Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “REYNOLDS NUMBER”

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 379 records · Page 21

Magnus effects at high angles of attack and critical Reynolds numbers

The Magnus force and moment experienced by a yawed, spinning cylinder were studied experimentally in low speed and subsonic flows at high angles of attack and critical Reynolds numbers. Flow-field visualization aided in describing a flow model that divides the Magnus phenomenon into a subcritical region, where reverse Magnus loads are experienced, and a supercritical region where these loads are not encountered. The roles of the spin rate, angle of attack, and crossflow Reynolds number in determining the boundaries of the subcritical region and the variations of the Magnus loads were studied.

Seginer, A.↗

Heat Transfer from Radiatively Heated Material in a Low Reynolds Number Microgravity Environment

A mathematical model of the transient three-dimensional heat transfer between a slowly moving ambient gas stream and a thermally thick or thin flat surface heated by external radiation in a microgravity environment is presented. The problem is motivated in part by fire safety issues in spacecraft. The gas phase is represented by variable property convection-diffusion energy and mass conservation equations valid at low Reynolds numbers. The absence of gravity and low Reynolds number together permit the flow to be represented by a self-consistent velocity potential determined by the ambient velocity and the thermal expansion in the gas. The solid exchanges energy with the gas by conduction/convection and with the surroundings by surface absorption and re-emission of radiation. Heat conduction in the solid is assumed to be one dimensional at each point on the surface as a consequence of the limited times (of order of 10 seconds) of interest in these simulations. Despite the apparent simplicity of the model, the results show a complex thermally induced flow near the heated surface. The thermal exchange between the gas and solid produces an outward sourcelike flow upstream of the center of the irradiated area and a sinklike flow downstream. The responses of the temperature fields and the associated flows to changes in the intensity of the external radiation and the ambient velocity are discussed.

Yamashita, H.↗

Boundary-layer Transition at High Reynolds Numbers as Obtained in Flight of a 20 Degree Cone-cylinder with Wall to Local Stream Temperature Ratios near 1.0

Boundary-layer transition data at low ratios of wall to local stream temperature have been obtained during the free flight of a highly polished cone-cylinder to a maximum Mach number of 5.02 A maximum transition Reynolds number of 32 x 10(exp 6) occurred at a distance of 25.84 inches from the cone apex. The temperature ratio at transition for a local Mach number of 4.0 was approximately 1.30 as compared with theoretical infinite stability solutions of 1.47 and 1.65 by Dunn and Lin (three-dimensional) and Van Driest (two-dimensional), respectively.

Rabb, Leaonard↗

Flow in a differentially rotated cylindrical drop at moderate Reynolds number

Galerkin finite-element approximations are combined with computer-implemented perturbation methods for tracking families of solutions to calculate the steady axisymmetric flows in a differentially rotated cylindrical drop as a function of Reynolds number Re, drop aspect ratio and the rotation ratio between the two end disks. The flows for Reynolds numbers below 100 are primarily viscous and reasonably described by an asymptotic analysis. When the disks are exactly counter-rotated, multiple steady flows are calculated that bifurcate to higher values of Re from the expected solution with two identical secondary cells stacked symmetrically about the axial midplane. The new flows have two cells of different size and are stable beyond the critical value Re sub c. The slope of the locus of Re sub c for drops with aspect ratio up to 3 disagrees with the result for two disks of infinite radius computed assuming the similarity form of the velocity field. Changing the rotation ratio for exact counter-rotation ruptures the junction of the multiple flow fields into two separated flow families.

Harriott, G. M.↗

Simulating boundary layer transition with low-Reynolds-number k-epsilon turbulence models. I - An evaluation of prediction characteristics. II - An approach to improving the predictions

The capability of two k-epsilon low-Reynolds number (LRN) turbulence models, those of Jones and Launder (1972) and Lam and Bremhorst (1981), to predict transition in external boundary-layer flows subject to free-stream turbulence is analyzed. Both models correctly predict the basic qualitative aspects of boundary-layer transition with free stream turbulence, but for calculations started at low values of certain defined Reynolds numbers, the transition is generally predicted at unrealistically early locations. Also, the methods predict transition lengths significantly shorter than those found experimentally. An approach to overcoming these deficiencies without abandoning the basic LRN k-epsilon framework is developed. This approach limits the production term in the turbulent kinetic energy equation and is based on a simple stability criterion. It is correlated to the free-stream turbulence value. The modification is shown to improve the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the transition predictions.

Schmidt, R. C.↗

Subsonic Reynolds Number Effects on a Diamond Wing Configuration

An advanced diamond-wing configuration was tested at low speeds in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) in air at chord Reynolds numbers from 4.4 million (typical wind-tunnel conditions) to 24 million (nominal flight value). Extensive variations on high-lift rigging were explored as part of a broad multinational program. The analysis for this study is focused on the cruise and landing settings of the wing high-lift systems. Three flow domains were identified from the data and provide a context for the ensuing data analysis. Reynolds number effects were examined in incremental form based upon attached-flow theory. A similar approach showed very little effect of low-speed compressibility.

Luckring, J. M.↗

Active Control of Flow Separation on a High-Lift System with Slotted Flap at High Reynolds Number

The NASA Energy Efficient Transport (EET) airfoil was tested at NASA Langley's Low- Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT) to assess the effectiveness of distributed Active Flow Control (AFC) concepts on a high-lift system at flight scale Reynolds numbers for a medium-sized transport. The test results indicate presence of strong Reynolds number effects on the high-lift system with the AFC operational, implying the importance of flight-scale testing for implementation of such systems during design of future flight vehicles with AFC. This paper describes the wind tunnel test results obtained at the LTPT for the EET high-lift system for various AFC concepts examined on this airfoil.

Khodadoust, Abdollah↗

On the nonlinear interaction of Gortler vortices and Tollmien-Schlichting waves in curved channel flows at finite Reynolds numbers

The flow in a two-dimensional curved channel driven by an azimuthal pressure gradient can become linearly unstable due to axisymmetric perturbations and/or nonaxisymmetric perturbations depending on the curvature of the channel and the Reynolds number. For a particular small value of curvature, the critical neighborhood of this curvature value and critical Reynolds number, nonlinear interactions occur between these perturbations. The Stuart-Watson approach is used to derive two coupled Landau equations for the amplitudes of these perturbations. The stability of the various possible states of these perturbations is shown through bifurcation diagrams. Emphasis is given to those cases which have relevance to external flows.

Daudpota, Q. Isa↗

On the nonlinear interaction of Goertler vortices and Tollmien-Schlichting waves in curved channel flows at finite Reynolds numbers

The flow in a two-dimensional curved channel driven by an azimuthal pressure gradient can become linearly unstable due to axisymmetric perturbations and/or nonaxisymmetric perturbations depending on the curvature of the channel and the Reynolds number. For a particular small value of curvature, the critical neighborhood of this curvature value and critical Reynolds number, nonlinear interactions occur between these perturbations. The Stuart-Watson approach is used to derive two coupled Landau equations for the amplitudes of these perturbations. The stability of the various possible states of these perturbations is shown through bifurcation diagrams. Emphasis is given to those cases which have relevance to external flows.

Daudpota, Q. Isa↗

The effects of variations in Reynolds number between 3.0 x 10sub6 and 25.0 x 10sub6 upon the aerodynamic characteristics of a number of NACA 6-series airfoil sections

Results are presented of an investigation made to determine the two-dimensional lift and drag characteristics of nine NACA 6-series airfoil section at Reynolds numbers of 15.0 x 10sub6, 20.0 x 10sub6, and 25.0 x 10sub6. Also presented are data from NACA Technical Report 824 for the same airfoils at Reynolds numbers of 3.0 x 10sub6, 6.0 x 10sub6, and 9.0 x 10sub6. The airfoils selected represent sections having variations in the airfoil thickness, thickness form, and camber. The characteristics of an airfoil with a split flap were determined in one instance, as was the effect of surface roughness. Qualitative explanations in terms of flow behavior are advanced for the observed types of scale effect.

Loftin, Laurence K, Jr↗

Reynolds Number and Leading-Edge Bluntness Effects on a 65 Deg Delta Wing

A 65 deg delta wing has been tested in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at mean aerodynamic chord Reynolds numbers from 6 million to 120 million at subsonic and transonic speeds. The configuration incorporated systematic variation of the leading edge bluntness. The analysis for this paper is focused on the Reynolds number and bluntness effects at subsonic speeds (M = 0.4) from this data set. The results show significant effects of both these parameters on the onset and progression of leading-edge vortex separation.

Luckring, J. M.↗

Reynolds Number and Leading-Edge Bluntness Effects on a 65 deg Delta Wing

A 65 degree delta wing has been tested in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at mean aerodynamic chord Reynolds numbers from 6 million to 120 million at subsonic and transonic speeds. The configuration incorporated systematic variation of the leading edge bluntness. The analysis for this paper is focused on the Reynolds number and bluntness effects at subsonic speeds (M = 0.4) from this data set. The results show significant effects of both these parameters on the onset and progression of leading-edge vortex separation.

Luckring, J. M.↗

Transonic Reynolds Number and Leading-Edge Bluntness Effects on a 65 deg Delta Wing

A 65 deg delta wing has been tested in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at mean aerodynamic chord Reynolds numbers from 6 million to 120 million at subsonic and transonic speeds. The configuration incorporated a systematic variation of the leading edge bluntness. The analysis for this paper is focused on the Reynolds number and bluntness effects at transonic speeds (M=0.85) from this data set. The results show significant effects of both these parameters on the onset and progression of leading-edge vortex separation.

Luckring, J. M.↗

Transonic Reynolds Number and Leading-Edge Bluntness Effects on a 65 deg Delta Wing

A 65 deg delta wing has been tested in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at mean aerodynamic chord Reynolds numbers from 6 million to 120 million at subsonic and transonic speeds. The configuration incorporated a systematic variation of the leading edge bluntness. The analysis for this paper is focused on the Reynolds number and bluntness effects at transonic speeds (M = 0.85) from this data set. The results show significant effects of both these parameters on the onset and progression of leading- edge vortex separation.

Luckring, J. M.↗

Transonic Reynolds Number and Leading-Edge Bluntness Effects on a 65 deg Delta Wing

A 65 degree delta wing has been tested in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at mean aerodynamic chord Reynolds numbers from 6 million to 120 million at subsonic and transonic speeds. The configuration incorporated a systematic variation of the leading edge bluntness. The analysis for this paper is focused on the Reynolds number and bluntness effects at transonic speeds (M = 0.85) from this data set. The results show significant effects of both these parameters on the onset and progression of leading edge vortex separation.

Luckring, J. M.↗

Off-Axis Drag of Dendrite Fragments at Low Reynolds Number

The aim of the present investigation is to characterize the motion of dendrite fragments falling under the influence of gravity in a uniform liquid medium at low Reynolds number. In an earlier study, Zakhem, Weidman and de Groh (1992) reported on the settling speed of model equiaxed dendrite grains released along their axis of symmetry. In this follow-up study uniaxial model dendrite grains were released off-axis to observe and document their motion at different orientations. It was hypothesized that the dendrite models might rotate when released off-axis in which case an attempt would be made to document the ensuing unsteady motion. This latter event turned out to be in fact true: at the small but finite Reynolds numbers that existed, each uniaxial dendrite slowly rotated towards its equilibrium orientation while failing under the influence of gravity. In addition to completing the original goal, we have made use of a beads-on-a shell Stokes flow code to numerically determine the drag coefficient for capsules, i.e.. uniaxial dendrites without arms. The drag on horizontally and vertically falling capsules are reported and compared with measurements.

Weidman, P. D.↗

Investigation at Supersonic Speeds of the Variation with Reynolds Number and Mach Number of the Total, Base, and Skin-friction Drag of Seven Boattail Bodies of Revolution Designed for Minimum Wave Drag

Results are presented from an investigation of the variation with Reynolds number and Mach number of the total, base, and skin-friction drag of seven boattail bodies of revolution designed for minimum wave drag according to the theory of NACA-TN-2550. The tests covered a Reynolds number range from approximately 1.0 x 10(6) to 10.0 x 10(6) at Mach numbers of 1.62, 1.93, and 2.41 respectively.

Bromm, August, F , jr↗