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At least 181 records · Page 10

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DOE OSTI2026

Wind Conditions for Solar Energy Facility Design Based on Field Measurements at Nevada Solar One

This study characterises near-surface wind conditions at the Nevada Solar One (NSO) concentrated solar power plant using two years of measurements from a 15-m mast located 30 m west of the solar arrays. The surrounding terrain is fairly flat within 3 km, but nearby solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) installations introduce strong directional wind inhomogeneity, which motivates a sector-based analysis that distinguishes undisturbed inflow from waked flow. The analysis uses data from three sonic anemometers to assess whether turbulence in the surface layer can be represented as Gaussian and whether standard surface-layer scaling remains valid below 10 m height. The roughness length and displacement height are estimated for twelve directional sectors under near-neutral wind conditions, and all three velocity components show departures from Gaussian behaviour. Spectral analysis indicates that the turbulence contains low-frequency fluctuations with amplitudes higher than those predicted by standard models such as the Kaimal model or the Simiu and Scanlan model. The study introduces a new turbulence spectral model based on the eddy-surface-layer framework to better represent near-surface wind turbulence. The analysis further quantifies the influence of the surrounding power plants on mean wind profiles, one-point spectra, and vertical coherence for all velocity components. The solar collector arrays located 30 m east of the mast significantly modify the turbulence structure, whereas PV installations situated a few hundred metres away have only a limited influence on the turbulence measured at the mast. These findings highlight the limitations of conventional turbulence models for near-surface wind over solar infrastructure and provide improved parameterisations to support the structural design. The implications for the structural response of parabolic troughs and PV modules to such turbulence remain uncertain and require further investigation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1987

Application of advanced computational codes in the design of an experiment for a supersonic throughflow fan rotor

Increased emphasis on sustained supersonic or hypersonic cruise has revived interest in the supersonic throughflow fan as a possible component in advanced propulsion systems. Use of a fan that can operate with a supersonic inlet axial Mach number is attractive from the standpoint of reducing the inlet losses incurred in diffusing the flow from a supersonic flight Mach number to a subsonic one at the fan face. The design of the experiment using advanced computational codes to calculate the components required is described. The rotor was designed using existing turbomachinery design and analysis codes modified to handle fully supersonic axial flow through the rotor. A two-dimensional axisymmetric throughflow design code plus a blade element code were used to generate fan rotor velocity diagrams and blade shapes. A quasi-three-dimensional, thin shear layer Navier-Stokes code was used to assess the performance of the fan rotor blade shapes. The final design was stacked and checked for three-dimensional effects using a three-dimensional Euler code interactively coupled with a two-dimensional boundary layer code. The nozzle design in the expansion region was analyzed with a three-dimensional parabolized viscous code which corroborated the results from the Euler code. A translating supersonic diffuser was designed using these same codes.

Wood, Jerry R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Application of advanced computational codes in the design of an experiment for a supersonic throughflow fan rotor

Wood, Jerry R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Hypersonic cone flow predictions using an implicit upwind space-marching code

Solutions have been computed and results are presented for Problem 1, the case of Mach 9 transitional flow past a 7 deg half-angle cone at zero incidence. The solutions were computed using a code developed for the integration of the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations. The algorithm employed in the code is based on a Roe-type flux-difference-splitting scheme applied following a finite-volume approach. The basic algorithm has been modified to make it implicit and second-order accurate in the crossflow directions. Results are presented in terms of surface pressure and heat transfer as well as boundary layer profiles of pitot pressure, Mach number, and tangential velocity. The case was recalculated several times in an effort to determine sensitivities to such parameters as grid density, wall temperature, turbulence model parameters, as well as freestream expansion. Comparisons with the experimental data are presented and discussed.

Lawrence, Scott L.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Ultrasonic wave propagation in trabecular bone predicted by the stratified model

The objective of this study was to investigate ultrasound propagation in trabecular bone by considering the wave reflection and transmission in a multilayered medium. The use of ultrasound to identify those at risk of osteoporosis is a promising diagnostic method providing a measure of bone mineral density (BMD). A stratified model was proposed to study the effect of transmission and reflection of ultrasound wave within the trabecular architecture on the relationship between ultrasound and BMD. The results demonstrated that ultrasound velocity in trabecular bone was highly correlated with the bone apparent density (r=0.97). Moreover, a consistent pattern of the frequency dependence of ultrasound attenuation coefficient has been observed between simulation using this model and experimental measurement of trabecular bone. The normalized broadband ultrasound attenuation (nBUA) derived from the simulation results revealed that nBUA was nonlinear with respect to trabecular porosity and BMD. The curve of the relationship between nBUA and BMD was parabolic in shape, and the peak magnitude of nBUA was observed at approximately 60% of bone porosity. These results agreed with the published experimental data and demonstrated that according to the stratified model, reflection and transmission were important factors in the ultrasonic propagation through the trabecular bone.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS1962

Fixed-Base Simulator Studies of the Ability of the Human Pilot to Provide Energy Management Along Abort and Deep-Space Entry Trajectories

A simulation study has been made to determine a pilot's ability to control a low L/D vehicle to a desired point on the earth with initial conditions ranging from parabolic orbits to abort conditions along the boost phase of a deep-space mission. The program was conducted to develop procedures which would allow the pilot to perform the energy management functions required while avoiding the high deceleration or skipout region and to determine the information display required to aid the pilot in flying these procedures. The abort conditions studied extend from a region of relatively high flight-path angles at suborbital velocities while leaving the atmosphere to a region between orbital and near-escape velocity outside the atmosphere. The conditions studied included guidance from suborbital and superorbital aborts as well as guidance following return from a deepspace mission. In this paper, the role of the human pilot?s ability to combine safe return abort procedures with guidance procedures has been investigated. The range capability from various abort and entry conditions is also presented.

PILOT↗

NASA NTRS1990

Chaotic rhythms of a dripping faucet

An experiment was conducted which showed that a leaky faucet can offer valuable insights on predicting fluid flow. In this experiment, a flow control and drop detector were connected to the printer port of an IBM PC, which computed and saved the time intervals using a program for droptime compiled with Turbo C. It is noted that the time intervals change from periodic to doubly periodic as the flow rate is increased and then to various forms of chaos, interrupted by windows of periodicity. A number of two- and three-dimensional plots are displayed and discussed. Attention is focused on one of the simpler plots which is approximately parabolic, where each successive time interval is a quadratic function of the preceding interval, with a steepness which depends upon the flow rate. It is shown that a single past analog can predict a dripping faucet with reasonable accuracy 7-10 drops ahead. While such methods are more difficult to apply in higher-dimensional systems, this experiment aids in understanding how fluid flow may be predicted even under conditions of unstable flows caused by increase in velocity.

Cahalan, Robert F.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Parabolized Navier-Stokes algorithm for chemically reacting flows

A second-order parabolized Navier-Stokes algorithm based on the MacCormack (1969) explicit scheme is used to study three-dimensional chemically reacting flows with finite-rate chemistry. The method can treat the chemical source term implicitly, and it accounts for the multicomponent diffusion and convection of the chemical species. The method is demonstrated with the nonreacting case of a Mach-3 flow over a double-wedge compression corner and the case of streamwise hydrogen injection at sonic velocity in a Mach-2.44 vitiated air stream.

Kamath, H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

A model of concurrent flow flame spread over a thin solid fuel

A numerical model is developed to examine laminar flame spread and extinction over a thin solid fuel in lowspeed concurrent flows. The model provides a more precise fluid-mechanical description of the flame by incorporating an elliptic treatment of the upstream flame stabilization zone near the fuel burnout point. Parabolic equations are used to treat the downstream flame, which has a higher flow Reynolds number. The parabolic and elliptic regions are coupled smoothly by an appropriate matching of boundary conditions. The solid phase consists of an energy equation with surface radiative loss and a surface pyrolysis relation. Steady spread with constant flame and pyrolysis lengths is found possible for thin fuels and this facilitates the adoption of a moving coordinate system attached to the flame with the flame spread rate being an eigen value. Calculations are performed in purely forced flow in a range of velocities which are lower than those induced in a normal gravity buoyant environment. Both quenching and blowoff extinction are observed. The results show that as flow velocity or oxygen percentage is reduced, the flame spread rate, the pyrolysis length, and the flame length all decrease, as expected. The flame standoff distance from the solid and the reaction zone thickness, however, first increase with decreasing flow velocity, but eventually decrease very near the quenching extinction limit. The short, diffuse flames observed at low flow velocities and oxygen levels are consistent with available experimental data. The maximum flame temperature decreases slowly at first as flow velocity is reduced, then falls more steeply close to the quenching extinction limit. Low velocity quenching occurs as a result of heat loss. At low velocities, surface radiative loss becomes a significant fraction of the total combustion heat release. In addition, the shorter flame length causes an increase in the fraction of conduction downstream compared to conduction to the fuel. These heat losses lead to lower flame temperatures, and ultimately, extinction. This extinction mechanism differs from that of blowoff, where the flame is unable to be stabilized due to the high flow velocity.

Ferkul, Paul V.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Modification of wind turbine wakes by large-scale, convective atmospheric boundary layer structures

In this study, we consider the impact of large-scale, convective structures in an unstable atmospheric boundary layer on wind turbine wakes. Simulation data from a high-fidelity large-eddy simulation (LES) of the AWAKEN wind farm site matching unstable atmospheric conditions were analyzed, and both turbine performance and wake behavior were affected based on their location relative to the convective structures. Turbines located in updraft regions of the flow experienced lower inflow velocity and generated less power, but their wakes were observed to recover faster and saw greater turbulent kinetic energy mixing higher in the boundary layer. The opposite effect was found for turbines in the downdraft regions of the convective structures. A simplified model of this wake behavior was also developed based on a two-dimensional k–ε Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes formulation. This simplified model included the effects of vertical transport, but could be efficiently solved as a parabolic system, and was found to capture similar wake modifications observed in the high-fidelity LES computations.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

NASA NTRS1983

Calculation of unsteady small disturbance transonic flow at arbitrary reduced frequency using an extended integral equation method.

A novel analytical-numerical method for calculating unsteady small disturbance transonic flow over airfoils has been developed. The method uses an extended integral equation technique, based on both the velocity potential and the acceleration potential, to predict unsteady aerodynamic loading on airfoils oscillating in subcritical transonic free stream conditions. The formulation is an extension of the work of Sivaneri and Harris (1980) for steady, non-lifting flows and utilizes the linear theory of Landahl (1961) for decoupling of steady and unsteady components. The analytical-numerical procedure involves several intnegrating schemes and applies to general frequencies of oscillations. The technique is illustrated by computing the transonic flow about parabolic arc airfoils. Specific unsteady results for reduced frequencies based on semi-chord of 0.01, 0.1, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.6 are given. Comparison of results with those obtained by an ADI finite difference scheme is made.

Lamah, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Recent improvements in the nonequilibrium VSL scheme for hypersonic blunt-body flows

The nonequilibrium viscous shock-layer (VSL) solution scheme is revisited to improve its solution accuracy in the stagnation point region and also to minimize and control the errors in the conservation of elemental mass. The stagnation-point solution is improved by using a second-order expansion for the normal velocity and the elemental mass conservation is improved by directly imposing the element conservation equations as solution constraints. These modifications are such that the general structure and computational efficiency of the nonequilibrium VSL scheme is not affected. This revised nonequilibrium VSL scheme is used to study the Mach 20 flow over a 7-deg sphere-cone vehicle under zero and 20-deg angle-of-attack conditons. Comparisons are made with the corresponding predictions of Navier-Stokes and Parabolized Navier-Stokes solution schemes. The results of these tests show that the nonequilibrium blunt-body VSL scheme is indeed an accurate, fast and extremely efficient means for generating the blunt-body flowfield over spherical nosetips at small-to-large angles of attack.

Bhutta, Bilal A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Improved nonequilibrium viscous shock-layer scheme for hypersonic blunt-body flowfields

The nonequilibrium viscous shock-layer (VSL) solution scheme is revisited to improve its solution accuracy in the stagnation region and also to minimize and control errors in the conservation of elemental mass. The stagnation-point solution is improved by using a second-order expansion for the normal velocity, and the elemental mass conservation is improved by directly imposing the element conservation equations as solution constraints. These modifications are such that the general structure and computational efficiency of the nonequilibrium VSL scheme is not affected. This revised nonequilibrium VSL scheme is used to study the Mach 20 flow over a 7-deg sphere-cone vehicle under 0- and 20-deg angle-of-attack conditions. Comparisons are made with the corresponding predictions of Navier-Stokes and parabolized Navier-Stokes solution schemes. The results of these tests show that the nonequilibrium blunt-body VSL scheme is indeed an accurate, fast, and extremely efficient means for generating the blunt-body flowfield over spherical nose tips at zero-to-large angles of attack.

Bhutta, Bilal A.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Complete viscous flowfield solutions about a blunt parabolic body in a supersonic stream

A hybrid computational technique which splits the flowfield into inviscid and viscous regions is used to investigate the complete flowfield about axisymmetric parabolic blunt bodies in a supersonic stream. The solutions are carried out on the CDC CYBER-203 computer which, with its extensive memory, allows for the use of a large number of finite-difference mesh points, allowing resolution of important flowfield features. A range of freestream Mach number of 2-5 and a range of Re number based on nose radius of 500-125,000 was run for a sonic corner body. Contour plots of density, pressure, and Mach number, velocity vector plots, and surface distributions of pressure, heat transfer, and shear stress are presented. Also, correlations of the downstream extent of the base recirculation region with Re number based on nose radius are given.

Weilmuenster, K. J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A numerical investigation of crossflow separation on a three-caliber tangent ogive-cylinder

A parabolized Navier-Stokes code was used to calculate laminar crossflow separation on a simple body of revolution. Convergence lines were defined as lines on which skin-friction lines converge and were visually determined from the computed skin-friction patterns. These convergence lines were shown to be limit lines and not envelopes. Examination of crossflow cuts of streamtubes which encircled the body indicated that crossflow separation (defined by a fold in the streamtube) began after the onset of negative crossflow velocities but before a convergence line could be determined from the skin-friction patterns. There were no rapid changes or extrema in the pressure, skin-friction, vorticity, or flow-angle distributions that indicated where separation occurred. Instead, crossflow separation developed gradually and involved an extended region of the surface.

Yates, Leslie A.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Transition correlations in three-dimensional boundary layers

The stability and transition characteristics of three-dimensional boundary-layer flows are examined. First, the flow over a rotating cone is considered computationally. An increase of stagnation temperature is found to be only slightly stabilizing. Parameter studies on the simple rotating-cone geometry provide a large database of three-dimensional boundary-layer profiles and associated stability characteristics. To determine the possibility of correlating transition location with parameters based purely on basic-state three-dimensional boundary-layer profile characteristics, an empirical transition location of N = 9 is assumed. Transition location does not correlate with the traditional crossflow Reynolds number. A more appropriate definition for crossflow Reynolds number is found and termed R(sub cf(new)). This new parameter appears to correlate for transition location when plotted against maximum crossflow velocity. Then, the flow over a yawed cone is considered experimentally. The correlation results obtained from the rotating-cone work are applied to the actual measured transition locations on two different yawed-cone models under various angle-of-attack conditions in two different experimental facilities and are verified. This correlation is only suggested as a tool for preliminary transition prediction and design in three-dimensional boundary layers; once a preliminary shape is selected, further linear stability theory or parabolized stability equation calculations are strongly urged.

Reed, Helen L.↗

NASA NTRS1971

On the transonic aerodynamics of a compressor blade row

Linearized analyses have been carried out for the induced velocity and pressure fields within a compressor blade row operating in an infinite annulus at transonic Mach numbers of the flow relative to the blades. In addition, the relationship between the induced velocity and the shape of the mean blade surface has been determined. A computational scheme has been developed for evaluating the blade mean surface ordinates and surface pressure distributions. The separation of the effects of a specified blade thickness distribution from the effects of a specified distribution of the blade lift has been established. In this way, blade mean surface shapes that are necessary for the blades to be locally nonlifting have been computed and are presented for two examples of blades with biconvex parabolic arc sections of radially tapering thickness. Blade shapes that are required to achieve a zero thickness, uniform chordwise loading, constant work spanwise loading are also presented for two examples. In addition, corresponding surface pressure distributions are given. The flow relative to the blade tips has a high subsonic Mach number in the examples that have been computed. The results suggest that at near-sonic relative tip speeds the effective blade shape is dominated by the thickness distribution, with the lift distribution playing only a minor role.

Erickson, J. C., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Heat-transfer distributions on biconics at incidence in hypersonic-hypervelocity He, N2, air, and CO2 flows

Laminar heat transfer rates were measured on spherically blunted, 13 deg/7 deg on axis and bent biconics (fore cone bent 7 deg upward relative to aft cone) at hypersonic hypervelocity flow conditions in the Langley Expansion Tube. Freestream velocities from 4.5 to 6.9 km/sec and Mach numbers from 6 to 9 were generated using helium, nitrogen, air, and carbon dioxide test gases, resulting in normal shock density ratios from 4 to 19. Angle of attack, referenced to the axis of the aft cone, was varied from 0 to 20 deg in 4 deg increments. The effect of nose bend, angle of attack, and real gas phenomena on heating distributions are presented along with comparisons of measurement to prediction from a code which solves the three dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes equations.

Miller, C. G.↗