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At least 1,297 records · Page 72

Three atmospheric dispersion experiments involving oil fog plumes measured by lidar

The Wave Propagation Lab. participated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a series of experiments with the goal of developing and validating dispersion models that perform substantially better that models currently available. The lidar systems deployed and the data processing procedures used in these experiments are briefly described. Highlights are presented of conclusions drawn thus far from the lidar data.

Eberhard, W. L.↗

Force and moment tests to determine the interaction effects of the reaction control system jet plumes on the space shuttle Orbiter aerodynamics at Mach Number 6 (Test OA352)

The purpose of this test was to expand the existing Space Shuttle aerodynamics and Reaction Control System (RCS) data base to support the Glide Return to Launch Site (GRTLS) abort trajectory and the new Digital Autopilot. An existing model of the orbiter was used to investigate the aerodynamic effects of several combinations of RCS thrusters and thruster momentum ratios at Mach number 6. Two separate model installations were used to achieve an angle-of-attack range of -11 to 46 deg. The test was conducted at a unit Reynolds number of 0.8 x 10 to the 6th per foot.

Cayse, Robert W.↗

When worlds collide - Jetted vapor plumes and the moon's origin

It is proposed that a collision between a Mars-sized planetesimal and the protoearth explains both the anomalously large angular momentum of the earth-moon system and the similarity between the moon's bulk composition and the earth's mantle. An approximate calculation was performed to obtain information on the highest speed, most highly shocked ejecta and the ejection pattern, speed, angles of launch, etc. as a function of the impact parameter and the ratio of the sizes of the colliding protoplanets. Computation results are in agreement with the megaimpact hypothesis.

Melosh, H. J.↗

Analysis of twin supersonic plume resonance

Recent experiments conducted at NASA Langley show that twin supersonic jets separating by a distance of approximately two nozzle diameters (center to center) exhibit resonant oscillations under a wide range of operating conditions. In this paper the mechanism responsible for the synchronized resonant oscillations is investigated. A vortex sheet jet model is used in the analysis. The model shows that kinematically two modes of twin jet resonance can occur. One mode involves flapping motion of both jets symmetric with respect to the mid-plane separating the two jets. The other mode involves antisymmetric flapping motion. The symmetric mode is consistent with experimental observations. The vortex sheet jet model is, however, unable to provide quantitative estimates of the shift in screech frequency (as compared to a single jet) due to the resonance phenomenon. The reason for this is discussed. Possible improvement of the model and directions for future work are indicated.

Tam, Christopher K. W.↗

Computations of ideal and real gas high altitude plume flows

In the present work, complete flow fields around generic space vehicles in supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes are studied numerically. Numerical simulation is performed with a flux-split, time asymptotic viscous flow solver that incorporates a generalized equilibrium chemistry model. Solutions to generic problems at various altitude and flight conditions show the complexity of the flow, the equilibrium chemical dissociation and its effect on the overall flow field. Viscous ideal gas solutions are compared against equilibrium gas solutions to illustrate the effect of equilibrium chemistry. Improved solution accuracy is achieved through adaptive grid refinement.

Feiereisen, William J.↗

Investigation of a liquid-fed water resistojet plume

Measurements of mass flux and flow angle were taken throughout the forward flow region of the exhaust of a liquid-fed water resistojet using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The resistojet operated at a mass flow rate of 0.1 g/s with a power input of 330 Watts. Measured values were compared to theoretical predictions obtained by employing a source flow approximation. Excellent agreement between predicted and measured mass flux values was attained; however, this agreement was highly dependent on knowledge of nozzle flow conditions. Measurements of the temperature at which the exhaust condensed on the QCM were obtained as a function of incident mass flux.

Manzella, D. H.↗

The effects of initial jet exit conditions on plume resonance

The acoustic emission and boundary layer of a cold jet issuing from an underexpanded sonic nozzle have been measured for lip thicknesses of the nozzle exit varying from 0.015-0.625 nozzle diameters. Near-field acoustic data demonstrate that the amplitude and frequency of certain modes of screech and the dominant mode of instability which exists in the shear layer are dependent on nozzle lip thickness. Changes in momentum thickness due to variations in the nozzle exit were also quantified.

Ponton, Michael K.↗

Investigation of a liquid-fed water resistojet plume

Measurements of mass flux and flow angle were taken throughout the forward flow region of the exhaust of a liquid-fed water resistojet using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The resistojet operated at a mass flow rate of 0.1 g/s with a power input of 330 Watts. Measured values were compared to theoretical predictions obtained by employing a source flow approximation. Excellent agreement between predicted and measured mass flux values was attained; however, this agreement was highly dependent on knowledge of nozzle flow conditions. Measurements of the temperature at which the exhaust condensed on the QCM were obtained as a function of incident mass flux.

Manzella, D. H.↗

The plume of the Yukon River in relation to the oceanography of the Bering Sea

The ecosystem of the northern Bering-Sea shelf was studied using data from the NOAA Very High Resolution Radiometer and AVHRR and the Landsat MSS and Thematic Mapper (TM) in conjunction with shipboard measurements. Emphasis was placed on the influence of the Yukon River on this inner shelf environment and on the evaluation of the utility of the new Landsat TM data for oceanography. It was found that the patterns of water mass distribution obtained from satellite images agreed reasonably well with the areal patterns of temperature, salinity, and phytoplankton distributions. The AVHRR, MSS, and TM data show that the Yukon-River discharge is warmer and more turbid than the surrounding coastal water that originates to the south; thus, the Yukon water contributes to the higher temperatures and lower transmissivity of the coastal water. The high resolution of the TM thermal IR band made it possible to observe complex patterns and structures in the surface water that could not be resolved on previous data sets.

Dean, Kenneson G.↗

Infusion of instrumentation technology (engine plume diagnostics) into operational test programs

The following subject areas are covered: hierarchy of civil space technology program; evolution of technology development; technology validation process; potential impacts; impacts of technology infusion into flight certifications; potential solutions; examples of current technology infusion into flight certification; OAET-CSTI health monitoring and controls; and challenges for future space vehicle propulsion systems.

Woods, E. G.↗

In flight demonstration of mass property identification and jet plume interaction on the AeroAssist Flight Experiment

Algorithms have been developed for in-flight demonstration of spacecraft mass, center of mass, and inertia matrix which autonomously measure mass properties as they change in-flight due to consumable expenditures, payload deployment/retrieval, and docking. The testing of these algorithms can be conducted by means of a mass-properties estimator, which is a second-order nonlinear filter resembling an extended Kalman filter. The AeroAssist Flight Experiment, which will demonstrate the use of the earth's atmosphere to assist orbital changes, will carry the Rarefied-flow Aerodynamic Measurement Experiment (RAME); data taken by RAME will be used by the mass-properties estimator to ascertain spacecraft mass properties, and estimates from this filter will be compared to predicted values of the mass properties to validate the estimator.

Bergmann, Edward V.↗

Development of a Fabry-Perot interferometer for rocket engine plume monitoring

The development of a lightweight, compact, high-resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) based spectrometer capable of detecting the spectral signatures of eroding engine components during test and/or flight operations is discussed. FPI based spectrometers will be designed to be smaller and lighter than grating or prism type devices and to provide greater wavelength resolving capability. The FPI system seeks to combine the features of high line resolution, active background discrimination, smart digital signal processing, and rocket engine flight capability. The design, fabrication, and test of a breadboard FPI spectrometer have been completed and the breadboard instrument has clearly demonstrated the viability of the approach. The breadboard instrument design and test results are also presented.

Bickford, R. L.↗

Plume and wake dynamics, mixing, and chemistry behind an HSCT aircraft

The chemical evolution and mixing and vortical motion of a High Speed Civil Transport's engine exhausts must be analyzed in order to track the gas and its speciation as emissions are mixed to atmospheric scales. Attention is presently given to an analytic model of the wake dynamical processes which accounts for the roll-up of the trailing vorticity, its breakup due to the Crow instability, and the subsequent evolution and motion of the reconnected vorticity. The concentrated vorticity is noted to wrap up the buoyant exhaust and suppress its continued mixing and dilution. The species tracked encompass those which could be heterogeneously reactive on the surfaces of the condensed ice particles, and those capable of reacting with exhaust soot particle surfaces to form active contrail and/or cloud condensation nuclei.

Miake-Lye, R. C.↗