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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.

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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Application of a quasi-3D inviscid flow and boundary layer analysis to the hub-shroud contouring of a radial turbine

Application of a quasi-3D approach to the aerodynamic analysis of several radial turbine configurations is described. The objective was to improve the rotor aerodynamic characteristics by hub-shroud contouring. The approach relies on available 2D inviscid methods coupled with boundary layer analysis to calculate profile, mixing, and endwall losses. Windage, tip clearance, incidence, and secondary flow losses are estimated from correlations. To eliminate separation along the hub and blade suction surfaces of a baseline rotor, the analysis was also applied to three alternate hub-shroud geometries. Emphasis was on elimination of an inducer velocity overshoot as well as increasing hub velocities. While separation was never eliminated, the extent of the separated area was progressively reduced. Results are presented in terms of mid-channel and blade surface velocities; kinetic energy loss coefficients; and efficiency. The calculation demonstrates a first step for a systematic approach to radial turbine design that can be used to identify and control aerodynamic characteristics that ultimately determine heat transfer and component life. Experimentation will be required to assess the extent to which flow and boundary layer behavior were predicted correctly.

Civinskas, K.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Turbulence in The Marine Boundary Layer and Air Motions Below Stratocumulus Clouds at the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Site

Marine stratocumulus clouds are intimately coupled to the turbulence in the boundary layer and drizzle is known to be ubiquitous within them. Six years of data collected at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM)’s Eastern North Atlantic site are utilized to characterize turbulence in the marine boundary layer and air motions below stratocumulus clouds. Profiles of variance of vertical velocity binned by wind direction (wdir) yielded that the boundary layer measurements are affected by the island when the wdir is between 90° and 310° (measured clockwise from North where air is coming from). Data collected during the marine conditions (wdir<90 or wdir>310) showed that the variance of vertical velocity was higher during the winter months than during the summer months due to higher cloudiness, wind speeds, and surface fluxes. Furthermore, during marine conditions the variance of vertical velocity and cloud fraction exhibited a distinct diurnal cycle with higher values during the nighttime than during the daytime. Detailed analysis of 32 cases of drizzling marine stratocumulus clouds showed that for a similar amount of radiative cooling at the cloud top, within the sub-cloud layer 1) drizzle increasingly falls within downdrafts with increasing rain rates, 2) the strength of the downdrafts increases with increasing rain rates, and 3) the correlation between vertical air motion and rain rate is highest in the middle of the sub-cloud layer. The results presented herein have implications for climatological and model evaluation studies conducted at the ENA site, along with efforts of accurately representing drizzle-turbulence interactions in a range of atmospheric models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1980

Experimental investigation of a three dimensional turbulent boundary layer with a non disappearing pressure gradient

The results of measuring profiles of temporally determined velocities and Reynolds tension, wall shear stresses and pressure distribution in a three dimensional, turbulent boundary layer with pressure gradients in both tangential directions are reported. For determining the velocities X wire probes were used whose cooling was gauged according to magnitude and direction of the flow and was described with an effective cooling speed. In the evaluation consideration is given to the directional sensitivity of the hot wire. The ratio of the turbulence viscosities is calculated for both tangential directions and is found to be approximately N equals 1.2. Further, the profiles of the mixing path lengths for the flow direction are found to vary only slightly with increasing X-coordinates, while the boundary layer thickness increases substantially. The relationships of turbulent shear stress to turbulent, kinetic fluctuation energy is approximately constant over a large part of the boundary layer.

Mueller, U.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Combustion in a turbulent mixing layer formed at a rearward-facing step

A premixed propane/air flame was stabilized in a turbulent mixing layer formed at a rearward-facing step. The mean and rms averages of the turbulent velocity flowfield were determined by laser velocimetry for both reacting (phi = 0.57) and nonreacting flows (Re = 15,000-37,000 based on step height). The reacting-flow was visualized by high-speed schlieren photography. Large-scale structures dominate the reacting mixing layer. The growth of the large-scale structures was tied to the propagation of the flame. The linear growth rate of the reacting mixing layer defined by the mean velocity profiles was unchanged by combustion but the virtual origin moves downstream. The reacting mixing layer boundaries based on the mean velocity profiles were shifted toward the recirculation zone and reattachment lengths were shortened by 30 percent. The edge of the flame controlled by the large-scale structure development propagated faster into the incoming reactants than the boundary of the mixing layer given by the mean velocity flowfield. Thus, the region of high velocity gradient did not coincide with the region of high reaction and heat transfer.

Pitz, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Turbulence Modeling and Computation of Turbine Aerodynamics and Heat Transfer

The objective of the present research is to develop improved turbulence models for the computation of complex flows through turbomachinery passages, including the effects of streamline curvature, heat transfer and secondary flows. Advanced turbulence models are crucial for accurate prediction of rocket engine flows, due to existance of very large extra strain rates, such as strong streamline curvature. Numerical simulation of the turbulent flows in strongly curved ducts, including two 180-deg ducts, one 90-deg duct and a strongly concave curved turbulent boundary layer have been carried out with Reynolds stress models (RSM) and algebraic Reynolds stress models (ARSM). An improved near-wall pressure-strain correlation has been developed for capturing the anisotropy of turbulence in the concave region. A comparative study of two modes of transition in gas turbine, the by-pass transition and the separation-induced transition, has been carried out with several representative low-Reynolds number (LRN) k-epsilon models. Effects of blade surface pressure gradient, freestream turbulence and Reynolds number on the blade boundary layer development, and particularly the inception of transition are examined in detail. The present study indicates that the turbine blade transition, in the presence of high freestream turbulence, is predicted well with LRN k-epsilon models employed. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes procedure developed by the present authors has been used to compute the three-dimensional viscous flow through the turbine nozzle passage of a single stage turbine. A low Reynolds number k-epsilon model and a zonal k-epsilon/ARSM (algebraic Reynolds stress model) are utilized for turbulence closure. An assessment of the performance of the turbulence models has been carried out. The two models are found to provide similar predictions for the mean flow parameters, although slight improvement in the prediction of some secondary flow quantities has been obtained by the ARSM model. It's found that the wake profiles inside the endwall boundary layers are predicted better than those near the mid-span.

Lakshminarayana, B.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of a transitional boundary-layer theory in the low hypersonic Mach number regime

An investigation is made to assess the capability of a finite-difference boundary-layer procedure to predict the mean profile development across a transition from laminar to turbulent flow in the low hypersonic Mach-number regime. The boundary-layer procedure uses an integral form of the turbulence kinetic-energy equation to govern the development of the Reynolds apparent shear stress. The present investigation shows the ability of this procedure to predict Stanton number, velocity profiles, and density profiles through the transition region and, in addition, to predict the effect of wall cooling and Mach number on transition Reynolds number. The contribution of the pressure-dilatation term to the energy balance is examined and it is suggested that transition can be initiated by the direct absorption of acoustic energy even if only a small amount (1 per cent) of the incident acoustic energy is absorbed.

Shamroth, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Three dimensional compressible boundary-layer computations for a finite swept wing

Three-dimensional, compressible turbulent boundary-layer calculations have been performed for the finite supercritical wing of the NASA modified F8 transonic research airplane. Data on the boundary-layer thickness, displacement thickness, skin friction components, and integrated streamwise skin friction are presented for points along the streamwise stations of which the pressure measurements were previously made. Representative velocity profiles are shown, and boundary-layer-thickness contour plots and skin-friction vector plots are presented. Results are given for a Reynolds number of 1.5 million per foot, and for Mach numbers of 0.50 and 0.99.

Nash, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Integral method for the calculation of three-dimensional, laminar and turbulent boundary layers

The method for turbulent flows is a further development of an existing method; profile families with two parameters and a lag entrainment method replace the simple entrainment method and power profiles with one parameter. The method for laminar flows is a new development. Moment of momentum equations were used for the solution of the problem, the profile families were derived from similar solutions of boundary layer equations. Laminar and turbulent flows at the wings were calculated. The influence of wing tapering on the boundary layer development was shown. The turbulent boundary layer for a revolution ellipsoid is calculated for 0 deg and 10 deg incidence angles.

Stock, H. W.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tethered balloon measurements reveal enhanced aerosol occurrence aloft interacting with Arctic low-level clouds

Low-level clouds in the Arctic affect the surface energy budget and vertical transport of heat and moisture. The limited availability of cloud-droplet-forming aerosol particles strongly impacts cloud properties and lifetime. Vertical particle distributions are required to study aerosol–cloud interaction over sea ice comprehensively. This article presents vertically resolved measurements of aerosol particle number concentrations and sizes using tethered balloons. The data were collected during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate expedition in the summer of 2020. Thirty-four profiles of aerosol particle number concentration were observed in 2 particle size ranges: 12–150 nm (N 12−150 ) and above 150 nm (N >150 ). Concurrent balloon-borne meteorological measurements provided context for the continuous profiles through the cloudy atmospheric boundary layer. Radiosoundings, cloud remote sensing data, and 5-day back trajectories supplemented the analysis. The majority of aerosol profiles showed more particles above the lowest temperature inversion, on average, double the number concentration compared to below. Increased N 12−150 up to 3,000 cm −3 were observed in the free troposphere above low-level clouds related to secondary particle formation. Long-range transport of pollution increased N >150 to 310 cm −3 in a warm, moist air mass. Droplet activation inside clouds caused reductions of N >150 by up to 100%, while the decrease in N 12−150 was less than 50%. When low-level clouds were thermodynamically coupled with the surface, profiles showed 5 times higher values of N 12−150 in the free troposphere than below the cloud-capping temperature inversion. Enhanced N 12−150 and N >150 interacting with clouds were advected above the lowest inversion from beyond the sea ice edge when clouds were decoupled from the surface. Vertically discontinuous aerosol profiles below decoupled clouds suggest that particles emitted at the surface are not transported to clouds in these conditions. It is concluded that the cloud-surface coupling state and free tropospheric particle abundance are crucial when assessing the aerosol budget for Arctic low-level clouds over sea ice.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2001

Operational Performance of Sensor Systems Used to Determine Atmospheric Boundary Layer Properties as Part of the NASA Aircraft Vortex Spacing System Project

There has been a renewed interest in the application of remote sensor technology to operational aviation and airport-related activities such as Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS). Radio Acoustic Sounding Systems (RASS), Doppler-acoustic sodars, Ultrahigh Frequencies (UHF) profilers and lidars have many advantages in measuring wind and temperature profiles in the lower atmospheric boundary layer since they can operate more or less continuously and unattended; however, there are limitations in their operational use at airports. For example, profilers deteriorate (limited altitude coverage or missing) in moderate or greater rain and can be affected by airplane targets in their field of view. Sodars can handle precipitation better but are affected by the high noise environments of airports and strong winds. Morning temperature inversions typically limit performance of RASS, sodars and profilers. Fog affects sonic anemometers. Lidars can have difficulties in clouds, fog or heavy precipitation. Despite their limitations these sensors have proven useful to provide wind and temperature profiles for AVOSS. Capabilities and limitations of these and other sensors used in the AVOSS program are discussed, parameter settings for the sensor systems are documented, and recommendations are made for the most cost-effective group of sensors for the future. The potential use of specially tuned dynamic forecast models and measurements from landing and departing aircraft are addressed.

Zak, J. Allen↗
NASA NTRS1986

Extinction and visibility measurements in the lower atmosphere with UV-YAG-lidar

With the intention to investigate methods for slant path visibiltiy measurements and to develop information for modelling of extinction profiles in the atmospheric boundary layer, measurements were performed with a lidar based on a YAG-laser. The third harmonic at 355 nm in the ultraviolet was used and thus eye safety problems are avoided. At this wavelength the lens of the human eye is not transparent and the safety distance for the laser is a 50 meters as compared to several km for a corresponding green laser. The lidar is a coaxial system with a turnable mirror system for beam steering. The extinction coefficient at both 355 and 532 nm was measured and the ratio determined. Provided that the wavelength dependence of the aerosol extinction is range independent, the measured extinction profile at 355 nm can be converted to a corresponding profile at 532 nm, which is more relevant for visibility. In order to calculate the extinction profile the lidar equation is inverted by a method, which is based on Klett's method.

Hagard, A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Wall-wake velocity profile for compressible nonadiabatic flows

The paper suggests a new form of the wall-wake profile which is applicable to flows with heat transfer, and for which the velocity gradient at the boundary-layer edge is zero. The modified profile - which takes into account the effect of turbulent Prandtl number - is found to provide a good representation of experimental data for a wide range of Mach numbers and heat transfer. The skin friction coefficient values determined by a least squares fit of the profile to the data are in good agreement with values measured by the floating element technique. The values of boundary-layer thickness determined by the fit correspond more closely to the outer edge of the viscous flow region than those obtained with earlier versions of the wall-wake profile.

Sun, C.-C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Development and Evaluation of a High Sensitivity DIAL System for Profiling Atmospheric CO2

A ground-based 2-micron Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) CO2 profiling system for atmospheric boundary layer studies and validation of space-based CO2 sensors is being developed and tested at NASA Langley Research Center as part of the NASA Instrument Incubator Program. To capture the variability of CO2 in the lower troposphere a precision of 1-2 ppm of CO2 (less than 0.5%) with 0.5 to 1 km vertical resolution from near surface to free troposphere (4-5 km) is one of the goals of this program. In addition, a 1% (3 ppm) absolute accuracy with a 1 km resolution over 0.5 km to free troposphere (4-5 km) is also a goal of the program. This DIAL system leverages 2-micron laser technology developed under NASA's Laser Risk Reduction Program (LRRP) and other NASA programs to develop new solid-state laser technology that provides high pulse energy, tunable, wavelength-stabilized, and double-pulsed lasers that are operable over pre-selected temperature insensitive strong CO2 absorption lines suitable for profiling of lower tropospheric CO2. It also incorporates new high quantum efficiency, high gain, and relatively low noise phototransistors, and a new receiver/signal processor system to achieve high precision DIAL measurements. This presentation describes the capabilities of this system for atmospheric CO2 and aerosol profiling. Examples of atmospheric measurements in the lidar and DIAL mode will be presented.

Ismail, Syed↗
NASA NTRS1982

Turbulent boundary layer over solid and porous surfaces with small roughness

Skin friction and profiles of mean velocity, axial and normal turbulence intensity, and Reynolds stress in the untripped boundary layer were measured directly on a large diameter, axisymmetric body with: (1) a smooth, solid surface; (2) a sandpaper-roughened, solid surface; (3) a sintered metal, porous surface; (4) a smooth, perforated titanium surface; (5) a rough solid surface made of fine, diffusion bonded screening, and (6) a rough, porous surface of the same screening. Results obtained for each of these surfaces are discussed. It is shown that a rough, porous wall simply does not influence the boundary layer in the same way as a rough solid wall. Therefore, turbulent transport models for boundary layers over porous surfaces either with or without injection or suction, must include both surface roughness and porosity effects.

Kong, F. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A study of the effects of Lebu devices on turbulent boundary layer drag

Initial measurements of the changes in local skin friction, velocity profile shape, and turbulence structure which result from the placement of tandem plates parallel to the wall in the outer region of thick turbulent boundary layers were made. Using a tunnel with a .75 m x 1.2 m x 7.3 m test section, which diverged so as to keep the pressure gradient less than 2x1000/ft, on the test wall, a skin friction reduction of approximately 30% was measured at xi/h = 62. This relaxed to a reduction of approximately 16% at xi/h = 124 for h/delta M = .6. The c sub f measurements for both the normal and modified boundary layers were obtained by measuring the slope of the velocity profile within the linear sublayer. Visual results indicated a continued presence of strong large eddy structure downstream of the devices. Local skin friction reduction of 12% at xi/h = 62 was also obtained with the manipulators above the boundary layer at y/delta m = 1.1.

Falco, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Aerosol properties computed from aircraft-based observations during the ACE- Asia campaign: A case study of lidar ratio closure and aerosol radiative effects - 2

For a vertical profile with three distinct layers (marine boundary, pollution and dust), observed during the ACE-Asia campaign, we carried out a comparison between the modeled lidar ratio vertical profile and that obtained from collocated airborne NASA AATS-14 sunphotometer and shipborne Micro-Pulse Lidar (MPL) measurements. Vertically resolved lidar ratio was calculated from two size distribution vertical profiles - one obtained by inversion of sunphotometer-derived extinction spectra, and one measured in-situ - combined with the same refractive index model based on aerosol chemical composition. The aerosol model implies single scattering albedos of 0.78 - 0.81 and 0.93 - 0.96 at 0.523 microns (the wavelength of the lidar measurements), in the pollution and dust layers, respectively. The lidar ratios calculated from the two size distribution profiles have close values in the dust layer; they are however, significantly lower than the lidar ratios derived from combined lidar and sunphotometer measurements, most probably due to the use of a simple nonspherical model with a single particle shape in our calculations. In the pollution layer, the two size distribution profiles yield generally different lidar ratios. The retrieved size distributions yield a lidar ratio which is in better agreement with that derived from lidar/sunphotometer measurements in this layer, with still large differences at certain altitudes (the largest relative difference was 46%). We explain these differences by non-uniqueness of the result of the size distribution retrieval and lack of information on vertical variability of particle refractive index. Radiative transfer calculations for this profile showed significant atmospheric radiative forcing, which occurred mainly in the pollution layer. We demonstrate that if the extinction profile is known then information on the vertical structure of absorption and asymmetry parameter is not significant for estimating forcing at TOA and the surface, while it is of importance for estimating vertical profiles of radiative forcing and heating rates.

Kuzmanoski, Maja↗
NASA NTRS2010

High-Speed Boundary-Layer Transition Induced by an Isolated Roughness Element

Progress on an experimental effort to quantify the instability mechanisms associated with roughness-induced transition in a high-speed boundary layer is reported in this paper. To simulate the low-disturbance environment encountered during high-altitude flight, the experimental study was performed in the NASA-Langley Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low-Disturbance Tunnel. A flat plate trip sizing study was performed first to identify the roughness height required to force transition. That study, which included transition onset measurements under both quiet and noisy freestream conditions, confirmed the sensitivity of roughness-induced transition to freestream disturbance levels. Surveys of the laminar boundary layer on a 7deg half-angle sharp-tipped cone were performed via hot-wire anemometry and pitot-pressure measurements. The measured mean mass-flux and Mach-number profiles agreed very well with computed mean-flow profiles. Finally, surveys of the boundary layer developing downstream of an isolated roughness element on the cone were performed. The measurements revealed an instability in the far wake of the roughness element that grows exponentially and has peak frequencies in the 150 to 250 kHz range.

Kegerise, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Shear flow beneath oceanic plates - Local nonsimilarity boundary layers for olivine rheology

The principle of local similarity, which has been used to model the two-dimensional boundary layers in the oceanic upper mantle, permits calculation of the temperature, velocity, and stress fields with essentially analytic techniques. Finite difference numerical methods are hard pressed to resolve the detail required by the large variation of viscosity between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. In this paper the local similarity approximation has been justified by quantitatively evaluating the effect of nonsimilarity due to viscous heating, nonlinear temperature- and pressure-dependent rheology, buoyancy, adiabatic cooling, etc. Nonsimilar effects produce only small modifications of the locally similar boundary layers; important geophysical observables such as surface heat flux and ocean floor topography are given to better than 10 percent by the locally similar solution. A posteriori evaluations of the terms neglected in the boundary layer simplification of the complete equations have been conducted on the locally similar temperature and velocity profiles close to the spreading ridge. The boundary layer models are valid to depths of 100 km at 3 m.y. and 10 km at 0.3 m.y.

Yuen, D. A.↗