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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 1,153 records · Page 64
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Navier-Stokes computations of symmetric and asymmetric vortex shedding around slender bodies

The unsteady, compressible Reynolds-averaged thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are used to solve for symmetric and asymmetric vortical flows around slender pointed bodies of revolution. The modified Baldwin and Lomax algebraic two-layer turbulent model is used for the eddy viscosity calculation in prescribed turbulent regions. The implicit, upwind flux-difference splitting finite-volume scheme is used to obtain the solutions. Computational results are presented for a low-speed symmetrical vortical flow around a 3.5-caliber tangent-ogive cylinder for fully laminar flow. Computed results are presented for a high-speed asymmetric vortex-shedding flow around a cone at 3.286 relative incidence, using a fine computational grid. The asymmetric vortex-shedding flow has been produced through a small asymmetric transitional perturbation in the cross-flow plane.

Kandil, Osama A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Use of high-resolution upwind scheme for vortical flow simulations

For vortical flow simulations at high Reynolds numbers, it is important to keep the artificial dissipation as small as possible since it induces unphysical decay of the vortex strength. One way to accomplish this is to decrease the grid spacing. Another way is to use computational schemes having little dissipation. Here, one of the high-resolution upwind schemes called MUSCL with Roe's average is applied to vortical flow fields. Two examples are considered. One is the leading-edge separation-vortex flow over a strake-delta wing. The other is a high-angle of attack supersonic flow over a spaceplane-like geometry. Comparison with the central difference solutions indicates that the present upwind scheme is less dissipative and thus has better resolution for the vortical flows.

Fujii, Kozo↗
DOE OSTI2021

Flow and heat transfer in the wake of a triangular arrangement of spheres

This research work seeks to investigate the influence of spacing and heat transfer on the wake behavior of a triangular arrangement of spheres. Four experimental configurations have been investigated at three Reynolds numbers, Re 1 = 350, Re 2 = 700, and Re 3 = 1050. Two isothermal cases were investigated with spacing between the spheres of zero and one sphere diameter, and two cases were investigated with an applied heat flux at the same spacing conditions. The time resolved particle image velocimetry results revealed various flow phenomena including flow separations, von Karman vortex shedding, and Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities. The turbulent statistics reveal the effect of proximity and heat transfer on the time averaged values of the wake size, turbulent strengths, and Reynolds shear stress in the wake of each sphere, namely, the laminarization effects from the addition of heat and the suppression of the lead sphere wake from the proximity of the trailing spheres. These results are complemented by the application of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to the flow fields, which extracts the coherent structures from the flow. Here the modes that describe the coherent structures are extracted and described in detail, which provide further insight into effects of the experimental conditions on the temporal behavior of the flow. Many of the low order modes are found to be associated in pairs, corresponding to asymmetric structures or advection of a given structure downstream. The capability of POD to produce reduced order models of the flow is then utilized to facilitate vortex identification analysis. A turbulent kinetic energy based mode truncation criteria, which has been found to enhance vortex identification capability, is applied to select the POD modes and temporal coefficients to be used in the reduced order modeling. The reconstructed velocity fields are then analyzed with vortex identification algorithms to extract the vortex cores and boundaries. The combination of these approaches allows the study of the effect of proximity and heat transfer on the vortex characteristics, such as size, strength, and distribution.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1985

Viscous flows in rotating pipes with internal cavities and related vortex breakdowns

The problem of predicting vortex breakdown, which is characterized by a drastic change in core size and trajectory, is still basically unsolved. In the present paper, viscous flow in a long rotating pipe is analyzed, as a model for the type of breakdown observed in wake vortices. The full Navier-Stokes equations are shown to simplify to a set of unlinked partial differential equations. These equations allow for two separate solutions, for both full pipe flows (the classic rotating Hagen-Poiseuille flow) and cavity flows, in which a central area, with no net mass flux or viscous dissipation, is produced. Conditions permitting switching from one type of flow to the other, with no change in the mass flux or velocities at the pipe surface, are found. It is then argued that these conditions indicate when vortex breakdown will occur.

Weihs, D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Use of high-resolution upwind scheme for vortical flow simulations

For vortical flow simulations at high Reynolds number, it is important to keep the artificial dissipation as small as possible since it induces unphysical decay of the vortex strength. One way to accomplish this is to decrease the grid spacing. Another way is to use computational schemes having little dissipation. In the present paper, one of the high-resolution upwind schemes called 'MUSCL with Roe's average'is applied to vortical flow simulations. Two examples are considered. One is the leading-edge separation-vortex flow over a strake-delta wing. The other is a high-angle of attack supersonic flow over a spaceplane-like configuration. The comparison with the central difference solutions indicates that the present upwind scheme is less dissipative and thus has better resolution for the vortical flows.

Fujii, Kozo↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the aerodynamics and performance of active vortex generators

As a building block in the development of smart lift-enhancement devices, a new concept for flow control using active vortex generators (AVGs) is presented. Ramp, wedge, and doublet wedge (Wheeler) VG configurations are investigated. The AVGs are designed to conform to the surface of the wing section at low alpha. As the section approaches the stall, they are deployed and accordingly, alpha(stall) and C(lmax) are increased. A qualitative analysis of the flow around the various VG configurations was conducted in a low speed wind tunnel at 1.6 ft/s and a Reynolds number of approximately 3400. The results demonstrate that ramp VGs produce vortices that have the longest distance at breakdown. The VGs were also applied to a 25-in. span, 8-in. chord NACA 4415 wing section. Optimization studies were conducted on the spanwise spacing, chordwise position, and size of statically deployed VGs. The test results demonstrate a 14-percent increase in C(lmax) while increasing alpha (stall) by up to 3.

Barrett, Ron↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical study of a delta planform with multiple jets in ground effect

The flow past a 60-deg delta wing equipped with two thrust-reverser jets near the inboard trailing edge has been analyzed by numerical solution of the 3D thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations. An implicit, partially flux-split, approximately-factored Navier-Stokes solver coupled with a multiple grid embedding scheme has been adapted to this problem. Studies of the impact of numerical parameters (e.g., grid refinement and dissipation levels), and flow-field parameters such as the height of the delta wing above the ground plane and the jet size on the solution, were performed. Results of these numerical studies indicate some challenges in the accurate resolution of complex 3D free shear layers and jets. Nevertheless, flow features such as jet deformation and ground vortex formation observed in experimental flow visualizations are captured. Further, comparisons with experimental data confirm the ability to simulate the loss of wing-borne lift, commonly referred to 'suckdown, as the delta planform flies at slow speeds in close proximity to the ground. Detailed analysis of the numerical results has also given additional insight into the structure of the ground vortex and the mechanisms of lift loss.

Chawla, K.↗
DOE OSTI2019

A study of velocity, temperature, and density in the plasma generated by laser-induced breakdowns

The paper presents velocity measurements of shock-induced flow field, leading to vortex generation and plasma deformation in air. Femtosecond-laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) velocimetry was performed at the times Δt = 3, 20, 50, and 100 µs post laser-induced breakdown. Emissions over Δt = 3–10 µs showed the propagations of the initially elliptic shock, transitioning into a spherical front. The shock emanated along the laser axis causes the flow outward, and then the pressure gradient generated by the rarefaction wave drives the inward flow at later moments, with the velocity magnitude approaching a steady-state value of 40 m s -1 . Temporal velocity evolution was compared with non-self-similar solutions behind the propagating shock, which are sensitive to the size of the energy deposition, and the use of the measured initial plasma diameter reproduced the experiment. There establishes a region of uniform velocity around 35 m s -1 in the air-flow running through the plasma, which triggers the roll-up of the plasma surface by a large-scale vortex, providing the detail of flow field evolution from the shock propagation to the plasma deformation. A collective Thomson scattering and hybrid fs/ps pure rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) were also performed to gain insight into the high-temperature plasma. An effective electron–ion recombination rate of 2 x 10 -12 cm 3 s -1 was measured at Δt = 0.5–10 µs, during a dynamic plasma expansion and compression. When the shock resides close to the plasma at Δt = 0.5–1 µs, the temperature distributions were found to follow the similarity law.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1990

The calculation of rotor/fuselage interaction for two-dimensional bodies

Unsteady rotor wake interactions with the empennage, tail boom, and other aerodynamic surfaces have a significant influence on the aerodynamic performance of the helicopter, ride quality, and vibration. A Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) method for computing the aerodynamic interaction between an interacting vortex wake and the viscous flow about arbitrary 2-D bodies was developed to address this helicopter problem. The vorticity and flow field velocities are calculated on a body-fitted computational mesh using an uncoupled iterative solution. The interacting vortex wake is represented by an array of discrete vortices which, in turn, are represented by a finite core model. The evolution of the interacting vortex wake is calculated by Lagrangian techniques. The flow around circular and elliptic cylinders in the absence of an interacting vortex wake was calculated. These results compare very well with other numerical results and with results obtained from experiment and thereby demonstrate the accuracy of the viscous solution. The interaction of a simulated rotor wake with the flow about 2-D bodies, representing cross sections of fuselage components, was calculated to address the vortex interaction problem. The vortex interaction was calculated for the flow about a circular and an elliptic cylinder at 45 and 90 degrees incidence. The results demonstrate the significant variation in lift and drag on the 2-D bodies during the vortex interaction.

Stremel, Paul M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Effect of Oscillating Tabs on a Jet-in-Cross-Flow

A novel technique for active control of a jet-in-cross-flow is explored in this study. Two triangular tabs are placed at the 90 degree and 270 degree edges of the jet orifice, relative to the direction of the cross-flow. A slight asymmetry in the placement of the two tabs is reversed periodically. This causes a profound oscillation of the flow field that persists as far downstream as the measurements were permitted by the facility (100 orifice diameters). Parametric dependence of the unsteadiness and its impact on the flowfield has been investigated preliminarily. It is found that the effect becomes increasingly pronounced with increasing value of the momentum flux ratio (J). However, there is little or no effect at low values of J in the range, J less than 15. The effective frequencies of oscillation are low - more than an order of magnitude lower than that found with oscillatory blowing technique in previous studies. The flow mechanism apparently involves a direct perturbation of the counter-rotating streamwise vortex pair of the flow.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A subvortex technique for the close approach to a discretized vortex sheet

The close-approach problem associated with flow calculation methods based on vortex-lattice theory was examined numerically using two-dimensional discretized vortex sheets. The analysis first yields a near-field radius of approximately the distance apart of the vortices in the lattice; only within this distance from the sheet are the errors arising from the discretization significant. Various modifications to the discrete vortices are then considered with the objective of reducing the errors. This leads to a near-field model in which a vortex splits into an increasing number of subvortices as it is approached. The subvortices, whose strengths vary linearly from the vortex position, are evenly distributed along an interpolated curve passing through the basic vortices. This subvortex technique can be extended to the three-dimensional case and is efficient because the number of vortices is effectively increased, but only where and when needed.

Maskew, B.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The structure of vortex breakdown

The term 'vortex breakdown', as used in the reported investigation, refers to a disturbance characterized by the formation of an internal stagnation point on the vortex axis, followed by reversed flow in a region of limited axial extent. Two forms of vortex breakdown, which predominate, are shown in photographs. One form is called 'near-axisymmetric' (sometimes 'axisymmetric'), and the other is called 'spiral'. A survey is presented of work published since the 1972 review by Hall. Most experimental data taken since Hall's review have been in tubes, and the survey deals primarily with such cases. It is found that the assumption of axial-symmetry has produced useful results. The classification of flows as supercritical or subcritical, a step that assumes symmetry, has proved universally useful. Experiments show that vortex breakdown is always preceded by an upstream supercritical flow and followed by a subcritical wake. However, a comparison between experiments and attempts at prediction is less than encouraging. For a satisfactory understanding of the structure of vortex breakdown it is apparently necessary to take into account also aspects of asymmetry.

Leibovich, S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Nonlinear, unsteady aerodynamic loads on rectangular and delta wings

Nonlinear unsteady aerodynamic loads on rectangular and delta wings in an incompressible flow are calculated by using an unsteady vortex-lattice model. Examples include flows past fixed wings in unsteady uniform streams and flows past wings undergoing unsteady motions. The unsteadiness may be due to gusty winds or pitching oscillations. The present technique establishes a reliable approach which can be utilized in the analysis of problems associated with the dynamics and aeroelasticity of wings within a wide range of angles of attack.

Atta, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Field study of the effect of orographic features on planetary boundary layer models

A flight program to measure the influence of orographic features on turbulent momentum, heat, and moisture fluxes was carried out. Characteristic wake flow patterns were observed in laboratory studies. While the upper level winds (above 10,000 ft msl) blow from west to east (perpendicular to the mountain range), flow patterns similar to flow from a backward-facing step are observed. When the upper level winds blow at 301 and 312 deg from true north (slightly oblique to the mountain range), experimental evidence suggests flow patterns typical of a vortex shed from the mountain range similar to a leading edge vortex from a delta wing aircraft. The observed flow patterns are analyzed. It is concluded that wake flow very similar to those observed in laboratory facilities can occur due to winds over mountain ranges. Results of studies in the laboratory may shed considerable insight to atmospheric boundary layer winds obstructed by orographic features.

Frost, Walter↗
NASA NTRS1953

Study of secondary-flow patterns in an annular cascade of turbine nozzle blades with vortex design

In order to increase understanding of the origin of losses in a turbine, the secondary-flow components in the boundary layers and the blade wakes of an annular cascade of turbine nozzle blades (vortex design) was investigated. A detailed study was made of the total-pressure contours and, particularly, of the inner-wall loss cores downstream of the blades. The inner-wall loss core associated with a blade of the turbine-nozzle cascade is largely the accumulation of low-momentum fluids originating elsewhere in the cascade. This accumulation is effected by a secondary-flow mechanism which acts to transport the low-momentum fluids across the channels on the walls and radially in the blade wakes and boundary layers. The patterns of secondary flow were determined by use of hydrogen sulfide traces, paint, flow fences, and total pressure surveys. At one flow condition investigated, the radial transport of low-momentum fluid in the blade wake and on the suction surface near the trailing edge accounted for 65 percent of the loss core; 30 percent resulted from flow in the thickened boundary layer on the suction surface and 35 percent from flow in the blade wake.

FLOW, SUBSONIC↗
NASA NTRS1991

Spectral Method For Simulation Of Vortex Rings

Method of computation relying on spectral basis functions developed especially for simulation of axisymmetric vortex rings in incompressible, viscous fluid with quiescent far field. Contributes to understanding of flows in and around vortex rings during long propagation times, including such theoretically and practically important phenomena as drift and expansion of ring, "leapfrogging" and coalescence of two rings, and shedding of vorticity into wake of propagating ring.

Stanaway, S. K.↗