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At least 235 records · Page 13

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DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing the Effects of Atmospheric Turbulent Fluctuations on the Wake Structure of Wind Turbines and Their Blade Vibrational Dynamics

In recent trends, a rising demand for renewable energy has driven wind turbines to larger proportions, where lighter blade designs are often adopted to reduce the costs associated with logistics and production. This causes modern utility-scale wind turbine blades to be inherently more flexible, and their amplified aeroelastic sensitivity results in complex multi-physics reactions to variant atmospheric conditions, including dynamic patterns of aerodynamic loading at the rotor and vortex structure evolutions within the wake. In this paper, we analyze the influence of inflow variance for wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas. The Common Ordinary Differential Equation Framework (CODEF) modeling suite is used to simulate wind turbine aeroelastic oscillatory behavior and wind farm vortex wake interactions for a range of flexible NRT blade variations, operating in differing conditions of variant atmospheric flow. CODEF solutions of turbine operation in Steady-In-The-Average (SITA) wind conditions are compared to SITA wind conditions featuring a controlled gust-like pulse overimposed, to isolate the effects of typical wind fluctuations. Finally, simulations of realistic time-varying wind conditions from SWiFT meteorological tower measurements are compared to the solutions of SITA wind conditions. These increasingly complex atmospheric inflow variations are tested to show the differing effects evoked by various patterns of spatiotemporal atmospheric flow fluctuations. An analysis is presented for solutions of wind turbine aeroelastic response and vortex wake evolution, to elucidate the consequences of variant inflow, which pertain to wind turbine dynamics at an individual and farm-collective scale. The comparisons of simulated farm flow for SITA and measured fluctuating wind conditions show that certain regions of the wake contain up to a 12% difference in normalized axial velocity, due to the introduction of wind fluctuations. The findings of this study prove valuable for practical applications in wind farm control and optimization strategies, with particular significance for modern utility-scale wind power plants operating in variant atmospheric conditions.

Farrell, Alayna (ORCID:000000023555720X)↗

DOE OSTI2020

Solar Wind Turbulence from 1 to 45 au. III. Anisotropy of Magnetic Fluctuations in the Inertial Range Using Voyager and ACE Observations

We examine both Voyager and Advanced Composition Explorer magnetic field measurements at frequencies that characterize the inertial range and evaluate the anisotropy of the fluctuations as they relate to both the compressive component and underlying wavevector anisotropy of the turbulence. The magnetic fluctuation anisotropy as it relates to the compressive component is directly dependent upon both the plasma beta of the thermal proton component and the ratio of magnetic fluctuation magnitude to the strength of the mean magnetic field. This has been seen before at 1 au. The magnetic fluctuation anisotropy in the plane perpendicular to the mean magnetic field, which is a measure of the anisotropy of the underlying wavevector distribution, should depend on the angle between the mean magnetic field and the radial direction and should be confined to values between one and the index of the power spectrum, which is typically 5/3. Our results show that the average of this anisotropy exceeds the value of the spectral index and is out of bounds with the theory. Although the results are suggestive of past analyses, we find that spherical expansion of the turbulence may offer at least a partial explanation of the apparent amplification of this measured anisotropy.

heliosphere↗

DOE OSTI2025

Transonic Turbulence and Density Fluctuations in the Near-Sun Solar Wind

We use in situ measurements from the first 19 encounters of Parker Solar Probe and the most recent five encounters of Solar Orbiter to study the evolution of the turbulent sonic Mach number M t (the ratio of the amplitude of velocity fluctuations to the sound speed) with radial distance and its relationship to density fluctuations. We focus on the near-Sun region with radial distances ranging from about 11 to 80 R ⊙ . Our results show that (1) the turbulent sonic Mach number M t gradually moves toward larger values as it approaches the Sun, until at least 11 R ⊙ , where M t is much larger than the previously observed value of 0.1 at and above 0.3 au; (2) transonic turbulence with M t ∼ 1 is observed in situ for the first time and is found mostly near the Alfvén critical surface; (3) Alfvén Mach number of the bulk flow M A shows a strong correlation with the plasma beta, indicating that most of the observed sub-Alfvénic intervals correspond to a low-beta plasma; (4) the scaling relation between density fluctuations and M t gradually changes from a linear scaling at larger radial distances to a quadratic scaling at smaller radial distances; and (5) transonic turbulence is more compressible than subsonic turbulence, with enhanced density fluctuations and slightly flatter spectra than subsonic turbulence. A systematic understanding of compressible turbulence near the Sun is necessary for future solar wind modeling efforts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1972

Quasi-linear theory of electron density and temperature fluctuations with application to MHD generators and MPD arc thrusters

Fluctuations in electron density and temperature coupled through Ohm's law are studied for an ionizable medium. The nonlinear effects are considered in the limit of a third order quasi-linear treatment. Equations are derived for the amplitude of the fluctuation. Conditions under which a steady state can exist in the presence of the fluctuation are examined and effective transport properties are determined. A comparison is made to previously considered second order theory. The effect of third order terms indicates the possibility of fluctuations existing in regions predicted stable by previous analysis.

Smith, M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Wind tunnel measurements of surface pressure fluctuations at Mach numbers of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5 using 12 different transducers

The turbulent boundary layer on the wall of a 9 by 7 foot wind tunnel was measured with 12 different transducers at Mach numbers of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5. The results indicated that the wall surface-pressure-fluctuation field was more homogeneous at a Mach number of 2.5 than at Mach numbers of 1.6 or 2.0. A comparison of power-spectral-density data at Mach 2.5 with a summary of similar data (Mach 0.1 to 3.45) showed good agreement. The measurement uncertainty was greatest when frequencies were low and the surface-pressure-fluctuation field was homogeneous. The uncertainty at higher frequencies increased as the surface-pressure-fluctuation field became more inhomogeneous. Since transducer mounting effects and system noise levels were determined not to have contributed appreciably to measurement uncertainties, the result was attributed to an interaction between the surface-pressure-fluctuation field and the transducers. Corcos' correction for size effects improved the comparison between transducers at the high frequencies, but did not eliminate an apparent size effect at the lower frequencies.

Lewis, T. L.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Quasi-linear theory of electron density and temperature fluctuations with application to MHD generators and MPD arc thrusters.

Smith, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Airglow fluctuations at 2.2 microns.

The OH airglow has been observed in the infrared, from high altitude sites, with a bandpass filter from 2.0 to 2.5 microns. An average spatial fluctuation of plus or minus 4% and an average time fluctuation of plus or minus 3% are found about the mean nightly level. The evening fluctuations are more pronounced than the morning ones. The brightness and fluctuations are such as to preclude ground-based observation of the zodiacal light with wide-band photometry at this wavelength.

Peterson, A. W.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Brightness fluctuations in the K-line wings.

A power-spectrum and cross-spectrum analysis has been made of measurements of temporal fluctuations of intensity observed in the K-line wing (2.07 A from line center) and of simultaneous measurements of temporal fluctuations of Doppler displacement of the cores of 3931.122 Fe I and 3933 Ca II (K3). The measurements were made in a quiet region near the center of the sun's disk. We find that the average power spectra of the intensity fluctuations have two significant peaks of about equal strength: one at 0.0033 Hz (300-sec period); and one at about 0.001 Hz (1000-sec period). The average rms value of these intensity fluctuations is 0.0435 plus or minus 0.0082. Maximum brightness comes before maximum violet displacement of the Fe I line.

Cha, M. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Effects of transducer flushness on fluctuating surface pressure measurements

The installation flushness of pressure transducers has been found to strongly influence the quality of fluctuating surface pressure data in supersonic-attached turbulent boundary-layer flow. A systematic investigation of the effects of flushness on surface pressure fluctuations beneath a 4-in.-thick boundary layer was conducted in a supersonic wind tunnel at Mach numbers of 1.68, 2.0, and 2.5. Flushness effects on transducer signal amplitude, power spectral density, coherence, and narrowband convection velocity was evaluated. Results show that a very slightly protruding transducer produces adverse effects on the desired pressure fluctuation measurements, whereas a submerged transducer produces small effects. Indications are that a more viable method for enhancing the uniformity and spatial correlation of fluctuating surface pressure data can be achieved by deliberately submerging transducers beneath a surface orifice about 0.010 in. deep.

Hanly, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Fluctuating pressures in flow fields of jets

The powered lift configurations under present development for STOL aircraft are the externally blown flap (EBF), involving direct jet impingement on the aircraft flaps, and the upper surface blown (USB), where the jet flow is attached on the upper surface of the wing and directed downwards. Towards the goal of developing scaling laws to predict unsteady loads imposed on the structural components of these STOL aircraft from small model tests, the near field fluctuating pressure behavior for the simplified cases of a round free cold jet and the same jet impinging on a flat plate was investigated. Examples are given of coherences, phase lags (giving convection velocities), and overall fluctuating pressure levels measured. The fluctuating pressure levels measured on the flat plate are compared to surface fluctuating pressure levels measured on full-scale powered-lift configuration models.

Schroeder, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Exact solution of the Lifshitz equations governing the growth of fluctuations in cosmology

The exact solution of the Lifshitz equations governing the cosmological evolution of an initial fluctuation is presented. Lifshitz results valid for squares of the sound velocity equal to zero and 1/3 are extended in closed form to any equation of state where the pressure equals the total energy density times the square of the sound velocity. The solutions embody all the results found previously for special cases of the square of the sound velocity. It is found that the growth of any initial fluctuation is only an exponential function of time with an exponent of not more than 4/3 and is insufficient to produce galaxies unless the initial fluctuation is very large. A possible way to produce very large initial fluctuations by modifying the equation of state by including gravitational interactions is also examined. It is found that a phase transition can occur at baryonic density of 1 nucleon per cubic Planck length or equivalently, at a time of about 10 to the -43rd power sec. At those early times, the masses allowed by causality requirements are too small to be of interest in galaxy formation.

Adams, P. J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Surface-pressure fluctuations associated with aerodynamic noise on the space shuttle launch configuration at transonic and supersonic speeds

A 0.035-scale space shuttle model was recently tested at Ames Research Center to define the fluctuating surface pressures during the launch phase of the full-scale vehicle. A 120-channel data acquisition and reduction system was employed to obtain fluctuating pressure measurements from 240 pressure transducers in two separate data passes. Time histories from all transducers were recorded on four 32-track FM tape recorders. A minicomputer was used to compute and record on-line rms values, the fluctuating pressure coefficient, and full-scale dB levels. The minicomputer also partially controlled the test conditions and fully controlled all data acquisition sequences, thus greatly improving the efficiency of test operations. This paper presents details of the tests and illustrates the fluctuating pressures that will occur on the space shuttle and launch vehicle.

Hanly, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Effects of stream-associated fluctuations upon the radial variation of average solar wind parameters

A numerical MHD model in both spherically symmetric time-dependent and corotating equatorial flow approximations is used to compute the effects of nonlinear fluctuations due to solar wind streams upon radial gradients of average solar wind parameters. Significant effects of correlations between fluctuations on the gradients of azimuthal magnetic field, radial velocity, density, and azimuthal velocity are found. It is found that nonlinear fluctuations are a significant effect in determining the radial gradients of the solar wind at distances as small as 0.2 AU; at distances greater than 1 AU, nonlinear fluctuations dominate the behavior of the radial gradients.

Goldstein, B. E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Parametric modeling of low-frequency water-vapor-induced tropospheric path length fluctuations

Detailed wet tropospheric fluctuation information is presented in support of proposals to search for gravitational waves in ultra-precise Doppler data. The similarities between the solar wind and tropospheric effects on apparent signal path length are used to hypothesize a parametric model for low-frequency wet tropospheric path length fluctuation. Experimental observations of wet tropospheric signal delay fluctuations are interpreted as confirmation of this parametric form. The model is used to suggest the appropriate conditions for collection of experimental tropospheric fluctuation data.

Berman, A. L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Investigation of surface fluctuating pressures on a 1/4 scale YC-14 upper surface blown flap model

Fluctuating pressures were measured at 30 positions on the surface of a 1/4-scale YC-14 wing and fuselage model during an outdoor static testing program. These data were obtained as part of a NASA program to study the fluctuating loads imposed on STOL aircraft configurations and to further the understanding of the scaling laws of unsteady surface pressure fields. Fluctuating pressure data were recorded at several discrete engine thrust settings for each of 16 configurations of the model. These data were reduced using the technique of random data analysis to obtain auto-and cross-spectral density functions and coherence functions for frequencies from 0 to 10 kHz, and cross-correlation functions for time delays from 0 to 10.24 ms. Results of this program provide the following items of particular interest: (1) Good collapse of normalized PSD functions on the USB flap was found using a technique applied by Lilley and Hodgson to data from a laboratory wall-jet apparatus. (2) Results indicate that the fluctuating pressure loading on surfaces washed by the jet exhaust flow was dominated by hydrodynamic pressure variations, loading on surface well outside the flow region dominated by acoustic pressure variations, and loading near the flow boundaries from a mixture of the two.

Pappa, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Effects of sound level fluctuations on annoyance caused by aircraft-flyover noise

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effects of variations in the rate and magnitude of sound level fluctuations on the annoyance caused by aircraft-flyover noise. The effects of tonal content, noise duration, and sound pressure level on annoyance were also studied. An aircraft-noise synthesis system was used to synthesize 32 aircraft-flyover noise stimuli representing the factorial combinations of 2 tone conditions, 2 noise durations, 2 sound pressure levels, 2 level fluctuation rates, and 2 level fluctuation magnitudes. Thirty-two test subjects made annoyance judgements on a total of 64 stimuli in a subjective listening test facility simulating an outdoor acoustic environment. Variations in the rate and magnitude of level fluctuations were found to have little, if any, effect on annoyance. Tonal content, noise duration, sound pressure level, and the interaction of tonal content with sound pressure level were found to affect the judged annoyance significantly. The addition of tone corrections and/or duration corrections significantly improved the annoyance prediction ability of noise rating scales.

Mccurdy, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Association between magnetic field fluctuations and energetic particle bursts in the earth's magnetotail

The association between energetic protons (0.29-0.50 MeV) and simultaneous local fluctuations of magnetic field at 35 to 45 earth radii in the magnetotail is examined statistically with data from APL/JHU particle telescopes aboard IMP 7 and IMP 8. About four satellite years of 5.5 min averaged measurements are used in this study. In addition to confirming that the level of magnetic field fluctuations generally increases with the presence of energetic protons and their streaming anisotropy, it is found that increases in occurrence frequency of streaming of energetic protons are ordered far better by magnetic field fluctuations than by proximity to the neutral sheet. However, the presence of large magnetic field fluctuations (delta B greater than 5 nT or delta B/B greater than 50%) is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the detection of large streaming in energetic protons.

Lui, A. T. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Direct comparison of Viking 2.3-GHz signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density between 2 and 160 solar radii

The relationship between solar wind induced signal phase fluctuation and solar wind columnar electron density has been the subject of intensive analysis during the last two decades. In this article, a sizeable volume of 2.3-GHz signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density measurements separately and concurrently inferred from Viking spacecraft signals are compared as a function of solar geometry. These data demonstrate that signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density are proportional over a very wide span of solar elongation angle. A radially dependent electron density model which provides a good fit to the columnar electron density measurements and, when appropriately scaled, to the signal phase fluctuation measurements, is given. This model is also in good agreement with K-coronameter observations at 2 solar radii (2r0), with pulsar time delay measurements at 10r0, and with spacecraft in situ electron density measurements at 1 AU.

Berman, A. L.↗