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Vortex and coaxial flow of argon and helium plasmas heated inductively, and strong magnetic field effects on turbulent plasma mixing, for gas core reactors
For a fixed heat flow, the surface flow velocity of a convecting layer is not strongly sensitive to the variation of viscosity as a function of depth. Thus, the inferred absence of a low viscosity asthenosphere on Venus can not account for the limited surface motions there. The surface velocity is dependent on the convective geometry. Cartesian geometry convection can produce large surface velocities if the high viscosity surface layer is broken in places by weak zones. On the other hand, a high viscosity surface layer may inhibit the development of large surface velocities in axisymmetric convection.
Perched lava ponds are infrequent but distinctive topographic features formed during some basaltic eruptions. Two such ponds, each approximately 150 m in diameter, formed during the 1968 eruption at Napau Crater and the 1974 eruption of Mauna Ulu, both on Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii. Each one formed where a channelized, high volume flux lava flow encountered a sharp reduction of slope: the flow spread out radially and stalled, forming a well-defined terminal levee enclosing a nearly circular lava pond. We describe a model of how cooling limits the motion of lava spreading radially into a pond and compare this with the case of a channelized flow. The difference in geometry has a major effect, such that the size of a pond is a good indicator of the volume flux of the lava forming it. Lateral spreading on distal shallow slopes is a major factor limiting the lengths of lava flows.
Under this program, INTEGRAL made four observations of the Galactic black hole X-ray binary GRO 51655-40 in outburst. Our team made a number of supporting observations simultaneously in the radio, optical, and X-ray bands. The data have been processed by INTEGRAL and efforts to make a preliminary reduction and analysis of the data are underway. As the data have only been in house for a month at the time of writing, there are no significant results to report at this time, apart from the fact that the source appears to have been detected clearly even up to an energy of 200 keV.
Steady-state low-current air arcs in a dual-flow nozzle system are studied experimentally. The cold flow field with no arc is investigated using a 12.7-mm diameter dual-flow nozzle in a steady-flow facility. Mach number and mass flux distributions are determined for various nozzle-pressure ratios and nozzle-gap spacing. It is found that the shock waves in the converging-diverging nozzles result in a decrease in overal resistance by about 15 percent. Also, Schlieren and differential interferometry techniques are used to visualize the density gradients within the arc plasma and thermal mantle. Both optical techniques reveal a laminar arc structure for a reservoir pressure of 1 atm at various current levels. Experimentally determined axial static pressure and cold-flow mass flux rate distributions and a channel-flow model with constant arc temperatre are used to solve the energy integral for the arc radius as a function of axial distance. The arc electric field strength, voltage, resistance, and power are determined with Ohm's law and the total heat transfer is related to arc power.
To examine the mixing characteristics of jets in an axi-symmetric can geometry, temperature measurements were obtained downstream of a row of cold jets injected into a heated cross stream. Parametric, non-reacting experiments were conducted to determine the influence of geometry and flow variations on mixing patterns in a cylindrical configuration. Results show that jet to mainstream momentum flux ratio and orifice geometry significantly impact the mixing characteristics of jets in a can geometry. For a fixed number of orifices, the coupling between momentum flux ratio and injector determines (1) the degree of jet penetration at the injection plane, and (2) the extent of circumferential mixing downstream of the injection plane. The results also show that, at a fixed momentum flux ratio, jet penetration decreases with (1) an increase in slanted slot aspect ratio, and (2) an increase in the angle of the slots with respect to the mainstream direction.
To examine the mixing characteristics of jets in an axi-symmetric can geometry, temperature measurements were obtained downstream of a row of cold jets injected into a heated cross stream. Parametric, non-reacting experiments were conducted to determine the influence of geometry and flow variations on mixing patterns in a cylindrical configuration. Results show that jet to mainstream momentum flux ratio and orifice geometry significantly impact the mixing characteristics of jets in a can geometry. For a fixed number of orifices, the coupling between momentum flux ratio and injector determines (1) the degree of jet penetration at the injection plane, and (2) the extent of circumferential mixing downstream of the injection plane. The results also show that, at a fixed momentum flux ratio, jet penetration decreases with (1) an increase in slanted slot aspect ratio, and (2) an increase in the angle of the slots with respect to the mainstream direction.
Flow distributions and heat transfer characteristics for two-dimensional arrays of circular air jets impinging on a surface parallel to the jet orifice plate were determined. The configurations considered were intended to model those of interest in current and contemplated gas turbine airfoil midchord cooling applications. The geometry of the airfoil applications considered dictates that all of the jet flow, after impingement, exit in the chordwise (i.e., streamwise) direction toward the trailing edge. Experimental results for the effect of an initial crossflow on both flow distributions and heat transfer characteristics for a number of the prior uniform array geometries. The effects of nonuniform array geometries on flow distributions and heat transfer characteristics for noninitial crossflow configurations are discussed.
Flow characteristics of curved porous wall gas core reactors for nuclear rocket engines, visualizing simulated fuel flow with air-smoke combination
An experimental study of the effects of geometry, flow, frequency and source structure on the radiation and reflection of sound from duct inlets has been conducted. This work extends a previous study by comparing two inlet shapes typical of static and flight testing and by considering higher order radial modes. Measurements of the internal and radiated acoustic fields are presented in terms of modal reflection coefficients and absolute radiated pressure directivity. Results indicate that geometry effects associated with these practical inlet shapes become less important for a fixed cutoff ratio as the mode order and frequency are increased. Also, static inflow, while reducing the reflected wave amplitude, is shown to have little effect on radiation directivity regardless of inlet geometry.
The objective of the present research is to assess the usefulness of large-eddy simulation (LES) methodology for flows in complex geometries. Flow past a circular cylinder has been calculated using a central-difference based solver, and the results have been compared to those obtained by a solver that employs higher-order upwind biased schemes (Beaudan & Moin, 1994). This comparison allows us to assess the suitability of these schemes for LES in complex geometry flows.
A flow geometry and flow rate for mixed flowing gas testing is proposed. Use of an impinging jet of humid polluted air can provide a uniform and reproducible exposure of coupons of metal-based magnetic media. Numerical analysis of the fluid flow and mass transfer in such as system has shown that samples confined within a distance equal to the nozzle radius on the surface of impingement are uniformly accessible to pollutants in the impinging gas phase. The critical factor is the nozzle height above the surface of impingement. In particular, the uniformity of exposure is less than plus/minus 2% for a volumetric flow rate of 1600 cm(exp 3)/minute total flow with the following specifications: For a one inch nozzle, the height of the nozzle opening above the stage should be 0.177 inches; for a 2 inch nozzle - 0.390 inches. Not only is the distribution uniform, but one can calculate the maximum delivery rate of pollutants to the samples for comparison with the observed deterioration.
A series of non-reacting parametric experiments was conducted to investigate the effect of geometric and flow variations on mixing of cold jets in an axis-symmetric, heated cross flow. The confined, cylindrical geometries tested represent the quick mix region of a Rich-Burn/Quick-Mix/Lean-Burn (RQL) combustor. The experiments show that orifice geometry and jet to mainstream momentum-flux ratio significantly impact the mixing characteristic of jets in a cylindrical cross stream. A computational code was used to extrapolate the results of the non-reacting experiments to reacting conditions in order to examine the nitric oxide (NO) formation potential of the configurations examined. The results show that the rate of NO formation is highest immediately downstream of the injection plane. For a given momentum-flux ratio, the orifice geometry that mixes effectively in both the immediate vicinity of the injection plane, and in the wall regions at downstream locations, has the potential to produce the lowest NO emissions. The results suggest that further study may not necessarily lead to a universal guideline for designing a low NO mixer. Instead, an assessment of each application may be required to determine the optimum combination of momentum-flux ratio and orifice geometry to minimize NO formation. Experiments at reacting conditions are needed to verify the present results.
The CSCM method for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations is applied to study design factors in a slot injection cooled cavity flow in the side of a 2-D wedge body in a high enthalpy free stream. The flow geometry is being designed and will be tested in an arc jet tunnel at NASA-Ames Research Center. Objectives of the design are to provide adequate thermal protection for and minimize aero-optical distortion in the path above a window located in the bottom of the cavity. Among design issues, are the geometry of and flow conditions in the expanding section of the supersonic slot injection nozzle. Here, for straight walled nozzles, two geometries are considered for the upper nozzle lip between the hot, high speed outer flow and the colder, denser cooling flow. The two lip geometries - thick, square and thin, wedge - as the result of associated widely differing base/wake flows also exhibit different and interesting viscous-inviscid flow structures near the ramp termination to the cavity. For the thin lip case, the consequences on flow quality of off design nozzle conditions relative to matching pressure with the outer flow are explored.
Staged combustion, such as Rich-Burn/Quick-Mix/Lean-Burn (RQL), is a viable strategy to meet nitric oxide (NO) emission goals for both stationary and propulsion gas turbine engines. A critical element of the design is the quick mixer section where the potential for NO production is high. While numerical calculations of the quick mixer under reacting conditions have been conducted, the hostile environment and lack of appropriate diagnostics have, to date, precluded experimental probing of the reacting case. As an alternative to understanding the effect of geometry and flow variations on the production of NO in the quick mixer, the present paper presents (1) a series of non-reacting parametric studies, and (2) a computational method to extrapolate the results of the non-reacting experiments to reacting conditions. The results show that the rate of NO production is highest in the immediate vicinity of the injection plane. For a given momentum flux ratio between the jets and mainstream, the most effective mixing geometry is that which mixes effectively in both (1) the plane of injection, and (2) the wall regions downstream of the plan of injection. The tailoring of the mixing is key to minimize the NO formed. As a result, the best overall mixer with respect to the minimization of NO production may depend on the system specific characteristics of the particular application.
An evaluation of the ability of a low order panel method to predict complex three-dimensional internal flow fields was made. The computer code VSAERO was used as a basis for the evaluation. Guidelines for modeling internal flow geometries were determined and the effects of varying the boundary conditions and the use of numerical approximations on the solutions accuracy were studied. Several test cases were run and the results were compared with theoretical or experimental results. Modeling an internal flow geometry as a closed box with normal velocities specified on an inlet and exit face provided accurate results and gave the user control over the boundary conditions. The values of the boundary conditions greatly influenced the amount of leakage an internal flow geometry suffered and could be adjusted to eliminate leakage. The use of the far-field approximation to reduce computation time influenced the accuracy of a solution and was coupled with the values of the boundary conditions needed to eliminate leakage. The error induced in the influence coefficients by using the far-field approximation was found to be dependent on the type of influence coefficient, the far-field radius, and the aspect ratio of the panels.
Two-dimensional arrays of circular jets impinging on a surface parallel to the jet orifice plate are considered. The jet flow, after impingement, is constrained to exit in a single direction along the channel formed by the jet orifice plate and the impingement surface. Experimental results for the effects of streamwise nonuniform array geometries on streamwise flow distributions and heat transfer characteristics are presented. A flow distribution model for nonuniform arrays is developed and validated by comparison with the measured flow distributions. The model is then employed to compare nonuniform array streamwise resolved heat transfer coefficient data with previously reported uniform array data and with a previously developed correlation based on the uniform array data. It was found that uniform array results can, in general, serve as a satisfactory basis from which to predict heat transfer coefficients at individual spanwise rows of nonuniform arrays. However, significant differences were observed in some cases over the first one or two rows downstream of the geometric transition line of the nonuniform array.
A multiple-scales approach is used to approximate the effects of nonparallelism and streamwise surface curvature on the growth of stationary crossflow vortices in incompressible, three-dimesional boundary layers. The results agree with results predicted by solving the parabolized stability equations in regions where the nonparallelism is sufficiently weak. As the nonparallelism increases, the agreement between the two approaches worsens. An attempt has been made to quantify the nonparallelism on flow stability in terms of a nondimensional number that describes the rate of change of the mean flow relative to the disturbance wavelength. We find that the above nondimensional number provides useful information about the adequacy of the multiple-scales approximation for different disturbances for a given flow geometry, but the number does not collapse data for different flow geometries onto a single curve.