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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Far-Field Turbulent Vortex-Wake/Exhaust Plume Interaction for Subsonic and HSCT Airplanes

Computational study of the far-field turbulent vortex-wake/exhaust plume interaction for subsonic and high speed civil transport (HSCT) airplanes is carried out. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are solved using the implicit, upwind, Roe-flux-differencing, finite-volume scheme. The two-equation shear stress transport model of Menter is implemented with the NS solver for turbulent-flow calculation. For the far-field study, the computations of vortex-wake interaction with the exhaust plume of a single engine of a Boeing 727 wing in a holding condition and two engines of an HSCT in a cruise condition are carried out using overlapping zonal method for several miles downstream. These results are obtained using the computer code FTNS3D. The results of the subsonic flow of this code are compared with those of a parabolized NS solver known as the UNIWAKE code.

Kandil, Osama A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Computation of aircraft component flow fields at transonic Mach numbers using a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes algorithm

A computer analysis was developed for calculating steady (or unsteady) three-dimensional aircraft component flow fields. This algorithm, called ENS3D, can compute the flow field for the following configurations: diffuser duct/thrust nozzle, isolated wing, isolated fuselage, wing/fuselage with or without integrated inlet and exhaust, nacelle/inlet, nacelle (fuselage) afterbody/exhaust jet, complete transport engine installation, and multicomponent configurations using zonal grid generation technique. Solutions can be obtained for subsonic, transonic, or hypersonic freestream speeds. The algorithm can solve either the Euler equations for inviscid flow, the thin shear layer Navier-Stokes equations for viscous flow, or the full Navier-Stokes equations for viscous flow. The flow field solution is determined on a body-fitted computational grid. A fully-implicit alternating direction implicit method is employed for the solution of the finite difference equations. For viscous computations, either a two layer eddy-viscosity turbulence model or the k-epsilon two equation transport model can be used to achieve mathematical closure.

Shrewsbury, George D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

On the maintenance of short-term subtropical wind maxima in the Southern Hemisphere during SOP-1, FGGE

The extent to which divergent circulations, induced by tropical heating, help to maintain westerly maxima in the Southern Hemisphere subtropics during the SOP-1 of FGGE is explored using Level III-b analyses from the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres. The contribution of the divergent wind component to the total ageostrophic flow in the subtropics is examined, as are the roles of other forcing terms in the localized Eliassen-Palm (1961) flux zonal momentum equation. Throughout the summertime subtropics, it is generally found that the dominant term in the zonal momentum budget is the Coriolis force applied to the diabatically driven meridional circulation. The largest positive tendencies due to this term are found in the entrance regions of the subtropical westerly maxima, and divergent circulations account for nearly all of the total ageostrophic flow. In the SPCZ region, however, it is found that transient eddies play an important role by partially offsetting the strong Coriolis acceleration in the entrance region of the local jet, and they help accelerate the westerly flow in the exit region through both barotropic and baroclinic processes. Energetically, the dominant term in the rotational kinetic energy budget throughout the subtropical belt is the conversion of divergent to rotational kinetic energy. The evidence supports the view that tropical heating in transient events drives or enhances local meridional overturning in the atmosphere, which, in turn, strengthens the summer subtropical westerly jet stream.

Hurrell, James W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Low-latitude thermospheric neutral winds determined from AE-E measurements of the 6300-A nightglow at solar maximum

Atmosphere Explorer E (AE-E) measurements of the O(1D) 6300-A emission in the nighttime equatorial thermosphere are used to infer the height of the F2 layer peak as a function of latitude and local time. The investigation is conducted both for northern hemisphere winter solstice and for spring equinox, under solar maximum conditions. The layer heights are used to derive magnetic meridional components of the transequatorial neutral wind, in conjunction with the MSIS-86 model and previous Jicamarca incoherent scatter measurements of the zonal electric field. The AE-E wind estimates indicate a predominant summer to winter flow for the winter solstice case. Comparisons are made with the empirical horizontal wind model HWM87 and with winds generated by the thermospheric general circulation model. The model predictions and experimental results are generally in good agreement, confirming the applicability of visible airglow data to studies of the global neutral wind pattern.

Burrage, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Re-Entry Simulation and Landing Area for YES2

The REST simulator includes many parameters: a) Inertial <-> Fix to Earth reference system; b) Geodetic <-> Geocentric coordinates; c) Rotational velocity of the Atmosphere; d) Effect of the rotation of the Earth; e) Bulge effect of the Earth; f) Spherical harmonic expansion for the Earth s gravitational potential, J2 (zonal); g) Heat flux, temperature in the wall; h) Drag coefficient for different regimes; i) Flow regime status; j) Density model NRLMSISE-00; k) Wind model HWM-93; l) G2S atmospheric model with the latest meteorological conditions and m) Landing area (Monte Carlo Simulations)

Calzada, Silvia↗
NASA NTRS1989

Advances in the computation of transonic separated flows over finite wings

Problems encountered in numerical simulations of transonic wind-tunnel experiments with low-aspect-ratio wings are surveyed and illustrated. The focus is on the zonal Euler/Navier-Stokes program developed by Holst et al. (1985) and its application to shock-induced separation. The physical basis and numerical implementation of the method are reviewed, and results are presented from studies of the effects of artificial dissipation, boundary conditions, grid refinement, the turbulence model, and geometry representation on the simulation accuracy. Extensive graphs and diagrams and typical flow visualizations are provided.

Kaynak, Unver↗
NASA NTRS1985

The integrated enstrophy budget of the winter stratosphere diagnosed from LIMS data

The quasi-geostrophic integrated enstrophy budget for the 1978 to 1979 winter has been analyzed from 10-0.1 mb using LIMS data. During January and late February periods a significant imbalance in the budget appears at 10mb. This imbalance is attributed to Rossby wave breaking. It is produced by the irreversible transfer of enstrophy to smaller scales not resolved by LIMS. The imbalance episodes correspond well to the appearance of Ertel vorticity filaments shown by McIntyre and Palmer (1984). From a seasonal viewpoint, the integrated enstrophy shows an average (although irregular) transfer from a zonal mean reservoir to waves which are then dissipated. On a shorter time scale the integrated enstrophy sloshes back and forth between the waves and mean flow in early winter; then, beginning with the January sudden warming, the total enstrophy is reduced more rapidly. Between 10 mb and 1 mb this reduction is more or less continuous until the end of February. However, in the mesosphere the total enstrophy decrease is very short lived, being quickly restored after the January warming. Even though the zonal mean integrated enstrophy is large, only about 10% can be utilized by the waves. The available integrated potential enstrophy is introduced, which is a better measure of how close the flow is to saturation by Rossby waves. The largest amount of available potential enstrophy in early January is at 1 mb with decreasing amounts above and below. Saturation of the flow by Rossby waves occurs below 1 mb only coincident with sudden warmings; however, at mesospheric heights the flow appears to be nearly saturated throughout the winter.

Schoeberl, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Aeroacoustic Simulations of Tandem Cylinders with Subcritical Spacing

Tandem cylinders are being studied because they model a variety of component level interactions of landing gear. The present effort is directed at the case of two identical cylinders with their centroids separated in the streamwise direction by 1.435 diameters. Experiments in the Basic Aerodynamic Research Tunnel and Quiet Flow Facility at NASA Langley Research Center have provided an extensive experimental database of the nearfield flow and radiated noise. The measurements were conducted at a Mach number of 0.1285 and Reynolds number of 1.66x10(exp 5) based on the cylinder diameter. A trip was used on the upstream cylinder to insure a fully turbulent flow separation and, hence, to simulate a major aspect of high Reynolds number flow. The parallel computational effort uses the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver CFL3D with a hybrid, zonal turbulence model that turns off the turbulence production term everywhere except in a narrow ring surrounding solid surfaces. The experiments exhibited an asymmetry in the surface pressure that was persistent despite attempts to eliminate it through small changes in the configuration. To model the asymmetry, the simulations were run with the cylinder configuration at a nonzero but small angle of attack. The computed results and experiments are in general agreement that vortex shedding for the spacing studied herein is weak relative to that observed at supercritical spacings. Although the shedding was subdued in the simulations, it was still more prominent than in the experiments. Overall, the simulation comparisons with measured near-field data and the radiated acoustics are reasonable, especially if one is concerned with capturing the trends relative to larger cylinder spacings. However, the flow details of the 1.435 diameter spacing have not been captured in full even though very fine grid computations have been performed. Some of the discrepancy may be associated with the simulation s inexact representation of the experimental configuration, but numerical and flow modeling errors are also likely contributors to the observed differences.

Lockard, David P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A development of grid generation procedure for multicomponent aerodynamic configuration

Two approaches for solving the transonic flow in a multi-block grid were explored. The first approach examines a method involving "zonal decomposition" wherein block boundaries are treated as true boundary surfaces separating interfacing grids. The issues investigated involve techniques for matching solutions at a block boundary. A feasibility study was completed and the results are presented. The second approach involves overlapping grids for differencing across a block boundary near an artificially induced coordinate singularity occurring at a fictitious corner. This approach selects a set of neighboring nodes for the fictitious corner such that the resulting physical cells for a node are topologically the same as any other node on the airfoil surface.

Chen, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Wave instability in the polar region of Venus

Infrared and radio observations of the upper cloud region of Venus indicate that the north polar region contains features of large thermal contrast. A cold collar, encompassing a region of temperature inversions, lies between latitudes of about 65 and 75 deg, and a pair of warm features, separated by about 180 deg of longitude and centered near 80 deg latitude, rotate about the pole with a period of about 2.9 days. It is shown that the cold temperatures associated with the inversions lead to an enhancement in the mean zonal wind in a localized area near the pole, and that this enhancement makes the mean flow barotropically unstable. Since data for this region are limited, a model for the thermal structure has been used for calculating growth times and phase periods of the unstable modes. Choosing model parameters to agree as closely as possible with available data, it has been determined that the rotating warm features are likely to be manifestations of barotropically unstable waves.

Elson, L. S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A numerical simulation of barotropic instability. I Wave-mean flow interaction

A numerical model is used to study the evolution of the barotropic point jet instability as it interacts with the mean flow. The linearized instability solution agrees well with the recent analytical solutions of Lindzen. Stabilization of the point jet instability occurs as the mean flow is modified by wave vorticity transport. Assuming stabilization occurs when the meridional gradient of the zonal mean vorticity is no longer negative, the maximum integrated wave enstrophy can be predicted. In addition, an estimate of the integrated wave enstrophy at steady state can be made by balancing the generation of vorticity against dissipation. These limits are found to be in good agreement with the numerical results.

Schoeberl, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Conservative multizonal interface algorithm for the 3-D Navier-Stokes equations

A conservative zonal interface algorithm using features of both structured and unstructured mesh CFD technology is presented. The flow solver within each of the zones is based on structured mesh CFD technology. The interface algorithm was implemented into two three-dimensional Navier-Stokes finite volume codes and was found to yield good results.

Klopfer, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The 1996-2002 Plunge in the North-Atlantic Oscillation Index Produces Cold Spring Temperatures in Central Europe

Surface-air temperatures in winter and spring in central Europe rose over the second half of the 20th century, reported for different data-spans, and by different approaches (Ross et al., 1996; Angell, 1999; Hansen et al., 1999; Demaree et al., 2002). Analysis with a finer temporal resolution shows that late-winter and early-spring (February and March) trends are much stronger than the 3-month season averages (Otterman et al., 2002a). Responding to this need for finer than 3- month resolution, observations at meteorological stations in central Europe are analyzed here for the years 1951-2002, computing six-pentad (5-day period) averages (effectively monthly averages for January, February, and March). The daily minimum surface-air temperature, T(sub min), and the daily maximum temperature, T(sub max), rose steeply in Berlin and Poznan' in the years 1951-1995. Based on sensitivity studies, the bulk of this sharp warming is due to stronger southwesterlies over the North Atlantic, with which the temperatures in Europe are strongly correlated (Otterman et al., 1999; 2002a). However, for the most recent seven years, a pronounced downturn of the warming is observed, which we attribute to the concurrent, 1996-2002, sharp downturn of the ocean-surface southwesterlies over the North Atlantic (Otterman et al., 2002b). Such changes in the ocean winds and variations in the storm tracks are associated with changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO (Rogers, 1997). The NAO index, the difference in the surface pressure between Iceland and Azores, constitutes a measure of the zonal winds over the eastern North Atlantic, and thus is a critically important factor influencing the flow of maritime air into Europe (but the temperature of the advected airmasses depends on the meridional component, as we discuss). The recent (1996-2002) downturn in this index resulted in much colder spring temperatures in Europe, with adverse significance for the growing season.

Atlas, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2006

Interaction of Moist Convection with Zonal Jets on Jupiter and Saturn

Observations suggest that moist convection plays an important role in the large-scale dynamics of Jupiter s and Saturn s atmospheres. Here we use a reduced-gravity quasigeostrophic model, with a parameterization of moist convection that is based on observations, to study the interaction between moist convection and zonal jets on Jupiter and Saturn. Stable jets with approximately the same width and strength as observations are generated in the model. The observed zonal jets violate the barotropic stability criterion but the modeled jets do so only if the flow in the deep underlying layer is westward. The model results suggest that a length scale and a velocity scale associated with moist convection control the width and strength of the jets. The length scale and velocity scale offer a possible explanation of why the jets of Saturn are stronger and wider than those of Jupiter.

Li, Liming↗
NASA NTRS2008

Global Gravity Wave Variances from Aura MLS: Characteristics and Interpretation

The gravity wave (GW)-resolving capabilities of 118-GHz saturated thermal radiances acquired throughout the stratosphere by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Aura satellite are investigated and initial results presented. Because the saturated (optically thick) radiances resolve GW perturbations from a given altitude at different horizontal locations, variances are evaluated at 12 pressure altitudes between 21 and 51 km using the 40 saturated radiances found at the bottom of each limb scan. Forward modeling simulations show that these variances are controlled mostly by GWs with vertical wavelengths z 5 km and horizontal along-track wavelengths of y 100-200 km. The tilted cigar-shaped three-dimensional weighting functions yield highly selective responses to GWs of high intrinsic frequency that propagate toward the instrument. The latter property is used to infer the net meridional component of GW propagation by differencing the variances acquired from ascending (A) and descending (D) orbits. Because of improved vertical resolution and sensitivity, Aura MLS GW variances are 5?8 times larger than those from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) MLS. Like UARS MLS variances, monthly-mean Aura MLS variances in January and July 2005 are enhanced when local background wind speeds are large, due largely to GW visibility effects. Zonal asymmetries in variance maps reveal enhanced GW activity at high latitudes due to forcing by flow over major mountain ranges and at tropical and subtropical latitudes due to enhanced deep convective generation as inferred from contemporaneous MLS cloud-ice data. At 21-28-km altitude (heights not measured by the UARS MLS), GW variance in the tropics is systematically enhanced and shows clear variations with the phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation, in general agreement with GW temperature variances derived from radiosonde, rocketsonde, and limb-scan vertical profiles.

MLS (MICROWAVE LIMB SOUNDER)↗
NASA NTRS2002

Are Solar Activity Variations Amplified by the QBO: A Modeling Study

Solar cycle activity effects (SCAE) in the lower and middle atmosphere, reported in several studies, are difficult to explain on the basis of the small changes in solar radiation that accompany the 11-year cycle. It is therefore natural to speculate that dynamical processes may come into play to produce a leverage. Such a leverage may be provided by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the zonal circulation of the stratosphere, which has been linked to solar activity variations. Driven primarily by wave mean flow interaction, the QBO period and its amplitude are variable but are also strongly influenced by the seasonal cycle in the solar radiation. This influence extends to low altitudes and is referred to as 'downward control'. Small changes in the solar radiative forcing may produce small changes in the period and phase of the QBO, but these in turn may produce measurable differences in the wind field. Thus, the QBO may be an amplifier of solar activity variations and a natural conduit of these variations to lower altitudes. To test this hypothesis, we conducted experiments with a 2D version of our Numerical Spectral Model that incorporates Hines' Doppler Spread Parameterization for small-scale gravity waves (GW). Solar cycle radiance variations (SCRV) are accounted for by changing the radiative heating rate on a logarithmic scale from 0.1% at the surface to 1% at 50 km to 10% at 100 km. With and without SCRV, but with the same GW flux, we then conduct numerical experiments to evaluate the magnitude of the SCAE in the zonal circulation. The numerical results indicate that, under certain conditions, the SCAE is significant and can extend to lower altitudes where the SCRV is small. For a modeled QBO period of 30 months, we find that the seasonal cycle in the solar forcing acts as a strong pacemaker to lock up the phase and period of the QBO. The SCAE then shows up primarily as a distinct but relatively weak amplitude modulation. But with a different QBO period between 30 and 34 (or less than 30, presumably) months, the seasonal phase lock is weak. Solar flux variations in the seasonal cycle then cause variations in the QBO period and phase. These amplify the SCAE to produce relatively large variations in the wind field. The SCAE in this case extends to mid-latitudes.

Mengel, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Solar Cycle Variations and Equatorial Oscillations: Modeling Study

Solar cycle activity effects (SCAE) in the lower and middle atmosphere, reported in several studies, are difficult to explain on the basis of the small changes in solar radiation that accompany the 11-year cycle, It is therefore natural to speculate that dynamical processes may come into play to produce a leverage. Such a leverage may be provided by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the zonal circulation of the stratosphere, which has been linked to solar activity variations. Driven primarily by wave mean flow interaction, the QBO period and its amplitude are variable but are also strongly influenced by the seasonal cycle in the solar radiation. This influence extends to low altitudes referred to as "downward control". Relatively small changes in solar radiative forcing can produce small changes in the period and phase of the QBO, but this in turn can produce measurable differences in the wind field. Thus, the QBO may be an amplifier of solar activity variations and a natural conduit of these variations to lower altitudes. To test this hypothesis, we conducted experiments with a 2D (two-dimensional) version of our Numerical Spectral Model that incorporates Hines' Doppler Spread Parameterization for small-scale gravity waves (GW). Solar cycle radiance variations (SCRV) are accounted for by changing the radiative heating rate on a logarithmic scale from 0.1 % at the surface to 1 % at 50 km to 10% at 100 km. With and without SCRV, but with the same GW flux, we then conduct numerical experiments to evaluate the magnitude of the SCAE in the zonal circulation. The numerical results indicate that, under certain conditions, the SCAE is significant and can extend to lower altitudes where the SCRV is inconsequential. At 20-km the differences in the modeled wind velocities are as large as 5 m/s. For a modeled QBO period of 30 months, we find that the seasonal cycle in the solar forcing (through the Semi-annual Oscillation (SAO)) acts as a strong pacemaker to lockup the phase and period of the QBO. The SCAE then shows up primarily as a distinct but relatively weak amplitude modulation. But with the QBO period between 30 and 34 (or less than 30, presumably) months, the seasonal phase lock is weak. Solar flux radiance variations in the seasonal cycle then cause variations in the QBO period and phase that amplify the SCAE to produce relatively large variations in the wind field. These variations also extend to mid latitudes.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Transonic viscous flow computations about a complete aircraft using the Navier-Stokes equations

A numerical approach for simulating the viscous transonic flow about the complete F-16A fighter aircraft is presented using the Navier-Stokes equations. This finite difference approach utilizes a body conforming zonal grid system to provide appropriate viscous clustering near all body surfaces. A comparison between computational and experimental pressure coefficients is good, and integrated quantities such as lift and drag are within 2.6 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. The versatility of the method is demonstrated by further modeling the flow inside the inlet up to the compressor face and the exhaust nozzle plume. Results for the F-16A in sideslip are also presented and indicate the proper trends.

Chaderjian, Neal M.↗