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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 127 records · Page 7

Large-Scale Wind-Tunnel Tests of Exhaust Ingestion Due to Thrust Reversal on a Four-Engine Jet Transport during Ground Roll

Wind-tunnel tests have been conducted on a large-scale model of a swept-wing jet transport type airplane to study the factors affecting exhaust gas ingestion into the engine inlets when thrust reversal is used during ground roll. The model was equipped with four small jet engines mounted in nacelles beneath the wing. The tests included studies of both cascade and target type reversers. The data obtained included the free-stream velocity at the occurrence of exhaust gas ingestion in the outboard engine and the increment of drag due to thrust reversal for various modifications of thrust reverser configuration. Motion picture films of smoke flow studies were also obtained to supplement the data. The results show that the free-stream velocity at which ingestion occurred in the outboard engines could be reduced considerably, by simple modifications to the reversers, without reducing the effective drag due to reversed thrust.

Tolhurst, William H., Jr.↗

Combustion contribution to noise in jet engines

The relative importance of combustion as a source of noise in a flow regime representative of a subsonic jet engine exhaust was investigated. The combustion noise source characteristics were obtained from pressure and temperature fluctuation measurements in the combustor and exhaust nozzle. The similarity between the fluctuations in this source region and the far field noise were compared. In the jet exhaust velocity range between 450 and 660 ft/sec investigated in detail, the frequencies of dominant pressure and temperature fluctuations in the combustor were also the frequencies of the dominant far field noise. The overall noise levels were 14 to 20 dB higher than from a corresponding clean jet in the same velocity range. Thus it seemed clear that the unsteadiness associated with the combustion process was responsible for the dominant noise in the far field. A simple analysis to predict the far field noise due to the internal pressure fluctuations causing exit plane velocity fluctuations produced trends closely resembling the measured results, but under predicted the far field noise over the spectral range examined. The possible reason for the higher far field noise is direct transmission of acoustic waves through the nozzle, which was not accounted for in the prediction scheme.

Plett, E. G.↗

Knowledge based jet engine diagnostics

A fielded expert system automates equipment fault isolation and recommends corrective maintenance action for Air Force jet engines. The knowledge based diagnostics tool was developed as an expert system interface to the Comprehensive Engine Management System, Increment IV (CEMS IV), the standard Air Force base level maintenance decision support system. XMAM (trademark), the Expert Maintenance Tool, automates procedures for troubleshooting equipment faults, provides a facility for interactive user training, and fits within a diagnostics information feedback loop to improve the troubleshooting and equipment maintenance processes. The application of expert diagnostics to the Air Force A-10A aircraft TF-34 engine equipped with the Turbine Engine Monitoring System (TEMS) is presented.

Jellison, Timothy G.↗

Transpiring Cooling of a Scram-Jet Engine Combustion Chamber

The peak cold-wall heating rate generated in a combustion chamber of a scram-jet engine can exceed 2000 Btu/sq ft sec (approx. 2344 W/sq cm). Therefore, a very effective heat dissipation mechanism is required to sustain such a high heating load. This research focused on the transpiration cooling mechanism that appears to be a promising approach to remove a large amount of heat from the engine wall. The transpiration cooling mechanism has two aspects. First, initial computations suggest that there is a reduction, as much as 75%, in the heat flux incident on the combustion chamber wall due to the transpirant modifying the combustor boundary layer. Secondly, the heat reaching the combustor wall is removed from the structure in a very effective manner by the transpirant. It is the second of these two mechanisms that is investigated experimentally in the subject paper. A transpiration cooling experiment using a radiant heating method, that provided a heat flux as high as 200 Btu/sq ft sec ( approx. 234 W/sq cm) on the surface of a specimen, was performed. The experiment utilized an arc-lamp facility (60-kW radiant power output) to provide a uniform heat flux to a test specimen. For safety reasons, helium gas was used as the transpirant in the experiments. The specimens were 1.9-cm diameter sintered, powdered-stainless-steel tubes of various porosities and a 2.54cm square tube with perforated multi-layered walls. A 15-cm portion of each specimen was heated. The cooling effectivenes and efficiencies by transpiration for each specimen were obtained using the experimental results. During the testing, various test specimens displayed a choking phenomenon in which the transpirant flow was limited as the heat flux was increased. The paper includes a preliminary analysis of the transpiration cooling mechanism and a scaling conversion study that translates the results from helium tests into the case when a hydrogen medium is used.

Choi, Sang H.↗

Comparison of the Combustion Performance of Shell UMF, Grade C, MIL-F-5624C, Grade JP-5, Fuels in a Heavy-Duty XRJ47-W-9 Ram-Jet Engine

Comparable combustion performance data for Shell UMF, grade C, and MIL-F-5624C, grade JP-5, fuels were obtained using a heavy-duty version of the XRJ47-W-9 ram-jet engine operated in a 2.75 Mach number free-jet facility. Data were obtained for the two fuels over a range of fuel-air ratios, engine airflows, and engine-inlet temperatures. The test conditions were selected to provide combustor-inlet temperatures. The test conditions were selected to provide combustor-inlet conditions approximately representative of those which would be encountered over a range of altitudes and flight Mach numbers. The variation of combustion efficiency with fuel-air ratio for the two fuels is compared at the several inlet conditions. The pilot-burner ignition and operating limits with both fuels are also included. In general, the combustion efficiency with Shell UMF, grade C, fuel was 1 to 4 points lower than with MIL-F-5624C, grade JP-5, fuel.

Ranscht, W. G.↗

Design, Fabrication, and Testing of an Auxiliary Cooling System for Jet Engines

This report summarizes the technical effort of the Active Cooling for Enhanced Performance (ACEP) program sponsored by NASA. It covers the design, fabrication, and integrated systems testing of a jet engine auxiliary cooling system, or turbocooler, that significantly extends the use of conventional jet fuel as a heat sink. The turbocooler is designed to provide subcooled cooling air to the engine exhaust nozzle system or engine hot section. The turbocooler consists of three primary components: (1) a high-temperature air cycle machine driven by engine compressor discharge air, (2) a fuel/ air heat exchanger that transfers energy from the hot air to the fuel and uses a coating to mitigate fuel deposits, and (3) a high-temperature fuel injection system. The details of the turbocooler component designs and results of the integrated systems testing are documented. Industry Version-Data and information deemed subject to Limited Rights restrictions are omitted from this document.

Leamy, Kevin↗

Cooperative Multi-Agent Mobile Sensor Platforms for Jet Engine Inspection: Concept and Implementation

Cooperative behavior algorithms utilizing swarm intelligence are being developed for mobile sensor platforms to inspect jet engines on-wing. Experiments are planned in which several relatively simple autonomous platforms will work together in a coordinated fashion to carry out complex maintenance-type tasks within the constrained working environment modeled on the interior of a turbofan engine. The algorithms will emphasize distribution of the tasks among multiple units; they will be scalable and flexible so that units may be added in the future; and will be designed to operate on an individual unit level to produce the desired global effect. This proof of concept demonstration will validate the algorithms and provide justification for further miniaturization and specialization of the hardware toward the true application of on-wing in situ turbine engine maintenance.

Litt, Jonathan S.↗

Application of polynomial techniques to multivariable control of jet engines

This paper describes a complete case study of the application of the theory of minimal design to multivariable control of jet engines. The minimal-design problem is approached from the viewpoint of polynomial modules, and computational experience with PL/I and FORMAC-PL/I software is discussed. The complete minimal-design solution exhibits flexibilities not apparent in early industry studies, and a matrix approach to pole assignment can be used to advantage in this situation.

Gejji, R. R.↗

Advanced optical smoke meters for jet engine exhaust measurement

Smoke meters with increased sensitivity, improved accuracy, and rapid response are needed to measure the smoke levels emitted by modern jet engines. The standard soiled tape meter in current use is based on filtering, which yields long term averages and is insensitive to low smoke levels. Two new optical smoke meter techniques that promise to overcome these difficulties have been experimentally evaluated: modulated transmission (MODTRAN) and photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS). Both techniques are based on light absorption by smoke, which is closely related to smoke density. They are variations on direct transmission measurements which produce a modulated signal that can be easily measured with phase sensitive detection. The MODTRAN and PDS techniques were tested on low levels of smoke and diluted samples of NO2 in nitrogen, simulating light adsorption due to smoke. The results are evaluated against a set of ideal smoke meter criteria that include a desired smoke measurement range of 0.1 to 12 mg cu.m. (smoke numbers of 1 to 50) and a frequency response of 1 per second. The MODTRAN instrument is found to be inaccurate for smoke levels below 3 mg/cu.m. and is able to make a only about once every 20 seconds because of its large sample cell. The PDS instrument meets nearly all the characteristics of an ideal smoke meter: it has excellent sensitivity over a range of smoke levels from 0.1 to 20 mg/cu.m. (smoke numbers of 1 to 60) and good frequency response (1 per second).

Pitz, R. W.↗

Hierarchical representation and machine learning from faulty jet engine behavioral examples to detect real time abnormal conditions

The theoretical basis and operation of LEBEX, a machine-learning system for jet-engine performance monitoring, are described. The behavior of the engine is modeled in terms of four parameters (the rotational speeds of the high- and low-speed sections and the exhaust and combustion temperatures), and parameter variations indicating malfunction are transformed into structural representations involving instances and events. LEBEX extracts descriptors from a set of training data on normal and faulty engines, represents them hierarchically in a knowledge base, and uses them to diagnose and predict faults on a real-time basis. Diagrams of the system architecture and printouts of typical results are shown.

Gupta, U. K.↗