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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

Numerical Investigation of Two-Phase Flows With Charged Droplets in Electrostatic Field

A numerical method to solve two-phase turbulent flows with charged droplets in an electrostatic field is presented. The ensemble-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the electrostatic potential equation are solved using a finite volume method. The transitional turbulence field is described using multiple-time-scale turbulence equations. The equations of motion of droplets are solved using a Lagrangian particle tracking scheme, and the inter-phase momentum exchange is described by the Particle-In-Cell scheme. The electrostatic force caused by an applied electrical potential is calculated using the electrostatic field obtained by solving a Laplacian equation and the force exerted by charged droplets is calculated using the Coulombic force equation. The method is applied to solve electro-hydrodynamic sprays. The calculated droplet velocity distributions for droplet dispersions occurring in a stagnant surrounding are in good agreement with the measured data. For droplet dispersions occurring in a two-phase flow, the droplet trajectories are influenced by aerodynamic forces, the Coulombic force, and the applied electrostatic potential field.

Kim, Sang-Wook↗

An Application of CFD to Guide Forced Boundary-Layer Transition at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds for a Lambda-Wing Configuration

A hybrid transition trip-dot sizing and placement test technique was extended to support recent experimental research on a moderately-swept hybrid wing-body Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle configuration under study in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Applied Vehicle Technology task group. The approach combines traditional test techniques with Computational Fluid Dynamics. The application had three-dimensional boundary layers that were simulated with either fully turbulent or mixed laminar-turbulent flow models using established Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes methods. Forced transition effectiveness was verified experimentally using sublimating chemicals during low-speed and transonic wind tunnel tests. Assessments were performed between tripped low Reynolds number data and un-tripped high Reynolds number data. The hybrid test technique is based on fundamental flow physics and as such could be applicable to other configurations.

UCAV↗

An Application of CFD to Guide Forced Boundary-Layer Transition at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds for a Lambda-Wing Configuration

A hybrid transition trip-dot sizing and placement test technique was extended to support recent experimental research on a moderately-swept hybrid wing-body Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle configuration under study in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Applied Vehicle Technology task group. The approach combines traditional test techniques with Computational Fluid Dynamics. The application had three-dimensional boundary layers that were simulated with either fully turbulent or mixed laminar-turbulent flow models using established Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes methods. Forced transition effectiveness was verified experimentally using sublimating chemicals during low-speed and transonic wind tunnel tests. Assessments were performed between tripped low Reynolds number data and un-tripped high Reynolds number data. The hybrid test technique is based on fundamental flow physics and as such could be applicable to other configurations.

Wind tunnel test technique↗

Stability theory applications to laminar-flow control

In order to design Laminar Flow Control (LFC) configurations, reliable methods are needed for boundary-layer transition predictions. Among the available methods, there are correlations based upon R sub e, shape factors, Goertler number and crossflow Reynolds number. The most advanced transition prediction method is based upon linear stability theory in the form of the e sup N method which has proven to be successful in predicting transition in two- and three-dimensional boundary layers. When transition occurs in a low disturbance environment, the e sup N method provides a viable design tool for transition prediction and LFC in both 2-D and 3-D subsonic/supersonic flows. This is true for transition dominated by either TS, crossflow, or Goertler instability. If Goertler/TS or crossflow/TS interaction is present, the e sup N will fail to predict transition. However, there is no evidence of such interaction at low amplitudes of Goertler and crossflow vortices.

Malik, Mujeeb R.↗

Toward Transition Modeling in a Hypersonic Boundary Layer at Flight Conditions

An accurate physics-based transition prediction method integrated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers is pursued for hypersonic boundary layer flows over slender hypersonic vehicles at flight conditions. The geometry and flow conditions are selected to match relevant trajectory locations from the ascent phase of the HIFiRE-1 flight experiment, namely, a 7-degree half-angle cone with 2.5 mm nose radius, freestream Mach numbers in the range of 3.8 – 5.5 and freestream unit Reynolds numbers in the range of 3.3 × 10(exp 6) – 21.4 × 10(exp 6) m(exp -1). Earlier research had shown that the onset of transition during the HIFiRE-1 flight experiment correlated with an amplification factor of N ≈ 13.5 for the planar Mack modes. However, to incorporate the N-factor correlations into a CFD code, we investigate surrogate models for disturbance amplification that avoid the direct computation of stability characteristics. A commonly used approach for low-speed flows is based on an a priori database of stability characteristics for locally similar profiles. However, the results presented in this paper demonstrate that the application of this approach to hypersonic boundary layers over blunt spherical nose-tip cones leads to large, unacceptable errors in the predictions of amplification factors, mainly due to its failure in accounting for the effects of the entropy layer on the boundary-layer profiles along the length of the model. We propose and demonstrate an alternate approach that employs the stability computations for a canonical set of blunt cone configurations to train a physics-informed convolutional neural network model that is shown to provide substantially improved transition predictions for hypersonic flow configurations with entropy-layer effects. Furthermore, the excellent performance of the neural network model is also confirmed for cone configurations with nose radius and half-angle values that do not correspond to those used to build the database. Finally, the convolutional neural network model is shown to outperform the linear stability calculations for underresolved basic states.

Pedro Paredes↗

TOI-3757 b: A Low-density Gas Giant Orbiting a Solar-metallicity M Dwarf

We present the discovery of a new Jovian-sized planet, TOI-3757 b, the lowest-density transiting planet known to orbit an M dwarf (M0V). This planet was discovered around a solar-metallicity M dwarf, using Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite photometry and confirmed with precise radial velocities from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) and NEID. With a planetary radius of 12.0 (+0.4 -0.5) R ⊕ and mass of 85.3 (+8.8 -8.7)M ⊕ , not only does this object add to the small sample of gas giants (∼10) around M dwarfs, but also its low density (ρ=0.27 +0.05 -0.04 g) provides an opportunity to test theories of planet formation. We present two hypotheses to explain its low density; first, we posit that the low metallicity of its stellar host (∼0.3 dex lower than the median metallicity of M dwarfs hosting gas giants) could have played a role in the delayed formation of a solid core massive enough to initiate runaway accretion. Second, using the eccentricity estimate of 0.14 ± 0.06, we determine it is also plausible for tidal heating to at least partially be responsible for inflating the radius of TOI-3757b b. The low density and large scale height of TOI-3757 b makes it an excellent target for transmission spectroscopy studies of atmospheric escape and composition (transmission spectroscopy measurement of ∼ 190). We use HPF to perform transmission spectroscopy of TOI-3757 b using the helium 10830 Å line. Doing this, we place an upper limit of 6.9% (with 90% confidence) on the maximum depth of the absorption from the metastable transition of He at ∼10830 Å, which can help constraint the atmospheric mass-loss rate in this energy-limited regime.

Exoplanet astronomy↗

A New Approach for Determining Onset of Transition

The final report consists of three papers which outline and demonstrate the new method for determining transition onset. The procedure developed under this grant requires specification of the instability mechanism, i.e., Tollmien-Schlichting or crossflow, that leads to transition. The attached papers are entitled: 'An Alternative to the e(sup n) Method for Determining Onset of Transition', 'Transition Model for Swept Wing Flows', and 'A Transition Closure Model for Predicting Transition Onset'.

Hassan, H. A.↗

An experimental study of the hypersonic aerodynamics of delta wings.

Results of aerodynamic balance and pressure measurements carried out in a hypersonic gun tunnel (at a free-stream Mach number of 8.2 and a Reynolds number of 800,000) on delta wings having sharp leading edges swept at 70 and 76 deg. The experimental force and pressure coefficients and shock angles are discussed in relation to simple prediction methods. Some transition data are also included.

Rao, D. M.↗

An application of Floquet theory to prediction of mechanical instability

The problem of helicopter mechanical instability is considered for the case where one blade damper is inoperative, and it is shown that if the hub is considered to be nonisotropic, the equations of motion have periodic coefficients which cannot be eliminated. The Floquet transition matrix method is shown to be an effective way of dealing with the nonisotropic hub and nonisotropic rotor situation. Time history calculations are examined and shown to be inferior to the Floquet technique for determining system stability. It is shown that instabilities which occur when one blade damper is inoperative may consist of nearly pure blade motion or they may be similar to the classical mechanical instability.

Hammond, C. E.↗

An application of Floquet theory to prediction of mechanical instability

The problem of helicopter mechanical instability is considered for the case where one blade damper is inoperative. It is shown that, if the hub is considered to be nonisotropic, the equations of motion have periodic coefficients which cannot be eliminated. However, if the hub is isotropic, the equations can be transformed to a rotating frame of reference and the periodic coefficients eliminated. The Floquet transition matrix method is shown to be an effective way of dealing with the nonisotropic hub and nonisotropic rotor situation. Time history calculations are examined and shown to be inferior to the Floquet technique for determining system stability.

Hammond, C. E.↗

Mass flow requirements for LFC wing design

The problem of determining optimum suction mass flow requirements for LFC wings is addressed. Some previous methods for predicting the extent of laminar flow over swept wings with suction are briefly reviewed. These range from the purely empirical to those utilizing tabulated linear stability computations. The present method is described. This method solves the linear, incompressible stability equations by spectral techniques. The maximum temporal amplification of boundary layer crossflow and 2-D disturbances is determined for waves of a given frequency. Group velocities are used to integrate these amplification rates along the wing to yield the logarithmic amplitude ratio or 'N factor' of the disturbance. The 'N factor' calibration of a computer code utilizing this method is described, using experimentally determined transition data. The method is shown to be as consistent as previously used 'fixed wavelength' methods.

Srokowski, A. J.↗

An Analysis of Wave Interactions in Swept-Wing Flows

Crossflow instabilities dominate disturbance growth in the leading-edge region of swept wings. Streamwise vortices in a boundary layer strongly influence the behavior of other disturbances. Amplification of crossflow vortices near the leading edge produces a residual spanwise nonuniformity in the mid-chord regions where Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) waves are strongly amplified. Should the T-S wave undergo double-exponential growth because of this effect, the usual transition prediction methods would fail. The crossflow/Tollmien-Schlichting wave interaction was modeled as a secondary instability. The effects of suction are included, and different stability criteria are examined. The results are applied to laminar flow control wings characteristic of energy-efficient aircraft designs.

Reed, H. L.↗

Disturbance-wave interactions in flows with crossflow

The leading-edge region of swept wings is dominated by the crossflow instability, resulting in vortices that all rotate in the same sense. The effect of these possibly unsteady vortices on the behavior of other disturbances is examined, and a strong interaction between these and disturbances of half the dominating crossflow wavelength is predicted. According to theory, the interaction is of crossflow-crossflow type. The effect explains the anomalies found in the experimental observations of Saric and Yeates. Visually, they observe vortices at the wavelength predicted by linear theory; however, in their hot-wire measurements they find that the superharmonic dominates disturbance growth, eventually having three times the amplitude of the primary wave. In this case, the usual transition prediction methods would fail, clearly indicating the importance of studying interactions of this sort.

Reed, H. L.↗

Comparison of Euler and full potential marching techniques for flows over complex configurations

Two recently developed aerodynamic prediction techniques based on the steady full potential equation and the unsteady Euler equations have been applied to a variety of three-dimensional supersonic flow problems exhibiting embedded subsonic regions. Both techniques utilize planar Gauss-Seidel relaxation in the marching direction and approximate factorization in the cross-flow plane. A conservative switching scheme and flux bias technique are employed in the full potential method to transition from the supersonic marching procedure to a subsonic relaxation algorithm and vice versa. A new unified approach with finite volume, high accuracy (up to third order) Total Variation Diminishing formulation (based on Roe's scheme) is used in the Euler solver. In the supersonic regions of the flow an 'infinitely large' time step is employed, and a finite time step is applied in the subsonic regions of the flow to reach the steady-state as a time-asymptote. Numerical solutions are obtained for a number of complex configurations, including: (1) an elliptic waverider, (2) a realistic fighter configuration, (3) the Space Shuttle, and (4) a Shuttle-like configuration. Both the Full Potential and Euler numerical results are in good agreement with available experimental data.

Szema, K. Y.↗

Wave interactions in swept-wing flows

The leading-edge region of swept wings is dominated by the crossflow instability, resulting in vortices that all rotate in the same sense. The effect of these vortices on the behavior of other disturbances is examined and an interaction between these and disturbances of half the dominating crossflow wavelength is predicted. According to theory, the interaction is of crossflow-crossflow type. The effect explains the anomalies found in the experimental observations of Saric and Yeates (1985). Visually Saric and Yeates observe vortices at the wavelength predicted by linear theory; however, in their hot-wire measurements they find that the second harmonic dominates disturbance growth, with eventually three times the amplitude of the primary wave. In this case, the usual transition-prediction methods would fail, clearly indicating the importance of studying interactions of this sort.

Reed, Helen L.↗