Carolyn Townsend
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1781)
RELEASE: 00-144
NASA Announces Research Grants in Microgravity Combustion Science
NASA has selected 28 researchers to receive grants
totaling approximately $10 million over four years to conduct
microgravity combustion research on Earth and in space. This
research will seek knowledge leading to innovative
applications in space-based life support systems, crew safety
and Earth-based energy conversion.
Sponsored by NASA’s Office of Life and Microgravity Science
and Applications, the research offers investigators the
advantage of a low-gravity environment to enhance
understanding of fundamental physical and chemical processes
associated with combustion.
Researchers will use NASA’s microgravity research facilities
such as drop-tubes, drop-towers, aircraft flying parabolic
trajectories, and sounding rockets. Flight-definition
investigators will work toward experiments on a space-flight
test bed, such as the International Space Station and Space
Shuttle.
Twenty-six of the grants are to conduct ground-based research,
while the remaining two are flight-definition efforts. Four of
these grants are to continue work currently being funded by
NASA, but the majority (24) are new research efforts.
NASA received 119 proposals in response to its research
announcement in this area. The proposals were all peer-
reviewed by scientific and technical experts from academia,
government and industry. In addition, those proposals selected
for flight definition were reviewed for engineering
feasibility by a team from NASA’s Glenn Research Center,
Cleveland, OH.
-end-
Flight Definition Tasks
California
Professor Carlos Fernandez-Pello
University of California/Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
“Two-Dimensional Smoldering and its Transition to Flaming in
Microgravity”
Dr. David L. Urban
Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, OH
“Characterization of Smoke from Microgravity Fires for
Improved Spacecraft Fire Detection”
Ground-based Tasks
Alabama
Professor John Baker
University of Alabama/Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
“Magnetically-Assisted Combustion Experiment (MACE)”
Professor Daniel W. Mackowski
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
“Coupled Radiation/Thermophoresis Effects in Sooting
Microgravity Flames”
California
Professor Ralph C. Aldredge, III
University of California/Davis
Davis, CA
“Flame Propagation in Low-Intensity Turbulence Under
Microgravity Conditions”
Dr. Josette Bellan
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA
“High Pressure Transport Properties of Fluids: Theory and
Data from Levitated Drops at Combustion-Relevant
Temperatures”
Professor Subrata Bhattacharjee
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
“Dynamics of Flame Spread in Microgravity Environment”
Professor Fokion N. Egolfopoulos
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
“Detailed Studies on the Structure and Dynamics of Reacting
Dusty Flows at Normal- and Micro-Gravity”
Professor Michael Frenklach
University of California/Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
“Microgravity Production of Nanoparticles of Novel Materials
Using Plasma Synthesis”
Dr. Howard Pearlman
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
“Determination of Cool Flame Quenching Distances at
Microgravity”
Professor Zuhair Munir
University of California/Davis
Davis, CA
“Electric Field Effects in Self-Propagating High-Temperature
Combustion Synthesis Under Microgravity Conditions”
Delaware
Professor Hai Wang
University of Delaware
Newark, DE
“Soot Formation in Purely-Curved Premixed Flames and Laminar
Flame Speed of Soot-Forming Flames”
District of Columbia
Dr. Gopal Patnaik
Naval Research Laboratory
Washington, DC
“Unsteady Multidimensional Numerical Simulations of Flame
Vortex Interactions in Microgravity”
Illinois
Professor John D. Buckmaster
University of Illinois
Urbana, IL
“Smolder-Edge-Waves and Edge-Flames”
Professor Moshe Matalon
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
“Modeling Microgravity Non-Premixed Combustion Systems”
Indiana
Dr. Yudaya Sivathanu
En*Urga Inc.
West Lafayette, IN
“Fan Beam Emission Tomography for Non-Symmetric Laminar
Fires”
Iowa
Professor Gerald M. Colver
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
“Quenching of Particle-Gas Combustion Mixtures Using Electric
Particulate Suspension (EPS) and Dispersion Methods”
Maryland
Professor Jose Torero
University of Maryland
College Park, MD
“Material Properties Governing Cocurrent Flame Spread in
Microgravity”
New Jersey
Dr. David G. Keil
Titan Corporation
Princeton, NJ
“Particle Generation and Evolution in Silane/Acetylene Flames
in Microgravity”
Ohio
Dr. Fletcher J. Miller
Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, OH
“Gravitational Influences on Flame Propagation Through Non-
Uniform Premixed Gas Systems”
Dr. Vedha Nayagam
National Center for Microgravity Research
Cleveland, OH
“Stretched Diffusion Flames in von Karman Swirling Flows”
Dr. Sandra Olson
Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, OH
“Development of an Earth-Based Apparatus to Assess Material
Flammability in Low-Convection Environments for Microgravity
and Extraterrestrial Fire-Safety Applications”
Dr. Howard Ross
Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, OH
“Secondary Fires: Initiation and Extinguishment”
Dr. Fumiaki Takahashi
National Center for Microgravity Research
Cleveland, OH
“Physical and Chemical Aspects of Fire Suppression in
Extraterrestrial Environments”
Dr. Randy Vander Wal
National Center for Microgravity Research
Cleveland, OH
“Carbon Nanostructure: Its Evolution During and its Impact on
Soot Growth and Oxidation”
Dr. Zeng-guang Yuan
National Center for Microgravity Research
Cleveland, OH
“Effects of Electric Fields on Soot Processes in Non-Buoyant
Hydrocarbon-Fueled Flames”
Pennsylvania
Professor Gary A. Ruff
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
“Combustion of Unsupported Droplet Clusters in Microgravity”
Washington
Professor James J. Riley
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
“Investigation of the Liftoff and Blowout of Transitional and
Turbulent Jet Flames”
