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At least 73 records · Page 4

Turbofan noise generation. Volume 1: Analysis

Computer programs were developed which calculate the in-duct acoustic modes excited by a fan/stator stae operating at subsonic tip speed. Three noise source mechanisms are included: (1) sound generated by the rotor blades interacting with turbulence ingested into, or generated within, the inlet duct; (2) sound generated by the stator vanes interacting with the turbulent wakes of the rotors blades; and (3) sound generated by the stator vanes interacting with the mean velocity deficit wakes of the rotor blades. The fan/stator stage is modeled as an ensemble of blades and vanes of zero camber and thickness enclosed within an infinite hard-walled annular duct. Turbulence drawn into or generated within the inlet duct is modeled as nonhomogeneous and anisotropic random fluid motion, superimposed upon a uniform axial mean flow, and convected with that flow. Equations for the duct mode amplitudes, or expected values of the amplitudes, are derived.

Ventres, C. S.↗

Turbofan noise generation. Volume 2: Computer programs

The use of a package of computer programs developed to calculate the in duct acoustic mods excited by a fan/stator stage operating at subsonic tip speed is described. The following three noise source mechanisms are included: (1) sound generated by the rotor blades interacting with turbulence ingested into, or generated within, the inlet duct; (2) sound generated by the stator vanes interacting with the turbulent wakes of the rotor blades; and (3) sound generated by the stator vanes interacting with the velocity deficits in the mean wakes of the rotor blades. The computations for three different noise mechanisms are coded as three separate computer program packages. The computer codes are described by means of block diagrams, tables of data and variables, and example program executions; FORTRAN listings are included.

Ventres, C. S.↗

Sound radiation from an airfoil encountering an oblique gust in its plane of motion

An evaluation is conducted of the acoustic field radiated when an airfoil encounters a gust in the plane of motion, with a view to the prediction of helicopter tail rotor noise. The analysis is based on the unsteady thickness noise theory of Glegg (1987). Sound radiation is shown to be dominated by the transient effect of the blade tip moving into the velocity deficit, so that the effects of blade rotation are not important.

Glegg, Stewart A. L.↗

Impact-induced tensional failure in rock

Planar impact experiments were employed to induce dynamic tensile failure in Bedford limestone. Rock disks were impacted with aluminum and polymethyl methacralate flyer plates at velocities of 10 to 25 m/s. This resulted in tensile stresses in the range of 11 to 160 MPa. Tensile stress durations of 0.5 and 1.3 microsec induced microcrack growth which in many experiments were insufficient to cause complete spalling of the samples. Velocity reduction, and by inference microcrack production, occurred in samples subjected to stresses above 35 MPa in the 1.3-microsec PMMA experiments and 60 MPa in the 0.5-microsec aluminum experiments. Apparent fracture toughnesses of 2.4 and 2.5 MPa m exp 1/2 are computed for the 1.3- and 0.5-microsec experiments. Three-dimensional impact experiments were conducted on 20 cm-sized blocks of Bedford limestone and San Marcos gabbro. Compressional wave velocity deficits up to 50-60 percent were observed in the vicinity of the crater. The damage decreases as about r exp -1.5 from the crater, indicating a dependence on the magnitude and duration of the tensile pulse.

Ahrens, Thomas J.↗

Laser Anemometer Measurements of the Flow Field in a 4:1 Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Impeller

A laser-doppler anemometer was used to obtain flow-field velocity measurements in a 4:1 pressure ratio, 4.54 kg/s (10 lbm/s), centrifugal impeller, with splitter blades and backsweep, which was configured with a vaneless diffuser. Measured through-flow velocities are reported for ten quasi-orthogonal survey planes at locations ranging from 1% to 99% of main blade chord. Measured through-flow velocities are compared to those predicted by a 3-D viscous steady flow analysis (Dawes) code. The measurements show the development and progression through the impeller and vaneless diffuser of a through-flow velocity deficit which results from the tip clearance flow and accumulation of low momentum fluid centrifuged from the blade and hub surfaces. Flow traces from the CFD analysis show the origin of this deficit which begins to grow in the inlet region of the impeller where it is first detected near the suction surface side of the passage. It then moves toward the pressure side of the channel, due to the movement of tip clearance flow across the impeller passage, where it is cut by the splitter blade leading edge. As blade loading increases toward the rear of the channel the deficit region is driven back toward the suction surface by the cross-passage pressure gradient. There is no evidence of a large wake region that might result from flow separation and the impeller efficiency is relatively high. The flow field in this impeller is quite similar to that documented previously by NASA Lewis in a large low-speed backswept impeller.

Skoch, G. J.↗

Study of a Wake Recovery Mechanism in a High-Speed Axial Compressor Stage

This work addresses the significant differences in compressor rotor wake mixing loss which exist in a stage environment relative to a rotor in isolation. The wake decay for a rotor in isolation is due solely to viscous dissipation which is an irreversible process and thus leads to a loss in both total pressure and efficiency. Rotor wake decay in the stage environment is due to both viscous mixing and the inviscid strain imposed on the wake fluid particles by the stator velocity field. This straining process, referred to by Smith (1993) as recovery, is reversible and for a 2D rotor wake leads to an inviscid reduction of the velocity deficit of the wake. A model for the rotor wake decay process is developed and used to quantify the viscous dissipation effects relative to those of inviscid wake stretching. The model is verified using laser anemometer measurements acquired in the wake of a transonic rotor operated in isolation and in a stage configuration at near peak efficiency and near stall operating conditions. Additional insight is provided by a time-accurate 3D Navier-Stokes simulation of the compressor stator flow field at the corresponding stage loading levels. Results from the wake decay model exhibit good agreement with the experimental data. Data from the model, laser anemometer measurements, and numerical simulations indicate that for the rotor/stator spacing used in this work, which is typical of core compressors, rotor wake straining (stretching) is the primary decay process in the stator passage with viscous mixing playing only a minor role. The implications of these results on compressor stage design are discussed.

VanZante, Dale E.↗

A Comparison of Measured Tone Modes for Two Low Noise Propulsion Fans

The acoustic modes for two low tip speed propulsion fans were measured to examine the effects of fan tip speed, at constant pressure ratio. A continuously rotating microphone method was used that provided the complete modal structure (circumferential and radial order) at the fundamental and second harmonic of the blade passing tone as well as most of the third harmonic modes. The fans are compared in terms of their rotor/stator interaction modal power, and total tone power. It was hoped that the lower tip speed might produce less noise. This was not the case. The higher tip speed fan, at both takeoff and cutback speeds, had lower tone and interaction levels. This could be an indication that the higher aerodynamic loading required to produce the same pressure ratio for the lower tip speed fan resulted in a greater velocity deficit in the blade wakes and thus more noise. Results consistent with expected rotor transmission effects were noted in the inlet modal structures of both fans.

Heidelberg, Laurence J.↗

The Effect of Two-Dimensional Forcing on Self-Similar Turbulent Plane Wakes

Three direct numerical simulations of time-evolving turbulent plane wakes with velocity deficit Reynolds numbers of about 2,000 have been simulated using a spectral numerical method with up to 600 x 260 x 160 modes. The initial conditions for the simulations are generated from direct numerical simulations of a turbulent boundary layer (momentum thickness Reynolds number of 670), and varying amounts of additional two- dimensional, forcing. In order to preserve the self-similar flow evolution, the forcing is implemented by multiplying all the two-dimensional modes in the initial condition by a constant factor. In the "natural" case no additional forcing is used; in the "forced" and "heavily forced" cases this factor is 5 and 20, respectively. The wake spreading rate Is increased by factors of 1.7 and 7.1 for the two forced cases. The Reynolds stresses are also increased by a similar or even larger factor. These results indicate that the plane wake is much more sensitive to initial forcing than the plane mixing layer. As in the plane mixing layer, two-dimensional forcing promotes more organized large-scale vortical flow structures and these structures axe sometimes separated by "braid regions" containing streamwise "rib" vortices, unlike in the unforced wake.

Rogers, M. M.↗

The Evolution of Plane Wakes Subjected to Irrotational Strains

Three direct numerical simulations of time-evolving turbulent plane wakes developing in the presence of various irrotational plane strains have been generated. A pseudospectral numerical method with up to 26 million modes is used to solve the equations in a reference frame moving with the irrotational strain. The initial condition for each simulation is taken from a previous turbulent self-similar plane wake direct numerical simulation at a velocity deficit Reynolds number, Re, of about 2000. Three different plane strains (of the same magnitude) are imposed. In the first two simulations the strain is in a plane normal to the streamwise wake direction (the two cases having strain of opposite sign); in the third the wake is compressed in the streamwise direction and stretched in the inhomogeneous cross-stream direction. The two flows that are stretched in the cross-stream direction experience an exponential increase of Re; flow visualization indicates many small-scale vortices with little or no organized large-scale structure. In the flow that is compressed in the cross-stream direction Re decays exponentially and the layer appears to be relaminarizing. The evolution of several turbulence statistics in each of these flows is examined.

Rogers, M. R.↗

Reynolds Stress Balance in Plane Wakes Subjected to Irrotational Strains

Direct numerical simulations of time-evolving turbulent plane wakes developing in the presence of various irrotational plane strains have been generated. A pseudospectral numerical method with up to 25 million modes is used to solve the equations in a reference frame moving with the irrotational strain. The initial condition for each simulation is taken from a previous turbulent self-similar plane wake direct numerical simulation at a velocity deficit Reynolds number, R(sub e), of about 2,000. All the terms in the equations governing the evolution of the Reynolds stresses have been calculated. The relative importance of the various terms is examined for the different strain geometries and the behavior of the individual terms is used to better assess whether the strained wakes are evolving self-similarly.

Rogers, Miichael M.↗

Low-Speed Fan Noise Reduction With Trailing Edge Blowing

An experimental proof-of-concept test was conducted to demonstrate reduction of rotor-stator interaction noise through rotor-trailing edge blowing. The velocity deficit from the viscous wake of the rotor blades was reduced by injecting air into the wake from a trailing edge slot. Composite hollow rotor blades with internal flow passages were designed based on analytical codes modeling the internal flow. The hollow blade with interior guide vanes creates flow channels through which externally supplied air flows from the root of the blade to the trailing edge. The impact of the rotor wake-stator interaction on the acoustics was also predicted analytically. The Active Noise Control Fan, located at the NASA Glenn Research Center, was used as the proof- of-concept test bed. In-duct mode and farfield directivity acoustic data were acquired at blowing rates (defined as mass supplied to trailing edge blowing system divided by fan mass flow) ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 percent. The first three blade passing frequency harmonics at fan rotational speeds of 1700 to 1900 rpm were analyzed. The acoustic tone power levels (PWL) in the inlet and exhaust were reduced 11.5 and -0.1, 7.2 and 11.4, 11.8 and 19.4 PWL dB, respectively. The farfield tone power levels at the first three harmonics were reduced 5.4, 10.6, and 12.4 dB PWL. At selected conditions, two-component hotwire and stator vane unsteady surface pressures were acquired. These measurements illustrate the physics behind the noise reduction.

Sutliff, Daniel L.↗

Trailing Vortex Measurements in the Wake of a Hovering Rotor Blade with Various Tip Shapes

This work examined the wake aerodynamics of a single helicopter rotor blade with several tip shapes operating on a hover test stand. Velocity field measurements were conducted using three-component laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). The objective of these measurements was to document the vortex velocity profiles and then extract the core properties, such as the core radius, peak swirl velocity, and axial velocity. The measured test cases covered a wide range of wake-ages and several tip shapes, including rectangular, tapered, swept, and a subwing tip. One of the primary differences shown by the change in tip shape was the wake geometry. The effect of blade taper reduced the initial peak swirl velocity by a significant fraction. It appears that this is accomplished by decreasing the vortex strength for a given blade loading. The subwing measurements showed that the interaction and merging of the subwing and primary vortices created a less coherent vortical structure. A source of vortex core instability is shown to be the ratio of the peak swirl velocity to the axial velocity deficit. The results show that if there is a turbulence producing region of the vortex structure, it will be outside of the core boundary. The LDV measurements were supported by laser light-sheet flow visualization. The results provide several benchmark test cases for future validation of theoretical vortex models, numerical free-wake models, and computational fluid dynamics results.

Martin, Preston B.↗

Experimental Study of Boundary Layer Flow Control Using an Array of Ramp-Shaped Vortex Generators

The objective of this study was to obtain a database on the flowfield past an array of vortex generators (VGs) in a turbulent boundary layer. All testing was carried out in a low speed wind tunnel with a flow velocity of 29 ft/sec, giving a Reynolds number of 17,500 based on the width of the VG. The flowfield generated by an array of five ramp-shaped vortex generators was examined with hot wire anemometry and smoke flow visualization. The magnitude and extent of the velocity increase near the wall, the penetration of the velocity deficit into the core flow, and the peak streamwise vorticity are examined. Influence of various parameters on the effectiveness of the array is considered on the basis of the ability to pull high momentum fluid into the near wall region.

Hirt, Stefanie M.↗

Experimental Study of Tip Vortex Flow from a Periodically Pitched Airfoil Section

An experimental investigation of a tip vortex from a NACA0012 airfoil is conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel at a chord Reynolds number of 4x10(exp 4). Initially, data for a stationary airfoil held at various angles-of-attack (alpha) are gathered. Detailed surveys are done for two cases: alpha=10 deg with attached flow and alpha=25 deg with massive flow separation on the upper surface. Distributions of various properties are obtained using hot-wire anemometry. Data include mean velocity, streamwise vorticity and turbulent stresses at various streamwise locations. For all cases, the vortex core is seen to involve a mean velocity deficit. The deficit apparently traces to the airfoil wake, part of which gets wrapped by the tip vortex. At small alpha, the vortex is laminar within the measurement domain. The strength of the vortex increases with increasing alpha but undergoes a sudden drop around alpha (is) greater than 16 deg. The drop in peak vorticity level is accompanied by transition and a sharp rise in turbulence within the core. Data are also acquired with the airfoil pitched sinusoidally. All oscillation cases pertain to a mean alpha=15 deg while the amplitude and frequency are varied. An example of phase-averaged data for an amplitude of +/-10 deg and a reduced frequency of k=0.2 is discussed. All results are compared with available data from the literature shedding further light on the complex dynamics of the tip vortex.

vortex flows↗

An Experimental Study and Database for Tip Vortex Flow From an Airfoil

An experimental investigation of tip vortices from a NACA0012 airfoil is conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel at a chord Reynolds number (Rc) of 4×10(exp 4 ). Data for the stationary airfoil at various angles of attack (alpha) are first discussed. Detailed flow-field surveys are done for two cases: alpha = 10deg with attached flow and alpha = 25deg with massive flow separation. Data include mean velocity, streamwise vorticity, and turbulent stresses at various streamwise locations. For all cases, the vortex core is seen to involve a mean velocity deficit. The deficits in these cases trace to the airfoil wake, part of which gets wrapped up by the tip vortex. Comparison with data from the literature suggests that with increasing Rc, the deficit turns into an excess, with the transition occurring in the approximate Rc range of 2×10(exp 5) to 5×10(exp 5). Survey results for various shapes of the airfoil wingtip are then presented. The shapes include square and rounded ends and a number of winglet designs. Finally, data under sinusoidal pitching condition, for the airfoil with square ends, are documented. All pitching cases pertain to a mean alpha = 15deg, while the amplitude and frequency are varied. Amplitudes of +/-5deg, +/-10deg, and +/-15deg and reduced frequencies k = 0.08, 0.2, and 0.33 are covered. Digital records of all data and some of the hardware design are made available on a supplemental CD with the electronic version of the paper for those interested in numerical simulation.

turbulence↗

FLEET Velocimetry in the Common Research Model’s Wing Wake

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging was used to make velocity measurements in the wake of the wing of the Common Research Model (CRM). Experiments were performed in the NASA Langley Research Center’s National Transonic Facility over a range of tunnel operating conditions. Pressures ranged from 205 to 411 kPa, temperatures from 278 to 323 K, and Mach from 0.1 to 0.9. Velocity was also determined over a range of model angles of attack. Time-averaged velocity results were obtained in both air and nitrogen, while single-shot velocity was obtained under certain tunnel operating conditions. Spatially-resolved, two dimensional, single component velocity measurements were achieved using a newly-developed laser scanning technique, which proved sufficiently sensitive to measure an approximately 5% velocity deficit in the wing wake region of the CRM.

Daniel T Reese↗

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↗

Soil moisture thresholds explain a shift from light-limited to water-limited sap velocity in the Central Amazon during the 2015–16 El Niño drought

Transpiration is often considered to be light- but not water-limited in humid tropical rainforests due to abundant soil water, even during the dry seasons. The record-breaking 2015–16 El Niño drought provided a unique opportunity to examine whether transpiration is constrained by water under severe lack of rainfall. We measured sap velocity, soil water content, and meteorological variables in an old-growth upland forest in the Central Amazon throughout the 2015–16 drought. We found a rapid decline in sap velocity (-38 ± 21%, mean ± SD.) and in its temporal variability (-88%) during the drought compared to the wet season. Such changes were accompanied by a marked decline in soil moisture and an increase in temperature and vapor pressure deficit. Sap velocity was largely limited by net radiation during the wet and normal dry seasons; however, it shifted to be primarily limited by soil moisture during the drought. The threshold in which sap velocity became dominated by soil moisture was at 0.33 m 3 m -3 (around -150 kPa in soil matric potential), below which sap velocity dropped steeply. Our study provides evidence for a soil water threshold on transpiration in a moist tropical forest, suggesting a shift from light limitation to water limitation under future climate characterized by increased temperature and an increased frequency, intensity, duration and extent of extreme drought events.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗