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At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Kinetic structure of rotational discontinuities: Implications for the magnetopause

Magnetic field rotations in the high ion beta magnetosheath that are part of the magnetopause structure are expected to have only a small normal component. We have studied the properties of rotational discontinuities (RDs) under these conditions, viewed as the limit of weak intermediate shocks (ISs), by performing hybrid simulations with a reflecting wall boundary condition (piston method). With this dynamic formation, the sense and size of rotation are not arbitrarily predetermined, but rather evolve from the given upstream (magnetosheath) and downstream (magnetospheric) boundary conditions, similar to what takes place at the magnetopause. This work focuses on several aspects: the observed minimum shear of RDs, their width, their internal signature, and their relation to ISs in isotropic plasmas. Our simulation results are in agreement with the minimum shear observations, that is, the RDs choose the sense of rotation that corresponds to the minimum angle between the upstream and downstream field vector. The RDs are stable, with a unique scale size. Typical gradient scale half widths are one to four ion inertial lengths with a total width up to ten times of that, in agreement with magnetopause observations. We develop a generalized fluid theory of RDs and discuss the characteristic internal signatures of the rotational layer, comparing the kinetic simulation results to predictions from the generalized fluid theory. The results show that ion inertia, anisotropic pressure, finite Larmor radius effects, nonzero ion heat flux, and reflected ions all contribute to the signatures of RDs on kinetic scales. The RDs may have upstream or downstream wave trains, which become weak for high ion beta and small normal components of the magnetic field. We explain the presence and direction of wave trains in terms of the kinetic properties of the Alfven/ion-cyclotron mode. Away from the RD limit there is a smooth transition to weak intermediate shocks, which have small jumps close to expected Rankine-Hugoniot values. Apart from that, there are few kinetic plasma signatures that distinguish RDs from their neighboring ISs. However, noncoplanar ISs evolve in time into thin RDs. Using the properties of RDs and ISs, we make specific suggestions how these discontinuities can be distinguished observationally in the case of an isotropic plasma.

Krauss-Varban, D.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Steady-State Computation of Constant Rotational Rate Dynamic Stability Derivatives

Dynamic stability derivatives are essential to predicting the open and closed loop performance, stability, and controllability of aircraft. Computational determination of constant-rate dynamic stability derivatives (derivatives of aircraft forces and moments with respect to constant rotational rates) is currently performed indirectly with finite differencing of multiple time-accurate computational fluid dynamics solutions. Typical time-accurate solutions require excessive amounts of computational time to complete. Formulating Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations in a rotating noninertial reference frame and applying an automatic differentiation tool to the modified code has the potential for directly computing these derivatives with a single, much faster steady-state calculation. The ability to rapidly determine static and dynamic stability derivatives by computational methods can benefit multidisciplinary design methodologies and reduce dependency on wind tunnel measurements. The CFL3D thin-layer N-S computational fluid dynamics code was modified for this study to allow calculations on complex three-dimensional configurations with constant rotation rate components in all three axes. These CFL3D modifications also have direct application to rotorcraft and turbomachinery analyses. The modified CFL3D steady-state calculation is a new capability that showed excellent agreement with results calculated by a similar formulation. The application of automatic differentiation to CFL3D allows the static stability and body-axis rate derivatives to be calculated quickly and exactly.

Park, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Laminar-Turbulent Transition in an Electromagnetically-Levitated Droplet

During experiments on the MSL-1 (First Microgravity Science Laboratory) mission of the Space Shuttle (STS-83 and STS-94, April and July 1997), a droplet of palladium-silicon alloy was electromagnetically levitated for viscosity measurements. For the non-deforming droplet, the resultant MHD flow inside the drop can be inferred from motion of impurity particulates on the surface. In the experiments, subsequent to melting, Joule heating produces a continuous reduction of viscosity of the fluid resulting in an acceleration of the flow with time. These observations indicate formation of a pair of co-rotating toroidal flow structures inside the spheroidal drop that undergo flow instabilities. As the fluid temperature rises, the amplitude of the secondary flow increases; and beyond a point, the tracers exhibit non-coherent chaotic motion signifying emergence of turbulence inside the drop. Assuming that the observed laminar-turbulent transition is shear-layer type, the internal structure of the toroidal loops is used to develop a semi- empirical correlation for the onset of turbulence. Our calculations indicate that the suggested correlation is in modest agreement with the experimental data, with the transition occurring at a Reynolds number of 600.

Hyers, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A finite-element perturbation approach to fluid/rotor interaction in turbomachinery elements. I - Theory. II - Application

The vibrational characteristics of a rotor that is in contact with a fluid in an annular clearance gap are investigated. The disturbance under consideration involves the axis of rotation, and includes a virtual lateral eccentricity, together with a whirling motion around the housing centerline. The fluid reaction components arise from infinitesimally small deformations with varied magnitudes which are experienced by an assembly of finite elements in the rotor-to-housing gap. A perturbation model is presented in which the perturbation equations emerge from the flow-governing equations in their discrete finite-element form. It is concluded that restrictions on the rotor-to-housing gap geometry, or the manner in which the rotor virtual eccentricity occurs are practically nonexisting. This model is used to compute the rotordynamic coefficients of an annular seal. The rotordynamic behavior of a hydraulic seal with a clearance gap depth/length ratio of 0.01 is analyzed under a cylindrical type of rotor whirl and several running speeds.

Baskharone, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Magnetic Field Effect on the Stability of Flow Induced by a Rotating Magnetic Field

A linear stability analysis has been performed for the flow induced by a rotating magnetic field in a cylindrical column filled with electrically conducting fluid. The first transition is time- independent and results in the generation of Taylor vortices. The critical value of the magnetic Taylor number has been examined as a function of the strength of the transverse rotating magnetic field, the strength of an axial static magnetic field, and thermal buoyancy. Increasing the transverse field increases the critical magnetic Taylor number and decreases the aspect ratio of the Taylor vortices at the onset of instability. An increase in the axial magnetic field also increases the critical magnetic Taylor number but increases the aspect ratio of the Taylor vortices. Thermal buoyancy is found to have only a negligible effect on the onset of instability.

Mazuruk, K.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Stability and slosh wave for rotating bubble due to gravity-jitters under microgravity

Time-dependent fluid behaviors in microgravity environments are examined with particular attention given to the dynamics of bubble configurations. The initial bubble profiles, computed from the steady-state formulation, are used as the initial input for the time dependent computation. The parameters considered are liquid density and its kinematic viscosity, gas density and its kinematic viscosity, surface tension coefficient, angular velocity, and gravity environment. This computer algorithm can be used to simulate the fluid behavior in a microgravity environment, in particular the excitation of slosh waves due to different frequencies of gravity jitters. Results show that lower-frequency gravity jitters excite slosh waves with a higher ratio of maximum amplitude to wave length than that of the slosh waves generated by the higher frequency gravity jitters.

Hung, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Magnetic Field Effect on the Stability of Flow Induced by a Rotating Magnetic Field

A linear stability analysis has been performed for the flow induced by a rotating magnetic field in a cylindrical column filled with electrically conducting fluid. The first transition is time-independent and results in the generation of Taylor vortices. The critical value of the magnetic Taylor number has been examined as a function of the strength of the transverse rotating magnetic field, the strength of an axial static magnetic field, and thermal buoyancy. Increasing the transverse field increases the critical magnetic Taylor number and decreases the aspect ratio of the Taylor vortices at the onset of instability. An increase in the axial magnetic field also increases the critical magnetic Taylor number but increases the aspect ratio of the Taylor vortices. Thermal buoyancy is found to have only a negligible effect on the onset of instability.

Mazuruk, K.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Motor and drive arrangement for refrigeration system

A heat exchanger system includes a heat exchanger coil circulating a first heat transfer fluid therethrough, and a fan at least partially surrounded by the heat exchanger coil to urge a flow of air through the heat exchanger coil to dissipate thermal energy from the first heat transfer fluid. A brushless direct current fan motor is located the fan to urge rotation of the fan and an ancillary electrical component operably connected to the heat exchanger system and electrically isolated from the first heat transfer fluid.

Feng, Yinshan↗
DOE OSTI2021

Boundary zonal flows in rapidly rotating turbulent thermal convection

Recently, in Zhang et al. ( Phys. Rev. Lett. , vol. 124, 2020, 084505), it was found that, in rapidly rotating turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in slender cylindrical containers (with diameter-to-height aspect ratio $\varGamma =1/2$ ) filled with a small-Prandtl-number fluid ( ${Pr}\approx 0.8$ ), the large-scale circulation is suppressed and a boundary zonal flow (BZF) develops near the sidewall, characterized by a bimodal probability density function of the temperature, cyclonic fluid motion and anticyclonic drift of the flow pattern (with respect to the rotating frame). This BZF carries a disproportionate amount ( ${>}60\,\%$ ) of the total heat transport for ${Pr} < 1$ , but decreases rather abruptly for larger ${Pr}$ to approximately $35\,\%$ . In this work, we show that the BZF is robust and appears in rapidly rotating turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in containers of different $\varGamma$ and over a broad range of ${Pr}$ and ${Ra}$ . Furthermore, tirect numerical simulations for Prandtl number $0.1 \leq {\textit {Pr}} \leq 12.3$ , Rayleigh number $10^7 \leq {Ra} \leq 5\times 10^{9}$ , inverse Ekman number $10^{5} \leq 1/{\textit {Ek}} \leq 10^{7}$ and $\varGamma = 1/3$ , 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 2 show that the BZF width $\delta _0$ scales with the Rayleigh number ${Ra}$ and Ekman number ${\textit {Ek}}$ as $\delta _0/H \sim \varGamma ^{0} Pr^{\{-1/4, 0\}} {Ra}^{1/4} {\textit {Ek}}^{2/3}$ ( $\{{\textit {Pr}}<1, {\textit {Pr}}>1\}$ ) and with the drift frequency scales as $\omega /\varOmega \sim \varGamma ^{0} Pr^{-4/3} {Ra}\,{\textit {Ek}}^{5/3}$ , where $H$ is the cell height and $\varOmega$ the angular rotation rate. The mode number of the BZF is 1 for $\varGamma \lesssim 1$ and $2 \varGamma$ for $\varGamma = \{1,2\}$ independent of ${Ra}$ and ${Pr}$ . The BZF is quite reminiscent of wall mode states in rotating convection.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1985

The application of potential flow theory to the rotational dynamics of spheroids, disks, and cylinders

An example for the considered phenomenon in the area of cloud microphysics is the rotational motion of ice particles as they fall through the air. Of fundamental importance for the general problem is a knowledge of the magnitude of the torque exerted by the fluid on the translating object as well as the frequency of the rotational oscillation which results from this torque. The present investigation has the objective to obtain estimates of these quantities, and to assess the accuracy of these estimates. Torques and oscillation frequencies for spheroidal objects immersed in flow are computed for potential flow and compared to measured values. The results form a consistent picture in which the ratios of measured to potential flow values are always less than 1 but generally greater than 0.1. The reason for this is described in terms of the well-known deviations of real flow from potential flow. The reported results are of academic interest in filling a gap in the knowledge regarding the applicability of potential flow.

Weinheimer, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Surge Flow in a Centrifugal Compressor Measured by Digital Particle Image Velocimetry

A planar optical velocity measurement technique known as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is being used to study transient events in compressors. In PIV, a pulsed laser light sheet is used to record the positions of particles entrained in a fluid at two instances in time across a planar region of the flow. Determining the recorded particle displacement between exposures yields an instantaneous velocity vector map across the illuminated plane. Detailed flow mappings obtained using PIV in high-speed rotating turbomachinery components are used to improve the accuracy of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, which in turn, are used to guide advances in state-of-the-art aircraft engine hardware designs.

Wernet, Mark P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the effects of reactant stratification and wall curvature in non-premixed rotating detonation combustors

The optimization of non-premixed rotating detonation combustors (RDCs) requires improved understanding of the coupled effects of reactant stratification, fluid property gradients, and complex shock-wave interactions on the detonation wave structure within annular geometries. In the current work, simultaneous orthogonal views of chemiluminescence and hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) are utilized to establish the existence of a dual-wave system characterized by leading and trailing detonation waves that are closely coupled by the local flow physics. These features are persistent over a wide range of mass flow rates and are consistent with prior observations of non-premixed rotating detonations in annular geometries. The detailed instantaneous time sequences are compared with a 3D reactive unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulation to more clearly elucidate the in-situ combustion dynamics and the sensitivity to reactant inlet conditions. It is found that the dual-wave system results from unburned reactants that survive the leading detonation wave in the injector near field and are consumed within a trailing azimuthal reflected-shock combustion (ARSC) zone. By contrast, the injector far field is characterized by rapid mixing due to a sudden drop to subsonic conditions, and the bifurcated detonation wave structure collapses into a stronger, single-wave detonation front with higher overall pressure ratio as compared with the dual-wave system. While each RDC will have different inflow, mixing, and combustion characteristics, the underlying interactions between the stratified reactants and azimuthal wave dynamics identified through the combination of advanced MHz-rate diagnostics and 3D numerical simulations have important implications for the study of detonation wave stability, mode transition, and combustion efficiency in non-premixed annular RDCs.

3D URANS↗
NASA NTRS1986

Self-consistent Goedel cosmology with spin-density in Riemann-Cartan spacetime

It is shown that the Goedel metric (GM) for a rotating cosmology is compatible with the self-consistent formulation of the Einstein-Cartan (EC) metric-torsion theory for a spinning fluid. The proposed calculation shows, within the context of an EC theory, how to self-consistently incorporate a perfect fluid with spin density into the GM without changing the metric. It is found that the only changes produced in the GM parameters in connection with a spinning fluid are that the cosmological constant becomes slightly more negative and the sense of rotation is flipped 180 deg.

Smalley, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Control of Meridional Flow by a Non-Uniform Rotational Magnetic Field

The diffusive mass transfer of species during crystal growth in vertical ampoules is significantly affected by fluid flow in the liquid mother phase (melt). For electrically conductive melts, an elegant way of remotely inducing and controlling this flow is by utilizing a uniform rotational magnetic field (RMF) in the transverse direction. It induces an azimuthal flow which tends to homogenize the thermal and solutal fields. The rotating field also reduces the diffusion boundary layer, stabilizes temperature fluctuations, and promotes better overall crystal growth. For moderate strengths of the applied magnetic field (2-20 m Tesla) with frequencies of up to 400 Hz, the induced secondary meridional flow becomes significant. It typically consists of one roll at the bottom of the liquid column and a second roll (vortex) at the top. The flow along the centerline (ampoule axis) is directed from the growing solid (interface) towards the liquid (melt). In case of convex interfaces (e.g. in floating zone crystal growth) such flow behavior is beneficial since it suppresses diffusion at the center. However, for concave interfaces (e.g. vertical Bridgman crystal growth) such a flow tends to exacerbate the situation in making the interface shape more concave. It would be beneficial to have some control of this meridional flow- for example, a single recirculating cell with controllable direction and flow magnitude will make this technique even more attractive for crystal growth. Such flow control is a possibility if a non-uniform PNE field is utilized for this purpose. Although this idea has been proposed earlier, it has not been conclusively demonstrated so far. In this work, we derive the governing equations for the fluid dynamics for such a system and obtain solutions for a few important cases. Results from parallel experimental measurements of fluid flow in a mercury column subjected to non-uniform RMF will also be presented.

Mazuruk, Konstantin↗
NASA NTRS1994

Hydrodynamics of rotating stars and close binary interactions: Compressible ellipsoid models

We develop a new formalism to study the dynamics of fluid polytropes in three dimensions. The stars are modeled as compressible ellipsoids, and the hydrodynamic equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the principal axes and other global quantities. Both viscous dissipation and the gravitational radiation reaction are incorporated. We establish the validity of our approximations and demonstrate the simplicity and power of the method by rederiving a number of known results concerning the stability and dynamical oscillations of rapidly rotating polytropes. In particular, we present a generalization to compressible fluids of Chandrasekhar's classical results for the secular and dynamical instabilities of incompressible Maclaurin spheroids. We also present several applications of our method to astrophysical problems of great current interest, such as the tidal disruption of a star by a massive black hole, the coalescence of compact binaries driven by the emission of gravitational waves, and the development of instabilities in close binary systems.

Lai, Dong↗
NASA NTRS1979

Rotation at 30 RPM about the Z axis after 6 hours in the 10-deg head-down position - Effect on susceptibility to motion sickness

Intraindividual differences in susceptibility to motion sickness were measured in 14 subjects for two conditions of rotation at 30 rpm in the 10-deg head-down position. In one condition, subjects were in the 10-deg head-down position for 6 h prior to the onset of rotation; in the other condition, the delay was only 15 min. In both conditions, there were changes in vital capacity, indicating a redistribution of movable body fluids. Subjects tended to be less susceptible to motion sickness when they were recumbent for 6 h prior to rotation. These results are counterevidence for the hypothesis that shifts of body fluid are responsible in large part for the motion sickness elicited in orbital space flight.

Graybiel, A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Lunar Rotation and the Lunar Interior

Variations in rotation and orientation of the Moon are sensitive to solid-body tidal dissipation, dissipation due to relative motion at the fluid-core/ solid-mantle boundary, and tidal Love number k2. There is weaker sensitivity to flattening of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and fluid core moment of inertia. Accurate Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements of the distance from observatories on the Earth to four retroreflector arrays on the Moon are sensitive to lunar rotation and orientation variations and tidal displacements. Past solutions using the LLR data have given results for dissipation due to solid-body tides and fluid core plus Love number. Past detection of CMB flattening has been marginal but is improving, while direct detection of the core moment has not yet been achieved. Three decades of Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data are analyzed using a weighted least-squares approach. The lunar solution parameters include dissipation at the fluid-core/solid-mantle boundary, tidal dissipation, dissipation-related coefficients for rotation and orientation terms, potential Love number k2, a correction to the constant term in the tilt of the equator to the ecliptic which is meant to approximate the influence of core-mantle boundary flattening, and displacement Love numbers h2 and l2. Several solutions, with different combinations of solution parameters and constraints, are considered.

Williams, J. G.↗