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At least 307 records · Page 17

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NASA NTRS1999

Computational Analysis of Compressibility Effects on a High-Lift Wing

The objective of this study was to investigate compressibility effects on a high-lift flowfield by simulating the flow about a three-dimensional multi-element wing. The computations were performed by solving both the incompressible and compressible Navier-Stokes equations (using the INS3D and OVERFLOW codes) on structured, overset grids. Turbulence was modeled via the one-equation, fully turbulent Spalart-Allmaras model. The computational results were validated with surface pressure measurements acquired at the NASA Ames 7- by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel. The geometry used for all computations consisted of an unswept wing in a landing configuration with a half-span flap and a three-quarter-span slat mounted inside a rectangular duct approximating the wind tunnel walls. The solutions were carefully examined to account for effects due to differences in algorithms. Compressibility effects were demonstrated by comparing surface particle traces, sectional pressure coefficient and boundary layer profile plots. It was found that small regions of compressibility near the slat and main-element leading edge can largely impact the flow. Even small compressibility regions can have significant global effects on the circulation and separation of each of the high-lift elements.

Baker, M. David↗

NASA NTRS2003

Computational Study of Fluidic Thrust Vectoring using Separation Control in a Nozzle

Deere, Karen↗

NASA NTRS2003

Performance Trades Study for Robust Airfoil Shape Optimization

From time to time, existing aircraft need to be redesigned for new missions with modified operating conditions such as required lift or cruise speed. This research is motivated by the needs of conceptual and preliminary design teams for smooth airfoil shapes that are similar to the baseline design but have improved drag performance over a range of flight conditions. The proposed modified profile optimization method (MPOM) modifies a large number of design variables to search for nonintuitive performance improvements, while avoiding off-design performance degradation. Given a good initial design, the MPOM generates fairly smooth airfoils that are better than the baseline without making drastic shape changes. Moreover, the MPOM allows users to gain valuable information by exploring performance trades over various design conditions. Four simulation cases of airfoil optimization in transonic viscous ow are included to demonstrate the usefulness of the MPOM as a performance trades study tool. Simulation results are obtained by solving fully turbulent Navier-Stokes equations and the corresponding discrete adjoint equations using an unstructured grid computational fluid dynamics code FUN2D.

Li, Wu↗

NASA NTRS2005

A Computational Study of a New Dual Throat Fluidic Thrust Vectoring Nozzle Concept

A computational investigation of a two-dimensional nozzle was completed to assess the use of fluidic injection to manipulate flow separation and cause thrust vectoring of the primary jet thrust. The nozzle was designed with a recessed cavity to enhance the throat shifting method of fluidic thrust vectoring. Several design cycles with the structured-grid, computational fluid dynamics code PAB3D and with experiments in the NASA Langley Research Center Jet Exit Test Facility have been completed to guide the nozzle design and analyze performance. This paper presents computational results on potential design improvements for best experimental configuration tested to date. Nozzle design variables included cavity divergence angle, cavity convergence angle and upstream throat height. Pulsed fluidic injection was also investigated for its ability to decrease mass flow requirements. Internal nozzle performance (wind-off conditions) and thrust vector angles were computed for several configurations over a range of nozzle pressure ratios from 2 to 7, with the fluidic injection flow rate equal to 3 percent of the primary flow rate. Computational results indicate that increasing cavity divergence angle beyond 10 is detrimental to thrust vectoring efficiency, while increasing cavity convergence angle from 20 to 30 improves thrust vectoring efficiency at nozzle pressure ratios greater than 2, albeit at the expense of discharge coefficient. Pulsed injection was no more efficient than steady injection for the Dual Throat Nozzle concept.

Deere, Karen A.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Flow Regime Based Climatologies of Lightning Probabilities for Spaceports and Airports

Objective: provide forecasters with a "first guess" climatological lightning probability tool (1) Focus on Space Shuttle landings and NWS T AFs (2) Four circles around sites: 5-, 10-, 20- and 30 n mi (4) Three time intervals: hourly, every 3 hr and every 6 hr It is based on: (1) NLDN gridded data (2) Flow regime (3) Warm season months of May-Sep for years 1989-2004 Gridded data and available code yields squares, not circles Over 850 spread sheets converted into manageable user-friendly web-based GUI

Bauman, William H., III↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Turbulent Simulations of Cooling Jets in Crossflow

Turbulent flow simulations were completed of the THX-III single hole film cooling experiment performed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). Two different Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) approaches were completed along with a RANS based study. The first LES approach utilizes the Flux Reconstruction (FR) based finite element code GFR, while the second approach makes use of the compact difference solver FDL3DI. Both LES codes were run on grids larger than 1.5 Billion degrees of freedom (DoF). The RANS simulations used FUN3D and included a grid convergence as a turbulence closure study. A summary of the computational approaches and key findings are presented along with the experimental measurements. Significant progress has been made towards the completion of this work, as all but one simulation have been completed. The preliminary findings have shown the LES approaches have excellent agreement with each other, and closely follow the trends of the experiment. The Reynolds stress RANS closure, while the best of the RANS results, had difficulty matching the results of the LES and experimental measurements.

High-Order Methods↗

NASA NTRS1988

Three-dimensional elliptic grid generation for an F-16

A case history depicting the effort to generate a computational grid for the simulation of transonic flow about an F-16 aircraft at realistic flight conditions is presented. The flow solver for which this grid is designed is a zonal one, using the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations near the surface of the aircraft, and the Euler equations in regions removed from the aircraft. A body conforming global grid, suitable for the Euler equation, is first generated using 3-D Poisson equations having inhomogeneous terms modeled after the 2-D GRAPE code. Regions of the global grid are then designated for zonal refinement as appropriate to accurately model the flow physics. Grid spacing suitable for solution of the Navier-Stokes equations is generated in the refinement zones by simple subdivision of the given coarse grid intervals. That grid generation project is described, with particular emphasis on the global coarse grid.

Reese L. Sorenson↗

NASA NTRS2002

Aerodynamic Database Development for Mars Smart Lander Vehicle Configurations

An aerodynamic database has been generated for the Mars Smart Lander Shelf-All configuration using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Three different CFD codes, USM3D and FELISA, based on unstructured grid technology and LAURA, an established and validated structured CFD code, were used. As part of this database development, the results for the Mars continuum were validated with experimental data and comparisons made where applicable. The validation of USM3D and LAURA with the Unitary experimental data, the use of intermediate LAURA check analyses, as well as the validation of FELISA with the Mach 6 CF(sub 4) experimental data provided a higher confidence in the ability for CFD to provide aerodynamic data in order to determine the static trim characteristics for longitudinal stability. The analyses of the noncontinuum regime showed the existence of multiple trim angles of attack that can be unstable or stable trim points. This information is needed to design guidance controller throughout the trajectory.

Bobskill, Glenn J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Optimal Padding for the Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform

One-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) operations work fastest on grids whose size is divisible by a power of two. Because of this, padding grids (that are not already sized to a power of two) so that their size is the next highest power of two can speed up operations. While this works well for one-dimensional grids, it does not work well for two-dimensional grids. For a two-dimensional grid, there are certain pad sizes that work better than others. Therefore, the need exists to generalize a strategy for determining optimal pad sizes. There are three steps in the FFT algorithm. The first is to perform a one-dimensional transform on each row in the grid. The second step is to transpose the resulting matrix. The third step is to perform a one-dimensional transform on each row in the resulting grid. Steps one and three both benefit from padding the row to the next highest power of two, but the second step needs a novel approach. An algorithm was developed that struck a balance between optimizing the grid pad size with prime factors that are small (which are optimal for one-dimensional operations), and with prime factors that are large (which are optimal for two-dimensional operations). This algorithm optimizes based on average run times, and is not fine-tuned for any specific application. It increases the amount of times that processor-requested data is found in the set-associative processor cache. Cache retrievals are 4-10 times faster than conventional memory retrievals. The tested implementation of the algorithm resulted in faster execution times on all platforms tested, but with varying sized grids. This is because various computer architectures process commands differently. The test grid was 512 512. Using a 540 540 grid on a Pentium V processor, the code ran 30 percent faster. On a PowerPC, a 256x256 grid worked best. A Core2Duo computer preferred either a 1040x1040 (15 percent faster) or a 1008x1008 (30 percent faster) grid. There are many industries that can benefit from this algorithm, including optics, image-processing, signal-processing, and engineering applications.

Dean, Bruce H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Interactive grid generation for turbomachinery flow field simulations

The control point form of algebraic grid generation presented provides the means that are needed to generate well structured grids for turbomachinery flow simulations. It uses a sparse collection of control points distributed over the flow domain. The shape and position of coordinate curves can be adjusted from these control points while the grid conforms precisely to all boundaries. An interactive program called TURBO, which uses the control point form, is being developed. Basic features of the code are discussed and sample grids are presented. A finite volume LU implicit scheme is used to simulate flow in a turbine cascade on the grid generated by the program.

Choo, Yung K.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Interactive grid generation for turbomachinery flow field simulations

The control point form of algebraic grid generation presented provides the means that are needed to generate well structured grids of turbomachinery flow simulations. It uses a sparse collection of control points distributed over the flow domain. The shape and position of coordinate curves can be adjusted from these control points while the grid conforms precisely to all boundaries. An interactive program called TURBO, which uses the control point form, is being developed. Basic features of the code are discussed and sample grids are presented. A finite volume LU implicit scheme is used to simulate flow in a turbine cascade on the grid generated by the program.

Choo, Yung K.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Time-Dependent Simulation of Incompressible Flow in a Turbopump Using Overset Grid Approach

This paper reports the progress being made towards complete unsteady turbopump simulation capability by using overset grid systems. A computational model of a turbo-pump impeller is used as a test case for the performance evaluation of the MPI, hybrid MPI/Open-MP, and MLP versions of the INS3D code. Relative motion of the grid system for rotor-stator interaction was obtained by employing overset grid techniques. Unsteady computations for a turbo-pump, which contains 114 zones with 34.3 Million grid points, are performed on Origin 2000 systems at NASA Ames Research Center. The approach taken for these simulations, and the performance of the parallel versions of the code are presented.

Kiris, Cetin↗

NASA NTRS1991

Euler/experiment correlations of sonic boom pressure signatures

The ability of inviscid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes to compute sonic boom pressure signatures is examined using three different codes that solve the Euler equations of fluid flow on structured hexahedral and unstructured tetrahedral grids. The results of these Euler codes were evaluated by comparing the computed pressure signatures with near-field experimental data. The computational pressure signatures were determined at distances of one body length or less below the configuration in the plane of symmetry and extrapolated to experimental distances. The extrapolated CFD pressure signatures gave acceptable correlations with experimental data, provided that fine grids were used near the surface and downstream of the configuration.

Cliff, Susan E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Simulation of complex three-dimensional flows

The concept of splitting is used extensively to simulate complex three dimensional flows on modern computer architectures. Used in all aspects, from initial grid generation to the determination of the final converged solution, splitting is used to enhance code vectorization, to permit solution driven grid adaption and grid enrichment, to permit the use of concurrent processing, and to enhance data flow through hierarchal memory systems. Three examples are used to illustrate these concepts to complex three dimensional flow fields: (1) interactive flow over a bump; (2) supersonic flow past a blunt based conical afterbody at incidence to a free stream and containing a centered propulsive jet; and (3) supersonic flow past a sharp leading edge delta wing at incidence to the free stream.

Diewert, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Unsteady Turbopump Flow Simulations

The objective of the current effort is two-fold: 1) to provide a computational framework for design and analysis of the entire fuel supply system of a liquid rocket engine; and 2) to provide high-fidelity unsteady turbopump flow analysis capability to support the design of pump sub-systems for advanced space transportation vehicle. Since the space launch systems in the near future are likely to involve liquid propulsion system, increasing the efficiency and reliability of the turbopump components is an important task. To date, computational tools for design/analysis of turbopump flow are based on relatively lower fidelity methods. Unsteady, three-dimensional viscous flow analysis tool involving stationary and rotational components for the entire turbopump assembly has not been available, at least, for real-world engineering applications. Present effort is an attempt to provide this capability so that developers of the vehicle will be able to extract such information as transient flow phenomena for start up, impact of non-uniform inflow, system vibration and impact on the structure. Those quantities are not readily available from simplified design tools. In this presentation, the progress being made toward complete turbo-pump simulation capability for a liquid rocket engine is reported. Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) turbo-pump is used as a test case for the performance evaluation of the hybrid MPI/Open-MP and MLP versions of the INS3D code. Relative motion of the grid system for rotor-stator interaction was obtained by employing overset grid techniques. Time-accuracy of the scheme has been evaluated by using simple test cases. Unsteady computations for SSME turbopump, which contains 106 zones with 34.5 Million grid points, are currently underway on Origin 2000 systems at NASA Ames Research Center. Results from these time-accurate simulations with moving boundary capability and the performance of the parallel versions of the code will be presented.

Centin, Kiris C.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Aeroacoustic Simulation of Nose Landing Gear on Adaptive Unstructured Grids With FUN3D

Numerical simulations have been performed for a partially-dressed, cavity-closed nose landing gear configuration that was tested in NASA Langley s closed-wall Basic Aerodynamic Research Tunnel (BART) and in the University of Florida's open-jet acoustic facility known as the UFAFF. The unstructured-grid flow solver FUN3D, developed at NASA Langley Research center, is used to compute the unsteady flow field for this configuration. Starting with a coarse grid, a series of successively finer grids were generated using the adaptive gridding methodology available in the FUN3D code. A hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/large eddy simulation (RANS/LES) turbulence model is used for these computations. Time-averaged and instantaneous solutions obtained on these grids are compared with the measured data. In general, the correlation with the experimental data improves with grid refinement. A similar trend is observed for sound pressure levels obtained by using these CFD solutions as input to a FfowcsWilliams-Hawkings noise propagation code to compute the farfield noise levels. In general, the numerical solutions obtained on adapted grids compare well with the hand-tuned enriched fine grid solutions and experimental data. In addition, the grid adaption strategy discussed here simplifies the grid generation process, and results in improved computational efficiency of CFD simulations.

Vatsa, Veer N.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Performance and Applications of ENSAERO-MPI on Scalable Components

The latest improvements and results generated by ENSAERO-MPI are presented in this paper. ENSAERO-MPI is a parallelized, high-fidelity, multi-block code with fluids, structures and controls capabilities developed at NASA Ames Research Center under the support of HPCC. It is capable of multidisciplinary simulations by simultaneously integrating the Navier-Stokes equations, the finite element structural equations as well as control dynamics equations using aeroelastically adaptive, patched grids. Improvements have been made to the code's robustness, moving grid capabilities and performance.

Farhangnia, Mehrdad↗

NASA NTRS2003

Physics of the Isotopic Dependence of Galactic Cosmic Ray Fluence Behind Shielding

For over 25 years, NASA has supported the development of space radiation transport models for shielding applications. The NASA space radiation transport model now predicts dose and dose equivalent in Earth and Mars orbit to an accuracy of plus or minus 20%. However, because larger errors may occur in particle fluence predictions, there is interest in further assessments and improvements in NASA's space radiation transport model. In this paper, we consider the effects of the isotopic composition of the primary galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and the isotopic dependence of nuclear fragmentation cross-sections on the solution to transport models used for shielding studies. Satellite measurements are used to describe the isotopic composition of the GCR. Using NASA's quantum multiple-scattering theory of nuclear fragmentation (QMSFRG) and high-charge and energy (HZETRN) transport code, we study the effect of the isotopic dependence of the primary GCR composition and secondary nuclei on shielding calculations. The QMSFRG is shown to accurately describe the iso-spin dependence of nuclear fragmentation. The principal finding of this study is that large errors (plus or minus 100%) will occur in the mass-fluence spectra when comparing transport models that use a complete isotope grid (approximately 170 ions) to ones that use a reduced isotope grid, for example the 59 ion-grid used in the HZETRN code in the past, however less significant errors (less than 20%) occur in the elemental-fluence spectra. Because a complete isotope grid is readily handled on small computer workstations and is needed for several applications studying GCR propagation and scattering, it is recommended that they be used for future GCR studies.

Cucinotta, Francis A.↗