Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “mass-flow measurements”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Space-time correlation measurements in a compressible turbulent boundary layer

Single and dual hot-wire probes have been used to accomplish a first look at the large-eddy structure of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer. The investigation was performed in an axisymmetric turbulent boundary layer in the Ames High Reynolds Number wind tunnel. Freestream Mach number was 2.97, the boundary layer was approximately 1.2 cm thick, and Reynolds number = 15,000. Quantities measured were streamwise turbulence intensity and higher order statistics of mass-flow fluctuations, and space-time correlations of instantaneous streamwise velocity at two locations. Conditional sampling of the hot-wire signals was performed to detect the passage and describe the character of the large turbulent eddies. Results indicate that the large scale structure in compressible turbulence is similar to that at low subsonic flow speeds except at the boundary layer edge, where the intermittency region is narrowed in compressible flow.

Robinson, S. K.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Flowfield Measurements in a Slot-Bled Oblique Shock Wave and Turbulent Boundary-Layer Interaction

An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the flowfield inside a bleed slot used to control an oblique shock-wave and turbulent boundary-layer interaction. The slot was oriented normal to the primary flow direction and had a width of 1.0 cm (primary flow direction), a length of 2.54 cm, and spanned 16.5 cm. The approach boundary layer upstream of the interaction was nominally 3.0 cm thick. Two operating conditions were studied: M = 1.98 with a shock generator deflection angle of 6 deg and M= 2.46 with a shock generator deflection angle of 8 deg. Measurements include surface and flowfield static pressure, Pitot pressure, and total mass-flow through the slot. The results show that despite an initially two-dimensional interaction for the zero bleed-flow case, the slot does not remove mass uniformly in the spanwise direction. Inside the slot, the flow is characterized by two separation regions which significantly reduce the effective flow area. The upper separation region acts as an aerodynamic throat resulting in supersonic flow through much of the slot.

Davis, D. O.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Development and experimental test of an analytical model of the orifice pulse tube refrigerator

An analytical model for the orifice pulse tube is developed, in which the system is described in terms of average enthalpy flow with such simplifying assumptions as an ideal gas and sinusoidal pressure variation. Phasor analysis is used to represent temperature, pressure, and mass-flow rate waves in vector form. The model predictions, namely, that the refrigeration power of a pulse-tube refrigerator is proportional to the average pressure, the pulse frequency, the mass-flow ratio, and the square of the dynamic pressure ratio, were verified by experimental measurements. It was found that, as a result of the simplifying assumptions, the magnitudes of the refrigeration power predicted by the model were between three and five times greater than experimental values.

Storch, Peter J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Equations For Isocaloric Fountain-Effect Pumps

Report presents equations for thermodynamical characteristics of leaky fountain-effect pumps operating at constant rates of input heating. Differ from those developed previously for fountain-effect pumps operating at constant differences of temperature, in which pressure heads and rates of flow independent of each other. Resulting equations used to calculate various measures of performance of leaky fountain-effect pump; e.g., pressure head as function of mass-flow rate, hydrothermodynamic efficiency, and transfer effectiveness (fraction of pumped mass remaining after portion evaporated to keep process at constant temperature).

Kittel, Peter↗
NASA NTRS2003

Thin-Film Air-Mass-Flow Sensor of Improved Design Developed

Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center have developed a new air-mass-flow sensor to solve the problems of existing mass flow sensor designs. NASA's design consists of thin-film resistors in a Wheatstone bridge arrangement. The resistors are fabricated on a thin, constant-thickness airfoil to minimize disturbance to the airflow being measured. The following photograph shows one of NASA s prototype sensors. In comparison to other air-mass-flow sensor designs, NASA s thin-film sensor is much more robust than hot wires, causes less airflow disturbance than pitot tubes, is more accurate than vane anemometers, and is much simpler to operate than thermocouple rakes. NASA s thin-film air-mass-flow sensor works by converting the temperature difference seen at each leg of the thin-film Wheatstone bridge into a mass-flow rate. The following figure shows a schematic of this sensor with air flowing around it. The sensor operates as follows: current is applied to the bridge, which increases its temperature. If there is no flow, all the arms are heated equally, the bridge remains in balance, and there is no signal. If there is flow, the air passing over the upstream legs of the bridge reduces the temperature of the upstream legs and that leads to reduced electrical resistance for those legs. After the air has picked up heat from the upstream legs, it continues and passes over the downstream legs of the bridge. The heated air raises the temperature of these legs, increasing their electrical resistance. The resistance difference between the upstream and downstream legs unbalances the bridge, causing a voltage difference that can be amplified and calibrated to the airflow rate. Separate sensors mounted on the airfoil measure the temperature of the airflow, which is used to complete the calculation for the mass of air passing by the sensor. A current application for air-mass-flow sensors is as part of the intake system for an internal combustion engine. A mass-flow sensor is used to provide accurate information about the amount of air entering the engine so that the amount of fuel can be adjusted to give the most efficient combustion. The ideal mass-flow sensor would be a rugged design that minimizes the disturbance to the flow stream and provides an accurate reading of both smooth and turbulent flows; NASA's design satisfies these requirements better than any existing design. Most of the mass-flow sensors used today are the hot wire variety. Hot wires can be fragile and cannot accurately measure a turbulent or reversing flow, which is often encountered in an intake manifold. Other types of mass-flow sensors include pitot tubes, vane anemometers, and thermocouple rakes-all of which suffer from some type of performance problem. Because it solves these performance problems while maintaining a simple design that lends itself to low-cost manufacturing techniques, NASA s thin-film resistance temperature detector air-mass-flow sensor should lead to more widespread use of mass-flow sensors.

Fralick, Gustave C.↗
NASA NTRS1952

Concerning the flow about ring-shaped cowlings Part VIII : further measurements on annular profiles

The measurements of part V (reference 1) of this series of reports, which concerned comparatively long ring profiles, are supplemented by measurements on shorter rings as they are used for shrouded propellers and cowlings of ring-shaped radiators. Mass-flow coefficients and profile drags are given. Furthermore, it has to be determined how far the potential theory describes the flow phenomenon with sufficient accuracy and whether the present theory for the calculation of thin annular profile yields useful profile forms and is suitable for determination of the mass flow for thick profiles.

ENGINE COWLINGS, RING↗
NASA NTRS2014

Acoustic Measurements from Wind Tunnel Test of AMELIA - Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics

A wind tunnel test has been conducted to measure the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of an active circulation-control aircraft with leading- and trailing- edge slot blowing. The 11 Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics (AMELIA) model was tested in the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 40- by 80-Ft wind tunnel. Forward velocities ranged from 0 to Mach 0.15 and total slot mass-flow was varied from 0 to 2.8 lbmsec. Angle-of-attack and sideslip ranges were -5 to 25 and -10 to 10, respectively.This reports summarizes acoustic measurements from the wind tunnel test and the corrections applied to the released acoustic data. The analysis focuses on measurements for the clean wing configuration (turbine propulsion simulators removed) with trailing-and leading-edge slot blowing and with trailing-edge blowing, for systematic variations in slot mass flow from nearly zero to the system maximum. The acoustic measurements from a fixed phased microphone array and seven fixed microphones were corrected for sensor directional response and atmospheric attenuation. Graphs of 13-octave spectra, narrowband spectra, and directional variations in OASPL are presented for each active lift configuration. This report is intended to document the corresponding set of corrected data that is now available for development and verification of new predictive models of the active lift source.For large slot mass flow conditions 13-octave spectral shapes were level and flat, typical of a pink noise source. Little source directivity was present in the OASPL levels for the 0 flap conditions and show only a slight downstream increase with the 60 flap configuration. For moderate to high slot mass flow conditions trailing-edge only blowing spectra were similar to leading- and trailing edge blowing cases. However for the lower mass flows variations of as much as 5 dB were observed.

CCW↗
NASA NTRS1973

Preliminary investigation of inlet ingestion of a wing tip vortex

An inlet-coldpipe assembly was placed in a Mach 0.4 stream to ingest the tip vortex of a forward mounted wing. The strongest vortex was produced by a wing angle of attack of 11 degrees. The vortex displayed a tangential velocity of 57 percent of local stream velocity prior to entering the inlet, and a tangential velocity of 25 percent of local velocity at the simulated compressor-face. The total-pressure profiles measured by standard compressor-face rakes were changed by the presence of the vortex only at the highest tested inlet mass-flow ratios.

Mitchell, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Experimental and Computational Evaluation of Flush-Mounted, S-Duct Inlets

A new high Reynolds number test capability for boundary layer ingesting inlets has been developed for the NASA Langley Research Center 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel. Using this new capability. an experimental investigation of four S-duct inlet configurations was conducted. A computational study of one of the inlets was also conducted using a Navier-Stokes solver. The objectives of this investigation were to: 1) develop a new high Reynolds number inlet test capability for flush-mounted inlets; 2) provide a database for CFD tool validation; 3) evaluate the performance of S-duct inlets with large amounts of boundary layer ingestion; and 4) provide a baseline inlet for future inlet flow-control studies. Tests were conducted at Mach numbers from 0.25 to 0.83. Reynolds numbers (based on duct exit diameter) from 5.1 million to a full-scale value of 13.9 million, and inlet mass-flow ratios from 0.39 to 1.58 depending on Mach number. Results of the experimental study indicate that inlet pressure recovery generally decreased and inlet distortion generally increased with increasing Mach number. Except at low Mach numbers, increasing inlet mass-flow increased pressure recovery and increased distortion. Increasing the amount of boundary layer ingestion or ingesting a boundary layer with a distorted profile decreased pressure recovery and increased distortion. Finally, increasing Reynolds number had almost no effect on inlet distortion but increased inlet recovery by about one-half percent at a Mach number near cruise. The computational results captured the inlet pressure recovery and distortion trends with Mach number and inlet mass-flow well: the reversal of the pressure recovery trend with increasing inlet mass-flow at low and high Mach numbers was predicted by CFD. However, CFD results were generally more pessimistic (larger losses) than measured experimentally.

Berrier, Bobby L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Noise Radiation by Instability Waves in Coaxial Jets

In this paper predictions are made for the noise radiation from supersonic coaxial jets. The noise in the downstream arc of a supersonic jet is dominated by highly directional radiation from the supersonically convecting large scale structures in the jet mixing layer. Since the mean flow is not described easily in terms of simple analytic functions, a numerical prediction is made for its development. The compressible Reynolds-averaged boundary layer equations in cylindrical polar coordinates are solved. A mixing length turbulence model is used. Empirical correlations are developed the effects of velocity and temperature ratio and Mach number. Both normal and inverted velocity profiles are considered. Comparisons with measurements for both single and coaxial jets show good agreement. The large scale structures are modeled as instability waves. The noise radiation generated by the instability waves is determined by a matching between the inner instability wave solution and the outer acoustic solution. Predictions are made for the differences between the noise radiated by coaxial jets with different operating conditions and a single equivalent jet with the same exit area, thrust, and mass-flow.

Dahl, Milo D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Performance tests of a gas blending system based on mass-flow controllers

The system provides many of the gas mixtures required for calibrating analytical instruments used in engine exhaust gas analysis and is capable of blending from one to four additive gases with either of two carrier gases in concentrations from 20 ppm to 50%. Two mixtures can be flowing simultaneously. Performance tests were made to determine the stability accuracy of the system while it was in limited use for a period of 2 years. The accuracy of the blender was measured by comparing binary mixtures from the blender with National Bureau of Standards standard reference materials. Analytical instruments were used to make these comparisons. The expected accuracy of 2% was obtained in some of the tests, by the majority showed a systematic biAs of -5%. Although these tests revealed subtle instabilities in the flow controllers that contributed to the random scatter of data, the accuracy of wet test meters and bubble flowmeters used for calibration is marginal for this purpose. A simple procedure is recommended that should enable the full potential of the system to be realized.

Evans, A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1957

Comparison of effect of a turbojet engine and three cold-flow configurations on the stability of a full-scale supersonicle inlet

Increasing the volume and length of the duct behind the inlet affected the inlet stability at Mach 2.0 and zero angle of attack. Close approximation of the inlet stability limit of the J34 engine-inlet configuration was obtained by a cold-pipe configuration having a length and volume approaching that measured to the engine turbine. Variation of these parameters had a small effect on the minimum subcritical stable mass flow below a cowl-lip-position parameter of 44 degrees and appeared to have a negligible effect on the inlet pressure-recovery - mass-flow curve. Initial buzz frequency and minimum cowl-lip-position parameter for complete buzz-free operation varied with configuration.

Musial, Norman T↗
NASA NTRS1959

External Interference Effects of Flow Through Static-Pressure Orifices of an Airspeed Head at Several Supersonic Mach Numbers and Angles of Attack

Wind-tunnel tests have been made to determine the static-pressure error resulting from external interference effects of flow through the static-pressure orifices of an NACA airspeed head at Mach numbers of 2.4, 3.0, and 4.0 for angles of attack of 0 deg, 5 deg, 10 deg, and 15 deg. Within the accuracy of the measurements and for the range of mass flow covered, the static-pressure error increased linearly with increasing mass-flow rate for both the forward and rear sets of orifices at all Mach numbers and angles of attack of the investigation. For a given value of flow coefficient, the static-pressure error varied appreciably with Mach number but only slightly with angle of attack. For example, for a flow coefficient out of the orifices of 0.01 (the approximate value for a vertically climbing airplane for which the airspeed system incorporates an airspeed meter, a Mach meter, and an altimeter), the error increased from about 5 percent to about 12 percent of the static pressure as the Mach number increased from 2.4 to 4.0 with the airspeed head at an angle of attack of 0 deg.

Silsby, Norman S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Compressor Stability Enhancement Using Discrete Tip Injection

Mass injection upstream of the tip of a high-speed axial compressor rotor is a stability enhancement approach known to be effective in suppressing small in tip-critical rotors. This process is examined in a transonic axial compressor rotor through experiments and time-averaged Navier-Stokes CFD simulations. Measurements and simulations for discrete injection are presented for a range of injection rates and distributions of injectors around the annulus. The simulations indicate that tip injection increases stability by unloading the rotor tip and that increasing injection velocity improves the effectiveness of tip injection. For the tested rotor, experimental results demonstrate that at 70 percent speed the stalling flow coefficient can be reduced by 30 percent using an injected mass- flow equivalent to 1 percent of the annulus flow. At design speed, the stalling flow coefficient was reduced by 6 percent using an injected mass-fiow equivalent to 2 percent of the annulus flow. The experiments show that stability enhancement is related to the mass-averaged axial velocity at the tip. For a given injected mass-flow, the mass-averaged axial velocity at the tip is increased by injecting flow over discrete portions of the circumference as opposed to full-annular injection. The implications of these results on the design of recirculating casing treatments and other methods to enhance stability will be discussed.

Suder, Kenneth L.↗
NASA NTRS1953

Investigation of the Attenuation of Plane Shock Waves Moving over very Rough Surfaces

Experimental measurements of the attenuation of plane shock waves moving over rough walls have been made in a shock tube. Measurements of the boundary-layer characteristics, including thickness and velocity distribution behind the shock, have also been made with the aid of new cal techniques which provide direct information on the local boundary-layer conditions at the rough walls. Measurements of shock speed and shock pressure ratio are presented for both smooth-wall and rough-wall flow over lengths of machined-smooth and rough strips which lined all four walls of the shock tube. A simplified theory based on Von Karman's expression for skin-friction coefficient for flow over rough walls, along with a wave-model concept and extensions to include time effects, is presented. In this theory, the shock-tube flow is assumed to be one-dimensional at all times and the wave-model concept is used to relate the local layer growth to decreases in shock strength. This concept assumes that local boundary-layer growths act as local mass-flow sinks, which give rise to expansion waves which, in turn, overtake the shock and lower its mass flow accordingly.

Huber, Paul W.↗
NASA NTRS2026

Thermochemically-Closed Sonic-Flow Inversion for Enthalpy and Temperature in Multispecies Arc-Jet Flows

A thermochemically-closed sonic-flow inversion framework (TSIF) is developed to infer bulk enthalpy and total temperature upstream of a choked nozzle in arc-jet flows. The formulation recasts a pressure-rise total enthalpy quantification technique as an inverse problem in characteristic-velocity c * space using measured mass flow rate, upstream total pressure, gas composition, and nozzle throat geometry as inputs. Unlike calorimetric energy-balance approaches or optical diagnostics, the method relies primarily on routinely measured facility quantities combined with explicit thermochemical closure. Thermochemical states are obtained using NASA’s open-source Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) code, enabling construction of a chemistry-consistent relation between characteristic velocity, total enthalpy, and total temperature under equilibrium or frozen assumptions. A discharge coefficient is self-calibrated using cold-flow (arc-off) operation data and applied to hot-flow (arc-on) measurements, enabling upstream losses to be accounted for without empirical correlations. The framework is applied to air, N 2 , and CO 2 –N 2 arc-jet flows and demonstrates expected trends for the inferred thermochemical states as function of arc power, specific energy input, mass-flow, heater configuration, and test gas. In the air limit, under equilibrium assumptions, the method recovers the classical high-enthalpy asymptotic correlation of Winovich with a mean residual of 4.4%, demonstrating compatibility with established sonic-flow scaling, while extending applicability to arbitrary multi-species mixtures and non-equilibrium chemistry. The framework provides a mixture-flexible methodology for determining bulk thermochemical states in modern arc-jet environments using routine facility pressure, mass-flow, gas-composition, and nozzle-geometry information together with a cold-flow calibration.

stagnation heat flux↗