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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Variable Gravity Effects on the Cooling Performance of a Single Phase Confined Spray

The objective of this paper is to discuss the testing of a spray cooling experiment designed to be flown on NASA's KC-135 Reduced Gravity Testing Platform. Spray cooling is an example of a thermal management technique that may be utilized in high flux heat acquisition and high thermal energy transport concepts. Many researchers have investigated the utility of spray cooling for the thermal management of devices generating high heat fluxes. However, there has been little research addressing the physics and ultimate performance of spray cooling in a variable gravity environment. An experimental package, consisting of a spray chamber coupled to a fluid delivery loop system, was fabricated for variable gravity flight tests. The spray chamber contains two opposing nozzles spraying on target Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) heaters. These heaters are mounted on glass pedestals, which are part of a sump system to remove unconstrained liquid from the test chamber. Liquid is collected in the sumps and returned to the fluid delivery loop. Thermocouples mounted in and around the pedestals are used to determine both the heat loss through the underside of the IT0 heater and the heat extracted by the spray. A series of flight tests were carried out aboard the KC-135, utilizing the ability of the aircraft to produce various gravity conditions. During the flight tests, for a fixed flow rate, heat input was varied at 20, 30, 50, and 80W with variable gravities of 0.01, 0.16, 0.36, and 1.8g. Flight test data was compared to terrestrial baseline data in addition to analytical and numerical solutions to evaluate the heat transfer in the heater and support structure . There were significant differences observed in the spray cooling performance as a result of variable gravity conditions and heat inputs. In general, the Nussult number at the heater surface was found to increase with decreasing gravity conditions for heat loads greater than 30W.

Michalak, Travis↗
NASA NTRS2019

Effects of Wall Cooling on Supersonic Modes in High-Enthalpy Hypersonic Boundary Layers over a Cone

High-enthalpy hypersonic boundary-layer transition plays an important role in many entry/descent vehicles. Aerothermodynamic performance of these vehicles strongly depends on the transition location on the surface. However, detailed transition flow physics in these chemically reacting boundary layers are poorly understood and transition estimates during the design phase rely heavily on empirically-derived transition criteria such as 𝑹𝒆(𝜽)/𝑴(𝒆). One of the most intriguing characteristics in hypersonic boundary layers is the presence of unstable supersonic modes, first identified in the 1990s. Due to a recent surge in hypersonic applications, there has been renewed interest in studying the flow physics of supersonic modes using either theory or direct numerical simulations. This paper investigates the rise of supersonic modes in a high-enthalpy hypersonic flow over a 𝟓° half-angle cone at various wall temperatures using both quasiparallel linear stability theory and linear PSE. It was found that supersonic modes exist in all wall temperature conditions including the adiabatic wall case. Cooler wall temperature causes the second Mack mode to become an unstable supersonic mode naturally downstream of the upper-branch neutral location when the wall is sufficiently cooled. In terms of the integrated growth, the second mode is still the dominant mode. Nonetheless, supersonic modes can cause additional series of relatively weaker growth than that of the second mode beyond the peak amplitude location. According to the present linear PSE results, contrary to what was speculated in the literature, supersonic-mode pressure disturbance structure radiated into the freestream is nonacoustic in nature and the formation of unstable supersonic modes is mainly associated with the synchronization of phase speed between the instability and acoustic waves in a nonp ayer, not due to nonlinear modal interaction as suggested in the literature.

Chang, Chau-Lyan↗
NASA NTRS1921

Effects of nature of cooling surface on radiator performance

This report discusses the effects of roughness, smoothness, and cleanness of cooling surfaces on the performance of aeronautic radiators, as shown by experimental work, with different conditions of surface, on (1) heat transfer from a single brass tube and from a radiator; (2) pressure drop in an air stream in a single brass tube and in a radiator; (3) head resistance of a radiator; and (4) flow of air through a radiator. It is shown that while smooth surfaces are better than rough, the surfaces usually found in commercial radiators do not differ enough to show marked effect on performance, provided the surfaces are kept clean.

Parsons, S R↗
NASA NTRS1999

Icehouse Effect: A Polar Autumn and Winter Cooling Trend

The icehouse effect is a hypothesized polar climate trend toward cooling (or lack of warming) in response to greenhouse warming of adjacent lower latitudes. When greenhouse warmed air from lower latitudes moves over ice and snow, it generates a stronger, more stable, cappino, inversion than in a parallel case without greenhouse warming. Because the degree of decoupling between vertically adjacent air masses is directly dependent on the strength of the inversion, the capping inversion acts somewhat analogously to the walls and roof of the icehouse of generations past. What is inside the icehouse, namely the cold polar atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) air, is preserved by the "insulation" or decoupling, provided by the warm air aloft. Observations over the Arctic Ocean have shown an unexpected lack of any detectable surface warming trend over the past 40 years. This finding strongly contradicts climate model predictions that polar regions should show the strongest effect of greenhouse warming. It also stands in contrast to the consensus reached by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that human caused greenhouse warming is now detectable globally. One might ask: Are these Arctic observations wrong? Or, if right, is there a plausible physical explanation for them? The published observations mentioned above used about 50,000 soundings over the Arctic Ocean. Here I present a novel analysis of ALL available Arctic rawinsonde data north of 65N--a total of more than 1.1 million soundings. The analysis confirms the previously published result: There is indeed a slight climate-cooling trend in the vast majority of the data. Importantly, there are also select conditions (very strong and very weak stability of the ABL) which show a consistent, strong Arctic warming trend. It is the juxtaposition of these warming and cooling trends which defines a unique "icehouse signature" for which an explanation can be sought.

Wetzel, Peter J.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Precision Monitoring of Cool Evolved Stars: Constraining Effects of Convection and Pulsation

Mass loss from cool evolved stars is an important ingredient of the cosmic matter cycle, enriching the Universe with newly formed elements and dust. However, physical processes that are not considered in current models represent uncertainties in our general understanding of mass loss. Time-series of interferometric data provide the strongest tests of dynamical processes in the atmospheres of these stars. Here, we present a pilot study of such measurements obtained with the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope Interferometer.

Andrea Chiavassa↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

LES-Based Analysis of Film Cooling in a High-Pressure Turbine Rotor Including Effects of Purge and Tip Flow

Accurate modeling of coolant airflows, which form protective films over turbine blades, is essential for designing fuel-efficient and environmentally sustainable gas turbine engines. Excessive coolant reduces thermal efficiency, while insufficient coolant leads to blade overheating and causes damage. Therefore, precise prediction of flow field interactions with cooling air is critical for optimizing turbine performance. This study numerically investigates the cooling effectiveness of purge and film cooling flows within a high-pressure turbine (HPT) rotor using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The study utilizes NASA Glenn Research Center’s Glenn-HT solver. The simulation models ethe conditions of the Penn State University START rotating rig. A high-fidelity structured mesh comprising up to 800 million cells is employed to resolve high-Reynolds number flow (Re ≈ 350,000) and to capture intricate secondary flow structures, including tip leakage and purge-induced vortices. Film cooling effectiveness computations are highly sensitive to boundary conditions at the cooling holes and to grid resolution. Even with well-resolved grids and included plena, strong mixing challenges traditional eddy viscosity models. To address this, a simplified configuration is simulated: a truncated row of shaped holes on the suction side near the leading edge and a row on the pressure side, both fed from internal plena while the purge slot and tip clearance are also modeled. Two isothermal LES cases are conducted at two distinct wall temperatures, which yield the adiabatic wall temperature and the heat transfer coefficient. The definition and means of computation of the effectiveness is discussed in this paper. The simulations reveal detailed three-dimensional unsteady flow features, including coherent vortical structures and secondary flows originating from the purge cavity. Film cooling effectiveness and Nusselt number distributions are presented for both the blade surface and tip, highlighting regions of elevated heat transfer and complex thermal behavior. These findings underscore the importance of high-resolution LES and realistic boundary conditions in capturing the dynamics of purge and film cooling, offering valuable insights for improving turbine blade design and thermal management strategies.

Secondary Flows↗
NASA NTRS1954

Comparison of effectiveness of convection-, transpiration-, and film-cooling methods with air as coolant

Various parts of aircraft propulsion engines that are in contact with hot gases often require cooling. Transpiration and film cooling, new methods that supposedly utilize cooling air more effectively than conventional convection cooling, have already been proposed. This report presents material necessary for a comparison of the cooling requirements of these three methods. Correlations that are regarded by the authors as the most reliable today are employed in evaluating each of the cooling processes. Calculations for the special case in which the gas velocity is constant along the cooled wall (flat plate) are presented. The calculations reveal that a comparison of the three cooling processes can be made on quite a general basis. The superiority of transpiration cooling is clearly shown for both laminar and turbulent flow. This superiority is reduced when the effects of radiation are included; for gas-turbine blades, however, there is evidence indicating that radiation may be neglected.

Eckert, E R G↗
NASA NTRS1947

Cooling of Gas Turbines I - Effects of Addition of Fins to Blade Tips and Rotor, Admission of Cooling Air Through Part of Nozzles, and Change in Thermal Conductivity of Turbine Components

An analysis was developed for calculating the radial temperature distribution in a gas turbine with only the temperatures of the gas and the cooling air and the surface heat-transfer coefficient known. This analysis was applied to determine the temperatures of a complete wheel of a conventional single-stage impulse exhaust-gas turbine. The temperatures were first calculated for the case of the turbine operating at design conditions of speed, gas flow, etc. and with only the customary cooling arising from exposure of the outer blade flange and one face of the rotor to the air. Calculations were next made for the case of fins applied to the outer blade flange and the rotor. Finally the effects of using part of the nozzles (from 0 to 40 percent) for supplying cooling air and the effects of varying the metal thermal conductivity from 12 to 260 Btu per hour per foot per degree Farenheit on the wheel temperatures were determined. The gas temperatures at the nozzle box used in the calculations ranged from 1600F to 2000F. The results showed that if more than a few hundred degrees of cooling of turbine blades are required other means than indirect cooling with fins on the rotor and outer blade flange would be necessary. The amount of cooling indicated for the type of finning used could produce some improvement in efficiency and a large increase in durability of the wheel. The results also showed that if a large difference is to exist between the effective temperature of the exhaust gas and that of the blade material, as must be the case with present turbine materials and the high exhaust-gas temperatures desired (2000F and above), two alternatives are suggested: (a) If metal with a thermal conductivity comparable with copper is used, then the blade temperature can be reduced by strong cooling at both the blade tip and root. The center of the blade will be less than 2000F hotter than the ends; (b) With low conductivity materials some method of direct cooling other than partial admission of cooling air is essential. From this study, it can be deduced that indirect cooling of turbine blades will not make possible large increases in gas temperature.

Brown, Byron↗
NASA NTRS2016

Temperature Mapping of Air Film-Cooled Thermal Barrier Coated Surfaces Using Phosphor Thermometry

While the effects of thermal barrier coating (TBC) thermal protection and air film cooling effectiveness for jet engine components are usually studied separately, their contributions to combined cooling effectiveness are interdependent and are not simply additive. Therefore, combined cooling effectiveness must be measured to achieve an optimum balance between TBC thermal protection and air film cooling. Phosphor thermometry offers several advantages for mapping temperatures of air film cooled surfaces. While infrared thermography has been typically applied to study air film cooling effectiveness, temperature accuracy depends on knowing surface emissivity (which may change) and correcting for effects of reflected radiation. Because decay time-based full-field phosphor thermometry is relatively immune to these effects, it can be applied advantageously to temperature mapping of air film-cooled TBC-coated surfaces. In this presentation, an overview will be given of efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center to perform temperature mapping of air film-cooled TBC-coated surfaces in a burner rig test environment. The effects of thermal background radiation and flame chemiluminescence on the measurements are investigated, and the strengths and limitations of this method for studying air film cooling effectiveness are discussed.

air film cooling↗
NASA NTRS1968

Cooled miniature pressure transducers effective at high temperatures

Miniature pressure transducers in compact water-cooled mounts are placed in hotter and more confined environments than previously possible. It quantitatively measures high frequency total pressure fluctuations resulting from rotating stall in an axial flow engine compressor.

Armentrout, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Stoichiometric gas turbines - Development problems.

Detroit Diesel Allison has been active in demonstrating the feasibility of stoichiometric gas turbine engines for many years. Results of this program are presented with emphasis placed on areas requiring additional development work. Cooling air usage, the effect of cooling air on turbine efficiency, fabrication (materials) methods, and control (instrumentation) techniques are the areas discussed and illustrated. Lamilloy, a pseudo-transpiring material developed by Allison, is discussed in detail.

Helms, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Two dimensional cold air cascade study of a film cooled turbine stator blade. 2: Experimental results of full film cooling tests

The effect of full film cooling on the performance of a turbine stator blade was studied in a two-dimensional cascade. The blade contained 12 rows of coolant holes, 6 rows on the suction surface and 6 on the pressure surface. Separate tests were first made with coolant ejection from each of the 12 rows. Then successive tests were made with various combinations of coolant rows open, including full film cooling. The principal results are presented in terms of primary-air efficiency as a function of coolant fraction. In addition, the efficiency results of the multirow tests are compared with the multi-row efficiency predicted by adding the single-row results.

Prust, H. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The effects of magnetic fields on the growth of thermal instabilities in cooling flows

The effects of heat conduction and magnetic fields on the growth of thermal instabilities in cooling flows are examined using a time-dependent hydrodynamics code. It is found that, for magnetic field strengths of roughly 1 micro-Gauss, magnetic pressure forces can completely suppress shocks from forming in thermally unstable entropy perturbations with initial length scales as large as 20 kpc, even for initial amplitudes as great as 60 percent. Perturbations with initial amplitudes of 50 percent and initial magnetic field strengths of 1 micro-Gauss cool to 10,000 K on a time scale which is only 22 percent of the initial instantaneous cooling time. Nonlinear perturbations can thus condense out of cooling flows on a time scale substantially less than the time required for linear perturbations and produce significant mass deposition of cold gas while the accreting intracluster gas is still at large radii.

David, Laurence P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Cold-air aerodynamic study in a two-dimensional cascade of a turbine stator blade with suction-surface film cooling

The effect on aerodynamic performance of a single row of spanwise-spaced coolant holes located at four positions chordwise along the suction surface was investigated. In addition, multiple-row data were obtained. The data are presented in terms of primary efficiency, coolant-to-primary-flow percentage, and coolant pressure ratio. Primary efficiencies of multirow blade configurations compare satisfactorily with that calculated from the single-row efficiency increments. At any given coolant flow percentage, the efficiency was about the same for all row locations. For a given coolant pressure, the efficiency varied by as much as 1 percent, depending on the row location.

Brown, D. B.↗