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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Experimental, Theoretical, and Computational Investigation of Separated Nozzle Flows

A detailed experimental, theoretical, and computational study of separated nozzle flows has been conducted. Experimental testing was performed at the NASA Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel Complex. As part of a comprehensive static performance investigation, force, moment, and pressure measurements were made and schlieren flow visualization was obtained for a sub-scale, non-axisymmetric, two-dimensional, convergent- divergent nozzle. In addition, two-dimensional numerical simulations were run using the computational fluid dynamics code PAB3D with two-equation turbulence closure and algebraic Reynolds stress modeling. For reference, experimental and computational results were compared with theoretical predictions based on one-dimensional gas dynamics and an approximate integral momentum boundary layer method. Experimental results from this study indicate that off-design overexpanded nozzle flow was dominated by shock induced boundary layer separation, which was divided into two distinct flow regimes; three- dimensional separation with partial reattachment, and fully detached two-dimensional separation. The test nozzle was observed to go through a marked transition in passing from one regime to the other. In all cases, separation provided a significant increase in static thrust efficiency compared to the ideal prediction. Results indicate that with controlled separation, the entire overexpanded range of nozzle performance would be within 10% of the peak thrust efficiency. By offering savings in weight and complexity over a conventional mechanical exhaust system, this may allow a fixed geometry nozzle to cover an entire flight envelope. The computational simulation was in excellent agreement with experimental data over most of the test range, and did a good job of modeling internal flow and thrust performance. An exception occurred at low nozzle pressure ratios, where the two-dimensional computational model was inconsistent with the three-dimensional separation observed in the experiment. In general, the computation captured the physics of the shock boundary layer interaction and shock induced boundary layer separation in the nozzle, though there were some differences in shock structure compared to experiment. Though minor, these differences could be important for studies involving flow control or thrust vectoring of separated nozzles. Combined with other observations, this indicates that more detailed, three-dimensional computational modeling needs to be conducted to more realistically simulate shock-separated nozzle flows.

Hunter, Craig A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Stochastic Estimation and Non-Linear Wall-Pressure Sources in a Separating/Reattaching Flow

Simultaneous wall-pressure and PIV measurements are used to study the conditional flow field associated with surface-pressure generation in a separating/reattaching flow established over a fence-with-splitter-plate geometry. The conditional flow field is captured using linear and quadratic stochastic estimation based on the occurrence of positive and negative pressure events in the vicinity of the mean reattachment location. The results shed light on the dominant flow structures associated with significant wall-pressure generation. Furthermore, analysis based on the individual terms in the stochastic estimation expansion shows that both the linear and non-linear flow sources of the coherent (conditional) velocity field are equally important contributors to the generation of the conditional surface pressure.

Naguib, A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Investigation of Turbulent Boundary-Layer Separation Using Laser Velocimetry

Boundary-layer measurements realized by laser velocimetry are presented for a Much 2.9, two-dimensional, shock-wave/turbulent boundary-layer interaction containing an extensive region of separated flow. Mean velocity and turbulent intensity profiles were obtained from upstream of the interaction zone to downstream of the mean reattachment point. The superiority of the laser velocimeter technique over pressure sensors in turbulent separated flows is demonstrated by a comparison of the laser velocimeter data with results obtained from local pilot and static pressure measurements for the same flow conditions. The locations of the mean separation and reattachment points as deduced from the mean velocity measurements are compared to oil-now visualization results. Representative velocity probability density functions obtained in the separated now region are also presented. Critical to the success of this investigation were: the use of Bragg cell frequency shifting and artificial seeding of the now with submicron light-scattering particles.

Modarress, D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Turbulent heat transfer in a channel with two right-angled bends

A numerical study is reported on the flow and heat transfer in a channel with two right-angled bends. The k-epsilon turbulence model with a refined near-wall model is adopted for the computation of the flow field for step ratios ranging H/W = 1-4 and for Reynolds numbers Re = 3,000-10,000. The solution method of the governing transport equations is based on the modified hybrid scheme which produces very small truncation error. As a result of extensive computations, the complex flow patterns in the channel with two bends are clarified and the mechanisms of heat transfer are explained relating to the flow behaviors of separation, deflection, recirculation, and reattachment.

Amano, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1960

Transition Reynolds Numbers of Separated Flows at Supersonic Speeds

Experimental research has been conducted on the effects of wall cooling, Mach number, and unit Reynolds number on the transition Reynolds number of cylindrical separated boundary layers on an ogive-cylinder model. Results were obtained from pressure and temperature measurements and shadowgraph observations. The maximum scope of measurements encompassed Mach numbers between 2.06 and 4.24, Reynolds numbers (based on length of separation) between 60,000 and 400,000, and ratios of wall temperature to adiabatic wall temperature between 0.35 and 1.0. Within the range of tile present tests, the transition Reynolds number was observed to decrease with increasing wall cooling, increase with increasing Mach number, and increase with increasing unit Reynolds number. The wall cooling effect was found to be four times as great when the attached boundary layer upstream of separation was cooled in conjunction with cooling of the separated boundary layer as when only the separated boundary layer was cooled. Wall cooling of both the attached and separated flow regions also caused, in some cases, reattachment in the otherwise separated region. Cavity resonance present in the separated region for some model configurations was accompanied by a large decrease in transition Reynolds number at the lower test Mach numbers.

Larson, Howard K.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Large eddy simulation of flow through an axisymmetric sudden expansion

Here, this study aims at investigating the inlet flow conditions of flow through an axisymmetric sudden expansion with an expansion ratio of 2.0. A series of large eddy simulations with the WALE model were conducted for different inlet Reynolds numbers ( Re) and turbulence intensities ($u_{rms}/\bar{U}_m$). The reattachment length, defined as the length measured downstream of the expansion where the flow direction is reversed adjacent to the wall ( Lr), was measured for each case. For widely studied inlet turbulence intensity values (TI), the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental and numerical results reported in the literature. Parametric studies revealed that turbulence intensity affects the critical Reynolds number, marking the transition between the laminar and transition regions and the reattachment length. The critical Reynolds number was found to decrease with increasing turbulence intensity. A correlation expression is proposed. Additional analysis with proper orthogonal decomposition was performed to enhance the understanding of complex flow structures downstream of the expansion. Finally, an overall correlation expression for the reattachment length was obtained for 500 ≤ Re ≤15 000 and 0.2 ≤ TI (%) ≤ 20. For a given turbulence intensity, the reattachment length can be expressed for laminar and turbulent regions as a function of the Reynolds number. The reattachment length in the transition region can be expressed as a fractional average of reattachment lengths for laminar and turbulent flows.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Advances in engineering turbulence modeling

Some new developments in two equation models and second order closure models are presented. In this paper, modified two equation models are proposed to remove shortcomings such as computing flows over complex geometries and the ad hoc treatment near the separation and reattachment points. The calculations using various two equation models are compared with direct numerical solutions of channel flows and flat plate boundary layers. Development of second order closure models will also be discussed with emphasis on the modeling of pressure related correlation terms and dissipation rates in the second moment equations. All existing models poorly predict the normal stresses near the wall and fail to predict the three dimensional effect of mean flow on the turbulence. The newly developed second order near-wall turbulence model to be described in this paper is capable of capturing the near-wall behavior of turbulence as well as the effect of three dimension mean flow on the turbulence.

Shih, T.-H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of acoustic excitation on stalled flows over an airfoil

The effect of acoustic excitation on post-stalled flows over an airfoil, i.e., flows that are fully separated from near the leading edge, is investigated. The excitation results in a tendency towards reattachment, which is accompanied by an increased lift and reduced drag, although the flow may still remain fully separated. It is found that with increasing excitation amplitude, the effect becomes more pronounced but shifts to a Strouhal number which is much lower than that expected from linear, inviscid instability of the separated shear layer.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of acoustic excitation on stalled flows over an airfoil

The effect of acoustic excitation on poststalled flows over an airfoil, i.e., flows that are fully separated from near the leading edge, is investigated. The excitation results in a tendency toward reattachment, which is accompanied by an increased lift and reduced drag, although the flow may still remain fully separated. It is found that with increasing excitation amplitude, the effect becomes more pronounced but shifts to a Strouhal number which is much lower than that expected from linear, inviscid instability of the separated shear layer.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1982

3-D supersonic combustion experiments with hydrogen in V-trough

Both supersonic blowdown and free jet wind tunnels were used in oil flow visualization and hydrogen gas burning tests of 60- and 90-deg V-shaped trough combustion characteristics. Oil dots showed that mass outflow from the reattachment region at the bottom of the V-trough dominated flow behavior, and occupied the trough's entire length and 10% of its cross-section. Intermingled vortex pairs were also found to superimpose themselves upon the outflow, and hydrogen burning within troughs reduced missile base drag by 25%. The troughs were aligned so that their long dimensions were parallel to the airflow, and the two top edges of the V section were mounted flush with respect to the upstream flat surfaces. Step heights tested ranged from 3.4 mm to 6.25 cm.

Friedberg, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Phenomenological study of subsonic turbulent flow over a swept rearward-facing step

The phenomenology of turbulent, subsonic flow over a swept, rearward-facing step was studied. Effects of variations in step height, sweep angle, base geometry, and end conditions on the 3-D separated flow were examined. The separated flow was visualized using smoke wire, oil drop, and surface tuft techniques. Measurements include surface pressure, reattachment distance and swirl angle. Results indicate: (1) model/test section coupling affects the structure of the separated flow, but spanwise end conditions do not; (2) the independence principle is evidently valid for sweep angles up to 38 deg; (3) a sweep angle/swirl angle correlation exists; and (4) base modifications can significantly reduce the reattachment distance.

Selby, G. V.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

CFD Predictions of Fluctuating Pressure Environments on NASA’s SLS Ascent Unsteady Aerodynamics Wind Tunnel Test

This paper details work that is being conducted on predicting fluctuating pressure environments on NASA launch vehicles using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The accurate characterization of these aeroacoustics environments is necessary in the analysis of vehicle structural health and aerodynamic performance and in the vehicle design process. High-fidelity simulations of the unsteady flow over NASA’s SLS Ascent Unsteady Aerodynamics wind tunnel Test (AUAT) using the hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)-large eddy simulations (LES) methodologies in Mississippi States’ Loci/CHEM solver are presented. The two available methods, Nelson-Nichols and dynamic hybrid RANS-LES (DHRL), are compared head-to-head on identical grids at two Mach numbers. At the high-subsonic Mach number, locally supersonic flow expanding over a shoulder induces a separation-reattachment system that is predicted poorly by the Nelson-Nichols method due to an under-prediction in unsteady content. The DHRL solution predicts the spatial extent and frequency domain response of this system well but under-predicts the peak noise levels due to a delay in the RANS-to-LES transition. At the low-supersonic Mach number, compression corner dynamics dominate the unsteady flow. While the Nelson Nichols solution captures this phenomenon well, another solution on a refined grid indicates that some model stress depletion is occurring. The DHRL solution again performs well at this Mach number and matches the wind tunnel data fairly closely, but perhaps most impressively, is fairly agnostic to increasing grid resolution. The findings in this paper are expected to be generally applicable and will be used to guide the prediction of aeroacoustics environments of other NASA launch vehicles.

CFD↗
NASA NTRS1973

Base pressure in laminar supersonic flow.

An asymptotic description is proposed for supersonic laminar flow over a wedge or a backward-facing step, for large Reynolds number and for a base or step height which is small compared with the boundary-layer length. The analysis is carried out for adiabatic wall conditions and a viscosity coefficient proportional to temperature. In a particular limit corresponding to a very thick boundary layer, a similarity law is obtained for the base pressure. For a thinner boundary layer an asymptotic form for the base pressure is obtained which shows the dependence on the parameters explicitly and which permits good agreement with experiment. This latter result is based on an inviscid-flow approximation for the corner expansion and for reattachment with viscous forces important primarily in a thin sublayer about the dividing streamline. A prediction of the pressure distribution at reattachment is given and the result is compared with experimental pressure distributions.

Messiter, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A direct method for the solution of unsteady two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

The unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are formulated in terms of vorticity and stream function in generalized curvilinear orthogonal coordinates to facilitiate analysis of flow configurations with general geometries. The numerical method developed solves the conservative form of the transport equation using the alternating-direction implicit method, whereas the stream-function equation is solved by direct block Gaussian elimination. The method is applied to a model problem of flow over a back-step in a doubly infinite channel, using clustered conformal coordinates. One-dimensional stretching functions, dependent on the Reynolds number and the asymptotic behavior of the flow, are used to provide suitable grid distribution in the separation and reattachment regions, as well as in the inflow and outflow regions. The optimum grid distribution selected attempts to honor the multiple length scales of the separated-flow model problem. The asymptotic behavior of the finite-differenced transport equation near infinity is examined and the numerical method is carefully developed so as to lead to spatially second-order accurate wiggle-free solutions, i.e., with minimum dispersive error. Results have been obtained in the entire laminar range for the backstep channel and are in good agreement with the available experimental data for this flow problem.

Ghia, K. N.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Turbulent heat transfer in the separated reattached and redevelopment regions of a circular tube

A numerical study is reported on a flow in a circular pipe with an abrupt expansion. In this paper the behavior of flow in the domain including recirculating and redeveloping regions has been reviewed carefully and a new grid system is employed which provides finer grids in the recirculating region and monotonically expanding grids in the redeveloping region. The predicted results were improved for the class of this flow by incorporating and adapting the low-Reynolds number model of turbulence throughout the solution domain. The computational results obtained by the present model generally are better than the former results of the authors, particularly in the prediction of the reattachment points.

Amano, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Discrete-vortex simulation of pulsating flow on a turbulent leading-edge separation bubble

Studies are made of the turbulent separation bubble in a two-dimensional semi-infinite blunt plate aligned to a uniform free stream with a pulsating component. The discrete-vortex method is applied to simulate this flow situation because this approach is effective for representing the unsteady motions of the turbulent shear layer and the effect of viscosity near the solid surface. The numerical simulation provides reasonable predictions when compared with the experimental results. A particular frequency with a minimum reattachment is related to the drag reduction. The most effective frequency is dependent on the amplified shedding frequency. The turbulent flow structure is scrutinized. This includes the time-mean and fluctuations of the velocity and the surface pressure, together with correlations between the fluctuating components. A comparison between the pulsating flow and the non-pulsating flow at the particular frequency of the minimum reattachment length of the separation bubble suggests that the large-scale vortical structure is associated with the shedding frequency and the flow instabilities.

Sung, Hyung Jin↗
NASA NTRS2022

Nonlinear Evolution of Instabilities in a Laminar Separation Bubble at a Hypersonic Mach Number

The development of both convective stationary perturbation as well as global instabilities in the vicinity of a laminar separation bubble above an axisymmetric compression corner in a hypersonic flow is investigated using numerical simulations. The flow configuration of primary interest corresponds to the cone-cylinder-flare model used in experimental measurements in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel at Purdue University. For a flare angle of 10 degrees and a unit Reynolds number of 11.5 x 10 6 m -1 , their surface flow visualizations identified the presence of streamwise elongated thermal streaks near the reattachment position and the dominant azimuthal spacing between the streaks was determined to be approximately 10 degrees (i.e., an azimuthal mode number of 36). Previous linear stability analyses predicted that the amplification characteristics of small amplitude, unsteady, convective instabilities within this flow were consistent with the surface pressure fluctuations measured in the experiment. However, their accompanying analysis of global instabilities had found the separation bubble to be weakly unstable at the 10 degrees flare angle, with the most unstable global mode corresponding to a stationary disturbance with an azimuthal wavenumber of m ≈ 5, which was well below the measured wavenumber of m = 36. Besides confirming the presence of the global instability at these flow conditions, the present numerical simulations quantify the details of the stationary equilibrium state associated with the supercritical bifurcation resulting from the nonlinear saturation of the unstable global mode. Although velocity perturbations associated with the saturated global mode are dominated by the fundamental spanwise wavelength associated with the linear global instability, the surface heat flux downstream of reattachment is dominated by m = 36 in agreement with experimental measurements. However, the shorter wavelength peak ( m = 36) in the azimuthal spectrum is not manifested as streaks with an azimuthal spacing of 10 degrees. An additional simulation of the combined evolution of both unsteady convective and global instabilities indicates that the nonlinear interactions between a broadband spectrum of oblique Mack’s first mode instabilities generate stationary vortex modes with a higher dominant wavenumber ( m = 60) as that observed in the experiments. Additional analyses are performed to predict the global mode behavior at other flare angles and how it differs from the convective centrifugal instability due to concave streamline curvature over the compression corner.

Hypersonic flow↗
NASA NTRS2022

Nonlinear Evolution of Instability in a Laminar Separation Bubble at Hypersonic Mach Number

The development of both convective stationary perturbation as well as global instabilities in the vicinity of a laminar separation bubble above an axisymmetric compression corner in a hypersonic flow is investigated using numerical simulations. The flow configuration of primary interest corresponds to the cone-cylinder-flare model used in experimental measurements in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel at Purdue University. For a flare angle of 10 degrees and a unit Reynolds number of 11.5 x 10 6 m -1 , their surface flow visualizations identified the presence of streamwise elongated thermal streaks near the reattachment position and the dominant azimuthal spacing between the streaks was determined to be approximately 10 degrees (i.e., an azimuthal mode number of 36). Previous linear stability analyses predicted that the amplification characteristics of small amplitude, unsteady, convective instabilities within this flow were consistent with the surface pressure fluctuations measured in the experiment. However, their accompanying analysis of global instabilities had found the separation bubble to be weakly unstable at the 10 degrees flare angle, with the most unstable global mode corresponding to a stationary disturbance with an azimuthal wavenumber of m ≈ 5, which was well below the measured wavenumber of m = 36. Besides confirming the presence of the global instability at these flow conditions, the present numerical simulations quantify the details of the stationary equilibrium state associated with the supercritical bifurcation resulting from the nonlinear saturation of the unstable global mode. Although velocity perturbations associated with the saturated global mode are dominated by the fundamental spanwise wavelength associated with the linear global instability, the surface heat flux downstream of reattachment is dominated by m = 36 in agreement with experimental measurements. However, the shorter wavelength peak ( m = 36) in the azimuthal spectrum is not manifested as streaks with an azimuthal spacing of 10 degrees. An additional simulation of the combined evolution of both unsteady convective and global instabilities indicates that the nonlinear interactions between a broadband spectrum of oblique Mack’s first mode instabilities generate stationary vortex modes with a higher dominant wavenumber ( m = 60) as that observed in the experiments. Additional analyses are performed to predict the global mode behavior at other flare angles and how it differs from the convective centrifugal instability due to concave streamline curvature over the compression corner.

High speed flow↗