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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Active Aerodynamic Load Control for Wind Turbines

The goal of this project was to develop and demonstrate an advanced dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator technology. We set out to demonstrate the efficacy and impact of the new actuator technology as a key component of an active load control system for wind turbines. A DBD plasma actuator consists of a thin layer of dielectric material separating a pair of offset electrodes. One of those electrodes is embedded between the dielectric layer and a non-conductive substrate, while the other is exposed to air. When driven by an appropriate high voltage waveform, the device ionizes the air near the surface of the dielectric and adjacent to the exposed electrode. Collisions between the ions in the plasma and neutral air molecules result in a wall-jet – a region of induced air velocity that can be used to modify the flow around a lifting body. Use of the device near the trailing edge of a wind turbine blade, designed in such a way as to amplify the effects of the flow-modifying device, can result in large changes to the global forces experienced by the blade. Because of the fast response time of the device, it can allow the turbine to react in real time to changes in the wind associated with turbulence, wind shear, gusts, and the like, when paired with appropriate sensors and control algorithms. The goal of this project was to increase the capacity of the device to induce velocity on its surface at the levels required by large, utility-scale wind turbines. The first technical goal was to increase the induced velocity from the current industry-best of about 4 m/s to 10 m/s by modifying the electrical waveform used to drive the device and by introducing a semi-conductive surface coating to control electrostatic charge build-up on the surface. The second goal was to use the device to modify the lift on a representative airfoil in a wind tunnel, demonstrating a reduction in lift coefficient of 0.2 or better. The third goal was to produce an actuator-induced velocity of 20 m/s. Alongside our partners at the University of Texas at Dallas, we also applied modern, advanced design methods to optimize the impact of the technology on the design of wind turbines. We also had planned to install a segmented, active load control system on a test turbine to demonstrate the ability to reduce unsteady aerodynamic forces on the turbine associated with changes in the wind. The highest induced velocity achieved during this research was 11 m/s. However, practical design constraints limited the change in lift coefficient to about 0.12 for a representative airfoil in the wind tunnel at a Reynolds number of 400,000. The primary conclusion is that the plasma actuator control authority remains insufficient for practical purposes when extrapolated to Reynolds numbers over 1 million. The potential impact of the active lift control concept was evaluated through detailed simulations for three wind turbine sizes: a 3.4MW onshore turbine, a 10MW offshore turbine, and a 15MW offshore turbine. A feedback control system was designed for each turbine within two scenarios: one where the active lift control is used as a retrofit capability on the baseline design, and the other where the designers were permitted to “upscale” the turbines in order increase annual energy production. The levelized cost of energy was then evaluated for the range of turbine sizes and design configuration. It was found that the LCOE reduction associated with active lift control fell in the range of 0.7% to 7.2%, with the highest reduction associated with upscaling the 3.4MW turbine.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1958

Aerodynamic Characteristics of a 45 Degree Swept-wing Fighter-Airplane Model and Aerodynamic Loads on Adjacent Stores and Missiles at Mach Numbers of 1.57, 1.87, 2.16, and 2.53

An investigation was performed in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a model of a 450 swept-wing fighter airplane, and to determine the loads on attached stores and detached missiles in the presence of the model. Also included was a determination of aileron-spoiler effectiveness, aileron hinge moments, and the effects of wing modifications on model aerodynamic characteristics. Tests were performed at Mach numbers of 1.57, 1.87, 2.16, and 2.53. The Reynolds numbers for the tests, based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the wing, varied from about 0.9 x 10(exp 6) to 5 x 10(exp 6). The results are presented with minimum analysis.

Oehman, Waldo I↗
NASA NTRS1958

Aerodynamic Characteristics of a 45 Deg Swept Wing Fighter Airplane Model and Aerodynamic Loads on Adjacent Stores and Missiles at Mach Numbers of 1.57, 1.87, 2.16, and 2.53

An investigation was performed in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a model of a 45 deg swept-wing fighter airplane, and to determine the loads on attached stores and detached missiles in the presence of the model. Also included was a determination of aileron-spoiler effectiveness, aileron hinge moments, and the effects of wing modifications on model aerodynamic characteristics. Tests were performed at Mach numbers of 1.57, 1.87, 2.16, and 2.53. The Reynolds numbers for the tests, based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the wing, varied from about 0.9 x 10(exp 6) to 5 x 10(exp 6). The results are presented with minimum analysis.

Oehman, W. I.↗
NASA NTRS1955

Aerodynamic Loads on an External Store Adjacent to a 45 Degree Sweptback Wing at Mach Numbers from 0.70 to 1.96, Including an Evaluation of Techniques Used

Aerodynamic forces and moments have been obtained in the Langley 9- by 12-inch blowdown tunnel on an external store and on a 45 degree swept-back wing-body combination measured separately at Mach numbers from 0.70 to 1.96. The wing was cantilevered and had an aspect ratio of 4.0; the store was independently sting-mounted and had a Douglas Aircraft Co. (DAC) store shape. The angle of attack range was from -3 degrees to 12 degrees and the Reynolds number (based on wing mean aerodynamic chord) varied from 1.2 x10(6) to 1.7 x 10(6). Wing-body transonic forces and moments have been compared with data of a geometrically similar full-scale model tested in the Langley 16-foot and 8-foot transonic tunnels in order to aid in the evaluation of transonic-tunnel interference. The principal effect of the store, for the position tested, was that of delaying the wing-fuselage pitch-up tendency to higher angles of attack at Mach numbers from 0.70 to 0.90 in a manner similar to that of a wing chord extension. The most critical loading condition on the store was that due to side force, not only because the loads were of large magnitude but also because they were in the direction of least structural strength of the supporting pylon. These side loads were greatest at high angles of attack in the supersonic speed range. Removal of the supporting pylon (or increasing the gap between the store and wing) reduced the values of the variation of side-force coefficientwith angle of attack by about 50 percent at all test Mach numbers, indicating that important reductions in store side force may be realized by proper design or location of the necessary supporting pylon. A change of the store skew angle (nose inboard) was found to relieve the excessive store side loads throughout the Mach number range. It was also determined that the relative position of the fuselage nose to the store can appreciably affect the store side forces at supersonic speeds.

Guy, Lawrence D↗
NASA NTRS2015

Active Aerodynamic Load Reduction on a Rotorcraft Fuselage With Rotor Effects: A CFD Validation Effort

A rotorcraft fuselage is typically designed with an emphasis on operational functionality with aerodynamic efficiency being of secondary importance. This results in a significant amount of drag during high-speed forward flight that can be a limiting factor for future high-speed rotorcraft designs. To enable higher speed flight, while maintaining a functional fuselage design (i.e., a large rear cargo ramp door), the NASA Rotary Wing Project has conducted both experimental and computational investigations to assess active flow control as an enabling technology for fuselage drag reduction. This paper will evaluate numerical simulations of a flow control system on a generic rotorcraft fuselage with a rotor in forward flight using OVERFLOW, a structured mesh Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver developed at NASA. The results are compared to fuselage forces, surface pressures, and PN flow field data obtained in a wind tunnel experiment conducted at the NASA Langley 14-by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel where significant drag and download reductions were demonstrated using flow control. This comparison showed that the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver was unable to predict the fuselage forces and pressure measurements on the ramp for the baseline and flow control cases. While the CFD was able to capture the flow features, it was unable to accurately predict the performance of the flow control.

Allan, Brian G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The effect of hypersonic nonlinear aerodynamic loading on panel flutter.

The system considered is a two-dimensional isotropic panel, or plate-column, on hinged supports, with one end spring restrained in the plane of the panel. Panel geometric nonlinearities and piston-theory aerodynamic nonlinearities are included. Results from an earlier preliminary study indicate that only two second-order nonlinear aerodynamic terms are important. The nonlinear aerodynamic terms introduce the possibility of an amplitude-sensitive instability, where the panel is unstable to disturbances of a certain magnitude but stable for smaller ones. This type of instability is examined for various panel in-plane loads and initial conditions, with other parameters having values representative of current practice. A single new interaction parameter, representing the importance of the nonlinear aerodynamic terms in comparison with the panel geometric nonlinear terms, is introduced. A parameter survey is presented, involving this parameter and the static pressure difference across the panel. Finally, the practical impact of this type of instability is discussed.

Mcintosh, S. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cavity door effects on aerodynamic loadings of compressed-carriage store configurations separating from cavities at supersonic speeds

An experimental wind-tunnel investigation has been conducted at supersonic Mach numbers to determine the effects of cavity doors on the aerodynamic characteristics of compressed-carriage store configurations during separation from a shallow box cavity (closed cavity flow) located in a simulated generic parent aircraft. The tests were conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at free-stream Mach numbers of 1.70, 2.00, and 2.65 for a constant Reynolds number per foot of two million. Results are summarized to show the effects of cavity door opening angles, vertical door height, folded and unfolded tail fins, and Mach number on the near-field aerodynamic separation characteristics of a single missile-type store with in-line cruciform wings and tail fins.

Blair, A. B., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Comparisons Between Pretest Prediction and Flight Test Data of Aerodynamic Loading for EFT-1

Exploration Flight Test One (EFT-1) was an incredible milestone in the development NASA's Orion spacecraft. It incorporated hundreds of articles of flight test instrumentation and returned with a wealth of data. Aerodynamic surface pressures were collected during launch vehicle ascent and capsule reentry and descent. These discrete surface pressure measurements enable comparisons to computational results and ground test data. This paper details the comparisons between pre-test predictions and flight test data for the Orion MPCV Crew Module (CM) and Launch Abort Tower (LAT) during all phases of flight. Regions with strong comparisons, poor predictions, and lessons learned are discussed. 38 pressure measurements were made on the LAT during ascent. Nine of the gauges were Honeywell PPTs and the remainder were Kulite pressure transducers. In order to address bias in the Kulites, a two-point linear calibration was used and the details are discussed. Results from the flight are compared to existing database products. 44 pressure measurements were made on the CM during reentry and descent. Nine of the gauges were Honeywell PPTs and the remainder were Kulite pressure transducers. In order to address bias in the Kulites, a tare was made against the vacuum measurements as described below. Once the bias was removed from the gauges, comparisons between predicted loading and the measured results are compared.

Schwing, Alan M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Structural and aerodynamic loads and performance measurements of an SA349/2 helicopter with an advanced geometry rotor

A flight test program was conducted to obtain data from an upgraded Gazelle helicopter with an advanced geometry, three bladed rotor. Data were acquired on upper and lower surface chordwise blade pressure, blade bending and torsion moments, and fuselage structural loads. Results are presented from 16 individual flight conditions, including level flights ranging from 10 to 77 m/sec at 50 to 3000 m altitude, turning flights up to 2.0 g, and autorotation. Rotor aerodynamic data include information from 51 pressure transducers distributed chordwise at 75, 88, and 97% radial stations. Individual tranducer pressure coefficients and airfoil section lift and pitching moment coefficients are presented, as are steady state flight condition parameters and time dependence rotor loads. All dynamic data are presented as harmonic analysis coefficients.

Heffernan, Ruth M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Effect of compressibility on the nonlinear prediction of the aerodynamic loads on lifting surfaces

The vortex-lattice technique for incompressible flow which accounts for separation at sharp edges is modified to account for compressibility. This is accomplished by extending the Prandtl-Glauert transformation to moderate angles of attack. Thus, the aerodynamic characteristics for the compressible case are obtained from the solution of an equivalent incompressible problem. Numerical results are presented for parallelogram and delta wings to assess the effects of compressibility. The results are in good agreement with available experimental data.

Kandil, O. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Aerodynamic load distributions at transonic speeds for a close-coupled wing-canard configuration: Tabulated pressure data

Wind tunnel studies are reported on both the canard and wing surfaces of a model that is geometrically identical to one used in several force and moment tests to provide insight into the various aerodynamic interference effects. In addition to detailed pressures measurements, the pressures were integrated to illustrate the effects of Mach number, canard location, and canard-wing interference on various aerodynamic parameters. Transonic pressure tunnel Mach numbers ranged from 0.70 to 1.20 for data taken from 0 deg to approximately 16 deg angle-of-attack at 0 deg sideslip.

Washburn, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Aerodynamic Load Measurements and Opening Characteristics of Automatic Leading Edge Slats on a 45 deg Sweptback Wing at Transonic Speeds

Measurements of the normal force and chord force were made on the slats of a sting-mounted wing-fuselage model through a Mach number range of 0.60 to 1.03 and at angles of attack from 0 to 20 deg at subsonic speeds and from 0 to 8 deg at Mach number 1.03. The 20-percent-chord tapered leading-edge slats extended from 25 to 95 percent of the semispan and consisted of five segments. The model wing had 45 deg sweep, an aspect ratio of 3.56, a taper ratio of 0.3, and NACA 64(06)AO07 airfoil sections. Slat forces and moments were determined for the slats in the almost-closed and open positions for spanwise extents of 35 to 95 percent and 46 to 95 percent of the semispan. The results of the investigation showed little change in the slat maximum force and moment coefficients with Mach number. The coefficients for the open and almost-closed slat positions had similar variations with angle of attack. The loads on the individual slat segments were found to increase toward the tip for moderate angles of attack and decrease toward the tip for high angles of attack. An analysis of the opening and closing characteristics of aerodynamically operated slats opening on a circular-arc path is included.

Arabian, Donald D.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unsteady aerodynamic loads on pitching aerofoils represented by Gaussian body force distributions

The actuator line model (ALM) is an approach commonly used to represent lifting and dragging devices like wings and blades in large-eddy simulations (LES). The crux of the ALM is the projection of the actuator point forces onto the LES grid by means of a Gaussian regularisation kernel. The minimum width of the kernel is constrained by the grid size; however, for most practical applications like LES of wind turbines, this value is an order of magnitude larger than the optimal value that maximises accuracy. This discrepancy motivated the development of corrections for the actuator line, which, however, neglect the effect of unsteady spanwise shed vorticity. In this work we develop a model for the impact of spanwise shed vorticity on the unsteady loading of an aerofoil modelled as a Gaussian body force distribution, where the model is applicable within the regime of unsteady attached flow. The model solution is derived both in the time and frequency domain and features an explicit dependence on the Gaussian kernel width. We verify the model with ALM-LES for both pitch steps and periodic pitching. The model solution is compared with Theodorsen theory and validated with both computational fluid dynamics using body fitted grids and experiment. It is concluded that the optimal kernel width for unsteady aerodynamics is approximately 40 % of the chord. The ALM is able to predict the magnitude of the unsteady loading up to a reduced frequency of 𝑘 ≈ 0.2.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1972

Prediction of unsteady aerodynamic loadings caused by trailing edge control surface motions in subsonic compressible flow: Computer program description

A digital computer program has been developed to calculate unsteady loadings caused by motions of lifting surfaces with trailing edge control based on the subsonic kernal function approach. The pressure singularities at hinge line and side edges have been extracted analytically as a preliminary step to solving the integral by collocation. The program calculates generalized aerodynamic forces for user supplied deflection modes. Optional intermediate output includes pressure at an array of points, and sectional generalized forces. From one to four controls on the half span can be accommodated.

Redman, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Reduction of computer usage costs in predicting unsteady aerodynamic loadings caused by control surface motions: Computer program description

A digital computer program was developed to calculate unsteady loadings caused by motions of lifting surfaces with leading edge and trailing edge controls based on the subsonic kernel function approach. The pressure singularities at hinge line and side edges were extracted analytically as a preliminary step to solving the integral equation of collocation. The program calculates generalized aerodynamic forces for user supplied deflection modes. Optional intermediate output includes pressure at an array of points, and sectional generalized forces. From one to six controls on the half span can be accomodated.

Petrarca, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Prediction of unsteady aerodynamic loadings caused by leading edge and trailing edge control surface motions in subsonic compressible flow: Computer program description

A digital computer program has been developed to calculate unsteady loadings caused by motions of lifting surfaces with leading edge or trailing edge controls based on the subsonic kernel function approach. The pressure singularities at hinge line and side edges have been extracted analytically as a preliminary step to solving the integral equation by collocation. The program calculates generalized aerodynamic forces for user supplied deflection modes. Optional intermediate output includes pressure at an array of points, and sectional generalized forces. From one to six controls on the half span can be accommodated.

Redman, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

On the use of Pade approximants to represent unsteady aerodynamic loads for arbitrarily small motions of wings

The general behavior of unsteady airloads in the frequency domain is explained. Based on this, a systematic procedure is described whereby the airloads, produced by completely arbitrary, small, time-dependent motions of a thin lifting surface in an airstream, can be predicted. This scheme employs as raw materials any of the unsteady linearized theories that have been mechanized for simple harmonic oscillations. Each desired aerodynamic transfer function is approximated by means of an appropriate Pade approximant, that is, a rational function of finite degree polynomials in the Laplace transform variable. Although these approximations have many uses, they are proving especially valuable in the design of automatic control systems intended to modify aeroelastic behavior.

Vepa, R.↗