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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

A rigorous solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for unsteady viscous flow at high Reynolds numbers around oscillating airfoils

A method based on the Navier-Stokes equations was developed for analyzing the unsteady incompressible viscous flow around oscillating airfoils at high Reynolds numbers. The Navier-Stokes equations have been integrated in their classical Helmholtz vorticity transport equation form, and the instantaneous velocity field at each time step was determined by the solution of Poisson's equation. A refined finite element was utilized to allow for a conformable solution of the stream function and its first space derivatives at the element interfaces. A corresponding set of accurate boundary conditions was applied; thus obtaining a rigorous solution for the velocity field. The details of the computational procedure and examples of computed results describing the unsteady flow characteristics around the airfoil are presented.

Bratanow, T.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Pressure wave propagation studies for oscillating cascades

The unsteady flow field around an oscillating cascade of flat plates is studied using a time marching Euler code. Exact solutions based on linear theory serve as model problems to study pressure wave propagation in the numerical solution. The importance of using proper unsteady boundary conditions, grid resolution, and time step is demonstrated. Results show that an approximate non-reflecting boundary condition based on linear theory does a good job of minimizing reflections from the inflow and outflow boundaries and allows the placement of the boundaries to be closer than cases using reflective boundary conditions. Stretching the boundary to dampen the unsteady waves is another way to minimize reflections. Grid clustering near the plates does a better job of capturing the unsteady flow field than cases using uniform grids as long as the CFL number is less than one for a sufficient portion of the grid. Results for various stagger angles and oscillation frequencies show good agreement with linear theory as long as the grid is properly resolved.

Huff, Dennis L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The flip-flop nozzle extended to supersonic flows

An experiment studying a fluidically oscillated rectangular jet flow was conducted. The Mach number was varied over a range from low subsonic to supersonic. Unsteady velocity and pressure measurements were made using hot wires and piezoresistive pressure transducers. In addition smoke flow visualization using high speed photography was used to document the oscillation of the jet. For the subsonic flip-flop jet it was found that the apparent time-mean widening of the jet was not accompanied by an increase in mass flux. It was found that it is possible to extend the operation of these devices to supersonic flows. Most of the measurements were made for a fixed nozzle geometry for which the oscillations ceased at a fully expanded Mach number of 1.58. By varying the nozzle geometry this limitation was overcome and operation was extended to Mach 1.8. The streamwise velocity perturbation levels produced by this device were much higher than the perturbation levels that could be produced using conventional excitation sources such as acoustic drivers. In view of this ability to produce high amplitudes, the potential for using small scale fluidically oscillated jet as an unsteady excitation source for the control of shear flows in full scale practical applications seems promising.

Raman, Ganesh↗
NASA NTRS1992

The flip flop nozzle extended to supersonic flows

An experiment studying a fluidically oscillated rectangular jet flow was conducted. The Mach number was varied over a range from low subsonic to supersonic. Unsteady velocity and pressure measurements were made using hot wires and piezoresistive pressure transducers. In addition smoke flow visualization using high speed photography was used to document the oscillation of the jet. For the subsonic flip-flop jet it was found that the apparent time-mean widening of the jet was not accompanied by an increase in mass flux. It was found that it is possible to extend the operation of these devices to supersonic flows. Most of the measurements were made for a fixed nozzle geometry for which the oscillations ceased at a fully expanded Mach number of 1.58. By varying the nozzle geometry this limitation was overcome and operation was extended to Mach 1.8. The streamwise velocity perturbation levels produced by this device were much higher than the perturbation levels that could be produced using conventional excitation sources such as acoustic drivers. In view of this ability to produce high amplitudes, the potential for using small scale fluidically oscillated jet as an unsteady excitation source for the control of shear flows in full scale practical applications seems promising.

Raman, Ganesh↗
NASA NTRS1982

Transient phenomena of shock-induced turbulent separation for a spikebody and stalling airfoil at transonic and supersonic speeds

The time-dependent, compressible, Reynolds-averaged, full Navier-Stokes equations are applied to solve an axisymmetric flow around a forward-facing stepbody (spikebody) at supersonic speeds and a stalling airfoil at transonic speeds. Important transient and unsteady phenomena, not yet well understood, are examined, and significant new findings of the present solution to the phenomena are discussed. The phenomena described in detail are as follows: The evolution of the shock wave pressure built up by the impact of the pressure waves, one from the trailing edge; the separation of the flow as influenced by the shock wave; the location of the reversed flow, the separation point, and the reattachment point; and the transient (or unsteady) phenomena of the flow pulsation, oscillation, and stalling of the body and airfoil wake flow. The numerical results show that the transient flow instability is caused by a supersonic jet induced in the separation bubble by the shock-bifurcation (lambda shock) mechanism between the separation shock and the reflected shock. Pulsation and stall phenomena are caused by a sudden increase in the leading-edge pressure due to the jet and the separation bubble interacting along the stagnation point flow.

Yoshikawa, K. K.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Understanding the role of flow dynamics in thermoacoustic combustion instability

Thermoacoustic combustion instability is one of the most challenging operational issues in several high-performance, low-emissions combustion technologies, including gas turbines, aircraft engines, rockets, and industrial boilers. Driven by the coupling between combustor acoustics and flame heat release rate fluctuations, thermoacoustic combustion instability can lead to reduced operability, increased emissions, and, in the most extreme cases, catastrophic failure of combustor components. The feedback loop between acoustics and combustion is often facilitated by fluid mechanic oscillations, referred to as “velocity coupling,” whereby acoustic oscillations drive flow fluctuations, which in turn create fluctuations in the flame. The character of these fluid mechanic oscillations is highly dependent on the structure of the flow field and the receptivity of the flow to external excitation. Combustor flow fields use features like fluid recirculation and shear to enhance flame holding and reduce emissions, but these are also the same features that can make the flow receptive to acoustic excitation or even drive self-excited oscillations. Here, in this paper, we discuss the basics of thermoacoustic instability with a focus on the role of hydrodynamic oscillations in typical combustor flows. To facilitate this discussion, we explore the hydrodynamic instability characteristics of several key combustor unit flows (wakes, swirling jets, etc.) and show how the hydrodynamic stability of a flow is an important consideration in determining a combustor’s propensity for thermoacoustic oscillations. Several examples of coupling between hydrodynamics and thermoacoustics are discussed to illustrate this important link. The paper concludes by discussing the potential for designing flow fields that are thermoacoustic instability resistant, either through a reduction in the receptivity of the flow or through nonlinear coupling mechanisms by which self-excited flow instabilities can suppress velocity-coupled combustion oscillations.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1990

Application of a streamwise upwind algorithm for unsteady transonic computations over oscillating wings

A new streamwise upwind algorithm has been derived to compute unsteady flows with a moving grid system and applied to compute flows over oscillating wings at transonic Mach numbers. Comparisons have been made between results obtained from this upwind algorithm, using both temporally nonconservative- and conservative-implicit methods, with the results obtained from a central-difference method, and also with experimental data. The results show (1) the efficiency and practicality of the temporally nonconservative implicit solver and (2) the robustness and accuracy of the upwind method for unsteady computations compared to the central-difference method.

Obayashi, Shigeru↗
NASA NTRS1990

The aerodynamics of an oscillating cascade in a compressible flow field

Fundamental experiments are performed in the NASA Lewis Research Center Transonic Oscillating Cascade Facility to investigate and quantify the aerodynamics of a cascade of bioconvex airfoils executing torsion mode oscillations at realistic reduced frequency values. Both steady and unsteady airfoil surface pressures are measured at two inlet Mach numbers, 0.65 and 0.80, and two incidence angles, 0 and 7 deg, with the harmonic torsional airfoil cascade oscillations at realistic high reduced frequency and unsteady data obtained at several interblade phase angle values. The time-variant pressures are analyzed by means of discrete Fourier transform techniques, with these unique data compared with predictions from a linearized unsteady cascade model. The experimental results indicate that the interblade phase angle has a major effect on the chordwise distributions of the airfoil surface unsteady pressure, with the effect of reduced frequency, incidence angle, and Mach numbers somewhat less significant.

Buffum, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Investigation of an Oscillating Surface Plasma for Turbulent Drag Reduction

An oscillating, weakly ionized surface plasma has been investigated for use in turbulent boundary layer viscous drag reduction. The study was based on reports showing that mechanical spanwise oscillations of a wall can reduce viscous drag due to a turbulent boundary layer by up to 40%. It was hypothesized that the plasma induced body force in high electric field gradients of a surface plasma along strip electrodes could also be configured to oscillate the flow. Thin dielectric panels with millimeter-scale, flush- mounted, triad electrode arrays with one and two-phase high voltage excitation were tested. Results showed that while a small oscillation could be obtained, the effect was lost at a low frequency (less than 100Hz). Furthermore, a mean flow was generated during the oscillation that complicates the effect. Hot-wire and pitot probe diagnostics are presented along with phase-averaged images revealing plasma structure.

Wilkinson, Stephen P.↗
NASA NTRS1955

On the Kernel function of the integral equation relating the lift and downwash distributions of oscillating finite wings in subsonic flow

This report treats the Kernel function of an integral equation that relates a known prescribed downwash distribution to an unknown lift distribution for a harmonically oscillating finite wing in compressible subsonic flow. The Kernel function is reduced to a form that can be accurately evaluated by separating the Kernel function into two parts: a part in which the singularities are isolated and analytically expressed and a nonsingular part which may be tabulated. The form of the Kernel function for the sonic case (Mach number 1) is treated separately. In addition, results for the special cases of Mach number of 0 (incompressible case) and frequency of 0 (steady case) are given. The derivation of the integral equation which involves this Kernel function is reproduced as an appendix. Another appendix gives the reduction of the form of the Kernel function obtained herein for the three-dimensional case to a known result of Possio for two-dimensional flow. A third appendix contains some remarks on the evaluation of the Kernel function, and a fourth appendix presents an alternate form of expression for the Kernel function.

Watkins, Charles E↗
NASA NTRS1992

Interferometry and computational studies of an oscillating airfoil compressible dynamic stall flow field

A unique comparison has been made between real time interferograms and full Navier-Stokes computations of the density field over an oscillating airfoil undergoing dynamic stall for compressible flow conditions. Good agreement was found until a dynamic stall vortex formed in the flow. Subsequent evolution of the flow field was found to be very different in the computations. The reasons for this difference have been explained in terms of the leading edge region flow physics and the refined flow modeling that needs to be used for the post-stall flow field.

Chandrasekhara, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Vibration response of spacecraft shrouds to in-flight fluctuating pressures

Results are presented for the vibration response of a spacecraft shroud to a range of in-flight fluctuation pressures. An Atlas-Agena 15 degree cone-cylinder shroud was analyzed during the present study, and three critical flight Mach numbers were considered. At transonic Mach numbers, the aerodynamic flow over the shroud is complex, involving zones of regular attached flow, separated flow, shock wave oscillation, and modified attached flows induced by local thickening of the boundary layer. The overall shroud vibration levels for a particular Mach number were determined by initially calculating the mean square acceleration levels induced by the fluctuating pressures distributed over an individual zone, and then summing mean square acceleration levels in one-third octave bands over all zones.

Cockburn, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Turbulence in unsteady flow at high frequencies

Turbulent flows subjected to oscillations of the mean flow were simulated using a large-eddy simulation computer code for flow in a channel. The objective of the simulations was to provide better understanding of the effects of time-dependent disturbances on the turbulence of a boundary layer and of the underlying physical phenomena regarding the basic interaction between the turbulence and external disturbances. The results confirmed that turbulence is sensitive to certain ranges of frequencies of disturbances. However, no direct connection was found between the frequency of imposed disturbances and the characteristic 'burst' frequency of turbulence. New insight into the nature of turbulence at high frequencies was found. Viscous phenomena near solid walls were found to be the dominant influence for high-frequency perturbations.

Kuhn, Gary D.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Quantitative Image Analysis Techniques with High-Speed Schlieren Photography

Optical flow visualization techniques such as schlieren and shadowgraph photography are essential to understanding fluid flow when interpreting acquired wind tunnel test data. Output of the standard implementations of these visualization techniques in test facilities are often limited only to qualitative interpretation of the resulting images. Although various quantitative optical techniques have been developed, these techniques often require special equipment or are focused on obtaining very precise and accurate data about the visualized flow. These systems are not practical in small, production wind tunnel test facilities. However, high-speed photography capability has become a common upgrade to many test facilities in order to better capture images of unsteady flow phenomena such as oscillating shocks and flow separation. This paper describes novel techniques utilized by the authors to analyze captured high-speed schlieren and shadowgraph imagery from wind tunnel testing for quantification of observed unsteady flow frequency content. Such techniques have applications in parametric geometry studies and in small facilities where more specialized equipment may not be available.

Pollard, Victoria J.↗
NASA NTRS1952

Experimental Aerodynamic Derivatives of a Sinusoidally Oscillating Airfoil in Two-Dimensional Flow

Experimental measurements of the aerodynamic reactions on a symmetrical airfoil oscillating harmonically in a two-dimensional flow are presented and analyzed. Harmonic motions include pure pitch and pure translation, for several amplitudes and superimposed on an initial angle of attack, as well as combined pitch and translation. The apparatus and testing program are described briefly and the necessary theoretical background is presented. In general, the experimental results agree remarkably well with the theory, especially in the case of the pure motions. The net work per cycle for a motion corresponding to flutter is experimentally determined to be zero. Considerable consistent data for pure pitch were obtained from a search of available reference material, and several definite Reynolds number effects are evident.

Halfman, Robert L↗