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At least 415 records · Page 23

The effect of modeled turbulence on a hypersonic shock layer with massive ablation injection

For the first time, candidate turbulence models are analyzed for shock-layer conditions as severe as those of a Jovian entry. The various models investigated are two standard models developed primarily by Cebeci (1970) and Kendall (1972), and two modifications of the standard models developed primarily by Baldwin and Lomax (1978) and by Nicolet (1979). The analysis is conducted within the context of a new, viscous shock-layer flow-field code, to properly isolate differences in performance among the various models. This code retains all terms in the Navier-Stokes equations necessary to describe the unique flow events, and incorporates computational features that greatly facilitate the analysis of such events. The relative superiority of the turbulence models cannot be determined from this study alone; however, insight is provided into the relative severity of the various models. In addition, attention is focused on an important research area for experimental and theoretical investigation to develop realistic turbulence models.

Menees, G. P.↗

The effects of atmospheric turbulence on a quadrotor heavy lift airship

The response of a quadrotor heavy lift airship to atmospheric turbulence is evaluated using a four-point input model. Results show interaction between gust inputs and the characteristic modes of the vehicle's response. Example loop closures demonstrate tradeoffs between response regulation and structural loads. Vehicle responses to a tuned discrete wave front compare favorably with the linear results and illustrate characteristic HLA motion.

Tischler, M. B.↗

Analytic modeling of a spray diffusion flame

A detailed model for a spray diffusion flame is described. The model is based on the boundary layer form of the equations of motion, with droplet transport accounted for using a discretized droplet size distribution function. Interphase transport of mass and energy are accounted for, with a flame-sheet model used to describe the combustion process on a droplet scale. Near dynamic equilibrium is assumed for the description of droplet transport; droplets can diffuse relative to the gas phase. Gas-phase mixing is accounted for using a two-equation turbulence model; buoyancy effects are included, with a temperature fluctuation equation used to account for buoyancy effects on turbulence structure. Thermal radiation from gas-phase CO2 and H2O is included. Gas-phase chemical kinetics are modeled using a 20-reaction, 10-species version of the advanced quasi-global chemical kinetics formulation. Results are compared with data for a vaporizing Freon spray and a pentane spray flame. It is shown that the computational approach provides a reasonably valid picture of the overall development of a spray diffusion flame, and, furthermore, provides a useful tool for the parametric examination of the spray combustion process.

Harsha, P. T.↗

Two- and three-dimensional viscous computations of a hypersonic inlet flow

The three-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes code has been used to investigate the flow through a Mach 7.4 inlet. A two-dimensional parametric study of grid resolution, turbulence modeling and effect of gamma has been done and compared with experimental results. The results show that mesh resolution of the shock waves, real gas effects and turbulence length scaling are very important to get accurate results for hypersonic inlet flows. In addition a three-dimensional calculation of the Mach 7.4 inlet has been done on a straight sideplate configuration. The results show that the glancing shock/boundary layer interaction phenomena causes significant three-dimensional flow in the inlet.

Kunik, William G.↗

Two- and three-dimensional viscous computations of a hypersonic inlet flow

The three-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes code has been used to investigate the flow through a Mach 7.4 inlet. A two-dimensional parametric study of grid resolution, turbulence modeling and effect of gamma has been done and compared with experimental results. The results show that mesh resolution of the shock waves, real gas effects and turbulence length scaling are very important to get accurate results for hypersonic inlet flows. In addition a three-dimensional calculation of the Mach 7.4 inlet has been done on a straight sideplate configuration. The results show that the glancing shock/boundary layer interaction phenomena causes significant three-dimensional flow in the inlet.

Kunik, William G.↗

Effects of organized turbulence structures on the phase distortion in a coherent optical beam propagating through a turbulent shear flow

Phase distortion in a coherent optical beam propagating through a turbulent shear flow is studied. The instantaneous distribution of the index refraction is represented by a passive-scalar field in a computed homogeneous shear flow. The flow contains organized vortical structures (hairpin eddies), which are characteristic of turbulent shear flows. The phase distortion induced by turbulent fluctuations is calculated from the optical path difference through the flow. A conceptual model is proposed for the distribution of scalar fluctuations produced by the hairpin vortices in the shear flow. It is shown that the phase distortion of an optical beam can be minimized by propagating the beam at an angle approximately normal to the organized vortical structures in a turbulent shear flow.

Truman, C. Randall↗

Nonadiabatic and three-dimensional effects in compressible turbulent boundary layers

A defect stream function formulation for nonadiabatic flow with small crossflow is developed. The first-integral property of this formulation provides for two removal of the streamline curvature term in the governing equation so that the form of the reduced equation for small crossflow is the same as that for two dimensional flow. The combined law of the wall and wake is used in place of the no-slip boundary condition. The tangential velocity equation for law-of-the-wall flow is shown to be the same for three-dimensions as for two when the Boussinesq approximation applies, and a closed form solution for the crossflow angle in the inner region is obtained. Analytic solutions for nonadiabatic, compressible, equilibrium flow with a Clauser outer-region eddy-viscosity model are obtained, and excellent agreement with experimental skin friction and velocity profile data for nonadiabatic, compressible flat-plate flow is achieved. An analytic solution for a linear inner-region eddy-viscosity model is also obtained; the wake function part of this solution is found to be inconsistent with the empirically established law of the wake.

Barnwell, Richard W.↗

Effect of Interfacial Turbulence and Accommodation Coefficient on CFD Predictions of Pressurization and Pressure Control in Cryogenic Storage Tank

Laminar models agree closely with the pressure evolution and vapor phase temperature stratification but under-predict liquid temperatures. Turbulent SST k-w and k-e models under-predict the pressurization rate and extent of stratification in the vapor but represent liquid temperature distributions fairly well. These conclusions seem to equally apply to large cryogenic tank simulations as well as small scale simulant fluid pressurization cases. Appropriate turbulent models that represent both interfacial and bulk vapor phase turbulence with greater fidelity are needed. Application of LES models to the tank pressurization problem can serve as a starting point.

Condensation Evaporation↗

Modeling Compressibility Effects in High-Speed Turbulent Flows

Man has strived to make objects fly faster, first from subsonic to supersonic and then to hypersonic speeds. Spacecraft and high-speed missiles routinely fly at hypersonic Mach numbers, M greater than 5. In defense applications, aircraft reach hypersonic speeds at high altitude and so may civilian aircraft in the future. Hypersonic flight, while presenting opportunities, has formidable challenges that have spurred vigorous research and development, mainly by NASA and the Air Force in the USA. Although NASP, the premier hypersonic concept of the eighties and early nineties, did not lead to flight demonstration, much basic research and technology development was possible. There is renewed interest in supersonic and hypersonic flight with the HyTech program of the Air Force and the Hyper-X program at NASA being examples of current thrusts in the field. At high-subsonic to supersonic speeds, fluid compressibility becomes increasingly important in the turbulent boundary layers and shear layers associated with the flow around aerospace vehicles. Changes in thermodynamic variables: density, temperature and pressure, interact strongly with the underlying vortical, turbulent flow. The ensuing changes to the flow may be qualitative such as shocks which have no incompressible counterpart, or quantitative such as the reduction of skin friction with Mach number, large heat transfer rates due to viscous heating, and the dramatic reduction of fuel/oxidant mixing at high convective Mach number. The peculiarities of compressible turbulence, so-called compressibility effects, have been reviewed by Fernholz and Finley. Predictions of aerodynamic performance in high-speed applications require accurate computational modeling of these "compressibility effects" on turbulence. During the course of the project we have made fundamental advances in modeling the pressure-strain correlation and developed a code to evaluate alternate turbulence models in the compressible shear layer.

Sarkar, S.↗

Effect of chemistry and turbulence on NO formation in oxygen-natural gas flames

The effects of chemistry and turbulence on NO formation in oxygen-natural turbulent diffusion flames gas flames have been investigated. The chemistry of nitric oxides has been studied numerically in the counterflow configuration. Systematic calculations with the GRI 2.11 mechanism for combustion of methane and NO chemistry were conducted to provide a base case. It was shown that the 'simple' Zeldovich mechanism accounts for more than 75% of N2 consumption in the flame in a range of strain-rates varying between 10 and 1000 s-l. The main shortcomings of this mechanism are: 1) overestimation (15%) of the NO production rate at low strain-rates because it does not capture the reburn due to the hydrocarbon chemistry, and 2) underestimation (25%) of the NO production rate at high strainrates because it ignores NO production through the prompt mechanism. Reburn through the Zeldovich mechanism alone proves to be significant at low strain-rates. A one-step model based on the Zeldovich mechanism and including reburn has been developed. It shows good agreement with the GRI mechanism at low strain-rates but underestimates significantly N2 consumption (about 50%) at high strain-rates. The role of turbulence has been assessed by using an existing 3-D DNS data base of a diffusion flame in decaying turbulence. Two PDF closure models used in practical industrial codes for turbulent NO formation have been tested. A simpler version of the global one-step chemical scheme for NO compared to that developed in this study was used to test the closure assumptions of the PDF models, because the data base could not provide all the necessary ingredients. Despite this simplification, it was possible to demonstrate that the current PDF models for NO overestimate significantly the NO production rate due to the fact that they neglect the correlations between the fluctuations in oxygen concentration and temperature. A single scalar PDF model for temperature that accounts for such correlations based on laminar flame considerations has been developed and showed excellent agreement with the values given by the DNS.

Samaniego, J. -M.↗

Measurements of the turbulent transport of heat and momentum in convexly curved boundary layers - Effects of curvature, recovery and free-stream turbulence

The effects of streamwise convex curvature, recovery, and freestream turbulence intensity on the turbulent transport of heat and momentum in a mature boundary layer are studied using a specially designed three-wire hot-wire probe. Increased freestream turbulence is found to increase the profiles throughout the boundary layer on the flat developing wall. Curvature effects were found to dominate turbulence intensity effects for the present cases considered. For the higher TI (turbulence intensity) case, negative values of the turbulent Prandtl number are found in the outer half of the boundary layer, indicating a breakdown in Reynolds analogy.

Kim, J.↗

Analytical study of the effects of wind tunnel turbulence on turbofan rotor noise

The influence of tunnel turbulence on turbofan rotor noise was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the NASA Ames 40 by 80 foot tunnel in simulating flight levels of fan noise. A previously developed theory for predicting rotor/turbulence interaction noise was refined and extended to include first-order effects of inlet turbulence anisotropy. This theory was then verified by carrying out extensive data/theory comparisons. The resulting model computer program was then employed to carry out a parametric study of the effects of fan size, blade number, and operating line on rotor/turbulence noise for outdoor test stand. NASA Ames wind tunnel, and flight inlet turbulence conditions. A major result of this study is that although wind tunnel rotor/turbulence noise levels are not as low as flight levels they are substantially lower than the outdoor test stand levels and do not mask other sources of fan noise.

Gliebe, P. R.↗