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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Laser velocimetry in turbulent flow fields - Particle response

Measurements of the particle response in a decelerating flow and a highly turbulent two-phase flow were obtained. Simultaneous measurements of the particle size and velocity served to quantify the particle response to the prevailing flow field. In the case of a flow incident upon a cylinder, the particle lag for a range of size classes was recorded. Results were also obtained in the flow generated by an atomizer operating on the leeward side of a flat disk bluff body in a coflowing air stream. Measurements of the mean axial, mean radial, and rms velocities and angles of trajectories were obtained for representative particle size classes. The air velocity and turbulence intensity were inferred from the seed particles on the order of one micrometer in diameter. Particles 9 micrometers and larger showed significant differences with respect to the gas phase mean velocity and turbulence intensity even at low velocities. In two-phase flows, reliable measurements of the continuous phase velocity and turbulence parameters requires the simultaneous measurement of particle size as a means for rejecting readings from large particles from the velocity pdf's.

Bachalo, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Heat transfer with very high free-stream turbulence and heat transfer with streamwise vortices

Two experimental programs related to augmentation of heat transfer by complex flow characteristics are reviewed. The first program deals with very high turbulence (up to 63 percent) which was shown to result in Stanton numbers as much as five times the expected values. Results from a number of trials show that fixing the free stream velocity, x-Reynolds number, turbulence intensity and integral length scale does not fix the Stanton number. Two such cases were found in which the Stanton number of one was 40 percent larger than the other. Mean velocity and mean temperature profiles are presented, as well as profiles of turbulence intensity within the boundary layer. The second program deals with vortices originating at bluff bodies and traveling downstream embedded in the wall boundary layer. Velocity vector maps from the boundary layers and distributions of Stanton number on the wall are presented for three types of bodies: square, cylindrical and teardrop. The heat transfer and velocity maps do not show evidence of the expected horseshoe vortices but, instead, show a strong common flow up vortex pair. The fluid mechanic mechanism responsible for this secondary flow field has not yet been identified.

Moffat, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Vortex methods for separated flows

The numerical solution of the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations by Lagrangian vortex methods is discussed. The mathematical background is presented and includes the relationship with traditional point-vortex studies, convergence to smooth solutions of the Euler equations, and the essential differences between two and three-dimensional cases. The difficulties in extending the method to viscous or compressible flows are explained. Two-dimensional flows around bluff bodies are emphasized. Robustness of the method and the assessment of accuracy, vortex-core profiles, time-marching schemes, numerical dissipation, and efficient programming are treated. Operation counts for unbounded and periodic flows are given, and two algorithms designed to speed up the calculations are described.

Spalart, Philippe R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evaluation of VSAERO in prediction of aerodynamic characteristics of helicopter hub fairings

A low-order panel code, VSAERO, was used to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of helicopter hub fairings. Since the simulation of this kind of bluff body by VSAERO was not documented before, the VSAERO solutions were correlated with experimental data to establish their validity. The validation process revealed that simulation of the aerodynamic environment around a hub fairing was sensitive to several modeling parameters. Some of these parameters are body and wake panels arrangement, streamwise and spanwise separation location, and the most prominent one-the wake modeling. Three wake models were used: regular wake, separated wake, and jet model. The regular wake is a wake with negligible thickness (thin wake). It is represented by a single vortex sheet. The separated wake and the jet model in the present application are wakes with finite thickness (thick wake). They consist of a vortex sheet enclosing a region of low-energy flow. The results obtained with the reqular wake were marginally acceptable for sharp-edged hub fairings. For all other cases under consideration, the jet model results correlated slightly better. The separated wake, which seemed to be the most appropriate model, caused the solution to diverge. While the regular wake was straight-forward to apply in simulations, the jet model was not. It requires the user to provide information about the doublet strength gradient on wake panels by guessing the efflux velocities at the wake shedding location. In summary, VSAERO neither predicts accurately the aerodynamic characteristics of helicopter hub fairings nor was cost effective.

Louie, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS1989

A natural low-frequency oscillation of the flow over an airfoil near stalling conditions

An experimental and computational study of the low-frequency oscillation observed in the flow over an airfoil at the onset of static stall is presented. Wind-tunnel results obtained with two-dimensional airfoil models show that this phenomena takes place only with a transitional state of the separating boundary layer. It is noted that the flowfield does not involve a Karman vortex street. The experimental results agree well with the results of a two-dimensional Navier-Stokes code. The present study demonstrates that the low-frequency oscillations produce intense flow fluctuations which impart much larger unsteady forces to the airfoil than experienced by bluff-body shedding and which may represent the primary aerodynamics of stall flutter of blades and wings.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A method for the reduction of aerodynamic drag of road vehicles

A method is proposed for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of bluff bodies, particularly for application to road transport vehicles. This technique consists of installation of panels on the forward surface of the vehicle facing the airstream. With the help of road tests, it was demonstrated that the attachment of proposed panels can reduce aerodynamic drag of road vehicles and result in significant fuel cost savings and conservation of energy resources.

Pamadi, Bandu N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A one- and two-layer model for estimating evapotranspiration with remotely sensed surface temperature and ground-based meteorological data over partial canopy cover

Surface-air temperature differences are commonly used in a bulk resistance equation for estimating sensible heat flux (H), which is inserted in the one-dimensional energy balance equation to solve for the latent heat flux (LE) as a residual. Serious discrepancies between estimated and measured LE have been observed for partial-canopy-cover conditions, which are mainly attributed to inappropriate estimates of H. To improve the estimates of H over sparse canopies, one- and two-layer resistance models that account for some of the factors causing poor agreement are developed. The utility of the two models is tested with remotely sensed and micrometeorological data for a furrowed cotton field with 20 percent cover and a dry soil surface. It is found that the one-layer model performs better than the two-layer model when a theoretical bluff-body correction for heat transfer is used instead of an empirical adjustment; otherwise, the two-layer model is better.

Kustas, William P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Experimental investigation of the flowfield of an oscillating airfoil

The flowfield of an airfoil oscillated periodically over a wide range of reduced frequencies, 0 less than or = k less than or = 1.6 is studied experimentally at chord Reynolds numbers of R sub c = 22,000 and 44,000. The NACA0012 airfoil is pitched sinusoidally about one quarter chord between angles of attack (alpha) of 5 and 25 degrees. Detailed flow visualization and phase averaged vorticity measurements are carried out for k = 0.2 to document the evolution and the shedding of the dynamic stall vortex (DSV). In addition to the DSV, an intense vortex of opposite sign originates from the trailing edge just when the DSV is shed. After being shed into the wake, the two together take the shape of a large 'mushroom' while being convected away from the airfoil. The unsteady circulation around the airfoil and, therefore, the time varying component of the lift is estimated in a novel way from the shed vorticity flux and is found to be in good agreement with the lift variation reported by others. The delay in the shedding of the DSV with increasing k, as observed by previous researchers, is documented for the full range of k. The DSV, for example, is shed nearly at the maximum alpha of 25 degrees at k = 0.2, but is shed at the minimum alpha of 5 degrees at k = 0.8. At low k, the flowfield appears quasi-steady and the bluff body shedding corresponding to the maximum alpha (25 degrees) dominates the unsteady fluctuations in the wake.

Panda, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Review of the physics of enhancing vortex lift by unsteady excitation

A review aimed at providing a physical understanding of the crucial mechanisms for obtaining super lift by means of unsteady excitations is presented. Particular attention is given to physical problems, including rolled-up vortex layer instability and receptivity, wave-vortex interaction and resonance, nonlinear streaming, instability of vortices behind bluff bodies and their shedding, and vortex breakdown. A general theoretical framework suitable for handling the unsteady vortex flows is introduced. It is suggested that wings with swept and sharp leading edges, equipped with devices for unsteady excitations, could yield the first breakthrough of the unsteady separation barrier and provide super lift at post-stall angle of attack.

Wu, J. Z.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A theoretical approach for analyzing the restabilization of wakes

A linear stability analysis provides the basis for an analysis of the effects of prescribed changes upon the global stability characteristics of a bluff body wake. The analysis is applied in particular to the problem of placing a small cylinder in the wake of a larger one in order to suppress the vortex street. A prediction of the alteration in the critical Reynolds number of the system as a function of the location of the second cylinder relative to the first is presented and is shown to compare favorably with experimental results. The effect upon shedding frequency is also considered. The approach relies on the solution of an adjoint eigenvalue problem and an inhomogeneous adjoint boundary value problem. These adjoint solutions are shown to be a key component in the analysis of a variety of wake control strategies.

Hill, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Experimental investigation of the flowfield of an oscillating airfoil

The flow field of an airfoil oscillated periodically over a wide range of reduced frequencies, 0 less than k less than 1.6, is studied experimentally at chord Reynolds numbers of R sub c = 22,000 and 44,000. The NACA0012 airfoil is pitched sinusoidally about one quarter chord between alpha of 5 deg and 25 deg. Detailed flow visualization and phase averaged vorticity measurements are carried out for k = 0.2 to document the evolution and the shedding of the dynamic stall vortex (DSV). In addition to the DSV, an intense vortex of opposite sign originates from the trailing edge just when the DSV is shed. After being shed into the wake, the two together take the shape of a large 'mushroom' while being convected away from the airfoil. The unsteady circulation around the airfoil and, therefore, the time varying component of the lift is estimated in a novel way from the shed vorticity flux and is found to be in good agreement with the lift variation reported by others. The delay in the shedding of the DSV with increasing k, as observed by previous researchers, is documented for the full range of k. The DSV, for example, is shed nearly at the maximum alpha of 25 deg at k = 0.2, but is shed at the minimum alpha of 5 deg at k = 0.8. At low k, the flowfield appears quasi-steady and the bluff body shedding corresponding to the maximum alpha (25 deg) dominates the unsteady fluctuations in the wake.

Panda, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A dynamical systems analysis of the kinematics of time-periodic vortex shedding past a circular cylinder

Computer flow simulation aided by dynamical systems analysis is used to investigate the kinematics of time-periodic vortex shedding past a two-dimensional circular cylinder in the context of the following general questions: (1) Is a dynamical systems viewpoint useful in the understanding of this and similar problems involving time-periodic shedding behind bluff bodies; and (2) Is it indeed possible, by adopting such a point of view, to complement previous analyses or to understand kinematical aspects of the vortex shedding process that somehow remained hidden in previous approaches. We argue that the answers to these questions are positive. Results are described.

Ottino, Julio M.↗
NASA NTRS1956

Propagation of a Free Flame in a Turbulent Gas Stream

Effective flame speeds of free turbulent flames were measured by photographic, ionization-gap, and photomultiplier-tube methods, and were found to have a statistical distribution attributed to the nature of the turbulent field. The effective turbulent flame speeds for the free flame were less than those previously measured for flames stabilized on nozzle burners, Bunsen burners, and bluff bodies. The statistical spread of the effective turbulent flame speeds was markedly wider in the lean and rich fuel-air-ratio regions, which might be attributed to the greater sensitivity of laminar flame speed to flame temperature in those regions. Values calculated from the turbulent free-flame-speed analysis proposed by Tucker apparently form upper limits for the statistical spread of free-flame-speed data. Hot-wire anemometer measurements of the longitudinal velocity fluctuation intensity and longitudinal correlation coefficient were made and were employed in the comparison of data and in the theoretical calculation of turbulent flame speed.

Mickelsen, William R↗
NASA NTRS1993

New concepts for Reynolds stress transport equation modeling of inhomogeneous flows

The ability to model turbulence near solid walls and other types of boundaries is important in predicting complex engineering flows. Most turbulence modeling has concentrated either on flows which are nearly homogeneous or isotropic, or on turbulent boundary layers. Boundary layer models usually rely very heavily on the presence of mean shear and the production of turbulence due to that mean shear. Most other turbulence models are based on the assumption of quasi-homogeneity. However, there are many situations of engineering interest which do not involve large shear rates and which are not quasi-homogeneous or isotropic. Shear-free turbulent boundary layers are the prototypical example of such flows, with practical situations being separation and reattachment, bluff body flow, high free-stream turbulence, and free surface flows. Although these situations are not as common as the variants of the flat plate turbulent boundary layer, they tend to be critical factors in complex engineering situations. The models developed are intended to extend classical quasi-homogeneous models into regions of large inhomogeneity. These models do not rely on the presence of mean shear or production, but are still applicable when those additional effects are included. Although the focus is on shear-free boundary layers as tests for these models, results for standard shearing boundary layers are also shown.

Perot, J. Blair↗
NASA NTRS1993

Computation of turbulent flows over backward and forward-facing steps using a near-wall Reynolds stress model

Separation and reattachment of turbulent shear layers is observed in many important engineering applications, yet it is poorly understood. This has motivated many studies on understanding and predicting the processes of separation and reattachment of turbulent shear layers. Both of the situations in which separation is induced by adverse pressure gradient, or by discontinuities of geometry, have attracted attention of turbulence model developers. Formulation of turbulence closure models to describe the essential features of separated turbulent flows accurately is still a formidable task. Computations of separated flows associated with sharp-edged bluff bodies are described. For the past two decades, the backward-facing step flow, the simplest separated flow, has been a popular test case for turbulence models. Detailed studies on the performance of many turbulence models, including two equation turbulence models and Reynolds stress models, for flows over steps can be found in the papers by Thangam & Speziale and Lasher & Taulbee). These studies indicate that almost all the existing turbulence models fail to accurately predict many important features of back step flow such as reattachment length, recovery rate of the redeveloping boundary layers downstream of the reattachment point, streamlines near the reattachment point, and the skin friction coefficient. The main objectives are to calculate flows over backward and forward-facing steps using the NRSM and to make use of the newest DNS data for detailed comparison. This will give insights for possible improvements of the turbulence model.

Ko, Sung HO↗
NASA NTRS1994

Characteristics of a trapped-vortex (TV) combustor

The characteristics of a Trapped-Vortex (TV) combustor are presented. A vortex is trapped in the cavity established between two disks mounted in tandem. Fuel and air are injected directly into the cavity in such a way as to increase the vortex strength. Some air from the annular flow is also entrained into the recirculation zone of the vortex. Lean blow-out limits of the combustor are determined for a wide range of annular air flow rates. These data indicate that the lean blow-out limits are considerably lower for the TV combustor than for flames stabilized using swirl or bluff-bodies. The pressure loss through the annular duct is also low, being less than 2% for the flow conditions in this study. The instantaneous shape of the recirculation zone of the trapped vortex is measured using a two-color PIV technique. Temperature profiles obtained with CARS indicate a well mixed recirculation zone and demonstrate the impact of primary air injection on the local equivalence ratio.

Hsu, K.-Y.↗
NASA NTRS1995

High frequency flow-structural interaction in dense subsonic fluids

Prediction of the detailed dynamic behavior in rocket propellant feed systems and engines and other such high-energy fluid systems requires precise analysis to assure structural performance. Designs sometimes require placement of bluff bodies in a flow passage. Additionally, there are flexibilities in ducts, liners, and piping systems. A design handbook and interactive data base have been developed for assessing flow/structural interactions to be used as a tool in design and development, to evaluate applicable geometries before problems develop, or to eliminate or minimize problems with existing hardware. This is a compilation of analytical/empirical data and techniques to evaluate detailed dynamic characteristics of both the fluid and structures. These techniques have direct applicability to rocket engine internal flow passages, hot gas drive systems, and vehicle propellant feed systems. Organization of the handbook is by basic geometries for estimating Strouhal numbers, added mass effects, mode shapes for various end constraints, critical onset flow conditions, and possible structural response amplitudes. Emphasis is on dense fluids and high structural loading potential for fatigue at low subsonic flow speeds where high-frequency excitations are possible. Avoidance and corrective measure illustrations are presented together with analytical curve fits for predictions compiled from a comprehensive data base.

Liu, Baw-Lin↗
NASA NTRS1997

Application of Chimera Grid Scheme to Combustor Flowfields at all Speeds

A CFD method for solving combustor flowfields at all speeds on complex configurations is presented. The approach is based on the ALLSPD-3D code which uses the compressible formulation of the flow equations including real gas effects, nonequilibrium chemistry and spray combustion. To facilitate the analysis of complex geometries, the chimera grid method is utilized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of the chimera scheme to reacting flows. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this numerical approach, several benchmark calculations of subsonic flows are presented. These include steady and unsteady flows, and bluff-body stabilized spray and premixed combustion flames.

Yungster, Shaye↗