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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Attenuation of Gas Turbulence by a Nearly Stationary Dispersion of Fine Particles

Turbulence attenuation by greater than a factor of two has been observed in many practical gas flows carrying volume fractions as small as 0.01% of dispersed particles. Particles which cause such attenuation usually are smaller than the smallest scales of the turbulence and have time constants 5 to 10 times greater than the time scale of a typical turbulent eddy. That is, strongly attenuating particles usually have Stokes numbers in the range of 5 to 10, indicating that they do not respond to the turbulent fluctuations, but instead just fall through the flow responding only to the mean flow. There are two mechanisms by which free falling particles may attenuate turbulence. First, the unresponsive particles act as a drag on the turbulent eddies, passing energy from the turbulent eddies to the small scale wakes of the particles where it is quickly dissipated by viscosity. The second mechanism is more complicated. Particles falling under gravity convert gravitational potential energy to turbulent velocity fluctuations. If the particles are large, this mechanism increases the overall turbulence level. However, with moderate size particles, the small scale turbulence generated apparently distorts the turbulent eddies leading to more rapid dissipation. Unfortunately, this conclusion is supported only by circumstantial evidence to date. The objectives of the experiment are to use microgravity to separate the two mechanisms. A region of nearly-isotropic decaying turbulence with zero mean flow will be formed in a box in the microgravity environment. Different sets of particles with Stokes numbers in the range of 2 to 20 will be dispersed in the flow. With zero gravity and no mean fluid velocity the particles will have zero mean velocity. With the large Stokes numbers, the fluctuating velocities will also be small. Therefore, the only attenuation mechanism will be the direct action of the particles on the turbulence. Control experiments will also be done in which the particles fall through the measurement volume. Measurements will be acquired using a high resolution image velocimetry (PIV) system being developed specifically for work in particle-laden flows. The measurements will include the decay of the turbulence kinetic energy under various particle loadings. The spatial spectra of the turbulence will also be measured. In a second set of experiments, the interaction of a single eddy with a collection of nearly stationary particles will be examined. The eddy will be a vortex ring emitted by a jet pulse through an orifice. The distortion of the vortex under the influence of the particles will be examined to gain a better understanding of how fine particles can cause such large reductions in turbulence levels. This experiment could not be conducted in terrestrial gravity because the high particle velocities would overwhelm the relatively low speed motion of the vortex ring. This experimental program is just getting underway. The initial challenge is to build a closed facility containing reasonably homogeneous and isotropic turbulence with zero mean velocity. Our approach is to use a set of synthetic jets mounted on the periphery of a transparent plexiglass box to create the turbulence. A synthetic jet is a plenum chamber with an orifice open to the volume of interest. The volume of the chamber fluctuates periodically so alternately a jet is ejected from the volume or flow is drawn back in as a sink. The asymmetry of this situation results in a net transport of momentum and kinetic energy into the volume of interest. The present apparatus includes eight synthetic jets each powered independently by a six inch loudspeaker. The synthetic jets discharge through ejector tubes to increase the scale of the turbulence. Construction of the apparatus is now complete and preliminary flow visualization studies have been conducted. The PIV system is also under development. A compact dual-pulse YAG laser has been acquired as the light source and special software is under development to allow simultaneous measurements of both the particle phase and the fluid phase (marked by fine tracers).

Paris, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Experimental Study of Lift-Generated Vortices

The flow fields of vortices, whether bouyancy-driven or lift-generated, are fascinating fluid-dynamic phenomena which often possess intense swirl velocities and complex time-dependent behavior. As part of the on-going study of vortex behavior, this paper presents a historical overview of the research conducted on the structure and modification of the vortices generated by the lifting surfaces of subsonic transport aircraft. It is pointed out that the characteristics of lift-generated vortices are related to the aerodynamic shapes that produce them and that various arrangements of surfaces can be used to produce different vortex structures. The primary purpose of the research to be described is to find a way to reduce the hazard potential of lift-generated vortices shed by subsonic transport aircraft in the vicinity of airports during landing and takeoff operations. It is stressed that lift-generated vortex wakes are so complex that progress towards a solution requires application of a combined theoretical and experimental research program because either alone often leads to incorrect conclusions. It is concluded that a satisfactory aerodynamic solution to the wake-vortex problem at airports has not yet been found but a reduction in the impact of the wake-vortex hazard on airport capacity may become available in the foreseeable future through wake-vortex avoidance concepts currently under study. The material to be presented in this overview is drawn from aerospace journals that are available publicly.

Rossow, Vernon J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Tracking Blade Tip Vortices for Numerical Flow Simulations of Hovering Rotorcraft

Blade tip vortices generated by a helicopter rotor blade are a major source of rotor noise and airframe vibration. This occurs when a vortex passes closely by, and interacts with, a rotor blade. The accurate prediction of Blade Vortex Interaction (BVI) continues to be a challenge for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Though considerable research has been devoted to BVI noise reduction and experimental techniques for measuring the blade tip vortices in a wind tunnel, there are only a handful of post-processing tools available for extracting vortex core lines from CFD simulation data. In order to calculate the vortex core radius, most of these tools require the user to manually select a vortex core to perform the calculation. Furthermore, none of them provide the capability to track the growth of a vortex core, which is a measure of how quickly the vortex diffuses over time. This paper introduces an automated approach for tracking the core growth of a blade tip vortex from CFD simulations of rotorcraft in hover. The proposed approach offers an effective method for the quantification and visualization of blade tip vortices in helicopter rotor wakes. Keywords: vortex core, feature extraction, CFD, numerical flow visualization

Numerical↗
DOE OSTI2022

Field Sensitivity Analysis of Turbulence Model Parameters for Flow Over a Wing

Reynolds-averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models are a critical tool in computational-fluid-dynamics simulations of aerodynamic systems, but simulation results can be highly sensitive to RANS-model parameter choices. Sensitivity analysis can be used to quantify these impacts, and the objective of this study is to demonstrate field sensitivity analysis with respect to ten parameters in the 2003 Menter shear-stress-transport (SST) turbulence model. Here, the analysis is demonstrated for an application relevant to wind energy, namely, flow over a NACA 0015 wing at 12 degree angle of attack and a Reynolds number of 1.5 x 10 6 . We quantify sensitivity using Sobol indices and the mean-squared gradient, which are estimated using polynomial chaos and active subspace models, respectively. Our results indicate that there are substantial spatial variations in parameter sensitivities, with different sets of most-sensitive parameters near the wing, as well as in the downstream wake, consistent with the physical interpretations of the turbulence model inputs. We show that, for this particular turbulence model and flow, simultaneous dimension reduction is possible across all quantities of interest, enabling efficient exploration of model outcomes. Ultimately, this analysis provides new insights into turbulence model parameter sensitivities in incompressible flows, and also demonstrates the implementation of field sensitivity analysis for applications relevant to aerodynamics simulations.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2016

Dynamic Stall Suppression Using Combustion-Powered Actuation (COMPACT)

Retreating blade stall is a well-known phenomenon that limits rotorcraft speed, maneuverability, and efficiency. Airfoil dynamic stall is a simpler problem, which demonstrates many of the same flow phenomena. Combustion Powered Actuation (COMPACT) is an active flow control technology, which at the outset of this work, had been shown to mitigate static and dynamic stall at low Mach numbers. The attributes of this technology suggested strong potential for success at higher Mach numbers, but such experiments had never been conducted. The work detailed in this report documents a 3-year effort focused on assessing the effectiveness of COMPACT for dynamic stall suppression at freestream conditions up to Mach 0.5. The work done has focused on implementing COMPACT on a high-lift rotorcraft airfoil: the VR-12. This selection was made in order to ensure that any measured benefits are over and above the capabilities of state-of-the-art high-lift rotorcraft airfoils. The detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, wind-tunnel experiments, and system-level modeling conducted have shown the following: (1) COMPACT, in its current state of development, is capable of reducing the adverse effects of deep dynamic stall at Mach numbers up to 0.4; (2) The two-dimensional (2D) CFD results trend well compared to the experiments; and (3) Implementation of the CFD results into a system-level model suggest that significant rotor-level benefits are possible.

Matalanis, Claude G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Numerical solution for supersonic flow near the trailing edge of a flat plate

In the present study, problems of laminar and turbulent two-dimensional flow of a viscous compressible fluid near the trailing edge of a thin flat plate are considered. The complete set of Navier-Stokes equations is solved by the finite-difference method of MacCormack (MacCormack and Baldwin, 1975). It is an explicit, predictor-corrector, time-splitting method of second order acuracy. The computational mesh employed has sufficient resolution for all the characteristic lengths suggested by theory. In the laminar case, the present results are compared with the triple deck solution of Daniels (1974). This comparison indicates that the asymptotic triple deck theory for supersonic trailing edge flow is accurate within five percent for Reynolds numbers greater than 1000. In the turbulent case, the Prandtl-Van Driest-Clauser algebraic eddy viscosity model is used. The numerical results show that the region of upstream influence is approximately of the order of the boundary layer thickness. The solutions for skin-friction, pressure and wake center-line velocity are presented.

Degani, D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Supersonic shock wave/vortex interaction

Although shock wave/vortex interaction is a basic and important fluid dynamics problem, very little research has been conducted on this topic. Therefore, a detailed experimental study of the interaction between a supersonic streamwise turbulent vortex and a shock wave was carried out at the Penn State Gas Dynamics Laboratory. A vortex is produced by replaceable swirl vanes located upstream of the throat of various converging-diverging nozzles. The supersonic vortex is then injected into either a coflowing supersonic stream or ambient air. The structure of the isolated vortex is investigated in a supersonic wind tunnel using miniature, fast-response, five-hole and total temperature probes and in a free jet using laser Doppler velocimetry. The cases tested have unit Reynolds numbers in excess of 25 million per meter, axial Mach numbers ranging from 2.5 to 4.0, and peak tangential Mach numbers from 0 (i.e., a pure jet) to about 0.7. The results show that the typical supersonic wake-like vortex consists of a non-isentropic, rotational core, where the reduced circulation distribution is self similar, and an outer isentropic, irrotational region. The vortex core is also a region of significant turbulent fluctuations. Radial profiles of turbulent kinetic energy and axial-tangential Reynolds stress are presented. The interactions between the vortex and both oblique and normal shock waves are investigated using nonintrusive optical diagnostics (i.e. schlieren, planar laser scattering, and laser Doppler velocimetry). Of the various types, two Mach 2.5 overexpanded-nozzle Mach disc interactions are examined in detail. Below a certain vortex strength, a 'weak' interaction exists in which the normal shock is perturbed locally into an unsteady 'bubble' shock near the vortex axis, but vortex breakdown (i.e., a stagnation point) does not occur. For stronger vortices, a random unsteady 'strong' interaction results that causes vortex breakdown. The vortex core reforms downstream of the rear stagnation point, and the reduced circulation distribution once again becomes self-similar in this region. A-new model of this interaction is proposed. Finally, a curve defining the approximate limits of supersonic vortex breakdown is presented.

Settles, G. S.↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Investigation of the Effects of Volume Fraction on Drag Coefficient of Non-Spherical Particles Using PR-DNS

Prediction of the drag coefficient is required in gas-particle multiphase flow modeling and simulation. Experimental data and correlations on the fixed-bed system of spherical particles with high volume fractions for various possible arrangements are available in the literature. However, the effect of volume fraction on the drag coefficient of non-spherical particles is not well studied. In solving the momentum equation, the volume fraction plays a vital role in determining the flow resistances. In this paper, we study the impact of volume fraction in the range of 0.069 to 0.65 on the drag coefficient using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of air for Reynold number in the range of 10 to 10000 using particle resolved direct numerical solution (PR-DNS). Regular non-spherical particles such as a cube, tetrahedron, and spheroids are used in this study since their single particle’s drag coefficient data are available in the literature for comparison. For this work, the simulations are carried out in the Ansys Fluent using polyhedral mesh, which consumes significantly less computational time and power. The study showed the sphericity and volume fraction have significant impact on the bed pressure drop and average drag coefficient of the particles in the bed especially in high Reynolds number regime. The bed of the spheroid experiences the lowest drag being the most streamlined particle, and the particles with the edges result in a large drag coefficient due to flow separation at the discontinuity. The vector plots verify this behavior where large wake regions are observed behind the tetrahedron particle.

Mahyawansi, Pratik↗
NASA NTRS1996

Experimental and Computational Aerothermodynamics of a Mars Entry Vehicle

An aerothermodynamic database has been generated through both experimental testing and computational fluid dynamics simulations for a 70 deg sphere-cone configuration based on the NASA Mars Pathfinder entry vehicle. The aerothermodynamics of several related parametric configurations were also investigated. Experimental heat-transfer data were obtained at hypersonic test conditions in both a perfect gas air wind tunnel and in a hypervelocity, high-enthalpy expansion tube in which both air and carbon dioxide were employed as test gases. In these facilities, measurements were made with thin-film temperature-resistance gages on both the entry vehicle models and on the support stings of the models. Computational results for freestream conditions equivalent to those of the test facilities were generated using an axisymmetric/2D laminar Navier-Stokes solver with both perfect-gas and nonequilibrium thermochemical models. Forebody computational and experimental heating distributions agreed to within the experimental uncertainty for both the perfect-gas and high-enthalpy test conditions. In the wake, quantitative differences between experimental and computational heating distributions for the perfect-gas conditions indicated transition of the free shear layer near the reattachment point on the sting. For the high enthalpy cases, agreement to within, or slightly greater than, the experimental uncertainty was achieved in the wake except within the recirculation region, where further grid resolution appeared to be required. Comparisons between the perfect-gas and high-enthalpy results indicated that the wake remained laminar at the high-enthalpy test conditions, for which the Reynolds number was significantly lower than that of the perfect-gas conditions.

Hollis, Brian R.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Separation Control in a Multistage Compressor Using Impulsive Surface Injection

Control of flow separation using impulsive surface injection is investigated within the multistage environment of a low speed axial-flow compressor. Measured wake profiles behind a set of embedded stator vanes treated with suction-surface injection indicate significant reduction in flow separation at a variety of injection-pulse repetition rates and durations. The corresponding total pressure losses across the vanes reveal a bank of repetition rates at each pulse duration where the separation control remains nearly complete. This persistence allows for demands on the injected-mass delivery system to be economized while still achieving effective flow control. The response of the stator-vane boundary layers to infrequently applied short injection pulses is described in terms of the periodic excitation of turbulent strips whose growth and propagation characteristics dictate the lower bound on the band of optimal pulse repetition rates. The eventual falloff in separation control at higher repetition rates is linked to a competition between the benefits of pulse-induced mixing and the aggravation caused by the periodic introduction of low-momentum fluid. Use of these observations for impulsive actuator design is discussed and their impact on modeling the time-average effect of impulsive surface injection for multistage steady-flow simulation is considered.

Wundrow, David W.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Progress on Optimizing Wind Farms and Rotor Designs Using Adjoints

Modern wind plants are increasingly tasked with multiple performance objectives. In addition to designing plants that maximize power output and minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), the design and operation of wind plants is increasingly influenced by challenges regarding grid integration of variable generation renewables. This places a growing emphasis on making wind plants more controllable and predictable. WindSE is a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model designed around analytical gradient and adjoint methods, with the ability to capture terrain-induced effects, as shown in Figure 1. The recent addition of an unsteady solver with an actuator line method (ALM) and ongoing work to enable massively parallel optimizations gives it a unique niche to explore coupled plant-level controls and design problems. This code is an open source python package built on the FEniCS framework that utilizes fast, parallel PETSc solvers to model fluid flow throughout wind-farm scale domains. Two recent studies performed using WindSE demonstrate the capability to optimize under a wide variety of flow conditions and objective functions. In the first, we present an optimization focused on modifying the layout of a wind farm with a fixed number of turbines for maximum total power output [1]. This study highlights the ability to quickly perform simulations using the steady Navier-Stokes solver combined with rotors represented as actuator disks while also stressing the importance of capturing terrain-induced effects. Gradient-based optimization using the RANS equations is viable due to the inclusion of efficiently computed adjoint derivatives. We interpret the physical results of the optimal layout and also discuss the computational cost of scaling to larger problems. In the second study, we present the capabilities of the unsteady Navier-Stokes solver, where rotor-blade profiles represented by actuator lines are optimized to enhance wake steering effects and overall power production [2]. We quantify the wind plant performance gains obtained from this type of simultaneous control co-design optimization as compared to optimizing the blade design and yaw independently. Figure 2 shows the differences between a baseline two-turbine system and an optimized system where we fine-tune the blade chord profile. Results and challenges from each study are quickly summarized and used to motivate the current development efforts within WindSE. Current and future work is focused on enabling higher-resolution studies with more degrees of freedom through parallelization of both the simulation and optimization algorithms. We present benchmarking results to show that WindSE performs well in both weak- and strong-scaling tests and further demonstrate that the optimizer obtains the same convergence rates in both shared- and distributed-memory environments. Using larger wind farms, we can study deep-array effects within an optimization context, allowing the use of objective functions that have been previously unstudied. As an example, we present ongoing work on a blockage metric which characterizes the loss of available kinetic energy due to wake effects from multiple upstream turbines.

adjoint optimization↗
DOE OSTI2022

Absolute vs Convective Instabilities and Front Propagation in Lipid Membrane Tubes

Here we analyze the stability of biological membrane tubes, with and without a base flow of lipids. Membrane dynamics are completely specified by two dimensionless numbers: the well-known Föppl-von Kármán number Γ and the recently introduced Scriven-Love number SL, respectively quantifying the base tension and base flow speed. For unstable tubes, the growth rate of a local perturbation depends only on Γ, whereas SL governs the absolute versus convective nature of the instability. Furthermore, nonlinear simulations of unstable tubes reveal an initially localized disturbance result in propagating fronts, which leave a thin atrophied tube in their wake. Depending on the value of Γ, the thin tube is connected to the unperturbed regions via oscillatory or monotonic shape transitions-reminiscent of recent experimental observations on the retraction and atrophy of axons. We elucidate our findings through a weakly nonlinear analysis, which shows membrane dynamics may be approximated by a model of the class of extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equations. Our study sheds light on the pattern selection mechanism in axonal shapes by recognizing the existence of two Lifshitz points, at which the front dynamics undergo steady-to-oscillatory bifurcations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1989

Johnson Space Center CFD overview

Recent applications and development of CFD technology have focused on flow problems that are critically important to the operation and design of space flight vehicles. The main effort is spent on the Space Shuttle in order to provide an understanding of the cryogenic fluid in the duct connecting the External Tank and the Main Engines, the subsonic flow surrounding the Orbiter during crew egress maneuvers, the transonic aerodynamic forces on the Orbiter fuselage and wing, the high angle-of-attack abort flight, and the aerodynamic heating during entry. To provide in-depth analyses for such diverse problems within a timely schedule, matured panel codes and a state-of-the-art incompressible turbulent flow code were adapted. Collaboration with Ames Research Center has resulted in a Shuttle ascent aerodynamic code; and a viscous chemical nonequilibrium code is being developed for predicting Orbiter real-gas aerodynamics and finite-catalytic heating. The remaining activities are devoted to the prediction of the flow environment around the Aeroassist Flight Experiment vehicle at hypersonic speeds and high altitudes. A thermochemical nonequilibrium Navier-Stokes code has been developed on the basis of two- temperature and 11-species models for solving both the shock layer and near wake. After validating the code against wind-tunnel aerodynamic, pressure and heating data, the code is being used to supplement the ground test facilities in predicting a more realistic flight environment. CFD technology is being relied upon by other programs as well in the consideration of candidate configurations.

Li, Chien P.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Interplanetary disturbances in the solar wind produced by density, temperature, or velocity pulses at 0.08 AU

Time-dependent solutions of a one-fluid model of the interplanetary medium are investigated. This set of unsteady hydrodynamic equations has been written in conserved form in order to apply the Lax-Wendroff (1960) method for the solution of this problem. The initial disturbance is specified by a pulse at 0.08 AU. Physically, this pulse can be interpreted as having been caused by a solar flare, surge, or any other solar disturbance. The equilibrium condition is determined to be the steady solution of the governing equations and represents the quiet solar wind. Results are presented in terms of density, temperature, and velocity profiles of the interplanetary gas flow at heliocentric distances up to 6 AU at several times. Also, the trajectories of disturbances for various initial pulses are shown. Some June 1972 interplanetary observational data are compared with these theoretical calculations. On the basis of these results, the effects of solar disturbances on the interplanetary environment (such as the generation of large nonlinear wave trains in the shock wakes) can be inferred.

Wu, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Comparative Results from a CFD Challenge Over a 2D Three-Element High-Lift Airfoil

A high-lift workshop was held in May of 1993 at NASA Langley Research Center. A major part of the workshop centered on a blind test of various computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods in which the flow about a two- dimensional (2D) three-element airfoil was computed without prior knowledge of the experimental data. The results of this 'blind' test revealed: (1) The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) methods generally showed less variability among codes than did potential/Euler solvers coupled with boundary-layer solution techniques. However, some of the coupled methods still provided excellent predictions. (2) Drag prediction using coupled methods agreed more closely with experiment than the RANS methods. Lift was more accurately predicted than drag for both methods. (3) The CFD methods did well in predicting lift and drag changes due to changes in Reynolds number, however, they did not perform as well when predicting lift and drag increments due to changing flap gap, (4) Pressures and skin friction compared favorably with experiment for most of the codes. (5) There was a large variability in most of the velocity profile predictions. Computational results predict a stronger siat wake than measured suggesting a missing component in turbulence modeling, perhaps curvature effects.

Klausmeyer, Steven M.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Computational Aerodynamic Simulations of a 1215 ft/sec Tip Speed Transonic Fan System Model for Acoustic Methods Assessment and Development

Computational Aerodynamic simulations of a 1215 ft/sec tip speed transonic fan system were performed at five different operating points on the fan operating line, in order to provide detailed internal flow field information for use with fan acoustic prediction methods presently being developed, assessed and validated. The fan system is a sub-scale, low-noise research fan/nacelle model that has undergone extensive experimental testing in the 9- by 15-foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Details of the fan geometry, the computational fluid dynamics methods, the computational grids, and various computational parameters relevant to the numerical simulations are discussed. Flow field results for three of the five operating points simulated are presented in order to provide a representative look at the computed solutions. Each of the five fan aerodynamic simulations involved the entire fan system, which for this model did not include a split flow path with core and bypass ducts. As a result, it was only necessary to adjust fan rotational speed in order to set the fan operating point, leading to operating points that lie on a fan operating line and making mass flow rate a fully dependent parameter. The resulting mass flow rates are in good agreement with measurement values. Computed blade row flow fields at all fan operating points are, in general, aerodynamically healthy. Rotor blade and fan exit guide vane flow characteristics are good, including incidence and deviation angles, chordwise static pressure distributions, blade surface boundary layers, secondary flow structures, and blade wakes. Examination of the flow fields at all operating conditions reveals no excessive boundary layer separations or related secondary-flow problems.

Tweedt, Daniel L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Mass and Momentum Turbulent Transport Experiments with Confined Coaxial Jets

Downstream mixing of coaxial jets discharging in an expanded duct was studied to obtain data for the evaluation and improvement of turbulent transport models currently used in a variety of computational procedures throughout the propulsion community for combustor flow modeling. Flow visualization studies showed four major shear regions occurring; a wake region immediately downstream of the inlet jet inlet duct; a shear region further downstream between the inner and annular jets; a recirculation zone; and a reattachment zone. A combination of turbulent momentum transport rate and two velocity component data were obtained from simultaneous measurements with a two color laser velocimeter (LV) system. Axial, radial and azimuthal velocities and turbulent momentum transport rate measurements in the r-z and r-theta planes were used to determine the mean value, second central moment (or rms fluctuation from mean), skewness and kurtosis for each data set probability density function (p.d.f.). A combination of turbulent mass transport rate, concentration and velocity data were obtained system. Velocity and mass transport in all three directions as well as concentration distributions were used to obtain the mean, second central moments, skewness and kurtosis for each p.d.f. These LV/LIF measurements also exposed the existence of a large region of countergradient turbulent axial mass transport in the region where the annular jet fluid was accelerating the inner jet fluid.

Johnson, B. V.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Quiet High-Speed Fan

A calibration of the acoustic and aerodynamic prediction methods was performed and a baseline fan definition was established and evaluated to support the quiet high speed fan program. A computational fluid dynamic analysis of the NASA QF-12 Fan rotor, using the DAWES flow simulation program was performed to demonstrate and verify the causes of the relatively poor aerodynamic performance observed during the fan test. In addition, the rotor flowfield characteristics were qualitatively compared to the acoustic measurements to identify the key acoustic characteristics of the flow. The V072 turbofan source noise prediction code was used to generate noise predictions for the TFE731-60 fan at three operating conditions and compared to experimental data. V072 results were also used in the Acoustic Radiation Code to generate far field noise for the TFE731-60 nacelle at three speed points for the blade passage tone. A full 3-D viscous flow simulation of the current production TFE731-60 fan rotor was performed with the DAWES flow analysis program. The DAWES analysis was used to estimate the onset of multiple pure tone noise, based on predictions of inlet shock position as a function of the rotor tip speed. Finally, the TFE731-60 fan rotor wake structure predicted by the DAWES program was used to define a redesigned stator with the leading edge configured to minimize the acoustic effects of rotor wake / stator interaction, without appreciably degrading performance.

Lieber, Lysbeth↗