NASA STTR 2005 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (SBC):		RESEARCH INSTITUTION (RI):
NAME:	CFD Research Corp	NAME:	Mississippi State University
ADDRESS:	215 Wynn Dr.	ADDRESS:	Box 9637 300 Butler Hall
CITY:	Huntsville	CITY:	Mississippi State
STATE/ZIP:	AL  35805-1926	STATE/ZIP:	MS  39762-9637
PHONE:	(256) 726-4800	PHONE:	(662) 325-2756

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name,Email)
Sarm   Rani
jls@cfdrc.com

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this STTR, an innovative, efficient and high fidelity computational tool to predict radiative heat transfer will be implemented in the LOCI framework. Radiative heat transfer in rocket engine combustion can play a significant role in determining engine performance and combustor wall heat loading. Radiation will also become increasingly important as hydrocarbon-based fuels are used in rocket propulsion as alternatives to hydrogen, for in-situ propellants, and in the development of nontoxic fuels for reaction control thrusters. Currently there is no radiation modeling capability in the LOCI framework, the basis for codes used by NASA and their contractors to design and analyze rocket engines. CFDRC has teamed with Mississippi State University (MSU), the original developer of LOCI, to develop the needed radiation module. In Phase I, the well-established Control-Angle Discrete Ordinates Method will be implemented for solving the Radiative Transfer Equation. This module will be used in the combustion code, CHEM, and tested with proven gray and nongray gas radiation models to establish the framework for future development and to demonstrate the feasibility of radiation modeling using LOCI. In Phase II, efforts will focus on developing increasingly accurate and robust nongray gas models such as the narrow band models, Weight-Sum-of-Gray-Gases method, and the innovative Full Spectrum Correlated k-distribution model.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The LOCI radiation module will enable NASA and government contractors to better design and analyze rocket engine combustion systems, including new cryogenic rocket engines needed for In-Space Propulsion. At the end of Phase II, NASA will have a comprehensive suite of radiation modeling capabilities that will help design safer and more efficient rocket-propelled vehicles of the future. The software will be a final deliverable to NASA, and will be in open source format. The LOCI module will be implemented into a NASA selected CFD code, LOCI-CHEM, and can also be added to other LOCI-based codes such as LOCI-STREAM.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Design and optimization of combustors using CFD tools is standard practice in both the rocket and gas turbine industries. Industrial combustion system designers are particularly interested in prediction of pollutant emissions, but poor radiation modeling limits the effectiveness of current CFD tools. The market value and commercial impact of the proposed development is expected to be significant because of its high fidelity, computationally efficiency, and utility for a wide range of combustion problems. The proposed development will also be of interest in the furnace, heater and boiler industry.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Chemical Simulation Modeling Environment