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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Infrared Images of Boundary Layer Transition on the D8 Transport Configuration in the LaRC 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel

Grit, trip tape, or trip dots are routinely applied on the leading-edge regions of the fuselage, wings, tails or nacelles of wind tunnel models to trip the flow from laminar to turbulent. The thickness of the model's boundary layer is calculated for nominal conditions in the wind tunnel test to determine the effective size of the trip dots, but the flow over the model may not transition as intended for runs with different flow conditions. Temperature gradients measured with an infrared camera can be used to detect laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition on a wind tunnel model. This non-intrusive technique was used in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel to visualize the behavior of the flow over a D8 transport configuration model. As the flow through the wind tunnel either increased to or decreased from the run conditions, a sufficient temperature difference existed between the air and the model to visualize the transition location (due to different heat transfer rates through the laminar and the turbulent boundary layers) for several runs in this test. Transition phenomena were visible without active temperature control in the atmospheric wind tunnel, whether the air was cooler than the model or vice-versa. However, when the temperature of the model relative to the air was purposely changed, the ability to detect transition in the infrared images was enhanced. Flow characteristics such as a wing root horseshoe vortex or the presence of fore-body vortical flows also were observed in the infrared images. The images of flow features obtained for this study demonstrate the usefulness of current infrared technology in subsonic wind tunnel tests.

Mason, Michelle L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Numerical Modeling of Flow Control in a Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Offset Inlet Diffuser at Transonic Mach Numbers

This paper will investigate the validation of a NASA developed, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) flow solver, OVERFLOW, for a boundary-layer-ingesting (BLI) offset (S-shaped) inlet in transonic flow with passive and active flow control devices as well as the baseline case. Numerical simulations are compared to wind tunnel results of a BLI inlet conducted at the NASA Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel. Comparisons of inlet flow distortion, pressure recovery, and inlet wall pressures are performed. The numerical simulations are compared to the BLI inlet data at a freestream Mach number of 0.85 and a Reynolds number of approximately 2 million based on the length of the fan-face diameter. The numerical simulations with and without wind tunnel walls are performed, quantifying effects of the tunnel walls on the BLI inlet flow measurements. The wind tunnel test evaluated several different combinations of jet locations and mass flow rates as well as a vortex generator (VG) vane case. The numerical simulations will be performed on a single jet configuration for varying actuator mass flow rates at a fix inlet mass flow condition. Validation of the numerical simulations for the VG vane case will also be performed for varying inlet mass flow rates. Overall, the numerical simulations were able to predict the baseline circumferential flow distortion, DPCPavg, very well for comparisons made within the designed operating range of the BLI inlet. However the CFD simulations did predict a total pressure recovery that was 0.01 lower than the experiment. Numerical simulations of the baseline inlet flow also showed good agreement with the experimental inlet centerline surface pressures. The vane case showed that the CFD predicted the correct trends in the circumferential distortion for varying inlet mass flow but had a distortion level that was nearly twice as large as the experiment. Comparison to circumferential distortion measurements for a 15 deg clocked 40 probe rake indicated that the circumferential distortion levels are very sensitive to the symmetry of the flow and that a miss alignment of the vanes in the experiment could have resulted in this difference. The numerical simulations of the BLI inlet with jets showed good agreement with the circumferential inlet distortion levels for a range of jet actuator mass flow ratios at a fixed inlet mass flow rate. The CFD simulations for the jet case also predicted an average total pressure recovery that was 0.01 lower than the experiment as was seen in the baseline. Comparison of the flow features the jet case revealed that the CFD predicted a much larger vortex at the engine fan-face when compare to the experiment.

Allan Brian G.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Transmission Geometry Laser Ablation into a Non-Contact Liquid Vortex Capture Probe for Mass Spectrometry Imaging

RATIONALE: Capture of material from a laser ablation plume into a continuous flow stream of solvent provides the means for uninterrupted sampling, transport and ionization of collected material for coupling with mass spectral analysis. Reported here is the use of vertically aligned transmission geometry laser ablation in combination with a new non-contact liquid vortex capture probe coupled with electrospray ionization for spot sampling and chemical imaging with mass spectrometry. Methods: A vertically aligned continuous flow liquid vortex capture probe was positioned directly underneath a sample surface in a transmission geometry laser ablation (355 nm, 10 Hz, 7 ns pulse width) setup to capture into solution the ablated material. The outlet of the vortex probe was coupled to the Turbo V ion source of an AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600+ mass spectrometer. System operation and performance metrics were tested using inked patterns and thin tissue sections. Glass slides and slides designed especially for laser capture microdissection, viz., DIRECTOR slides and PEN 1.0 (polyethylene naphthalate) membrane slides, were used as sample substrates. Results: The estimated capture efficiency of laser ablated material was 24%, which was enabled by the use of a probe with large liquid surface area (~ 2.8 mm2) and with gravity to help direct ablated material vertically down towards the probe. The swirling vortex action of the liquid surface potentially enhanced capture and dissolution of not only particulates, but also gaseous products of the laser ablation. The use of DIRECTOR slides and PEN 1.0 (polyethylene naphthalate) membrane slides as sample substrates enabled effective ablation of a wide range of sample types (basic blue 7, polypropylene glycol, insulin and cyctochrome c) without photodamage using a UV laser. Imaging resolution of about 6 m was demonstrated for stamped ink on DIRECTOR slides based on the ability to distinguish features present both in the optical and in the chemical image. This imaging resolution was 20 times better than the previous best reported results with laser ablation/liquid sample capture mass spectrometry imaging. Using thin sections of brain tissue the chemical image of a selected lipid was obtained with an estimated imaging resolution of about 50 um. Conclusions: A vertically aligned, transmission geometry laser ablation liquid vortex capture probe, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry system provides an effective means for spatially resolved spot sampling and imaging with mass spectrometry.

DIRECTOR slides↗
DOE OSTI2018

Tornado model for a magnetised plasma

A new analytical model of axially-symmetric magnetic vortices with both a twisted fluid flow and a magnetic field is proposed. The exact solution for the three-dimensional structure of the fluid velocity and the magnetic field is obtained within the framework of the ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations for an incompressible fluid in a gravitational field. A quasi-stationary localised vortex arises when the radial flow that tends to concentrate vorticity in a narrow column around the axis of symmetry is balanced by the vertical vortex advection in the axial direction. The explicit expressions for the velocity and magnetic field components are obtained. The proposed analytic model may be used to parameterise the observed solar tornadoes and can provide a new indirect way for estimating magnetic twist from the observed azimuthal velocity profiles.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1984

Aeroacoustic interaction of a distributed vortex with a lifting Joukowski airfoil

A first principles computational aeroacoustics calculation of the flow and noise fields produced by the interaction of a distributed vortex with a lifting Joukowski airfoil is accomplished at the Reynolds number of 200. The case considered is that where the circulations of the vortex and the airfoil are of opposite sign, corresponding to blade vortex interaction on the retreating side of a single helicopter rotor. The results show that the flow is unsteady, even in the absence of the incoming vortex, resulting in trailing edge noise generation. After the vortex is input, it initially experiences a quite rapid apparent diffusion rate produced by stretching in the airfoil velocity gradients. Consideration of the effects of finite vortex size and viscosity causes the noise radiation during the encounter to be much less impulsive than predicted by previous analyses.

Hardin, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Extended applications of the vortex lattice method

The application of the vortex lattice method to problems not usually dealt with by this technique is considered. It is shown that if the discrete vortex lattice is considered as an approximation to surface-distributed vorticity, then the concept of the generalized principal part of an integral yields a residual term to the vortex-induced velocity that renders the vortex lattice method valid for supersonic flow. Special schemes for simulating non-zero thickness lifting surfaces and fusiform bodies with vortex lattice elements are presented. Thickness effects of wing-like components are simulated by a double vortex lattice layer, and fusiform bodies are represented by a vortex grid arranged on a series of concentric cylindrical surfaces. Numerical considerations peculiar to the application of these techniques are briefly discussed.

Miranda, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Measurements of helicopter rotor tip vortices

This paper presents results from a recent wind-tunnel investigation of model helicopter rotor tip vortices. Measurements were made of the vortex positions, core sizes, and velocity distributions. A laser velocimeter was used to make the measurements, and a minicomputer-based data system was used to process the data and to aid in controlling the experiment. The velocimeter, the data system, and the software developed for the minicomputer are briefly described. The rotors investigated were two-bladed, teetering rotors with diameters of 2.1 m. Two sets of blades were used, one set with zero twist and one set with -11 deg of linear twist. The vortex positions were obtained by making flow field traverses while strobing the data system at a fixed azimuth. Aging of a vortex element was also studied by following the convected element while strobing the data system at different azimuths. By this method, the effects on the vortex of a close interaction with a blade and another vortex were studied.

Biggers, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Numerical simulation of the flow about the F-18 HARV at high angle of attack

This research has been aimed at validating numerical methods for computing the flow about the complete F-18 HARV at alpha = 30 deg and alpha = 45 deg. At 30 deg angle of attack, the flow about the F-18 is dominated by the formation, and subsequent breakdown, of strong vortices over the wing leading-edge extensions (LEX). As the angle of attack is increased to alpha = 45 deg, the fuselage forebody of the F-18 contains significant laminar and transitional regions which are not present at alpha = 30 deg. Further, the flow over the LEX at alpha = 45 deg is dominated by an unsteady shedding in time, rather than strong coherent vortices. This complex physics, combined with the complex geometry of a full-aircraft configuration, provides a challenge for current computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The following sections present the numerical method and grid generation scheme that was used, a review of prior research done to numerically model the F-18 HARV, and a discussion of the current research. The current research is broken into three main topics; the effect of engine-inlet mass-flow rate on the F-18 vortex breakdown position, the results using a refined F-18 computational model to compute the flow at alpha = 30 deg and alpha = 45 deg, and research done using the simplified geometry of an ogive-cylinder configuration to investigate the physics of unsteady shear-layer shedding. The last section briefly summarizes the discussion.

Murman, Scott M.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Spectral characteristics of vortex breakdown flowfields

Laser-Doppler anemometer measurements upstream and in the wakes of vortex breakdowns of bubble and spiral types are described. Spectral analysis of the data indicates prominent oscillations in the wakes at less than 10 Hz. These oscillations correspond closely to theoretical predictions of the linearly most unstable normal modes of the time-averaged mean flow profiles. The oscillations are more energetic, and vortex core expansions are greater for flows with a bubble form of vortex breakdown, which is therefore regarded as the stronger form of breakdown.

Garg, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Aerodynamic sound generation due to vortex-aerofoil interaction. Part 2: Analysis of the acoustic field

The Lighthill method was the basic procedure used to analyze the sound field associated with a vortex of modified strength interacting with an airfoil. A free vortex interacting with an airfoil in uniform motion was modeled in order to determine the sound field due to all the acoustic sources, not only on the airfoil surfaces (dipoles), but also the ones distributed on the perturbed flow field (quadrupoles) due to the vortex-airfoil interaction. Because inviscid flow is assumed in the study of the interaction, the quadrupoles considered in the perturbed flow field are entirely due to an unsteady flow field. The effects of airfoil thickness on the second radiation are examined by using a symmetric Joukowski airfoil for the vortex-airfoil interaction. Sound radiation in a plane, far field simplification, and computation of the sound field are discussed.

Parasarathy, R.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Vortex breakdown in closed containers with polygonal cross sections

The vortex breakdown bubble in the confined flow generated by a rotating lid in closed containers with polygonal cross sections was analysed both experimentally and numerically for the height/radius aspect ratio equal to 2. The stagnation point locations of the breakdown bubble emergence and the corresponding Reynolds number were determined experimentally and in addition computed numerically by STAR-CCM+ CFD software for square, pentagonal, hexagonal, and octagonal cross section configurations. The flow pattern and the velocity were observed and measured by combining the seeding particle visualization and the temporal accuracy of laser Doppler anemometry. The vortex breakdown size and position on the container axis were determined for Reynolds numbers, ranging from 1450 to 2400. The obtained results were compared with the flow structure in the closed container of cubical and cylindrical configurations. It is shown that the measured evolution of steady vortex breakdown is in close agreement with the numerical results.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2012

Characterization of Aerodynamic Performance of Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Inlet Under Crosswind

NASA has been studying future transport concepts, envisioned to be technically realizable in the timeframe of 2020-2030, to meet environmental and performance goals. One concept receiving considerable interest involves a propulsion system embedded into a hybrid wing-body aircraft. While offering significant advantages in fuel savings and noise reduction by this concept, there are several technical challenges that are not encountered in the current fleet and must be overcome so as to deliver target performance and operability. One of these challenges is associated with an inlet system that ingests a significantly thick boundary layer, developing along the wing-body surface, into a serpentine diffuser before the flow meeting fan blades. The flow is subject to considerable total pressure loss and distorted at the fan face, much more significantly than in the inlet system of conventional aircraft. In our previous studies [1, 2], we have shown that through innovative design changes on the airframe surface, it is possible to simultaneously increase total pressure recovery and decrease distortion in the flow, without resorting to conventional penalty-ridden flow control concepts, such as vortex generator or boundary layer bleeding/suction. In the current study, we are interested in understanding the following issues: how the embedded propulsion system performs under a crosswind condition by studying in detail the flow characteristics of two inlets, the baseline and another optimized previously under the cruise condition. With the insight, it is hoped that it can help in the follow-on study by devising effective strategies to minimize flow distortion arising from the integration of an embedded-engine system into an airframe to the level acceptable to the operation and fuel consumption before 2030. To achieve these demanding goals, non-conventional concepts are called for; but technology gap is too big that it requires evolutionary approach by focusing various concepts and technologies needed in the next three generations of aircraft, respectively named as N+1, N+2, and N+3. Noticeably, considerable reduction in each category of 1 is required in N+2 (relative to Boeing 777-200 and GE90 engines) and N+3 (relative to Boeing 737-800 and CFM56-7B engines). In this study, concepts for N+2 is our interest. A concept that has potential to achieve these metrics and has been under intensive study is the hybrid wing body (HWB) airframe with a tightly integrated propulsion system, see Fig. 1. The inlet is non-circular at the entrance and the entering flow, no longer uniform or free of disturbances, and is now carrying with it a boundary layer developing along the fuselage; the inlet is thus known as boundary-layer-ingesting (BLI) inlet.

Liou, Meng-Sing↗
NASA NTRS1997

Reversal in Spreading of a Tabbed Circular Jet Under Controlled Excitation

Detailed flow field measurements have been carried out for a turbulent circular jet perturbed by tabs and artificial excitation. Two "delta tabs" were placed at the nozzle exit at diametrically opposite locations. The excitation condition involved subharmonic resonance that manifested in a periodic vortex pairing in the near flow field. While the excitation and the tabs independently increased jet spreading, a combination of the two diminished the effect. The jet spreading was most pronounced with the tabs but was reduced when excitation was applied to the tabbed jet. The tabs generated streamwise vortex pairs that caused a lateral spreading of the jet in a direction perpendicular to the plane containing the tabs. The excitation, on the other band, organized the azimuthal vorticity into coherent ring structures whose evolution and pairing also increased entrainment by the jet. In the tabbed case, the excitation produced coherent azimuthal structures that were distorted and asymmetric in shape. The self-induction of these structures produced an effect that opposed the tendency for the lateral spreading of the streamwise vortex pairs. The passage of the distorted vortices, and their pairing, also had a cancellation effect on the time-averaged streamwise vorticity field. These led to the reduction in jet spreading.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Surface flow visualization of separated flows on the forebody of an F-18 aircraft and wind-tunnel model

A method of in-flight surface flow visualization similar to wind-tunnel-model oil flows is described for cases where photo-chase planes or onboard photography are not practical. This method, used on an F-18 aircraft in flight at high angles of attack, clearly showed surface flow streamlines in the fuselage forebody. Vortex separation and reattachment lines were identified with this method and documented using postflight photography. Surface flow angles measured at the 90 and 270 degrees meridians show excellent agreement with the wind tunnel data for a pointed tangent ogive with an aspect ratio of 3.5. The separation and reattachment line locations were qualitatively similar to the F-18 wind-tunnel-model oil flows but neither the laminar separation bubble nor the boundary-layer transition on the wind tunnel model were evident in the flight surface flows. The separation and reattachment line locations were in fair agreement with the wind tunnel data for the 3.5 ogive. The elliptical forebody shape of the F-18 caused the primary separation lines to move toward the leeward meridian. Little effect of angle of attack on the separation locations was noted for the range reported.

Fisher, David F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Numerical simulation of the flow about the F-18 HARV at high angle of attack

This report summarizes research done over the past two years as part of NASA Grant NCC 2-729. This research has been aimed at validating numerical methods for computing the flow about the complete F-18 HARV at alpha = 30 deg and alpha = 45 deg. At 30 deg angle of attack, the flow about the F-18 is dominated by the formation, and subsequent breakdown, of strong vortices over the wing leading-edge extensions (LEX). As the angle of attack is increased to alpha = 45 deg, the fuselage forebody of the F-18 contains significant laminar and transitional regions which are not present at alpha = 30 deg. Further, the flow over the LEX at alpha = 45 deg is dominated by an unsteady shedding in time, rather than strong coherent vortices. This complex physics, combined with the complex geometry of a full aircraft configuration, provides a challenge for current computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The following sections present the numerical method and grid generation scheme that was used, a review of prior research done to numerically model the F-18 HARV, and a discussion of the current research. The current research is broken into two main topics: the effect of engine-inlet mass-flow rate on the F-18 vortex breakdown position, and the results using a refined F-18 computational model to compute the flow at alpha = 30 deg and alpha = 45 deg.

Murman, Scott M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Splitting of Forced Elliptic Jets and Flames

The objective of this work is to understand the fluid dynamics in the interaction of large scale, three-dimensional vortex structures and transitional diffusion flames in a microgravity environment. The vortex structures are used to provide a known perturbation of the type used in passive and active shear layer control techniques. 'Passive techniques' refers to manipulation of the system geometry to influence the three dimensional dynamics of vortex structures, and 'active' refers to any technique which adds energy (acoustic or kinetic) to the flow to influence the shear layer vortex dynamics. In this work the passive forcing is provided by an elliptic jet cross-section, and the active forcing is incorporated by perturbing the jet velocity using a loudspeaker in the plenum section.

Hertzberg, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evolution of a vortical structure associated with the bursting event in a channel flow

The temporal evolution of a horseshoe vortex structure in a channel is investigated by a numerical simulation. A spectral numerical method is employed to integrate the time-dependent, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. The initial vortical structure is obtained by applying a conditional sampling technique to a data base generated from a direct simulation of a turbulent channel flow. The evolution of this vortical structure under the influence of the self-induced motion and the mean shear is presented. It is shown that the initial sheet-like vortical structure rolls up into a vortex tube as it is convected downstream. Turbulence structures associated with the vortex stretching are investigated. Production of vorticity stretching is high inside the vortex legs, although it is also substantial in the tip region and above the legs. High Reynolds shear stress is produced near the tip of the vortex.

Kim, J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Reversal in Spreading of a Tabbed Circular Jet Under Controlled Excitation

Detailed flow field measurements have been carried out for a turbulent circular jet perturbed by tabs and artificial excitation. Two "delta tabs" were placed at the nozzle exit at diametricall opposite y locations. The excitation condition involved subharmonic resonance that manifested in a periodic vortex pairing in the near flow field. While the excitation and the tabs independently increased jet spreading, a combination of the two diminished the effect. The jet spreading was most pronounced with the tabs but was reduced when excitation was applied to the tabbed jet. The tabs generated streamwise vortex pairs that caused a lateral spreading of the jet in a direction perpendicular to the plane containing the tabs. ne excitation, on the other hand, organized the azimuthal vorticity into coherent ring structures whose evolution and pairing also increased entrainment by the jet. In the tabbed case, the excitation produced coherent azimuthal structures that were distorted and asymmetric in shape. The self-induction of these structures produced an effect that opposed the tendency for the lateral spreading of the streamwise vortex pairs. The passage of the distorted vortices, and their pairing, also had a cancellation effect on the time-averaged streamwise vorticity field. These led to the reduction in jet spreading.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗