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At least 1,513 records · Page 84
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

First implementation of gyrokinetic exact linearized Landau collision operator and comparison with models

Gyrokinetic simulations are fundamental to understanding and predicting turbulent transport in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. Previous simulations have used model collision operators with approximate field-particle terms of unknown accuracy and/or have neglected collisional finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects. We have implemented the linearized Fokker–Planck collision operator with exact field-particle terms and full FLR effects in a gyrokinetic code (GENE). The new operator, referred to as “exact” in this paper, allows the accuracy of model collision operators to be assessed. The conservative Landau form is implemented because its symmetry underlies the conservation laws and the H-theorem, and enables numerical methods to preserve this conservation, independent of resolution. The implementation utilizes the finite-volume method recently employed to discretize the Sugama collision model in GENE, allowing direct comparison between the two operators. Results show that the Sugama model appears accurate for the growth rates of trapped electron modes (TEMs) driven only by density gradients, but appreciably underestimates the growth rates as the collisionality and electron temperature gradient increase. The TEM turbulent fluxes near the nonlinear threshold using the exact operator are similar to the Sugama model for the n e = d ln T e /d ln n e = 0 case, but substantially larger than the Sugama model for the n e = 1 case. The FLR effects reduce the growth rates increasingly with wavenumber deepening a “valley” at the intermediate binormal wavenumber as the unstable mode extends from the TEM regime to the electron temperature gradient instability regime. Application to the Hinton–Rosenbluth problem shows that zonal flows decay faster as the radial wavenumber increases and the exact operator yields weaker decay rates.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Formation and Reconnection of Electron Scale Current Layers in the Turbulent Outflows of a Primary Reconnection Site

We simulate with 3D particle in cell, the spontaneous formation of turbulent outflows in an initially laminar 3D reconnecting current layer. We observe the formation of many secondary current layers and reconnection sites in the outflow. The approach we follow is to study each individual feature within the turbulent outflow. To identify all clusters of current in the outflow we use a clustering technique widely used in unsupervised machine learning: density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise. Once the clusters are identified we measure their size and compute reconnection indicators to establish which are undergoing reconnection. With this analysis we establish that the size of the current clusters reaches all the way from its initial system scale down to subelectron skin depth scale. We observe that the smaller current clusters are more prone to reconnecting and to releasing energy. We then find the process of reconnection of the smaller current cluster to be of the recently observed electron-only type that leaves the ions essentially unaffected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2003

On the Computation of Space-Time Correlations by Large-Eddy Simulation

Numerical comparisons in decaying isotropic turbulence suggest that there exist discrepancies in time correlations evaluated by DNS and LES using eddy-viscosity-type SGS models. This is consistent with the previous observations in forced isotropic turbulence. Therefore, forcing is not the main cause of the discrepancies. Comparisons among different SGS models in the LES also indicate that the model choice affects the time correlations in the LES. The multi-scale LES method using the dynamic Smagorinsky model on the small scale equation is the most accurate of the all models, the classic Smagorinsky model is the least accurate and the dynamic Smagorinsky model and spectral eddy viscosity model give intermediate results with small differences. The generalized sweeping hypothesis implies that time correlations in decaying isotropic turbulence are mainly determined by the instantaneous energy spectra and sweeping velocities. The analysis based on the sweeping hypothesis explains the discrepancies in our numerical simulations: the LES overpredicts the decorrelation time scales because the sweeping velocities are smaller than the DNS values, and underpredicts the magnitudes of time correlations because the energy spectrum levels are lower than the DNS ones. Since the sweeping velocity is determined by the energy spectra, one concludes that an accurate prediction of the instantaneous energy spectra guarantees the accuracy of time correlations. An analytical expression of sound power spectra based on Lighthill's theory and the quasi-normal closure assumption suggests that the sound power spectra are sensitive to errors in time correlations. Small errors in time correlations can cause significant errors in the sound power spectra, which exhibit a sizable drop at moderate to high frequencies accompanied by a shift of the peaks to lower frequencies. Based on the above analysis, two possible ways to improve the acoustic power spectrum predictions can be considered. The first is to construct better SGS models to improve the LES accuracy for time correlations. The second is to remedy the temporal statistics of the Lighthill stress tensor in order to "recover" the contribution from the unresolved scales in LES to time correlations.

He, Guo-Wei↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development and Verification of an Improved Wake-Added Turbulence Model in FAST.Farm

We introduce a generalized wake-added turbulence (WAT) model in the multiphysics, multiturbine simulation tool FAST.Farm. The WAT model introduces additional small-scale turbulence that represents the breakdown of vortical structures and shear layers in the wake. The article describes the development, implementation, calibration, and verification of the model. The novelties of the model include support for wake asymmetry, buildup of WAT across the wind farm, and secondary effects of wake-induced turbulence (e.g., wake meandering) driven by smaller-scale turbulence structures that arise from wake breakdown. Large-eddy simulations were run to support the calibration of the WAT parameters and verification of the model. Previous studies hypothesized that the lack of WAT modeling was the source of underprediction of fatigue loads, in particular for cases at low turbulence intensities and/or stable atmospheric boundary layers. This study confirms that the newly implemented WAT model enhances the loads predictions in these cases.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Modeling of Water Film Formation on a Stay-Cable

With the increasing popularity of cable-stayed bridges in the past few decades, longer spans are being constructed using ever-longer stay cables. Under certain conditions, especially during construction, and wind and rain-wind events, the cables of cable-stayed bridges may undergo large amplitude vibrations. This type of vibration has been of concern to researchers and engineers because large amplitude vibration can induce excessive stresses and therefore threaten the safety and integrity of bridge structures. Figure 1-1 presents an example of a stay cable bridge structure, The Cooper River Bridge. Many countermeasures for the wind-rain induced vibrations have been developed to decrease the amplitude of the vibrations and consequently, the fatigue of the cables. One of the methods is to install helical fillets on the cable surface. A sketch of a cable with two fillets wrapped around it is shown in Figure 1-2. The main objective of the present study is to develop and test computational methodologies, with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), that model the interaction of rain with stay cables including: the formation of water film, development of rainwater rivulets, and rivulet behavior under various conditions with and without wind. Interaction of water with cables with and without fillets is analyzed, and results are presented in this report. This study is divided into two parts. The first part of this study, Section 4, explores methods of modeling water film formation and flow on cables. A series of simulations using the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations turbulence model (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) model are performed to analyze water film formation and flow on a cable using the fluid film model in STARCCM+ [(b)1]. Various methods of setting up initial and boundary conditions are tested, especially boundary conditions for introducing rain into the domain. The second part of the study, Section 5, explores upper rivulet formation in the presence of wind, based on the findings from the first part of the study. In that section, LES simulation with the Volume Of Fluid model for the free surface is used. Also, various results for cases with and without water film on the cable are presented and compared.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1986

Jeans criterion in a turbulent medium

According to the classical Jeans analysis, all the molecular clouds of mass larger than a few 100 M(solar), size larger than about 1pc and kinetic temperature Tk less than 30K are gravitationally unstable. We have shown that in clouds supported by internal supersonic motions, local gravitational instabilities may appear within molecular clouds which are globally stable. The argument is threefold: (1) when the turbulent kinetic energy is included into the internal energy term, the virial equilibrium condition shows that molecular clouds such as those observed, which are gravitationally unstable according to the Jeans criterion, are indeed globally stable if supported by a turbulent velocity field of power spectrum steeper than 3; (2) 2D compressible hydrodynamical simulations show that a supersonic turbulent velocity field generates a turbulent pressure within clouds, the gradients of which stabilize the unstable scales (i.e., the largest scales and the cloud itself) against gravitational collapse; (3) an analysis similar to the Jeans approach but including the turbulent pressure gradient term, gives basically the same results as those given in (1). Clouds of mean density lower than a critical value are found to be stable even though more massive than their Jeans mass. In clouds of mean density larger than that critical value, the gravitational instability appears only over a range of scales smaller than the cloud size, the largest scales being stable. In practice, the observed mean densities are lower than this critical value: the observation of a small number of cores and stars of a few solar masses embedded in clouds of several hundred solar masses can only be understood in terms of small scale density fluctuations of large amplitude generated by the supersonic turbulence which would occasionally overtake the limit of gravitational stability.

Bonazzola, S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Unsteady viscous calculations of supersonic flows past deep and shallow three-dimensional cavities

Computational simulations were performed for supersonic, turbulent flows over deep and shallow three-dimensional cavities. The width and the depth of these cavities were fixed at 2.5 in. and 0.5 in., respectively. Length-to-depth ratio of the deep cavity was 6 and that of the shallow cavity was 16. Freestream values of Mach number and Reynolds number were 1.50 and 2.0 x 10 to the 6th/ft., respectively, at a total temperature of 585 R. The thickness of the turbulent boundary layer at the front lip of the cavity was 0.2 in. Simulations of these oscillatory flows were generated through time-accurate solutions of Reynolds-averaged full Navier-Stokes equations using the explicit MacCormack scheme. The solutions are validated through comparisons with experimental data. The features of open and closed cavity flows and effects of the third dimension are illustrated through computational graphics.

Baysal, O.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An investigation of small scales of turbulence in a boundary layer at high Reynolds numbers

The assumption that turbulence at large wave-numbers is isotropic and has universal spectral characteristics which are independent of the flow geometry, at least for high Reynolds numbers, has been a cornerstone of closure theories as well as of the most promising recent development in the effort to predict turbulent flows, viz. large eddy simulations. This hypothesis was first advanced by Kolmogorov based on the supposition that turbulent kinetic energy cascades down the scales (up the wave-numbers) of turbulence and that, if the number of these cascade steps is sufficiently large (i.e. the wave-number range is large), then the effects of anisotropies at the large scales are lost in the energy transfer process. Experimental attempts were repeatedly made to verify this fundamental assumption. However, Van Atta has recently suggested that an examination of the scalar and velocity gradient fields is necessary to definitively verify this hypothesis or prove it to be unfounded. Of course, this must be carried out in a flow with a sufficiently high Reynolds number to provide the necessary separation of scales in order unambiguously to provide the possibility of local isotropy at large wave-numbers. An opportunity to use our 12-sensor hot-wire probe to address this issue directly was made available at the 80'x120' wind tunnel at the NASA Ames Research Center, which is normally used for full-scale aircraft tests. An initial report on this high Reynolds number experiment and progress toward its evaluation is presented.

Wallace, James M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Vapor condensation rate at a turbulent liquid interface, for application to cryogenic hydrogen

The condensation of hydrogen vapor onto turbulent liquid hydrogen is simulated experimentally using steam and water at elevated pressure, where water has a Prandtl number comparable to that of liquid hydrogen. A correlation is presented for the condensation rate in terms of the intensity and macroscale of the turbulence on the liquid side. The rate correlation should be applicable to low-gravity conditions at the higher turbulence intensities; at the lower turbulence intensities, however, the data are affected by thermal stratification resulting from buoyancy effects.

Helmick, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Calculations of High-Temperature Jet Flow Using Hybrid Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes Formulations

Two multiscale-type turbulence models are implemented in the PAB3D solver. The models are based on modifying the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes equations. The first scheme is a hybrid Reynolds-averaged- Navier Stokes/large-eddy-simulation model using the two-equation k(epsilon) model with a Reynolds-averaged-Navier Stokes/large-eddy-simulation transition function dependent on grid spacing and the computed turbulence length scale. The second scheme is a modified version of the partially averaged Navier Stokes model in which the unresolved kinetic energy parameter f(sub k) is allowed to vary as a function of grid spacing and the turbulence length scale. This parameter is estimated based on a novel two-stage procedure to efficiently estimate the level of scale resolution possible for a given flow on a given grid for partially averaged Navier Stokes. It has been found that the prescribed scale resolution can play a major role in obtaining accurate flow solutions. The parameter f(sub k) varies between zero and one and is equal to one in the viscous sublayer and when the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes turbulent viscosity becomes smaller than the large-eddy-simulation viscosity. The formulation, usage methodology, and validation examples are presented to demonstrate the enhancement of PAB3D's time-accurate turbulence modeling capabilities. The accurate simulations of flow and turbulent quantities will provide a valuable tool for accurate jet noise predictions. Solutions from these models are compared with Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes results and experimental data for high-temperature jet flows. The current results show promise for the capability of hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes and large eddy simulation and partially averaged Navier Stokes in simulating such flow phenomena.

Abdol-Hamid, Khaled S.↗
DOE OSTI2023

First-principles-integrated Study of Blazar Synchrotron Radiation and Polarization Signatures from Magnetic Turbulence

Blazar emission is dominated by nonthermal radiation processes that are highly variable across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Turbulence, which can be a major source of nonthermal particle acceleration, can widely exist in the blazar emission region. The Turbulent Extreme Multi-Zone (TEMZ) model has been used to describe turbulent radiation signatures. Recent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have also revealed the stochastic nature of the turbulent emission region and particle acceleration therein. However, radiation signatures have not been systematically studied via first-principles-integrated simulations. In this paper, we perform combined PIC and polarized radiative transfer simulations to study synchrotron emission from magnetic turbulence in the blazar emission region. We find that the multiwavelength flux and polarization are generally characterized by stochastic patterns. Specifically, the variability timescale and average polarization degree (PD) are governed by the correlation length of the turbulence. Interestingly, magnetic turbulence can result in polarization angle swings with arbitrary amplitudes and duration, in either direction, that are not associated with changes in flux or PD. Surprisingly, these swings, which are stochastic in nature, can appear either bumpy or smooth, although large-amplitude swings (>180°) are very rare, as expected. Our radiation and polarization signatures from first-principles-integrated simulations are consistent with the TEMZ model, except that in the latter, there is a weak correlation, with zero lag, between flux and degree of polarization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Turbulence/flame/wall interactions in non-premixed inclined slot-jet flames impinging at a wall using direct numerical simulation

In this paper, three-dimensional turbulent non-premixed oblique slot-jet flames impinging at a wall were investigated using direct numerical simulation (DNS). Two cases are considered with the Damköhler number (Da) of case A being twice that of case B. A 17 species and 73-step mechanism for methane combustion was employed in the simulations. It was found that flame extinction in case B is more prominent compared to case A. Reignition in the lower branch of combustion for case A occurs when the scalar dissipation rate relaxes, while no reignition occurs in the lower branch for case B due to excessive scalar dissipation rate. A method was proposed to identify the flame quenching edges of turbulent non-premixed flames in wall-bounded flows based on the intersections of mixture fraction and OH mass fraction iso-surfaces. The flame/wall interactions were examined in terms of the quenching distance and the wall heat flux along the quenching edges. There is essentially no flame/wall interaction in case B due to the extinction caused by excessive turbulent mixing. In contrast, significant interactions between flames and the wall are observed in case A. The quenching distance is found to be negatively correlated with wall heat flux as previously reported in turbulent premixed flames. The influence of chemical reactions and wall on flow topologies was identified. The FS/U and FC/U topologies are found near flame edges, and the NNN/U topology appears when reignition occurs. The vortex-dominant topologies, FC/U and FS/S, play an increasingly important role as the jet turbulence develops.

42 ENGINEERING↗