. Moments were applied as impulses separated by several seconds of coasting in both EVA and NBS. Decelerating impulses were only infrequently observed in NBS.

From the granular Leidenfrost state to buoyancy-driven convection.

PubMed

Rivas, Nicolas; Thornton, Anthony R; Luding, Stefan; van der Meer, Devaraj

2015-04-01

Grains inside a vertically vibrated box undergo a transition from a density-inverted and horizontally homogeneous state, referred to as the granular Leidenfrost state, to a buoyancy-driven convective state. We perform a simulational study of the precursors of such a transition and quantify their dynamics as the bed of grains is progressively fluidized. The transition is preceded by transient convective states, which increase their correlation time as the transition point is approached. Increasingly correlated convective flows lead to density fluctuations, as quantified by the structure factor, that also shows critical behavior near the transition point. The amplitude of the modulations in the vertical velocity field are seen to be best described by a quintic supercritical amplitude equation with an additive noise term. The validity of such an amplitude equation, and previously observed collective semiperiodic oscillations of the bed of grains, suggests a new interpretation of the transition analogous to a coupled chain of vertically vibrated damped oscillators. Increasing the size of the container shows metastability of convective states, as well as an overall invariant critical behavior close to the transition.

Acoustic streaming, fluid mixing, and particle transport by a Gaussian ultrasound beam in a cylindrical container

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marshall, Jeffrey S., E-mail: jeffm@cems.uvm.edu; Wu, Junru

A computational study is reported of the acoustic streaming flow field generated by a Gaussian ultrasound beam propagating normally toward the end wall of a cylindrical container. Particular focus is given to examining the effectiveness of the acoustic streaming flow for fluid mixing within the container, for deposition of particles in suspension onto the bottom surface, and for particle suspension from the bottom surface back into the flow field. The flow field is assumed to be axisymmetric with the ultrasound transducer oriented parallel to the cylinder axis and normal to the bottom surface of the container, which we refer tomore » as the impingement surface. Reflection of the sound from the impingement surface and sound absorption within the material at the container bottom are both accounted for in the computation. The computation also accounts for thermal buoyancy force due to ultrasonic heating of the impingement surface, but over the time period considered in the current simulations, the flow is found to be dominated by the acoustic streaming force, with only moderate effect of buoyancy force.« less

Buoyancy fluxes in stratified flows: observations and parameterizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monismith, Stephen; Koseff, Jeffrey; Walter, Ryan; Squibb, Michael; Woodson, Brock; Davis, Kristen; Pawlak, Geno; Dunckley, Jamie

2017-11-01

We present a synthesis of observations of turbulent buoyancy fluxes, B, made at five sites where flows and turbulence are primarily associated with internal waves, both breaking and non-breaking. In four cases, B was calculated from the covariance of velocity and density whereas in the fifth case, it was inferred from the rate of temperature variance dissipation, χ . Overall, we find that the flux Richardson number, Rif , depends on the Gibson number, Gi = ɛ / νN2 : when Gi < 100, Rif 0.27 , and when Gi > 100 Rif 2.7 Gi-0.5 , in agreement with the functional relationship found originally using direct numerical simulation (DNS). Our observations do not match well other DNS-derived models that parameterize Rif in terms of the gradient Richardson number, Ri, or the turbulence Froude numbers, FrK and Frt . Similarly, Rif (Gi) is found to be the same for all the covariance data sets, despite the fact that these 4 flows produce turbulence that falls in different regimes defined by several pairs chosen from the 5 non-dimensional numbers that the Buckingham Π theorem shows may affect Rif .

Acoustic streaming, fluid mixing, and particle transport by a Gaussian ultrasound beam in a cylindrical container

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Jeffrey S.; Wu, Junru

2015-10-01

A computational study is reported of the acoustic streaming flow field generated by a Gaussian ultrasound beam propagating normally toward the end wall of a cylindrical container. Particular focus is given to examining the effectiveness of the acoustic streaming flow for fluid mixing within the container, for deposition of particles in suspension onto the bottom surface, and for particle suspension from the bottom surface back into the flow field. The flow field is assumed to be axisymmetric with the ultrasound transducer oriented parallel to the cylinder axis and normal to the bottom surface of the container, which we refer to as the impingement surface. Reflection of the sound from the impingement surface and sound absorption within the material at the container bottom are both accounted for in the computation. The computation also accounts for thermal buoyancy force due to ultrasonic heating of the impingement surface, but over the time period considered in the current simulations, the flow is found to be dominated by the acoustic streaming force, with only moderate effect of buoyancy force.

Neutral Buoyancy Test - Hubble Space Telescope Scientific Instruments (SI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a cooperative program of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) to operate a long-lived space-based observatory. It was the first and flagship mission of NASA's Great Observatories program. The HST program began as an astronomical dream in the 1940s. During the 1970s and 1980s, the HST was finally designed and built becoming operational in the 1990s. The HST was deployed into a low-Earth orbit on April 25, 1990 from the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31). The design of the HST took into consideration its length of service and the necessity of repairs and equipment replacement by making the body modular. In doing so, subsequent shuttle missions could recover the HST, replace faulty or obsolete parts and be re-released. Pictured is MSFC's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator that served as the test center for shuttle astronauts training for Hubble related missions. Shown is an astronaut training on a mock-up of a modular section of the HST in the removal and replacement of scientific instruments.

Effect of gravity on the stability and structure of lean hydrogen-air flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patnaik, G.; Kailasanath, K.

1991-01-01

Detailed, time-dependent, 2D numerical simulations with full hydrogen-oxygen chemistry are used to investigate the effects of gravity on the stability and structure of laminar flames in lean, premixed hydrogen-air mixtures. The calculations show that the effects of gravity becomes more important as the lean flammability limit is approached. In a 12 percent hydrogen-air mixture, gravity plays only a secondary role in determining the multidimensional structure of the flame with the stability and structure of the flame controlled primarily by the thermo-diffusive instability mechanism. However, in leaner hydrogen-air mixtures gravity becomes more important. Upward-propagating flames are highly curved and evolve into a bubble rising upwards in the tube. Downward-propagating flames are flat or even oscillate between structures with concave and convex curvatures. The zero-gravity flame shows only cellular structures. Cellular structures which are present in zero gravity can be suppressed by the effect of buoyancy for mixtures leaner than 11 percent hydrogen. These observations are explained on the basis of an interaction between the processes leading to buoyancy-induced Rayleigh-Taylor instability and the thermo-diffusive instability.

Prevention of Cyanobacterial Blooms Using Nanosilica: A Biomineralization-Inspired Strategy.

PubMed

Xiong, Wei; Tang, Yiming; Shao, Changyu; Zhao, Yueqi; Jin, Biao; Huang, Tingting; Miao, Ya'nan; Shu, Lei; Ma, Weimin; Xu, Xurong; Tang, Ruikang

2017-11-07

Cyanobacterial blooms represent a significant threat to global water resources because blooming cyanobacteria deplete oxygen and release cyanotoxins, which cause the mass death of aquatic organisms. In nature, a large biomass volume of cyanobacteria is a precondition for a bloom, and the cyanobacteria buoyancy is a key parameter for inducing the dense accumulation of cells on the water surface. Therefore, blooms will likely be curtailed if buoyancy is inhibited. Inspired by diatoms with naturally generated silica shells, we found that silica nanoparticles can be spontaneously incorporated onto cyanobacteria in the presence of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), a cationic polyelectrolyte that can simulate biosilicification proteins. The resulting cyanobacteria-SiO 2 complexes can remain sedimentary in water. This strategy significantly inhibited the photoautotrophic growth of the cyanobacteria and decreased their biomass accumulation, which could effectively suppress harmful bloom events. Consequently, several of the adverse consequences of cyanobacteria blooms in water bodies, including oxygen consumption and microcystin release, were significantly alleviated. Based on the above results, we propose that the silica nanoparticle treatment has the potential for use as an efficient strategy for preventing cyanobacteria blooms.

Numerical study of gravity effects on phase separation in a swirl chamber.

PubMed

Hsiao, Chao-Tsung; Ma, Jingsen; Chahine, Georges L

2016-01-01

The effects of gravity on a phase separator are studied numerically using an Eulerian/Lagrangian two-phase flow approach. The separator utilizes high intensity swirl to separate bubbles from the liquid. The two-phase flow enters tangentially a cylindrical swirl chamber and rotate around the cylinder axis. On earth, as the bubbles are captured by the vortex formed inside the swirl chamber due to the centripetal force, they also experience the buoyancy force due to gravity. In a reduced or zero gravity environment buoyancy is reduced or inexistent and capture of the bubbles by the vortex is modified. The present numerical simulations enable study of the relative importance of the acceleration of gravity on the bubble capture by the swirl flow in the separator. In absence of gravity, the bubbles get stratified depending on their sizes, with the larger bubbles entering the core region earlier than the smaller ones. However, in presence of gravity, stratification is more complex as the two acceleration fields - due to gravity and to rotation - compete or combine during the bubble capture.

Time-dependent Computational Studies of Premixed Flames in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kailasanath, K.; Patnaik, Gopal; Oran, Elaine S.

1993-01-01

This report describes the research performed at the Center for Reactive Flow and Dynamical Systems in the Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, at the Naval Research Laboratory, in support of NASA Microgravity Science and Applications Program. The primary focus of this research is on investigating fundamental questions concerning the propagation and extinction of premixed flames in earth gravity and in microgravity environments. Our approach is to use detailed time-dependent, multispecies, numerical models as tools to simulate flames in different gravity environments. The models include a detailed chemical kinetics mechanism consisting of elementary reactions among the eight reactive species involved in hydrogen combustion, coupled to algorithms for convection, thermal conduction, viscosity, molecular and thermal diffusion, and external forces. The external force, gravity, can be put in any direction relative to flame propagation and can have a range of values. Recently more advanced wall boundary conditions such as isothermal and no-slip have been added to the model. This enables the simulation of flames propagating in more practical systems than before. We have used the numerical simulations to investigate the effects of heat losses and buoyancy forces on the structure and stability of flames, to help resolve fundamental questions on the existence of flammability limits when there are no external losses or buoyancy forces in the system, to understand the interaction between the various processes leading to flame instabilities and extinguishment, and to study the dynamics of cell formation and splitting. Our studies have been able to bring out the differences between upward- and downward-propagating flames and predict the zero-gravity behavior of these flames. The simulations have also highlighted the dominant role of wall heat losses in the case of downward-propagating flames. The simulations have been able to qualitatively predict the formation of multiple cells and the cessation of cell-splitting. Our studies have also shown that some flames in a microgravity environment can be extinguished due to a chemical instability and without any external losses. However, further simulations are needed to more completely understand upward-propagating and zero-gravity flames as well as to understand the potential effect of radiative heat losses.

The foraging benefits of being fat in a highly migratory marine mammal

PubMed Central

Adachi, Taiki; Maresh, Jennifer L.; Robinson, Patrick W.; Peterson, Sarah H.; Costa, Daniel P.; Naito, Yasuhiko; Watanabe, Yuuki Y.; Takahashi, Akinori

2014-01-01

Foraging theory predicts that breath-hold divers adjust the time spent foraging at depth relative to the energetic cost of swimming, which varies with buoyancy (body density). However, the buoyancy of diving animals varies as a function of their body condition, and the effects of these changes on swimming costs and foraging behaviour have been poorly examined. A novel animal-borne accelerometer was developed that recorded the number of flipper strokes, which allowed us to monitor the number of strokes per metre swam (hereafter, referred to as strokes-per-metre) by female northern elephant seals over their months-long, oceanic foraging migrations. As negatively buoyant seals increased their fat stores and buoyancy, the strokes-per-metre increased slightly in the buoyancy-aided direction (descending), but decreased significantly in the buoyancy-hindered direction (ascending), with associated changes in swim speed and gliding duration. Overall, the round-trip strokes-per-metre decreased and reached a minimum value when seals achieved neutral buoyancy. Consistent with foraging theory, seals stayed longer at foraging depths when their round-trip strokes-per-metre was less. Therefore, neutrally buoyant divers gained an energetic advantage via reduced swimming costs, which resulted in an increase in time spent foraging at depth, suggesting a foraging benefit of being fat. PMID:25377461

Ceramic Spheres—A Novel Solution to Deep Sea Buoyancy Modules

PubMed Central

Jiang, Bo; Blugan, Gurdial; Sturzenegger, Philip N.; Gonzenbach, Urs T.; Misson, Michael; Thornberry, John; Stenerud, Runar; Cartlidge, David; Kuebler, Jakob

2016-01-01

Ceramic-based hollow spheres are considered a great driving force for many applications such as offshore buoyancy modules due to their large diameter to wall thickness ratio and uniform wall thickness geometric features. We have developed such thin-walled hollow spheres made of alumina using slip casting and sintering processes. A diameter as large as 50 mm with a wall thickness of 0.5–1.0 mm has been successfully achieved in these spheres. Their material and structural properties were examined by a series of characterization tools. Particularly, the feasibility of these spheres was investigated with respect to its application for deep sea (>3000 m) buoyancy modules. These spheres, sintered at 1600 °C and with 1.0 mm of wall thickness, have achieved buoyancy of more than 54%. As the sphere’s wall thickness was reduced (e.g., 0.5 mm), their buoyancy reached 72%. The mechanical performance of such spheres has shown a hydrostatic failure pressure above 150 MPa, corresponding to a rating depth below sea level of 5000 m considering a safety factor of 3. The developed alumina-based ceramic spheres are feasible for low cost and scaled-up production and show great potential at depths greater than those achievable by the current deep-sea buoyancy module technologies. PMID:28773651

The argonaut shell: gas-mediated buoyancy control in a pelagic octopus

PubMed Central

Finn, Julian K.; Norman, Mark D.

2010-01-01

Argonauts (Cephalopoda: Argonautidae) are a group of rarely encountered open-ocean pelagic octopuses with benthic ancestry. Female argonauts inhabit a brittle ‘paper nautilus’ shell, the role of which has puzzled naturalists for millennia. The primary role attributed to the shell has been as a receptacle for egg deposition and brooding. Our observations of wild argonauts have revealed that the thin calcareous shell also functions as a hydrostatic structure, employed by the female argonaut to precisely control buoyancy at varying depths. Female argonauts use the shell to ‘gulp’ a measured volume of air at the sea surface, seal off the captured gas using flanged arms and forcefully dive to a depth where the compressed gas buoyancy counteracts body weight. This process allows the female argonaut to attain neutral buoyancy at depth and potentially adjust buoyancy to counter the increased (and significant) weight of eggs during reproductive periods. Evolution of this air-capture strategy enables this negatively buoyant octopus to survive free of the sea floor. This major shift in life mode from benthic to pelagic shows strong evolutionary parallels with the origins of all cephalopods, which attained gas-mediated buoyancy via the closed-chambered shells of the true nautiluses and their relatives. PMID:20484241

Buoyancy Waves in Earth's Magnetosphere: Calculations for a 2-D Wedge Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, R. A.; Toffoletto, F. R.; Schutza, A. M.; Yang, J.

2018-05-01

To improve theoretical understanding of the braking oscillations observed in Earth's inner plasma sheet, we have derived a theoretical model that describes k∥ = 0 magnetohydrodynamic waves in an idealized magnetospheric configuration that consists of a 2-D wedge with circular-arc field lines. The low-frequency, short-perpendicular-wavelength mode obeys a differential equation that is often used to describe buoyancy oscillations in a neutral atmosphere, so we call those waves "buoyancy waves," though the magnetospheric buoyancy force results from magnetic tension rather than gravity. Propagation of the wave is governed mainly by a position-dependent frequency ωb, the "buoyancy frequency," which is a fundamental property of the magnetosphere. The waves propagate if ωb > ω but otherwise evanesce. In the wedge magnetosphere, ωb turns out to be exactly the fundamental oscillation frequency for poloidal oscillations of a thin magnetic filament, and we assume that the same is true for the real magnetosphere. Observable properties of buoyancy oscillations are discussed, but propagation characteristics vary considerably with the state of the magnetosphere. For a given event, the buoyancy frequency and propagation characteristics can be determined from pressure and density profiles and a magnetic field model, and these characteristics have been worked out for one typical configuration. A localized disturbance that initially resembles a dipolarizing flux bundle spreads east-west and also penetrates into the plasmasphere to some extent. The calculated amplitude near the center of the original wave packet decays in a few oscillation periods, even though our calculation includes no dissipation.

Dynamics of Atmospheric Boundary Layers: Large-Eddy Simulations and Reduced Analytical Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momen, Mostafa

Real-world atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers (ABL) involve many inherent complexities, the understanding and modeling of which manifestly exceeds our current capabilities. Previous studies largely focused on the "textbook ABL", which is (quasi) steady and barotropic. However, it is evident that the "real-world ABL", even over flat terrain, rarely meets such simplifying assumptions. The present thesis aims to illustrate and model four complicating features of ABLs that have been overlooked thus far despite their ubiquity: 1) unsteady pressure gradients in neutral ABLs (Chapters 2 and 3), 2) interacting effects of unsteady pressure gradients and static stability in diabatic ABLs (Chapter 4), 3) time-variable buoyancy fluxes (Chapter 5) , and 4) impacts of baroclinicity in neutral and diabatic ABLs (Chapter 6). State-of-the-art large-eddy simulations will be used as a tool to explain the underlying physics and to validate analytical models we develop for these features. Chapter 2 focuses on the turbulence equilibrium: when the forcing time scale is comparable to the turbulence time scale, the turbulence is shown to be out of equilibrium, and the velocity profiles depart from the log-law; However, for longer, and surprisingly for shorter forcing times, quasi-equilibrium is maintained. In Chapter 3, a reduced analytical model, based on the Navier-Stokes equations, will be introduced and shown to be analogous to a damped oscillator where inertial, Coriolis, and friction forces mirror the mass, spring, and damper, respectively. When a steady buoyancy (stable or unstable) is superposed on the unsteady pressure gradient, the same model structure can be maintained, but the damping term, corresponding to friction forces and vertical coupling, needs to account for stability. However, for the reverse case with variable buoyancy flux and stability, the model needs to be extended to allow time-variable damper coefficient. These extensions of the analytical model are presented respectively in Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 6 investigates the interacting effects of baroclinicity (direction and strength) and stability on ABLs. Cold advection and positive shear increased the friction velocity, the low-level jet elevation and strength while warm advection and negative shear acted opposite. Finally, Chapter 7 provides a synthesis and a future outlook.

Turbulent entrainment in a strongly stratified barrier layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, H. T.; Sarkar, S.

2017-06-01

Large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to investigate how turbulence in the wind-driven ocean mixed layer erodes the stratification of barrier layers. The model consists of a stratified Ekman layer that is driven by a surface wind. Simulations at a wide range of N0/f are performed to quantify the effect of turbulence and stratification on the entrainment rate. Here, N0 is the buoyancy frequency in the barrier layer and f is the Coriolis parameter. The evolution of the mixed layer follows two stages: a rapid initial deepening and a late-time growth at a considerably slower rate. During the first stage, the mixed layer thickens to the depth that is proportional to u∗/fN0 where u∗ is the frictional velocity. During the second stage, the turbulence in the mixed layer continues to deepen further into the barrier layer, and the turbulent length scale is shown to scale with u∗/N0, independent of f. The late-time entrainment rate E follows the law of E=0.035Ri∗-1/2 where Ri∗ is the Richardson number. The exponent of -1/2 is identical but the coefficient of 0.035 is much smaller relative to the value of 2-3/2 for the nonrotating boundary layer. Simulations using the KPP model (version applicable to this simple case without additional effects of Langmuir turbulence or surface buoyancy flux) also yield the entrainment scaling of E∝Ri∗-1/2; however, the proportionality coefficient varies with the stratification. The structure of the Ekman current is examined to illustrate the strong effect of stratification in the limit of large N0/f.

Why turbulence sustains in supercritically stratified free atmosphere?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zilitinkevich, Sergej

2016-04-01

It is widely believed that in very stable stratifications, at Richardson numbers (Ri) exceeding critical value Ric ˜ 0.25 turbulence decays and flow becomes laminar. This is so at low Reynolds numbers (Re), e.g., in lab experiments; but this is not true in very-high-Re geophysical flows. Free atmosphere and deep ocean are turbulent in spite of strongly supercritical stratifications: 1 << Ri < 103. Until recently, this paradox remained unexplained. The Energy- and Flux-Budget (EFB) turbulence-closure (Zilitinkevich et al., 2013) has disclosed the following turbulence self-control mechanisms. Until recently, the role of negative buoyancy flux, Fb > 0, in turbulence energetics was treated in terms of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget equation and understood as just consumption of TKE by the buoyancy forces. This has led to the conclusion that sufficiently strong static stability causes the negative buoyancy flux sufficiently strong to exceed the TKE generation rate and thus to kill turbulence. However, considering TKE equation together with budget equation for turbulent potential energy (TPE proportional to the squared buoyancy fluctuations) shows that the role of Fb in turbulence energetics is nothing but conversion of TKE into TPE (Fb just quantifies the rate of this conversion); so that Fb does not affect total turbulent energy (TTE = TKE + TPE). Moreover, as follows from the buoyancy-flux budget equation, TPE generates positive (directed upward) buoyancy flux irrespective of the sign of the buoyancy gradient. Indeed, the warmer fluid particles (with positive buoyancy fluctuation) rise up, whereas the cooler particles sink down, so that both contribute to the positive buoyancy flux opposing to the usual, negative flux generated by mean buoyancy gradient. In this context, strengthening the negative buoyancy flux leads to decreasing TKE and increasing TPE. The latter enhances the counter-gradient share of the total flux, thus reduces |Fb| and, eventually, increases TKE. The above negative feedback was disregarded in the conventional concept of down-gradient turbulent transport. This mechanism imposes a limit on the maximal (independent of the buoyancy gradient) value of |Fb| and thus prevents degeneration of turbulence. The EFB theory has predicted that the critical Richardson number, Ric ˜ 0.25, characterising the hydrodynamic instability limit and the turbulent-laminar flow threshold at low Reynolds numbers, remains a principal threshold also in the very-high-Re turbulence; but here it separates the two turbulent regimes of dramatically different nature: Ri < Ric: the familiar "strong-mixing turbulence" typical of boundary-layer flows, wherein turbulent Prandtl number remaines practically constant: PrT ˜ 1 (the so-called "Reynolds analogy"); Ri > Ric: the newly revealed "wave-like turbulence" typical of the free atmosphere and deep ocean, wherein sharply increases with increasing Ri (asymptotically as PrT ≈ 5 Ri). This theoretical finding fits well with experimental evidence. Modellers long ago knew that turbulent heat transfer in the free atmosphere should be taken much weaker than the momentum transfer. The EFB theory gives authentic formulation for this rule and provides physically grounded method for modelling turbulence up to very stable startifications.

An experimental study of the influence of elevated buoyancy levels on flame spread rate over thermally thin cellulosic materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shang, P. C.; Altenkirch, R. A.; Eichhorn, R.

1978-01-01

The role of buoyancy on the flame spread rate over paper and its effect on extinction was studied by changing the gravity level and pressure. It was found that the flame spread rate decreases as the buoyancy induced flow increases. A method for correlating flame spread data using dimensionless parameters is presented. The Damkohler number is shown to be the dependent variable.

Young People's Academic Buoyancy and Adaptability: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of China with North America and the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.; Yu, Kai; Ginns, Paul; Papworth, Brad

2017-01-01

We investigated academic buoyancy (a response to challenge) and adaptability (a response to change) among a sample of 12-16-year-olds in China (N = 3617) compared with same-aged youth from North America (N = 989) and the United Kingdom (UK; N = 1182). We found that Chinese students reported higher mean levels of buoyancy and adaptability. We also…

Buoyancy effects on the vapor condensation rate on a horizontal liquid surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasan, Mohammad M.; Lin, Chin-Shun

1989-01-01

The results are presented of a numerical study of the effects of buoyancy on the direct condensation of saturated or nearly saturated vapor on a horizontal liquid surface in a cylindrical tank. The liquid motion beneath the liquid-vapor interface is induced by an axisymmetric laminar jet of subcooled liquid. Analysis and numerical results show that the dominant parameter which determines the influence of buoyancy on the condensation rate is the Richardson number. However, the effect of buoyancy on the condensation rate cannot be quantified in terms of the Richardson number alone. The critical value of the Richardson number below which the condensation rate is not significantly reduced depends on the Reynolds number as well as the Prandtl number.

ISS COLUMBUS laboratory experiment `GeoFlow I and II' -fluid physics research in microgravity environment to study convection phenomena inside deep Earth and mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Futterer, Birgit; Egbers, Christoph; Chossat, Pascal; Hollerbach, Rainer; Breuer, Doris; Feudel, Fred; Mutabazi, Innocent; Tuckerman, Laurette

Overall driving mechanism of flow in inner Earth is convection in its gravitational buoyancy field. A lot of effort has been involved in theoretical prediction and numerical simulation of both the geodynamo, which is maintained by convection, and mantle convection, which is the main cause for plate tectonics. Especially resolution of convective patterns and heat transfer mechanisms has been in focus to reach the real, highly turbulent conditions inside Earth. To study specific phenomena experimentally different approaches has been observed, against the background of magneto-hydrodynamic but also on the pure hydrodynamic physics of fluids. With the experiment `GeoFlow' (Geophysical Flow Simulation) instability and transition of convection in spherical shells under the influence of central-symmetry buoyancy force field are traced for a wide range of rotation regimes within the limits between non-rotating and rapid rotating spheres. The special set-up of high voltage potential between inner and outer sphere and use of a dielectric fluid as working fluid induce an electro-hydrodynamic force, which is comparable to gravitational buoyancy force inside Earth. To reduce overall gravity in a laboratory this technique requires microgravity conditions. The `GeoFlow I' experiment was accomplished on International Space Station's module COLUM-BUS inside Fluid Science Laboratory FSL und supported by EADS Astrium, Friedrichshafen, User Support und Operations Centre E-USOC in Madrid, Microgravity Advanced Research and Support Centre MARS in Naples, as well as COLUMBUS Control Center COL-CC Munich. Running from August 2008 until January 2009 it delivered 100.000 images from FSL's optical diagnostics module; here more precisely the Wollaston shearing interferometry was used. Here we present the experimental alignment with numerical prediction for the non-rotating and rapid rotation case. The non-rotating case is characterized by a co-existence of several stationary supercritical modes, with a strong influence of initial conditions leading to axisymmetric, octahedral/cubic or pentagonal solutions. Transition to chaos is in form of a sudden onset. Experimental data supports the numerically validated influence of initial conditions in showing the octahedral mode as most preferred stable state. Well-known issue of rapid rotation is the alignment of convective cells at the tangent cylinder due to the domination of centrifugal forces against the self-gravitating buoyancy field. The system shows very clearly the centrifugal effects by patterns in form of columnar cells. For the planned second mission `GeoFlow II' (on orbit 2010) working fluid shall be an alcanole having a temperature dependent viscosity, i.e. nonanol. Herewith experimental modelling of mantle convection is going to spotlight.

Sinking during earthquakes: Critical acceleration criteria control drained soil liquefaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clément, C.; Toussaint, R.; Stojanova, M.; Aharonov, E.

2018-02-01

This article focuses on liquefaction of saturated granular soils, triggered by earthquakes. Liquefaction is defined here as the transition from a rigid state, in which the granular soil layer supports structures placed on its surface, to a fluidlike state, in which structures placed initially on the surface sink to their isostatic depth within the granular layer. We suggest a simple theoretical model for soil liquefaction and show that buoyancy caused by the presence of water inside a granular medium has a dramatic influence on the stability of an intruder resting at the surface of the medium. We confirm this hypothesis by comparison with laboratory experiments and discrete-element numerical simulations. The external excitation representing ground motion during earthquakes is simulated via horizontal sinusoidal oscillations of controlled frequency and amplitude. In the experiments, we use particles only slightly denser than water, which as predicted theoretically increases the effect of liquefaction and allows clear depth-of-sinking measurements. In the simulations, a micromechanical model simulates grains using molecular dynamics with friction between neighbors. The effect of the fluid is captured by taking into account buoyancy effects on the grains when they are immersed. We show that the motion of an intruder inside a granular medium is mainly dependent on the peak acceleration of the ground motion and establish a phase diagram for the conditions under which liquefaction happens, depending on the soil bulk density, friction properties, presence of water, and peak acceleration of the imposed large-scale soil vibrations. We establish that in liquefaction conditions, most cases relax toward an equilibrium position following an exponential in time. We also show that the equilibrium position itself, for most liquefaction regimes, corresponds to the isostatic equilibrium of the intruder inside a medium of effective density. The characteristic time to relaxation is shown to be essentially a function of the peak ground velocity.

Sinking during earthquakes: Critical acceleration criteria control drained soil liquefaction.

PubMed

Clément, C; Toussaint, R; Stojanova, M; Aharonov, E

2018-02-01

This article focuses on liquefaction of saturated granular soils, triggered by earthquakes. Liquefaction is defined here as the transition from a rigid state, in which the granular soil layer supports structures placed on its surface, to a fluidlike state, in which structures placed initially on the surface sink to their isostatic depth within the granular layer. We suggest a simple theoretical model for soil liquefaction and show that buoyancy caused by the presence of water inside a granular medium has a dramatic influence on the stability of an intruder resting at the surface of the medium. We confirm this hypothesis by comparison with laboratory experiments and discrete-element numerical simulations. The external excitation representing ground motion during earthquakes is simulated via horizontal sinusoidal oscillations of controlled frequency and amplitude. In the experiments, we use particles only slightly denser than water, which as predicted theoretically increases the effect of liquefaction and allows clear depth-of-sinking measurements. In the simulations, a micromechanical model simulates grains using molecular dynamics with friction between neighbors. The effect of the fluid is captured by taking into account buoyancy effects on the grains when they are immersed. We show that the motion of an intruder inside a granular medium is mainly dependent on the peak acceleration of the ground motion and establish a phase diagram for the conditions under which liquefaction happens, depending on the soil bulk density, friction properties, presence of water, and peak acceleration of the imposed large-scale soil vibrations. We establish that in liquefaction conditions, most cases relax toward an equilibrium position following an exponential in time. We also show that the equilibrium position itself, for most liquefaction regimes, corresponds to the isostatic equilibrium of the intruder inside a medium of effective density. The characteristic time to relaxation is shown to be essentially a function of the peak ground velocity.

Large eddy simulation on buoyant gas diffusion near building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tominaga, Yoshihide; Murakami, Shuzo; Mochida, Akashi

1992-12-01

Large eddy simulations on turbulent diffusion of buoyant gases near a building model are carried out for three cases in which the densimetric Froude Number (Frd) was specified at - 8.6, zero and 8.6 respectively. The accuracy of these simulations is examined by comparing the numerically predicted results with wind tunnel experiments conducted. Two types of sub-grid scale models, the standard Smagorinsky model (type 1) and the modified Smagorinsky model (type 2) are compared. The former does not take account of the production of subgrid energy by buoyancy force but the latter incorporates this effect. The latter model (type 2) gives more accurate results than those given by the standard Smagorinsky model (type 1) in terms of the distributions of kappa greater than sign C less than sign greater than sign C(sup - 2) less than sign.

A novel variable-gravity simulation method: potential for astronaut training.

PubMed

Sussingham, J C; Cocks, F H

1995-11-01

Zero gravity conditions for astronaut training have traditionally used neutral buoyancy tanks, and with such tanks hypogravity conditions are produced by the use of supplemental weights. This technique does not allow for the influence of water viscosity on any reduced gravity exercise regime. With a water-foam fluid produced by using a microbubble air flow together with surface active agents to prevent bubble agglomeration, it has been found possible to simulate a range of gravity conditions without the need for supplemental weights and additionally with a substantial reduction in the resulting fluid viscosity. This new technique appears to have application in improving the simulation environment for astronaut training under the reduced gravity conditions to be found on the moon or on Mars, and may have terrestrial applications in patient rehabilitation and exercise as well.

[Effects of atmospheric thermally stratified condition on sensible heat within forest canopy].

PubMed

Diao, Yi-Wei; Wang, An-Zhi; Guan, De-Xin; Jin, Chang-Jie; Pei, Tie-Fan

2010-01-01

By using Eulerian second-order closure model, this paper studied the source-sink distribution and flux characteristics of sensible heat within forest canopy under atmospheric thermally stratified condition. In the daytime, a notable feature for the atmospheric stratification of forest canopy was the unstable stratification above the canopy and the stable stratification under the canopy. The changes of temperature profile indicated there was a 'hot spot' at about 2/3 of canopy height. The counter-gradient fluxes within the canopy were discovered by modeling the heat flux under weak stable atmospheric condition. Simulations of the diurnal variation of sensible heat flux were consistent with the measurements (R2 = 0.9035, P < 0.01). Adding buoyancy in the sensible heat balance equation could increase the simulation accuracy of inversion model, and improve the simulation capability for heat flux balance.

46 CFR 197.342 - Buoyancy-changing devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... STANDARDS GENERAL PROVISIONS Commercial Diving Operations Equipment § 197.342 Buoyancy-changing devices. (a...-changing device must have an inflation source separate from the breathing gas supply. ...

Stably stratified canopy flow in complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X.; Yi, C.; Kutter, E.

2015-07-01

Stably stratified canopy flow in complex terrain has been considered a difficult condition for measuring net ecosystem-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, water vapor, and energy. A long-standing advection error in eddy-flux measurements is caused by stably stratified canopy flow. Such a condition with strong thermal gradient and less turbulent air is also difficult for modeling. To understand the challenging atmospheric condition for eddy-flux measurements, we use the renormalized group (RNG) k-ϵ turbulence model to investigate the main characteristics of stably stratified canopy flows in complex terrain. In this two-dimensional simulation, we imposed persistent constant heat flux at ground surface and linearly increasing cooling rate in the upper-canopy layer, vertically varying dissipative force from canopy drag elements, buoyancy forcing induced from thermal stratification and the hill terrain. These strong boundary effects keep nonlinearity in the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations high enough to generate turbulent behavior. The fundamental characteristics of nighttime canopy flow over complex terrain measured by the small number of available multi-tower advection experiments can be reproduced by this numerical simulation, such as (1) unstable layer in the canopy and super-stable layers associated with flow decoupling in deep canopy and near the top of canopy; (2) sub-canopy drainage flow and drainage flow near the top of canopy in calm night; (3) upward momentum transfer in canopy, downward heat transfer in upper canopy and upward heat transfer in deep canopy; and (4) large buoyancy suppression and weak shear production in strong stability.

THE RELATION BETWEEN GAS DENSITY AND VELOCITY POWER SPECTRA IN GALAXY CLUSTERS: QUALITATIVE TREATMENT AND COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhuravleva, I.; Allen, S. W.; Churazov, E. M.

2014-06-10

We address the problem of evaluating the power spectrum of the velocity field of the intracluster medium using only information on the plasma density fluctuations, which can be measured today by Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories. We argue that for relaxed clusters there is a linear relation between the rms density and velocity fluctuations across a range of scales, from the largest ones, where motions are dominated by buoyancy, down to small, turbulent scales: (δρ{sub k}/ρ){sup 2}=η{sub 1}{sup 2}(V{sub 1,k}/c{sub s}){sup 2}, where δρ {sub k}/ρ is the spectral amplitude of the density perturbations at wavenumber k, V{sub 1,k}{sup 2}=V{sub k}{supmore » 2}/3 is the mean square component of the velocity field, c{sub s} is the sound speed, and η{sub 1} is a dimensionless constant of the order of unity. Using cosmological simulations of relaxed galaxy clusters, we calibrate this relation and find η{sub 1} ≈ 1 ± 0.3. We argue that this value is set at large scales by buoyancy physics, while at small scales the density and velocity power spectra are proportional because the former are a passive scalar advected by the latter. This opens an interesting possibility to use gas density power spectra as a proxy for the velocity power spectra in relaxed clusters across a wide range of scales.« less

Development and Assessment of CFD Models Including a Supplemental Program Code for Analyzing Buoyancy-Driven Flows Through BWR Fuel Assemblies in SFP Complete LOCA Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artnak, Edward Joseph, III

This work seeks to illustrate the potential benefits afforded by implementing aspects of fluid dynamics, especially the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling approach, through numerical experimentation and the traditional discipline of physical experimentation to improve the calibration of the severe reactor accident analysis code, MELCOR, in one of several spent fuel pool (SFP) complete loss-ofcoolant accident (LOCA) scenarios. While the scope of experimental work performed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) extends well beyond that which is reasonably addressed by our allotted resources and computational time in accordance with initial project allocations to complete the report, these simulated case trials produced a significant array of supplementary high-fidelity solutions and hydraulic flow-field data in support of SNL research objectives. Results contained herein show FLUENT CFD model representations of a 9x9 BWR fuel assembly in conditions corresponding to a complete loss-of-coolant accident scenario. In addition to the CFD model developments, a MATLAB based controlvolume model was constructed to independently assess the 9x9 BWR fuel assembly under similar accident scenarios. The data produced from this work show that FLUENT CFD models are capable of resolving complex flow fields within a BWR fuel assembly in the realm of buoyancy-induced mass flow rates and that characteristic hydraulic parameters from such CFD simulations (or physical experiments) are reasonably employed in corresponding constitutive correlations for developing simplified numerical models of comparable solution accuracy.

Short-term airing by natural ventilation - modeling and control strategies.

PubMed

Perino, M; Heiselberg, P

2009-10-01

The need to improve the energy efficiency of buildings requires new and more efficient ventilation systems. It has been demonstrated that innovative operating concepts that make use of natural ventilation seem to be more appreciated by occupants. This kind of system frequently integrates traditional mechanical ventilation components with natural ventilation devices, such as motorized windows and louvers. Among the various ventilation strategies that are currently available, buoyancy driven single-sided natural ventilation has proved to be very effective and can provide high air change rates for temperature and IAQ control. However, in order to promote a wider applications of these systems, an improvement in the knowledge of their working principles and the availability of new design and simulation tools is necessary. In this context, the paper analyses and presents the results of a research that was aimed at developing and validating numerical models for the analysis of buoyancy driven single-sided natural ventilation systems. Once validated, these models can be used to optimize control strategies in order to achieve satisfactory indoor comfort conditions and IAQ. Practical Implications Numerical and experimental analyses have proved that short-term airing by intermittent ventilation is an effective measure to satisfactorily control IAQ. Different control strategies have been investigated to optimize the capabilities of the systems. The proposed zonal model has provided good performances and could be adopted as a design tool, while CFD simulations can be profitably used for detailed studies of the pollutant concentration distribution in a room and to address local discomfort problems.

Evaluating Clouds in Long-Term Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations with Observational Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeng, Xiping; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Zhang, Minghua; Peters-Lidard, Christa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne; Kumar, Sujay; Xie, Shaocheng; Eastman, Joseph L.; Shie, Chung-Lin;

The foraging benefits of being fat in a highly migratory marine mammal.

PubMed

Adachi, Taiki; Maresh, Jennifer L; Robinson, Patrick W; Peterson, Sarah H; Costa, Daniel P; Naito, Yasuhiko; Watanabe, Yuuki Y; Takahashi, Akinori

2014-12-22

Foraging theory predicts that breath-hold divers adjust the time spent foraging at depth relative to the energetic cost of swimming, which varies with buoyancy (body density). However, the buoyancy of diving animals varies as a function of their body condition, and the effects of these changes on swimming costs and foraging behaviour have been poorly examined. A novel animal-borne accelerometer was developed that recorded the number of flipper strokes, which allowed us to monitor the number of strokes per metre swam (hereafter, referred to as strokes-per-metre) by female northern elephant seals over their months-long, oceanic foraging migrations. As negatively buoyant seals increased their fat stores and buoyancy, the strokes-per-metre increased slightly in the buoyancy-aided direction (descending), but decreased significantly in the buoyancy-hindered direction (ascending), with associated changes in swim speed and gliding duration. Overall, the round-trip strokes-per-metre decreased and reached a minimum value when seals achieved neutral buoyancy. Consistent with foraging theory, seals stayed longer at foraging depths when their round-trip strokes-per-metre was less. Therefore, neutrally buoyant divers gained an energetic advantage via reduced swimming costs, which resulted in an increase in time spent foraging at depth, suggesting a foraging benefit of being fat. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

New findings and instrumentation from the NASA Lewis microgravity facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Howard D.; Greenberg, Paul S.

1990-01-01

The study of fundamental combustion and fluid physics in a microgravity environment is a relatively new scientific endeavor. The microgravity environment enables a new range of experiments to be performed since: buoyancy-induced flows are nearly eliminated; normally obscured forces and flows may be isolated; gravitational settling or sedimentation is nearly eliminated; and larger time or length scales in experiments become permissible. Unexpected phenomena have been observed, with surprising frequency, in microgravity experiments, raising questions about the degree of accuracy and completeness of the classical understanding. An overview is provided of some new phenomena found through ground-based, microgravity research, the instrumentation used in this research, and plans for new instrumentation.

Buoyancy disorders in pet axolotls Ambystoma mexicanum: three cases.

PubMed

Takami, Yoshinori; Une, Yumi

2018-01-31

As far as we are aware, there are no previous reports on the pathologic conditions of buoyancy disorders in Ambystoma mexicanum. Herein, we describe various clinical test results, clinical outcomes, and the pathological findings of an experimental pneumonectomy procedure in 3 A. mexicanum exhibiting abnormal buoyancy. The 3 pet A. mexicanum were adults, and their respective ages and body weights were 1, 5, and 6 yr and 48, 55, and 56 g. Two of these cases were confirmed via radiographic examination to have free air within the body cavity, and all 3 cases were found via ultrasonography to have an acoustic shadow within the body cavity and were diagnosed with pneumocoelom. Lung perforations were detected macroscopically in 2 of the cases, and all 3 cases had fibrosis in the caudal ends of the lungs. Removal of the lung lesions eliminated the abnormal buoyancy in all 3 cases. We concluded that air had leaked into the body cavity from the lungs, and we propose that lung lesions are an important cause of buoyancy disorders in A. mexicanum.

Parabolic flight experiment `Convection in a Cylinder' -Interaction of 1g, 1.8g, micro-g and electro-hydrodynamic g periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahley, M. Sc. Norman; Futterer, Birgit; Smieszek, Marlene; Egbers, Christoph; Crumeyrolle, Olivier; Mutabazi, Innocent

In micro pumps, dosing systems, heat exchanger and transfer devices the flow control is realized by means of external impressed force fields. Here we focus on the enhancement of heat transfer in an annular cavity, if an electrohydrodynamic force field is set up. This synthetic force field is established with a high voltage potential between differentially heated inner and outer cylinders, filled with a dielectric insulating fluid. It acts comparable to thermal buoyancy forces induced by gravity. Sitte et al. (2001) performed quantitative parabolic flight experiments without determining critical values and finally reported a broken azimuthally symmetry due to the instability in a recent parabolic flight experiment (Sitte et al., 2003). With the experiment accomplishment in the 14th parabolic flight, first scenarios are realized in order to weigh the different influences of natural buoyancy coming from g and electro-hydrodynamic buoyancy coming from synthetic force fields, which were studied with numerical simulations by Smieszek et al. (2008). Specific experiment objective was the convection in an annular cavity with differentially heated inner and outer cylinders under the influence of the both buoyancy driven forces. By scaling the annulus width to approximate 5mm the initial outer cell radius for a first parabolic flight campaign was set to 10mm. The inner cylinder is made of aluminum and is heated with heating cartridges. The outer cylinder is made of glass. The gap in between is the experimental volume, which is filled with silicone oil and particles. With this a Laser light sheet illumination was set up. The inner cylinder, made of aluminum, is connected to a high-tension up to 10kV. The glass cylinder is coated with Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) inside, to make the glass conductive and is connected to ground. The central force field is introduced by applying a high voltage difference between the two cylinders. Convection was observed during the whole parabolic flight. Starting with convection modes in normal g, the boost into the parabola is coupled with increase up to 1.8g. Here the global fluid flow in boundary layers is amplified with a reduction of movement in the centre of the research cavity. Then during the µg period, where minor acceleration due to gravity leads to collapse of convection, it is the electro-hydrodynamic force which offers buoyancy. As the microgravity is a short term one, convection mode remains in transient states. Nevertheless during the successive slowing down of the aeroplane, which involves again the 1.8g period boundary layered convection mode arises again. It is planned to refly the experiment again, in order to trace the effective magnitude of synthetic force balancing the natural convection under microgravity. References B. Sitte, J. Immohr, O. Hinrichs, R. Maier, C. Egbers, H. Rath (2001), Rayleigh-Bénard Con-e vection in dielectrophoretic force field, 12th International Couette-Taylor Workshop, September 6-8, 2001, Evanston, IL USA B. Sitte, H.J. Rath (2003), Influence of the dielectrophoretic force on thermal convection, Experiments in Fluids 34, 24-27 M. Smieszek, O. Crumeyrolle, I. Mutabazi, C. Egbers (2008), Numerical simulation of thermo-convective instabilities of a dielectric liquid in a cylindrical annulus, 59th Int. Astronautical Congress (IAC) 29.09.-03.10., 2008, Glasgow, UK

Varying the effective buoyancy of cells using magnetic force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guevorkian, Karine; Valles, James M.

2004-06-01

We introduce a magnetic force buoyancy variation (MFBV) technique that employs intense inhomogeneous magnetic fields to vary the effective buoyancy of cells and other diamagnetic systems in solution. Nonswimming Paramecia have been suspended, forced to sediment and driven to rise in solution using MFBV. Details of their response to MFBV have been used to determine the magnetic susceptibility of a single Paramecium. The use of MFBV as a means by which to suspend cell cultures indefinitely is also described.

Technical support package: Large, easily deployable structures. NASA Tech Briefs, Fall 1982, volume 7, no. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Design and test data for packaging, deploying, and assembling structures for near term space platform systems, were provided by testing light type hardware in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. An optimum or near optimum structural configuration for varying degrees of deployment utilizing different levels of EVA and RMS was achieved. The design of joints and connectors and their lock/release mechanisms were refined to improve performance and operational convenience. The incorporation of utilities into structural modules to determine their effects on packaging and deployment was evaluated. By simulation tests, data was obtained for stowage, deployment, and assembly of the final structural system design to determine construction timelines, and evaluate system functioning and techniques.

Preparation and evaluation of sustained release microballoons of propranolol

PubMed Central

Porwal, A; Swami, G; Saraf, SA

2011-01-01

Background and the purpose of the study The purpose of the present investigation was to characterize, optimize and evaluate microballoons of Propranolol hydrochloride and to increase its boioavailability by increasing the retention time of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract. Methods Propranolol hydrochloride-loaded microballoons were prepared by the non-aqueous O/O emulsion solvent diffusion evaporation method using Eudragit RSPO as polymer. It was found that preparation temperature determined the formation of cavity inside the microballoon and this in turn determined the buoyancy. Microballoons were subjected to particle size determination, micromeritic properties, buoyancy, entrapment efficiency, drug loading, in vitro drug release and IR study. The correlation between the buoyancy, bulk density and porosity of microballoons were elucidated. The release rate was determined in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) of pH 1.2 at 37±0.5°C. Results The microballoons presented spherical and smooth morphologies (SEM) and were porous due to presence of hollow cavity. Microballoons remained buoyant for >12 hrs for the optimized formulation. The formulation demonstrated favorable in vitro floating and release characteristics. The encapsulation efficiency was high. In vitro dissolution kinetics followed the Higuchi model. The drug release from microballoons was mainly controlled by diffusion and showed a biphasic pattern with an initial burst release, followed by sustained release for 12 hrs. The amount of the drug which released up to 12 hrs was 82.05±0.64%. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) showed significant difference (p<0.05) in the cumulative amount of drug released after 30 min, and up to 12 hrs from optimized formulations. Conclusion The designed system for propanolol would possibly be advantageous in terms of increased bioavailability and patient compliance. PMID:22615657

How physiological and physical processes contribute to the phenology of cyanobacterial blooms in large shallow lakes: A new Euler-Lagrangian coupled model.

PubMed

Feng, Tao; Wang, Chao; Wang, Peifang; Qian, Jin; Wang, Xun

2018-09-01

Cyanobacterial blooms have emerged as one of the most severe ecological problems affecting large and shallow freshwater lakes. To improve our understanding of the factors that influence, and could be used to predict, surface blooms, this study developed a novel Euler-Lagrangian coupled approach combining the Eulerian model with agent-based modelling (ABM). The approach was subsequently verified based on monitoring datasets and MODIS data in a large shallow lake (Lake Taihu, China). The Eulerian model solves the Eulerian variables and physiological parameters, whereas ABM generates the complete life cycle and transport processes of cyanobacterial colonies. This model ensemble performed well in fitting historical data and predicting the dynamics of cyanobacterial biomass, bloom distribution, and area. Based on the calculated physical and physiological characteristics of surface blooms, principal component analysis (PCA) captured the major processes influencing surface bloom formation at different stages (two bloom clusters). Early bloom outbreaks were influenced by physical processes (horizontal transport and vertical turbulence-induced mixing), whereas buoyancy-controlling strategies were essential for mature bloom outbreaks. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed the combined actions of multiple environment variables on different bloom clusters. The effects of buoyancy-controlling strategies (ISP), vertical turbulence-induced mixing velocity of colony (VMT) and horizontal drift velocity of colony (HDT) were quantitatively compared using scenario simulations in the coupled model. VMT accounted for 52.9% of bloom formations and maintained blooms over long periods, thus demonstrating the importance of wind-induced turbulence in shallow lakes. In comparison, HDT and buoyancy controlling strategies influenced blooms at different stages. In conclusion, the approach developed here presents a promising tool for understanding the processes of onshore/offshore algal blooms formation and subsequent predicting. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Second order closure modeling of turbulent buoyant wall plumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhu, Gang; Lai, Ming-Chia; Shih, Tsan-Hsing

1992-01-01

Non-intrusive measurements of scalar and momentum transport in turbulent wall plumes, using a combined technique of laser Doppler anemometry and laser-induced fluorescence, has shown some interesting features not present in the free jet or plumes. First, buoyancy-generation of turbulence is shown to be important throughout the flow field. Combined with low-Reynolds-number turbulence and near-wall effect, this may raise the anisotropic turbulence structure beyond the prediction of eddy-viscosity models. Second, the transverse scalar fluxes do not correspond only to the mean scalar gradients, as would be expected from gradient-diffusion modeling. Third, higher-order velocity-scalar correlations which describe turbulent transport phenomena could not be predicted using simple turbulence models. A second-order closure simulation of turbulent adiabatic wall plumes, taking into account the recent progress in scalar transport, near-wall effect and buoyancy, is reported in the current study to compare with the non-intrusive measurements. In spite of the small velocity scale of the wall plumes, the results showed that low-Reynolds-number correction is not critically important to predict the adiabatic cases tested and cannot be applied beyond the maximum velocity location. The mean and turbulent velocity profiles are very closely predicted by the second-order closure models. but the scalar field is less satisfactory, with the scalar fluctuation level underpredicted. Strong intermittency of the low-Reynolds-number flow field is suspected of these discrepancies. The trends in second- and third-order velocity-scalar correlations, which describe turbulent transport phenomena, are also predicted in general, with the cross-streamwise correlations better than the streamwise one. Buoyancy terms modeling the pressure-correlation are shown to improve the prediction slightly. The effects of equilibrium time-scale ratio and boundary condition are also discussed.

An Oceanic General Circulation Model (OGCM) investigation of the Red Sea circulation: 2. Three-dimensional circulation in the Red Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sofianos, Sarantis S.; Johns, William E.

2003-03-01

The three-dimensional circulation of the Red Sea is studied using a set of Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM) simulations. The model performance is tested against the few available observations in the basin and shows generally good agreement with the main observed features of the circulation. The main findings of this analysis include an intensification of the along-axis flow toward the coasts, with a transition from western intensified boundary flow in the south to eastern intensified flow in the north, and a series of strong seasonal or permanent eddy-like features. Model experiments conducted with different forcing fields (wind-stress forcing only, surface buoyancy forcing only, or both forcings combined) showed that the circulation produced by the buoyancy forcing is stronger overall and dominates the wind-driven part of the circulation. The main circulation pattern is related to the seasonal buoyancy flux (mostly due to the evaporation), which causes the density to increase northward in the basin and produces a northward surface pressure gradient associated with the downward sloping of the sea surface. The response of the eastern boundary to the associated mean cross-basin geostrophic current depends on the stratification and β-effect. In the northern part of the basin this results in an eastward intensification of the northward surface flow associated with the presence of Kelvin waves while in the south the traditional westward intensification due to Rossby waves takes place. The most prominent gyre circulation pattern occurs in the north where a permanent cyclonic gyre is present that is involved in the formation of Red Sea Outflow Water (RSOW). Beneath the surface boundary currents are similarly intensified southward undercurrents that carry the RSOW to the sill to flow out of the basin into the Indian Ocean.

STS-97 (4A) EVA training in NBL pool

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-23

JSC2000-07082 (October 2000)--- Wearing a training version of the shuttle extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) space suit, astronaut Joseph R. Tanner, STS-97 mission specialist, simulates a space walk underwater in the giant Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). Tanner was there, along with astronaut Carlos I. Noriega, to rehearse one of three scheduled space walks to make additions to the International Space Station (ISS). The five-man crew in early December will deliver the P6 Integrated Truss Segment, which includes the first US Solar arrays and a power distribution system.

Numerical simulation of the sedimentation of a sphere in a sheared granular fluid: a granular Stokes experiment.

PubMed

Tripathi, Anurag; Khakhar, D V

2011-09-02

We study, computationally, the sedimentation of a sphere of higher mass in a steady, gravity-driven granular flow of otherwise identical spheres, on a rough inclined plane. Taking a hydrodynamic approach at the scale of the particle, we find the drag force to be given by a modified Stokes law and the buoyancy force by the Archimedes principle, with excluded volume effects taken into account. We also find significant differences between the hydrodynamic case and the granular case, which are highlighted.

Numerical Simulation of the Sedimentation of a Sphere in a Sheared Granular Fluid: A Granular Stokes Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathi, Anurag; Khakhar, D. V.

2011-09-01

We study, computationally, the sedimentation of a sphere of higher mass in a steady, gravity-driven granular flow of otherwise identical spheres, on a rough inclined plane. Taking a hydrodynamic approach at the scale of the particle, we find the drag force to be given by a modified Stokes law and the buoyancy force by the Archimedes principle, with excluded volume effects taken into account. We also find significant differences between the hydrodynamic case and the granular case, which are highlighted.

Are Brazil nuts attractive?

PubMed

Sanders, Duncan A; Swift, Michael R; Bowley, R M; King, P J

2004-11-12

We present event-driven simulation results for single and multiple intruders in a vertically vibrated granular bed. Under our vibratory conditions, the mean vertical position of a single intruder is governed primarily by a buoyancylike effect. Multiple intruders also exhibit buoyancy governed behavior; however, multiple neutrally buoyant intruders cluster spontaneously and undergo horizontal segregation. These effects can be understood by considering the dynamics of two neutrally buoyant intruders. We have measured an attractive force between such intruders which has a range of five intruder diameters, and we provide a mechanistic explanation for the origins of this force.

Simulation of nonlinear convective thixotropic liquid with Cattaneo-Christov heat flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubair, M.; Waqas, M.; Hayat, T.; Ayub, M.; Alsaedi, A.

2018-03-01

In this communication we utilized a modified Fourier approach featuring thermal relaxation effect in nonlinear convective flow by a vertical exponentially stretchable surface. Temperature-dependent thermal conductivity describes the heat transfer process. Thixotropic liquid is modeled. Convergent local similar solutions by homotopic approach are obtained. Graphical results for emerging parameters of interest are analyzed. Skin friction is calculated and interpreted. Consideration of larger local buoyancy and nonlinear convection parameters yields an enhancement in velocity distribution. Temperature and thermal layer thickness are reduced for larger thermal relaxation factor.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1978-07-21

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Included in the plans for the space station was a space telescope. This telescope would be attached to the space station and directed towards outerspace. Astronomers hoped that the space telescope would provide a look at space that is impossible to see from Earth because of Earth's atmosphere and other man made influences. Pictured is a large structure that is being used as the antenna base for the space telescope.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1977-04-12

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built.Pictured is an experiment where the astronaut is required to move a large object which weighed 19,000 pounds. It was moved with realitive ease once the astronaut became familiar with his environment and his near weightless condition. Experiments of this nature provided scientists with the information needed regarding weight and mass allowances astronauts could manage in preparation for building a permanent space station in the future.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-05-06

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. As part of this experimentation, the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. Pictured is an entire unit that has been constructed and is sitting in the bottom of a mock-up shuttle cargo bay pallet.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-01-07

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-02-27

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, theprospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-07-08

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle.

Electrical Aspects of Flames in Microgravity Combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn-Rankin, D.; Strayer, B.; Weinberg, F.; Carleton, F.

1999-01-01

A principal characteristic of combustion in microgravity is the absence of buoyancy driven flows. In some cases, such as for spherically symmetrical droplet burning, the absence of buoyancy is desirable for matching analytical treatments with experiments. In other cases, however, it can be more valuable to arbitrarily control the flame's convective environment independent of the environmental gravitational condition. To accomplish this, we propose the use of ion generated winds driven by electric fields to control local convection of flames. Such control can produce reduced buoyancy (effectively zero buoyancy) conditions in the laboratory in 1-g facilitating a wide range of laser diagnostics that can probe the system without special packaging required for drop tower or flight tests. In addition, the electric field generated ionic winds allow varying gravitational convection equivalents even if the test occurs in reduced gravity environments.

Thermal buoyancy on Venus: Preliminary results of finite element modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burt, J. D.; Head, James W., III

1992-01-01

Enhanced surface temperatures and a thinner lithosphere on Venus relative to Earth have been cited as leading to increased lithospheric buoyancy. This would limit or prevent subduction on Venus and favor the construction of thickened crust through underthrusting. In order to evaluate the conditions distinguishing between underthrusting and subduction, we have modeled the thermal and buoyancy consequences of the subduction end member. This study considers the fate of a slab from the time it starts to subduct, but bypasses the question of subduction initiation. Thermal changes in slabs subducting into a mantle having a range of initial geotherms are used to predict density changes and thus their overall buoyancy. Finite element modeling is then applied in a first approximation of the assessment of the relative rates of subduction as compared to the buoyant rise of the slab through a viscous mantle.

The dominant role of Arctic surface buoyancy fluxes for AMOC slow-down on multi-decadal timescales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorov, A. V.; Sevellec, F.

2016-12-01

One of the most dramatic consequences of the ongoing climate change is the reduction in the Arctic sea ice cover observed over the past few decades. This sea ice loss increases net heat flux into the ocean and at the same time exposes the ocean to additional freshwater flux from the atmosphere. These two effects imply positive anomalies in surface buoyancy fluxes over the Arctic ocean. In this study we estimate the sensitivity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to global changes in surface buoyancy forcing, especially in the context of changes in the Arctic. We find that, whereas on decadal timescale the subpolar region (especially east and south of Greenland) is the primarily driver of AMOC weakening due to positive buoyancy fluxes, on multidecadal timescales (longer than 20 years) it is the Arctic region that largely controls the AMOC slow-down. On timescales close to one century surface buoyancy fluxes over the Arctic ocean are nearly twice as effective for weakening the AMOC than those in the subpolar North Atlantic. We also find that the anomalous surface buoyancy fluxes in the Arctic can efficiently weaken poleward heat transport in the North Atlantic on a basin scale (i.e., between 25oN and 50oN). We conclude that such remote control of the AMOC intensity and heat transport by the Arctic ocean is a robust feature of climate change on multi-decadal timescales.

On total turbulent energy and the passive and active role of buoyancy in turbulent momentum and mass transfer.

PubMed

de Nijs, Michel A J; Pietrzak, Julie D

Measurements of turbulent fluctuations of horizontal and vertical components of velocity, salinity and suspended particulate matter are presented. Turbulent Prandtl numbers are found to increase with stratification and to become larger than 1. Consequently, the vertical turbulent mass transport is suppressed by buoyancy forces, before the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and vertical turbulent momentum exchange are inhibited. With increasing stratification, the buoyancy fluxes do not cease, instead they become countergradient. We find that buoyantly driven motions play an active role in the transfer of mass. This is in agreement with trends derived from Monin-Obukhov scaling. For positive Richardson flux numbers (Ri f ), the log velocity profile in the near-bed layer requires correction with a drag reduction. For negative Ri f , the log velocity profile should be corrected with a drag increase, with increasing |Ri f |. This highlights the active role played by buoyancy in momentum transfer and the production of TKE. However, the data do not appear to entirely follow Monin-Obukhov scaling. This is consistent with the notion that the turbulence field is not in equilibrium. The large stratification results in the decay of turbulence and countergradient buoyancy fluxes act to restore equilibrium in the energy budget. This implies that there is a finite adjustment timescale of the turbulence field to changes in velocity shear and density stratification. The energy transfers associated with the source and sink function of the buoyancy flux can be modeled with the concept of total turbulent energy.

A weighted multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method for multiphase flows and its application to partial coalescence cascades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fakhari, Abbas; Bolster, Diogo; Luo, Li-Shi

2017-07-01

We present a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with a weighted multiple-relaxation-time (WMRT) collision model and an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) algorithm for direct numerical simulation of two-phase flows in three dimensions. The proposed WMRT model enhances the numerical stability of the LBM for immiscible fluids at high density ratios, particularly on the D3Q27 lattice. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed WMRT-LBM-AMR is validated through simulations of (a) buoyancy-driven motion and deformation of a gas bubble rising in a viscous liquid; (b) the bag-breakup mechanism of a falling drop; (c) crown splashing of a droplet on a wet surface; and (d) the partial coalescence mechanism of a liquid drop at a liquid-liquid interface. The numerical simulations agree well with available experimental data and theoretical approximations where applicable.

Buoyancy characteristics of the bloater (Coregonus hoyi) in relation to patterns of vertical migration and acoustic backscattering

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fleischer, Guy W.; TeWinkel, Leslie M.

1998-01-01

Acoustic studies in Lake Michigan found that bloaters (Coregonus hoyi) were less reflective per size than the other major pelagic species. This difference in in situ acoustic backscattering could indicate that the deep-water bloaters have compressed swimbladders for much of their vertical range with related implications on buoyancy. To test this hypothesis, the buoyancy characteristics of bloaters were determined with fish placed in a cage that was lowered to bottom and monitored with an underwater camera. We found bloaters were positively buoyant near surface, neutrally buoyant at intermediate strata, and negatively buoyant near bottom. This pattern was consistent for the range of depths bloaters occur. The depth of neutral buoyancy (near the 50-n strata) corresponds with the maximum extent of vertical migration for bloaters observed in acoustic surveys. Fish below this depth would be negatively buoyant which supports our contention that bloaters deeper in the water column have compressed swimbladders. Understanding the buoyancy characteristics of pelagic fishes will help to predict the effects of vertical migration on target strength measurement and confirms the use of acoustics as a tool to identify and quantify the ecological phenomenon of vertical migration.

Buoyancy driven mixing of miscible fluids by volumetric energy deposition of microwaves.

PubMed

Wachtor, Adam J; Mocko, Veronika; Williams, Darrick J; Goertz, Matthew P; Jebrail, Farzaneh F

2013-01-01

An experiment that seeks to investigate buoyancy driven mixing of miscible fluids by microwave volumetric energy deposition is presented. The experiment involves the use of a light, non-polar fluid that initially rests on top of a heavier fluid which is more polar. Microwaves preferentially heat the polar fluid, and its density decreases due to thermal expansion. As the microwave heating continues, the density of the lower fluid eventually becomes less than that of the upper, and buoyancy driven Rayleigh-Taylor mixing ensues. The choice of fluids is crucial to the success of the experiment, and a description is given of numerous fluid combinations considered and characterized. After careful consideration, the miscible pair of toluene/tetrahydrofuran (THF) was determined as having the best potential for successful volumetric energy deposition buoyancy driven mixing. Various single fluid calibration experiments were performed to facilitate the development of a heating theory. Thereafter, results from two-fluid mixing experiments are presented that demonstrate the capability of this novel Rayleigh-Taylor driven experiment. Particular interest is paid to the onset of buoyancy driven mixing and unusual aspects of the experiment in the context of typical Rayleigh-Taylor driven mixing.

Surfactants for Bubble Removal against Buoyancy

PubMed Central

Raza, Md. Qaisar; Kumar, Nirbhay; Raj, Rishi

2016-01-01

The common phenomenon of buoyancy-induced vapor bubble lift-off from a heated surface is of importance to many areas of science and technology. In the absence of buoyancy in zero gravity of space, non-departing bubbles coalesce to form a big dry patch on the heated surface and heat transfer deteriorates despite the high latent heat of vaporization of water. The situation is worse on an inverted heater in earth gravity where both buoyancy and surface tension act upwards to oppose bubble removal. Here we report a robust passive technique which uses surfactants found in common soaps and detergents to avoid coalescence and remove bubbles downwards, away from an inverted heater. A force balance model is developed to demonstrate that the force of repulsion resulting from the interaction of surfactants adsorbed at the neighboring liquid-vapor interfaces of the thin liquid film contained between bubbles is strong enough to overcome buoyancy and surface tension. Bubble removal frequencies in excess of ten Hz resulted in more than twofold enhancement in heat transfer in comparison to pure water. We believe that this novel bubble removal mechanism opens up opportunities for designing boiling-based systems for space applications. PMID:26743179

Surfactants for Bubble Removal against Buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raza, Md. Qaisar; Kumar, Nirbhay; Raj, Rishi

2016-01-01

The common phenomenon of buoyancy-induced vapor bubble lift-off from a heated surface is of importance to many areas of science and technology. In the absence of buoyancy in zero gravity of space, non-departing bubbles coalesce to form a big dry patch on the heated surface and heat transfer deteriorates despite the high latent heat of vaporization of water. The situation is worse on an inverted heater in earth gravity where both buoyancy and surface tension act upwards to oppose bubble removal. Here we report a robust passive technique which uses surfactants found in common soaps and detergents to avoid coalescence and remove bubbles downwards, away from an inverted heater. A force balance model is developed to demonstrate that the force of repulsion resulting from the interaction of surfactants adsorbed at the neighboring liquid-vapor interfaces of the thin liquid film contained between bubbles is strong enough to overcome buoyancy and surface tension. Bubble removal frequencies in excess of ten Hz resulted in more than twofold enhancement in heat transfer in comparison to pure water. We believe that this novel bubble removal mechanism opens up opportunities for designing boiling-based systems for space applications.

How Informative are the Vertical Buoyancy and the Prone Gliding Tests to Assess Young Swimmers’ Hydrostatic and Hydrodynamic Profiles?

PubMed Central

Barbosa, Tiago M.; Costa, Mário J.; Morais, Jorge E; Moreira, Marc; Silva, António J.; Marinho, Daniel A.

2012-01-01

The aim of this research was to develop a path-flow analysis model to highlight the relationships between buoyancy and prone gliding tests and some selected anthropometrical and biomechanical variables. Thirty-eight young male swimmers (12.97 ± 1.05 years old) with several competitive levels were evaluated. It were assessed the body mass, height, fat mass, body surface area, vertical buoyancy, prone gliding after wall push-off, stroke length, stroke frequency and velocity after a maximal 25 [m] swim. The confirmatory model included the body mass, height, fat mass, prone gliding test, stroke length, stroke frequency and velocity. All theoretical paths were verified except for the vertical buoyancy test that did not present any relationship with anthropometrical and biomechanical variables nor with the prone gliding test. The good-of-fit from the confirmatory path-flow model, assessed with the standardized root mean square residuals (SRMR), is considered as being close to the cut-off value, but even so not suitable of the theory (SRMR = 0.11). As a conclusion, vertical buoyancy and prone gliding tests are not the best techniques to assess the swimmer’s hydrostatic and hydrodynamic profile, respectively. PMID:23486528

The transition from natural convection to thermomagnetic convection of a magnetic fluid in a non-uniform magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabo, Peter S. B.; Früh, Wolf-Gerrit

2018-02-01

Magnetic fluid flow and heat transfer by natural and thermomagnetic convection was studied numerically in a square enclosure. The aim was to investigate the transition from natural convection to thermomagnetic convection by exploring situations where buoyancy and the Kelvin body force would be opposing each other such that the magnetic effects would in some cases be the dominant factor throughout the domain and in other cases only in a part of the fluid. The numerical model coupled the solution of the magnetostatic field equation with the heat and fluid flow equations to simulate the fluid flow under a realistic magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet. The results suggest that the domain of influence over the flow field is largely aligned with the domain of dominance of the respective driving force. The result is that the transition from a single buoyancy-driven convection cell to a single thermomagnetically driven cell is via a two-cell structure and that the local effect on the flow field leads to a global effect on the heat transfer with a minimum of the Nusselt number in the transition region.

Tools being considered for use in freeing solar array wing of Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-05

S73-27403 (June 1973) --- Engineers at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center examine tools that are being considered for use in freeing the solar array wing of Skylab. The device at center is a cable cutter which is operated by cable. Enhanced television pictures indicate that the wing is being held to the side of the Skylab by a strip of metal from the meteoroid shield. The cable cutter shown here clipped an identical strip of metal in a test at the Marshall Center, requiring 90 pounds of force. The cutter is one of several heads which could be attached to extension rods. Identical tools and rods were carried into orbit by the Skylab 2 crew. At right is the handle end of a rod. White material taped just below the handle is buoyancy packing to make the object weightless when submerged in water. The tools are being tested in underwater EVA tasks in the MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. Small object at left is the attachment head for a two-prong "rake" device for use on the end of a pole made up of one, two or more five-foot sections of extension rods. Photo credit: NASA

Ageostrophic Frontal Processes Controlling Phytoplankton Production in the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean)

PubMed Central

Oguz, Temel; Macias, Diego; Tintore, Joaquin

2015-01-01

Buoyancy-induced unstable boundary currents and the accompanying retrograde density fronts are often the sites of pronounced mesoscale activity, ageostrophic frontal processes, and associated high biological production in marginal seas. Biophysical model simulations of the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean) illustrated that the unstable and nonlinear southward frontal boundary current along the Spanish coast resulted in a strain-driven frontogenesis mechanism. High upwelling velocities of up to 80 m d-1 injected nutrients into the photic layer and promoted enhanced production on the less dense, onshore side of the front characterized by negative relative vorticity. Additional down-front wind stress and heat flux (cooling) intensified boundary current instabilities and thus ageostrophic cross-frontal circulation and augmented production. Specifically, entrainment of nutrients by relatively strong buoyancy-induced vertical mixing gave rise to a more widespread phytoplankton biomass distribution within the onshore side of the front. Mesoscale cyclonic eddies contributed to production through an eddy pumping mechanism, but it was less effective and more limited regionally than the frontal processes. The model was configured for the Catalano-Balearic Sea, but the mechanisms and model findings apply to other marginal seas with similar unstable frontal boundary current systems. PMID:26065688

Subsurface storage of freshwater in South Florida; a digital analysis of recoverability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merritt, Michael L.

1983-01-01

As part of a feasibility study of cyclic freshwater injection, digital models were implemented to analyze the relation of recovery efficiency to various hydrogeologic conditions which could prevail in brackish aquifers and to various management regimes. The analyses implemented an approach in which the control for sensitivity testing was a hypothetical aquifer representative of potential injection zones in south Florida, and parameter variations in sensitivity tests represented possible variations in aquifer conditions in the area. The permeability of the aquifer determined whether buoyancy stratification could reduce recovery efficiency. The range of permeability leading to buoyancy stratification became lower as resident fluid salinity increased. Thus, recovery efficiency was optimized by both low permeability and low resident fluid density. High levels of simulated hydrodynamic dispersion led to the lowest estimates of recovery efficiency. Advection by regional flow within the artesian injection zone could significantly affect recovery efficiency, depending upon the storage period, the volume injected, and site-specific hydraulic characteristics. Recovery efficiency was unrelated to the rate of injection or withdrawal or to the degree of penetration of permeable layers, and improved with successive cycles of injection and recovery. (USGS)

Effect of inlet conditions on the turbulent statistics in a buoyant jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rajesh; Dewan, Anupam

2015-11-01

Buoyant jets have been the subject of research due to their technological and environmental importance in many physical processes, such as, spread of smoke and toxic gases from fires, release of gases form volcanic eruptions and industrial stacks. The nature of the flow near the source is initially laminar which quickly changes into turbulent flow. We present large eddy simulation of a buoyant jet. In the present study a careful investigation has been done to study the influence of inlet conditions at the source on the turbulent statistics far from the source. It has been observed that the influence of the initial conditions on the second-order buoyancy terms extends further in the axial direction from the source than their influence on the time-averaged flow and second-order velocity statistics. We have studied the evolution of vortical structures in the buoyant jet. It has been shown that the generation of helical vortex rings in the vicinity of the source around a laminar core could be the reason for the larger influence of the inlet conditions on the second-order buoyancy terms as compared to the second-order velocity statistics.

Assessing uncertainty in the turbulent upper-ocean mixed layer using an unstructured finite-element solver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pacheco, Luz; Smith, Katherine; Hamlington, Peter; Niemeyer, Kyle

2017-11-01

Vertical transport flux in the ocean upper mixed layer has recently been attributed to submesoscale currents, which occur at scales on the order of kilometers in the horizontal direction. These phenomena, which include fronts and mixed-layer instabilities, have been of particular interest due to the effect of turbulent mixing on nutrient transport, facilitating phytoplankton blooms. We study these phenomena using a non-hydrostatic, large eddy simulation for submesoscale currents in the ocean, developed using the extensible, open-source finite element platform FEniCs. Our model solves the standard Boussinesq Euler equations in variational form using the finite element method. FEniCs enables the use of parallel computing on modern systems for efficient computing time, and is suitable for unstructured grids where irregular topography can be considered in the future. The solver will be verified against the well-established NCAR-LES model and validated against observational data. For the verification with NCAR-LES, the velocity, pressure, and buoyancy fields are compared through a surface-wind-driven, open-ocean case. We use this model to study the impacts of uncertainties in the model parameters, such as near-surface buoyancy flux and secondary circulation, and discuss implications.

Suppression of atmospheric recycling of planets embedded in a protoplanetary disc by buoyancy barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurokawa, Hiroyuki; Tanigawa, Takayuki

2018-06-01

The ubiquity of super-Earths poses a problem for planet formation theory to explain how they avoided becoming gas giants. Rapid recycling of the envelope gas of planets embedded in a protoplanetary disc has been proposed to delay the cooling and following accretion of disc gas. We compare isothermal and non-isothermal 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the gas flow past a planet to investigate the influence on the feasibility of the recycling mechanism. Radiative cooling is implemented by using the β cooling model. We find that, in either case, gas enters the Bondi sphere at high latitudes and leaves through the midplane regions, or vice versa when disc gas rotates sub-Keplerian. However, in contrast to the isothermal case where the recycling flow reaches the deeper part of the envelope, the inflow is inhibited from reaching the deep envelope in the non-isothermal case. Once the atmosphere starts cooling, buoyant force prevents the high-entropy disc gas from intruding the low-entropy atmosphere. We suggest that the buoyancy barrier isolates the lower envelope from the recycling and allows further cooling, which may lead runaway gas accretion onto the core.

The buoyancy-driven motion of a single skirted bubble or drop rising through a viscous liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohta, Mitsuhiro; Sussman, Mark

2012-11-01

The buoyancy-driven motion of a single skirted bubble or drop rising through a viscous liquid is computationally explored by way of 3d-axisymmetric computations. The Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible two-fluid flow are solved numerically in which the coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid method is used to simulate the deforming bubble/drop boundary and the interface jump conditions on the deforming boundary are enforced through a sharp interface numerical treatment. Dynamic, block structured adaptive grid refinement is employed in order to sufficiently resolve the thin skirts. Results on the sensitivity of the thickness of trailing bubble/drop skirts to the density ratio and viscosity ratio are reported. It is shown that both the density ratio (not the density difference) and the viscosity ratio effect the skirt thickness. Previous theory for predicting skirt thickness can be refined as a result of our calculations. It is also discovered that the formation of thin skirts for bubbles and drops have little effect on the rise velocity. In other words, the measured Re number for cases without skirt formation have almost the same values for Re as cases with a thin skirt.

10 CFR 55.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... means testing conducted to verify a simulation facility's performance as compared to actual or predicted... which a simulation facility's control room configuration, system control arrangement, and design data... of a facility and to direct the licensed activities of licensed operators. Simulation facility means...

10 CFR 55.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... means testing conducted to verify a simulation facility's performance as compared to actual or predicted... which a simulation facility's control room configuration, system control arrangement, and design data... of a facility and to direct the licensed activities of licensed operators. Simulation facility means...

10 CFR 55.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... means testing conducted to verify a simulation facility's performance as compared to actual or predicted... which a simulation facility's control room configuration, system control arrangement, and design data... of a facility and to direct the licensed activities of licensed operators. Simulation facility means...

Vertical Structure of Radiation-pressure-dominated Thin Disks: Link between Vertical Advection and Convective Stability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gong, Hong-Yu; Gu, Wei-Min, E-mail: guwm@xmu.edu.cn

2017-04-20

In the classic picture of standard thin accretion disks, viscous heating is balanced by radiative cooling through the diffusion process, and the radiation-pressure-dominated inner disk suffers convective instability. However, recent simulations have shown that, owing to the magnetic buoyancy, the vertical advection process can significantly contribute to energy transport. In addition, in comparing the simulation results with the local convective stability criterion, no convective instability has been found. In this work, following on from simulations, we revisit the vertical structure of radiation-pressure-dominated thin disks and include the vertical advection process. Our study indicates a link between the additional energy transportmore » and the convectively stable property. Thus, the vertical advection not only significantly contributes to the energy transport, but it also plays an important role in making the disk convectively stable. Our analyses may help to explain the discrepancy between classic theory and simulations on standard thin disks.« less

Communication Systems Simulation Laboratory (CSSL): Simulation Planning Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlesinger, Adam

2012-01-01

The simulation process, milestones and inputs are unknowns to first-time users of the CSSL. The Simulation Planning Guide aids in establishing expectations for both NASA and non-NASA facility customers. The potential audience for this guide includes both internal and commercial spaceflight hardware/software developers. It is intended to assist their engineering personnel in simulation planning and execution. Material covered includes a roadmap of the simulation process, roles and responsibilities of facility and user, major milestones, facility capabilities, and inputs required by the facility. Samples of deliverables, facility interfaces, and inputs necessary to define scope, cost, and schedule are included as an appendix to the guide.

Systems Engineering Simulator (SES) Simulator Planning Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McFarlane, Michael

2011-01-01

The simulation process, milestones and inputs are unknowns to first-time users of the SES. The Simulator Planning Guide aids in establishing expectations for both NASA and non-NASA facility customers. The potential audience for this guide includes both internal and commercial spaceflight hardware/software developers. It is intended to assist their engineering personnel in simulation planning and execution. Material covered includes a roadmap of the simulation process, roles and responsibilities of facility and user, major milestones, facility capabilities, and inputs required by the facility. Samples of deliverables, facility interfaces, and inputs necessary to define scope, cost, and schedule are included as an appendix to the guide.

Influence of local capillary trapping on containment system effectiveness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bryant, Steven

2014-03-31

Immobilization of CO 2 injected into deep subsurface storage reservoirs is a critical component of risk assessment for geologic CO 2 storage (GCS). Local capillary trapping (LCT) is a recently established mode of immobilization that arises when CO 2 migrates due to buoyancy through heterogeneous storage reservoirs. This project sought to assess the amount and extent of LCT expected in storage formations under a range of injection conditions, and to confirm the persistence of LCT if the seal overlying the reservoir were to lose its integrity. Numerical simulation using commercial reservoir simulation software was conducted to assess the influence ofmore » injection. Laboratory experiments, modeling and numerical simulation were conducted to assess the effect of compromised seal integrity. Bench-scale (0.6 m by 0.6 m by 0.03 m) experiments with surrogate fluids provided the first empirical confirmation of the key concepts underlying LCT: accumulation of buoyant nonwetting phase at above residual saturations beneath capillary barriers in a variety of structures, which remains immobile under normal capillary pressure gradients. Immobilization of above-residual saturations is a critical distinction between LCT and the more familiar “residual saturation trapping.” To estimate the possible extent of LCT in a storage reservoir an algorithm was developed to identify all potential local traps, given the spatial distribution of capillary entry pressure in the reservoir. The algorithm assumes that the driving force for CO 2 migration can be represented as a single value of “critical capillary entry pressure” P c,entry crit, such that cells with capillary entry pressure greater/less than P c,entry crit act as barriers/potential traps during CO 2 migration. At intermediate values of P c,entry crit, the barrier regions become more laterally extensive in the reservoir, approaching a percolation threshold while non-barrier regions remain numerous. The maximum possible extent of LCT thus occurs at P c,entry crit near this threshold. Testing predictions of this simple algorithm against full-physics simulations of buoyancy-driven CO 2 migration support the concept of critical capillary entry pressure. However, further research is needed to determine whether a single value of critical capillary entry pressure always applies and how that value can be determined a priori. Simulations of injection into high-resolution (cells 0.3 m on a side) 2D and 3D heterogeneous domains show two characteristic behaviors. At small gravity numbers (vertical flow velocity much less than horizontal flow velocity) the CO 2 fills local traps as well as regions that would act as local barriers if CO 2 were moving only due to buoyancy. When injection ceases, the CO 2 migrates vertically to establish large saturations within local traps and residual saturation elsewhere. At large gravity numbers, the CO 2 invades a smaller portion of the perforated interval. Within this smaller swept zone the local barriers are not invaded, but local traps are filled to large saturation during injection and remain during post-injection gravity-driven migration. The small gravity number behavior is expected in the region within 100 m of a vertical injection well at anticipated rates of injection for commercial GCS. Simulations of leakage scenarios (through-going region of large permeability imposed in overlying seal) indicate that LCT persists (i.e. CO 2 remains held in a large fraction of the local iv traps) and the persistence is independent of injection rate during storage. Simulations of leakage for the limiting case of CO 2 migrating vertically from an areally extensive emplacement in the lower portion of a reservoir showed similar strong persistence of LCT. This research has two broad implications for GCS. The first is that LCT can retain a significant fraction of the CO 2 stored in a reservoir – above and beyond the residual saturation -- if the overlying seal were to fail. Thus frameworks for risk assessment should be extended to account for LCT. The second implication is that compared to pressure driven flow in reservoirs, CO 2 migration and trapping behave in a qualitatively different manner in heterogeneous reservoirs when buoyancy is the dominant driving force for flow. Thus simulations of GCS that neglect capillary heterogeneity will fail to capture important features of the CO 2 plume. While commercial reservoir simulation software can account for fine scale capillary heterogeneity, it has not been designed to work efficiently with such domains, and no simulators can handle fine-scale resolution throughout the reservoir. A possible way to upscale the migration and trapping is to apply an “effective residual saturation” to coarse-scale grids. While the extent of overall immobilization can be correlated in this way, all coarser grids failed to capture the distance traveled by the migrating CO 2 for large gravity number. Thus it remains unclear how best to account for LCT in the routine simulation work-flow that will be needed for large-scale GCS. Alternatives meriting investigation include streamline methods, reduced-physics proxies (e.g. particle tracking), and biased invasion percolation algorithms, which are based on precisely the capillary heterogeneity essential for LCT.« less

Breaking the BBC (Buoyancy Barriers to Cryovolcanism)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGovern, P. J.; White, O. L.

2018-06-01

Like Australian table wines, Cryovolcanism has been poo-poohed, because of a perceived negative buoyancy problem. Here we point out that several basaltic planets have overcome far worse barriers, and calculate a scenario for cyrovolcanism on Pluto.

Flows and Stratification of an Enclosure Containing Both Localised and Vertically Distributed Sources of Buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partridge, Jamie; Linden, Paul

2013-11-01

We examine the flows and stratification established in a naturally ventilated enclosure containing both a localised and vertically distributed source of buoyancy. The enclosure is ventilated through upper and lower openings which connect the space to an external ambient. Small scale laboratory experiments were carried out with water as the working medium and buoyancy being driven directly by temperature differences. A point source plume gave localised heating while the distributed source was driven by a controllable heater mat located in the side wall of the enclosure. The transient temperatures, as well as steady state temperature profiles, were recorded and are reported here. The temperature profiles inside the enclosure were found to be dependent on the effective opening area A*, a combination of the upper and lower openings, and the ratio of buoyancy fluxes from the distributed and localised source Ψ =Bw/Bp . Industrial CASE award with ARUP.

Buoyancy increase and drag-reduction through a simple superhydrophobic coating.

PubMed

Hwang, Gi Byoung; Patir, Adnan; Page, Kristopher; Lu, Yao; Allan, Elaine; Parkin, Ivan P

2017-06-08

A superhydrophobic paint was fabricated using 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (PFOTES), TiO 2 nanoparticles and ethanol. The paint has potential for aquatic application of a superhydrophobic coating as it induces increased buoyancy and drag reduction. Buoyance testing showed that the reduction of surface energy by superhydrophobic coating made it feasible that glass, a high density material, was supported by the surface tension of water. In a miniature boat sailing test, it was shown that the low energy surface treatment decreased the adhesion of water molecules to the surface of the boat resulting in a reduction of the drag force. Additionally, a robust superhydrophobic surface was fabricated through layer-by-layer coating using adhesive double side tape and the paint, and after a 100 cm abrasion test with sand paper, the surface still retained its water repellency, enhanced buoyancy and drag reduction.

How did Archimedes discover the law of buoyancy by experiment?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroki, Hidetaka

2016-03-01

After Archimedes and Vitruvius era, for more than 2000 years, it has been believed that the displaced water measurement of golden crown is impossible, and at his Eureka moment, Archimedes discovered the law of buoyancy (Proposition 7 of his principles) and proved the theft of a goldsmith by weighing the golden crown in water. A previous study showed that a small amount of displaced water was able to be measured with enough accuracy by the introduced method. Archimedes measured the weight of displaced water. He did not find the law of buoyancy but rather specific gravity of things at the moment. After which, Archimedes continued to measure the specific gravity of various solids and fluids. Through these measurements, he reached the discovery of the law of buoyancy directly by experiment. In this paper, the process to the discovery of Archimedes' principle (Proposition 5) is presented.

Feedback mechanisms of shallow convective clouds in a warmer climate as demonstrated by changes in buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dagan, G.; Koren, I.; Altaratz, O.; Feingold, G.

2018-05-01

Cloud feedbacks could influence significantly the overall response of the climate system to global warming. Here we study the response of warm convective clouds to a uniform temperature change under constant relative humidity (RH) conditions. We show that an increase in temperature drives competing effects at the cloud scale: a reduction in the thermal buoyancy term and an increase in the humidity buoyancy term. Both effects are driven by the increased contrast in the water vapor content between the cloud and its environment, under warming with constant RH. The increase in the moisture content contrast between the cloud and its environment enhances the evaporation at the cloud margins, increases the entrainment, and acts to cool the cloud. Hence, there is a reduction in the thermal buoyancy term, despite the fact that theoretically this term should increase.

Potential migration of buoyant LNAPL from intermediate level waste (ILW) emplaced in a geological disposal facility (GDF) for U.K. radioactive waste.

PubMed

Benbow, Steven J; Rivett, Michael O; Chittenden, Neil; Herbert, Alan W; Watson, Sarah; Williams, Steve J; Norris, Simon

2014-10-15

A safety case for the disposal of Intermediate Level (radioactive) Waste (ILW) in a deep geological disposal facility (GDF) requires consideration of the potential for waste-derived light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) to migrate under positive buoyancy from disposed waste packages. Were entrainment of waste-derived radionuclides in LNAPL to occur, such migration could result in a shorter overall travel time to environmental or human receptors than radionuclide migration solely associated with the movement of groundwater. This paper provides a contribution to the assessment of this issue through multiphase-flow numerical modelling underpinned by a review of the UK's ILW inventory and literature to define the nature of the associated ILW LNAPL source term. Examination has been at the waste package-local GDF environment scale to determine whether proposed disposal of ILW would lead to significant likelihood of LNAPL migration, both from waste packages and from a GDF vault into the local host rock. Our review and numerical modelling support the proposition that the release of a discrete free phase LNAPL from ILW would not present a significant challenge to the safety case even with conservative approximations. 'As-disposed' LNAPL emplaced with the waste is not expected to pose a significant issue. 'Secondary LNAPL' generated in situ within the disposed ILW, arising from the decomposition of plastics, in particular PVC (polyvinyl chloride), could form the predominant LNAPL source term. Released high molecular weight phthalate plasticizers are judged to be the primary LNAPL potentially generated. These are expected to have low buoyancy-based mobility due to their very low density contrast with water and high viscosity. Due to the inherent uncertainties, significant conservatisms were adopted within the numerical modelling approach, including: the simulation of a deliberately high organic material--PVC content wastestream (2D03) within an annular grouted waste package vulnerable to LNAPL release; upper bound inventory estimates of LNAPLs; incorporating the lack of any hydraulic resistance of the package vent; the lack of any degradation of dissolved LNAPL; and, significantly, the small threshold displacement pressure assumed at which LNAPL is able to enter initially water-saturated pores. Initial scoping calculations on the latter suggested that the rate at which LNAPL is able to migrate from a waste package is likely to be very small and insignificant for likely representative displacement pressure data: this represents a key result. Adopting a conservative displacement pressure, however, allowed the effect of other features and processes in the system to be assessed. High LNAPL viscosity together with low density contrast with water reduces LNAPL migration potential. Migration to the host rock is less likely if waste package vent fluxes are small, solubility limits are high and path lengths through the backfill are short. The capacity of the system to dissolve all of the free LNAPL will, however, depend on groundwater availability. Even with the conservatisms invoked, the overall conclusion of model simulations of intact and compromised (cracked or corroded) waste packages, for a range of realistic ILW LNAPL scenarios, is that it is unlikely that significant LNAPL would be able to migrate from the waste packages and even more unlikely it would be sufficiently persistent to reach the host rock immediately beyond the GDF. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Turbulent Premixed Flame Propagation in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menon, S.; Disseau, M.; Chakravarthy, V. K.; Jagoda, J.

1997-01-01

A facility in which turbulent Couette flow could be generated in a microgravity environment was designed and built. To fit into the NASA Lewis drop tower the device had to be very compact. This means that edge effects and flow re-circulation were expected to affect the flow. The flow was thoroughly investigated using LDV and was found to be largely two dimensional away from the edges with constant turbulence intensities in the core. Slight flow asymmetries are introduced by the non symmetric re-circulation of the fluid outside the test region. Belt flutter problems were remedied by adding a pair of guide plates to the belt. In general, the flow field was found to be quite similar to previously investigated Couette flows. However, turbulence levels and associated shear stresses were higher. This is probably due to the confined re-circulation zone reintroducing turbulence into the test section. An estimate of the length scales in the flow showed that the measurements were able to resolve nearly all the length scales of interest. Using a new LES method for subgrid combustion it has been demonstrated that the new procedure is computational feasible even on workstation type environment. It is found that this model is capable of capturing the propagation of the premixed names by resolving the flame in the LES grid within 2-3 grid points. In contrast, conventional LES results in numerical smearing of the flame and completely inaccurate estimate of the turbulent propagation speed. Preliminary study suggests that there is observable effect of buoyancy in the 1g environment suggesting the need for microgravity experiments of the upcoming experimental combustion studies. With the cold flow properties characterized, an identical hot flow facility is under construction. It is assumed that the turbulence properties ahead of the flame in this new device will closely match the results obtained here. This is required since the hot facility will not enable LDV measurements. The reacting flow facility is also being constructed with planned drop tower experiments in mind. Therefore, issues related to safety and structural integrity are being take into account. Further development of the numerical model will also be carried out to include finite-rate kinetics for representative premixed cases. More detail analysis of the flame structure and propagation nature will be investigated. Simulations will also be compared to the flame properties observed in the experiments.

Unexpected Positive Buoyancy in Deep Sea Sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a Echinorhinus cookei

PubMed Central

Nakamura, Itsumi; Meyer, Carl G.; Sato, Katsufumi

2015-01-01

We do not expect non air-breathing aquatic animals to exhibit positive buoyancy. Sharks, for example, rely on oil-filled livers instead of gas-filled swim bladders to increase their buoyancy, but are nonetheless ubiquitously regarded as either negatively or neutrally buoyant. Deep-sea sharks have particularly large, oil-filled livers, and are believed to be neutrally buoyant in their natural habitat, but this has never been confirmed. To empirically determine the buoyancy status of two species of deep-sea sharks (bluntnose sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei) in their natural habitat, we used accelerometer-magnetometer data loggers to measure their swimming performance. Both species of deep-sea sharks showed similar diel vertical migrations: they swam at depths of 200–300 m at night and deeper than 500 m during the day. Ambient water temperature was around 15°C at 200–300 m but below 7°C at depths greater than 500 m. During vertical movements, all deep-sea sharks showed higher swimming efforts during descent than ascent to maintain a given swimming speed, and were able to glide uphill for extended periods (several minutes), indicating that these deep-sea sharks are in fact positively buoyant in their natural habitats. This positive buoyancy may adaptive for stealthy hunting (i.e. upward gliding to surprise prey from underneath) or may facilitate evening upward migrations when muscle temperatures are coolest, and swimming most sluggish, after spending the day in deep, cold water. Positive buoyancy could potentially be widespread in fish conducting daily vertical migration in deep-sea habitats. PMID:26061525

Unexpected Positive Buoyancy in Deep Sea Sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a Echinorhinus cookei.

PubMed

Nakamura, Itsumi; Meyer, Carl G; Sato, Katsufumi

2015-01-01

We do not expect non air-breathing aquatic animals to exhibit positive buoyancy. Sharks, for example, rely on oil-filled livers instead of gas-filled swim bladders to increase their buoyancy, but are nonetheless ubiquitously regarded as either negatively or neutrally buoyant. Deep-sea sharks have particularly large, oil-filled livers, and are believed to be neutrally buoyant in their natural habitat, but this has never been confirmed. To empirically determine the buoyancy status of two species of deep-sea sharks (bluntnose sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei) in their natural habitat, we used accelerometer-magnetometer data loggers to measure their swimming performance. Both species of deep-sea sharks showed similar diel vertical migrations: they swam at depths of 200-300 m at night and deeper than 500 m during the day. Ambient water temperature was around 15°C at 200-300 m but below 7°C at depths greater than 500 m. During vertical movements, all deep-sea sharks showed higher swimming efforts during descent than ascent to maintain a given swimming speed, and were able to glide uphill for extended periods (several minutes), indicating that these deep-sea sharks are in fact positively buoyant in their natural habitats. This positive buoyancy may adaptive for stealthy hunting (i.e. upward gliding to surprise prey from underneath) or may facilitate evening upward migrations when muscle temperatures are coolest, and swimming most sluggish, after spending the day in deep, cold water. Positive buoyancy could potentially be widespread in fish conducting daily vertical migration in deep-sea habitats.

Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) larval dispersal in the Iberian upwelling system, using coupled biophysical techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, A. M. P.; Nieblas, A.-E.; Verley, P.; Teles-Machado, A.; Bonhommeau, S.; Lett, C.; Garrido, S.; Peliz, A.

2018-03-01

The European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) is the most important small pelagic fishery of the Western Iberia Upwelling Ecosystem (WIUE). Recently, recruitment of this species has declined due to changing environmental conditions. Furthermore, controversies exist regarding its population structure with barriers thought to exist between the Atlantic-Iberian Peninsula, Northern Africa, and the Mediterranean. Few studies have investigated the transport and dispersal of sardine eggs and larvae off Iberia and the subsequent impact on larval recruitment variability. Here, we examine these issues using a Regional Ocean Modeling System climatology (1989-2008) coupled to the Lagrangian transport model, Ichthyop. Using biological parameters from the literature, we conduct simulations that investigate the effects of spawning patchiness, diel vertical migration behaviors, and egg buoyancy on the transport and recruitment of virtual sardine ichthyoplankton on the continental shelf. We find that release area, release depth, and month of release all significantly affect recruitment. Patchiness has no effect and diel vertical migration causes slightly lower recruitment. Egg buoyancy effects are significant and act similarly to depth of release. As with other studies, we find that recruitment peaks vary by latitude, explained here by the seasonal variability of offshore transport. We find weak, continuous alongshore transport between release areas, though a large proportion of simulated ichthyoplankton transport north to the Cantabrian coast (up to 27%). We also show low level transport into Morocco (up to 1%) and the Mediterranean (up to 8%). The high proportion of local retention and low but consistent alongshore transport supports the idea of a series of metapopulations along this coast.

Geochemical detection of carbon dioxide in dilute aquifers

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Carbon storage in deep saline reservoirs has the potential to lower the amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere and to mitigate global warming. Leakage back to the atmosphere through abandoned wells and along faults would reduce the efficiency of carbon storage, possibly leading to health and ecological hazards at the ground surface, and possibly impacting water quality of near-surface dilute aquifers. We use static equilibrium and reactive transport simulations to test the hypothesis that perturbations in water chemistry associated with a CO2 gas leak into dilute groundwater are important measures for the potential release of CO2 to the atmosphere. Simulation parameters are constrained by groundwater chemistry, flow, and lithology from the High Plains aquifer. The High Plains aquifer is used to represent a typical sedimentary aquifer overlying a deep CO2 storage reservoir. Specifically, we address the relationships between CO2 flux, groundwater flow, detection time and distance. The CO2 flux ranges from 103 to 2 × 106 t/yr (0.63 to 1250 t/m2/yr) to assess chemical perturbations resulting from relatively small leaks that may compromise long-term storage, water quality, and surface ecology, and larger leaks characteristic of short-term well failure. Results For the scenarios we studied, our simulations show pH and carbonate chemistry are good indicators for leakage of stored CO2 into an overlying aquifer because elevated CO2 yields a more acid pH than the ambient groundwater. CO2 leakage into a dilute groundwater creates a slightly acid plume that can be detected at some distance from the leak source due to groundwater flow and CO2 buoyancy. pH breakthrough curves demonstrate that CO2 leaks can be easily detected for CO2 flux ≥ 104 t/yr within a 15-month time period at a monitoring well screened within a permeable layer 500 m downstream from the vertical gas trace. At lower flux rates, the CO2 dissolves in the aqueous phase in the lower most permeable unit and does not reach the monitoring well. Sustained pumping in a developed aquifer mixes the CO2-affected water with the ambient water and enhances pH signal for small leaks (103 t/yr) and reduces pH signal for larger leaks (≥ 104t/yr). Conclusion The ability to detect CO2 leakage from a storage reservoir to overlying dilute groundwater is dependent on CO2 solubility, leak flux, CO2 buoyancy, and groundwater flow. Our simulations show that the most likely places to detect CO2 are at the base of the confining layer near the water table where CO2 gas accumulates and is transported laterally in all directions, and downstream of the vertical gas trace where groundwater flow is great enough to transport dissolved CO2 laterally. Our simulations show that CO2 may not rise high enough in the aquifer to be detected because aqueous solubility and lateral groundwater transport within the lower aquifer unit exceeds gas pressure build-up and buoyancy needed to drive the CO2 gas upwards. PMID:19323832

Geochemical detection of carbon dioxide in dilute aquifers.

PubMed

Carroll, Susan; Hao, Yue; Aines, Roger

2009-03-26

Carbon storage in deep saline reservoirs has the potential to lower the amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere and to mitigate global warming. Leakage back to the atmosphere through abandoned wells and along faults would reduce the efficiency of carbon storage, possibly leading to health and ecological hazards at the ground surface, and possibly impacting water quality of near-surface dilute aquifers. We use static equilibrium and reactive transport simulations to test the hypothesis that perturbations in water chemistry associated with a CO2 gas leak into dilute groundwater are important measures for the potential release of CO2 to the atmosphere. Simulation parameters are constrained by groundwater chemistry, flow, and lithology from the High Plains aquifer. The High Plains aquifer is used to represent a typical sedimentary aquifer overlying a deep CO2 storage reservoir. Specifically, we address the relationships between CO2 flux, groundwater flow, detection time and distance. The CO2 flux ranges from 10(3) to 2 x 10(6) t/yr (0.63 to 1250 t/m2/yr) to assess chemical perturbations resulting from relatively small leaks that may compromise long-term storage, water quality, and surface ecology, and larger leaks characteristic of short-term well failure. For the scenarios we studied, our simulations show pH and carbonate chemistry are good indicators for leakage of stored CO2 into an overlying aquifer because elevated CO2 yields a more acid pH than the ambient groundwater. CO2 leakage into a dilute groundwater creates a slightly acid plume that can be detected at some distance from the leak source due to groundwater flow and CO2 buoyancy. pH breakthrough curves demonstrate that CO2 leaks can be easily detected for CO2 flux >or= 10(4) t/yr within a 15-month time period at a monitoring well screened within a permeable layer 500 m downstream from the vertical gas trace. At lower flux rates, the CO2 dissolves in the aqueous phase in the lower most permeable unit and does not reach the monitoring well. Sustained pumping in a developed aquifer mixes the CO2-affected water with the ambient water and enhances pH signal for small leaks (10(3) t/yr) and reduces pH signal for larger leaks (>or= 10(4) t/yr). The ability to detect CO2 leakage from a storage reservoir to overlying dilute groundwater is dependent on CO2 solubility, leak flux, CO2 buoyancy, and groundwater flow. Our simulations show that the most likely places to detect CO2 are at the base of the confining layer near the water table where CO2 gas accumulates and is transported laterally in all directions, and downstream of the vertical gas trace where groundwater flow is great enough to transport dissolved CO2 laterally. Our simulations show that CO2 may not rise high enough in the aquifer to be detected because aqueous solubility and lateral groundwater transport within the lower aquifer unit exceeds gas pressure build-up and buoyancy needed to drive the CO2 gas upwards.

Langley test highlights, 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A 20 ft vertical spin tunnel, a 30 by 60 ft tunnel, a 7 by 10 ft high speed tunnel, a 4 by 7 meter tunnel, an 8 ft transonic pressure tunnel, a transonic dynamics tunnel, a 16 ft transonic tunnel, a national transonic facility, a 0.3 meter transonic cryogenic tunnel, a unitary plan wind tunnel, a hypersonic facilities complex, an 8 ft high temperature tunnel, an aircraft noise reduction lab, an avionics integration research lab, a DC9 full workload simulator, a transport simulator, a general aviation simulator, an advanced concepts simulator, a mission oriented terminal area simulation (MOTAS), a differential maneuvering simulator, a visual/motion simulator, a vehicle antenna test facility, an impact dynamics research facility, and a flight research facility are all reviewed.

Hybrid upwind discretization of nonlinear two-phase flow with gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. H.; Efendiev, Y.; Tchelepi, H. A.

2015-08-01

Multiphase flow in porous media is described by coupled nonlinear mass conservation laws. For immiscible Darcy flow of multiple fluid phases, whereby capillary effects are negligible, the transport equations in the presence of viscous and buoyancy forces are highly nonlinear and hyperbolic. Numerical simulation of multiphase flow processes in heterogeneous formations requires the development of discretization and solution schemes that are able to handle the complex nonlinear dynamics, especially of the saturation evolution, in a reliable and computationally efficient manner. In reservoir simulation practice, single-point upwinding of the flux across an interface between two control volumes (cells) is performed for each fluid phase, whereby the upstream direction is based on the gradient of the phase-potential (pressure plus gravity head). This upwinding scheme, which we refer to as Phase-Potential Upwinding (PPU), is combined with implicit (backward-Euler) time discretization to obtain a Fully Implicit Method (FIM). Even though FIM suffers from numerical dispersion effects, it is widely used in practice. This is because of its unconditional stability and because it yields conservative, monotone numerical solutions. However, FIM is not unconditionally convergent. The convergence difficulties are particularly pronounced when the different immiscible fluid phases switch between co-current and counter-current states as a function of time, or (Newton) iteration. Whether the multiphase flow across an interface (between two control-volumes) is co-current, or counter-current, depends on the local balance between the viscous and buoyancy forces, and how the balance evolves in time. The sensitivity of PPU to small changes in the (local) pressure distribution exacerbates the problem. The common strategy to deal with these difficulties is to cut the timestep and try again. Here, we propose a Hybrid-Upwinding (HU) scheme for the phase fluxes, then HU is combined with implicit time discretization to yield a fully implicit method. In the HU scheme, the phase flux is divided into two parts based on the driving force. The viscous-driven and buoyancy-driven phase fluxes are upwinded differently. Specifically, the viscous flux, which is always co-current, is upwinded based on the direction of the total-velocity. The buoyancy-driven flux across an interface is always counter-current and is upwinded such that the heavier fluid goes downward and the lighter fluid goes upward. We analyze the properties of the Implicit Hybrid Upwinding (IHU) scheme. It is shown that IHU is locally conservative and produces monotone, physically-consistent numerical solutions. The IHU solutions show numerical diffusion levels that are slightly higher than those for standard FIM (i.e., implicit PPU). The primary advantage of the IHU scheme is that the numerical overall-flux of a fluid phase remains continuous and differentiable as the flow regime changes between co-current and counter-current conditions. This is in contrast to the standard phase-potential upwinding scheme, in which the overall fractional-flow (flux) function is non-differentiable across the boundary between co-current and counter-current flows.

Numerical Simulation of Ground Coupling of Low Yield Nuclear Detonation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Without nuclear testing, advanced simulation and experimental facilities, such as the National Ignition Facility ( NIF ), are essential to assuring...in planning future experimental work at NIF . 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 93 14. SUBJECT TERMS National Ignition Facility, GEODYN, Ground Coupling...simulation and experimental facilities, such as the National Ignition Facility ( NIF ), are essential to assuring safety, reliability, and effectiveness

Energy exchange analysis in droplet dynamics via the Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espath, L. F. R.; Sarmiento, A. F.; Vignal, P.; Varga, B. O. N.; Cortes, A. M. A.; Dalcin, L.; Calo, V. M.

2016-06-01

We develop the energy budget equation of the coupled Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard (NSCH) system. We use the NSCH equations to model the dynamics of liquid droplets in a liquid continuum. Buoyancy effects are accounted for through the Boussinesq assumption. We physically interpret each quantity involved in the energy exchange to further insight into the model. Highly resolved simulations involving density-driven flows and merging of droplets allow us to analyze these energy budgets. In particular, we focus on the energy exchanges when droplets merge, and describe flow features relevant to this phenomenon. By comparing our numerical simulations to analytical predictions and experimental results available in the literature, we conclude that modeling droplet dynamics within the framework of NSCH equations is a sensible approach worth further research.

Flow reversal power limit for the HFBR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Lap Y.; Tichler, P.R.

The High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) undergoes a buoyancy-driven reversal of flow in the reactor core following certain postulated accidents. Uncertainties about the afterheat removal capability during the flow reversal has limited the reactor operating power to 30 MW. An experimental and analytical program to address these uncertainties is described in this report. The experiments were single channel flow reversal tests under a range of conditions. The analytical phase involved simulations of the tests to benchmark the physical models and development of a criterion for dryout. The criterion is then used in simulations of reactor accidents to determine a safemore » operating power level. It is concluded that the limit on the HFBR operating power with respect to the issue of flow reversal is in excess of 60 MW.« less

Evaluation of RANS and LES models for Natural Convection in High-Aspect-Ratio Parallel Plate Channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fradeneck, Austen; Kimber, Mark

2017-11-01

The present study evaluates the effectiveness of current RANS and LES models in simulating natural convection in high-aspect ratio parallel plate channels. The geometry under consideration is based on a simplification of the coolant and bypass channels in the very high-temperature gas reactor (VHTR). Two thermal conditions are considered, asymmetric and symmetric wall heating with an applied heat flux to match Rayleigh numbers experienced in the VHTR during a loss of flow accident (LOFA). RANS models are compared to analogous high-fidelity LES simulations. Preliminary results demonstrate the efficacy of the low-Reynolds number k- ɛ formulations and their enhancement to the standard form and Reynolds stress transport model in terms of calculating the turbulence production due to buoyancy and overall mean flow variables.

Numerical investigation of the transport phenomena occurring in the growth of SiC by the induction heating TSSG method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Takuya; Adkar, Nikhil; Okano, Yasunori; Ujihara, Toru; Dost, Sadik

2017-09-01

A numerical simulation study was carried out to examine the transport phenomena occurring during the Top-Seeded Solution Growth (TSSG) process of SiC. The simulation model includes the contributions of radiative and conductive heat transfer in the furnace, mass transfer and fluid flow in the melt, and the induced electric and magnetic fields. Results show that the induced Lorentz force is dominant in the melt compared with that of buoyancy. At the relatively low coil frequencies, the effect of the Lorentz force on the melt flow is significant, and the corresponding flow patterns loose their axisymmetry and become almost fully disturbed. However, at the relatively higher frequency values, the flow is steady and the flow patterns remain axisymmetric.

Horizontal pre-asymptotic solute transport in a plane fracture with significant density contrasts.

PubMed

Bouquain, J; Meheust, Y; Davy, P

2011-03-01

We investigate the dispersion of a finite amount of solute after it has been injected into the laminar flow occurring in a horizontal smooth fracture of constant aperture. When solute buoyancy is negligible, the dispersion process eventually leads to the well-known asymptotic Taylor-Aris dispersion regime, in which the solute progresses along the fracture at the average fluid velocity, according to a one-dimensional longitudinal advection-dispersion process. This paper addresses more realistic configurations for which the solute-induced density contrasts within the fluid play an important role on solute transport, in particular at small and moderate times. Flow and transport are coupled, since the solute distribution impacts the variations in time of the advecting velocity field. Transport is simulated using (i) a mathematical description based on the Boussinesq approximation and (ii) a numerical scheme based on a finite element analysis. This enables complete characterization of the process, in particular at moderate times for which existing analytical models are not valid. At very short times as well as very long times, the overall downward advective solute mass flow is observed to scale as the square of the injected concentration. The asymptotic Taylor-Aris effective dispersion coefficient is reached eventually, but vertical density currents, which are significant at short and moderate times, are responsible for a systematic retardation of the asymptotic mean solute position with respect to the frame moving at the mean fluid velocity, as well as for a time shift in the establishment of the asymptotic dispersion regime. These delays are characterized as functions of the Péclet number and another non-dimensional number which we call advective Archimedes number, and which quantifies the ratio of buoyancy to viscous forces. Depending on the Péclet number, the asymptotic dispersion is measured to be either larger or smaller than what it would be in the absence of buoyancy effects. Breakthrough curves measured at distances larger than the typical distance needed to reach the asymptotic dispersion regime are impacted accordingly. These findings suggest that, under certain conditions, density/buoyancy effects may have to be taken into consideration when interpreting field measurement of solute transport in fractured media. They also allow an estimate of the conditions under which density effects related to fracture wall roughness are likely to be significant. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GoAmazon2014/5 campaign points to deep-inflow approach to deep convection across scales

DOE PAGES

Schiro, Kathleen A.; Ahmed, Fiaz; Giangrande, Scott E.; ...

2018-04-17

Representations of strongly precipitating deep-convective systems in climate models are among the most important factors in their simulation. Parameterizations of these motions face the dual challenge of unclear pathways to including mesoscale organization and high sensitivity of convection to approximations of turbulent entrainment of environmental air. Ill-constrained entrainment processes can even affect global average climate sensitivity under global warming. Multiinstrument observations from the Department of Energy GoAmazon2014/5 field campaign suggest that an alternative formulation from radar-derived dominant updraft structure yields a strong relationship of precipitation to buoyancy in both mesoscale and smaller-scale convective systems. This simultaneously provides a key stepmore » toward representing the influence of mesoscale convection in climate models and sidesteps a problematic dependence on traditional entrainment rates. A substantial fraction of precipitation is associated with mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), which are currently poorly represented in climate models. Convective parameterizations are highly sensitive to the assumptions of an entraining plume model, in which high equivalent potential temperature air from the boundary layer is modified via turbulent entrainment. Here we show, using multiinstrument evidence from the Green Ocean Amazon field campaign (2014–2015; GoAmazon2014/5), that an empirically constrained weighting for inflow of environmental air based on radar wind profiler estimates of vertical velocity and mass flux yields a strong relationship between resulting buoyancy measures and precipitation statistics. This deep-inflow weighting has no free parameter for entrainment in the conventional sense, but to a leading approximation is simply a statement of the geometry of the inflow. The structure further suggests the weighting could consistently apply even for coherent inflow structures noted in field campaign studies for MCSs over tropical oceans. For radar precipitation retrievals averaged over climate model grid scales at the GoAmazon2014/5 site, the use of deep-inflow mixing yields a sharp increase in the probability and magnitude of precipitation with increasing buoyancy. Furthermore, this applies for both mesoscale and smaller-scale convection. Results from reanalysis and satellite data show that this holds more generally: Deep-inflow mixing yields a strong precipitation–buoyancy relation across the tropics. Lastly, deep-inflow mixing may thus circumvent inadequacies of current parameterizations while helping to bridge the gap toward representing mesoscale convection in climate models.« less

GoAmazon2014/5 campaign points to deep-inflow approach to deep convection across scales

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schiro, Kathleen A.; Ahmed, Fiaz; Giangrande, Scott E.

Representations of strongly precipitating deep-convective systems in climate models are among the most important factors in their simulation. Parameterizations of these motions face the dual challenge of unclear pathways to including mesoscale organization and high sensitivity of convection to approximations of turbulent entrainment of environmental air. Ill-constrained entrainment processes can even affect global average climate sensitivity under global warming. Multiinstrument observations from the Department of Energy GoAmazon2014/5 field campaign suggest that an alternative formulation from radar-derived dominant updraft structure yields a strong relationship of precipitation to buoyancy in both mesoscale and smaller-scale convective systems. This simultaneously provides a key stepmore » toward representing the influence of mesoscale convection in climate models and sidesteps a problematic dependence on traditional entrainment rates. A substantial fraction of precipitation is associated with mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), which are currently poorly represented in climate models. Convective parameterizations are highly sensitive to the assumptions of an entraining plume model, in which high equivalent potential temperature air from the boundary layer is modified via turbulent entrainment. Here we show, using multiinstrument evidence from the Green Ocean Amazon field campaign (2014–2015; GoAmazon2014/5), that an empirically constrained weighting for inflow of environmental air based on radar wind profiler estimates of vertical velocity and mass flux yields a strong relationship between resulting buoyancy measures and precipitation statistics. This deep-inflow weighting has no free parameter for entrainment in the conventional sense, but to a leading approximation is simply a statement of the geometry of the inflow. The structure further suggests the weighting could consistently apply even for coherent inflow structures noted in field campaign studies for MCSs over tropical oceans. For radar precipitation retrievals averaged over climate model grid scales at the GoAmazon2014/5 site, the use of deep-inflow mixing yields a sharp increase in the probability and magnitude of precipitation with increasing buoyancy. Furthermore, this applies for both mesoscale and smaller-scale convection. Results from reanalysis and satellite data show that this holds more generally: Deep-inflow mixing yields a strong precipitation–buoyancy relation across the tropics. Lastly, deep-inflow mixing may thus circumvent inadequacies of current parameterizations while helping to bridge the gap toward representing mesoscale convection in climate models.« less

Experimental and numerical investigations of high temperature gas heat transfer and flow in a VHTR reactor core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valentin Rodriguez, Francisco Ivan

High pressure/high temperature forced and natural convection experiments have been conducted in support of the development of a Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) with a prismatic core. VHTRs are designed with the capability to withstand accidents by preventing nuclear fuel meltdown, using passive safety mechanisms; a product of advanced reactor designs including the implementation of inert gases like helium as coolants. The present experiments utilize a high temperature/high pressure gas flow test facility constructed for forced and natural circulation experiments. This work examines fundamental aspects of high temperature gas heat transfer applied to VHTR operational and accident scenarios. Two different types of experiments, forced convection and natural circulation, were conducted under high pressure and high temperature conditions using three different gases: air, nitrogen and helium. The experimental data were analyzed to obtain heat transfer coefficient data in the form of Nusselt numbers as a function of Reynolds, Grashof and Prandtl numbers. This work also examines the flow laminarization phenomenon (turbulent flows displaying much lower heat transfer parameters than expected due to intense heating conditions) in detail for a full range of Reynolds numbers including: laminar, transition and turbulent flows under forced convection and its impact on heat transfer. This phenomenon could give rise to deterioration in convection heat transfer and occurrence of hot spots in the reactor core. Forced and mixed convection data analyzed indicated the occurrence of flow laminarization phenomenon due to the buoyancy and acceleration effects induced by strong heating. Turbulence parameters were also measured using a hot wire anemometer in forced convection experiments to confirm the existence of the flow laminarization phenomenon. In particular, these results demonstrated the influence of pressure on delayed transition between laminar and turbulent flow. The heat dissipating capabilities of helium flow, due to natural circulation in the system at both high and low pressure, were also examined. These experimental results are useful for the development and validation of VHTR design and safety analysis codes. Numerical simulations were performed using a Multiphysics computer code, COMSOL, displaying less than 5% error between the measured graphite temperatures in both the heated and cooled channels. Finally, new correlations have been proposed describing the thermal-hydraulic phenomena in buoyancy driven flows in both heated and cooled channels.

Underwater cargo vessel utilizing variable buoyancy system for gliding propulsion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, Z.K.; Seireg, A.

1982-09-01

This study deals with investigating the feasibility of an underwater glider capable of carrying cargo for long distances by alternately employing gravity and buoyancy forces for forward propulsion. The parameters controlling the vessel design, stability and control are investigated.

Cell and Particle Interactions and Aggregation During Electrophoretic Motion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Hua; Zeng, Shulin; Loewenberg, Michael; Todd, Paul; Davis, Robert H.

1996-01-01

The stability and pairwise aggregation rates of small spherical particles under the collective effects of buoyancy-driven motion and electrophoretic migration are analyzed. The particles are assumed to be non-Brownian, with thin double-layers and different zeta potentials. The particle aggregation rates may be enhanced or reduced, respectively, by parallel and antiparallel alignments of the buoyancy-driven and electrophoretic velocities. For antiparallel alignments, with the buoyancy-driven relative velocity exceeding the electrophoretic relative velocity between two widely-separated particles, there is a 'collision-forbidden region' in parameter space due to hydrodynamic interactions; thus, the suspension becomes stable against aggregation.

Tidal tomography constrains Earth's deep-mantle buoyancy.

PubMed

Lau, Harriet C P; Mitrovica, Jerry X; Davis, James L; Tromp, Jeroen; Yang, Hsin-Ying; Al-Attar, David

2017-11-15

Earth's body tide-also known as the solid Earth tide, the displacement of the solid Earth's surface caused by gravitational forces from the Moon and the Sun-is sensitive to the density of the two Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) beneath Africa and the Pacific. These massive regions extend approximately 1,000 kilometres upward from the base of the mantle and their buoyancy remains actively debated within the geophysical community. Here we use tidal tomography to constrain Earth's deep-mantle buoyancy derived from Global Positioning System (GPS)-based measurements of semi-diurnal body tide deformation. Using a probabilistic approach, we show that across the bottom two-thirds of the two LLSVPs the mean density is about 0.5 per cent higher than the average mantle density across this depth range (that is, its mean buoyancy is minus 0.5 per cent), although this anomaly may be concentrated towards the very base of the mantle. We conclude that the buoyancy of these structures is dominated by the enrichment of high-density chemical components, probably related to subducted oceanic plates or primordial material associated with Earth's formation. Because the dynamics of the mantle is driven by density variations, our result has important dynamical implications for the stability of the LLSVPs and the long-term evolution of the Earth system.

Buoyancy-generating agents for stomach-specific drug delivery: an overview with special emphasis on floating behavior.

PubMed

Ishak, Rania A H

2015-01-01

Gastric retentive drug delivery provides a promising technology exhibiting an extended gastric residence and a drug release independent of patient related variables. It is usually useful in improving local gastric treatment as well as overcoming drug-related problems .i.e. drugs having narrow absorption window, short half-life or low intestinal solubility. Buoyancy is considered one of the most promising approaches for gastro-retention of dosage forms. Floating drug delivery systems have a bulk density lower than gastric fluids and thus remain buoyant in the stomach causing an increase in gastric residence time. The buoyancy of these systems is attained by the aid of substances responsible to generate the low density. Various agents with different mechanisms were adopted either gas-generating agents, air entrapping swellable polymers, inherent low density substances, porous excipients, hollow/porous particles inducing preparation techniques or sublimating agents. Therefore, this review gives an exclusive descriptive classification of the different categories of these buoyancy-generating agents while representing the related research works. An overview is also conducted to describe relevant techniques assessing the floating behavior of such dosage forms either in vitro or in vivo. Finally, a collection representing FDA-approved floating pharmaceutical products is adopted with emphasis on the buoyancy-generating agent type used in each product.

Exploring Titan with Autonomous, Buoyancy Driven Gliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrow, M. T.; Woolsey, C. A.; Hagerman, G. M.

Buoyancy driven underwater gliders are highly efficient winged underwater vehicles which locomote by modifying their internal shape. The concept, which is already well-proven in Earth's oceans, is also an appealing technology for remote terrain exploration and environmental sampling on worlds with dense atmospheres. Because of their high efficiency and their gentle, vertical take-off and landing capability, buoyancy driven gliders might perform long duration, global mapping tasks as well as light-duty, local sampling tasks. Moreover, a sufficiently strong gradient in the planetary boundary layer may enable the vehicles to perform dynamic soaring, achieving even greater locomotive efficiency. Shape Change Actuated, Low Altitude Robotic Soarers (SCALARS) are an appealing alternative to more conventional vehicle technology for exploring planets with dense atmospheres. SCALARS are buoyancy driven atmospheric gliders with a twin-hulled, inboard wing configuration. The inboard wing generates lift, which propels the vehicle forward. Symmetric changes in mass distribution induce gravitational pitch moments that provide longitudinal control. Asymmetric changes in mass distribution induce twist in the inboard wing that provides directional control. The vehicle is actuated solely by internal shape change; there are no external seals and no exposed moving parts, save for the inflatable buoyancy ballonets. Preliminary sizing analysis and dynamic modeling indicate the viability of using SCALARS to map the surface of Titan and to investigate features of interest.

Buoyancy Effects on Flow Structure and Instability of Low-Density Gas Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasumarthi, Kasyap Sriramachandra

2004-01-01

A low-density gas jet injected into a high-density ambient gas is known to exhibit self-excited global oscillations accompanied by large vortical structures interacting with the flow field. The primary objective of the proposed research is to study buoyancy effects on the origin and nature of the flow instability and structure in the near-field of low-density gas jets. Quantitative rainbow schlieren deflectometry, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Linear stability analysis were the techniques employed to scale the buoyancy effects. The formation and evolution of vortices and scalar structure of the flow field are investigated in buoyant helium jets discharged from a vertical tube into quiescent air. Oscillations at identical frequency were observed throughout the flow field. The evolving flow structure is described by helium mole percentage contours during an oscillation cycle. Instantaneous, mean, and RMS concentration profiles are presented to describe interactions of the vortex with the jet flow. Oscillations in a narrow wake region near the jet exit are shown to spread through the jet core near the downstream location of the vortex formation. The effects of jet Richardson number on characteristics of vortex and flow field are investigated and discussed. The laminar, axisymmetric, unsteady jet flow of helium injected into air was simulated using CFD. Global oscillations were observed in the flow field. The computed oscillation frequency agreed qualitatively with the experimentally measured frequency. Contours of helium concentration, vorticity and velocity provided information about the evolution and propagation of vortices in the oscillating flow field. Buoyancy effects on the instability mode were evaluated by rainbow schlieren flow visualization and concentration measurements in the near-field of self-excited helium jets undergoing gravitational change in the microgravity environment of 2.2s drop tower at NASA John H. Glenn Research Center. The jet Reynolds number was varied from 200 to 1500 and jet Richardson number was varied from 0.72 to 0.002. Power spectra plots generated from Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis of angular deflection data acquired at a temporal resolution of 1000Hz reveal substantial damping of the oscillation amplitude in microgravity at low Richardson numbers (0.002). Quantitative concentration data in the form of spatial and temporal evolutions of the instability data in Earth gravity and microgravity reveal significant variations in the jet flow structure upon removal of buoyancy forces. Radial variation of the frequency spectra and time traces of helium concentration revealed the importance of gravitational effects in the jet shear layer region. Linear temporal and spatio-temporal stability analyses of a low-density round gas jet injected into a high-density ambient gas were performed by assuming hyper-tan mean velocity and density profiles. The flow was assumed to be non parallel. Viscous and diffusive effects were ignored. The mean flow parameters were represented as the sum of the mean value and a small normal-mode fluctuation. A second order differential equation governing the pressure disturbance amplitude was derived from the basic conservation equations. The effects of the inhomogeneous shear layer and the Froude number (signifying the effects of gravity) on the temporal and spatio-temporal results were delineated. A decrease in the density ratio (ratio of the density of the jet to the density of the ambient gas) resulted in an increase in the temporal amplification rate of the disturbances. The temporal growth rate of the disturbances increased as the Froude number was reduced. The spatio-temporal analysis performed to determine the absolute instability characteristics of the jet yield positive absolute temporal growth rates at all Fr and different axial locations. As buoyancy was removed (Fr . 8), the previously existing absolute instability disappeared at all locations establhing buoyancy as the primary instability mechanism in self-excited low-density jets.

Index of Nuclear Weapon Effects Simulators. Sanitized

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

124 TRESTLE Facility ..................................................... 125 Vertical EMP Simulator ( VEMPS ...82171 SIMULATOR: Vertical EMP Simulator ( VEMPS ) TYPE: EMP AGENCY: US Army LOCATION: HOL1.0’od ridge, V, Research Facility POINT OF CONTACT...DESCRIPTION: The VEMPS facility is I radiating elect, asettc pulse (EMP) stilateor used to expose test obJects to the simulated effects of high altitude EIP

Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) Laboratory: Simulation Planning Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khayat, Michael A.

2011-01-01

The simulation process, milestones and inputs are unknowns to first-time users of the CEM Laboratory. The Simulation Planning Guide aids in establishing expectations for both NASA and non-NASA facility customers. The potential audience for this guide includes both internal and commercial spaceflight hardware/software developers. It is intended to assist their engineering personnel in simulation planning and execution. Material covered includes a roadmap of the simulation process, roles and responsibilities of facility and user, major milestones, facility capabilities, and inputs required by the facility. Samples of deliverables, facility interfaces, and inputs necessary to define scope, cost, and schedule are included as an appendix to the guide.

Design data package and operating procedures for MSFC solar simulator test facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Design and operational data for the solar simulator test facility are reviewed. The primary goal of the facility is to evaluate the performance capacibility and worst case failure modes of collectors, which utilize either air or liquid transport media. The facility simulates environmental parameters such as solar radiation intensity, solar spectrum, collimation, uniformity, and solar attitude. The facility also simulates wind conditions of velocity and direction, solar system conditions imposed on the collector, collector fluid inlet temperature, and geometric factors of collector tilt and azimuth angles. Testing the simulator provides collector efficiency data, collector time constant, incident angle modifier data, and stagnation temperature values.

Mechanical challenges to freshwater residency in sharks and rays.

PubMed

Gleiss, Adrian C; Potvin, Jean; Keleher, James J; Whitty, Jeff M; Morgan, David L; Goldbogen, Jeremy A

2015-04-01

Major transitions between marine and freshwater habitats are relatively infrequent, primarily as a result of major physiological and ecological challenges. Few species of cartilaginous fish have evolved to occupy freshwater habitats. Current thought suggests that the metabolic physiology of sharks has remained a barrier to the diversification of this taxon in freshwater ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate that the physical properties of water provide an additional constraint for this species-rich group to occupy freshwater systems. Using hydromechanical modeling, we show that occurrence in fresh water results in a two- to three-fold increase in negative buoyancy for sharks and rays. This carries the energetic cost of lift production and results in increased buoyancy-dependent mechanical power requirements for swimming and increased optimal swim speeds. The primary source of buoyancy, the lipid-rich liver, offers only limited compensation for increased negative buoyancy as a result of decreasing water density; maintaining the same submerged weight would involve increasing the liver volume by very large amounts: 3- to 4-fold in scenarios where liver density is also reduced to currently observed minimal levels and 8-fold without any changes in liver density. The first data on body density from two species of elasmobranch occurring in freshwater (the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas, Müller and Henle 1839, and the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis, Linnaeus 1758) support this hypothesis, showing similar liver sizes as marine forms but lower liver densities, but the greatest negative buoyancies of any elasmobranch studied to date. Our data suggest that the mechanical challenges associated with buoyancy control may have hampered the invasion of freshwater habitats in elasmobranchs, highlighting an additional key factor that may govern the predisposition of marine organisms to successfully establish in freshwater habitats. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Tail thrust of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix at different buoyancies, speeds, and swimming angles.

PubMed

Ogilvy, C S; DuBois, A B

1982-06-01

1. The tail thrust of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix was measured using a body accelerometer at different water speeds, buoyancies, and angles of water flow to determine the contribution of tail thrust in overcoming parasitic drag, induced drag, and weight directed along the track. The lengths and weights of the fish averaged 0.52 m and 1.50 kg respectively. 2. The tail thrust overcoming parasitic drag in Newtons, as measured during neutral buoyancy, was: 0.51 x speed + 0.15, with a standard error of estimate of 0.09 N. 3. When buoyancy was altered by the introduction or removal of air from a balloon implanted in the swim bladder, the tail thrust was altered by an amount of the same order as the value calculated for the induced drag of the pectoral fins. 4. The component of weight directed backward along the track was the weight in water multiplied by the sine of the angle of the swimming tunnel relative to horizontal. When this force was added to the calculated induced drag and tail thrust measured at neutral buoyancy, the rearward force equal to the tail thrust, at 45 ml negative buoyancy, 0.5 m s-1, and 15 degrees head up, was 0.12 N due to weight + 0.05 N due to induced drag + 0.40 N due to parasitic drag = 0.57 N total rearward force. 5. The conditions required for gliding were not achieved in our bluefish because the drag exceeded the component of the weight in water directed forward along the track at speeds above the stalling speed of the pectoral fins.

Buoyant subduction on Venus: Implications for subduction around coronae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burt, J. D.; Head, J. W.

1993-03-01

Potentially low lithospheric densities, caused by high Venus surface and perhaps mantle temperatures, could inhibit the development of negative buoyancy-driven subduction and a global system of plate tectonics/crustal recycling on that planet. No evidence for a global plate tectonic system was found so far, however, specific features strongly resembling terrestrial subduction zones in planform and topographic cross-section were described, including trenches around large coronae and chasmata in eastern Aphrodite Terra. The cause for the absence, or an altered expression, of plate tectonics on Venus remains to be found. Slab buoyancy may play a role in this difference, with higher lithospheric temperatures and a tendency toward positive buoyancy acting to oppose the descent of slabs and favoring under thrusting instead. The effect of slab buoyancy on subduction was explored and the conditions which would lead to under thrusting versus those allowing the formation of trenches and self-perpetuating subduction were defined. Applying a finite element code to assess the effects of buoyant forces on slabs subducting into a viscous mantle, it was found that mantle flow induced by horizontal motion of the convergent lithosphere greatly influences subduction angle, while buoyancy forces produce a lesser effect. Induced mantle flow tends to decrease subduction angle to near an under thrusting position when the subducting lithosphere converges on a stationary overriding lithosphere. When the overriding lithosphere is in motion, as in the case of an expanding corona, subduction angles are expected to increase. An initial stage involved estimating the changes in slab buoyancy due to slab healing and pressurization over the course of subduction. Modeling a slab, descending at a fixed angle and heated by conduction, radioactivity, and the heat released in phase changes, slab material density changes due to changing temperature, phase, and pressure were derived.

New evaluation index for the retainability of a swimmer's horizontal posture.

PubMed

Watanabe, Yasunori; Wakayoshi, Kohji; Nomura, Teruo

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the effect of changes in buoyancy when a swimmer respires in a horizontal posture. We attempted to evaluate the levelness of swimmers' streamline posture by simultaneously measuring the lung capacity and buoyancy under water. The buoyancy was measured based on the changes in the vertical loads of the upper and lower limbs on the subjects' streamline posture under water. The horizontal x-axis as lung ventilation and the vertical y-axis as buoyancy forms a linear equation y = ax + b. The relation between hand (upper-limb) buoyancy and lung ventilation is defined as y = a1x + b1 and that between foot (lower-limb) buoyancy and lung ventilation as y = a2x + b2. Horizontal levelness was calculated as a ratio by dividing a2 by a1 using the inclination (a) values from these formulas for an underwater streamline posture. We defined this ratio as the breathing-balance (BB) ratio. Although the performance levels in the present study did not show any difference in the absolute quantity of air that humans can inhale in a streamline posture, the BB ratio was higher in a statistically significant manner in junior swimmers competing at international levels compared with the other groups of subjects (P < 0.001). This statistical difference in horizontal levelness, despite the absence of a noticeable difference in the absolute quantity of inhaled air, may be attributable to the way in which each person inhales and exhales air. Top-level junior swimmers that exhibited a high BB ratio might have inhaled in a way that would counteract the sinking of the lower limbs, for example, through abdominal respiration. When exhaling, on the other hand, they might have let out air gradually to mitigate the acceleration force involved in submerging the lower limbs.

Material transport in a wind and buoyancy forced mixed layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mensa, J. A.; Özgökmen, T.; Poje, A. C.; Imberger, J.

2016-02-01

Flows in the upper ocean mixed layer are responsible for the transport and dispersion of biogeochemical tracers, phytoplankton and buoyant pollutants, such as hydrocarbons from an oil spill. Material dispersion in mixed layer flows subject to diurnal buoyancy forcing and weak winds (|u10|=5ms-1) are investigated using a non-hydrostatic model. Both purely buoyancy-forced and combined wind- and buoyancy-forced flows are sampled using passive tracers, as well as 2D and 3D particles to explore characteristics of horizontal and vertical dispersion. It is found that the surface tracer patterns are determined by the convergence zones created by convection cells within a time scale of just a few hours. For pure convection, the results displayed the classic signature of Rayleigh-Benard cells. When combined with a wind stress, the convective cells become anisotropic in that the along-wind length scale gets much larger than the cross-wind scale. Horizontal relative dispersion computed by sampling the flow fields using both 2D and 3D passive particles is found to be consistent with the Richardson regime. Relative dispersion is an order of magnitude higher and 2D surface releases transition to Richardson regime faster in the wind-forced case. We also show that the buoyancy-forced case results in significantly lower amplitudes of scale-dependent horizontal relative diffusivity, kD(l), than those reported by Okubo (1970), while the wind- and buoyancy forced case shows a good agreement with Okubo's diffusivity amplitude, and scaling consistent with Richardson's 4/3rd law, kD(l) l4/3. The modelling results provide a framework for measuring material dispersion by mixed layer flow in future observational programs.