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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Experimental Study of the Effects of Periodic Unsteady Wakes on Flow Separation in Low Pressure Turbines

The present study, which is the first of a series of investigations of low pressure turbine (LPT) boundary layer aerodynamics, is aimed at providing detailed unsteady boundary layer flow information to understand the underlying physics of the inception, onset, and extent of the separation zone. A detailed experimental study on the behavior of the separation zone on the suction surface of a highly loaded LPT-blade under periodic unsteady wake flow is presented. Experimental investigations were performed on a large-scale, high-subsonic unsteady turbine cascade research facility with an integrated wake generator and test section unit. Blade Pak B geometry was used in the cascade. The wakes were generated by continuously moving cylindrical bars device. Boundary layer investigations were performed using hot wire anemometry at Reynolds number of 110,000, based on the blade suction surface length and the exit velocity, for one steady and two unsteady inlet flow conditions, with the corresponding passing frequencies, wake velocities, and turbulence intensities. The reduced frequencies cover the entire operation range of LP-turbines. In addition to the unsteady boundary layer measurements, blade surface pressure measurements were performed at Re = 50,000, 75,000, 100,000, 110,000, and 125,000. For each Reynolds number, surface pressure measurements are carried out at one steady and two periodic unsteady inlet flow conditions. Detailed unsteady boundary layer measurement identifies the onset and extension of the separation zone as well as its behavior under unsteady wake flow. The results, presented in ensemble-averaged and contour plot forms, help to understand the physics of the separation phenomenon under periodic unsteady wake flow.

Ozturk, Burak↗
NASA NTRS1981

Flow separation in shear-layer-driven cavities

A study of the shear-layer flow over a range of open-top cavity configurations is reported. Emphasis is placed on the effect that altering the cavity's span length and aspect ratio has on the development of the shear layer. Computational results are obtained using an interactive method which adapts the compressible boundary-layer model for the flow above the cavity and incompressible Navier-Stokes equations within the enclosure. Interaction of this composite model with the outer, inviscid supersonic flow is also considered in one case. The results show that the location of the stagnation points is sensitive primarily to the variation of the span. When the span was fixed and the aspect ratio varied, the shear layer was nearly unaffected except at aspect ratios less than 0.5. Interaction with the outer flow had a smoothing effect on the shape of the dividing streamline but did not significantly affect the location of the stagnation points.

Brandeis, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

TRANSEP: A program for high lift separated flow about airfoils

A method and program called TRANSEP is presented that can be used for the analysis of the flow about a low speed airfoil under high lift, massive separation conditions. Since the present program is a modification of the direct-inverse TRANDES code, it can also be used for the design and analysis of transonic airfoils, including the effects of weak viscous interaction. Interactions on program usage, program modifications to convert TRANDES to TRANSEP, and sample cases and results are given.

Carlson, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Experimental studies of flow separation and stalling on a two-dimensional airfoil at low speeds

Detailed measurements of flow fields associated with low-speed turbulent boundary layers were made for the 17% thick GA(W)-1 airfoil section at nominal angles of attack of 10 deg, 14 deg, and 18 deg, Reynolds number 2.2 x 10, and Mach number 0.13. The data include pressure and velocity surveys of the pre- and post-separated regions on the airfoil and the associated wake. The boundary layer characteristics including regions of separation on the airfoil are also presented.

Seetharam, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A low speed two-dimensional study of flow separation on the GA(W)-1 airfoil with 30-percent chord Fowler flap

Measurements of flow fields with low speed turbulent boundary layers were made for the GA(W)-1 airfoil with a 0.30 c Fowler flap deflected 40 deg at angles of attack of 2.7 deg, 7.7 deg, and 12.8 deg, at a Reynolds number of 2.2 million, and a Mach number of 0.13. Details of velocity and pressure fields associated with the airfoil flap combination are presented for cases of narrow, optimum and wide slot gaps. Extensive flow field turbulence surveys were also conducted employing hot-film anemometry. For the optimum gap setting, the boundaries of the regions of flow reversal within the wake were determined by this technique for two angles of attack. Local skin friction distributions for the basic airfoil and the airfoil with flap (optimum gap) were obtained using the razor blade technique.

Seetharam, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The structure of separated flow regions occurring near the leading edge of airfoils, including transition

The structure and behavior of the separation bubble including transition and the redeveloping boundary layer after reattachment over an airfoil at low Reynolds numbers was studied. The intent is to further the understanding of the complex flow phenomena so that analytic methods for predicting their formation and development can be improved. These analytic techniques have applications in the design and performance prediction of airfoils operating in the low Reynolds number flight regime.

Mueller, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The role of freestream turbulence scale in subsonic flow separation

The clarification of the role of freestream turbulence scale in determining the location of boundary layer separation is discussed. Modifications to the test facility were completed. Wind tunnel flow characteristics, including turbulence parameters, were determined with two turbulence generating grids, as well as no grid. These results are summarized. Initial results on the role of scale on turbulent boundary layer separation on the upper surface of an airfoil model are also discussed.

Potter, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An efficient solution technique for shockwave-boundary layer interactions with flow separation and slot suction effects

An efficient method for computing two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes flow fields is presented. The solution algorithm is a fully-implicit approximate factorization technique based on an unsymmetric line Gauss-Seidel splitting of the equation system Jacobian matrix. Convergence characteristics are improved by the addition of acceleration techniques based on Shamanskii's method for nonlinear equations and Broyden's quasi-Newton update. Characteristic-based differencing of the equations is provided by means of Van Leer's flux vector splitting. In this investigation, emphasis is placed on the fast and accurate computation of shock-wave-boundary layer interactions with and without slot suction effects. In the latter context, a set of numerical boundary conditions for simulating the transpiration flow in an open slot is devised. Both laminar and turbulent cases are considered, with turbulent closure provided by a modified Cebeci-Smith algebraic model. Comparisons with computational and experimental data sets are presented for a variety of interactions, and a fully-coupled simulation of a plenum chamber/inlet flowfield with shock interaction and suction is also shown and discussed.

Edwards, Jack R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Unsteady Aerodynamic Response of a Linear Cascade of Airfoils in Separated Flow

The overall objective of this research program was to investigate methods to modify the leading edge separation region, which could lead to an improvement in aeroelastic stability of advanced airfoil designs. The airfoil section used is representative of current low aspect ratio fan blade tip sections. The experimental potion of this study investigated separated zone boundary layer from removal through suction slots. Suction applied to a cavity in the vicinity of the separation onset point was found to be the most effective location. The computational study looked into the influence of front camber on flutter stability. To assess the influence of the change in airfoil shape on stability the work-per-cycle was evaluated for torsion mode oscillations. It was shown that the front camberline shape can be an important factor for stabilizing the predicted work-per-cycle and reducing the predicted extent of the separation zone. In addition, data analysis procedures are discussed for reducing data acquired in experiments that involve periodic unsteady data. This work was conducted in support of experiments being conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Transonic Flutter Cascade. The spectral block averaging method is presented. This method is shown to be able to account for variations in airfoil oscillation frequency that can occur in experiments that force oscillate the airfoils to simulate flutter.

Capece, Vincent R.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Numerical Simulations of Flow Separation Control in Low-Pressure Turbines using Plasma Actuators

A recently introduced phenomenological model to simulate flow control applications using plasma actuators has been further developed and improved in order to expand its use to complicated actuator geometries. The new modeling approach eliminates the requirement of an empirical charge density distribution shape by using the embedded electrode as a source for the charge density. The resulting model is validated against a flat plate experiment with quiescent environment. The modeling approach incorporates the effect of the plasma actuators on the external flow into Navier Stokes computations as a body force vector which is obtained as a product of the net charge density and the electric field. The model solves the Maxwell equation to obtain the electric field due to the applied AC voltage at the electrodes and an additional equation for the charge density distribution representing the plasma density. The new modeling approach solves the charge density equation in the computational domain assuming the embedded electrode as a source therefore automatically generating a charge density distribution on the surface exposed to the flow similar to that observed in the experiments without explicitly specifying an empirical distribution. The model is validated against a flat plate experiment with quiescent environment.

Suzen, Y. B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Separated flows near the nose of a body of revolution

The solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for the problem of cross-flow separataion about a deforming cylinder was achieved by iteration. It was shown that the separation starts at the rear stagnation point and the point of primary separation moves upstram along the cylinder surface. A general method of linear stability analysis for nonparallel external flows was constructed, which consists of representing the eigenfunctions with complete orthogonal sets and forms characteristic equations with the Galerkin method. The method was applied to the Kovasznay flow which is an exact solution of the Navier-Stokes equation. The results show that when the critical parameter is exceeded, there are only a few isolated unstable eigen-frequencies. Another exact solution is shown to be absolutely and monotonically stable with respect to infinitesimal disturbances of all frequencies. The flow is also globally, asymptotically, and monotonically stable in the mean with respect o three-dimensional disturbances. This result forms the sound foundation of rigorous stability analysis for nonparallel flows, and provides an invaluable test ground for future studies of nonparallel flows in which the basic states do not posses exact solutions. The application of this method to the study of the formation of spiral vorticies near the nose of a rotating body of revolution is underway. The same method will be applied to the stability analysis of reversed flow over a plate with suction.

Lin, S. P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The structure of separated flow regions occurring near the leading edge of airfoils including transition

A semi-empirical method for predicting separation bubble characteristics was evaluated using low Reynolds number test data. On the basis of this data, several observations were made. First, a sizable growth in the momentum thickness can occur in the laminar portion of a separation bubble. This is in direct contrast to the theory and is apparently due to low Reynolds number effects. Secondly, the transition Reynolds number (R sub l sub 1) which governs the extent of a bubble's laminar region, was found to be much lower than that used in the method. At present, there does not seem to be any evidence supporting a single value for R sub l sub 1. Apparently, R sub l sub 1 is affected by the freestream disturbance environment, and airfoil's pressure distribution, and possibly the chord Reynolds number as well. Thirdly, the growth in momentum thickness over a bubble's turbulent region was predicted reasonably well by the method, provided that Roberts' suggested value for the mean dissipation coefficient was used. Finally, the present data does not substantiate the universality of the velocity profile at reattachment. However, measurement error may be responsible for this result.

Mueller, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Experimental Studies of Flow Separation of the NACA 2412 Airfoil at Low Speeds

Wind tunnel tests have been conducted on an NACA 2412 airfoil section at Reynolds number of 2.2 x 10(exp 6) and Mach number of 0.13. Detailed measurements of flow fields associated with turbulent boundary layers have been obtained at angles of attack of 12.4 degrees, 14.4 degrees, and 16.4 degrees. Pre- and post-separated velocity and pressure survey results over the airfoil and in the associated wake are presented. Extensive force, pressure, tuft survey, hot-film survey, local skin friction, and boundary layer data are also included. Pressure distributions and separation point locations show good agreement with theory for the two layer angles of attack. Boundary layer displacement thickness, momentum thickness, and shape factor agree well with theory up to the point of separation. There is considerable disparity between extent of flow reversal in the wake as measured by pressure and hot-film probes. The difference is attributed to the intermittent nature of the flow reversal.

Seetharam, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Experimental studies of flow separation of the GA(W)-2 airfoil at low speeds

Wind tunnel tests have been conducted on a NASA GA(W)-2 airfoil section at Reynolds number of 2.2 x 10(exp 6) and Mach number of 0.13. Detailed measurements of flow fields associated with turbulent boundary layers have been obtained at angles of attack of 10.3, 14.4, and 18.3 deg. Pre- and post-separated velocity and pressure survey results over the airfoil and in the associated wake are presented. Extensive force, pressure, tuft survey, hot-film survey, local skin friction, and boundary layer data are also included. Pressure distributions and separation point locations show good agreement with theory for the two lower angles of attack. Boundary layer displacement thickness, momentum thickness, and shape factor agree well with theory up to the point of separation. There is considerable disparity between extent of flow reversal in the wake as measured by pressure and hot-film probes. The difference is attributed to the intermittent nature of the flow reversal.

Seetharam, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Control of unsteady separated flow associated with the dynamic pitching of airfoils

Although studies have been done to understand the dependence of parameters for the occurrence of deep stall, studies to control the flow for sustaining lift for a longer time has been little. To sustain the lift for a longer time, an understanding of the development of the flow over the airfoil is essential. Studies at high speed are required to study how the flow behavior is dictated by the effects of compressibility. When the airfoil is pitched up in ramp motion or during the upstroke of an oscillatory cycle, the flow development on the upper surface of the airfoil and the formation of the vortex dictates the increase in lift behavior. Vortex shedding past the training edge decreases the lift. It is not clear what is the mechanism associated with the unsteady separation and vortex formation in present unsteady environment. To develop any flow control device, to suppress the vortex formation or delay separation, it is important that this mechanism be properly understood. The research activities directed toward understanding these questions are presented and the results are summarized.

Ahmed, Sajeer↗
NASA NTRS1987

Generation of Tollmien-Schlichting waves on interactive marginally separated flows

This paper is concerned with the interaction of very-long-wavelength free-stream disturbances with the small but abrupt changes in the mean flow that occur near the minimum-skin-friction point in an interactive marginally separated boundary layer. The source frequency is chosen so that the eigensolutions with that frequency have an 'interactive' structure in the region of marginal separation. The eigensolution wavelength scale must then differ from the lengthscale of the marginal separation, and a composite expansion technique has to be used to obtain the solution. The initial instability wave amplitude turns out to be exponentially small, but eventually dominates the original disturbance owing to its exponential growth. It then begins to decay but ultimately turns into a standard spatially growing Tollmien-Schlichting wave much further downstream.

Goldstein, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Prediction of laminar and turbulent boundary layer flow separation in V/STOL engine inlets

The paper provides a theoretical description of the development of the boundary layer on the lip and diffuser surface of a subsonic inlet at arbitrary operating conditions of mass flow rate, freestream velocity and incidence angle. Both laminar separation on the lip and turbulent separation in the diffuser are discussed. The agreement of the theoretical results with model experimental data illustrates the capability of the theory to predict separation. The effects of throat Mach number, inlet size, and surface roughness on boundary-layer development and separation are illustrated.

Chou, D. C.↗