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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Physical Review Journal Club: Structural uncertainty assessment for fire-engulfed objects in crosswind: Establishing credibility for a multiphysics wall-modeled large-eddy simulation paradigm

This is an invited presentation for APS's monthly Journal Club where important papers that have recently been accepted for publication are highlighted in a seminar-like setting. The presentation will be "live" (May 1, 2025) and streamed across the world (including an archived recording).

Domino, Stefan Paul [Sandia National Laboratories ↗
NASA NTRS1973

Multi-input, multi-output regulator design for constant disturbances and non-zero set points with application to automatic landing in a crosswind

Undesirable steady offsets result when a stationary, linear regulator using state feedback is subjected to constant disturbances and/or non-zero setspoints. To eliminate these offsets, the disturbances and non-zero setpoints can be fed forward to the control. Only when the number of outputs is less than or equal to the number of control inputs can the outputs be maintained at arbitrary non-zero setpoints. The state and the disturbance may be estimated using a constant gain Kalman filter or by modeling the constant disturbances as exponentially correlated processes with long correlation times.

Holley, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Effect of forward velocity and crosswind on the reverse-thrust performance of a variable-pitch fan engine

Variable-pitch-fan engines may be attractive for future short-haul aircraft if sufficient reverse thrust is available for aircraft deceleration after touchdown. Thrust reversal is obtained in these engines by changing fan blade pitch about 90 deg, which causes the fan airflow to enter the fan duct nozzle and exhaust through the fan inlet. This capability would eliminate the heavy and costly thrust reverser system required for current fixed-pitch turbofan engines. NASA has, therefore, supported the development of advanced technology for a quiet, clean, high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine for future short-haul aircraft. In connection with this program, tests were conducted to determine the effect of forward velocity and angle of attack on steady-state reverse-thrust performance. Other objectives of the tests were related to the determination of the effect of forward velocity on forward-to-reverse thrust transient performance and the determination of the effectiveness of an overshoot blade angle technique to establish reverse thrust during a transient. The results of the tests are discussed.

Reemsnyder, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Effects of velocity profile and inclination on dual-jet-induced pressures on a flat plate in a crosswind

An experimental study was conducted to determine surface pressure distributions on a flat plate with dual subsonic, circular jets exhausting from the surface into a crossflow. The jets were arranged in both side-by-side and tandem configurations and were injected at 90 deg and 60 deg angles to the plate, with jet-to-crossflow velocity ratio of 2.2 and 4. The major objective of the study was to determine the effect of a nonuniform (vs uniform) jet velocity profile, simulating the exhaust of a turbo-fan engine. Nonuniform jets with a high-velocity outer annulus and a low-velocity core induced stronger negative pressure fields than uniform jets with the same mass flow rate. However, nondimensional lift losses (lift loss/jet thrust lift) due to such nonuniform jets were lower than lift losses due to uniform jets. Changing the injection angle from 90 deg to 60 deg resulted in moderate (for tandem jets) to significant (for side-by-side jets) increases in the induced negative pressures, even though the surface area influenced by the jets tended to reduce as the angle decreased. Jets arranged in the side-by-side configuration led to significant jet-induced lift losses exceeding, in some cases, lift losses reported for single jets.

Jakubowski, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Thermal measurements for jets in disturbed and undisturbed crosswind conditions

A direct comparison is made of the thermal field properties for a low-disturbance and a high-disturbance level condition affecting the low-temperature air jets introduced into gas turbine combustor aft sections in order both to cool the high-temperature gases and quench the combustion reactions. Sixty-four fast-response thermocouples were simultaneously sampled and corrected for their time constant effect at a downstream plane close to the jet exit. Histograms formed from independent samples were sufficiently smooth to approximate a pdf.

Wark, Candace E.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Impact of Forest Canopy Structure on Buoyant Plume Dynamics During Wildland Fires

Heterogeneous forest canopies can generate complex turbulent structures, but in the presence of a fire plume, these interactions are not fully understood. This study investigates the influence of forest canopy heterogeneity on buoyant plume dynamics resulting from surface thermal anomalies representing wildland fires, utilizing Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The Parallelized Large-Eddy Simulation Model (PALM) was employed to simulate six canopy configurations: no canopy, homogeneous canopy, external plume-edge canopy, internal plume-edge canopy, 100 m gap canopy, and 200 m gap canopy. Each configuration was analyzed with and without a static surface heat flux patch of 5000 W ∙ m -2 , resulting in a resting buoyant plume. Simulations were conducted under three crosswind speeds: 0, 5, and 10 m ∙ s -1 . Results show that canopy structure significantly modifies plume behavior, mean flow, and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budgets. Plume updraft speed and tilt varied with canopy configuration and crosswind speed. Horizontal pressure gradients associated with plume-atmosphere interaction were modified based on the canopy configuration, resulting in varying crosswind speed reductions at the plume region. Strong momentum absorption was observed above the canopy for the crosswind cases, with the greatest enhancement in the gap canopies. Momentum injection from below the canopy due to the heat source was also observed, resulting in plume structure modulation based on canopy configuration. TKE was found to be the largest in the gap canopy configurations. TKE budget analysis revealed that buoyant production dominated over shear production. At the center of the heat patch, the gap canopy configurations showed enhanced buoyancy within the gap. These results improve our knowledge of fire-canopy-atmosphere interactions that can inform fire models on the impacts of canopy heterogeneity on plume dynamics and ember ejections.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1997

Two Dimensional Parametric Studies of Wake Vortex Interaction with the Atmosphere

Results from parametric runs using two-dimensional TASS are presented. First, a set of experiments are presented that examine the sensitivity of the aircraft initiation height for an "in ground effect" case with weak crosswind. Interaction between the ground and the wake vortex produces an oscillatory rebound whose phase and amplitude are a function of the generation height. A second set of experiments are presented which examine the influence on crosswind shear. Shear layers, such as may be found between the nocturnal stable layer and the residual layer, can act to deflect vortices upward. Further investigation reveals that the second derivative of the crosswind can differentially reduce the descent speed of each member of a vortex pair, causing tilting of the vortex pair. If sufficiently large, the second derivative of crosswind can deflect the vortex pair upwards, with the sign of the second derivative determining which of the two vortices rises to a higher altitude. Linear shear, on the other hand, caused no change in the descent speed of the vortices; thus having no effect on the orientation of the vortices. Observed and model data from an actual case are presented in support of the conclusion regarding the influence of shear on rising vortices.

Proctor, Fred↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-13629-DND

Effects of Crosswind Shear are not fully understood, it causes wakes to tilt and in some instances to rise and affects the decay rate. Only a few of the wake prediction models account for effects of crosswind shear on vortex descent rate, influence of crosswind shear on vortex decay not well understood, and sensitivity of crosswind shear on vortex linking time is unknown.

Fred H Proctor↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

FUN3D Analyses of the 5th AIAA Propulsion Aerodynamics Workshop Inlet Test Case

This work presents the results of FUN3D analyses that were performed for the 5th AIAA Propulsion Aerodynamics Workshop. The workshop was separated into two sections that focused on inlet and nozzle flows. This paper focuses on the inlet section of the workshop, which considered an axisymmetric inlet in close-proximity to the ground and subjected to a crosswind. Four levels of grid refinement were provided by the workshop committee. Participants were asked to perform simulations for three crosswind velocities on a minimum of three levels of grid refinement, for a total of nine required cases. This work employed an updated set of grids provided by the committee after completion of the workshop based on feedback from participants. The updated grids featured a larger computational domain and increased refinement near the ground vortex region. This work employed the three coarsest grid levels from the updated grid set. Note that an additional extension downstream of the inlet was added to the provided grids for this work to mitigate observed convergence issues. Additionally, a limited turbulence model study was performed for the highest value of crosswind velocity and the finest grid. The results show that grid convergence was only achieved for the case with the lowest value of crosswind velocity. However, the results were generally observed to improve, relative to the experimental data, with increasing grid refinement. The FUN3D predictions were observed to agree qualitatively with the provided experimental data. However, FUN3D exhibited a tendency to underpredict the minimum value of the radially averaged total pressure at the Aerodynamic Interface Plane, which is consistent with the general findings from the workshop. Overall, FUN3D was found to perform well relative to its peers for the PAW5 workshop inlet test case.

PAI↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

FUN3D Analyses of the 5th AIAA Propulsion Aerodynamics Workshop Inlet Test Case

This work presents the results of FUN3D analyses that were performed for the 5th AIAA Propulsion Aerodynamics Workshop. The workshop was separated into two sections that focused on inlet and nozzle flows. This paper focuses on the inlet section of the workshop, which considered an axisymmetric inlet in close-proximity to the ground and subjected to a crosswind. Four levels of grid refinement were provided by the workshop committee. Participants were asked to perform simulations for three crosswind velocities on a minimum of three levels of grid refinement, for a total of nine required cases. This work employed an updated set of grids provided by the committee after completion of the workshop based on feedback from participants. The updated grids featured a larger computational domain and increased refinement near the ground vortex region. This work employed the three coarsest grid levels from the updated grid set. Note that an additional extension downstream of the inlet was added to the provided grids for this work to mitigate observed convergence issues. Additionally, a limited turbulence model study was performed for the highest value of crosswind velocity and the finest grid. The results show that grid convergence was only achieved for the case with the lowest value of crosswind velocity. However, the results were generally observed to improve, relative to the experimental data, with increasing grid refinement. The FUN3D predictions were observed to agree qualitatively with the provided experimental data. However, FUN3D exhibited a tendency to underpredict the minimum value of the radially averaged total pressure at the Aerodynamic Interface Plane, which is consistent with the general findings from the workshop. Overall, FUN3D was found to perform well relative to its peers for the PAW5 workshop inlet test case.

PAI↗
NASA NTRS1972

An investigation of rooftop STOL port aerodynamics

An investigation into aerodynamic problems associated with large building rooftop STOLports was performed. Initially, a qualitative flow visualization study indicated two essential problems: (1) the establishment of smooth, steady, attached flow over the rooftop, and (2) the generation of acceptable crosswind profile once (1) has been achieved. This study indicated that (1) could be achieved by attaching circular-arc rounded edge extensions to the upper edges of the building and that crosswind profiles could be modified by the addition of porous vertical fences to the lateral edges of the rooftop. Important fence parameters associated with crosswind alteration were found to be solidity, fence element number and spacing. Large scale building induced velocity fluctuations were discovered for most configurations tested and a possible explanation for their occurrence was postulated. Finally, a simple equation relating fence solidity to the resulting velocity profile was developed and tested for non-uniform single element fences with 30 percent maximum solidity.

Blanton, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Scatterometer azimuthal response and wind wave directionality

Azimuthal response of a scatterometer to radiation scattered by the sea surface was studied in a wind-wave tank. The variation of the normalized radar cross section with the azimuth angle is fitted by a three-term series. Results show that the upwind-downwind asymmetry decreases as the wind speed increases. The crosswind modulation depends on the wind velocity. The results show that the evolution of the long-wind-crosswind ratio evolves with wind speed in a manner similar to the evolution of the isotropy of short capillary-gravity waves. The maximum of the isotropy of the short wind waves is obtained for wind velocities close to 4 m/s. For the same value of the velocity, the variations of radar response between long-wind and crosswind directions is minimum. For lower or higher values of wind velocities the directional accuracy of the radar increases, since the wind-wave field tends to align in the wind direction.

Giovanangeli, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Two Dimensional Wake Vortex Simulations in the Atmosphere: Preliminary Sensitivity Studies

A numerical large-eddy simulation model is currently being used to quantify aircraft wake vortex behavior with meteorological observables. The model, having a meteorological framework, permits the interaction of wake vortices with environments characterized by crosswind shear, stratification, and humidity. The addition of grid-scale turbulence as an initial condition appeared to have little consequence. Results show that conventional nondimensionalizations work very well for vortex pairs embedded in stably stratified flows. However, this result is based on simple environments with constant Brunt-Vaisala frequency. Results presented here also show that crosswind profiles exert important and complex interactions on the trajectories of wake vortices. Nonlinear crosswind profiles tended to arrest the descent of wake vortex pairs. The member of the vortex pair with vorticity of same sign as the vertical change in the ambient along-track vorticity may be deflected upwards.

Proctor, F. H.↗
NASA NTRS2008

A Probabilistic Wake Vortex Lateral Transport Model Using Data from SFO and DEN

In a previous report, we considered the behavior of the lateral position of vortices as a function of time after vortex formation for Out of Ground Effects (OGE) data for aircraft landing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). We quantified the spread in lateral position as a function of time and examined how predictable lateral position is under a variety of assumptions. The combination of spread and predictability allowed us to derive probability distribution functions (PDFs) for lateral position given observed crosswind (CW) velocities. In this study, we examine the portability of these PDFs with respect to other landing sites. To this end, we consider OGE data obtained by the Federal Aviation Administration for landings at Denver International Airport (DEN) between 04/05/2006 and 06/03/2006. We consider vortices from both B733 (Boeing 737 models 200-500) and B757 (Boeing 757) aircraft. The data set contains 635 B733 landings and 506 B757 landings. The glide slope altitude for these measurements was 280 m, determined by the average initial vortex observation adjusted for a 3-second delay in the initial observation. The comparable SFO altitude was 158 m. We note that the principal mechanism for lateral transport in the OGE regime is advection by the ambient wind. This implies that a simple crosswind correction may be effective in explaining much of the variation in the lateral transport data. In this study, we again consider the use of ASOS data and average Lidar crosswind data over the vortex altitude range to predict vortex location as a function of time.

Mellman, George R.↗