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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

Flow friction of the turbulent coolant flow in cryogenic porous cables

Considered are cryogenic power transmission cables with porous cores. Calculations of the turbulent coolant flow with injection or suction through the porous wall are presented within the framework of a two-layer model. Universal velocity profiles were obtained for the viscous sublayer and flow core. Integrating the velocity profile, the law of flow friction in the pipe with injection has been derived for the case when there is a tangential injection velocity component. The effect of tangential velocity on the relative law of flow friction is analyzed. The applicability of the Prandtl model to the problem under study is discussed. It is shown that the error due to the acceptance of the model increases with the injection parameter and at lower Reynolds numbers; under these circumstances, the influence of convective terms in the turbulent energy equation on the mechanism of turbulent transport should be taken into account.

Hendricks, R. C.↗

Planar Laser-Induced Iodine Fluorescence Measurements in Rarefied Hypersonic Flow

A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique is discussed and applied to measurement of time-averaged values of velocity and temperature in an I(sub 2)-seeded N(sub 2) hypersonic free jet facility. Using this technique, a low temperature, non-reacting, hypersonic flow over a simplified model of a reaction control system (RCS) was investigated. Data are presented of rarefied Mach 12 flow over a sharp leading edge flat plate at zero incidence, both with and without an interacting jet issuing from a nozzle built into the plate. The velocity profile in the boundary layer on the plate was resolved. The slip velocity along the plate, extrapolated from the velocity profile data, varied from nearly 100% down to 10% of the freestream value. These measurements are compared with results of a DSMC solution. The velocity variation along the centerline of a jet issuing from the plate was measured and found to match closely with the correlation of Ashkenas and Sherman. The velocity variation in the oblique shock terminating the jet was resolved sufficiently to measure the shock wave thickness.

Cecil, Eric↗

Solar wind stream structure at large heliocentric distances Pioneer observations

Time profiles and histograms of plasma data from Pioneers 10 and 11 are examined for the period between 1975 and 1983. During this time, Pioneer 10 traveled between a heliocentric distance of 8.7 and 30.4 AU. The velocity structure of the solar wind at these heliocentric distances is found to have one of two distinct forms: approximately 70 percent of the time the solar wind has a nearly flat velocity profile. Occasionally, this flat velocity profile is accompanied by quasi-periodic variations in density and in thermal speed consistent with the concept that the 'corotating interaction regions' which are produced by the interaction of high- and low-speed streams at intermediate heliocentric distances are replaced by 'pressure regions' in the outer heliosphere. The remaining 30 percent of the time the solar wind is marked by large (50-200 km/s) long-term (30-120 days) shifts in the average solar wind velocity.

Gazis, P. R.↗

Noise and Spreading of a Subsonic Coannular Jet - Comparison with Single Equivalent Jet

The issue of scaling of noise as well as spreading of subsonic coannular jets is revisited. Far-field noise and centerline Pitot-static pressure surveys are conducted with concentric, circular nozzles having an outer-to-inner diameter ratio of 1.42. Both the inner nozzle and the outer annular passage are convergent. Outer-to-inner Mach number ratio (R) is varied over a large range from 0 to approximately 10. Results are examined on the basis of single equivalent jet parameters calculated by satisfying continuity, momentum and energy equations. The results confirm that coannular jets with normal velocity profiles are noisier than the single equivalent jet. Jets with "inverted" velocity profiles are also found to be noisier except in a narrow R-range of 1-1.5. In the latter range, contrasting the inference in previous studies of IVP jets, the present data do not exhibit a clear noise reduction. When normalized with equivalent jet parameters the asymptotic Mach number decay rate, as well as potential core length, are found to be comparable to those of a single jet. However, an abrupt shift in the virtual origin is noted across R=1.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗

Measurements of flow phenomena induced by suction through perforated and partially plugged surfaces

Efforts were directed towards completing construction of the windtunnel test section, assembling instrumentation, programming the data acquisition and reduction system, adjusting the streamwise pressure gradient of the test section, calibrating the hot-wire anemometer probe, and constructing and testing a smoke generator. The test section was installed in the wind tunnel and is completely operational. The streamwise pressure gradient was adjusted to be nominally zero at a free-stream velocity of 3.05 m/s (10 ft/s). This was accomplished by adjusting the upper wall of the test section to be slightly divergent. The change in static pressure between any two streamwise locations in the test section was less than one percent of the free-stream dynamic pressure. A suitable means was found for accurately calibrating the hot-wire probe which is used to measure boundary-layer velocity profiles and fluctuating velocities.

Wilkinson, S. P.↗

The effect of velocity overshoot on the performance of magnetohydrodynamic subsonic diffusers

The effect of velocity overshoot, a velocity distribution encountered in magnetohydrodynamic channels with peak velocity near the wall instead of at the center, on the performance of two-dimensional subsonic diffusers was investigated. For the simplified conditions analyzed in this paper it was found that the ratio of peak-to-centerline velocity increases along the diffuser for a diffuser half angle greater than some critical value. It was also found that irrespective of the accompanying inlet temperature distribution the wall shear stress and the wall heat flux is substantially larger when the inlet velocity profile has an overshoot than that for a fully developed turbulent inlet velocity profile.

Greywall, M. S.↗

Stability of streamwise vortices

A brief overview of some theoretical and computational studies of the stability of streamwise vortices is given. The local induction model and classical hydrodynamic vortex stability theories are discussed in some detail. The importance of the three-dimensionality of the mean velocity profile to the results of stability calculations is discussed briefly. The mean velocity profile is provided by employing the similarity solution of Donaldson and Sullivan. The global method of Bridges and Morris was chosen for the spatial stability calculations for the nonlinear eigenvalue problem. In order to test the numerical method, a second order accurate central difference scheme was used to obtain the coefficient matrices. It was shown that a second order finite difference method lacks the required accuracy for global eigenvalue calculations. Finally the problem was formulated using spectral methods and a truncated Chebyshev series.

Khorrami, M. K.↗

An experimental study of the properties of surface pressure fluctuations for separating turbulent boundary layers

Noise generated by helicopter and turbomachine rotors is a nuisance that designers would like to predict and to minimize within other design constraints. A key element for the noise calculation procedure is knowledge relating the flowfield structure to the surface pressure fluctuation structure. Surface pressure fluctuation data for zero-pressure-gradient and accelerating turbulent boundary layers were obtained. The zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers were examined with freestream velocities of 72 and 105 fps. Mean and fluctuation velocity profiles and streamwise velocity spectra and wavespeeds were obtained for momentum thickness Reynolds numbers up to 18000 for the zero-pressure-gradient case and up to 4000 for the favorable-pressure-gradient case. The wall shearing stress was estimated from a Clauser plot of the near wall data. It is clear that turbulent pressure fluctuations are produced by turbulent velocity fluctuations. Detailed simultaneous measurements of all of these fluctuations are needed to determine in more detail the structural relationships between velocity and pressure fields. Although some measurements were made for unseparated flows, none were made for separated flows.

Simpson, Roger L.↗

Effects of excitation level on the stability of an axisymmetric mixing layer

The effect of various levels of excitation on the stability and development of an axisymmetric mixing layer was studied experimentally. The flow was excited axisymmetrically by a single speaker placed at the base of the plenum chamber. Measurements of mean and phase-averaged velocity profiles were made using an array of hot-wire probes. The measured profiles were compared to eigenfunctions calculated from linear, viscous stability theory. It is shown that the theoretical predictions, based on measured profiles of mean velocity, compare very well with the phase-averaged measurements, even when the local disturbance reaches levels as high as 24 percent of the jet speed. The cumulative effect of excitation on the mean flow is examined as a function of local Strouhal number as well as excitation level.

Samet, M. M.↗

Three-dimensional compressible turbulent computations for a diffusing S-duct

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the capability of the computational fluid dynamics computer program PARC3D to model flow in a typical diffusing subsonic S-duct, with strong secondary flows. This evaluation is needed to provide confidence in the analysis of aircraft inlets, which have similar geometries. The performance predictions include total pressure profiles, static pressures, velocity profiles, boundary layer data, and skin friction data. Flow in the S-duct is subsonic, and the boundary layers are assumed to be turbulent. The results for both H and O grid solutions, are compared with existing test data.

Smith, C. F.↗

Heat Transfer in the Turbulent Incompressible Boundary Layer: Step Wall-Temperature Distribution - Part 2

Heat-transfer rates and temperature profiles for the turbulent incompressible flow of air over a flat plate with a stepwise temperature distribution (unheated starting length) were measured for a variety of step positions at Reynolds numbers up to 3.5 x 10(exp 6). Comparison of the data with existing heat-transfer analyses indicates that an improved analysis is needed. An integral analysis is made that agrees very well with the data and allows a simple correction for the unheated starting length. In addition, a differential analysis is made that allows prediction of the temperature profiles from the velocity profiles, and good agreement with experimental profiles is obtained.

Reynolds, W. C.↗

Evaluation of Heat Transfer Coefficient from Velocity Distribution in Boundary Layer

This paper describes a method of evaluating heat transfer coefficient from a velocity distribution in the boundary layer. The power law velocity profile and universal velocity distribution in a smooth pipe have been used to evaluate the wall shear stress, and the heat transfer coefficient was evaluated from the wall shear stress using the Chilton-Colburn analogy. The predicted pressure drop was compared with the pressure drop computed by the Colebrook equation, and the predicted heat transfer coefficient was compared with the heat transfer coefficient calculated by the Dittus-Boelter equation. The accuracy of pressure drop prediction was within 1%, and the accuracy of heat transfer coefficient prediction was within 8%. This method has the potential to use a Navier-Stokes based CFD solution to evaluate the heat transfer coefficient in nodal or network flow codes.

Heat Transfer Coefficient↗

Evaluation of Heat Transfer Coefficient from Velocity Distribution in Boundary Layer

This paper describes a method of evaluating heat transfer coefficient from a velocity distribution in the boundary layer. The power law velocity profile and universal velocity distribution in a smooth pipe have been used to evaluate the wall shear stress, and the heat transfer coefficient was evaluated from the wall shear stress using the Chilton-Colburn analogy. The predicted pressure drop was compared with the pressure drop computed by the Colebrook equation, and the predicted heat transfer coefficient was compared with the heat transfer coefficient calculated by the Dittus-Boelter equation. The accuracy of pressure drop prediction was within 1%, and the accuracy of heat transfer coefficient prediction was within 8%. This method has the potential to use a Navier-Stokes based CFD solution to evaluate the heat transfer coefficient in nodal or network flow codes.

Heat Transfer Coefficient↗

Retrieval of Hydrometeor Drop Size Distributions from TRMM Field Campaign Profiler Doppler Velocity Spectra Observations

Consistent with the original proposal and work plan, this project focused on estimating the raindrop size distributions (DSDs) retrieved from vertically pointing Doppler radar profilers and analyzing the relationship of the retrieved DSDs with the dynamics of the precipitation processes. The first phase of this project focused on developing the model to retrieve the DSD from the observed Doppler velocity spectra. The second phase used this model to perform DSD retrievals from the profiler observations made during the TRMM Ground Validation Field Campaigns of TEFLUN-B, TRMM-LBA, and KWAJEX. The third phase of this project established collaborations with scientists involved with each field campaign in order to validate the profiler DSD estimates and to enable the profiler retrievals to be used in their research. Through these collaborations, the retrieved DSDs were placed into context with the dynamical processes of the observed precipitating cloud systems.

Williams, Christopher R.↗

Experiments concerning the theories of vortex breakdown

An experimental project was undertaken to investigate the character of vortex breakdown with particular regard to the stagnation and wave guide theories of vortex breakdown. Three different wings were used to produce a trailing vortex which convected downstream without undergoing breakdown. Disturbances were then introduced onto the vortex using a moving wire to 'cut' the vortex. The development of upstream and downstream propagating disturbance waves was observed and the propagation velocities measured. A downstream traveling wave was observed to produce a structure similar in appearance to a vortex breakdown. An upstream traveling wave produced a moving turbulent region. The upstream disturbance moved into an axial velocity profile that had a wake-like defect while the downstream moving vortex breakdown moved against a jet-like overshoot. The longitudinal and swirl velocity profiles were documented by LDV measurement. Wave velocities, swirl angles, and swirl parameters are reported.

Panton, Ronald L.↗

Theory and Experiment of Multielement Airfoils: A Comparison

A detailed comparison of computed and measured pressure distributions, velocity profiles, transition onset, and Reynolds shear stresses for multi-element airfoils is presented. It is shown that the transitional k-zeta model, which is implemented into CFL3D, does a good job of predicting pressure distributions, transition onset, and velocity profiles with the exception of velocities in the slat wake region. Considering the fact that the hot wire used was not fine enough to resolve Reynolds stresses in the boundary layer, comparisons of turbulence stresses varied from good to fair. It is suggested that the effects of unsteadiness be thoroughly evaluated before more complicated transition/turbulence models are used. Further, it is concluded that the present work presents a viable and economical method for calculating laminar/transitional/turbuient flows over complex shapes without user interface.

Czerwiec, Ryan↗

A model of the wall boundary layer for ducted propellers

The objective of the present study is to include a representation of a wall boundary layer in an existing finite element model of the propeller in the wind tunnel environment. The major consideration is that the new formulation should introduce only modest alterations in the numerical model and should still be capable of producing economical predictions of the radiated acoustic field. This is accomplished by using a stepped approximation in which the velocity profile is piecewise constant in layers. In the limit of infinitesimally thin layers, the velocity profile of the stepped approximation coincides with that of the continuous profile. The approach described here could also be useful in modeling the boundary layer in other duct applications, particularly in the computation of the radiated acoustic field for sources contained in a duct.

Eversman, Walter↗

Design and development of the combustor inlet diffuser for the NASA/GE energy efficient engine

Results of an experimental investigation of the aerodynamic performance of a split duct annular combustor inlet diffuser system are presented. Several diffuser configurations were investigated in 3X-scale water table tests and the preferred design was evaluated in full-scale annular airflow model tests. Pressure recovery and flow losses were determined as a function of prediffuser inlet velocity profile, flow extraction at the prediffuser exit, and distribution of flow in the combustor. Inlet velocity profile and turbulence levels were found to have a pronounced effect on system performance. Flow extraction at the prediffuser exit was found to have little influence on system performance. Generally, the annular split duct diffuser system was found to satisfy the performance objectives for the engine.

Sabla, P. E.↗