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At least 649 records · Page 36

Application of a full potential method for computation of three-dimensional supersonic flows

A nonlinear aerodynamic analysis technique based on the full potential equation in conservative form has been modified to permit treatment of supersonic flows with embedded subsonic regions (typically near the fuselage-canopy juncture and the wing leading edge). Solution procedures for the equations do not require any specific form of geometry or physical grid system. This results in the capability to analyze easily very complex geometries provided the posed problem lies within the isentropic restrictions of the full potential theory. Characteristic signal propagation theory is used to monitor the type dependent flow and a conservative switching scheme is employed to transition from the supersonic marching algorithm to a subsonic relaxation procedure and vice versa. An implicit approximate factorization scheme is used to solve the finite-difference equations. These modifications now permit analysis of fully three-dimensional flowfields including the interference effects due to lifting surface wakes. Improved grid generation capability allows analysis of complete complex aircraft geometries (fuselage, wing, tail, wing wake, and tail wake). Results are presented showing very good correlations with experimental surface pressure data and aerodynamic force data at both design and off-design operating points. Configurations examined include several waverider concepts, an arrow wing-body with wake, an advanced tactical fighter concept, and a fighter forebody-canard configuration.

Jones, K. M.↗

The filaments of NGC 1275 - A collision between a galaxy and an accretion flow?

Morphological evidence is presented (in the form of 3-A-bandpass Fabry-Perot images made with a CCD camera) that the two bright emission-line systems seen toward the galaxy NGC 1275 arise from a high-velocity impact of a foreground galaxy upon the accretion flow of gas cooling in the center of the Perseus cluster. The uniquely high optical-line luminosity of NGC 1275, in comparison with other central galaxies in clusters observed to have cooling flows, may be explained by energy deposited during the collision. Using additional information from 21-cm and extinction measurements, a rough model of the interaction is developed. Problems remain with this model - such as the likelihood of a gas-rich system penetrating to the cluster center. The kinematic structure of the optically emitting gas shows additional complex structure near the nucleus of NGC 1275.

Kaaret, P.↗

Plate heat exchanger for heating or cooling bulk solids

A heat exchanger includes an inlet for receiving bulk solids, a plurality of heat transfer plate assemblies, a plurality of spacers disposed between adjacent heat transfer plate assemblies, and supports for supporting the heat transfer plate assemblies. The heat transfer plate assemblies include a first plate having a first pair of holes extending therethrough, the first plate having channels extending along a surface thereof, for the flow of fluid through the channels, and a second plate bonded to the first plate to enclose the channels, the second plate including a second pair of holes generally aligned with the first pair of holes to form through holes to facilitate flow of the fluid through the through holes and the channels.

Byman, Ashley D.↗

Mechanisms of Active Aerodynamic Load Reduction on a Rotorcraft Fuselage With Rotor Effects

The reduction of the aerodynamic load that acts on a generic rotorcraft fuselage by the application of active flow control was investigated in a wind tunnel test conducted on an approximately 1/3-scale powered rotorcraft model simulating forward flight. The aerodynamic mechanisms that make these reductions, in both the drag and the download, possible were examined in detail through the use of the measured surface pressure distribution on the fuselage, velocity field measurements made in the wake directly behind the ramp of the fuselage and computational simulations. The fuselage tested was the ROBIN-mod7, which was equipped with a series of eight slots located on the ramp section through which flow control excitation was introduced. These slots were arranged in a U-shaped pattern located slightly downstream of the baseline separation line and parallel to it. The flow control excitation took the form of either synthetic jets, also known as zero-net-mass-flux blowing, and steady blowing. The same set of slots were used for both types of excitation. The differences between the two excitation types and between flow control excitation from different combinations of slots were examined. The flow control is shown to alter the size of the wake and its trajectory relative to the ramp and the tailboom and it is these changes to the wake that result in a reduction in the aerodynamic load.

Schaeffler, Norman W.↗

Subsonic, transonic, and supersonic nozzle flow by the inverse technique.

The inverse technique is used to obtain a mathematically and physically consistent solution of the flowfield in a nozzle from the mass generation surface through the supersonic region. The inverse method employs an assumed centerline function which is of the Cauchy type in that the values and the derivatives of the function are known. Since the Cauchy boundary conditions can give rise to numerical instabilities, the governing gasdynamic equations for rotational steady flow were transformed into a form which puts the geometry into a rectangular shape, and which spaces the network of interior points more finely in regions of the greatest gradients of the dependent variables. For arbitrarily specified centerline data, the solution of the governing flow equations may not exist, and if it does it may not depend continuously on the data.

Norton, D. J.↗

A Sinuous Tumulus over an Active Lava Tube at Klauea Volcano: Evolution, Analogs, and Hazard Forecasts

Inflation of narrow tube-fed basaltic lava flows (tens of meters across), such as those confined by topography, can be focused predominantly along the roof of a lava tube. This can lead to the development of an unusually long tumulus, its shape matching the sinuosity of the underlying lava tube. Such a situation occurred during Klauea Volcanos (Hawaii, USA) ongoing East Rift Zone eruption on a lava tube active from July through November 2010. Short-lived breakouts from the tube buried the flanks of the sinuous, ridge-like tumulus, while the tumulus crest, its surface composed of lava formed very early in the flows emplacement history, remained poised above the surrounding younger flows. At least several of these breakouts resulted in irrecoverable uplift of the tube roof. Confined sections of the prehistoric Carrizozo and McCartys flows (New Mexico, USA) display similar sinuous, ridge-like features with comparable surface age relationships. We contend that these distinct features formed in a fashion equivalent to that of the sinuous tumulus that formed at Kīlauea in 2010. Moreover, these sinuous tumuli may be analogs for some sinuous ridges evident in orbital images of the Tharsis volcanic province on Mars. The short-lived breakouts from the sinuous tumulus at Kīlauea were caused by surges in discharge through the lava tube, in response to cycles of deflation and inflation (DI events) at Kīlauea's summit. The correlation between DI events and subsequent breakouts aided in lava flow forecasting. Breakouts from the sinuous tumulus advanced repeatedly toward the sparsely populated Kalapana Gardens subdivision, destroying two homes and threatening others. Hazard assessments, including flow occurrence and advance forecasts, were relayed regularly to the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense to aid their lava flow hazard mitigation efforts while this lava tube was active.

volcanic hazards↗

Lattice microfluidics

An engineered unit cell is disclosed for flowing a fluid therethrough in three dimensions. The unit cell may have a substrate with a plurality of flow channels around and between struts formed within the substrate. The struts may each be formed with a desired shape and orientation within the substrate to achieve a desired degree of fluid flow through the flow channels, in each of one of three dimensions, through the unit cell.

Deotte, Joshua R.↗

Scientific Transactions No. 11 of the Institute of Mechanics, Moscow State University

The results of flow around wings, the determination of the optimal form, and the interaction of the wake with the accompanying flow at supersonic and hypersonic speeds of the free-stream flow are given. Methods of numerical and analytical calculation of one dimensional unsteady and two dimensional steady motions of fuel-gas mixtures with exothermic reactions are also considered.

Gonor, A. L.↗

Volcanism in Elysium Planitia, Mars

Geomorphic mapping revealed that the three volcanic constructs within Elysium Planitia (Hecates Tholus, elysium Mons and Albor Tholus) are very different in their overall morphology and represent three distinct types of martian volcano. Hecates Tholus was found to possess the most likely possible example of a young, explosively generated, air fall deposit, while the volume of magma erupted from Elysium Mons appears to have been orders of magnitude larger than that erupted from Albor Tholus. A primary aim of the regional geological analysis of Elysium Planitia is to further understand the volcanic and tectonic evolution of the area by the identification and interpretation of individual lava flows and their source vents. Lava flow size, spatial distribution, flow direction and the stratigraphic relationships of these lava flows to adjacent structural features were all measured. The topographic form of Elysium Mons has totally controlled the flow direction of lava flows within Elysium Planitia. Lava flows from Elysium Mons can be traced for distances of 150 to 250 km in a radial direction from the volcano. Parasitic vents located beyond the recognizable volcanic construct also conform to this radial pattern. A second unusual characteristic of the Elysium Planitia region is the high frequency of occurrence of sinuous channels that are morphologically similar to lunar sinuous rilles.

Mouginis-Mark, P. J.↗

A finite volume Euler calculation of the aerodynamics of transonic airfoil-vortex interaction

Unsteady inviscid transonic airfoil-vortex interaction is numerically analyzed by solving the two-dimensional unsteady Euler equations in integral form using a finite volume scheme. The solution procedure is based on an explicit Runge-Kutta time-stepping scheme wherein the spatial terms are central-differenced and a combination of second- and fourth-differences in the flow variables is used to form the numerical dissipation terms to stabilize the scheme. A velocity decomposition technique is applied to alleviate the problem of vortex diffusion by the numerical dissipation terms and to treat the interaction of a Rankine vortex with an airfoil accurately. Results obtained are compared with available numerical data.

Damodaran, Murali↗

Development of a Flow Stabilization Algorithm Enabling Measurement of Low Oxygen Concentrations in Liquid Sodium

To enhance the automated control of the plugging meter (PM) and thereby enhance detection fidelity in ultralow oxygen environments [≤1 parts per million by weight (wppm)], a novel proportional derivative controller has been implemented with conventional PM hardware. This ramp sign stabilized flow (RSSF) controller manipulates the sign (heating or cooling direction) at a fixed rate, enabling precise temperature adjustment around the saturation temperature of the bulk sodium. This adjustment helps maintain flow stability in a partially formed sodium oxide plug, thus greatly reducing the temperature amplitude in the plugging cycle and promoting simple and accurate oxygen determinations in addition to an increased sampling rate. Rather than relying on the subjective nature of indexing the time when the flow rate changes due to the plugging or unplugging onset to the PM temperature, a running average of the correlated oxygen concentration with time over multiple plugging events can provide oxygen readings ranging from an absolute uncertainty of 500 wppb in real time to less than 50 wppb for a 24-h sampling window. Finally, the RSSF controller was tested at 508 ± 7 wppb with measured oxygen of 542 ± 179 wppb, further reducing the variance between the saturation temperature and the plugging temperature.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A fundamental study of suction for Laminar Flow Control (LFC)

This report covers the period forming the first year of the project. The aim is to experimentally investigate the effects of suction as a technique for Laminar Flow Control. Experiments are to be performed which require substantial modifications to be made to the experimental facility. Considerable effort has been spent developing new high performance constant temperature hot-wire anemometers for general purpose use in the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. Twenty instruments have been delivered. An important feature of the facility is that it is totally automated under computer control. Unprecedently large quantities of data can be acquired and the results examined using the visualization tools developed specifically for studying the results of numerical simulations on graphics works stations. The experiment must be run for periods of up to a month at a time since the data is collected on a point-by-point basis. Several techniques were implemented to reduce the experimental run-time by a significant factor. Extra probes have been constructed and modifications have been made to the traverse hardware and to the real-time experimental code to enable multiple probes to be used. This will reduce the experimental run-time by the appropriate factor. Hot-wire calibration drift has been a frustrating problem owing to the large range of ambient temperatures experienced in the laboratory. The solution has been to repeat the calibrations at frequent intervals. However the calibration process has consumed up to 40 percent of the run-time. A new method of correcting the drift is very nearly finalized and when implemented it will also lead to a significant reduction in the experimental run-time.

Watmuff, Jonathan H.↗

Application of the Method of Coordinate Perturbation to Unsteady Duct Flow

The method of coordinate perturbation is applied to the unsteady flow of a compressible fluid in ducts of variable cross section. Solutions, in the form of perturbation series, are obtained for unsteady flows in ducts for which the logarithmic derivative of area variation with respect to the space coordinate is a function of the 'smallness' parameter of the perturbation series. This technique is applied to the problem of the interaction of a disturbance and a shock wave in a diffuser flow. It is found that, for a special choice of the function describing the disturbance, the path of the shock wave can be expressed in closed form to first order. The method is then applied to the determination of the flow field behind a shock wave moving on a prescribed path in the x,t-plane. Perturbation series solutions for quite general paths are developed. The perturbation series solutions are compared with the more exact solutions obtained by the application of the method of characteristics. The approximate solutions are shown to be in reasonably accurate agreement with the solutions obtained by the method of characteristics.

Himmel, Seymour C.↗

The dynamics and control of fluctuating pressure loads in the reattachment region of a supersonic free shear layer

The primary aim is to investigate the mechanisms which cause the unsteady wall-pressure fluctuations in shock wave turbulent shear layer interactions. The secondary aim is to find means to reduce the magnitude of the fluctuating pressure loads by controlling the unsteady shock motion. The particular flow proposed for study is the unsteady shock wave interaction formed in the reattachment zone of a separated supersonic flow. Similar flows are encountered in many practical situations, and they are associated with high levels of fluctuating wall pressure. Wall pressure fluctuations were measured in the reattachment region of the supersonic free shear layer. The free shear layer was formed by the separation of a Mach 2.9 turbulent boundary layer from a backward facing step. Reattachment occurred on a 20 deg ramp. By adjusting the position of the ramp, the base pressure was set equal to the freestream pressure, and the free shear layer formed in the absence of a separation shock. An array of flush-mounted, miniature, high-frequency pressure transducers was used to make multichannel measurements of the fluctuating wall pressure in the vicinity of the reattachment region. Contrary to previous observations of this flow, the reattachment region was found to be highly unsteady, and the pressure fluctuations were found to be significant. The overall behavior of the wall pressure loading is similar in scale and magnitude to the unsteadiness of the wall pressure field in compression ramp flows at the same Mach number. Rayleigh scattering was used to visualize the instantaneous shock structure in the streamwise and spanwise direction. Spanwise wrinkles on the order of half the boundary layer thickness were observed.

Smits, A. J.↗

Some aspects of unsteady separation

Unsteady separation can be forced in a variety of ways and in this presentation two fundamental means will be considered: (1) the introduction of convected vorticular disturbances into the flow; and (2) the influence of a specific type of three-dimensional geometry. In both situations a response of the viscous flow near the wall is provoked wherein the fluid near the surface abruptly focuses into a narrow region that erupts from the surface into the mainstream. In two-dimensional flows, the eruption takes the form of a narrow, explosively-growing spike, while in three-dimensional situations, examples are presented which indicate that the eruption is along a narrow zone in the shape of a crescent-shaped plume. The nature of the three-dimensional flow near a circular cylinder, which is mounted normal to a flat plate, is also examined in this study. Here the three-dimensional geometry induces complex three-dimensional separations periodically. The dynamics of the generation process is studied experimentally in a water channel using hydrogen bubble wires and a laser sheet, and the main features of the laminar regime through to transition are documented.

Smith, C. R.↗

Two-dimensional laminar incompressible separated flow past airfoils

A method is proposed to treat the problem of steady, two-dimensional, laminar, incompressible high Reynolds number separated flow past thin airfoils. An integral form of the boundary layer equations with interaction is used and the interaction between the inviscid and viscous flow fields is provided for by use of a thin-airfoil integral. Documentation of the attempts at obtaining a solution is presented. A survey of the current state-of-the-art of problems involving viscous-inviscid interactions in flow fields with separation is given.

Plotkin, A.↗

A brief description of the Jameson-Caughey NYU transonic swept-wing computer program: FLO 22

A computer program for analyzing inviscid, isentropic, transonic flow past 3-D swept configurations is presented. Some basic aspects of the program are: (1) the free-stream Mach number is restricted only by the isentropic assumption; (2) weak shock waves are automatically located wherever they occur in the flow; (3) the finite-difference form of the full equation for the velocity potential is solved by the method of relaxation, after the flow exterior to the airfoil is mapped to the upper half plane; (4) the mapping procedure allows exact satisfaction of the boundary conditions and use of supersonic free stream velocities; (5) the finite difference operator is locally rotated in supersonic flow regions so as to properly account for the domain of dependence; and (6) the relaxation algorithm was stabilized using criteria from a time-like analogy.

Jameson, A.↗

Remark on the theory of lifting surfaces

First, the Weissinger method, as it applies to a rectangular wing,is discussed. By building on this framework it is shown how to treat the lift problem for any thin wing of arbitrary plan form.

FLOW INCOMPRESSIBLE↗