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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Flow-induced vibrations of the SSME LOX inlet tee vanes

This paper describes the results of a program initiated to identify the cause and the mechanism of 4-kHz vibrations of the Space Shuttle main engine's (SSME's) LOX inlet tee, which were revealed in 17 percent of the SSMEs during ground tests. The results of the engines' inspection, structural analyses, computational fluid dynamics studies, literature reviews, expert consultations, and laboratory testings identified the probable cause of the 4-kHz vibrations being related to the fact that the walls of some tees were thinner than in the mojority of tees, resulting in less stiff structures. The mechanism of the vibrations was identified as vortex shedding in combination with a structural coupling with the thrust cone, which increased the vane mobility, which, in turn, aggravated the fluid coupling with the thrust cone. As a result, the vane mobility was increased, aggravating the fluid coupling with the vanes. An internal modification was developed and was successfully demonstrated on an engine that had previously exhibited a 4-kHz problem.

O'Connor, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The mean flow structure around and within a turbulent junction or horseshoe vortex. II - The separated and junction vortex flow

Five-hole probe measurements of the flow through the separation region and in the vortex system of an incompressible subsonic flow around and within a turbulent junction or horseshoe vortex are reported. Mean velocity, static pressure, and total pressure results are presented. The streamwise vorticity field is obtained from the measured velocity field. Flow visualization results for the floor and cylinder surface agree well with the flow field data.

Pierce, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Direct Numerical Simulation of a Coolant Jet in a Periodic Crossflow

A Direct Numerical Simulation of a coolant jet injected normally into a periodic crossflow is presented. The physical situation simulated represents a periodic module in a coolant hole array with a heated crossflow. A collocated finite difference scheme is used which is fifth-order accurate spatially and second-order accurate temporally. The scheme is based on a fractional step approach and requires the solution of a pressure-Poisson equation. The simulations are obtained for a blowing ratio of 0.25 and a channel Reynolds number of 5600. The simulations reveal the dynamics of several large scale structures including the Counter-rotating Vortex Pair (CVP), the horse-shoe vortex, the shear layer vortex, the wall vortex and the wake vortex. The origins and the interactions of these vortical structures are identified and explored. Also presented are the turbulence statistics and how they relate to the flow structures.

Sharma, Chirdeep↗
NASA NTRS1993

Perpendicular blade vortex interaction and its implications for helicopter noise prediction: Wave-number frequency spectra in a trailing vortex for BWI noise prediction

Perpendicular blade vortex interactions are a common occurrence in helicopter rotor flows. Under certain conditions they produce a substantial proportion of the acoustic noise. However, the mechanism of noise generation is not well understood. Specifically, turbulence associated with the trailing vortices shed from the blade tips appears insufficient to account for the noise generated. The hypothesis that the first perpendicular interaction experienced by a trailing vortex alters its turbulence structure in such a way as to increase the acoustic noise generated by subsequent interactions is examined. To investigate this hypothesis a two-part investigation was carried out. In the first part, experiments were performed to examine the behavior of a streamwise vortex as it passed over and downstream of a spanwise blade in incompressible flow. Blade vortex separations between +/- one eighth chord were studied for at a chord Reynolds number of 200,000. Three-component velocity and turbulence measurements were made in the flow from 4 chord lengths upstream to 15 chordlengths downstream of the blade using miniature 4-sensor hot wire probes. These measurements show that the interaction of the vortex with the blade and its wake causes the vortex core to loose circulation and diffuse much more rapidly than it otherwise would. Core radius increases and peak tangential velocity decreases with distance downstream of the blade. True turbulence levels within the core are much larger downstream than upstream of the blade. The net result is a much larger and more intense region of turbulent flow than that presented by the original vortex and thus, by implication, a greater potential for generating acoustic noise. In the second part, the turbulence measurements described above were used to derive the necessary inputs to a Blade Wake Interaction (BWI) noise prediction scheme. This resulted in significantly improved agreement between measurements and calculations of the BWI noise spectrum especially for the spectral peak at low frequencies, which previously was poorly predicted.

Devenport, William J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Wing tip vortex calculations with an unstructured adaptive-grid Euler solver

A solution-adaptive grid method has been developed for computing tip-vortex flowfields around rectangular wings. This method uses subdivision in order to locally refine the grid in regions with high vorticity. Two different flow solvers are used. Each solves the three-dimensional Euler equations on unstructured grids. Computed results are compared to experimentally measured surface pressures and vortex velocities on a NACA 0015 rectangular wing. Predicted results for surface pressures and integrated lift agree well with the experimental data. The predicted size of the rotational vortex core is larger than the experimentally-measured value and the peak velocities are less. This discrepancy appears to be caused by deficiencies in the inviscid Euler-equation model. This model cannot capture the complex viscous effects at the tip that determine the detailed structure of the resulting vortex. In spite of this limitation, the present Euler unstructured adaptive-grid method demonstrates the ability to convert vortical flows with low numerical diffusion. Applications for modeling helicopter rotor wake systems are discussed.

Strawn, Roger C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Measurements of large scale disturbances in rectangular wall jets

Detailed measurements of the velocity field and wall surface pressure distribution of a tone-generating wall jet were obtained in the Ames 7- by 10-foot Wind Tunnel and anechoeic chamber. The jet issued from a 0.508 cm by 10.16 cm nozzle adjacent to a 3.81 cm wall, with an initially parabolic velocity profile at the exit. The jet was operated at Reynolds numbers, R, of 4910, 7740, and 9410. At R = 4910 and 7740, the flow appeared as a double-rowed vortex array which formed upstream of the edge and convected downstream without change in structure. At R = 9410, apparent vortex pairing occurred at the edge location. These flow characteristics were observed in both velocity field measurements and flow visualization records. The unsteady vorticity field of the jet was computed from phase-averaged hot-wire anemometer measurements of the velocity field. The associated acoustic field was estimated by the method of Green's functions, and was found to be similar to measurements of the sound field. These observations tend to support theoretical predictions that vortex shedding at the edge tends to cancel the effect of acoustic sources in other parts of the flow field.

Horne, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Vortex pairing in a circular jet under controlled excitation. I - General jet response. II - Coherent structure dynamics

Hot-wire and flow visualization studies were performed in three air jets subjected to pure-tone excitation. The instability, vortex roll-up, and transition to the controlled excitation were investigated. The conditions most favorable to vortex parting were determined as a function of the excitation Strouhal number, the Reynolds number, and the initial shear-layer state; it was shown that the rolled-up vortex rings undergo pairing under 'the shear layer mode', and the 'jet-column mode' when the Strouhal numbers based on the initial shear-layer momentum thickness are 0.012 and 0.85, respectively. Coherent ring-like vortical structures could be educed to the end of the potential core; however, the paired vortex becomes weaker with increasing downstream distances. The transverse transport of 'u' momentum by the coherent structures was much larger during the pairing process than in regions where a single vortex is studied.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical study of a delta planform with multiple jets in ground effect

The flow past a 60-deg delta wing equipped with two thrust-reverser jets near the inboard trailing edge has been analyzed by numerical solution of the 3D thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations. An implicit, partially flux-split, approximately-factored Navier-Stokes solver coupled with a multiple grid embedding scheme has been adapted to this problem. Studies of the impact of numerical parameters (e.g., grid refinement and dissipation levels), and flow-field parameters such as the height of the delta wing above the ground plane and the jet size on the solution, were performed. Results of these numerical studies indicate some challenges in the accurate resolution of complex 3D free shear layers and jets. Nevertheless, flow features such as jet deformation and ground vortex formation observed in experimental flow visualizations are captured. Further, comparisons with experimental data confirm the ability to simulate the loss of wing-borne lift, commonly referred to 'suckdown, as the delta planform flies at slow speeds in close proximity to the ground. Detailed analysis of the numerical results has also given additional insight into the structure of the ground vortex and the mechanisms of lift loss.

Chawla, K.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Head-on parallel blade-vortex interaction

An experimental and computational study was carried out to investigate the parallel head-on blade-vortex interaction (BVI) and its noise generation mechanism. A shock tube, with an enlarged test section, was used to generate a compressible starting vortex which interacted with a target airfoil. The dual-pulsed holographic interferometry (DPHI) technique and airfoil surface pressure measurements were employed to obtain quantitative flow data during the BVI. A thin-layer Navier-Stokes code (BV12D), with a high-order upwind-biased scheme and a multizonal grid, was also used to simulate numerically the phenomena occurring in the head-on BVI. The detailed structure of a convecting vortex was studied through independent measurements of density and pressure distributions across the vortex center. Results indicate that, in a strong head-on BVI, the opposite pressure peaks are generated on both sides of the leading edge as the vortex approaches. Then, as soon as the vortex passes by the leading edge, the high-pressure peak suddenly moves toward the low-peak-reducing in magnitude as it moves--simultaneously giving rise to the initial sound wave. In both experiment and computation, it is shown that the viscous effect plays a significant role in head-on BVIs.

Lee, Soogab↗
NASA NTRS2024

The Thermal Structure and Composition of Jupiter's Great Red Spot From JWST/MIRI

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) was mapped by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)/Mid-Infrared Instrument (4.9–27.9 μm) in July and August 2022. These observations took place alongside a suite of visual and infrared observations from; Hubble, JWST/NIRCam, Very Large Telescope/VISIR and amateur observers which provided both spatial and temporal context across the jovian disc. The stratospheric temperature structure retrieved using the NEMESIS software revealed a series of hot-spots above the GRS. These could be the consequence of GRS-induced wave activity. In the troposphere, the temperature structure was used to derive the thermal wind structure of the GRS vortex. These winds were only consistent with the independently determined wind field by JWST/NIRCam at 240 mbar if the altitude of the Hubble-derived winds were located around 1,200 mbar, considerably deeper than previously assumed. No enhancement in ammonia was found within the GRS but a link between elevated aerosol and phosphine abundances was observed within this region. North-south asymmetries were observed in the retrieved temperature, ammonia, phosphine and aerosol structure, consistent with the GRS tilting in the north-south direction. Finally, a small storm was captured north-west of the GRS that displayed a considerable excess in retrieved phosphine abundance, suggestive of vigorous convection. Despite this, no ammonia ice was detected in this region. The novelty of JWST required us to develop custom-made software to resolve challenges in calibration of the data. This involved the derivation of the “FLT-5” wavelength calibration solution that has subsequently been integrated into the standard calibration pipeline.

Jake Harkett↗
NASA NTRS1985

Seasonal changes in the structure of the stratospheric circulation

The seasonal evolution of the stratospheric circulation in both hemispheres is studied using a coordinate independent diagnostic tied to the vortex, wherever it lies, rather than to latitude circles. Zonally averaged quantities are highly variable in the winter stratosphere, as the vortex moves on and off the pole, masking systematic changes in the structure of the vortex. The quantities shown here are the areas A(Q), where Ertel's potential vorticity is greater than a specified value Q, for various Q. In these calculations, Q is evaluated on the 850K isentropic surface which lies near 10 mb in the middle of the stratosphere. The advantage of using contours of Q (rather than contours of geopotential height, say) is that an area enclosed by such contours is approximately constant for quasi nondivergent, adiabatic, inviscid motion. Changes in area will occur if any of the above restrictions on the motion are invalid, and also if scales of motions are generated below those that can be adequately resolved. The evolution of area shows the systematic change in the average structure of the vortex. At a given time, the rate of change of Q with A(Q) gives a measure of the average gradient of Q. The gradient of Q is relevant for the propagation of large-scale disturbances into the stratosphere. Experience has also shown that winds tend to be strong (weak) when the gradient of Q is strong (weak).

Oneill, A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Vortex creep and the internal temperature of neutron stars. II - Vela pulsar

The observed complex postglitch behavior of the Vela pulsar is explained as resulting from coupling of the crust to crustal neutron superfluid, specifically that part of the superfluid in which vortex lines are pinned to crustal nuclei. It is shown how the general theory of vortex creep provides an excellent fit to the timing observations of Downs which span the decade 1969-1979 and include four giant glitches. Relaxation times, inertial moments, and limits on superfluid pinning parameters are extracted for three distinct regions of vortex pinning in the star, with results which are consistent with microscopic theories of its internal structure. Relaxation times due to vortex creep are directly proportional to the internal temperature of the star, so that the limits obtained for pinning parameters translate to bounds on this temperature. It is concluded that the internal temperature of the Vela pulsar is about 10-million K and discuss the extent to which improved calculations of vortex pinning as well as soft X-ray observations of other stars will make possible an improved determination of the pulsar temperature.

Alpar, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Vortex Wake Geometry of a Model Tilt Rotor in Forward Flight

A full-span 0.25-scale V-22 tiltrotor was tested in the NASA Ames 40-by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel in November 2000. The main objective of the test was to acquire a comprehensive database to validate tiltrotor analyses. Figure 1 shows the model installed in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel. Rotor and vehicle performance measurements were taken in addition to wing pressures, acoustics, and flow visualization. A dual acoustic traverse system was installed to measure blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise levels and directivity. Test conditions included hover and forward flight in helicopter mode. Angle-of-attack and thrust sweeps for three tunnel speeds were acquired before model problems caused the premature conclusion of the test. The test will resume in the Ames 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel in late 2001. This paper will focus on the wake geometry measurements that were acquired during the test. The wake geometry measurements were a small subset of a larger matrix of planned measurements designed to study the development and structure of the dual vortex system generated during BVI conditions. The present paper will provide wake geometry data for four test conditions. In addition, the data will be compared with previously acquired wake measurements from an isolated tiltrotor

Wadcock, Alan J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

On the inlet vortex system

The flow field of a jet engine with an inlet vortex, which can pick up heavy debris from the ground and damage the engine, was simulated in a small water tunnel by means of the hydrogen bubble technique. It was found that the known engine inlet vortex is accompained by a vortex system, consisting of two inlet vortices (the ground based and the trailing one), secondary vortices, and ground vortices. Simulation of the ground effect by an inlet image proved that the inlet vortex feeds on free stream vorticity and can exist without the presence of a ground boundary layer. The structural form of the inlet vortex system was explained by a simple potential flow model, which showed the number, location, and the importance of the stagnation points. A retractable horizontal screen or an up-tilt of the engine is suggested as countermeasure against debris ingestion.

Bissinger, N. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The evolution of Ertel's potential vorticity during stratospheric sudden warmings

In the winter stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere, the disruption of the westerly vortex and associated warming of polar latitudes is a well known phenomenon. It has become apparent that some important dynamical processes in the stratosphere are highly nonlinear and are best thought of locally rather than in terms of the interaction between the zonal-mean flow and harmonic waves around latitude circles. The importance of nonlinear processes was suggested by McIntyre and Palmer (1983, 1984) who used isentropic maps of Ertel's Potential Vorticity to show that during disturbed episodes material lines may become strongly and irreversibly deformed in certain places. They adopted the term planetary wave breaking to describe this process. Isentropic maps of Q are used to follow the evolution of a Canadian warming in November - December 1981 and a particularly strong warming in January 1982. The advection of Q over large distances on isentropic surfaces was a striking feature of the flow during each event. This could be identified because of our ability to follow the movement of material lines due to the approximate conservation of Q over several days. The advection of Q was a nonlinear process because its changing distribution affected the advecting wind field. The Canadian warming did not lead to a permanent change in the structure of the westerly vortex, as defined by the coarse-grain field of Q, whereas the January event was accompanied by a substantial loss of resolved Q which was never fully recovered.

Fairlie, T. D. A.↗
DOE OSTI2016

5 kHz thermometry in a swirl-stabilized gas turbine model combustor using chirped probe pulse femtosecond CARS. Part 2. Analysis of swirl flame dynamics

We have performed a detailed analysis of the temperature field in a turbulent swirl flame operating with a self-excited thermo-acoustic instability. The temperature field was measured using 5 kHz chirped-probe-pulse (CPP) femtosecond (fs) coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). The measurements are described in detail in the part 1 companion article. In this paper, part 2, a detailed analysis of the time-resolved temperature measurements and simultaneous pressure measurements is performed to provide insight into the dynamics and structure of the swirl-stabilized flame. Here this work is the first to capture the dynamics of the flame, flow, and coupled flow-flame processes using high-fidelity, spatially- and temporally-resolved thermometry in a flame of practical relevance. The time-averaged contour plot of the temperature field indicates that the flame is very flat and stabilizes approximately 10 mm downstream of the burner face. In this region, there are very significant temperature fluctuations indicating a very high level of unsteadiness. The temperature probability distribution functions (PDFs) are clearly bimodal in this region near the injector face. A Fourier analysis of the temperature time series revealed multiple coherent oscillatory modes. The strongest oscillation was found to be coherent and in-phase with an acoustic resonance at 314 Hz, as expected from the Rayleigh criteria for the unstable flame. An analysis of the phase-conditioned average temperature fields clearly shows an axial pumping of low-temperature reactants, which are consumed after a convective delay and result in a spike in the global heat-release rate. Continued analysis also revealed a 438 Hz oscillation that was found to correspond with the dynamics of convective transport by a helical precessing vortex core (PVC). The structure of the PVC, and its interaction with the flame, were studied based on the presence of this characteristic frequency in the power spectral densities computed throughout the flow. The precision and time-resolution of the CPP fsCARS measurements was also sufficient to enable computation of the integral time-scales as well as the PDFs of the temporal temperature gradients. A sample of state space trajectories were used to provide insight into the nature of coupling between the narrowband acoustic resonance and the broadband spectrum of turbulent flame processes.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2010

Validations of Coupled CSD/CFD and Particle Vortex Transport Method for Rotorcraft Applications: Hover, Transition, and High Speed Flights

This paper presents validations of a novel rotorcraft analysis that coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD), and Particle Vortex Transport Method (PVTM) methodologies. The CSD with associated vehicle trim analysis is used to calculate blade deformations and trim parameters. The near body CFD analysis is employed to provide detailed near body flow field information which is used to obtain high-fidelity blade aerodynamic loadings. The far field wake dominated region is simulated using the PVTM analysis which provides accurate prediction of the evolution of the rotor wake released from the near body CFD domains. A loose coupling methodology between the CSD and CFD/PVTM modules are used with appropriate information exchange amongst the CSD/CFD/PVTM modules. The coupled CSD/CFD/PVTM methodology is used to simulate various rotorcraft flight conditions (i.e. hover, transition, and high speed flights), and the results are compared with several sets of experimental data. For the hover condition, the results are compared with hover data for the HART II rotor tested at DLR Institute of Flight Systems, Germany. For the forward flight conditions, the results are validated with the UH-60A flight test data.

Anusonti-Inthra, Phuriwat↗
DOE OSTI2024

Vortex bursting and associated twist dynamics on helical vortex tubes and vortex rings

The interaction of opposite-signed twist waves on vortex tubes can lead to vortex bursting, a process where the core expands into a double ring-like structure with strong swirling flows. Previous works have studied vortex bursting on rectilinear vortices by axially perturbing the initial core size to generate the twist waves, and observed largely axisymmetric bursting dynamics. In this work, we numerically study bursting on vortical structures with curved centrelines, analysing the interaction between the centreline dynamics, twist wave generation and propagation, and vortex bursting. We focus on axially perturbed helical vortex tubes with small radius-to-pitch ratios up to$0.0625$, as well as vortex rings with a large radius-to-core size ratio$10$, both at a circulation-based Reynolds number$5000$. The results show that though the initial twist wave propagation speeds are relatively unaffected by the curvature and torsion of the centreline, the bursting process is altered significantly compared with rectilinear vortices. The self-induced rotation of the centreline of the helical tube induces a non-axisymmetric distortion of the bursting structure, which rapidly breaks up the vortex core into small-scale helical structures. A similar destabilization of the bursting structure also occurs on vortex rings. The enstrophy increase and accelerated energy decay associated with bursting are predominantly determined by the twist wave strength, rather than the curvature and torsion of the centreline. Combined, our findings imply that bursting could play an important role in transferring and dissipating energy of vortical structures in wakes, and turbulent flows in general.

Mechanics↗