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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Water Energy Resource Innovation on the Cavitation Characteristics

The main purpose of this study is to numerically correlate the amount of generated vapor over a hydrofoil to the lift and drag coefficients acting on it. As such, cavitation characteristics were investigated of a hydrofoil in the cavitating, sub-cavitating, and non-cavitating flows for different angles of attacks (AoA) with the high upstream flow velocity. The hydrofoil was tested in a square water tunnel with water entering the tunnel at various velocities for each AoA ranges from 9.1 m/s to 12.2 m/s. It was found that lift and drag forces acting on the hydrofoil follow the trend of the experimental data quite closely. While the cavitation can be identified by a unique number (averaged vapor volume fraction), the work done created an inverse correlation between this number and the cavitation number at the same angle of attack. The lift force declines with the increase in the vapor content on the hydrofoil surface, meanwhile the drag force peaks at certain vapor volume fraction, and then, a huge reduction occurs with the considerable decrease in the corresponding cavitation number. A fourth-order correlation generated between the lift to drag (L/D) and the cavitation number (σ). It was found the lift-to-drag ratio decreases by the formation of the cavitation over the hydrofoil, thus causing a drop in the efficiency of the turbomachines.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Additively Manufactured Compliant Hybrid Gas Thrust Bearing for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Turbomachinery: Experimental Evaluation and Fluid–Structure Model Predictions

This paper presents rotating test results and advances an analytical predictive fluid–structure model for a new type of gas-lubricated thrust bearing fabricated using direct metal laser melting. The bearing concept in this study is a compliant hybrid gas thrust bearing that uses external pressurization to increase load carrying capacity, where the testing campaign in this study was only focused on steady-state static performance. The need for the bearing concept comes from enabling highly efficient supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbomachinery by replacing oil-lubricated bearings with process gas lubrication. Leveraging the process gas of the turbomachine for bearing lubrication results in lowered bearing power loss, simplified mechanical design, and allows for novel oil-free hermetic drivetrains resulting in an efficient emission-free system. The new concept utilizes hydrostatic pressurization on individual tilting pads flexibly mounted with hermetic squeeze film dampers (HSFDs). This paper focuses on rotating tests of a 173 mm outer diameter gas thrust bearing in air up to 10 krpm and hydrostatic inlet pressures to 365 psi (2.52 MPa). The influence of thrust runner speed and bearing inlet pressure on force deflection characteristics and load carrying capability of the gas film were experimentally evaluated. This work also advances a predictive fluid–structure thrust bearing model using an isothermal ideal-gas-based compressible Reynolds flow equation directly coupled to a lumped stiffness element possessing axial and rotational degrees-of-freedom. The rotating testing demonstrated load capability of 1816 lbs (8.1 kN), which equates to a thrust bearing unit load of 67 psi (0.46 MPa). Gas film force–deflection curves reveal a nonlinear relationship between thrust load and film clearance. Comparison of film thickness values with the predictive model show good agreement under high load and inlet pressure, however deviate as load and pressure decrease. Load capability was shown to increase with increasing hydrostatic inlet pressure, while the increase in thrust runner speed revealed a small decrease in load capacity.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fluid Dynamics of Axial Turbomachinery: Blade- and Stage-Level Simulations and Models

The current generation of axial turbomachines is the culmination of decades of experience, and detailed understanding of the underlying flow physics has been a key factor for achieving high efficiency and reliability. Driven by advances in numerical methods and relentless growth in computing power, computational fluid dynamics has increasingly provided insights into the rich fluid dynamics involved and how it relates to loss generation. This article presents some of the complex flow phenomena occurring in bladed components of gas turbines and illustrates how simulations have contributed to their understanding and the challenges they pose for modeling. The interaction of key aerodynamic features with deterministic unsteadiness, caused by multiple blade rows, and stochastic unsteadiness, i.e., turbulence, is discussed. High-fidelity simulations of increasingly realistic configurations and models improved with help of machine learning promise to further grow turbomachinery performance and reliability and, thus, help fluid mechanics research have a greater industrial impact.

Mechanics↗
NASA NTRS1966

Computer program performs flow analysis through turbines

Computer program based on an equation for the velocity gradient along an arbitrary quasi- orthogonal analyzes flow through a turbomachine. The program obtains meridional solutions for a hub-to-shroud analysis and blade-to-blade analysis at the hub, mean, and shroud surfaces in a single computer run.

Katsanis, T.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Total pressure averaging in pulsating flows

A number of total-pressure tubes were tested in a non-steady flow generator in which the fraction of period that pressure is a maximum is approximately 0.8, thereby simulating turbomachine-type flow conditions. Most of the tubes indicated a pressure which was higher than the true average. Organ-pipe resonance which further increased the indicated pressure was encountered within the tubes at discrete frequencies. There was no obvious combination of tube diameter, length, and/or geometry variation used in the tests which resulted in negligible averaging error. A pneumatic-type probe was found to measure true average pressure, and is suggested as a comparison instrument to determine whether nonlinear averaging effects are serious in unknown pulsation profiles. The experiments were performed at a pressure level of 1 bar, for Mach number up to near 1, and frequencies up to 3 kHz.

Krause, L. N.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Total-pressure averaging in pulsating flows.

A number of total-pressure tubes were tested in a nonsteady flow generator in which the fraction of period that pressure is a maximum is approximately 0.8, thereby simulating turbomachine-type flow conditions. Most of the tubes indicated a pressure which was higher than the true average. Organ-pipe resonance which further increased the indicated pressure was encountered with the tubes at discrete frequencies. There was no obvious combination of tube diameter, length, and/or geometry variation used in the tests which resulted in negligible averaging error. A pneumatic-type probe was found to measure true average pressure and is suggested as a comparison instrument to determine whether nonlinear averaging effects are serious in unknown pulsation profiles.

Krause, L. N.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Total-pressure-tube averaging in pulsating flows.

A number of total-pressure tubes were tested in a nonsteady flow generator in which the fraction of period that pressure is a maximum is approximately 0.8, thereby simulating turbomachine-type flow conditions. The tests were performed at a pressure level of 1 bar, for Mach numbers up to near 1, and frequencies up to 3 kHz. Most of the tubes indicated a pressure which was higher than the true average. Organ-pipe resonances which further increased the indicated pressure were encountered within the tubes at discrete frequencies. There was no obvious combination of tube diameter, length, and/or geometry variation used in the tests which resulted in negligible averaging error. A pneumatic-type probe was found to measure true average pressure, and is suggested as a comparison instrument to determine whether nonlinear averaging effects are serious in unknown pulsation profiles.

Krause, L. N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Quasi-three-dimensional flow solution by meridional plane analysis

A computer program has been developed to obtain subsonic or shockfree transonic, nonviscous flow analysis on the hub-shroud mid-channel flow surface of a turbomachine. The analysis may be for any annular passage, with or without blades. The blades may be fixed or rotating and may be twisted and leaned. The flow may be axial, radial or mixed. Blade surface velocities over the entire blade are approximated based on the rate of change of angular momentum. This gives a 3-D flow picture based on a 2-D analysis. The paper discusses the method used for the program and shows examples of the type of passages and blade rows which can be analyzed. Also, some numerical examples are given to show how the program can be used for practical assistance in design of blading, annular passages, and annular diffusers.

Katsanis, T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Keynote address

The requirements for a conference on turbomachinery aerodynamics and hydrodynamics are examined. The subject range of the conference is identified as basic fluid mechanics, propulsion aspects of the field, and design applications to turbomachines using gases and liquids. Background information is provided on the field of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic applications. The investigation of boundary layer theory and acoustics in the area of unsteady fluid mechanics is reported. The remaining challenge to synthesize the disciplines into the design of process of turbomachinery is explained.

Horlock, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Three-dimensional flow in transonic axial compressor blade rows

Recent developments in the three-dimensional aerodynamic theory of inviscid flow in transonic axial compressors are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the newly completed lifting surface theory of a transonic ducted rotor. The relationship between the lifting surface theory and axisymmetric through-theories of turbomachines is illustrated; a few examples of the additional information obtainable from the new theory are then given. Quasi-two-dimensional cascade theory can also be extracted from the present analysis and the relevance of cascade theory to the actual three-dimensional problem assessed. Details are reported elsewhere, but some of the qualitative conclusions are discussed here. Even moderate departure from uniform spanwise loading of the rotor blades, for example, leads to a rather profound influence of the downstream wakes, suggesting the need for considerable care in applying cascade data on a direct quasi-two-dimensional basis.

Mccune, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Quasi-three-dimensional flow solution by meridional plane analysis

A computer program has been developed to obtain subsonic or shock-free transonic, nonviscous flow analysis on the hub-shroud midchannel flow surface of a turbomachine. The analysis may be for any annular passage, with or without blades. The blades may be fixed or rotating and may be twisted and leaned. The flow may be axial, radial, or mixed. Blade surface velocities over the entire blade are approximated, based on the rate of change of angular momentum. This gives a three-dimensional flow picture based on a two-dimensional analysis. This paper discusses the method used for the program and shows examples of the type of passages and blade rows which can be analyzed. Also, some numerical examples are given to show how the program can be used for practical assistance in design of blading, annular passages, and annular diffusers.

Katsanis, T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Time-dependent transonic flow solutions for axial turbomachinery

Three-dimensional unsteady transonic flow through an axial turbomachine stage is described in terms of a pair of two-dimensional formulations pertaining to orthogonal surfaces, namely, a blade-to-blade surface and a hub-to-casing surface. The resulting systems of nonlinear, inviscid, compressible equations of motion are solved by an explicit finite-difference technique. The blade-to-blade program includes the periodic interaction between rotor and stator blade rows. Treatment of the boundary conditions and of the blade slipstream motion by a characteristic type procedure is discussed in detail. Harmonic analysis of the acoustic far field produced by the blade row interaction, including an arbitrary initial transient, is outlined. Results from the blade-to-blade program are compared with experimental measurements of the rotating pressure field at the tip of a high-speed fan. The hub-to-casing program determines circumferentially averaged flow properties on a meridional plane. Blade row interactions are neglected in this formulation, but the force distributions over the entire blade surface for both the rotor and stator are obtained. Results from the hub-to-casing program are compared with a relaxation method solution for a subsonic rotor. Results are also presented for a quiet fan stage which includes transonic flow in both the rotor and stator and a normal shock in the stator.

Erdos, J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Comparison of cross-spectral and signal enhancement methods for mapping steady-state acoustic fields in turbomachinery ducts

The conceptual differences between the following two approaches used to measure spatial variations in steady-state acoustic pressure amplitude were examined: taking the cross spectrum between two signals from probes in the same field or taking the difference in complex Fourier transform of enhanced probe signals. Each approach is used to analyze pressure data from the inlets of two different turbomachines. A complete mapping of this steady-state field may then be used to determine its modal content. A problem with long term nonstationarity was found with both methods. Conditions for equivalence of the two methods are discussed.

Posey, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Axial-flow pump blade-element loss and deviation angle prediction

Determination of blade row fluid flow total-pressure loss and turning distributions in an axial-flow pump over a range of operating conditions is discussed. Included are a review of related research, correlations of pump rotor data and the results obtained using these data correlations with a computer program for pump off-design performance prediction. A number of the important problems related to determining fluid loss and turning information in a turbomachine and some of the consequences of imprecise prediction are pointed out.

Okiishi, T. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Modeling of turbine blade tip contact

A mathematical model is developed to evaluate a number of physical effects in turbomachine blade tip contact on the basis of a broad brush approach to provide insights without undue complexity. The analysis is restricted to the case of a shoe encountering a moving blade row and pressing against it with a fixed time-average force. Relative displacement components in the contact region are identified and determined. Two key equations are derived, where it is shown that wear rate plays a strong role in determining the traversal speed of the contact patch. The formula for estimating the size of the contact patch shows that the higher the traversal speed is, the wider is the contact patch.

Burton, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Flow velocities and streamlines

Computer program calculates subsonic or transonic flow on hubshroud, midchannel, stream surface of single-blade row of turbomachine. Program uses finite-different and quasi-orthogonal (velocity-gradient) methods. Program is reported in two volumes: Part I is User's Manual, Part II is Programmer's Manual.

Katsanis, T.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Perturbation solutions for transonic flow on the blade-to-blade surface of compressor blade rows

A preliminary investigation was conducted to establish the theoretical basis of perturbation techniques with the objective of minimizing computational requirements associated with parametric studies of transonic flows in turbomachines. The theoretical analysis involved the development of perturbation methods for determining first order changes in the flow solution due to variations of one or more geometrical or flow parameters. The formulation is primarily directed toward transonic flows on the blade to blade surface of a single blade row compressor. Two different perturbation approaches were identified and studied. Applications and results of these methods for various perturbations are presented for selected two dimensional transonic cascade flows to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Additionally, it was found that, for flows with shock waves, proper account of shock displacement was crucial.

Stahara, S. S.↗