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At least 235 records · Page 13

Computational strategies for three-dimensional flow simulations on distributed computer systems

An increasing amount of research activity in computational fluid dynamics has been devoted to the development of efficient algorithms for parallel computing systems. The increasing performance to price ratio of engineering workstations has led to research to development procedures for implementing a parallel computing system composed of distributed workstations. This thesis proposal outlines an ongoing research program to develop efficient strategies for performing three-dimensional flow analysis on distributed computing systems. The PVM parallel programming interface was used to modify an existing three-dimensional flow solver, the TEAM code developed by Lockheed for the Air Force, to function as a parallel flow solver on clusters of workstations. Steady flow solutions were generated for three different wing and body geometries to validate the code and evaluate code performance. The proposed research will extend the parallel code development to determine the most efficient strategies for unsteady flow simulations.

Weed, Richard Allen↗

Fan Stall Flutter Flow Mechanism Studied

Modern turbofan engines employ a highly loaded fan stage with transonic or low-supersonic velocities in the blade-tip region. The fan blades are often prone to flutter at off-design conditions. Flutter is a highly undesirable and dangerous self-excited mode of blade oscillations that can result in high-cycle fatigue blade failure. The origins of blade flutter are not fully understood yet. Experimental data that can be used to clarify the origins of blade flutter in modern transonic fan designs are very limited. The Transonic Flutter Cascade Facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center was developed to experimentally study the details of flow mechanisms associated with fan flutter. The cascade airfoils are instrumented to measure high-frequency unsteady flow variations in addition to the steady flow data normally recorded in cascade tests. The test program measures the variation in surface pressure in response to the oscillation of one or more of the cascade airfoils. However, during the initial phases of the program when all airfoils were in fixed positions, conditions were found where significant time variations in the pressures near the airfoil leading edges could be observed.

Lepicovsky, Jan↗

Burgers flow past an arbitrary ellipse

The two-dimensional steady flow past an ellipse of arbitrary aspect ratio is investigated analytically, applying a linearized version of the Navier-Stokes equation based on the approximation of Burgers (1928). The resulting infinite system of linear equations is truncated to give reliable results for Reynolds numbers between zero and five, and separation, drag, and boundary-layer phenomena are characterized and illustrated with graphs. The Burgers approximation is found to provide good qualitative results near the ellipse, with reasonable quantitative accuracy for the special case of a circular cylinder.

Dorrepaal, J. M.↗

Application of finite element techniques in predicting the acoustic properties of turbofan inlets

An analytical technique was developed for predicting the acoustic performance of turbofan inlets carrying a subsonic axisymmetric steady flow. The finite element method combined with the method of weighted residuals is used in predicting the acoustic properties of variable area, annular ducts with or without acoustic treatments along their walls. An approximate solution for the steady inviscid flow field is obtained using an integral method for calculating the incompressible potential flow field in the inlet with a correction to account for compressibility effects. The accuracy of the finite element technique was assessed by comparison with available analytical solutions for the problems of plane and spinning wave propagation through a hard walled annular cylinder with a constant mean flow.

Majjigi, R. K.↗

Development of ultrasonic methods for hemodynamic measurements

A transcutanous method to measure instantaneous mean blood flow in peripheral arteries of the human body was defined. Transcutanous and implanted cuff ultrasound velocity measurements were evaluated, and the accuracies of velocity, flow, and diameter measurements were assessed for steady flow. Performance criteria were established for the pulsed Doppler velocity meter (PUDVM), and performance tests were conducted. Several improvements are suggested.

Histand, M. B.↗

Theoretical determination of nozzle admittances using a finite element method

A finite element method (FEM) is used to predict the admittances of axisymmetric nozzles. The flow in the nozzle is assumed to be isentropic and the disturbances are assumed to be small so that linear analyses apply. An approximate two dimensional compressible flow model is used to describe the steady flow in the nozzle. The propagation of acoustic disturbances is governed by the complete linear acoustic wave equation. This partial differential wave equation is transformed to an integral equation using Galerkin's method and Green's theorem is applied so that the acoustic boundary conditions can be introduced through the boundary residuals. A two dimensional finite element method using linear triangular elements is used to solve the integral acoustic equation. A one dimensional FEM is used to solve the reduced nozzle acoustic equation developed by Crocco and the solution is used to verify the sufficiency of the boundary residual formation. It is shown that agreement between predicted values of the admittance and experimental data is quite good.

Sigman, R. K.↗

LEWICE3D/GlennHT Particle Analysis of the Honeywell Al502 Low Pressure Compressor

A flow and ice particle trajectory analysis was performed for the booster of the Honeywell AL502 engine. The analysis focused on two closely related conditions one of which produced a rollback and another which did not rollback during testing in the Propulsion Systems Lab at NASA Glenn Research Center. The flow analysis was generated using the NASA Glenn GlennHT flow solver and the particle analysis was generated using the NASA Glenn LEWICE3D v3.56 ice accretion software. The flow and particle analysis used a 3D steady flow, mixing plane approach to model the transport of flow and particles through the engine. The inflow conditions for the rollback case were: airspeed, 145 ms; static pressure, 33,373 Pa; static temperature, 253.3 K. The inflow conditions for the non-roll-back case were: airspeed, 153 ms; static pressure, 34,252 Pa; static temperature, 260.1 K. Both cases were subjected to an ice particle cloud with a median volume diameter of 24 microns, an ice water content of 2.0 gm3 and a relative humidity of 100 percent. The most significant difference between the rollback and non-rollback conditions was the inflow static temperature which was 6.8 K higher for the non-rollback case.

Ice Accretion Codes↗

Numeric calculation of unsteady forces over thin pointed wings in sonic flow

A fast and reasonably accurate numerical procedure is proposed for the solution of a simplified unsteady transonic equation. The approach described takes into account many of the effects of the steady flow field. The resulting accuracy is within a few per cent and can be carried out on a computer in less than one minute per case (one frequency and one mode of oscillation). The problem concerns a rigid pointed wing which performs harmonic pitching oscillations of small amplitude in a steady uniform transonic flow. Wake influence is ignored and shocks must be weak. It is shown that the method is more flexible than the transonic box method proposed by Rodemich and Andrew (1965) in that it can easily account for variable local Mach number and rather arbitrary planform so long as the basic assumptions are fulfilled.

Kimble, K. R.↗

Steady inviscid transonic flows over planar airfoils: A search for a simplified procedure

A finite difference procedure based upon a system of unsteady equations in proper conservation form with either exact or small disturbance steady terms is used to calculate the steady flows over several classes of airfoils. The airfoil condition is fulfilled on a slab whose upstream extremity is a semi-circle overlaying the airfoil leading edge circle. The limitations of the small disturbance equations are demonstrated in an extreme example of a blunt-nosed, aft-cambered airfoil. The necessity of using the equations in proper conservation form to capture the shock properly is stressed. Ability of the steady relaxation procedures to capture the shock is briefly examined.

Magnus, R.↗

Flow establishment in a generic scramjet combustor

The establishment of a quasi-steady flow in a generic scramjet combustor is studied for the case of a time varying inflow to the combustor. Such transient flow is characteristic of the reflected-shock tunnel and expansion-tube test facilities. Several numerical simulations of hypervelocity flow through a straight-duct combustor with either a side-wall-step fuel injector or a centrally-located strut injector are presented. Comparisons are made between impulsively started but otherwise constant flow conditions (typical of the expansion-tube or tailored operation of the reflected-shock tunnel) and the relaxing flow produced by the 'undertailored' operation of the reflected-shock tunnel. Generally the inviscid flow features, such as the shock pattern and pressure distribution, were unaffected by the time varying inlet conditions and approached steady state in approximately the times indicated by experimental correlations. However, viscous features, such as heat transfer and skin friction, were altered by the relaxing inlet flow conditions.

Jacobs, P. A.↗

Flow establishment in a generic scramjet combustor

The establishment of a quasi-steady flow in a generic scramjet combustor was studied for the case of a time varying inflow to the combustor. Such transient flow is characteristic of the reflected shock tunnel and expansion tube test facilities. Several numerical simulations of hypervelocity flow through a straight duct combustor with either a side wall step fuel injector or a centrally located strut injector are presented. Comparisons were made between impulsively started but otherwise constant flow conditions (typical of the expansion tube or tailored operations of the reflected shock tunnel) and the relaxing flow produced by the 'undertailored' operations of the reflected shock tunnel. Generally the inviscid flow features, such as the shock pattern and pressure distribution, were unaffected by the time varying inlet conditions and approached steady state in approx. the times indicated by experimental correlations. However, viscous features, such as heat transfer and skin friction, were altered by the relaxing inlet flow conditions.

Jacobs, P. A.↗

Experimental investigation of nozzle/plume aerodynamics at hypersonic speeds

Much of the work involved the Ames 16-Inch Shock Tunnel facility. The facility was reactivated and upgraded, a data acquisition system was configured and upgraded several times, several facility calibrations were performed and test entries with a wedge model with hydrogen injection and a full scramjet combustor model, with hydrogen injection, were performed. Extensive CFD modeling of the flow in the facility was done. This includes modeling of the unsteady flow in the driver and driven tubes and steady flow modeling of the nozzle flow. Other modeling efforts include simulations of non-equilibrium flows and turbulence, plasmas, light gas guns and the use of non-ideal gas equations of state. New experimental techniques to improve the performance of gas guns, shock tubes and tunnels and scramjet combustors were conceived and studied computationally. Ways to improve scramjet engine performance using steady and pulsed detonation waves were also studied computationally. A number of studies were performed on the operation of the ram accelerator, including investigations of in-tube gasdynamic heating and the use of high explosives to raise the velocity capability of the device.

Bogdanoff, David W.↗

Flow process in combustors

Fluid mechanical effects on combustion processes in steady flow combustors, especially gas turbine combustors were investigated. Flow features of most interest were vorticity, especially swirl, and turbulence. Theoretical analyses, numerical calculations, and experiments were performed. The theoretical and numerical work focused on noncombusting flows, while the experimental work consisted of both reacting and nonreacting flow studies. An experimental data set, e.g., velocity, temperature and composition, was developed for a swirl flow combustor for use by combustion modelers for development and validation work.

Gouldin, F. C.↗

A preliminary study of relaxation methods for the inviscid conservative gasdynamics equations using flux splitting

Plus minus flux vector split schemes are combined with the multigrid relaxation method to obtain fast rates of iterative (or steady state) convergence. On model nonlifting biconvex airfoil flow, steady state convergence is obtained using multigrid in 40 iteractions for subsonic cases and in 120 iterations for transonic cases. A 65 x 33 stretched grid is used. However, the multigrid scheme used here (and there are numerous variations) sometimes could not be made to work for transonic cases with a large number of supersonic points. Moreover, the multigrid method is only several times faster than the conventional algorithm which itself could perhaps be accelerated by other means. Nethertheless, with proper adjustment the multigrid method will ultimately lead to very fast rates of iterative convergence.

Steger, J. L.↗

Enthalpy damping for the steady Euler equations

For inviscid steady flow problems where the enthalpy is constant at steady state, it was previously proposed to use the difference between the local enthalpy and the steady state enthalpy as a driving term to accelerate convergence of iterative schemes. This idea is analyzed, both on the level of the partial differential equation and on the level of a particular finite difference scheme. It is shown that for the two-dimensional unsteady Euler equations, a hyperbolic system with eigenvalues on the imaginary axis, there is no enthalpy damping strategy which moves all the eigenvalues into the open left half plane. For the numerical scheme, however, the analysis shows and examples verify that enthalpy damping is potentially effective in accelerating convergence to steady state.

Jespersen, D. C.↗

Dynamics of lava flow - Thickness growth characteristics of steady two-dimensional flow

The thickness growth characteristics of flowing lava are investigated using a heat balance model and a two-dimensional model for flow of a Bingham plastic fluid down an inclined plane. It is found that yield strength plays a crucial role in the thickening of a lava flow of given flow rate. To illustrate this point, downstream thickness profiles and yield strength distributions were calculated for flows with mass flow rates of 10,000 and 100,000 kg/m-sec. Higher flow rates led to slow cooling rates which resulted in slow rate of increase of yield strength and thus greater flow lengths.

Park, S.↗