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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 73 records · Page 4

Rapid mix concepts for low emission combustors in gas turbine engines

NASA LeRC has identified the Rich burn/Quick mix/Lean burn (RQL) combustor as a potential gas turbine combustor concept to reduce NOx emissions in High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft. To demonstrate reduced NOx levels, NASA LeRC soon will test a flametube version of an RQL combustor. The critical technology needed for the RQL combustor is a method of quickly mixing combustion air with rich burn gases. Two concepts were proposed to enhance jet mixing in a circular cross-section: the Asymmetric Jet Penetration (AJP) concept; and the Lobed Mixer (LM) concept. In Phase 1, two preliminary configurations of the AJP concept were compared with a conventional 12-jet radial-inflow slot design. The configurations were screened using an advanced 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code named REFLEQS. Both non-reacting and reacting analyses were performed. For an objective comparison, the conventional design was optimized by parametric variation of the jet-to-mainstream momentum flux (J) ratio. The optimum J was then employed in the AJP simulations. Results showed that the three-jet AJP configuration was superior in overall mixedness compared to the conventional design. However, in regards to NOx emissions, the AJP configuration was inferior. The higher emission level for AJP was caused by a single hot spot located in the wake of the central jet as it entered the combustor. Ways of maintaining good mixedness while eliminating the hot spot were identified for Phase 2 study. Overall, Phase 1 showed the viability of using CFD analyses to evaluate quick-mix concepts. A high probability exists that advancing mixing concepts will reduce NOx emissions in RQL combustors, and should be explored in Phase 2, by parallel numerical and experimental work.

Talpallikar, Milind V.↗

A Two Element Laminar Flow Airfoil Optimized for Cruise

Numerical and experimental results are presented for a new two-element, fixed-geometry natural laminar flow airfoil optimized for cruise Reynolds numbers on the order of three million. The airfoil design consists of a primary element and an independent secondary element with a primary to secondary chord ratio of three to one. The airfoil was designed to improve the cruise lift-to-drag ratio while maintaining an appropriate landing capability when compared to conventional airfoils. The airfoil was numerically developed utilizing the NASA Langley Multi-Component Airfoil Analysis computer code running on a personal computer. Numerical results show a nearly 11.75 percent decrease in overall wing drag with no increase in stall speed at sailplane cruise conditions when compared to a wing based on an efficient single element airfoil. Section surface pressure, wake survey, transition location, and flow visualization results were obtained in the Texas A&M University Low Speed Wind Tunnel. Comparisons between the numerical and experimental data, the effects of the relative position and angle of the two elements, and Reynolds number variations from 8 x 10(exp 5) to 3 x 10(exp 6) for the optimum geometry case are presented.

Steen, Gregory Glen↗

A Study of Wake Characteristics of Marine Turbine Arrays: Preprint

As the marine energy industry continues to develop and installations grow from single turbines to small arrays and larger farms, understanding and predicting wake behavior using modeling tools is necessary for array design and optimization. The wake characteristics of upstream turbines, including velocity deficit, wake swirling, tip vortices, wake shape and direction, and flow recovery, influence the inflow conditions experienced by downstream turbines in an array and, subsequently, affect the individual turbine loading and power generated by the array. These wake characteristics are influenced by many factors, including site geography, inflow shear profile, turbulence, waves, the strength of the current resource, gravitational forces, storm surges, and seasonal effects like temperature and wind conditions. Efficient array modeling tools that capture these wake effects and resulting turbine-to-turbine interactions need to be developed to optimize farm layouts and design individual turbines for operation within arrays. Unlike the wind industry, the marine energy research community is largely limited to the use of either numerical tools or tank/flume testing to understand marine turbine wake interactions. This paper will investigate recent advances in numerical and experimental marine turbine wake modeling, with a focus on recent publications and on both axial-flow and cross-flow marine turbines. A summary of recent research on these topics is provided. Additionally, a demonstration of turbine wake interactions using computational fluid dynamics is presented.

marine hydrokinetic turbine↗

Visualizing How the Structure of Large-Radius Jets Shapes Their Wakes

The ATLAS collaboration has introduced and implemented a strategy for selecting and analyzing large-radius jets composed of skinny $R=0.2$ subjets in heavy ion collisions at the LHC. We show how measurements of these jets teach us about the resolution length $L_{\rm res}$ of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and can teach us how jet substructure shapes the wakes that jets excite in the QGP droplets through which they pass. We use Hybrid Model calculations to reproduce measurements of $R_{AA}$ for large-radius jets in PbPb collisions, and study their dependence on the angle between the two skinny subjets involved in the final reclustering step of an $R=1$ jet. We show how these observables can constrain the value of $L_{\rm res}$ and demonstrate that the ATLAS data rule out any picture in which an entire parton shower loses energy coherently as if it were a single entity. Determining the degree to which the QGP can resolve partons within a jet is central to the broader program of using jet quenching measurements to probe QGP. We make further use of this setup by analyzing the response of the medium to the passage of large-radius $R=2$ jets containing two skinny subjets in gamma-jet events. We introduce novel jet-shape observables that allow us to visualize the angular shape of the soft hadrons originating from the wakes that wide jets with two skinny subjets excite in a droplet of QGP, as a function of the angular separation between the subjets. We find that even when they are $\sim 0.8- 1$ radian apart, a single broad wake is produced. Only when the two subjets are even farther apart is the presence of two sub-wakes revealed. We show that the way in which jet structure shapes jet wakes can be visualized with similar clarity in experiments by using only those hadrons with low $p_T$. These observables thus offer a new and distinctive way of seeing jet wakes in heavy ion collision data.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

Experimental results of wake steering using fixed angles

In this article, the authors present a test of wake steering at a commercial wind farm. A single fixed yaw offset, rather than an optimized offset schedule, is alternately applied to an upstream wind turbine, and the effect on downstream turbines is analyzed. This experimental design allows for comparison with engineering wake models independent of the controller's ability to track a varying offset and correctly measure wind direction. Additionally, by applying the same offset in beneficial and detrimental conditions, we are able to collect important data for assessing second-order wake model predictions. Results of the article from collected data show good agreement with the FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS) engineering model and offer support for the asymmetry of wake steering predicted by newer models, such as the Gauss–curl hybrid model.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Steady and Unsteady Flow Field Measurements Within a NASA 22-Inch Fan Model

Results are presented of an experiment conducted to investigate possible sources of fan noise in the flow developed by a 22-in. (55.9 cm) diameter turbofan model. Flow diagnostic data were acquired to identify possible sources of both tone and broadband noise. Laser Doppler velocimetry was used to characterize the tip flows that develop within the rotor blade passages, the wake flow downstream of the rotor, and the shock waves that develop on the blades when operated at transonic relative tip speeds. Single-point hot-wire measurements were made in the rotor wake to determine the frequency content and the length scales of the flow unsteadiness. The results document the changes in the rotor wake flow with both rotor speed and axial distance downstream of the rotor. The data also show the tip flow development within the blade passage, its migration downstream, and (at high rotor speeds) its merging with the blade wake of the following blade. Data also depict the variation of the tip flow with tip clearance. LDV data obtained within the blade passages at high rotor speeds illustrate the passage-to-passage variation of the mean shock position. Spectra computed from the single-point hot-wire measurements illustrate how the energy in the flow oscillations is split between periodic and random components, and how this split varies with both radial and axial position in the rotor wake.

Podboy, Gary G.↗

EIC hadron ring longitudinal stability simulations at injection

At the EIC injection energy (23.8 GeV for protons), the hadron beam experiences a relatively strong space charge field. The corresponding wakefield, in conjunction with the wakes from the RF cavities (i.e. the geometrical wakes), may become the cause of single-bunch instabilities, both longitudinal and transverse. In this report, we focus on the longitudinal stability aspect of this picture, using a simplified model for the ring.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Development of a laser Doppler system for the detection and monitoring of atmospheric disturbances

A description is presented of a scanning laser Doppler velocimeter system (SLDVS) which can be used for the determination and the monitoring of the velocity structure of atmospheric disturbances. The described system has been successfully employed to detect and study the velocity structure of aircraft wake vortices. Vertical wind profiles in a single plane in the atmosphere have also been investigated with the SLDVS. Attention is given to system operational aspects, approaches of vortex data collection, and questions of wind profile data collection.

Bilbro, J. W.↗

Numerical solution of the full-potential equation for rotors and oblique wings using a new wake model

A three-dimensional, full-potential, quasi-steady code TFAR1 is proposed for calculating the transonic flow past a lifting helicopter rotor blade and oblique wing. The TFAR1 uses a two-dimensional nonlinear wake-model that allows a jump in velocity potential to propagate with the local fluid flow in the wake. Rotor calculations were made for a single blade at an advance ratio of 0.3, a rotational tip Mach number of 0.7, and at 0-degree incidence. A 1/7-scale model of the Cobra Operational Load Survey (OLS) rotor blade is calculated, and the pressure distributions are compared to the measurements for azimuth angles 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 degrees at the 95 percent spanwise station of the OLS blade. Furthermore, an oblique wing with Korn airfoil was calculated at the high transonic free-stream Mach number of 0.9791, zero incidence, and yaw angle of 40 degrees. The TFAR1, coupled with a helicopter performance code CAMRAD (Johnson, 1981), provides a full-potential code for calculating the entire flow field for a multiple-bladed rotor in transonic lifting forward flight.

Chang, I.-C.↗

Shock Absorbers Save Structures and Lives during Earthquakes

With NASA funding, North Tonawanda, New York-based Taylor Devices Inc. developed fluidic shock absorbers to safely remove the fuel and electrical connectors from the space shuttles during launch. The company is now employing the technology as seismic dampers to protect structures from earthquakes. To date, 550 buildings and bridges have the dampers, and not a single one has suffered damage in the wake of an earthquake.

Source record↗

Dissipation of electron-beam-driven plasma wakes

Metre-scale plasma wakefield accelerators have imparted energy gain approaching 10 gigaelectronvolts to single nano-Coulomb electron bunches. To reach useful average currents, however, the enormous energy density that the driver deposits into the wake must be removed efficiently between shots. Yet mechanisms by which wakes dissipate their energy into surrounding plasma remain poorly understood. Here, we report picosecond-time-resolved, grazing-angle optical shadowgraphic measurements and large-scale particle-in-cell simulations of ion channels emerging from broken wakes that electron bunches from the SLAC linac generate in tenuous lithium plasma. Measurements show the channel boundary expands radially at 1 million metres-per-second for over a nanosecond. Simulations show that ions and electrons that the original wake propels outward, carrying 90 percent of its energy, drive this expansion by impact-ionizing surrounding neutral lithium. The results provide a basis for understanding global thermodynamics of multi-GeV plasma accelerators, which underlie their viability for applications demanding high average beam current.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Aircraft control in wake vortex wind shear

In the past, there have been a number of fatal incidents attributable to wake vortex encounters, involving both general aviation and commercial aircraft. In fact, the wake vortex hazard is considered to be the single dominant safety issue determining the aircraft spacing requirements at airports. As the amount of air traffic increases, the number of dangerous encounters is likely only to increase. It is therefore imperative that a means be found to reduce the danger. That is the purpose of this research: to use nonlinear inverse dynamic (NID) control methods in the design of an aircraft control system which can improve the safety margin in a wake vortex encounter.

Wold, Gregory R.↗

Sensitivity of Wind Turbine Array Downstream Effects to the Parameterization Used in WRF

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model has been extensively used for wind energy applications, and current releases include a scheme that can be applied to examine the effects of wind turbine arrays on the atmospheric flow and electricity generation from wind turbines. Herein we present a high-resolution simulation using two different wind farm parameterizations: 1) the “Fitch” parameterization that is included in WRF releases and 2) the recently developed Explicit Wake Parameterization (EWP) scheme. We compare the schemes using a single yearlong simulation for a domain centered on the highest density of current turbine deployments in the contiguous United States (Iowa). Pairwise analyses are applied to diagnose the downstream wake effects and impact of wind turbine arrays on near-surface climate conditions. On average, use of the EWP scheme results in small-magnitude wake effects within wind farm arrays and faster recovery of full WT array wakes. This in turn leads to smaller impacts on near-surface climate variables and reduced array–array interactions, which at a systemwide scale lead to summertime capacity factors (i.e., the electrical power produced relative to nameplate installed capacity) that are 2%–3% higher than those from the more commonly applied Fitch parameterization. It is currently not possible to make recommendations with regard to which wind farm parameterization exhibits higher fidelity or to draw inferences with regard to whether the relative performance may vary with prevailing climate conditions and/or wind turbine deployment configuration. However, the sensitivities documented herein to the wind farm parameterization are of sufficient magnitude to potentially influence wind turbine array siting decisions. Thus, our research findings imply high value in undertaking combined long-term high-fidelity observational studies in support of model validation and verification.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

A Candidate Wake Vortex Strength Definition for Application to the NASA Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS)

A significant effort is underway at NASA Langley to develop a system to provide dynamical aircraft wake vortex spacing criteria to Air Traffic Control (ATC). The system under development, the Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS), combines the inputs of multiple subsystems to provide separation matrices with sufficient stability for use by ATC and sufficient monitoring to ensure safety. The subsystems include a meteorological subsystem, a wake behavior prediction subsystem, a wake sensor subsystem, and system integration and ATC interfaces. The proposed AVOSS is capable of using two factors, singly or in combination, for reducing in-trail spacing. These factors are wake vortex motion out of a predefined approach corridor and wake decay below a strength that is acceptable for encounter. Although basic research into the wake phenomena has historically used wake total circulation as a strength parameter, there is a requirement for a more specific strength definition that may be applied across multiple disciplines and teams to produce a real-time, automated system. This paper presents some of the limitations of previous applications of circulation to aircraft wake observations and describes the results of a preliminary effort to bound a spacing system strength definition.

Hinton, David A.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2004

Topics covered include: 1) Advanced Signal Conditioners for Data-Acquisition Systems; 2) Downlink Data Multiplexer; 3) Viewing ISS Data in Real Time via the Internet; 4) Autonomous Environment-Monitoring Networks; 5) Readout of DSN Monitor Data; 6) Parallel-Processing Equalizers for Multi-Gbps Communications; 7) AIN-Based Packaging for SiC High-Temperature Electronics; 8) Software for Optimizing Quality Assurance of Other Software; 9) The TechSat 21 Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment; 10) Software for Analyzing Laminar-to-Turbulent Flow Transitions; 11) Elastomer Filled With Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes; 12) Modifying Ship Air-Wake Vortices for Aircraft Operations; 13) Strain-Gauge Measurement of Weight of Fluid in a Tank; 14) Advanced Docking System With Magnetic Initial Capture; 15) Blade-Pitch Control for Quieting Tilt-Rotor Aircraft; 16) Solar Array Panels With Dust-Removal Capability; 17) Aligning Arrays of Lenses and Single-Mode Optical Fibers; 18) Automatic Control of Arc Process for Making Carbon Nanotubes; 19) Curved-Focal-Plane Arrays Using Deformed-Membrane Photodetectors; 20) Role of Meteorology in Flights of a Solar-Powered Airplane; 21) Model of Mixing Layer With Multicomponent Evaporating Drops; 22) Solution-Assisted Optical Contacting; 23) Improved Discrete Approximation of Laplacian of Gaussian; 24) Utilizing Expert Knowledge in Estimating Future STS Costs; 25) Study of Rapid-Regression Liquefying Hybrid Rocket Fuels; and 26) More About the Phase-Synchronized Enhancement Method.

Source record↗

A new methodology for free wake analysis using curved vortex elements

A method using curved vortex elements was developed for helicopter rotor free wake calculations. The Basic Curve Vortex Element (BCVE) is derived from the approximate Biot-Savart integration for a parabolic arc filament. When used in conjunction with a scheme to fit the elements along a vortex filament contour, this method has a significant advantage in overall accuracy and efficiency when compared to the traditional straight-line element approach. A theoretical and numerical analysis shows that free wake flows involving close interactions between filaments should utilize curved vortex elements in order to guarantee a consistent level of accuracy. The curved element method was implemented into a forward flight free wake analysis, featuring an adaptive far wake model that utilizes free wake information to extend the vortex filaments beyond the free wake regions. The curved vortex element free wake, coupled with this far wake model, exhibited rapid convergence, even in regions where the free wake and far wake turns are interlaced. Sample calculations are presented for tip vortex motion at various advance ratios for single and multiple blade rotors. Cross-flow plots reveal that the overall downstream wake flow resembles a trailing vortex pair. A preliminary assessment shows that the rotor downwash field is insensitive to element size, even for relatively large curved elements.

Bliss, Donald B.↗

Experimental Study of Wake / Flap Interaction Noise and the Reduction of Flap Side Edge Noise

The effects of the interaction of a wake with a half-span flap on radiated noise are examined. The incident wake is generated by bars of various widths and lengths or by a simplified landing gear model. Single microphone and phased array measurements are used to isolate the effects of the wake interaction on the noise radiating from the flap side edge and flap cove regions. The effects on noise of the wake generator's geometry and relative placement with respect to the flap are assessed. Placement of the wake generators upstream of the flap side edge is shown to lead to the reduction of flap side edge noise by introducing a velocity deficit and likely altering the instabilities in the flap side edge vortex system. Significant reduction in flap side edge noise is achieved with a bar positioned directly upstream of the flap side edge. The noise reduction benefit is seen to improve with increased bar width, length and proximity to the flap edge. Positioning of the landing gear model upstream of the flap side edge also leads to decreased flap side edge noise. In addition, flap cove noise levels are significantly lower than when the landing gear is positioned upstream of the flap mid-span. The impact of the local flow velocity on the noise radiating directly from the landing gear is discussed. The effects of the landing gear side-braces on flap side edge, flap cove and landing gear noise are shown.

Hutcheson, Florence V.↗