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At least 451 records · Page 25

Aeroelastic Modeling for Distributed Wind Turbines: March 11, 2021 - November 10, 2021

Aeroelastic modeling (AM) is the primary methodology for structural and performance assessment of any wind turbine whereby providing an understanding of the impact of design parameters on its loading and power response before witnessing it in the field. Despite these advantages, the use of AM in the Distributed Wind Technology (DWT) sector is limited, especially within the less established manufacturers. This project represents an in-depth assessment of the status of AM and its role within the Standards for the DWT industry. The study gathered input and feedback from a large number of national and international stakeholders, reviewed technical strengths and weaknesses of the current edition of the design standards, analyzed recent industry workshops' and meetings' minutes, collected publicly available AM templates, and provided an evaluation of the existing AM codes. The study achieved several goals including providing strategies for the load assessment categorization of turbines based on rotor swept area and archetype, and guidance for AM verification and validation (V&V), which includes discussions of measurement requirements and a sample test-plan useful for future V&V campaigns and design standard development. This document summarizes the different tasks conducted in the course of the project and highlights the steps required to improve the AM adoption based on a multifaceted approach that encompasses: 1) augmenting AM software capabilities, 2) publishing AM best-practices and design-basis, 3) creating new model templates, 4) providing guidance for V&V of codes and specific turbine models leveraging field testing best-practice, and 5) addressing weaknesses in the current standards. Many of the future objectives identified in this study could leverage NREL's upcoming testing campaigns of three modern distributed wind turbines. Recommendations within this study will advance the value and the ease-of-use of AM, thereby allowing the industry to better capitalize this underutilized tool resulting in a more efficient design process, an easier path to certification, and overall better and more distributed reliable wind turbine products.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

A Simple Method for High-Lift Propeller Conceptual Design

In this paper, we present a simple method for designing propellers that are placed upstream of the leading edge of a wing in order to augment lift. Because the primary purpose of these "high-lift propellers" is to increase lift rather than produce thrust, these props are best viewed as a form of high-lift device; consequently, they should be designed differently than traditional propellers. We present a theory that describes how these props can be designed to provide a relatively uniform axial velocity increase, which is hypothesized to be advantageous for lift augmentation based on a literature survey. Computational modeling indicates that such propellers can generate the same average induced axial velocity while consuming less power and producing less thrust than conventional propeller designs. For an example problem based on specifications for NASA's Scalable Convergent Electric Propulsion Technology and Operations Research (SCEPTOR) flight demonstrator, a propeller designed with the new method requires approximately 15% less power and produces approximately 11% less thrust than one designed for minimum induced loss. Higher-order modeling and/or wind tunnel testing are needed to verify the predicted performance.

Patterson, Michael↗

The use of active controls to augment rotor/fuselage stability

The use of active blade pitch control to increase helicopter rotor/body damping is studied. Control is introduced through a conventional nonrotating swashplate. State variable feedback of rotor and body states is used. Feedback parameters include cyclic rotor flap and lead-lag states, and body pitch and roll rotations. The use of position, rate, and acceleration feedback is studied for the various state variables. In particular, the influence of the closed loop feedback gain and phase on system stability is investigated. For the rotor/body configuration analyzed, rotor cyclic inplane motion and body roll-rate and roll-acceleration feedback can considerably augment system damping levels and eliminate ground resonance instabilities. Scheduling of the feedback state, phase, and gain with rotor rotation speed can be used to maximize the damping augmentation. This increase in lead-lag damping can be accomplished without altering any of the system modal frequencies. Investigating various rotor design parameters (effective hinge offset, blade precone, blade flap stiffness) indicates that active control for augmenting rotor/body damping will be particularly powerful for hingeless and bearingless rotor hubs.

Straub, F. K.↗

The use of active controls to augment rotor/fuselage stability

The use of active blade pitch control to increase helicopter rotor/body damping is studied. Control is introduced through a conventional nonrotating swashplate. State variable feedback of rotor and body states is used. Feedback parameters include cyclic rotor flap and lead-lag states, and body pitch and roll rotations. The use of position, rate, and acceleration feedback is studied for the various state variables. In particular, the influence of the closed loop feedback gain and phase on system stability is investigated. For the rotor/body configuration analyzed, rotor cyclic inplane motion and body roll-rate and roll-acceleration feedback can considerably augment system damping levels and eliminate ground resonance instabilities. Scheduling of the feedback state, phase, and gain with rotor rotation speed can be used to maximize the damping augmentation. This increase in lead-lag damping can be accomplished without altering any of the system modal frequencies. Investigating various rotor design parameters (effective hinge offset, blade precone, blade flap stiffness) indicates that active control for augmenting rotor/body damping will be particularly powerful for hingeless and bearingless rotor hubs.

Straub, F. K.↗

Argument-Based Airworthiness Assurance of Small UAS

Presently, there are three avenues by which Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations are authorized in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS): obtaining either (i) a certificate of authorization (COA), or (ii) a special airworthiness certificate (SAC) in either the experimental, or the restricted category, or (iii) an exemption from an airworthiness certificate together with a civil COA. The first is meant primarily for public entities, such as NASA; the remaining two are the only available means for civil UAS operations. Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also proposed a regulatory framework targeted for certain small UAS, specifically those weighing 55 pounds or less, although final rulemaking remains pending. We have previously shown how an assurance case can aggregate heterogeneous reasoning and safety evidence, with application to UAS safety. In this paper, we describe how assurance cases can serve as a common framework to justify overall system safety, unifying both operational aspects and airworthiness, in particular system design assurance. We also show how this approach can coexist with, and augment, existing safety analysis processes and best-practices, by transforming the artifacts they produce into structured assurance arguments. To illustrate the applicability and utility of our approach, we have been applying it for the design assurance of an unmanned rotorcraft system, intended for precision agriculture operations, as part of the NASA Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) project.

Rotocraft↗

Design of Life Extending Controls Using Nonlinear Parameter Optimization

This report presents the conceptual development of a life extending control system where the objective is to achieve high performance and structural durability of the plant. A life extending controller is designed for a reusable rocket engine via damage mitigation in both the fuel and oxidizer turbines while achieving high performance for transient responses of the combustion chamber pressure and the O2/H2 mixture ratio. This design approach makes use of a combination of linear and nonlinear controller synthesis techniques and also allows adaptation of the life extending controller module to augment a conventional performance controller of a rocket engine. The nonlinear aspect of the design is achieved using nonlinear parameter optimization of a prescribed control structure.

Lorenzo, Carl F.↗

Universal Utility Data Exchange (UUDEX) Phase 4 Demonstration Environment and Results

This report provides an overview of the environment used by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the Universal Utility Data Exchange (UUDEX) Phase 4 demonstration, and description of the demonstrations performed in the environment. The UUDX Phase 4 demonstration took place on March 31, 2021, with representatives from PNNL and the two project sub-contractors, OATI and MITRE, performing the demonstration for members of the UUDEX Industry Advisory Board (IAB). The demonstration tasks were based on the previous Phase 3 demonstration but conducted in a multi-site environment. Additional demonstrations showed features that were developed since the Phase 3 demonstration. The development environment was constructed by PNNL programming staff using the previously developed UUDEX Functional Design, Protocol Design, and Workflow Design documents as a starting point. The environment was augmented with subject creation management and access control security data structures and workflows, and data exchange structure documents developed as part of Phase 3 and Phase 4.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Carbondale Community Geothermal Coalition – Replicable Models for Decarbonizing Mixed-Use Rural Communities

The Carbondale Community Geothermal Coalition (CCGC) set out to prove that a fifth-generation geothermal district heating & cooling (5G GDHC) network can be technically feasible, cost-effective, and socially equitable for a small, mixed-use rural community. During Budget Period 1 (Planning & Design) the team: ● Completed a 449 ft thermal-response test confirming excellent ground conductivity (k = 1.69 Btu ft -1 hr -1 °F -1 ) and a benign 56.3 °F undisturbed temperature. Page 1 Final Technical Report for Award Number: DE-EE0010663 ● Built a fully calibrated digital twin (URBANopt → Modelica) for 240 k ft 2 of existing + future buildings. ● Designed a 75-borehole ambient-temperature loop (ATL) augmented by 75 solar-thermal panels, supplying 44 % of district heating and 100 % cooling in Stage-1. ● Produced retrofit bid-ready drawings for the Third Street Center and Second Street Townhomes. ● Reached > 200 community stakeholders and exceeded equity targets (46 % Hispanic/Latinx participation). ● Drafted a multi-tiered workforce plan aligned with Colorado Mountain College (Hispanic Serving Institution) and IGSHPA certifications.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Flight test experience with an adaptive control system using a maximum likelihood parameter estimation technique

The flight test performance of an adaptive control system for the F-8 DFBW aircraft is summarized. The adaptive system is based on explicit identification of surface effectiveness parameters which are used for gain scheduling in a command augmentation system. Performance of this control law under various design parameter variations is presented. These include variations in test signal level, sample rate, and identification channel structure. Flight performance closely matches analysis and simulation predictions from previous references.

Hartmann, G.↗

Wind-tunnel free-flight investigation of a model of a forward-swept-wing fighter configuration

A wind-tunnel free-flight investigation was conducted to study the dynamic stability characteristics of a model of a forward-swept-wing fighter-airplane configuration at high angles of attack. Various other wind-tunnel techniques employed in the study included static- and dynamic- (forced-oscillation) force tests, free-to-roll tests, and flow-visualization tests. A unique facet of the study was the extreme level of static pitch instability (in excess of negative 32-percent static margin) inherent in the airframe design which precluded free-flight testing without stability augmentation in pitch. Results are presented which emphasize the high-angle-of-attack aerodynamics and the vehicle-component contributions to these characteristics. The effects of these aerodynamic characteristics on the high-angle-of-attack flying qualities of the configuration are discussed in terms of results of the wind-tunnel free-flight tests.

Murri, D. G.↗

Development Of Maneuvering Autopilot For Flight Tests

Report describes recent efforts to develop automatic control system operating under supervision of pilot and making airplane follow prescribed trajectories during flight tests. Report represents additional progress on this project. Gives background information on technology of control of test-flight trajectories; presents mathematical models of airframe, engine and command-augmentation system; focuses on mathematical modeling of maneuvers; addresses design of autopilots for maneuvers; discusses numerical simulation and evaluation of results of simulation of eight maneuvers under control of simulated autopilot; and presents summary and discussion of future work.

Menon, P. K. A.↗

The effect of a type 3 and type 4 shock/shock interaction on heat transfer in the stagnation region

One of the major engineering challenges in designing the National Aerospace Plane, NASP, is to overcome augmented heating on the intake cowl lip from shock/shock interactions. The shock/shock interaction arises when the bow shock from the craft's nose interferes with the bow shock from the cowl lip. Considering only the region immediately around the cowl lip, the problem geometry may be simplified as that of an oblique shock impinging on a bow shock from a circular cylinder. Edney classified six different interference patterns resulting from an oblique-shock/curved bow-shock interaction. Of these six types, type 3 and 4 are most significant in that augmented surface heat transfer may be ten to thirty times greater than the case without the shock/shock interaction. The objective was to begin to develop a mathematical model which is capable of predicting the effect of a type 3 and 4 shock/shock interaction in the stagnation region of an arbitrary 2-D body. This model must be capable of predicting the maximum surface heat flux and the surface stagnation point pressure once the outer (effectively inviscid) flowfield is given. Therefore, it must capture the unsteady physics of the impinging shear layer.

Wilson, Dennis↗

Particle Hydrodynamics with Material Strength for Multi-Layer Orbital Debris Shield Design

Three dimensional simulation of oblique hypervelocity impact on orbital debris shielding places extreme demands on computer resources. Research to date has shown that particle models provide the most accurate and efficient means for computer simulation of shield design problems. In order to employ a particle based modeling approach to the wall plate impact portion of the shield design problem, it is essential that particle codes be augmented to represent strength effects. This report describes augmentation of a Lagrangian particle hydrodynamics code developed by the principal investigator, to include strength effects, allowing for the entire shield impact problem to be represented using a single computer code.

Fahrenthold, Eric P.↗

Annotated Bibliography of Enabling Technologies for the Small Aircraft Transportation System

The following collection of research summaries are submitted as fulfillment of a request from NASA LaRC to conduct research into existing enabling technologies that support the development of the Small Aircraft Transportation System aircraft and accompanying airspace management infrastructure. Due to time and fiscal constraints, the included studies focus primarily on visual systems and architecture, flight control design, instrumentation and display, flight deck design considerations, Human-Machine Interface issues, and supporting augmentation technologies and software. This collation of summaries is divided in sections in an attempt to group similar technologies and systems. However, the reader is advised that many of these studies involve multiple technologies and systems that span across many categories. Because of this fact, studies are not easily categorized into single sections. In an attempt to help the reader more easily identify topics of interest, a SATS application description is provided for each summary. In addition, a list of acronyms provided at the front of the report to aid the reader.

ONeil, Patrick D.↗

Design of a Power-Assisted Spacesuit Glove Actuator

This paper presents the details of the design and implementation of an electromechanical power-assisted spacesuit glove actuator. The project was a joint effort by the University of Maryland's Space Systems Laboratory and ILC Dover, Inc., and involved innovative approaches to power augmentation and compact actuator packaging. The first actuator built validated several basic design concepts, and the second demonstrated improved performance and met many of the goals for flight qualification of the technology.

Howard, Russell D.↗

Control system techniques for improved departure/spin resistance for fighter aircraft

Some fundamental information on control system effects on controllability of highly-maneuverable aircraft at high angles of attack and techniques for enhancing fighter aircraft departure/spin resistance using control system design is summarized. The discussion includes: (a) a brief review of pertinent high angle-of-attack phenomena including aerodynamics, inertia coupling, and kinematic coupling; (b) effects of conventional stability augmentation systems at high-alpha; (c) high-alpha control system concepts designed to enhance departure/spin resistance; and (d) the outlook for applications of these concepts to future fighters, particularly those designs which incorporate relaxed static stability.

Nguyen, L. T.↗

Review of heat transfer enhancement techniques for single phase flows

The thermal energy exchange between a flowing fluid and its confining channel is a ubiquitous process in modern society. To enhance the fluid-to-wall or wall-to-fluid heat transfer, several techniques have been developed to maximize the contact area between the fluid and the inner wall and/or disrupt the flow to enhance circulation or induce turbulence. Deployment of channels having features capable of enhancing heat transfer enables the reduction of heat exchanger size while maintaining performance. Reduction in equipment size is critical due to the ability to minimize the required volume of costly working fluids and to mitigate potential safety concerns associated with total system fluid volume. Here, a comprehensive review of single-phase heat transfer enhancement techniques is presented. The article provides a thorough comparison by analyzing the heat transfer rate, pressure drop, and other operational aspects. Single-phase heat transfer enhancement methods are divided into active and passive techniques. Active methods such as electrohydrodynamic (EHD), magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), or mechanical motion require external power to create enhancement. Passive methods such as dimples, fins, or tape inserts do not require external input and rely only on surface modification. Although active methods are more expensive and difficult to implement compared to passive techniques, it enables active control of heat transfer augmentation. Finally, this review develops and summarizes key learning data for design optimization enabled by additive manufacturing and machine learning algorithms, helping to inform these next-generation heat exchanger design methodologies for a plethora of modern applications such as electrification of vehicles, computing, and classical industries.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Active control test on the Mini-Mast

A Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) design process is presented and applied to a large flexible ground test facility, the Mini-Mast, for validation. For the design, nine displacement sensors were used. Three torque wheel actuators were used for damping augmentation. Results were dramatic, indicating an improvement in damping from 3 percent to 30 percent of critical. The tests proved the effectiveness of the procedure in designing effective vibration damping systems.

Montgomery, Raymond C.↗