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At least 649 records · Page 36

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NASA NTRS2013

Monitoring Temperature in High Enthalpy Arc-heated Plasma Flows using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

A tunable diode laser sensor was designed for in situ monitoring of temperature in the arc heater of the NASA Ames IHF arcjet facility (60 MW). An external cavity diode laser was used to generate light at 777.2 nm and laser absorption used to monitor the population of electronically excited oxygen atoms in an air plasma flow. Under the assumption of thermochemical equilibrium, time-resolved temperature measurements were obtained on four lines-of-sight, which enabled evaluation of the temperature uniformity in the plasma column for different arcjet operating conditions.

Martin, Marcel Nations↗

NASA NTRS2013

Multifunctional Low-Pressure Turbine for Core Noise Reduction, Improved Efficiency, and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Reduction

This work studied the feasibility of using Helmholtz resonator cavities embedded in low-pressure-turbine (LPT) airfoils to (1) reduce core noise by damping acoustic modes; (2) use the synthetic jets produced by the liner hole acoustic oscillations to improve engine efficiency by maintaining turbulent attached flow in the LPT at low-Reynolds-number cruise conditions; and (3) reduce engine nitrogen oxide emissions by lining the internal cavities with materials capable of catalytic conversion. Flat plates with embedded Helmholtz resonators, designed to resonate at either 3000 or at 400 Hz, were simulated using computational fluid dynamics. The simulations were conducted for two inlet Mach numbers, 0.25 and 0.5, corresponding to Reynolds numbers of 90 000 and 164 000 based on the effective chordwise distance to the resonator orifice. The results of this study are (1) the region of acoustic treatment may be large enough to have a benefit; (2) the jets may not possess sufficient strength to reduce flow separation (based on prior work by researchers in the flow control area); and (3) the additional catalytic surface area is not exposed to a high velocity, so it probably does not have any benefit.

Miller, Christopher J.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Acoustic Liner Drag: A Parametric Study of Conventional Configurations

Interest in the characterization of the aerodynamic drag performance of acoustic liners has increased in the past several years. This paper details experiments in NASA Langley's Grazing Flow Impedance Tube to quantify the relative drag of several conventional perforate-over-honeycomb liner configurations. For a fixed porosity, facesheet hole diameter and cavity depth are varied to study the effect of each. These configurations are selected to span the range of conventional liner geometries used in commercial aircraft engines. Detailed static pressure and acoustic measurements are made for grazing flows up to M=0.5 at 140 dB SPL for tones between 400 and 2800 Hz. These measurements are used to calculate a resistance factor (λ) for each configuration. Analysis shows a correlation between perforate hole size and the resistance factor but cavity depth seems to have little influence. Acoustic effects on liner drag are observed to be limited to the lower Mach numbers included in this investigation.

Howerton, Brian M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Liquid atomization by coaxial rocket injectors

The atomization characteristics of a scaled-down version of a coaxial rocket injector was investigated using a phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA). The injector was operated in the conventional mode with liquid being injected through its inner orifice and gas being injected through its outer annulus. The shearing action occurring at the liquid-gas interface causes the liquid jet to atomize. In this study, two different liquid-air systems, namely a water-air system and a liquid nitrogen-gaseous nitrogen system, were chosen for detailed investigation. This paper discusses the performance characteristics of the coaxial injector under different flow and geometric conditions. Specifically, the effects of injection gas pressure and the injector cavity size on variables such as the mean particle diameter, Sauter mean diameter, number density, volume flux, and velocity have been presented.

Sankar, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Present status of the MIT/NASA Langley 6-inch MSBS

The latest improvements are described which were made to the MIT/NASA Langley 6 Inch Magnetic Suspension and Balance System and its operational capabilities. Since its relocation from MIT in 1984, the system has suffered from reliability problems with original equipment. System performance is ultimately limited by noise and antiquated power supplies. Although a limited amount of funding and man hours has been expended, some significant improvements were made to the system. The design and implementation of a new electro-magnetic position sensor has significantly reduced system noise and drift. The system was shown fully operational for the first time since its arrival at NASA Langley. An ogive cylinder test model was suspended while running the wind tunnel at its maximum of approx. Mach 0.5. Other aerodynamic models were suspended with wind on. Also, the simulation of low speed cavity store separation using an ogive cylinder test model is described. Methods used for flow visualization for this test are also discussed. The system is ideally suited for this type of low speed testing.

Schott, Timothy↗

NASA NTRS2001

Thermal Electron Contributions to Current-Driven Instabilities: SCIFER Observations in the 1400-km Cleft Ion Fountain and Their Implications to Thermal Ion Energization

SCIFER TECHS observations of the variations in the thermal electron distribution in the 1400-km altitude cleft are associated with periods of intense ion heating and field-aligned currents. Energization of the thermal ion plasma in the mid-altitude cleft occurs within density cavities accompanied by enhanced thermal electron temperatures, large field-aligned thermal electron plasma flows and broadband low-frequency electric fields. Variations in the thermal electron contribution to field-aligned current densities indicate small scale (approximately 100's m) filamentary structure embedded within the ion energization periods. TECHS observations of the field-aligned drift velocities and temperatures of the thermal electron distribution are presented to evaluate the critical velocity thresholds necessary for the generation of electrostatic ion cyclotron and ion acoustic instabilities. This analysis suggests that, during periods of thermal ion energization, sufficient drift exists in the thermal electron distribution to excite the electrostatic ion cyclotron instability. In addition, brief periods exist within the same interval where the drift of the thermal electron distribution is sufficient to marginally excite the ion acoustic instability. In addition, the presence an enhancement in Langmuir emission at the plasma frequency at the center of the ion energization region, accompanied by the emission's second-harmonic, and collocated with observations of high-frequency electric field solitary structures suggest the presence of electron beam driven decay of Langmuir waves to ion acoustic modes as an additional free energy source for ion energization.

Adrian, Mark L.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Flow rate logging seepage meter

An apparatus for remotely measuring and logging the flow rate of groundwater seepage into surface water bodies. As groundwater seeps into a cavity created by a bottomless housing, it displaces water through an inlet and into a waterproof sealed upper compartment, at which point, the water is collected by a collection bag, which is contained in a bag chamber. A magnet on the collection bag approaches a proximity switch as the collection bag fills, and eventually enables the proximity switch to activate a control circuit. The control circuit then rotates a three-way valve from the collection path to a discharge path, enables a data logger to record the time, and enables a pump, which discharges the water from the collection bag, through the three-way valve and pump, and into the sea. As the collection bag empties, the magnet leaves the proximity of the proximity switch, and the control circuit turns off the pump, resets the valve to provide a collection path, and restarts the collection cycle.

Reay, William G.↗

NASA NTRS2011

VLA Ammonia Observations of IRAS 16253-2429: A Very Young and Low Mass Protostellar System

IRAS l6253-2429. the source of the Wasp-Waist Nebula seen in Spitzer IRAC images, is an isolated very low luminosity ("VeLLO") Class 0 protostar in the nearby rho Ophiuchi cloud. We present VLA ammonia mapping observations of the dense gas envelope feeding the central core accreting system. We find a flattened envelope perpendicular to the outflow axis, and gas cavities that appear to cradle the outflow lobes as though carved out by the flow and associated (apparently precessing) jet. Based on the NH3 (1,1) and (2,2) emission distribution, we derive the mass, velocity fields and temperature distribution for the envelope. We discuss the combined evidence for this source as possibly one of the youngest and lowest mass sources in formation yet known.

Wiseman, Jennifer J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Extremely Low Mass: The Circumstellar Envelope of a Potential Proto-Brown Dwarf

What is the environment for planet formation around extremely low mass stars? Is the environment around brown dwarfs and extremely low mass stars conducive and sufficiently massive for planet production? The determining conditions may be set very early in the process of the host object's formation. IRAS 16253-2429, the source of the Wasp-Waist Nebula seen in Spitzer IRAC images, is an isolated, very low luminosity ("VeLLO") Class 0 protostar in the nearby rho Ophiuchi cloud. We present VLA ammonia mapping observations of the dense gas envelope feeding the central core accreting system. We find a flattened envelope perpendicular to the outflow axis, and gas cavities that appear to cradle the outflow lobes as though carved out by the flow and associated (apparently precessing) jet, indicating environmental disruption. Based on the NH3 (1,1) and (2,2) emission distribution, we derive the mass, velocity fields and temperature distribution for the envelope. We discuss the combined evidence for this source to be one of the youngest and lowest mass sources in formation yet known, and discuss the ramifications for planet formation potential in this extremely low mass system.

Wiseman, Jennifer↗

NASA NTRS2015

Reducing the Effect of Transducer Mount Induced Noise on Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Testing Data with a New Transducer Mount Design

Flight vehicle aeroacoustic environments induced during transonic and supersonic flight are usually predicted by subscale wind tunnel testing utilizing high frequency miniature pressure transducers. In order to minimize noise induced by the measurement itself, transducer flush mounting with the model surface is very important. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has accomplished flushness in recent testing campaigns via use of a transducer holder that can be machined and sanded. A single hole in the holder allows the flow medium to interact with the transducer diaphragm. Noise is induced by the resulting cavity however, and is a challenge to remove in post-processing. A new holder design has been developed that minimizes the effects of this transducer mount induced noise (XMIN) by reducing the resonance amplitude or increasing its resonance frequency beyond the range of interest. This paper describes a test conducted at the NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Trisonic Wind Tunnel intended to verify the effectiveness of this design. The results from this test show that this new transducer holder design does significantly reduce the influence of XMIN on measured fluctuating pressure levels without degrading a transducer's ability to accurately measure the noise external to the model.

Herron, Andrew J.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Experimental Impedance of Single Liner Elements with Bias Flow

An experimental investigation was conducted to generate a high quality database, from which the effects of a mean bias flow on the acoustic impedance of lumped-element single-degree-of-freedom liners was determined. Acoustic impedance measurements were made using the standard two-microphone method in the NASA Langley Normal Incidence Tube. Each liner consisted of a perforated sheet with a constant-area cavity. Liner resistance was shown to increase and to become less frequency and sound pressure level dependent as the bias flow was increased. The resistance was also consistently lower for a negative bias flow (suction) than for a positive bias flow (blowing) of equal magnitude. The slope of the liner reactance decreased with increased flow.

Follet, J. I.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Exploratory study of the effects of injection configurations and inlet flow conditions on the characteristics of flow in spherical chambers

Flow visualization studies were conducted to evaluate techniques for injecting simulated-fuel and simulated-propellant gases into a spherical cavity for application to open-cycle gaseous-core nuclear rockets. Preliminary studies were conducted with six simulated-fuel injectors and eight simulated-propellant injection configurations. Additional tests were conducted with the best configuration to determine the effect of weight-flow ratio, gas density ratio, injector location, and flow distribution on the simulated-fuel containment characteristics.

Johnson, B. V.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Experimental studies on thermodynamic effects of developed cavitation

A method for predicting thermodynamic effects of cavitation (changes in cavity pressure relative to stream vapor pressure) is presented. The prediction method accounts for changes in liquid, liquid temperature, flow velocity, and body scale. Both theoretical and experimental studies used in formulating the method are discussed. The prediction method provided good agreement between predicted and experimental results for geometrically scaled venturis handling four different liquids of widely diverse physical properties. Use of the method requires geometric similarity of the body and cavitated region and a known reference cavity-pressure depression at one operating condition.

Ruggeri, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The SRB nozzle erosion related flow analysis

A study was performed to define the solid rocket booster (SRB) nozzle throat flow field, and to investigate one possible mechanism for the severe erosion which occurred on a recent flight. The flow field in the vicinity of the eroded area was not found to be exceptional, and the presence of a notch or scored area near the imbedded region nose did not appear to produce sufficient flow fluctuations to exacerbate the erosion characteristics of the throat liner. An interesting fluctuating mechanism was found in the imbedded cavity, but that mechanism (while of possible importance for erosion of the seal region) did not seem to adversely affect the region of concern. On the basis of this analysis, the conclusion can be drawn that the anomalous erosion did not result from a single mechanical defect (pit, or gouge) since the flow fluctuations which result seem insufficient to induce a repetitive pattern downstream. It further appears that the emission pattern exhibited did not result from a steady flow phenomena in the throat region. This does not rule out acoustic phenomena or severe start-up transients.

Prozan, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Thermocapillary convection in two immiscible liquid layers with free surface

Thermocapillary convection is studied in two immiscible liquid layers with one free surface, one liquid/liquid interface, and differential heating applied parallel to the interfaces. An analytical solution is introduced for infinite horizontal layers. The defining parameter for the flow pattern is lambda, the ratio of the temperature coefficient of the interfacial tension to that of the surface tension. Four different flow patterns exist under zero gravity conditions. 'Halt' conditions which halt the fluid motion in the lower encapsulated liquid layer have been found. A numerical experiment is carried out to study effects of vertical end walls on the double layer convection in a 2D cavity. The halt condition obtained from the analytical study is found to be valid in the limit of small Reynolds numbers. The flow in the encapsulated liquid layer can be suppressed substantially.

Doi, Takao↗

NASA NTRS1995

SRM Internal Flow Tests and Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis: RSRM Full Scale Motor Analyses - Volume 2

The purpose of the RSRM Nozzle Slag Ejection Precursor Test is to investigate the effect that slag ejection from the RSRM nozzle has on the chamber pressure and trust of the SRB's. In past firings of the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) both static test and flight motors have shown small pressure perturbations occurring primarily between 65 and 80 seconds. A joint NASA/Thiokol team investigation concluded that the cause of the pressure perturbations was the periodic ingestion and ejection of molten aluminum oxide slag from the cavity around the submerged nozzle nose which tends to trap and collect individual aluminum oxide droplets from the approach flow. The conclusions of the team were supported by numerous data and observations from special tests including high speed photographic films, real time radiography, plume calorimeters, accelerometers, strain gauges, nozzle TVC system force gauges, and motor pressure and thrust data. A simplistic slag ballistics model was formulated to relate a given pressure perturbation to a required slag quantity. Also, a cold flow model using air and water was developed to provide data on the relationship between the slag flow rate and the chamber pressure increase. Both the motor and the cold flow model exhibited low frequency oscillations in conjunction with periods of slag ejection. Motor and model frequencies were related to scaling parameters. The data indicate that there is a periodicity to the slag entrainment and ejection phenomena which is possibly related to organized oscillations from instabilities in the dividing streamline shear layer which impinges on the underneath surface of the nozzle.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1975

Airframe noise measurements on a transport model in a quiet flow facility

An experimental investigation was conducted in an anechoic flow facility to explore problems and methods of measuring the airframe (nonpropulsive) noise associated with a 1/20-scale model of a B-737 transport. The test model geometry simulated the cruise and a landing configuration. Nonpropulsive model noise was detected at various flow velocities and at various angles of attack when turbulent flow was induced over the model. Discrete tones, associated with the extended undercarriage and wheel cavities, and an increase in broadband sound pressure level were observed with the model in a landing configuration.

Shearin, J. G.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Physics and potentials of fissioning plasmas for space power and propulsion

Fissioning uranium plasmas are the nuclear fuel in conceptual high-temperature gaseous-core reactors for advanced rocket propulsion in space. A gaseous-core nuclear rocket would be a thermal reactor in which an enriched uranium plasma at about 10,000 K is confined in a reflector-moderator cavity where it is nuclear critical and transfers its fission power to a confining propellant flow for the production of thrust at a specific impulse up to 5000 sec. With a thrust-to-engine weight ratio approaching unity, the gaseous-core nuclear rocket could provide for propulsion capabilities needed for manned missions to the nearby planets and for economical cislunar ferry services. Fueled with enriched uranium hexafluoride and operated at temperatures lower than needed for propulsion, the gaseous-core reactor scheme also offers significant benefits in applications for space and terrestrial power. They include high-efficiency power generation at low specific mass, the burnup of certain fission products and actinides, the breeding of U-233 from thorium with short doubling times, and improved convenience of fuel handling and processing in the gaseous phase.

Thom, K.↗