Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Transitional flow”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,171 records · Page 65
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Experimental Investigation of Boundary Layer Behavior in a Simulated Low Pressure Turbine

A detailed investigation of the flow physics occurring on the suction side of a simulated Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) blade was performed. A contoured upper wall was designed to simulate the pressure distribution of an actual LPT blade onto a flat plate. The experiments were carried out at Reynolds numbers of 100,000 and 250,000 with three levels of freestream turbulence. The main emphasis in this paper is placed on flow field surveys performed at a Reynolds number of 100,000 with levels of freestream turbulence ranging from 0.8% to 3%. Smoke-wire flow visualization data was used to confirm that the boundary layer was separated and formed a bubble. The transition process over the separated flow region is observed to be similar to a laminar free shear layer flow with the formation of a large coherent eddy structure. For each condition, the locations defining the separation bubble were determined by careful examination of pressure and mean velocity profile data. Transition onset location and length determined from intermittency profiles decrease as freestream turbulence levels increase. Additionally, the length and height of the laminar separation bubbles were observed to be inversely proportional to the levels of freestream turbulence.

Sohn, Ki-Hyeon↗
NASA NTRS1999

Experimental Investigation of Boundary Layer Behavior in a Simulated Low Pressure Turbine

A detailed investigation of the flow physics occurring on the suction side of a simulated Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) blade was performed. A contoured upper wall was designed to simulate the y pressure distribution of an actual LPT blade onto a flat plate. The experiments were carried out at Reynolds numbers of 100,000 and 250,000 with three levels of freestream turbulence. The main emphasis in this paper is placed on flow field surveys performed at a y Reynolds number of 100,000 with levels of freestream turbulence ranging from 0.8% to 3%. Smoke-wire flow visualization data was used to confirm that the boundary layer was separated and formed a bubble. The transition process over the separated flow region is observed to be similar to a laminar free shear layer flow with the formation of a large coherent eddy structure. For each condition, the locations defining the separation bubble were determined by careful examination of pressure and mean velocity profile data. Transition onset location and length determined from intermittency profiles decrease as freestream turbulence levels increase. Additionally, the length and height of the laminar separation bubbles were observed to be inversely proportional to the levels of freestream turbulence.

Shyne, Rickey J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pretest Simulations of a Supersonic Mixing and Combustion Validation Experiment to Assess Sensitivities

The reliance on CFD simulations to develop, design, and optimize scramjet systems (or components) has become commonplace. This reliance inevitably hinges on the ability of the computational analyst to quantify the level of confidence in their computational results. Unfortunately, nearly all the measured data available for this assessment comes from antiquated experimental datasets, or from tests that focused on the extraction of scramjet system (or component) performance. The objective of a CFD validation experiment is to quantify the predictive accuracy of one or more of the CFD physics submodels, implying that other uncertainties related to replicating the facility flow environment (e.g., knowledge of boundary conditions) must be minimized to the extent possible. This inevitably places stringent requirements on the quality and quantity of measurements taken to accurately specify inflow, outflow, and surface conditions for the CFD simulations; in addition to the measurements taken for the validation of physics submodels. This places additional demands on the experimental process above and beyond those for test article performance assessment. A recent high speed code credibility workshop series sponsored by AFRL identified a gap in existing validation data for fundamental assessments of turbulent mixing and combustion CFD closure models at scramjet engine relevant conditions. To address this gap, engineers at AFRL have designed a coaxial jet flame configuration that will be tested at two facilities (Research Cell 19 at the Air Force Research Lab, and at Purdue University). The effort described here documents pretest simulations of this validation experiment with the goal of fleshing out the extent of the facility flowpath that must be included to adequately reproduce the facility test section flow environment. The findings indicate that the flow around the support structure for the fuel injection centerbody upstream of the facility nozzle generates disturbances that persist throughout the nozzle expansion process; corrupting the azimuthal symmetry that was desired in the fuel/air mixing region of the test section. Simulations without this support structure maintained a high degree of azimuthal symmetry up until the fuel injection plane. However, even in this scenario the azimuthal symmetry was not maintained once the centerbody boundary layer transitioned to a wake flow downstream of the fuel injection plane.

CFD↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pretest Simulations of a Supersonic Mixing and Combustion Validation Experiment to Assess Sensitivities

The reliance on CFD simulations to develop, design, and optimize scramjet systems (or components) has become commonplace. This reliance inevitably hinges on the ability of the computational analyst to quantify the level of confidence in their computational results. Unfortunately, nearly all the measured data available for this assessment comes from antiquated experimental datasets, or from tests that focused on the extraction of scramjet system (or component) performance. The objective of a CFD validation experiment is to quantify the predictive accuracy of one or more of the CFD physics submodels, implying that other uncertainties related to replicating the facility flow environment (e.g., knowledge of boundary conditions) must be minimized to the extent possible. This inevitably places stringent requirements on the quality and quantity of measurements taken to accurately specify inflow, outflow, and surface conditions for the CFD simulations; in addition to the measurements taken for the validation of physics submodels. This places additional demands on the experimental process above and beyond those for test article performance assessment. A recent high speed code credibility workshop series sponsored by AFRL identified a gap in existing validation data for fundamental assessments of turbulent mixing and combustion CFD closure models at scramjet engine relevant conditions. To address this gap, engineers at AFRL have designed a coaxial jet flame configuration that will be tested at two facilities (Research Cell 19 at the Air Force Research Lab, and at Purdue University). The effort described here documents pretest simulations of this validation experiment with the goal of fleshing out the extent of the facility flowpath that must be included to adequately reproduce the facility test section flow environment. The findings indicate that the flow around the support structure for the fuel injection centerbody upstream of the facility nozzle generates disturbances that persist throughout the nozzle expansion process; corrupting the azimuthal symmetry that was desired in the fuel/air mixing region of the test section. Simulations without this support structure maintained a high degree of azimuthal symmetry up until the fuel injection plane. However, even in this scenario the azimuthal symmetry was not maintained once the centerbody boundary layer transitioned to a wake flow downstream of the fuel injection plane.

CFD↗
NASA NTRS1993

Observed redshifts in O V and downflows in the solar transition region

Spectrograms from HRTS are used to find an average net redshift of the O V lines at 1218 and 1371 A at all locations extending from disk center to solar limb. The observed shift in O V is compared with measurements of the O IV line at 1401 A and the Si IV line at 1402 A. Large variations in the shift are found along the instrument slit. Blueshifts are also observed with the sites of the largest upflow located in the sunspot umbrae and in a quiet region close to an active region. The present result could put new constraints on numerical models of flows in the solar transition region and will also be of importance for modeling stellar atmospheres. The spatial variation of line-of-sight velocities in the O V line at 1371A and the SI IV line at 1402 A is illustrated.

Brekke, P.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Development of a Generalized Riser Flow Regime Map Based Upon Higher Moment and Chaotic Statistics Using Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography (ECVT)

Dynamic analyses have been applied to the temporal signals from an Electro Capacitance Volume Tomography instrument located near mid-height on the riser of an industrial-scale cold-flow circulating fluidized bed to characterize gas-solids flow behavior in the riser. Twelve capacitance electrodes surround the cylindrical riser over a height of 1.3 m. The instrument used a neural network deconvolution algorithm to determine the spatially resolved solids fraction recorded at 52 Hz. Experiments were carried out over a range of gas and solids flows in the transport regime using a Geldart Group B bed material, high density polyethylene with mean particle size of 880 μm. The radial solids distribution was found to vary from one-time step to the next between profiles typical of laminar and turbulent flow. The duration of time spent in each of these flow profiles depended upon the operating regime – dilute, core-annular, or fast fluidized bed. The chaotic structure of the temporal data was characterized using the three conventional approaches: the first 4 moments from the distribution of signal in time, system memory parameters from the autocorrelation function and the Hurst exponent, and analysis of the correlationentropy and correlation dimension of the attractor. These signal analysis techniques were used to clearly distinguish differences between different transport operating regimes. Specifically, it was experimentally observed that a riser transitions from core annular flow profile to dilute and dense regimes via increasing the frequency of short term transients to either dilute or dense flow profiles, respectively. A regime map was generated based upon these dynamics using solids flux and gas velocity axes. Fast fluidized, core annular, and dilute each exhibited different degree of dynamic characteristics typical of fluid dominated or particle compromising behavior. It should be noted that the magnitude for the different statistics was in the same range regardless of the regime, it was the radial profile for the statistic that changed and subsequently identified that there was a change in the regime. Finally, a reduced regime map was developed consisting of plotting the gas velocity normalized by the upper transport velocity versus the solids flux normalized by the saturation carrying capacity. The use of this reduced plot allowed the data from widely different conditions to be plotted and compared on the same<p>graph. Note that in many instances, some of the statistics identified the operating point as being in one regime while others indicated that it was in another indicating a transition region between dilute or core annular regimes and between the core annular and fast fluidization regimes. This now provides a tool that can be used to optimize process performance, identify changes in operating states, or replicate process dynamics during process scaling or changing operating parameters. </p>

Breault, Ronald↗
NASA NTRS2015

Causes of Interannual to Decadal Variability of Gila River Streamflow over the Past Century

Study region: The Gila River, New Mexico, is characterized by two peaks in streamflow: one in the winter-spring (December-May), and summer (August-September). The region is influenced both by Pacific SST variability as well as the North American Monsoon. Study focus: The mechanisms responsible for the variability of the winter-spring and summer streamflow peaks are investigated by correlation of streamflow with precipitation and sea surface temperature for 1928-2012. Decadal variability in the flow record is examined for a longer term perspective on Gila River streamflow using tree ring-based reconstructions of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). New hydrological insights for the region: Results indicate a strong influence of winter-spring precipitation and Pacific SST anomalies on the winter-spring streamflow, with El Nino conditions in the Pacific causing increased precipitation and streamflow. Decadal Pacific variability helps explain the transition from high winter flow in the late 20th century to lower flows in the most recent decade. The summer streamflow has a somewhat weaker correlation with precipitation and Pacific SST than the winter-spring streamflow. Its variability is more likely influenced by local North American Monsoon precipitation variability. PDSI and SPI reconstructions indicate much more severe and extended periods of droughts and pluvials in past centuries as well as periods of concurrent winter and summer drought.

drought↗
NASA NTRS1990

Instability and transition; Proceedings of the Workshop, Hampton, VA, May 15-June 9, 1989. Vols. 1 & 2

The proceedings of the workshop on instability and transition, sponsored by the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering and the Langley Research Center, during May-June 1989 are presented. The proceedings contain panel discussions and the research papers resulting from the collaborative projects started during the workshop and completed shortly thereafter. Six panels are represented: theory, low-speed experiment, high-speed experiment, computation, receptivity, and roughness panels. Focus is concentrated on receptivity, advanced asymptotics, boundary-layer stability, free shear flows, compressible stability and transition, transition simulation, and transition modeling. The panel summaries and the position papers by the panelists as well as research papers of the experiment group and the receptivity group are discussed.

Hussaini, M. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Development of a quiet supersonic wind tunnel with a cryogenic adaptive nozzle

Low-disturbance or 'quiet' wind tunnels are now considered an essential part of meaningful boundary layer transition research. Advances in Supersonic Laminar Flow Control (SLFC) technology for swept wings depends on a better understanding of the receptivity of the transition phenomena to attachment-line contamination and cross-flows. This need has provided the impetus for building the Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel (LFSWT) at NASA-Ames, as part of the NASA High Speed Research Program (HSRP). The LFSWT was designed to provide NASA with an unequaled capability for transition research at low supersonic Mach numbers (<2.5). The following are the objectives in support of the new Fluid Mechanic Laboratory (FML) quiet supersonic wind tunnel: (I) Develop a unique injector drive system using the existing FML indraft compressor; (2) Develop an FML instrumentation capability for quiet supersonic wind tunnel evaluation and transition studies at NASA-Ames; (3) Determine the State of the Art in quiet supersonic wind tunnel design; (4) Build and commission the LFSWT; (5) Make detailed flow quality measurements in the LFSWT; (6) Perform tests of swept wing models in the LFSWT in support of the NASA HSR program; and (7) Provide documentation of research progress.

Wolf, Stephen W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Interaction of Tollmien-Schlichting waves and Goertler vortices

There are many fluid flows of practical interest where transition can be caused by competing hydrodynamic instabilities. Thus in three-dimensional boundary-layer flows over curved walls, instability might be caused by Tollmien-Schlichting waves, Goertler vortices or crossflow vortices. If a particular type of instability is suppressed by some means, there is the possibility that another one might be stimulated. Hence it is important to understand the mechanisms by which these different instabilities interact. Some properties of the interaction which can take place between Goertler vortices and Tollmien-Schlichting waves are discussed.

Hall, Phil↗
NASA NTRS1991

Direct numerical simulation of transition and turbulence in a spatially evolving boundary layer

A high-order-accurate finite-difference approach to direct simulations of transition and turbulence in compressible flows is described. Attention is given to the high-free-stream disturbance case in which transition to turbulence occurs close to the leading edge. In effect, computation requirements are reduced. A method for numerically generating free-stream disturbances is presented.

Rai, Man M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Nonlinear Dynamics of the Superfluid Transition: What may We learn on orbit?

Linear response (specifically, Fourier's Law) in He-4 has been observed to fail in heat flow experiments near the superfluid transition. A detailed analysis of the data suggests that the hydrostatic pressure gradient across the helium column limits the divergence of the correlation length in our earth-based experiments. This is consistent with other observations, such as the surprising lack of mutual friction and hysteresis near the superfluid transition, and a 'rounding' of the transition that appears to be independent of heat flux in the low heat flux limit. I will discuss these unusual results from earth-based measurements, and will show predictions for the very different results that may result when we make our measurements on orbit as part of the M1 Mission of the Low- Temperature, Microgravity Physics Facility. This work has been funded by the Fundamental Physics Discipline within the Physical Sciences Research Office of NASA, and is conducted by the DYNAMX (UNM) and CQ (Caltech) Groups, with assistance from the Low Temperature Science and Quantum Sensors Group at JPL.

Duncan, Rob↗
NASA NTRS1986

Rarefied flow lift-to-drag measurements of the Shuttle Orbiter

This report presents a discussion of the analysis and the results of sensitive micro-g accelerometry measurements on the Shuttle Orbiter in the rarefied flow flight regime, that is, from altitudes of 60 km to 160 km. A brief description of the experimental apparatus called High Resolution Accelerometer Package (HiRAP) is given along with a description of the ground processing to obtain the lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) from the flight measurements. The flight results of L/D from six missions are presented and discussed. Comparisons are made with preflight wind tunnel data in the near continuum viscous interaction regime and preflight analytical estimates in the rarefied transition regime. Excellent agreement is obtained between flight and wind tunnel data in the viscous regime, but differences are noted between flight and preflight predictions in the transition regime. Free molecule flow F/D data are also obtained on each mission. Comparisons of flight data with classical theory show that complete diffuse reflection is not an appropriate model for rarefied aerodynamic coefficient calculations, and, for the Shuttle, some specular fraction is required. Surface reflection laws are explored to define the sensitivity of the L/D measurements to gas-surface molecule interactions.

Blanchard, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Turbulence Model Behavior in Low Reynolds Number Regions of Aerodynamic Flowfields

The behaviors of the widely-used Spalart-Allmaras (SA) and Menter shear-stress transport (SST) turbulence models at low Reynolds numbers and under conditions conducive to relaminarization are documented. The flows used in the investigation include 2-D zero pressure gradient flow over a flat plate from subsonic to hypersonic Mach numbers, 2-D airfoil flow from subsonic to supersonic Mach numbers, 2-D subsonic sink-flow, and 3-D subsonic flow over an infinite swept wing (particularly its leading-edge region). Both models exhibit a range over which they behave transitionally in the sense that the flow is neither laminar nor fully turbulent, but these behaviors are different: the SST model typically has a well-defined transition location, whereas the SA model does not. Both models are predisposed to delayed activation of turbulence with increasing freestream Mach number. Also, both models can be made to achieve earlier activation of turbulence by increasing their freestream levels, but too high a level can disturb the turbulent solution behavior. The technique of maintaining freestream levels of turbulence without decay in the SST model, introduced elsewhere, is shown here to be useful in reducing grid-dependence of the model's transitional behavior. Both models are demonstrated to be incapable of predicting relaminarization; eddy viscosities remain weakly turbulent in accelerating or laterally-strained boundary layers for which experiment and direct simulations indicate turbulence suppression. The main conclusion is that these models are intended for fully turbulent high Reynolds number computations, and using them for transitional (e.g., low Reynolds number) or relaminarizing flows is not appropriate.

Rumsey, Christopher L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Turbulence Model Behavior in Low Reynolds Number Regions of Aerodynamic Flowfields

The behaviors of the widely-used Spalart-Allmaras (SA) and Menter shear-stress transport (SST) turbulence models at low Reynolds numbers and under conditions conducive to relaminarization are documented. The flows used in the investigation include 2-D zero pressure gradient flow over a flat plate from subsonic to hypersonic Mach numbers, 2-D airfoil flow from subsonic to supersonic Mach numbers, 2-D subsonic sink-flow, and 3-D subsonic flow over an infinite swept wing (particularly its leading-edge region). Both models exhibit a range over which they behave 'transitionally' in the sense that the flow is neither laminar nor fully turbulent, but these behaviors are different: the SST model typically has a well-defined transition location, whereas the SA model does not. Both models are predisposed to delayed activation of turbulence with increasing freestream Mach number. Also, both models can be made to achieve earlier activation of turbulence by increasing their freestream levels, but too high a level can disturb the turbulent solution behavior. The technique of maintaining freestream levels of turbulence without decay in the SST model, introduced elsewhere, is shown here to be useful in reducing grid-dependence of the model's transitional behavior. Both models are demonstrated to be incapable of predicting relaminarization; eddy viscosities remain weakly turbulent in accelerating or laterally-strained boundary layers for which experiment and direct simulations indicate turbulence suppression. The main conclusion is that these models are intended for fully turbulent high Reynolds number computations, and using them for transitional (e.g., low Reynolds number) or relaminarizing flows is not appropriate.

Rumsey, Christopher L.↗
NASA NTRS1947

A Simplified Theory of Porous Wall Cooling

The rate of heat transfer between a fluid stream in turbulent flow and a smooth, solid wall is largely controlled by the relatively high resistance of the laminar sublayer next to the wall. Although this laminar layer ii extremely thin, heat can be transferred through it only by molecular diffusion. Hence the resistance of this layer is very much greater than for a layer the same thickness farther out in the stream where turbulent exchange is the controlling factor. The thickness of the laminar layer is difficult to define precisely, since there is a gradual transition to the turbulent flow outside, but for the usual scale of many engineering applications almost half the temperature difference between the fluid and the wall occurs in a layer of a few thousands of an inch in thickness. When the wall is made of porous material and a coolant gas is forced through the wall into the stream, it has been found that a very small flow rate of the coolant is remarkably effective in keeping the wall at a low temperature. The coolant flow rate required is such as to give an average velocity normal cooling wall of the order of 1 per cent of the main stream velocity. This flow rate is so low that clearly the injected gas must act as an insulator rather than as a normal coolant. Because of its relatively low velocity, the injected gas can have very little influence on heat convection or momentum transfer in the turbulent stream, and its effect must be confined to the laminar sublayer. The possible influence of the coolant flow on the thickness of the laminar layer will be discussed in Section V.

Rannie, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Prediction of leading-edge transition and relaminarization phenomena on a subsonic multi-element high-lift system

Boundary-layer transition and relaminarization may have a critical effect on the flow development about multi-element high-lift systems of subsonic transport jets with swept wings. The purpose of the research is to study these transition phenomena in the leading-edge region of the various elements of a high-lift system. The flow phenomena studied include transition to the attachment-line flow, relaminarization, and crossflow instability, and transition. The calculations are based on pressure distributions measured in flight on the NASA Transport Systems Research Vehicle (Boeing 737-100) at a wing station where the flow approximated infinite swept wing conditions. The results indicate that significant regions of laminar flow can exist on all flap elements in flight. In future flight experiments (planned for January-February, 1994) the extent of these regions, the transition mechanisms and the effect of laminar flow on the high-lift characteristics of the multi-element system will be further explored.

Vandam, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Concentration Measurements in Self-Excited, Momentum-Dominated Helium Jets

Flow structure of momentum-dominated pure helium jets discharged vertically into ambient air was investigated using high-speed rainbow schlieren deflectometry (RSD) technique. Effects of the operating parameters, i.e., Reynolds number (Re) and Richardson number (Ri), on the oscillatory behavior of the flow were examined over a range of experimental conditions. To seek the individual effect of these parameters, one of them was fixed and the other was varied with certain constraints. Measurements revealed highly periodic oscillations in the laminar region as well as high regularity in transition and turbulent regions. Maximum spectral power profiles at different axial locations indicated the oscillation amplitude increasing until the breakdown of the jet in the turbulent regime. The transition from the laminar to turbulent flow was also investigated. Fast Fourier transform analysis performed in the transition regime showed that the flow oscillates at a unique frequency, which was the same in the upstream laminar flow region. Measured deflection angle data were used in Abel inversion algorithm to construct the helium concentration fields. Instantaneous helium concentration contours revealed changes in the flow structure and evolution of vortical structures during an oscillation cycle. Temporal evolution plots of helium concentration at different axial location showed repeatable oscillations at all axial and radial locations up to the turbulent regime. A cross-correlation technique, applied to find the spatial displacements of the vortical structures, provided correlation coefficient peaks between consecutive schlieren images. Results show that the vortical structure convected and accelerated only in the axial direction.

Yildirim, Bekir Sedat↗