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At least 181 records · Page 10

CFD Analysis of Mixing Characteristics of Several Fuel Injectors at Hypervelocity Flow Conditions

CFD analysis is presented of the mixing characteristics and performance of three fuel injectors at hypervelocity flow conditions. The calculations were carried out using the VULCAN-CFD solver and Reynolds-Averaged Simulations (RAS). The high Mach number flow conditions match those proposed for the planned experiments conducted as a part of the Enhanced Injection and Mixing Project (EIMP) at the NASA Langley Research Center. The EIMP aims to investigate scramjet fuel injection and mixing physics, improve the understanding of underlying physical processes, and develop enhancement strategies and functional relationships relevant to flight Mach numbers greater than eight. Because of the high Mach number flow considered, the injectors consist of a fuel placement device, a strut; and a fluidic vortical mixer, a ramp. These devices accomplish the necessary task of distributing and mixing fuel into the supersonic cross-flow albeit via different strategies. Both of these devices were previously studied at lower flight Mach numbers where they exhibited promising performance in terms of mixing efficiency and total pressure recovery. For comparison, a flush-wall injector is also included. This type of injector generally represents the simplest method of introducing fuel into a scramjet combustor, however, at high flight Mach number conditions, the dynamic pressure needed to induce sufficient fuel penetration may be difficult to achieve along with other requirements such as achieving desired levels of fuel-to-air mixing at the required equivalence ratio. The three injectors represent the baseline configurations planned for the experiments. The current work discusses the mixing flow field behavior and differences among the three fuel injectors, mixing performance as described by the mixing efficiency and the total pressure recovery, and performance considerations based on the thrust potential.

Drozda, Tomasz G.↗

Ice Protection of Turbojet Engines by Inertia Separation of Water III : Annular Submerged Inlets

Aerodynamic and icing studies were conducted on a one-half-scale model of an annular submerged inlet for use with axial-flow turbojet engines. Pressure recoveries, screen radial-velocity profiles, circumferential mass-flow variations, and icing characteristics were determined at the compressor inlet. In order to be effective in maintaining water-free induction air, the inlet gap must be extremely small and ram-pressure recoveries consequently are low, the highest achieved being 65 percent at inlet-velocity ratio of 0.86. All inlets exhibited considerable screen icing. Severe mass-flow shifts occurred at angles of attack.

ICE PREVENTION AND REMOVAL - PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Preliminary Investigation of Effect on Performance of Dividing Conical-spike Nose Inlets into Halves at Mach Numbers 1.5 to 2.0

Inserting a splitter plate in the subsonic diffuser caused a pressure-recovery loss of about 1 percent for an inlet with a long nearly constant-area throat section. The loss was due to the increased surface area. Another inlet, which had a comparatively rapid area increase immediately after the throat, experienced pressure-recovery losses of 5 and 6 percent at Mach numbers of 1.8 and 2.0, respectively, and about 1 percent at Mach 1.5.

Allen, John L↗

Recovery of MOF-5 from Extreme High-Pressure Conditions Facilitated by a Modern Pressure Transmitting Medium

Here mechanisms underlying the mechanically induced amorphization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of current interest, and both high-pressure experimentation and molecular dynamics simulations have been used to reveal the fundamentals of load bearing, deformation, and pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) in these highly porous materials. Unfortunately, MOFs are typically highly susceptibility to amorphization, which limits the conditions under which they can be processed and used. However, their flexible structures can be stabilized to high pressures by incorporating guest species into the framework matrix. In this study, a large molecule pressure transmitting medium (DAPHNE 7575 ) is used as a structure-fortifying guest species to stabilize the prototypical MOF -5 to ultra-high pressures ( >9 GPa) and enable the recovery of crystalline material upon decompression. Structural changes associated with the penetration of the pressure transmitting medium on compression are examined using a combination of high pressure synchrotron powder diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations. This work enhances the understanding of PIA in MOFs while showcasing a potential route for the stabilization of MOFs to surprisingly high-pressures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Zero-angle-of-attack Performance of Two-dimensional Inlets near Mach Number 3

An extensive program was undertaken to investigate the effect of several geometric variables on the performance of two-dimensional inlets. This investigation included inlets having single-wedge, double-wedge, and isentropic compression ramps with various side-plate configurations and subsonic diffusers. The tests were conducted over a range of Reynolds number based on inlet height from 0.50 to 2.67(sup x)10(sup 6). Generally, the performance levels of the two-dimensional inlets were somewhat below those obtained previously with comparable axisymmetric models. At Mach number 3.05 the optimum total-pressure recovery was obtained with an isentropic inlet which compressed the external flow to a Mach number of 1.88. Rectangular side plates and a long high-exit-Mach-number subsonic diffuser with filleted corners were used with this inlet. A critical total-pressure recovery of 0.71 was realized with a corresponding mass-flow ratio of 0.965. Subcritical stability to a mass-flow ratio of 0.60 was obtained.

Woollett, Richard R↗

Optimal Flow Control Design

In support of the Blended-Wing-Body aircraft concept, a new flow control hybrid vane/jet design has been developed for use in a boundary-layer-ingesting (BLI) offset inlet in transonic flows. This inlet flow control is designed to minimize the engine fan-face distortion levels and the first five Fourier harmonic half amplitudes while maximizing the inlet pressure recovery. This concept represents a potentially enabling technology for quieter and more environmentally friendly transport aircraft. An optimum vane design was found by minimizing the engine fan-face distortion, DC60, and the first five Fourier harmonic half amplitudes, while maximizing the total pressure recovery. The optimal vane design was then used in a BLI inlet wind tunnel experiment at NASA Langley's 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel. The experimental results demonstrated an 80-percent decrease in DPCPavg, the reduction in the circumferential distortion levels, at an inlet mass flow rate corresponding to the middle of the operational range at the cruise condition. Even though the vanes were designed at a single inlet mass flow rate, they performed very well over the entire inlet mass flow range tested in the wind tunnel experiment with the addition of a small amount of jet flow control. While the circumferential distortion was decreased, the radial distortion on the outer rings at the aerodynamic interface plane (AIP) increased. This was a result of the large boundary layer being distributed from the bottom of the AIP in the baseline case to the outer edges of the AIP when using the vortex generator (VG) vane flow control. Experimental results, as already mentioned, showed an 80-percent reduction of DPCPavg, the circumferential distortion level at the engine fan-face. The hybrid approach leverages strengths of vane and jet flow control devices, increasing inlet performance over a broader operational range with significant reduction in mass flow requirements. Minimal distortion level requirements are met using vanes alone, avoiding engine stall and increasing robustness of this hybrid inlet flow control approach. This design applies to aerospace applications needing flush-mounted boundary-layer-ingesting inlets.

Allan, Brian↗

Impact of Flight Enthalpy, Fuel Simulant, and Chemical Reactions on the Mixing Characteristics of Several Injectors at Hypervelocity Flow Conditions

The high total temperatures or total enthalpies required to duplicate the high-speed flight conditions in ground experiments often place stringent requirements on the material selection and cooling needs for the test articles and intrusive flow diagnostic equipment. Furthermore, for internal flows, these conditions often complicate the use of nonintrusive diagnostics that need optical access to the test section and interior portions of the flowpath. Because of the technical challenges and increased costs associated with experimentation at high values of total enthalpy, an attempt is often made to reduce it. This is the case for the Enhanced Injection and Mixing Project (EIMP) currently underway in the Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. The EIMP aims to investigate supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) fuel injection and mixing physics, improve the understanding of underlying physical processes, and develop enhancement strategies and functional relationships between mixing performance and losses relevant to flight Mach numbers greater than 8. The experiments will consider a "direct-connect" approach and utilize a Mach 6 nozzle to simulate the combustor entrance flow of a scramjet engine. However, while the value of the Mach number is matched to that expected at the combustor entrance in flight, the maximum value of the total enthalpy for these experiments is limited by the thermal-structural limits of the uncooled experimental hardware. Furthermore, the fuel simulant is helium, not hydrogen. The use of "cold" flows and non-reacting mixtures of fuel simulants for mixing experiments is not new and has been extensively utilized as a screening technique for scramjet fuel injectors. In this study, Reynolds-averaged simulations are utilized (RAS) to systematically verify the implicit assumptions used by the EIMP. This is accomplished by first performing RAS of mixing for two injector configurations at planned nominal experimental conditions. The mixing parameters of interest, such as mixing efficiency and total pressure recovery, are then computed and compared to the values obtained from RAS under the true enthalpy conditions and using helium and hydrogen. Finally, the impact of combustion on mixing, often deemed small enough to neglect at hypervelocity conditions, is assessed by comparing the results obtained from the hydrogen-fueled reacting and non-reacting RAS. For reacting flows, in addition to mixing efficiency and total pressure recovery, the combustion efficiency and thrust potential are also considered. In all of the simulations, the incoming air Mach number and the fuel-to-air ratio are the same, while the total pressure, total enthalpy, and the fuel simulant vary depending on the case considered. It is found that under some conditions the "cold" flow experiments are a good approximation of the flight.

Drozda, Tomasz G.↗

Flow Separation Control Over a Ramp Using Sweeping Jet Actuators

Flow separation control on an adverse-pressure-gradient ramp model was investigated using various flow-control methods in the NASA Langley 15-Inch Wind Tunnel. The primary flow-control method studied used a sweeping jet actuator system to compare with more classic flow-control techniques such as micro-vortex generators, steady blowing, and steady- and unsteady-vortex generating jets. Surface pressure measurements and a new oilflow visualization technique were used to characterize the effects of these flow-control actuators. The sweeping jet actuators were run in three different modes to produce steady-straight, steady-angled, and unsteady-oscillating jets. It was observed that all of these flow-control methods are effective in controlling the separated flows on the ramp model. The steady-straight jet energizes the boundary layer by momentum addition and was found to be the least effective method for a fixed momentum coefficient. The steady-angled jets achieved better performance than the steady-straight jets because they generate streamwise vortices that energize the boundary layer by mixing high-momentum fluid with near wall low-momentum fluid. The unsteady-oscillating jets achieved the best performance by increasing the pressure recovery and reducing the downstream flow separation. Surface flow visualizations indicated that two out-of-phase counter-rotating vortices are generated per sweeping jet actuator, while one vortex is generated per vortex-generating jets. The extra vortex resulted in increased coverage, more pressure recovery, and reduced flow separation.

Koklu, Mehti↗

Low speed test of the aft inlet designed for a tandem fan V/STOL nacelle

An approximately .25 scale model of a Tandem Fan nacelle designed for a Type A V/STOL aircraft configuration was tested in a 10-by-10 foot wind tunnel. A 12 inch, tip driven, turbofan simulator was used to provide the suction source for the aft fan inlet. The front fan inlet was faired over for this test entry. Model variables consisted of a long aft inlet cowl, a short aft inlet cowl, a shaft simulator, blow-in door passages and diffuser vortex generators. Inlet pressure recovery, distortion, inlet angle of attack separation limits were evaluated at tunnel velocities from 0 to 240 knots, angles of attack from -10 to 40 degrees and inlet flow rates representative of throat Mach numbers of 0.1 to 0.6. High inlet performance and stable operation was verified at all design forward speed and angle of attack conditions. The short aft inlet configuration provided exceptionally high pressure recovery except at the highest combination of angle of attack and forward speed. The flow quality at the fan face was somewhat degraded by the addition of blow-in door passages to the long aft inlet configuration due to the pressure disturbances generated by the flow entering the diffuser through the auxiliary air passages.

Rhoades, W. W.↗

Inlet Vortex Generator Design for the X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

An array of vortex generators was designed for the X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator aircraft inlet. Prior to the a High Speed Inlet DistortionTest, concern regarding potentially high measurements of steady state or dynamic distortion prompted an effort to examine the use of passive flow control to reduce distortion levels. Design of experiments methodology was used to develop two matrices of vortex generators placed inside the inlet serpentine duct and upstream of the inlet on the compression surface, varying on several geometric parameters. Reynolds- Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations were performed using the FUN3D flow solver at Mach 1.45 to analyze the impact of each configuration on total pressure recovery, circumferential distortion, and radial distortion. Results fromsimulations of the baseline aircraft are compared with data acquired in the NASA Glenn Research Center’s 8- by 6-foot SupersonicWind Tunnel. A vortex generator configuration with vanes placed upstream of the inlet terminal shock was shown to significantly increase total pressure recovery and decrease circumferential distortion with no penalty to radial distortion levels. Inlet mass flow sweeps at Mach 1.45, 0.6, and 0.3 indicated no detrimental effects from the vanes at off-design conditions.

Vortex generators↗

Inlet Vortex Generator Design for the X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

An array of vortex generators was designed for the X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator aircraft inlet. Prior to the a High Speed Inlet Distortion Test, concern regarding potentially high measurements of steady state or dynamic distortion prompted an effort to examine the use of passive flow control to reduce distortion levels. Design of experiments methodology was used to develop two matrices of vortex generators placed inside the inlet serpentine duct and upstream of the inlet on the compression surface, varying on several geometric parameters. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations were performed using the FUN3D flow solver at Mach 1.45 to analyze the impact of each configuration on total pressure recovery, circumferential distortion, and radial distortion. Results from simulations of the baseline aircraft are compared with data acquired in the NASA Glenn Research Center’s 8- by 6-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. A vortex generator configuration with vanes placed upstream of the inlet terminal shock was shown to significantly increase total pressure recovery and decrease circumferential distortion with no penalty to radial distortion levels. Inlet mass flow sweeps at Mach 1.45, 0.6, and 0.3 indicated no detrimental effects from the vanes at off-design conditions.

Vortex generators↗

Flight-determined characteristics of an air intake system on an F-111A airplane

Flow phenomena of the F-111A air intake system were investigated over a large range of Mach number, altitude, and angle of attack. Boundary-layer variations are shown for the fuselage splitter plate and inlet entrance stations. Inlet performance is shown in terms of pressure recovery, airflow, mass-flow ratio, turbulence factor, distortion factor, and power spectral density. The fuselage boundary layer was found to be not completely removed from the upper portion of the splitter plate at all Mach numbers investigated. Inlet boundary-layer ingestion started at approximately Mach 1.6 near the translating spike and cone. Pressure-recovery distribution at the compressor face showed increasing distortion with increasing angle of attack and increasing Mach number. The time-averaged distortion-factor value approached 1300, which is near the distortion tolerance of the engine at Mach numbers above 2.1.

Hughes, D. L.↗

Numerical Analysis of the Trailblazer Inlet Flowfield for Hypersonic Mach Numbers

A study of the Trailblazer vehicle inlet was conducted using the Global Air Sampling Program (GASP) code for flight Mach numbers ranging from 4-12. Both perfect gas and finite rate chemical analysis were performed with the intention of making detailed comparisons between the two results. Inlet performance was assessed using total pressure recovery and kinetic energy efficiency. These assessments were based upon a one-dimensional stream-thrust-average of the axisymmetric flowfield. Flow visualization utilized to examine the detailed shock structures internal to this mixed-compression inlet. Kinetic energy efficiency appeared to be the least sensitive to differences between the perfect gas and finite rate chemistry results. Total pressure recovery appeared to be the most sensitive discriminator between the perfect gas and finite rate chemistry results for flight Mach numbers above Mach 6. Adiabatic wall temperature was consistently overpredicted by the perfect gas model for flight Mach numbers above Mach 4. The predicted shock structures were noticeably different for Mach numbers from 6-12. At Mach 4, the perfect gas and finite rate chemistry models collapse to the same result.

Steffen, C. J., Jr.↗

Low speed wind tunnel investigation of the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of several sonic inlet takeoff and approach geometries

A series of tests was conducted to determine the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of several sonic inlet takeoff and approach geometries. The effects of inlet lip shape and diffuser length were also investigated. The tests were conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel at free-stream velocities of 0 and 45 meters per second. Inlet incidence angle was varied from 0 deg to 50 deg. The inlets were sized to fit a 13.97-centimeter-diameter fan. In terms of the highest level of inlet total pressure recovery for a given amount of noise suppression, a cylindrical centerbody takeoff geometry and a bulb-shaped centerbody approach geometry provided the best results over all conditions of free-stream velocity and incidence angle. Increasing inlet lip contraction ratio extended the maximum incidence angle for attached lip flow, while increasing inlet diffuser length resulted in a higher total pressure recovery for a given amount of noise suppression.

Abbott, J. M.↗

Investigation of an underslung half-cone inlet with compression surface mounted outboard from fuselage at Mach numbers of 1.5, 1.8, and 2.0

An investigation was conducted to determine the performance of an underslung half-cone inlet mounted on a missile forebody model with the compression surface outboard from the fuselage. The inlet was designed for shock-on-lip operation at Mach number 2.0 with 25 degree half-angle spike. The cowling was attached to the fuselage through the boundary-layer plow and served as part of the fuselage boundary-layer diverter system. The performance of the half-cone inlet was compared with that of a scoop-type inlet and a normal-wedge inlet on a maximum-thrust-minus-drag basis. The increase in pressure recovery obtained with the half-cone inlet over that obtained with the reference inlets offset the slightly higher drags observed over the Mach number range for the half-cone so that the performance of this configuration was equal to that of the other inlets at Mach number 2.0 and was slightly superior at the lower Mach numbers. For a particular configuration, a peak pressure recovery of 0.879 was obtained at Mach number 2.0, zero angle of attack, and 4-percent throat bleed; the subcritical stability was 16 percent. Use of a fuselage-mounted boundary-layer splitter plate ahead of the inlet did not improve the stability. Subcritical distortion values were below 10 percent for all configurations. (author)

Yeager, Richard A↗

Installed F/A-18 inlet flow calculations at 60 deg angle-of-attack and 10 deg side slip

This paper presents the results of PARC3D numerical calculations on a 19.78 percent scale forebody/inlet model of the F/A-18 at a Mach number of 0.20, an angle-of-attack of 60 deg, and a side-slip angle of 10 deg. The main purpose of these calculations is to support an upcoming wind-tunnel test program in the prediction of engine inlet compressor face total pressure recovery and flow distortion. The GRIDGEN system was used to generate a grid which includes the inlet and lip, and other aircraft components which are considered to be important to inlet performance, such as the ramp/splitter plate, the diverter and slot, and the deflected leading edge flap. PARC3D shows complex flow patterns on the fuselage surfaces below the leading edge extensions, on the ramp/splitter plate, inlet lip, and inside the inlet. PARC3D tends to underpredict total pressure recovery and overpredict the flow distortion at the inlet compressor face.

Podleski, S. D.↗

Implementation of algebraic stress models in a general 3-D Navier-Stokes method (PAB3D)

A three-dimensional multiblock Navier-Stokes code, PAB3D, which was developed for propulsion integration and general aerodynamic analysis, has been used extensively by NASA Langley and other organizations to perform both internal (exhaust) and external flow analysis of complex aircraft configurations. This code was designed to solve the simplified Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. A two-equation k-epsilon turbulence model has been used with considerable success, especially for attached flows. Accurate predicting of transonic shock wave location and pressure recovery in separated flow regions has been more difficult. Two algebraic Reynolds stress models (ASM) have been recently implemented in the code that greatly improved the code's ability to predict these difficult flow conditions. Good agreement with Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) for a subsonic flat plate was achieved with ASM's developed by Shih, Zhu, and Lumley and Gatski and Speziale. Good predictions were also achieved at subsonic and transonic Mach numbers for shock location and trailing edge boattail pressure recovery on a single-engine afterbody/nozzle model.

Abdol-Hamid, Khaled S.↗

Effect of propeller slipstream on the drag and performance of the engine cooling system for a general aviation twin-engine aircraft

The pressure recovery of incoming cooling air and the drag associated with engine cooling of a typical general aviation twin-engine aircraft was investigated experimentally. The semispan model was mounted vertically in the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center. The propeller was driven by an electric motor to provide thrust with low vibration levels for the cold-flow configuration. It was found that the propeller slipstream reduces the frontal air spillage around the blunt nacelle shape. Consequently, this slipstream effect promotes flow reattachment at the rear section of the engine nacelle and improves inlet pressure recovery. These effects are most pronounced at high angles of attack, that is, climb condition. For the cruise condition those improvements were more moderate.

Katz, J.↗