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At least 55 records · Page 3

Localizing resonant magnetic perturbations for edge localized mode control in KSTAR

An external 3D magnetic perturbation typically drives a resonant response at the rational surfaces from the core to the edge of tokamak plasmas, due to strong mode coupling and amplification. In this paper, we present a method to isolate the edge from core resonant fields using the ideal perturbed equilibrium code and to design an edge-localized resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) for effective edge localized mode (ELM) control. A robust feature of the edge-localized RMP is the curtailed response to the field at the low-field-side (LFS) midplane, as opposed to typical RMPs which strongly resonate with the LFS fields. This emphasizes the importance of off-midplane coils to improve ELM control without provoking a large core response that could lead to devastating instabilities. The conceptual design of new ELM control coils based on the edge-localized RMP in KSTAR shows how this new insight can be utilized to enhance the efficiency of our ELM suppression capabilities. Simple window-pane coils matching the edge-localized resonant mode structure substantially expand in the ELM suppression window beyond the existing coil. Further optimization using the flexible optimized coils using space-curves code leads to additional enhancement in the edge-localized control.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Engineering Edge States of Graphene Nanoribbons for Narrow-Band Photoluminescence

Solid-state narrow-band light emitters are on-demand for quantum optoelectronics. Current approaches based on defect engineering in low-dimensional materials usually introduce a broad range of emission centers. Here, we report narrow-band light emission from covalent heterostructures fused to the edges of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) by controllable on-surface reactions from molecular precursors. Two types of heterojunction (HJ) states are realized by sequentially synthesizing GNRs and graphene nanodots (GNDs) and then coupling them together. HJs between armchair GNDs and armchair edges of the GNR are coherent and give rise to narrow-band photoluminescence. In contrast, HJs between the armchair GNDs and the zigzag ends of GNRs are defective and give rise to nonradiative states near the Fermi level. At low temperatures, sharp photoluminescence emissions with peak energy range from 2.03 to 2.08 eV and line widths of 2–5 meV are observed. Furthermore, the radiative HJ states are uniform, and the optical transition energy is controlled by the band gaps of GNRs and GNDs. As these HJs can be synthesized in a large quantity with atomic precision, this finding highlights a route to programmable and deterministic creation of quantum light emitters.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Variable Stiffness Spar Wind-Tunnel Model Development and Testing

The concept of exploiting wing flexibility to improve aerodynamic performance was investigated in the wind tunnel by employing multiple control surfaces and by varying wing structural stiffness via a Variable Stiffness Spar (VSS) mechanism. High design loads compromised the VSS effectiveness because the aerodynamic wind-tunnel model was much stiffer than desired in order to meet the strength requirements. Results from tests of the model include stiffness and modal data, model deformation data, aerodynamic loads, static control surface derivatives, and fuselage standoff pressure data. Effects of the VSS on the stiffness and modal characteristics, lift curve slope, and control surface effectiveness are discussed. The VSS had the most effect on the rolling moment generated by the leading-edge outboard flap at subsonic speeds. The effects of the VSS for the other control surfaces and speed regimes were less. The difficulties encountered and the ability of the VSS to alter the aeroelastic characteristics of the wing emphasize the need for the development of improved design and construction methods for static aeroelastic models. The data collected and presented is valuable in terms of understanding static aeroelastic wind-tunnel model development.

Florance, James R.↗

Surface Hold Advisor Using Critical Sections

The Surface Hold Advisor Using Critical Sections is a system and method for providing hold advisories to surface controllers to prevent gridlock and resolve crossing and merging conflicts among vehicles traversing a vertex-edge graph representing a surface traffic network on an airport surface. The Advisor performs pair-wise comparisons of current position and projected path of each vehicle with other surface vehicles to detect conflicts, determine critical sections, and provide hold advisories to traffic controllers recommending vehicles stop at entry points to protected zones around identified critical sections. A critical section defines a segment of the vertex-edge graph where vehicles are in crossing or merging or opposite direction gridlock contention. The Advisor detects critical sections without reference to scheduled, projected or required times along assigned vehicle paths, and generates hold advisories to prevent conflicts without requiring network path direction-of-movement rules and without requiring rerouting, rescheduling or other network optimization solutions.

Law, Caleb Hoi Kei↗

Correction factory techniques for improving aerodynamic prediction methods

A method for correcting discrete element lifting surface theory to reflect given experimental data is presented. Theoretical pressures are modified such that imposed constraints are satisfied while minimizing the changes to the pressures. Several types of correction procedures are presented and correlated; (1) scaling of pressures; (2) scaling of downwash values; and (3) addition of an increment to the downwash that is proportioned to pressure. Some special features are included in these methods and they include: (1) consideration of experimental data from multiple deflection modes, (2) limitation of the amplitudes of the correction factors, and (3) the use of correction factor mode shapes. These methods are correlated for cases involving all three Mach Number ranges using a FORTRAN IV computer program. Subsonically, a wing with an oscillating partial span control surface and a wing with a leading edge droop are presented. Transonically a two-dimensional airfoil with an oscillating flap is considered. Supersonically an arrow wing with and without camber is analyzed. In addition to correction factor methods an investigation is presented dealing with a new simplified transonic modification of the two-dimensional subsonic lifting surface theory. Correlations are presented for an airfoil with an oscillating flap.

Giesing, J. P.↗

Krash-ESL-Final report

During the period of the current Grant, the effort of the UCSD researchers was focused on: i) The application of the gyrokinetic code COGENT code to study the kinetic drift wave instability and its impact on blob dynamics, and ii) The modeling of edge plasma transport in collisional and semi-collisional regimes, and iii) Impurity transport in edge plasma and the incorporation of plasma-impurity collision operator (hereafter unlike particle collision operator) into COGENT. Over the years four UCSD graduate students (J. Angus, W. Lee, Y. Zhang, and A. Knyazev), funded under this Grant, contributed to the COGENT development/utilization and defended their PhD theses, which are based, partly, on their research related to the COGENT. Three of them (J. Angus, W. Lee, and Y. Zhang) have received “The Best MAE Graduate Student of the Year” awards. Whereas W. Lee after defending his PhD thesis returned back to his home country (South Korea), J. Angus, and Y. Zhang are continuing their research in plasma physics in the LLNL and LANL, whereas A. Knyazev currently is a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University working on the theoretical aspects of advanced stellarators. The results obtained in our studies were disseminated in many papers published in first-class refereed scientific journals and presented on prestigious scientific meetings including the Annual APS DPP Meeting, Sherwood Fusion Theory Conference, IAEA Fusion Energy Conferences, International Conferences on Plasma-Surface Interactions in Controlled Fusion Devices, International Workshops on Edge Plasma Theory in Fusion Devices, etc. In what follows we highlight the major accomplishments of the UCSD Team in the main areas of our research.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Vortex leading edge flap assembly for supersonic airplanes

A leading edge flap (16) for supersonic transport airplanes is disclosed. In its stowed position, the leading edge flap forms the lower surface of the wing leading edge up to the horizontal center of the leading edge radius. For low speed operation, the vortex leading edge flap moves forward and rotates down. The upward curve of the flap leading edge triggers flow separation on the flap and rotational flow on the upper surface of the flap (vortex). The rounded shape of the upper fixed leading edge provides the conditions for a controlled reattachment of the flow on the upper wing surface and therefore a stable vortex. The vortex generates lift and a nose-up pitching moment. This improves maximum lift at low speed, reduces attitude for a given lift coefficient and improves lift to drag ratio. The mechanism (27) to move the vortex flap consists of two spanwise supports (24) with two diverging straight tracks (64 and 68) each and a screw drive mechanism (62) in the center of the flap panel (29). The flap motion is essentially normal to the airloads and therefore requires only low actuation forces.

Rudolph, Peter K. C.↗

Application of sound and temperature to control boundary-layer transition

The growth and decay of a wave packet convecting in a boundary layer over a concave-convex surface and its active control by localized surface heating are studied numerically using direct computations of the Navier-Stokes equations. The resulting sound radiations are computed using linearized Euler equations with the pressure from the Navier-Stokes solution as a time-dependent boundary condition. It is shown that on the concave portion the amplitude of the wave packet increases and its bandwidth broadens while on the convex portion some of the components in the packet are stabilized. The pressure field decays exponentially away from the surface and then algebraically, exhibiting a decay characteristic of acoustic waves in two dimensions. The far-field acoustic behavior exhibits a super-directivity type of behavior with a beaming downstream. Active control by surface heating is shown to reduce the growth of the wave packet but have little effect on acoustic far field behavior for the cases considered. Active control by sound emanating from the surface of an airfoil in the vicinity of the leading edge is experimentally investigated. The purpose is to control the separated region at high angles of attack. The results show that injection of sound at shedding frequency of the flow is effective in an increase of lift and reduction of drag.

Maestrello, Lucio↗

Modeling and Evaluation of Canted Coil Springs as High Temperature Seal Preloading Devices

Future reusable launch vehicles will require advanced structural seals. This includes propulsion seals along edges and hinge lines in hypersonic engines, and control surface seals for movable flaps and elevons on proposed reentry vehicles. Seals must remain in sealing engagement with opposing surfaces, for multiple missions, even though the seal gap may be opening and closing due to thermal and structural loads. To meet this requirement either the seals themselves must be resilient or there must be a resilient structural element behind the seals. Case Western Reserve University is working with NASA s Glenn Research Center to develop more resilient high temperature seal components and preloading devices. Results are presented for a finite element analysis of a canted coil spring that is being considered as a high temperature seal preloading device. This type of spring is a leading candidate due to its ability to provide nearly constant force over a large deflection. The finite element analyses were verified by comparing them to experimental results of canted coil springs of three different stiffnesses, measured at Glenn Research Center. Once validated the parameterized model was combined with a scripting algorithm to assess the effects of key spring design variables (wire diameter, coils per inch, cant amplitude, eccentricity, and spring width) on spring stiffness and maximum Von Mises stress to aid in subsequent design.

Oswald, Jay J.↗

Measured unsteady transonic aerodynamic characteristics of an elastic supercritical wing with an oscillating control surface

Transonic steady and unsteady aerodynamic data were measured on a large elastic wing in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The wing had a supercritical airfoil shape and a leading-edge sweepback of 28.8 deg. The wing was heavily instrumented to measure both static and dynamic pressures and deflections. A hydraulically driven outboard control surface was oscillated to generate unsteady airloads on the wing. Representative results from the wind tunnel tests are presented and discussed, and the unexpected occurrence of an unusual dynamic wing instability, which was sensitive to angle of attack, is reported.

Seidel, D. A.↗

Measured unsteady transonic aerodynamic characteristics of an elastic supercritical wing with an oscillating control surface

Transonic steady and unsteady aerodynamic data were measured on a large elastic wing in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The wing had a supercritical airfoil shape and a leading-edge sweepback of 28.8 deg. The wing was heavily instrumented to measure both static and dynamic pressures and deflections. A hydraulically driven outboard control surface was oscillated to generate unsteady airloads on the wing. Representative results from the wind tunnel tests are presented and discussed, and the unexpected occurrence of an unusual dynamic wing instability, which was sensitive to angle of attack, is reported.

Seidel, D. A.↗

Summary of Airfoil Data

Recent airfoil data for both flight and wind-tunnel tests have been collected and correlated insofar as possible. The flight data consist largely of drag measurements made by the wake-survey method. Most of the data on airfoil section characteristics were obtained in the Langley two-dimensional low-turbulence pressure tunnel. Detail data necessary for the application of NACA 6-serles airfoils to wing design are presented in supplementary figures, together with recent data for the NACA 24-, 44-, and 230-series airfoils. The general methods used to derive the basic thickness forms for NACA 6- and 7-series airfoils and their corresponding pressure distributions are presented. Data and methods are given for rapidly obtaining the approximate pressure distributions for NACA four-digit, five-digit, 6-, and 7-series airfoils. The report includes an analysis of the lift, drag, pitching-moment, and critical-speed characteristics of the airfoils, together with a discussion of the effects of surface conditions. Available data on high-lift devices are presented. Problems associated with lateral-control devices, leading-edge air intakes, and interference are briefly discussed. The data indicate that the effects of surface condition on the lift and drag characteristics are at least as large as the effects of the airfoil shape and must be considered in airfoil selection and the prediction of wing characteristics. Airfoils permitting extensive laminar flow, such as the NACA 6-series airfoils, have much lower drag coefficients at high speed and cruising lift coefficients than earlier types-of airfoils if, and only if, the wing surfaces are sufficiently smooth and fair. The NACA 6-series airfoils also have favorable critical-speed characteristics and do not appear to present unusual problems associated with the application of high-lift and lateral-control devices. Much of the data given in the NACA Advance Confidential Report entitled "Preliminary Low-Drag-Airfoil and Flap Data from Tests at Large Reynolds Number and Low Turbulence," by Eastman N. Jacobs, Ira R. Abbott, and Milton Davidson, March 1942 has been corrected and included in the present paper, which supersedes the previously published paper.

LOW-DRAG↗

Facet-Dependent Photodegradation of Methylene Blue by Hematite Nanoplates in Visible Light

The expression of specific crystal facets in different nanostructures is known to play a vital role in determining the sensitivity toward photodegradation of organics, which can generally be ascribed to differences in surface structure and energy. Herein, we report the synthesis of hematite nanoplates with controlled relative exposure of basal (001) and edge (012) facets, enabling us to establish direct correlation between surface structure and the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. MB adsorption experiments showed that the capacity on (001) is about three times larger than on (012), and this is supported by density functional theory calculations suggesting adsorption energies about 1.5 times higher. However, this alone cannot explain the observed MB photodegradation rate, which is around 14.5 times faster on (001) than (012). The enhancement we attribute to a higher availability of photoelectron accepting surface Fe3+ sites on the (001) facet. This facilitates more efficient iron valence cycling and the heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction yielding MB-oxidizing hydroxyl radicals at the surface. Our findings help establish a rational basis for design and optimization of hematite nanostructures as photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

Zong, Meirong↗

Evaluation of pressure and thermal data from a wind tunnel test of a large-scale, powered, STOL fighter model

A STOL fighter model employing the vectored-engine-over wing concept was tested at low speeds in the NASA/Ames 40 by 80-foot wind tunnel. The model, approximately 0.75 scale of an operational fighter, was powered by two General Electric J-97 turbojet engines. Limited pressure and thermal instrumentation were provided to measure power effects (chordwise and spanwise blowing) and control-surface-deflection effects. An indepth study of the pressure and temperature data revealed many flow field features - the foremost being wing and canard leading-edge vortices. These vortices delineated regions of attached and separated flow, and their movements were often keys to an understanding of flow field changes caused by power and control-surface variations. Chordwise blowing increased wing lift and caused a modest aft shift in the center of pressure. The induced effects of chordwise blowing extended forward to the canard and significantly increased the canard lift when the surface was stalled. Spanwise blowing effectively enhanced the wing leading-edge vortex, thereby increasing lift and causing a forward shift in the center of pressure.

Howell, G. A.↗

On the origin of high harmonic fast wave edge losses in NSTX

Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain the high harmonic fast wave edge losses in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) (Perkins et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 045001). Here, we discuss a newly discovered edge loss mechanism (Tierens et al 2021 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 64 035001) which involves the resonant excitation of surface waves on filaments. We show that this edge loss mechanism can explain the main parameter dependencies observed in NSTX experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗