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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 55 records · Page 3

Experimental and computational studies of dynamic stall

A review of dynamic stall research in progress under the Navy-NASA Joint Institute of Aeronautics is presented. This effort, which includes both experimental and computational studies of the dynamic stall process, is directed toward better understanding and modeling of the fluid flow that occurs on helicopters and aircraft flying in conditions that induce dynamic stall. The results of research now in progress are presented, with discussion of the experimental program on compressibility effects on dynamic stall, related CFD studies of the stall process based on Navier-Stokes modeling, and viscous-inviscid flow modeling of the incipient stall process.

Carr, L. W.↗

Fault-tolerant building-block computer study

Ultra-reliable core computers are required for improving the reliability of complex military systems. Such computers can provide reliable fault diagnosis, failure circumvention, and, in some cases serve as an automated repairman for their host systems. A small set of building-block circuits which can be implemented as single very large integration devices, and which can be used with off-the-shelf microprocessors and memories to build self checking computer modules (SCCM) is described. Each SCCM is a microcomputer which is capable of detecting its own faults during normal operation and is described to communicate with other identical modules over one or more Mil Standard 1553A buses. Several SCCMs can be connected into a network with backup spares to provide fault-tolerant operation, i.e. automated recovery from faults. Alternative fault-tolerant SCCM configurations are discussed along with the cost and reliability associated with their implementation.

Rennels, D. A.↗

Computational Study of the CC3 Impeller and Vaneless Diffuser Experiment

Centrifugal compressors are compatible with the low exit corrected flows found in the high pressure compressor of turboshaft engines and may play an increasing role in turbofan engines as engine overall pressure ratios increase. Centrifugal compressor stages are difficult to model accurately with RANS CFD solvers. A computational study of the CC3 centrifugal impeller in its vaneless diffuser configuration was undertaken as part of an effort to understand potential causes of RANS CFD mis-prediction in these types of geometries. Three steady, periodic cases of the impeller and diffuser were modeled using the TURBO Parallel Version 4 code: 1) a k-epsilon turbulence model computation on a 6.8 million point grid using wall functions, 2) a k-epsilon turbulence model computation on a 14 million point grid integrating to the wall, and 3) a k-omega turbulence model computation on the 14 million point grid integrating to the wall. It was found that all three cases compared favorably to data from inlet to impeller trailing edge, but the k-epsilon and k-omega computations had disparate results beyond the trailing edge and into the vaneless diffuser. A large region of reversed flow was observed in the k-epsilon computations which extended from 70% to 100% span at the exit rating plane, whereas the k-omega computation had reversed flow from 95% to 100% span. Compared to experimental data at near-peak-efficiency, the reversed flow region in the k-epsilon case resulted in an under-prediction in adiabatic efficiency of 8.3 points, whereas the k-omega case was 1.2 points lower in efficiency.

Kulkarni, Sameer↗

Computational Study of the CC3 Impeller and Vaneless Diffuser Experiment

Centrifugal compressors are compatible with the low exit corrected flows found in the high pressure compressor of turboshaft engines and may play an increasing role in turbofan engines as engine overall pressure ratios increase. Centrifugal compressor stages are difficult to model accurately with RANS CFD solvers. A computational study of the CC3 centrifugal impeller in its vaneless diffuser configuration was undertaken as part of an effort to understand potential causes of RANS CFD mis-prediction in these types of geometries. Three steady, periodic cases of the impeller and diffuser were modeled using the TURBO Parallel Version 4 code: (1) a k-ε turbulence model computation on a 6.8 million point grid using wall functions, (2) a k-ε turbulence model computation on a 14 million point grid integrating to the wall, and (3) a k-ω turbulence model computation on the 14 million point grid integrating to the wall. It was found that all three cases compared favorably to data from inlet to impeller trailing edge, but the k-ε and k-ω computations had disparate results beyond the trailing edge and into the vaneless diffuser. A large region of reversed flow was observed in the k-ε computations which extended from 70 to 100 percent span at the exit rating plane, whereas the k-ω computation had reversed flow from 95 to 100 percent span. Compared to experimental data at near-peak-efficiency, the reversed flow region in the k-ε case resulted in an underprediction in adiabatic efficiency of 8.3 points, whereas the k-ω case was 1.2 points lower in efficiency.

Kulkarni, Sameer↗

Experimental and Computational Study of Convective Heating on the Aeroshell Back Side and Payload of the LOFTID Vehicle

A wind tunnel test program was conducted to obtain experimental convective heating data on models of the Low Earth Orbital Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) vehicle in support of the flight test program. Wind tunnel testing was conducted at Mach 6 and Mach 10 at unit Reynolds numbers from 0.5×106/ft to 4.0×106/ft on 6.0inch diameter aeroshell models. Global heating data were obtained through phosphor thermography measurements on the front and back of the aeroshell and on the payload. For all test conditions, attached, laminar flow was definitively produced on the front of the aeroshell, while in the wake the flow was separated, unsteady and possibly transitional or turbulent. A complementary computational study was performed to assess the accuracy of heating predictions for LOFTID wake flow environments. A new grid topology was developed for the study to allow the use of structured grid solvers for complex, open-backed geometries such as that of LOFTID. Close agreement between measurements and predictions was obtained on the front of the aeroshell. Comparisons were more challenging in the wake because of both the extremely low heating rates and the accompanying high uncertainties and the unsteady nature of the separated wake flow simulations. While the differences between heating predictions and measurements for the wake flow were higher than for the forebody flow, these differences were used to assist in the definition of conservative uncertainty margins for predictions of the flight environments for the successful flight test of the LOFTID vehicle in November 2022.

LOFTID↗

Computational Study of Porous Treatment for Altering Flap Side-Edge Flowfield

Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes calculations are used to investigate porous side-edge treatment as a passive means for flap noise reduction. Steady-state simulations are used to infer effects of the treatment on acoustically relevant features of the mean flow near the flap side edge. Application of the porous treatment over a miniscule fraction of the wetted flap area (scaling with the flap thickness) results in significantly weaker side-edge vortex structures via modification of the vortex initiation and roll-up processes. At high flap deflections, the region of axial flow reversal associated with the breakdown of the side-edge vortex is also eliminated, indicating an absence of vortex bursting in the presence of the treatment. Potential ramifications of the mean-flow modifications for flap-noise reduction are examined in the light of lessons learned from recent studies on flap noise. Computations confirm that any noise reduction benefit via the porous treatment would be achieved without compromising the aerodynamic effectiveness of the flap. Results of the parameter study contribute additional insight into the measured data from the 7x10 wind tunnel at NASA Ames and provide preliminary guidance for specifying optimal treatment characteristics in terms of treatment location, spatial extent, and flow resistance of the porous skin.

Choudhari, Meelan↗

Explicit Hilbert-space representations of atomic and molecular photoabsorption spectra - Computational studies of Stieltjes-Tchebycheff functions

Computational methods are reported for construction of discrete and continuum Schroedinger states in atoms and molecules employing explicit Hilbert space procedures familiar from bound state studies. As theoretical development, the Schroedinger problem of interest is described, the Cauchy-Lanczos bases and orthonormal polynomials used in constructing L-squared Stieltjes-Tchebycheff (ST) approximations to the discrete and continuum states are defined, and certain properties of these functions are indicated. Advantages and limitations of the ST approach to spectral studies relative to more conventional calculations are discussed, and aspects of the approach in single-channel approximations to larger molecules are described. Procedures are indicated for construction of photoejection anisotropies and for performing coupled-channel calculations employing the ST formalism. Finally, explicit descriptive intercomparisons are made of the nature and diagnostic value of ST functions with more conventional scattering functions.

Hermann, M. R.↗

A computational study of the TiO2 molecule

A computational investigation of the ground 1A1 and lowest energy B2 states of the titanium dioxide molecule has been carried out. The treatment utilized SCF calculations in an extended basis followed by a CI treatment for each geometry. The ground state geometry agrees well with experiment, while the agreement between the computed vibrational frequency nu1 and the experimental value for a matrix isolated TiO2 is less satisfactory. Population analysis for the ground state indicates less than one excess electron on each oxygen atom. The first excited state has a linear geometry and the singlet and triplet are essentially degenerate.

Ramana, M. V.↗

A computational study of heat transfer for laminar hypervelocity flows

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes are routinely used to predict the flowfield and the heating environment around complex reentry configurations. At hypervelocities, where the velocity is greater than 3 km/sec, the AFWAL version of the blunt body code predicts the correct surface pressure distributions but underpredicts laminar wall heat fluxes. This study was performed to determine the reasons for the underprediction. The computer code chosen solves thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations in a time-asymptotic manner and assumes a constant isentropic exponent. Flowfields around a spherical configuration at various entry velocities are computed. The computed pressure distributions agree well with the tabulated, inviscid results of Lyubimov and Rusanov for entry velocities ranging from 0.6 to 5.92 km/sec. At hypervelocities, the calculated stagnation point heat transfer rates were lower by roughly fifty percent when compared to engineering correlations available in the literature. Good comparisons between heat transfer rates are obtained at hypervelocity entry conditions provided the CFD code is modified to include equilibrium air properties.

Balakrishnan, A.↗

Computer studies of baroclinic flow

Programs necessary for computing the transition curve on the regime diagram for the atmospheric general circulation experiment (AGOE) were completed and used to determine the regime diagram for the rotating annulus and some axisymmetric flows for one possible AGOE configuration. The effect of geometrical constraints on the size of eddies developing from a basic state is being examined. In AGOE, the geometric constraint should be the width of the shear zone or the baroclinic zone. Linear and nonlinear models are to be used to examine both barotropic and baroclinic flows. The results should help explain the scale selection mechanism of baroclinic eddies in the atmosphere experimental models such as AGOE, and the multiple vortex phenomenon in tornadoes.

Gall, R.↗

Turbulence Model Validation through Joint Experimental / Computational Studies of Separated Flow Over a Three-Dimensional Tapered Bump: Part II - Computational Investigation

This report serves as documentation of activities related to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis applied to the Smooth Body Separation Experiment designed to produce validation-quality experimental data from wind-tunnel tests performed at the University of Notre Dame. All CFD analysis utilized the Boeing CFD (BCFD) flow solver. BCFD was used to analyze flow over the Boeing Speed Bump with second-order accuracy in space and time. Inviscid fluxes were computed using the HLLE scheme for steady-state simulations, and the Low-Dissipation Roe scheme for time-accurate simulations. The working fluid was modeled as calorically perfect air using Sutherland's law for viscosity. Thermal diffusivity was determined by assuming a constant molecular Prandtl number of 0.72, and a turbulent Prandtl number of 0.9. Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were conducted using the one-equation Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model with rotation correction3 and the quadratic constitutive relation (SA-RC-QCR), as well as Menter's two-equation, Shear-Stress Transport (SST) model. Time-accurate computations were conducted using Delayed Detached eddy Simulation (DDES) with the one-equation RANS model, and Large Eddy Stress balance (LESb) with the two-equation RANS model. Implicit dual-time stepping was used to achieve second-order temporal accuracy. The experimental investigation conducted during the course of this study is described in detail in an accompanying report.

Flow separation↗

Mach 10 computational study of a three-dimensional scramjet inlet flow field

The present work documents the computational results for a combined computational and experimental parametric study of the internal aerodynamics of a generic three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlet configuration at Mach 10. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code SCRAMIN was chosen for the computational portion of the study because it uses a well-known and well-proven numerical scheme and has shown favorable comparison with experiment at Mach numbers between 2 and 6. One advantage of CFD was that it provided flow field data for a detailed examination of the internal flow characteristics in addition to the surface properties. The experimental test matrix at mach 10 included three geometric contraction ratios (3, 5, and 9), three Reynolds numbers (0.55 x 10(exp 6) per foot, 1.14 x 10(exp 6) per foot, and 2.15 x 10(exp 6) per foot), and three cowl positions (at the throat and two forward positions). Computational data for two of these configurations (the contraction ratio of 3, Re = 2.15 x 10 (exp 6) per foot, at two cowl positions) are presented along with a detailed analysis of the flow interactions in successive computational planes.

Holland, Scott D.↗

Mach 10 computational study of a three-dimensional scramjet inlet flow field

The present work documents the computational results for a combined computational and experimental parametric study of the internal aerodynamics of a generic three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlet configuration at Mach 10. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code SCRAMIN was chosen for the computational portion of the study because it uses a well-known and well-proven numerical scheme and has shown favorable comparison with experiment at Mach numbers between 2 and 6. One advantage of CFD was that it provided flow field data for a detailed examination of the internal flow characteristics in addition to the surface properties. The experimental test matrix at Mach 10 included three geometric contraction ratios (3, 5, and 9), three Reynolds numbers (0.55 x 10(exp 6) per foot, 1.14 x 10(exp 6) per foot, and 2.15 x 10(exp 6) per foot), and three cowl positions (at the throat and two forward positions). Computational data for two of these configurations (the contraction ratio of 3, Re = 2.15 x 10(exp 6) per foot, at two cowl positions) are presented along with a detailed analysis of the flow interactions in successive computational planes.

Holland, Scott D.↗

Computational study of a contoured plug-nozzle as a supersonic jet noise suppressor

The report summarizes a computational jet noise study of an ideal contoured plug-nozzle (CPN). The gasdynamics of the jet flows have been predicted using the CFD code, NPARC with k-epsilon turbulence model; these data are then used as inputs to perform the noise computations based on the modified version of General Electric MGB code. The study covers a range of operating pressure ratio, 2.0 less than xi less than 5.0 (shockless flow at design pressure ratio, xi(d) = 3.62). The agreement of the computational aeroacoustics results with the available experimental data may be considered to be favorable. The computational results indicate consistent noise reduction effectiveness of the CPN at all operating pressure ratios. At the design pressure ratio (shockless), the codes predict overall sound pressure levels within +3.O dB of the experimental data. But at the off-design pressure ratios (flaws with shocks), the agreement is rather mixed. The theory overpredicts the OASPL's at all pressure ratios except at lower angles to the jet axis in overexpanded mode (xi less than xi(d)), the deviations being within 4.5 dB. The mechanism of shock formations in the CPN jet flows is noted to be basically different from those in the convergent-divergent nozzle jet flows.

Khavaran, A.↗