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At least 163 records · Page 9

Convergent strand array liquid pumping system

A surface-tension liquid pumping system is provided by one or more arrays of converging solid monofilament fibers or metal wires (strands) spaced apart at an input end to gather liquid, and gathered close together at the opposite end where menisci forms between wetted strands to force liquid in the direction of convergence of the strands. The liquid pumping system is independent of gravity. It is illustrated as being used in a heat pump having a heating box to vaporize the liquid and a condensing chamber. Condensed liquid is returned by the pumping system to the heating box where it is again vaporized. A vapor tube carries the vapor to the condensing chamber. In that way, a closed system pumps heat from the heating box to the evaporating chamber and from there radiated to the atmosphere.

Collins, Earl R., Jr.↗

Convergence of infinite dimensional sampled LQR problems - Theory and numerical results

A theory is developed for the convergence of the closed-loop solution to infinite-dimensional discrete-time linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) problems on the infinite time interval to the solution of a corresponding continuous-time LQR problem as the length of the sampling interval tends toward zero. Convergence of solutions to the operator algebraic Riccati equation and corresponding optimal feedback control gains is guaranteed under appropriate uniform stabilizability and detectability conditions and consistent sampling. Also presented are numerical results involving the optimal LQ control of a heat or diffusion equation, a hereditary or delay differential equation, and a hybrid system of ordinary and partial differential equations describing the transverse vibration of a cantilevered Voigt-Kelvin viscoelastic beam with tip mass.

Rosen, I. G.↗

Internal performance of a hybrid axisymmetric/nonaxisymmetric convergent-divergent nozzle

An investigation was conducted in the static test facility of the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel to determine the internal performance of a hybrid axisymmetric/nonaxisymmetric nozzle in forward-thrust mode. Nozzle cross-sections in the spherical convergent section were axisymmetric whereas cross-sections in the divergent flap area nonaxisymmetric (two-dimensional). Nozzle concepts simulating dry and afterburning power settings were investigated. Both subsonic cruise and supersonic cruise expansion ratios were tested for the dry power nozzle concepts. Afterburning power configurations were tested at an expansion ratio typical for subsonic acceleration. The spherical convergent flaps were designed in such a way that the transition from axisymmetric to nonaxisymmetric cross-section occurred in the region of the nozzle throat. Three different nozzle throat geometries were tested for each nozzle power setting. High-pressure air was used to simulate jet exhaust at nozzle pressure ratios up to 12.0.

Taylor, John G.↗

Divergence thrust loss calculations for convergent-divergent nozzles: Extensions to the classical case

The analytical derivations of the non-axial thrust divergence losses for convergent-divergent nozzles are described as well as how these calculations are embodied in the Navy/NASA engine computer program. The convergent-divergent geometries considered are simple classic axisymmetric nozzles, two dimensional rectangular nozzles, and axisymmetric and two dimensional plug nozzles. A simple, traditional, inviscid mathematical approach is used to deduce the influence of the ineffectual non-axial thrust as a function of the nozzle exit divergence angle.

Berton, Jeffrey J.↗

Acceleration of convergence by shifting the spectrum of implicit finite difference operators associated with the equations of gas dynamics

Eigensystem analysis techniques are applied to finite difference formulations of the Navier-Stokes equations in one dimension. Spectra of the resulting implicit difference operators are computed. The largest eigenvalues are calculated by using a combination of the Frechet derivative of the operators and Arnoldi's method. The accuracy of Arnoldi's method is tested by comparing the rate of convergence of the iterative method with the dominant eigenvalue of the original iteration matrix. On the basis of the pattern of eigenvalue distributions for various flow configurations, a shifting of the implicit operators in question is devised. This procedure has improved the rates of convergence of CFD codes by 20 - 50 percent.

Cheer, A.↗

Globally convergent techniques in nonlinear Newton-Krylov

Some convergence theory is presented for nonlinear Krylov subspace methods. The basic idea of these methods is to use variants of Newton's iteration in conjunction with a Krylov subspace method for solving the Jacobian linear systems. These methods are variants of inexact Newton methods where the approximate Newton direction is taken from a subspace of small dimensions. The main focus is to analyze these methods when they are combined with global strategies such as linesearch techniques and model trust region algorithms. Most of the convergence results are formulated for projection onto general subspaces rather than just Krylov subspaces.

Brown, Peter N.↗

Convergence of controllers designed using state space methods

The convergence of finite dimensional controllers for infinite dimensional systems designed using approximations is examined. Stable coprime factorization theory is used to show that under the standard assumptions of uniform stabilizability/detectability, the controllers stabilize the original system for large enough model order. The controllers converge uniformly to an infinite dimensional controller, as does the closed loop response.

Morris, K. A.↗

The impact of time step definition on code convergence and robustness

We have implemented preconditioning for multi-species reacting flows in two independent codes, an implicit (ADI) code developed in-house and the RPLUS code (developed at LeRC). The RPLUS code was modified to work on a four-stage Runge-Kutta scheme. The performance of both the codes was tested, and it was shown that preconditioning can improve convergence by a factor of two to a hundred depending on the problem. Our efforts are currently focused on evaluating the effect of chemical sources and on assessing how preconditioning may be applied to improve convergence and robustness in the calculation of reacting flows.

Venkateswaran, S.↗

Convergence acceleration of the Proteus computer code with multigrid methods

Presented here is the first part of a study to implement convergence acceleration techniques based on the multigrid concept in the Proteus computer code. A review is given of previous studies on the implementation of multigrid methods in computer codes for compressible flow analysis. Also presented is a detailed stability analysis of upwind and central-difference based numerical schemes for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Results are given of a convergence study of the Proteus code on computational grids of different sizes. The results presented here form the foundation for the implementation of multigrid methods in the Proteus code.

Demuren, A. O.↗

Upper bounds for convergence rates of vector extrapolation methods on linear systems with initial iterations

The application of the minimal polynomial extrapolation (MPE) and the reduced rank extrapolation (RRE) to a vector sequence obtained by the linear iterative technique x(sub j) + 1 = Ax(sub j) = b,j = 1,2,..., is considered. Both methods produce a two dimensional array of approximations s(sub n,k) to the solution of the system (I - A)x = b. Here, s(sub n,k) is obtained from the vectors x(sub j), n is less than or equal to j is less than or equal to n + k + 1. It was observed in an earlier publication by the first author that the sequence s(sub n,k), k = 1,2,..., for n greater than 0, but fixed, possesses better convergence properties than the sequence s(sub 0,k), k = 1,2,.... A detailed theoretical explanation for this phenomenon is provided in the present work. This explanation is heavily based on approximations by incomplete polynomials. It is demonstrated by numerical examples when the matrix A is sparse that cycling with s(sub n,k) for n greater than 0, but fixed, produces better convergence rates and costs less computationally than cycling with s(sub 0,k). It is also illustrated numerically with a convection-diffusion problem that the former may produce excellent results where the latter may fail completely. As has been shown in an earlier publication, the results produced by s(sub 0,k) are identical to the corresponding results obtained by applying the Arnoldi method or generalized minimal residual scheme (GMRES) to the system (I - A)x = b.

Sidi, Avram↗

Oblique convergence and deformation along the Kuril and Japan trenches

The hypothesis that present-day deformation within the southern Kuril forearc is driven by oblique subduction of the Pacific plate is tested using 397 horizontal slip directions derived from shallow-thrust earthquakes from the Kuril and Japan trenches for the period 1963-1991. A simple two-plate model fits the 397 slip vectors significantly worse than a model that permits strike-slip motion of the southern Kuril forearc relative to the overlying plate. Weighted, mean slip directions along the southern Kuril trench are systematically rotated toward the direction orthogonal to the trench, which implies that the net convergence is partitioned into less oblique subduction and trench-parallel displacement of the southern Kuril forearc. The angular discrepancy between the observed slip direction and the direction predicted by the NUVEL-1 Pacific-North America Euler vector implies that the southern Kuril forearc translates 6-11 mm/yr to the southwest relative to the overlying North American plate. These results are consistent with geologically, geodetically, and seismologically observed convergence at the leading edge of the forearc sliver in southern Kokkaido and with previously inferred extension at the trailing edge of the sliver, which is located at the Bussol Strait at 46 deg N.

Demets, Charles↗

Acceleration of convergence and spectrum transformation of implicit finite difference operators associated with Navier-Stokes equations

Implicit difference operator spectra are presently computed by applying eigensystem analysis techniques to finite-difference formulations of 2D Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, and attention is given to these iterative methods' convergence and stability characteristics by taking into account the effects of grid geometry, time-step, numerical viscosity, and boundary conditions. On the basis of the eigenvalue distributions for various flow configurations, the feasibility of applying such convergence-acceleration techniques as eigenvalue annihilation and relaxation is discussed. Spectrum-shifting is applied to NASA-Ames' ARC2D flow code, achieving a 20-33 percent efficiency.

Saleem, M.↗

An Investigation of Convergent-Divergent Diffusers at Mach Number 1.85

An investigation has been conducted in the Cleveland 18- by 18-inch supersonic tunnel at a Mach number of 1.85 and angles of attack from 0 deg to 5 deg to determine optimum design configurations for a convergent-divergent type of supersonic diffuser with a subsonic diffuser of 5 deg included divergence angle. Total pressure recoveries in excess of theoretical recovery across a normal shock at a free-stream Mach number of 1.85 wore obtained with several configurations. The highest recovery for configurations without a cylindrical throat section was obtained with an inlet having an included convergence angle of 20 deg. Insertion of a 2-inch throat section between a 10 deg included angle inlet and the subsonic diffuser stabilized the shock inside the diffuser and resulted in recoveries as high as 0.838 free-stream total pressure at an angle of attack of 0 deg, corresponding to recovery of 92.4 percent of the kinetic energy of the free air stream. Use of the throat section also lessened the reduction in recovery of all configurations due to angle of attack.

Wyatt, Demarquis D↗

Thrust characteristics of a series of convergent-divergent exhaust nozzles at subsonic and supersonic flight speeds

An experimental investigation of a series of four convergent-divergent exhaust nozzles was conducted in the Lewis 8-by-6 foot supersonic wind tunnel at Mach numbers of 0.1, 0.6, 1.6, and 2.0 over a range of nozzle pressure ratios. The thrust characteristics of these nozzles were determined by a pressure-integration technique. From a thrust standpoint, a nozzle designed to give uniform parallel flow at the exit had no advantage over the simple geometric design with conical convergent and divergent sections. The rapid-divergent nozzles might be competitive with the more gradual-divergent nozzles since the relatively short length of these nozzles would be advantageous from a weight standpoint and might result in smaller thrust losses due to friction. The thrusts, with friction losses neglected, were predicted satisfactorily by one-dimensional theory for the nozzles with relatively gradual divergence. The thrusts of the rapid-divergent designs were several percentages below the theoretical values at the design pressure ratio or above, while at low pressure ratios there was a considerable effect of free-stream Mach number, with thrusts considerably above theoretical values at subsonic speeds and somewhat above theoretical values at supersonic speeds. This Mach numb effect appeared to be related to the variation of the model base pressure with free-stream Mach number.

Fradenburgh, Evan A↗

Reliability enhancement of Navier-Stokes codes through convergence enhancement

Reduction of total computing time required by an iterative algorithm for solving Navier-Stokes equations is an important aspect of making the existing and future analysis codes more cost effective. Several attempts have been made to accelerate the convergence of an explicit Runge-Kutta time-stepping algorithm. These acceleration methods are based on local time stepping, implicit residual smoothing, enthalpy damping, and multigrid techniques. Also, an extrapolation procedure based on the power method and the Minimal Residual Method (MRM) were applied to the Jameson's multigrid algorithm. The MRM uses same values of optimal weights for the corrections to every equation in a system and has not been shown to accelerate the scheme without multigriding. Our Distributed Minimal Residual (DMR) method based on our General Nonlinear Minimal Residual (GNLMR) method allows each component of the solution vector in a system of equations to have its own convergence speed. The DMR method was found capable of reducing the computation time by 10-75 percent depending on the test case and grid used. Recently, we have developed and tested a new method termed Sensitivity Based DMR or SBMR method that is easier to implement in different codes and is even more robust and computationally efficient than our DMR method.

Choi, K.-Y.↗

Convergence acceleration of the Proteus computer code with multigrid methods

This report presents the results of a study to implement convergence acceleration techniques based on the multigrid concept in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional versions of the Proteus computer code. The first section presents a review of the relevant literature on the implementation of the multigrid methods in computer codes for compressible flow analysis. The next two sections present detailed stability analysis of numerical schemes for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, based on conventional von Neumann analysis and the bi-grid analysis, respectively. The next section presents details of the computational method used in the Proteus computer code. Finally, the multigrid implementation and applications to several two-dimensional and three-dimensional test problems are presented. The results of the present study show that the multigrid method always leads to a reduction in the number of iterations (or time steps) required for convergence. However, there is an overhead associated with the use of multigrid acceleration. The overhead is higher in 2-D problems than in 3-D problems, thus overall multigrid savings in CPU time are in general better in the latter. Savings of about 40-50 percent are typical in 3-D problems, but they are about 20-30 percent in large 2-D problems. The present multigrid method is applicable to steady-state problems and is therefore ineffective in problems with inherently unstable solutions.

Demuren, A. O.↗

Numerical simulations of small amplitude acoustic wave propagation in a converging-diverging nozzle

Numerical simulations of the small amplitude acoustic wave propagation in a converging-diverging nozzle proposed in Category 5 are performed and presented here. The quasi 1-D unsteady flow equations in conservative form are discretized by the DRP scheme with the artificial damping developed by Tam and Webb. Characteristic boundary conditions are used at both the inlet and outlet of the nozzle. The effect of different numerical implementations of the subsonic inflow boundary conditions on the convergence of the solution to the steady state is studied. In the case of a subsonic outflow in which a shock is formed in the nozzle, the interaction between acoustics and the shock is also investigated.

Dong, Thomas Z.↗

Convergence Acceleration of the Navier-Stokes Equations Through Time-Derivative Preconditioning

Chorin's method of artificial compressibility is extended to both compressible and incompressible fluids by using physical arguments to define artificial fluid properties that make up a local preconditioning matrix. In particular, perturbation expansions are used to provide appropriate temporal derivatives for the equations of motion at both low speeds and low Reynolds numbers. These limiting forms are then combined into a single function that smoothly merges into the physical time derivatives at high speeds so that the equations are left unchanged at transonic, high Reynolds number conditions. The effectiveness of the resulting preconditioning procedures for the Navier-Stokes equations is demonstrated for a wide speed and Reynolds number ranges by means of stability results and computational solutions. Nevertheless, the preconditioned equations sometimes fail to provide a solution for applications for which the non-preconditioned equations converge. Often this is because the reduced dissipation in the preconditioned equations results in an unsteady solution while the more dissipative non-preconditioned equations result in a steady state. Problems of this type represent a computational challenge; it is important to distinguish between non-convergence of algorithms, and the non-existence of steady state solutions.

Merkle, Charles L.↗