Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “analysis codes”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18

Supersonic Flow of Chemically Reacting Gas-Particle Mixtures. Volume 2: RAMP - A Computer Code for Analysis of Chemically Reacting Gas-Particle Flows

A computer program written in conjunction with the numerical solution of the flow of chemically reacting gas-particle mixtures was documented. The solution to the set of governing equations was obtained by utilizing the method of characteristics. The equations cast in characteristic form were shown to be formally the same for ideal, frozen, chemical equilibrium and chemical non-equilibrium reacting gas mixtures. The characteristic directions for the gas-particle system are found to be the conventional gas Mach lines, the gas streamlines and the particle streamlines. The basic mesh construction for the flow solution is along streamlines and normals to the streamlines for axisymmetric or two-dimensional flow. The analysis gives detailed information of the supersonic flow and provides for a continuous solution of the nozzle and exhaust plume flow fields. Boundary conditions for the flow solution are either the nozzle wall or the exhaust plume boundary.

Penny, M. M.↗

Code Usage Analysis System (CUAS)

A set of computer programs is offered to aid a user in evaluating performance of an application program. The system provides reports of subroutine usage, program errors, and segment loading which occurred during the execution of an application program. It is presented in support of the development and validation of the space vehicle dynamics project.

Horsley, P. H.↗

TAIR: A transonic airfoil analysis computer code

The operation of the TAIR (Transonic AIRfoil) computer code, which uses a fast, fully implicit algorithm to solve the conservative full-potential equation for transonic flow fields about arbitrary airfoils, is described on two levels of sophistication: simplified operation and detailed operation. The program organization and theory are elaborated to simplify modification of TAIR for new applications. Examples with input and output are given for a wide range of cases, including incompressible, subcritical compressible, and transonic calculations.

Dougherty, F. C.↗

Burner liner thermal/structural load modelling

The objective of this program is to develop a thermal data transfer computer program module for the Burner Liner Thermal-Structural Load Modelling Program. This will be accomplished by reviewing existing methodologies for thermal data transfer and selecting three heat transfer codes for application in this program, evaluating the selected codes to establish criteria for developing a computer program module to transfer thermal data from the heat transfer codes to selected stress analysis codes, developing the automated thermal load transfer module, and verifying and documenting the module. The overall objectives of this thermal transfer module are that it handle independent mesh configurations, perform the transfer in an accurate and efficient fashion and that the total system be flexible for future improvements.

Maffeo, R. J.↗

Code For Analysis Of Wing-And-Flap Systems

SUBAERF2 program developed to provide for analysis of subsonic aerodynamics and design by iteration of low-speed wing/flap systems. Based on linearized-theory lifting-surface solution but also accounts for some nonlinear characteristics. Effects of leading- and trailing-edge flaps included. New and improved version of programs described in LAR-13116 and LAR-12987, and replaces both of them. Written in FORTRAN V.

Darden, Christine M.↗

Testing, analysis, and code verification of aerodynamics and heat transfer related to turbomachinery

Discussed here are the writing of a data acquisition code and the installation and testing of new pressure and temperature instrumentation to be used in the testing and evaluation of miniature heat flux sensors. A brief summary of the problem which led to the need for these tests is presented as well as a proposed data acquisition program and the results of investigations of two measurement systems, the Omega OM-900 temperature sensing system and the Scani-Valve Hyscan pressure measurement system.

King, Paul I.↗

Automatic differentiation of advanced CFD codes for multidisciplinary design

Automated multidisciplinary design of aircraft and other flight vehicles requires the optimization of complex performance objectives with respect to a number of design parameters and constraints. The effect of these independent design variables on the system performance criteria can be quantified in terms of sensitivity derivatives which must be calculated and propagated by the individual discipline simulation codes. Typical advanced CFD analysis codes do not provide such derivatives as part of a flow solution; these derivatives are very expensive to obtain by divided (finite) differences from perturbed solutions. It is shown that sensitivity derivatives can be obtained accurately and efficiently using the ADIFOR source translator for automatic differentiation. In particular, it is demonstrated that the 3-D, thin-layer Navier-Stokes, multigrid flow solver called TLNS3D is amenable to automatic differentiation in the forward mode even with its implicit iterative solution algorithm and complex turbulence modeling. It is significant that by using computational differentiation, consistent discrete nongeometric sensitivity derivatives have been obtained from an aerodynamic 3-D CFD code in a relatively short time, e.g., O(man-week) not O(man-year).

Bischof, C.↗

Implementation of a Trailing-Edge Flap Analysis Model in the NASA Langley CAMRAD.MOD1/Hires Program

Continual advances in rotorcraft performance, vibration and acoustic characteristics are being sought by rotary-wing vehicle manufacturers to improve efficiency, handling qualities and community noise acceptance of their products. The rotor system aerodynamic and dynamic behavior are among the key factors which must be addressed to meet the desired goals. Rotor aerodynamicists study how airload redistribution impacts performance and noise, and seek ways to achieve better airload distribution through changes in local aerodynamic response characteristics. One method currently receiving attention is the use of trailing-edge flaps mounted on the rotor blades to provide direct control of a portion of the spanwise lift characteristics. The following work describes the incorporation of a trailing-edge flap model in the CAMRAD.Mod1/FHUS comprehensive rotorcraft analysis code. The CAM-RAD.Mod1/HIRES analysis consists of three separate executable codes. These include the comprehensive trim analysis, CAMRAD.Mod1, the Indicial Post-Processor, IPP, for high resolution airloads, and AIRFOIL, which produces the rotor airfoil tables from input airfoil section characteristics. The modifications made to these components permitting analysis of flapped rotor configurations are documented herein along with user instructions detailing the new input variables and operational notes.

Charles, Bruce↗

Improving Rotor-Stator Interaction Noise Code Through Analysis of Input Parameters

There are two major sources of aircraft noise. The first is from the airframe and the second is from the engines. The focus of the acoustics branch at NASA Glenn is on the engine noise sources. There are two major sources of engine noise; fan noise and jet noise. Fan noise, produced by rotating machinery of the engine, consists of both tonal noise, which occurs at discrete frequencies, and broadband noise, which occurs across a wide range of frequencies. The focus of my assignment is on the broadband noise generated by the interaction of fan flow turbulence and the stator blades. such as the sweep and stagger angles and blade count, as well as the flow parameters such as intensity of turbulence in the flow. The tool I employed in this work is a computer program that predicts broadband noise from fans. The program assumes that the complex shape of the curved blade can be represented as a single flat plate, allowing it to use fairly simple equations that can be solved in a reasonable amount of time. While the results from such representation provided reasonable estimates of the broadband noise levels, they did not usually represent the entire spectrum accurately. My investigation found that the discrepancy between data and theory can be improved if the leading edge and the trailing edge of the blade are treated separately. Using this approach, I reduced the maximum error in noise level from a high of 30% to less than 5% for the cases investigated. Detailed results of this investigation will be discussed at my presentation. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of geometric parameters

Unton, Timothy J.↗

Transient Response of Rotor on Rolling-Element Bearings with Clearance

Internal clearance in rolling element bearings is usually present to allow for radial and axial growth of the rotor-bearing system and to accommodate bearing fit-up. The presence of this clearance also introduces a "dead band" into the load-deflection behavior of the bearing. Previous studies demonstrated that the presence of dead band clearance might have a significant effect on synchronous rotor response. In this work, the authors investigate transient response of a rotor supported on rolling element bearings with internal clearance. In addition, the stiffness of the bearings varies nonlinearly with bearing deflection and with speed. Bearing properties were accurately calculated with a state of the art rolling bearing analysis code. The subsequent rotordynamics analysis shows that for rapid acceleration rates the maximum response amplitude may be less than predicted by steady-state analysis. The presence of clearance may shift the critical speed location to lower speed values. The rotor vibration response exhibits subharmonic components which are more prominent with bearing clearance.

Fleming, David P.↗

Analysis of Effectiveness of Phoenix Entry Reaction Control System

Interaction between the external flowfield and the reaction control system (RCS) thruster plumes of the Phoenix capsule during entry has been investigated. The analysis covered rarefied, transitional, hypersonic and supersonic flight regimes. Performance of pitch, yaw and roll control authority channels was evaluated, with specific emphasis on the yaw channel due to its low nominal yaw control authority. Because Phoenix had already been constructed and its RCS could not be modified before flight, an assessment of RCS efficacy along the trajectory was needed to determine possible issues and to make necessary software changes. Effectiveness of the system at various regimes was evaluated using a hybrid DSMC-CFD technique, based on DSMC Analysis Code (DAC) code and General Aerodynamic Simulation Program (GASP), the LAURA (Langley Aerothermal Upwind Relaxation Algorithm) code, and the FUN3D (Fully Unstructured 3D) code. Results of the analysis at hypersonic and supersonic conditions suggest a significant aero-RCS interference which reduced the efficacy of the thrusters and could likely produce control reversal. Very little aero-RCS interference was predicted in rarefied and transitional regimes. A recommendation was made to the project to widen controller system deadbands to minimize (if not eliminate) the use of RCS thrusters through hypersonic and supersonic flight regimes, where their performance would be uncertain.

Dyakonov, Artem A.↗

Object-Oriented Multi-Disciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool

An Object-Oriented Optimization (O3) tool was developed that leverages existing tools and practices, and allows the easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. At the heart of the O3 tool is the Central Executive Module (CEM), which can integrate disparate software packages in a cross platform network environment so as to quickly perform optimization and design tasks in a cohesive, streamlined manner. This object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines instead of relying on one code to perform the analysis for all disciplines. The CEM was written in FORTRAN and the script commands for each performance index were submitted through the use of the FORTRAN Call System command. In this CEM, the user chooses an optimization methodology, defines objective and constraint functions from performance indices, and provides starting and side constraints for continuous as well as discrete design variables. The structural analysis modules such as computations of the structural weight, stress, deflection, buckling, and flutter and divergence speeds have been developed and incorporated into the O3 tool to build an object-oriented Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization (MDAO) tool.

Pak, Chan-gi↗

Modeling Commercial Turbofan Engine Icing Risk With Ice Crystal Ingestion

The occurrence of ice accretion within commercial high bypass aircraft turbine engines has been reported under certain atmospheric conditions. Engine anomalies have taken place at high altitudes that have been attributed to ice crystal ingestion, partially melting, and ice accretion on the compression system components. The result was degraded engine performance, and one or more of the following: loss of thrust control (roll back), compressor surge or stall, and flameout of the combustor. As ice crystals are ingested into the fan and low pressure compression system, the increase in air temperature causes a portion of the ice crystals to melt. It is hypothesized that this allows the ice-water mixture to cover the metal surfaces of the compressor stationary components which leads to ice accretion through evaporative cooling. Ice accretion causes a blockage which subsequently results in the deterioration in performance of the compressor and engine. The focus of this research is to apply an engine icing computational tool to simulate the flow through a turbofan engine and assess the risk of ice accretion. The tool is comprised of an engine system thermodynamic cycle code, a compressor flow analysis code, and an ice particle melt code that has the capability of determining the rate of sublimation, melting, and evaporation through the compressor flow path, without modeling the actual ice accretion. A commercial turbofan engine which has previously experienced icing events during operation in a high altitude ice crystal environment has been tested in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) altitude test facility at NASA Glenn Research Center. The PSL has the capability to produce a continuous ice cloud which are ingested by the engine during operation over a range of altitude conditions. The PSL test results confirmed that there was ice accretion in the engine due to ice crystal ingestion, at the same simulated altitude operating conditions as experienced previously in flight. The computational tool was utilized to help guide a portion of the PSL testing, and was used to predict ice accretion could also occur at significantly lower altitudes. The predictions were qualitatively verified by subsequent testing of the engine in the PSL. The PSL test has helped to calibrate the engine icing computational tool to assess the risk of ice accretion. The results from the computer simulation identified prevalent trends in wet bulb temperature, ice particle melt ratio, and engine inlet temperature as a function of altitude for predicting engine icing risk due to ice crystal ingestion.

Jorgenson, Philip C. E.↗

RELAP-7 Development Updates

RELAP-7 is a nuclear systems safety analysis code being developed at the Idaho National Laboratory, and is the next generation tool in the RELAP reactor safety/systems analysis application series. RELAP-7 development began in 2011 to support the Risk Informed Safety Margins Characterization (RISMC) Pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. The overall design goal of RELAP-7 is to take advantage of the previous thirty years of advancements in computer architecture, software design, numerical methods, and physical models in order to provide capabilities needed for the RISMC methodology and to support nuclear power safety analysis. The code is being developed based on Idaho National Laboratory’s modern scientific software development framework – MOOSE (the Multi-Physics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment). The initial development goal of the RELAP-7 approach focused primarily on the development of an implicit algorithm capable of strong (nonlinear) coupling of the dependent hydrodynamic variables contained in the 1-D/2-D flow models with the various 0-D system reactor components that compose various boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants (NPPs). During Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, the RELAP-7 code has been further improved with expanded capability to support boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor NPPs analysis. The accumulator model has been developed. The code has also been coupled with other MOOSE-based applications such as neutronics code RattleSnake and fuel performance code BISON to perform multiphysics analysis. A major design requirement for the implicit algorithm in RELAP-7 is that it is capable of second-order discretization accuracy in both space and time, which eliminates the traditional first-order approximation errors. The second-order temporal is achieved by a second-order backward temporal difference, and the one-dimensional second-order accurate spatial discretization is achieved with the Galerkin approximation of Lagrange finite elements. During FY-2015, we have done numerical verification work to verify that the RELAP-7 code indeed achieves 2nd-order accuracy in both time and space for single phase models at the system level.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Assessment of the MACCS Code Applicability for Nearfield Consequence Analysis

Three codes are used for comparisons in this report to evaluate the adequacy of MACCS in the nearfield, AERMOD, ARCON96 and QUIC. Test cases were developed to give a broad range of weather conditions, building dimensions and plume buoyancy. Based on the comparisons of MACCS with AERMOD, ARCON96 and QUIC across the test cases, the following observations are made: MACCS calculations configured with point-source, ground-level, nonbuoyant plumes provide nearfield results that bound the centerline, ground-level air concentrations from AERMOD, ARCON96, and QUIC. MACCS calculations with ground-level, nonbuoyant plumes that include the effects of the building wake (area source) provide nearfield results that bound the results from AERMOD and QUIC and the results from ARCON96 at distances >250 m. If using a point-source is too conservative and it is desired to bound the results from all three codes, another alternative is to use area source parameters in MACCS that are less than the standard values, i.e., an area source intermediate between the standard recommendation and a point source. All these options provide results from MACCS that are bounding for the test cases evaluated. Based on these observations, it appears that MACCS is adequate for use in nearfield calculations, given the correct parameterization.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

PREWATE: An interactive preprocessing computer code to the Weight Analysis of Turbine Engines (WATE) computer code

The Weight Analysis of Turbine Engines (WATE) computer code was developed by Boeing under contract to NASA Lewis. It was designed to function as an adjunct to the Navy/NASA Engine Program (NNEP). NNEP calculates the design and off-design thrust and sfc performance of User defined engine cycles. The thermodynamic parameters throughout the engine as generated by NNEP are then combined with input parameters defining the component characteristics in WATE to calculate the bare engine weight of this User defined engine. Preprocessor programs for NNEP were previously developed to simplify the task of creating input datasets. This report describes a similar preprocessor for the WATE code.

Fishbach, L. H.↗