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At least 199 records · Page 11

Effects of Buoyancy on Laminar, Transitional, and Turbulent Gas Jet Diffusion Flames

Gas jet diffusion flames have been a subject of research for many years. However, a better understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena occurring in these flames is still needed, and, while the effects of gravity on the burning process have been observed, the basic mechanisms responsible for these changes have yet to be determined. The fundamental mechanisms that control the combustion process are in general coupled and quite complicated. These include mixing, radiation, kinetics, soot formation and disposition, inertia, diffusion, and viscous effects. In order to understand the mechanisms controlling a fire, laboratory-scale laminar and turbulent gas-jet diffusion flames have been extensively studied, which have provided important information in relation to the physico-chemical processes occurring in flames. However, turbulent flames are not fully understood and their understanding requires more fundamental studies of laminar diffusion flames in which the interplay of transport phenomena and chemical kinetics is more tractable. But even this basic, relatively simple flame is not completely characterized in relation to soot formation, radiation, diffusion, and kinetics. Therefore, gaining an understanding of laminar flames is essential to the understanding of turbulent flames, and particularly fires, in which the same basic phenomena occur. In order to improve and verify the theoretical models essential to the interpretation of data, the complexity and degree of coupling of the controlling mechanisms must be reduced. If gravity is isolated, the complication of buoyancy-induced convection would be removed from the problem. In addition, buoyant convection in normal gravity masks the effects of other controlling parameters on the flame. Therefore, the combination of normal-gravity and microgravity data would provide the information, both theoretical and experimental, to improve our understanding of diffusion flames in general, and the effects of gravity on the burning process in particular.

Bahadori, M. Yousef↗

Sub-Grid Modeling of Electrokinetic Effects in Micro Flows

Advances in micro-fabrication processes have generated tremendous interests in miniaturizing chemical and biomedical analyses into integrated microsystems (Lab-on-Chip devices). To successfully design and operate the micro fluidics system, it is essential to understand the fundamental fluid flow phenomena when channel sizes are shrink to micron or even nano dimensions. One important phenomenon is the electro kinetic effect in micro/nano channels due to the existence of the electrical double layer (EDL) near a solid-liquid interface. Not only EDL is responsible for electro-osmosis pumping when an electric field parallel to the surface is imposed, EDL also causes extra flow resistance (the electro-viscous effect) and flow anomaly (such as early transition from laminar to turbulent flow) observed in pressure-driven microchannel flows. Modeling and simulation of electro-kinetic effects on micro flows poses significant numerical challenge due to the fact that the sizes of the double layer (10 nm up to microns) are very thin compared to channel width (can be up to 100 s of m). Since the typical thickness of the double layer is extremely small compared to the channel width, it would be computationally very costly to capture the velocity profile inside the double layer by placing sufficient number of grid cells in the layer to resolve the velocity changes, especially in complex, 3-d geometries. Existing approaches using "slip" wall velocity and augmented double layer are difficult to use when the flow geometry is complicated, e.g. flow in a T-junction, X-junction, etc. In order to overcome the difficulties arising from those two approaches, we have developed a sub-grid integration method to properly account for the physics of the double layer. The integration approach can be used on simple or complicated flow geometries. Resolution of the double layer is not needed in this approach, and the effects of the double layer can be accounted for at the same time. With this approach, the numeric grid size can be much larger than the thickness of double layer. Presented in this report are a description of the approach, methodology for implementation and several validation simulations for micro flows.

Chen, C. P.↗

Effects of electron viscosity on resonant layer responses to non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations

The resonant field penetration to magnetic islands is the central MHD mechanism of non-axisymmetric plasma responses in a tokamak such as disruptive locking or favorable ELM stabilization. The resonant field penetration can be induced by any non-ideal processes as manifested in the delicate balance under the generalized Ohm's law. Here, we show that the viscous effects by electrons are not ignorable in the field penetration unlike previous presumption, even if the electron viscosity is as small as the square root of its mass compared to the ions. It is clear that its effects become only bigger if the electron viscosity becomes anomalously large. The work strictly follows the three-field model in the linear regime targeting the prediction of the onset of the field penetration and successfully extending it with electron viscosity and identifying new regimes. The results also indicate that the error field thresholds become more strongly dependent on plasma density than ones predicted in the linear regimes without the electron viscosity, which is consistent with experimental observations and thus a significant implication.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Prediction of laminar and turbulent primary and secondary flows in strongly curved ducts

The analysis is based on a primary secondary velocity decomposition in a given coordinate system, and leads to approximate governing equations which correct an a priori inviscid solution for viscous effects, secondary flows, total pressure distortion, heat transfer, and internal flow blockage and losses. Solution of the correction equations is accomplished as an initial value problem in space using an implicit forward marching technique. The overall solution procedure requires significantly less computational effort than Navier-Stokes algorithms. The solution procedure is effective even with the extreme local mesh resolution which is necessary to solve near wall sublayer regions in turbulent flow calculations. Computed solutions for both laminar and turbulent flow compared very favorably with available analytical and experimental results. The overall method appears very promising as an economical procedure for making detailed predictions of viscous primary and secondary flows in highly curved passages.

Kreskovsky, J. P.↗

Extension of a three-dimensional viscous wing flow analysis user's manual: VISTA 3-D code

Three-dimensional unsteady viscous effects can significantly influence the performance of fixed and rotary wing aircraft. These effects are important in both flows about helicopter rotors in forward flight and flows about three-dimensional (swept and tapered) supercritical wings. A computational procedure for calculating such flow field was developed. The procedure is based upon an alternating direction technique employing the Linearized Block Implicit method for solving three-dimensional viscous flow problems. In order to demonstrate the viability of this method, two- and three-dimensional problems are computed. These include the flow over a two-dimensional NACA 0012 airfoil under steady and oscillating conditions, and the steady, skewed, three-dimensional flow on a flat plate. Although actual three-dimensional flows over wings were not obtained, the ground work was laid for considering such flows. In this report a description of the computer code is given.

Weinberg, Bernard C.↗

Comparison of several finite-difference methods

The present numerical study establishes that, with the MacCormack and 'two-four' methods, the solution accuracy obtainable in problems involving wave propagation, shock-wave and contact discontinuities, and viscous effects, will be strongly dependent on Courant number. The application of flux correction to the MacCormack and two-four methods is noted to significantly attenuate dispersion errors; the ensuing solutions capture the discontinuities in the shock-tube problem with improved accuracy and resolution, and are free of dispersion errors for the viscous Burgers' equation.

Biringen, S.↗

Unsteady effects of a control surface in two dimensional subsonic and transonic flow

The experimental results of steady and unsteady pressure measurements, carried out in subsonic and transonic flow on a 16 percent relative thickness supercritical aerofoil, equipped with a trailing edge flap involving 25 percent of the chord, in a sinusoidal motion are given. These experimental results are compared with those obtained by various methods of steady and unsteady inviscid flow calculations. Some calculation results in which viscous effects have been taken into account, for both steady and unsteady flows, are also presented.

Grenon, R.↗

Comparison of the Experimental and Theoretical Distribution of Lift on a Slender Inclined Body of Revolution at M = 2

Pressure distributions and force characteristics have been determined for a body of revolution consisting of a fineness ratio 5.75, circular-arc, ogival nose tangent to a cylindrical afterbody for an angle-of-attack range of 0 degrees to 35.5 degrees. The free-stream Mach number was 1.98 and the free-stream Reynolds number was approximately 0.5 x 10 sup 6, based on body diameter. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental pressure distributions shows that for zero lift, either slender-body theory or higher-order theories yield results which are in good agreement with experiment. For the lifting case, good agreement with theory is found only for low angles of attack and for the region in which the body cross-sectional area is increasing in the downstream direction. Because of the effects of cross-flow separation and the effects of compressibility due to the high cross-flow Mach numbers at large angles of attack, the experimental pressure distributions differ from those predicted by potential theory. Although the flow about the inclined body was, in general, similar to that assumed as the basis for Allen's method of estimating the forces resulting from viscous effects (NACA RM A91I26), the distribution of the forces was significantly different from that assumed. Nevertheless, the lift and pitching-moment characteristics were in fair agreement with the estimated value.

Perkins, Edward W↗

The effect of viscosity on impact cratering and possible application to the icy satellites of Saturn and Jupiter

Impact experiments in Newtonian fluids with a range of viscosities of 0.001 to 60 Pa s demonstrate that transient crater volume and shape depend on target viscosity as well as on gravity. Volume is reduced, and depth-to-diameter ratio is increased for cratering events in which viscosity plays a dominant role. In addition to being affected by target kinematic viscosity, viscous scaling is most strongly influenced by projectile diameter, less strongly by projectile velocity, and least strongly by gravity. In a planetary context, viscous effects can occur for craters formed by small or slow moving impacting bodies, low planetary surface densities, high surface viscosities, and low gravity values; conditions all likely for certain impacts into the icy satellites of Saturn and Jupiter, especially if liquid mantles were still present beneath solid crusts. Age dating based on crater counts and size-frequency distributions for these icy bodies may have to be modified to account for the possibility that viscosity-dominated craters were initially smaller and deeper than their gravity-controlled counterparts.

Fink, J.↗

Internal Shock Interactions in Propulsion/Airframe Integrated Three-Dimensional Sidewall Compression Scramjet Inlets

The advantages and design requirements of propulsion/airframe integration for high Mach number flight have led to extensive study of the three-dimensional sidewall compression scramjet inlet in recent years. Recent research publications have indicated testing over a broad range of Mach number (2 to 18) in a variety of test gases, such as air, helium, and tetrafluoromethane. Multiple experimental techniques have been employed to obtain detailed internal shock interaction data, performance data, and inlet starting limits. Computational fluid dynamics has been effectively used for preliminary parametric studies as well as in parallel with experiments to aid in the explanation of unusual or unexpected flow phenomena. Inlets of this genre afford a relatively simple, generic geometry while producing a highly complex, three-dimensional flow field dominated by shock/shock and shock/boundary layer interactions. While the importance of the viscous effects in high speed inlet interactions is recognized, the present work addresses in a parametric fashion the inviscid effects of leading edge sweep, sidewall compression, and inflow Mach number on the internal shock structure in terms of inlet compression and mass capture. In the process, the source of the of the Mach number invariance with leading edge sweep for a constant sidewall compression class of inlet is identified, and a previously undocumented spillage phenomenon in a constant effective wedge angle class of inlets is discussed.

Holland, Scott D.↗

Data Base for CFD Validation

The flow behind the shock wave formed around objects which fly at hypervelocity behaves differently from that of a perfect gas. Molecules become vibrationally excited, dissociated, and ionized. The hot gas may emit or absorb radiation. When the atoms produced by dissociation reach the wall surface, chemical reactions, including recombination, may occur. The thermochemical phenomena of vibration, dissociation, ionization, surface chemical reaction, and radiation are referred to commonly as high-temperature real-gas phenomena. The phenomena cause changes in the dynamic behavior of the flow and the surface pressure and heat transfer distribution around the object. The character of a real gas is described by the internal degrees of freedom and state of constituent molecules; nitrogen and oxygen for air. The internal energy states, rotation, vibration and electronic, of the molecules are excited and, in the limit, the molecular bonds are exceeded and the gas dissociated into atomic and, possibly, ionic constituents. The process of energy transfer causing excitation, dissociation and recombination is a rate process controlled by particle collisions. Binary, two-body, collisions are sufficient to cause internal excitation, dissociation and ionization while three-body collisions are required to recombine the particles into molecular constituents. If the rates of energy transfer are fast with respect to the local fluid dynamic time scale the gas is in, or nearly in, equilibrium. If the energy transfer rates are very slow the gas can be described as frozen. In all other instances, wherein any of the energy exchange rates are comparable to the local fluid time scale, the gas will be thermally or chemically reacting and out of equilibrium. Real gas thermochemical nonequilibrium processes are important in the determination of aerodynamic heating; both convective (including wall catalytic effects) and radiative heating. To illustrate this we consider the hypervelocity flow over a bluff body typical of an atmospheric entry vehicle or an aerospace transfer vehicle (ASTV). The qualitative aspects of a hypersonic flow field over a bluff body are discussed in two parts, forebody and afterbody, with attention to which particular physical effects must be included in an analysis. This will indicate what type of numerical modeling will be adequate in each region of the flow. A bluff forebody flow field is dominated by the presence of the strong bow shock wave and the consequent heating, and chemical reaction of the gas. At high altitude hypersonic flight conditions the thermal excitation and chemical reaction of the gas occur slowly enough that a significant portion of the flow field is in a state of thermochemical nonequilibrium. A second important effect is the presence of the thick boundary layer along the forebody surface. In this region there are large thermal and chemical species gradients due to the interaction of the gas with the wall. Also at high altitudes the shock wave and the boundary layer may become so thick that they merge; in this case the entire shock layer is dominated by viscous effects.

Deiwert, George S.↗

Vacuum chamber pressure effects on thrust measurements of low Reynolds number nozzles

Tests were conducted to investigate the effect of vacuum facility pressure on the performance of small thruster nozzles. Thrust measurements of two converging-diverging nozzles with an area ratio of 140 and an orifice plate flowing unheated nitrogen and hydrogen were taken over a wide range of vacuum facility pressures and nozzle throat Reynolds numbers. In the Reynolds number range of 2200 to 12 000 there was no discernable viscous effect on thrust below an ambient to total pressure ratio of 1000. In nearly all cases, flow separation occurred at a pressure ratio of about 1000. This was the upper limit for obtaining an accurate thrust measurement for a conical nozzle with an area ratio of 140.

Sovey, J. S.↗

Vacuum chamber pressure effects on thrust measurements

Tests were conducted to investigate the effect of vacuum facility pressure on the performance of small thruster nozzles. Thrust measurements of two converging-diverging nozzles with an area ratio of 140 and an orifice plate flowing unheated nitrogen and hydrogen were taken over a wide range of vacuum facility pressures and nozzle throat Reynolds numbers. In the Reynolds number range of 2200 to 12,000 there was no discernable viscous effect on thrust below an ambient to total pressure ratio of 1000. In nearly all cases, flow separation occurred at a pressure ratio of about 1000. This was the upper limit for obtaining an accurate thrust measurement for a conical nozzle with an area ratio of 140.

Sovey, J. S.↗

Vacuum chamber pressure effects on thrust measurements of low Reynolds number nozzles

Tests were conducted to investigate the effect of vacuum facility pressure on the performance of small thruster nozzles. Thrust measurements of two converging-diverging nozzles with an area ratio of 140 and an orifice plate flowing unheated nitrogen and hydrogen were taken over a wide range of vacuum facility pressures and nozzle throat Reynolds numbers. In the Reynolds number range of 2200 to 12,000 there was no discernable viscous effect on thrust below an ambient to total pressure ratio of 1000. In nearly all cases, flow separation occurred at a pressure ratio of about 1000. This was the upper limit for obtaining an accurate thrust measurement for a conical nozzle with an area ratio of 140.

Sovey, J. S.↗

Prediction of effects of wing contour modifications on low-speed maximum lift and transonic performance for the EA-6B aircraft

Computational predictions of the effects of wing contour modifications on maximum lift and transonic performance were made and verified against low speed and transonic wind tunnel data. This effort was part of a program to improve the maneuvering capability of the EA-6B electronics countermeasures aircraft, which evolved from the A-6 attack aircraft. The predictions were based on results from three computer codes which all include viscous effects: MCARF, a 2-D subsonic panel code; TAWFIVE, a transonic full potential code; and WBPPW, a transonic small disturbance potential flow code. The modifications were previously designed with the aid of these and other codes. The wing modifications consists of contour changes to the leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps and were designed for increased maximum lift with minimum effect on transonic performance. The prediction of the effects of the modifications are presented, with emphasis on verification through comparisons with wind tunnel data from the National Transonic Facility. Attention is focused on increments in low speed maximum lift and increments in transonic lift, pitching moment, and drag resulting from the contour modifications.

Allison, Dennis O.↗

Comment on electric field evidence on the viscous interaction at the magnetopause, by F. S. Mozer

In his paper on ISEE-1 electric field measurements in the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL), Mozer (1984) concluded that LLBL contributes only about 10 percent of the average cross-tail potential difference Delta phi, and thus that viscous effects associated with the boundary layer are not very important as compared to the competing process of magnetic reconnection. Here, it is pointed out that Mozer may not have recognized an important feature of the LLBL, in that the maximum or minimum values of Delta phi (BL) may have occurred tailward of the spacecraft orbit. It is also pointed out that the sum of the viscous interaction potentials across the dawn and dusk low latitude boundary layers is closer to 30 kV than the 6 kV reported by Mozer. In his reply, Mozer gives reasons why the values he used are correct and that his earlier conclusions need no revision.

Heikkila, W. J.↗

Boundary-layer transition and displacement thickness effects on zero-lift drag of a series of power-law bodies at Mach 6

Wave and skin-friction drag have been numerically calculated for a series of power-law bodies at a Mach number of 6 and Reynolds numbers, based on body length, from 1.5 million to 9.5 million. Pressure distributions were computed on the nose by the inverse method and on the body by the method of characteristics. These pressure distributions and the measured locations of boundary-layer transition were used in a nonsimilar-boundary-layer program to determine viscous effects. A coupled iterative approach between the boundary-layer and pressure-distribution programs was used to account for boundary-layer displacement-thickness effects. The calculated-drag coefficients compared well with previously obtained experimental data.

Ashby, G. C., Jr.↗

A Variational Formulation for the Finite Element Analysis of Sound Wave Propagation in a Spherical Shell

Development of design tools to furnish optimal acoustic environments for lightweight aircraft demands the ability to simulate the acoustic system on a workstation. In order to form an effective mathematical model of the phenomena at hand, we have begun by studying the propagation of acoustic waves inside closed spherical shells. Using a fully-coupled fluid-structure interaction model based upon variational principles, we have written a finite element analysis program and are in the process of examining several test cases. Future investigations are planned to increase model accuracy by incorporating non-linear and viscous effects.

Lebiedzik, Catherine↗