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NASA NTRS1993

Eddy mixing coefficient values derived from simulations with the NASA Ames Mars GCM

Values of eddy mixing coefficients, especially that for vertical mixing, are of particular importance for various photochemical models of the Mars atmosphere, which are either globally or zonally averaged. These models represent atmospheric transport processes in terms of eddy diffusion. While this is not appropriate for the advective transport by the mean meridional circulation (in general, a part of the eddy diffusion tensor actually does represent advection--a 'correction' to the Eulerian-mean circulation), it can be applied to simulate both the small- and larger-scale eddy transports of an atmospheric constituent. An effort is underway to estimate values of the eddy mixing coefficients for the Mars atmosphere using circulation data generated with the NASA Ames Mars GCM. This model simulates the three-dimensional winds in the atmosphere, and these are then used as inputs for a tracer transport model. The latter model has previously been used in interactive dust transport experiments with the Ames GCM. Idealized tracer transport experiments, with a conservative or nearly conservative hypothetical tracer, are performed to generate data from which the eddy diffusion coefficients can be estimated. Carrying out matched pairs of tracer experiments, using two very different initial states, permits all four components of the diffusion tensor to be determined. A large number of GCM experiments have been conducted, spanning a range of seasons and atmospheric dust loading, allowing the eddy mixing coefficients to be estimated for a variety of atmospheric conditions.

Barnes, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1994

A random distribution reacting mixing layer model

A methodology for simulation of molecular mixing, and the resulting velocity and temperature fields has been developed. The ideas are applied to the flow conditions present in the NASA Lewis Research Center Planar Reacting Shear Layer (PRSL) facility, and results compared to experimental data. A gaussian transverse turbulent velocity distribution is used in conjunction with a linearly increasing time scale to describe the mixing of different regions of the flow. Equilibrium reaction calculations are then performed on the mix to arrive at a new species composition and temperature. Velocities are determined through summation of momentum contributions. The analysis indicates a combustion efficiency of the order of 80 percent for the reacting mixing layer, and a turbulent Schmidt number of 2/3. The success of the model is attributed to the simulation of large-scale transport of fluid. The favorable comparison shows that a relatively quick and simple PC calculation is capable of simulating the basic flow structure in the reacting and nonreacting shear layer present in the facility given basic assumptions about turbulence properties.

Jones, Richard A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Crossflow Mixing of Noncircular Jets

An experimental investigation has been conducted of the isothermal mixing of a turbulent jet injected perpendicular to a uniform crossflow through several different types of sharp-edged orifices. Jet penetration and mixing was studied using planar Mie scattering to measure time-averaged mixture fraction distributions of circular, square, elliptical, and rectangular orifices of equal geometric area injected into a constant velocity crossflow. Hot-wire anemometry was also used to measure streamwise turbulence intensity distributions at several downstream planes. Mixing effectiveness was determined using (1) a spatial unmixedness parameter based on the variance of the mean jet concentration distributions and (2) by direct comparison of the planar distributions of concentration and of turbulence intensity. No significant difference in mixing performance was observed for the six configurations based on comparison of the mean properties.

Liscinsky, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Jet Mixing and Emission Characteristics of Transverse Jets in Annular and Cylindrical Confined Crossflow

Three dimensional turbulent reacting CFD analyses were performed on transverse jets injected into annular and cylindrical (can) confined crossflows. The goal was to identify and assess mixing differences between annular and can geometries. The approach taken was to optimize both annular and can configurations by systematically varying orifice spacing until lowest emissions were achieved, and then compare the results. Numerical test conditions consisted of a jet-to-mainstream mass-flow ratio of 3.2 and a jet-to-mainstream momentum-flux ratio (J) of 30. The computational results showed that the optimized geometries had similar emission levels at the exit of the mixing section although the annular configuration did mix-out faster. For lowest emissions, the density correlation parameter (C = (S/H) square root of J) was 2.35 for the annular geometry and 3.5 for the can geometry. For the annular geometry, the constant was about twice the value seen for jet mixing at low mass-flow ratios (i.e., MR less than 0.5). For the can geometry, the constant was about 1 1/2 times the value seen for low mass-flow ratios.

Bain, D. B.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Jet Mixing in a Reacting Cylindrical Crossflow

This paper addresses the mixing of air jets into the hot, fuel-rich products of a gas turbine primary zone. The mixing, as a result, occurs in a reacting environment with chemical conversion and substantial heat release. The geometry is a crossflow confined in a cylindrical duct with side-wall injection of jets issuing from round orifices. A specially designed reactor, operating on propane, presents a uniform mixture without swirl to mixing modules consisting of 8, 9, 10, and 12 holes at a momentum-flux ratio of 57 and a jet-to-mainstream mass-flow ratio of 2.5. Concentrations of O2, CO2, CO, and HC are obtained upstream, downstream, and within the orifice plane. O2 profiles indicate jet penetration while CO2, CO, and HC profiles depict the extent of reaction. Jet penetration is observed to be a function of the number of orifices and is found to affect the mixing in the reacting system. The results demonstrate that one module (the 12-hole) produces near-optimal penetration defined here as a jet penetration closest to the module half-radius, and hence the best uniform mixture at a plane one duct radius from the orifice leading edge.

Leong, M. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Climatology of large-scale isentropic mixing in the Arctic winter stratosphere from analyzed winds

Dynamic isolation of the winter Arctic circumpolar vortex is studied using analyzed winds derived from geopotential height fields. Isentropic trajectories are calculated for assemblages of particles initialized on uniform latitude-longitude grids. Transport across isolines of Ertel potential vorticity (PV) is used to characterize the mixing processes of ejection of vortex air and entrainment of midlatitude air into the vortex. During January and February a barrier to mixing, where exchange of air is inhibited, typically forms near the vortex boundary. At 450 K, transport across the barrier is predominantly in the form of thin filaments of particles ejected from the vortex. These filaments tend to wrap around the vortex, creating a layered structure of vortex and midlatitude air at the vortex edge. Near or total splits of the vortex into two or more distinct vortex fragments are quite common based on these trajectory calculations. Significant entrainment deep into the vortex is rare and results from only a limited number of the splitting events. During December and March the mixing barrier is less evident due to nonconservative factors during the spin-up and breakdown of the vortex, respectively. In December both ejection and entrainment are only weakly inhibited by the mixing barrier. Exchange in March is dominated by ejection of air from the vortex.

Dahlberg, Steven P.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Significance of shock structure on supersonic jet mixing noise of axisymmetric nozzles

One of the key technical elements in NASA's high speed research program is reducing the noise level to meet the federal noise regulation. The dominant noise source is associated with the supersonic jet discharged from the engine exhaust system. Whereas the turbulence mixing is largely responsible for the generation of the jet noise, a broadband shock-associated noise is also generated when the nozzle operates at conditions other than its design. For both mixing and shock noise components, because the source of the noise is embedded in the jet plume, one can expect that jet noise can be predicted from the jet flowfield computation. Mani et al. developed a unified aerodynamic/acoustic prediction scheme by applying an extension of Reichardt's aerodynamic model to compute turbulent shear stresses which are utilized in estimating the strength of the noise source. Although this method produces a fast and practical estimate of the jet noise, a modification by Khavaran et al. has led to an improvement in aerodynamic solution. The most notable feature in this work is that Reichardt's model is replaced with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solution of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The major advantage of this work is that the essential, noise-related flow quantities such as turbulence intensity and shock strength can be better predicted. The predictions were limited to a shock-free design condition and the effect of shock structure on the jet mixing noise was not addressed. The present work is aimed at investigating this issue. Under imperfectly expanded conditions the existence of the shock cell structure and its interaction with the convecting turbulence structure may not only generate a broadband shock-associated noise but also change the turbulence structure, and thus the strength of the mixing noise source. Failure in capturing shock structures properly could lead to incorrect aeroacoustic predictions.

Kim, Chan M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Facility design consideration for continuous mix production of class 1.3 propellant

In November of 1989, NASA awarded the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) contract to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (LMSC) for production of advanced solid rocket motors using the continuous mix process. Aerojet ASRM division (AAD) was selected as the facility operator and RUST International Corporation provided the engineering, procurement, and construction management services. The continuous mix process mandates that the mix and cast facilities be 'close-coupled' along with the premix facilities, creating unique and challenging requirements for the facility designer. The classical approach to handling energetic materials-division into manageable quantities, segregation, and isolation-was not available due to these process requirements and quantities involved. This paper provides a description of the physical facilities, the continuous mix process, and discusses the monitoring and detection techniques used to mitigate hazards and prevent an incident.

Williamson, K. L.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Influence of Geometry and Flow Variation on Jet Mixing and NO Formation in a Model Staged Combustor Mixer with Eight Orifices

A series of non-reacting parametric experiments was conducted to investigate the effect of geometric and flow variations on mixing of cold jets in an axis-symmetric, heated cross flow. The confined, cylindrical geometries tested represent the quick mix region of a Rich-Burn/Quick-Mix/Lean-Burn (RQL) combustor. The experiments show that orifice geometry and jet to mainstream momentum-flux ratio significantly impact the mixing characteristic of jets in a cylindrical cross stream. A computational code was used to extrapolate the results of the non-reacting experiments to reacting conditions in order to examine the nitric oxide (NO) formation potential of the configurations examined. The results show that the rate of NO formation is highest immediately downstream of the injection plane. For a given momentum-flux ratio, the orifice geometry that mixes effectively in both the immediate vicinity of the injection plane, and in the wall regions at downstream locations, has the potential to produce the lowest NO emissions. The results suggest that further study may not necessarily lead to a universal guideline for designing a low NO mixer. Instead, an assessment of each application may be required to determine the optimum combination of momentum-flux ratio and orifice geometry to minimize NO formation. Experiments at reacting conditions are needed to verify the present results.

Samuelsen, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Effects of Inlet Flow Conditions on Crossflow Jet Mixing

An experimental investigation of the effects of mainstream turbulence, mainstream swirl and non-symmetric mass addition has been conducted for the isothermal mixing of multiple jets injected into a confined rectangular crossflow. Jet penetration and mixing in the near field was studied using planar Mie scattering to measure time-averaged mixture fraction distributions. Orifice configurations were used that were optimized for mixing performance based on previous experimental and computational results for a homogeneous approach flow. Mixing effectiveness, determined using a spatial unmixedness parameter based on the variance of the mean jet concentration distributions, was found to be minimally affected by free-stream turbulence but significantly influenced by the addition of swirl to the mainstream. The results for non-symmetric mass addition indicate that the concentration distribution of the flowfield can be tailored if desired.

Liscinsky, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1996

A Mixed Finite Volume Element Method for Flow Calculations in Porous Media

A key ingredient in the simulation of flow in porous media is the accurate determination of the velocities that drive the flow. The large scale irregularities of the geology, such as faults, fractures, and layers suggest the use of irregular grids in the simulation. Work has been done in applying the finite volume element (FVE) methodology as developed by McCormick in conjunction with mixed methods which were developed by Raviart and Thomas. The resulting mixed finite volume element discretization scheme has the potential to generate more accurate solutions than standard approaches. The focus of this paper is on a multilevel algorithm for solving the discrete mixed FVE equations. The algorithm uses a standard cell centered finite difference scheme as the 'coarse' level and the more accurate mixed FVE scheme as the 'fine' level. The algorithm appears to have potential as a fast solver for large size simulations of flow in porous media.

Jim E Jones↗

NASA NTRS1998

Mixing of Supersonic Streams

The Strutjet approach to Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion depends upon fuel-rich flows from the rocket nozzles and turbine exhaust products mixing with the ingested air for successful operation in the ramjet and scramjet modes. A model of the Strutjet device has been built and is undergoing test to investigate the mixing of the streams as a function of distance from the Strutjet exit plane. Initial cold flow testing of the model is underway to determine both, the behavior of the ingested air in the duct and to validate the mixing diagnostics. During the tests, each of the two rocket nozzles ejected up to two pounds mass per second into the 13.6 square inch duct. The tests showed that the mass flow of the rockets was great enough to cause the entrained air to go sonic at the strut, which is the location of the rocket nozzles. More tests are necessary to determine whether the entrained air chokes due to the reduction in the area of the duct at the strut (a physical choke), or because of the addition of mass inside the duct at the nozzle exit (a Fabri choke). The initial tests of the mixing diagnostics are showing promise.

Hawk, Clark W.↗

NASA NTRS1997

A Modified Linear-Mixing Method for Calculating Atmospheric Path Radiances of Aerosol Mixtures

The top-of-atmosphere (TOA) path radiance generated by an aerosol mixture can be synthesized by linearly adding the contributions of the individual aerosol components, weighted by their fractional optical depths. The method, known as linear mixing, is exact in the single-scattering limit. When multiple scattering is significant, the method reproduces the atmospheric path radiance of the mixture with less than 3% errors for weakly absorbing aerosols up to optical thickness of 0.5. However, when strongly absorbing aerosols are included in the mixture, the errors are much larger. This is due to neglecting the effect of multiple interactions between the aerosol components, especially when the values of the single-scattering albedos of these components are so different that the parameter e = the sum of f(sub i)[(bar)omega(sub i) - (bar)omega(sub mix)]/(bar)omega(sub i) is larger than approximately 0.1, where (bar)omega(sub i)and f(sub i) are the single-scattering albedo and the fractional abundance of the ith component, and (bar)omega(sub mix) is the effective single-scattering albedo of the Mixture. We describe an empirical, modified linear-mixing method which effectively accounts for the multiple interactions between aerosol components. The modified and standard methods are identical when epsilon = 0.0 and give similar results when epsilon is less than or equal to 0.05. For optical depths larger than approximately 0.5, or when epsilon is greater than 0.05, only the modified method can reproduce the radiances within 5% error for common aerosol types up to optical thickness of 2.0. Because this method facilitates efficient and accurate atmospheric path radiance calculations for mixtures of a wide variety of aerosol types, it will be used as part of the aerosol retrieval methodology for the Earth Observing System (EOS) multiangle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR), scheduled for launch into polar orbit in 1998.

Abdou, W. A.↗

NASA NTRS1998

A Study of Fixed-Order Mixed Norm Designs for a Benchmark Problem in Structural Control

This study investigates the use of H2, p-synthesis, and mixed H2/mu methods to construct full-order controllers and optimized controllers of fixed dimensions. The benchmark problem definition is first extended to include uncertainty within the controller bandwidth in the form of parametric uncertainty representative of uncertainty in the natural frequencies of the design model. The sensitivity of H2 design to unmodelled dynamics and parametric uncertainty is evaluated for a range of controller levels of authority. Next, mu-synthesis methods are applied to design full-order compensators that are robust to both unmodelled dynamics and to parametric uncertainty. Finally, a set of mixed H2/mu compensators are designed which are optimized for a fixed compensator dimension. These mixed norm designs recover the H, design performance levels while providing the same levels of robust stability as the u designs. It is shown that designing with the mixed norm approach permits higher levels of controller authority for which the H, designs are destabilizing. The benchmark problem is that of an active tendon system. The controller designs are all based on the use of acceleration feedback.

Whorton, Mark S.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Mixing of Supersonic Streams

The Strutjet approach to Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion depends upon fuel-rich flows from the rocket nozzles and turbine exhaust products mixing with the ingested air for successful operation in the ramjet and scramjet modes. It is desirable to delay this mixing process in the air-augmented mode of operation present during low speed flight. A model of the Strutjet device has been built and is undergoing test to investigate the mixing of the streams as a function of distance from the Strutjet exit plane during simulate low speed flight conditions. Cold flow testing of a 1/6 scale Strutjet model is underway and nearing completion. Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) diagnostic methods are being employed to observe the mixing of the turbine exhaust gas with the gases from both the primary rockets and the ingested air simulating low speed, air augmented operation of the RBCC. These diagnostics are supplemented by pressure profile measurements across the various jet streams present in the flow duct downstream of the model exit plane. The results of these experiments will be presented.

Hawk, Clark W.↗

NASA NTRS1999

The Effect of Air Preheat at Atmospheric Pressure on the Formation of NO(x) in the Quick-Mix Sections of an Axially Staged Combustor

The Rich-burn/Quick-mix/Lean-burn (RQL) combustor concept has been proposed to minimize the formation of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) in gas turbine systems. The success of this combustor strategy is dependent upon the efficiency of the mixing section bridging the fuel-rich and fuel-lean stages. Note that although these results were obtained from an experiment designed to study an RQL mixer, the link between mixing and NOx signatures is considerably broader than this application, in that the need to understand this link exists in most advanced combustors. The experiment reported herein was designed to study the effects of inlet air temperature on NO(x) formation in a mixing section. The results indicate that NO(x) emission is increased for all preheated cases compared to non-preheated cases. When comparing the various mixing modules, the affect of jet penetration is important, as this determines where NO(x) concentrations peak, and affects overall NO(x) production. Although jet air comprises 70 percent of the total airflow, the impact that jet air preheat has on overall NO(x) emissions is small compared to preheating both main and jet air flow.

Vardakas, M. A.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Fuel Plume Image Mixing Analysis Formulation With Proper Treatment of Non-Constant Velocity Flowfields

A previously developed technique allows an estimate of integral mixing to be obtained from an image of laser scattered light from particle seeded fuel in the hypervelocity flow through a scramjet combustor. This previous mixing analysis formulation contains an assumption of a constant velocity flowfield across the plane of the fuel plume image. For high-speed scramjet combustors, the velocity flowfield is quite uniform and an assumption of constant velocity works well. Applying this same mixing analysis technique to fuel plume images obtained from a mid-speed scramjet combustor makes it desirable to remove the constant velocity assumption. This is due to the non-uniform velocity flowfields present in mid-speed scramjet combustors. A new formulation of the mixing analysis methodology is developed and presented so that the technique can be applied to a mid-speed scramjet combustor without the need to assume a constant velocity flowfield.

Mekkes, Gregory L.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Fixed-Order Mixed Norm Designs for Building Vibration Control

This study investigates the use of H2, mu-synthesis, and mixed H2/mu methods to construct full order controllers and optimized controllers of fixed dimensions. The benchmark problem definition is first extended to include uncertainty within the controller bandwidth in the form of parametric uncertainty representative of uncertainty in the natural frequencies of the design model. The sensitivity of H2 design to unmodeled dynamics and parametric uncertainty is evaluated for a range of controller levels of authority. Next, mu-synthesis methods are applied to design full order compensators that are robust to both unmodeled dynamics and to parametric uncertainty. Finally, a set of mixed H2/mu compensators are designed which are optimized for a fixed compensator dimension. These mixed norm designs recover the H2 design performance levels while providing the same levels of robust stability as the mu designs. It is shown that designing with the mixed norm approach permits higher levels of controller authority for which the H2 designs are destabilizing. The benchmark problem is that of an active tendon system. The controller designs are all based on the use of acceleration feedback.

Whorton, Mark S.↗