Time-velocity-altitude relations for an airplane diving in a standard atmosphere
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Navier-Stokes computations with finite-rate chemistry for LO2/LH2 rocket engine plume flow studies
Computational fluid dynamics methods have been developed and applied to Space Shuttle Main Engine LO2/LH2 plume flow simulation/analysis of airloading and convective base heating effects on the vehicle at high flight velocities and altitudes. New methods are described which were applied to the simulation of a Return-to-Launch-Site abort where the vehicle would fly briefly at negative angles of attack into its own plume. A simplified two-perfect-gases-mixing approach is used where one gas is the plume and the other is air at 180-deg and 135-deg flight angle of attack. Related research has resulted in real gas multiple-plume interaction methods with finite-rate chemistry described herein which are applied to the same high-altitude-flight conditions of 0 deg angle of attack. Continuing research plans are to study Orbiter wake/plume flows at several Mach numbers and altitudes during ascent and then to merge this model with the Shuttle 'nose-to-tail' aerodynamic and SRB plume models for an overall 'nose-to-plume' capability. These new methods are also applicable to future launch vehicles using clustered-engine LO2/LH2 propulsion.
Dougherty, N. Sam↗
A Preliminary Investigation of the Performance of a Short-length Turbojet Combustor Using Vaporized Hydrocarbon Fuels
Two short turbojet combustors designed for use with vaporized hydrocarbon fuels were tested in a one-quarter annular duct. The experimental combustors consisted of many small "swirl-can" combustor elements manifolded together. This design approach allowed the secondary mixing zone to be considerably reduced over that of conventional combustors. The over-all combustion lengths, for the two configurations were 13.5 and 11.0 inches, approximately one-half the length of the shortest conventional combustors. These short combustors did not provide combustion efficiencies as high as those for conventional combustors at low pressures. However, over the range of combustor-inlet total-pressures expected in aircraft capable of flight at Mach numbers of 2.5 and above, these short combustors gave very high efficiencies. A combustion efficiency of 97 percent was obtained at a combustor-inlet total-pressure of 25.0 inches of mercury absolute, reference velocity of 120 feet per second, and inlet-air total temperature of 1160 deg R. By proportioning the fuel flow between the manifold rows of can combustor elements, control of the combustor-outlet radial total-temperature profile was demonstrated. Combustor totalpressure loss varied from 0.75 percent of the inlet total pressure at isothermal conditions and a reference velocity of 75 feet per second to 5.5 percent at a total-temperature ratio of 1.8 and a reference velocity of 180 feet per second.
Jones, R. E.↗
Programmable controller system for wind tunnel diversion vanes
A programmable controller (PC) system automatic sequence control, which acts as a supervisory controller for the servos, selects the proper drives, and automatically sequences the vanes, was developed for use in a subsonic wind tunnel. Tunnel modifications include a new second test section (80 ft x 100 ft with a maximum air speed capability of 110 knots) and an increase in maximum velocity flow from 200 knots to 300 knots. A completely automatic sequence control is necessary in order to allow intricate motion of the 14 triangularly arranged vanes which can be as large as 70 ft high x 35 ft wide and which require precise acceleration and deceleration control. Rate servos on each drive aid in this control, and servo cost was minimized by using four silicon controlled rectifier controllers to control the 20 dc drives. The PC has a programming capacity which facilitated the implementation of extensive logic design. A series of diagrams sequencing the vanes and a block diagram of the system are included.
King, R. F.↗
Experimental and Computational Study of Trapped Vortex Combustor Sector Rig With Tri-Pass Diffuser
The Trapped Vortex Combustor (TVC) potentially offers numerous operational advantages over current production gas turbine engine combustors. These include lower weight, lower pollutant emissions, effective flame stabilization, high combustion efficiency, excellent high altitude relight capability, and operation in the lean burn or RQL modes of combustion. The present work describes the operational principles of the TVC, and extends diffuser velocities toward choked flow and provides system performance data. Performance data include EINOx results for various fuel-air ratios and combustor residence times, combustion efficiency as a function of combustor residence time, and combustor lean blow-out (LBO) performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using liquid spray droplet evaporation and combustion modeling are performed and related to flow structures observed in photographs of the combustor. The CFD results are used to understand the aerodynamics and combustion features under different fueling conditions. Performance data acquired to date are favorable compared to conventional gas turbine combustors. Further testing over a wider range of fuel-air ratios, fuel flow splits, and pressure ratios is in progress to explore the TVC performance. In addition, alternate configurations for the upstream pressure feed, including bi-pass diffusion schemes, as well as variations on the fuel injection patterns, are currently in test and evaluation phases.
Hendricks, R. C.↗
Update on ASME AG-1 and Revision of the DOE Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook - 20536
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers AG-1 Code on Nuclear Air and Gas Treatment is updated every two years. This paper provides an overview of issues being discussed within AG-1 committee meetings and revisions that will be included in the next version of the code. Additional information is provided on issues being discussed ranging from media velocity limits, control of airflow using actual versus and standard cubic feet per minute. Navigation and identification of applicable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter code sections can be confusing for those unfamiliar with AG-1. A general reorganization of filtration code sections clarifies geometry, flow, and performance envelopes for nuclear grade HEPA filters. The initial step consists of establishment of Section FN covering qualification of conventional, ceramic, metal, and high strength fibrous glass media. Future filter sections are currently expected to be characterized by geometry and flow direction (axial vs. radial). The Department of Energy's (DOE) Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook (NACH) is also undergoing revision. An update on the status of that effort, along with issues and changes being considered. The original charter of the AG-1 Code was specific to commercial nuclear power plants, and to safety-related air cleaning systems. This has evolved over the years to include normal non-safety ventilation systems and process gas systems. Corollary guidance for DOE facilities has been available in several editions of the Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook, starting with ORNL-NSIC 65. The latest edition of the Handbook, 2003, is undergoing revision and modifications. (authors)
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
Spectral distortions to momentum and scalar exchanges by non-turbulent motion and patchy landscape variability
Modifications to the spectra of turbulent velocity and scalars and co-spectra of vertical fluxes of momentum and scalars due to patchy landscape heterogeneity and non-stationarity are explored for a Mediterranean ecosystem. About 9 months of high frequency measurements of the three velocity components, water vapor concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, and air temperature were analyzed for different seasons (spring/summer) and prevalent wind directions (southeast/northwest). The two wind directions sampled a contrast of clumped and patchy landscape comprised of olive trees (southeast) and wall bounded flow disturbed by the presence of few upwind trees (northwest). The measured spectra and co-spectra were also compared to theoretical scaling forms from stationary, planar homogeneous flow, in the absence of subsidence as derived from the Kansas experiment. To assess the role of low frequency non-turbulent motion on the spectral and co-spectral content, a 5-min Fourier cutoff was introduced and the analysis was limited to near-neutral conditions where the boundary layer depth is shallow compared to its unstable counterpart. It was shown that the velocity statistics were not appreciably impacted by the low-frequency motion causing non-stationarity. Moreover, the turbulent scalar fluxes were also shown not to be significantly impacted by such low frequency motion. The scalar variances were impacted, especially the water vapor variance and its concomitant spectral shape. When the non-turbulent motion was filtered, the scalar spectra at low wavenumbers followed expectations from the so-called attached eddy hypothesis (i.e. exhibited a $k^{-1}_x$ scaling with $k_x$ defining the longitudinal wavenumber) applicable for near-neutral conditions. For momentum co-spectra, the canonical shapes from the Kansas experiment appear to describe well the measurements here and in both dominant directions and seasons with some adjustment to the integral time scales based on wind direction. For the scalar co-spectra, deviations from the Kansas experiment were prevalent. The most noticeable and surprising deviations were their slow decay with increased sampling frequency at inertial subrange scales. This slow decay was shown not to contribute appreciably to the overall scalar fluxes. At those fine scales, predictions from local isotropy were expected to hold. The scalar co-spectral deviations from local isotropy were then discussed using a simplified co-spectral budget model where scalar–scalar co-spectra naturally emerged and the interplay between landscape heterogeneity and a scale-dependent pressure-scalar de-correlation time was postulated. It is also envisaged that the findings here offer a preliminary template for analyzing eddy-covariance data in situations that deviate from ideal conditions, especially regarding low-frequency modulations of scalar spectra and vertical scalar flux co-spectra.
Canopy turbulence↗
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↗
Lean Premixed Combustion Stabilized by Low Swirl a Promising Concept for Practical Applications
Since its inception, the low-swirl burner (LSB) has shown to be a useful laboratory apparatus for fundamental studies of premixed turbulent flames. The LSB operates under wide ranges of equivalence ratios, flow rates, and turbulence intensities. Its flame is lifted and detached from the burner and allows easy access for laser diagnostics. The flame brush is axisymmetric and propagates normal to the incident reactants. Therefore, the LSB is well suited for investigating detailed flame structures and empirical coefficients such as flame speed, turbulence transport, and flame generated turbulence. Due to its capability to stabilize ultra-lean premixed turbulent flames (phi approx. = 0.55), the LSB has generated interest from the gas appliance industry for use as an economical low-NO(x) burner. Lean premixed combustion emits low levels of NO(x), due primarily to the low flame temperature. Therefore, it is a very effective NO(x) prevention method without involving selective catalytic reduction (SCR), fuel-air staging, or flue gas recirculation (FGR). En the gas turbine industry, substantial research efforts have already been undertaken and engines with lean premixed combustors are already in use. For commercial and residential applications, premixed pulsed combustors and premixed ceramic matrix burners are commercially available. These lean premixed combustion technologies, however, tend to be elaborate but have relatively limited operational flexibility, and higher capital, operating and maintenance costs. Consequently, these industries are continuing the development of lean premixed combustion technologies as well as exploring new concepts. This paper summarizes the research effects we have undertaken in the past few years to demonstrate the feasibility of applying the low-swirl flame stabilization method for a wide range of heating and power generation systems. The principle of flame stabilization by low-swirl is counter to the conventional high-swirl methods that rely on a recirculation zone to anchor the flame. In LSBS, flow recirculation is not promoted to allow the premixed turbulent flames to propagate freely. A LSB with an air-jet swirler is essentially an open tube with the swirler at its mid section. The small air-jets generate swirling motion only in the annular region and leaving the central core of the flow undisturbed, When this flow exits the burner tube, the angular momentum generates radial mean pressure gradient to diverge the non-swirling reactants stream. Consequently, the mean flow velocity decreases linearly. Propagating against this decelerating flow, the flame self-sustains at the position where the local flow velocity equals the flame speed, S(sub f). The LSB operates with a swirl number, S, between 0.02 to 0.1. This is much lower than the minimum S of 0.6 required for the high-swirl burners. We found that the swirl number needed for flame stabilization varies only slightly with fuel type, flow velocity, turbulent conditions and burner dimensions (i.e. throat diameter and swirl injection angle).
Cheng, R. K.↗
Cascade tests of serrated leading edge blading at high subsonic speeds
Cascade tests of two-dimensional fan rotor blade rows were performed to investigate the effects of leading edge serration on acoustic and aerodynamic performance. The test configurations covered a range of serration tooth geometries. Tests were performed to investigate effects of inlet air angle and velocity on performance. Aerodynamic performance was determined by flow surveys at the mid-span of the blade exit. Acoustic performance was determined by wake turbulence surveys and sound measurements in the semireverberent exhaust chamber. Measured acoustic and aerodynamic performance was comparable and indicated that a serration length of about six percent blade chord yields minimum noise generation and minimum total pressure losses.
Smith, E. G.↗
Benchmark Simulation of the Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility Using SAM
Natural convection systems are a promising method to passively remove heat from reactor cavities during loss of forced flow accident scenarios. In this work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), a highly instrumented Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility (NSTF) was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of air-cooled natural convection systems. In previous work, RELAP5-3D simulations were performed on this facility with favorable comparisons to experiment for mass flow rate, pressure drop, air temperature increase, and air velocity. Both experimental and simulation efforts with this facility present a useful opportunity to perform a benchmark study with the System Analysis Module (SAM). SAM is an advanced thermal-hydraulic system code currently in development at ANL for advanced non-light water reactor safety analysis.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
Visualization study of flow in axial flow inducer.
A visualization study of the flow through a three ft dia model of a four bladed inducer, which is operated in air at a flow coefficient of 0.065, is reported in this paper. The flow near the blade surfaces, inside the rotating passages, downstream and upstream of the inducer is visualized by means of smoke, tufts, ammonia filament, and lampblack techniques. Flow is found to be highly three dimensional, with appreciable radial velocity throughout the entire passage. The secondary flows observed near the hub and annulus walls agree with qualitative predictions obtained from the inviscid secondary flow theory.
Lakshminarayana, B.↗
Experimental and analytical study of a conically diffused flow with a nearly separated boundary layer
Turbulence measurements were obtained in the nearly separated flow in a 13 deg total angle of divergence conical diffuser coupled to a constant area tailpipe. Air at 207 newtons per square centimeter and 308 K provided an inlet velocity of about 51 meters per second at an inlet unit Reynolds number of 63.7 million per meter. Very high longitudinal turbulence intensities accompanied the diffusion process with peak values approaching 40 percent when normalized by the local centerline velocity. Predictions of the pressure recovery coefficient using a mixing length concept were good in the early stages of diffusion. In the latter stages of diffusion satisfactory predictions of the pressure recovery were obtained with an empirical method.
Boldman, D. R.↗
Numerical modeling of hydrogen mixing in a direct-injection engine fueled with gaseous hydrogen
Hydrogen is considered as one of the most promising options to achieve effective decarbonization of the energy and transportation sectors. As such, it has recently been receiving increasing attention because of its promising potential as an energy carrier for advanced energy and propulsion systems. With a focus on internal combustion engines, direct injection (DI) of gaseous hydrogen during the compression stroke offers great potential for high engine efficiency and specific power while reducing the risk of backfiring and pre-ignition issues. Therefore, many experimental and numerical efforts have recently been dedicated to understanding the physical and chemical behaviors of hydrogen in engine during mixing and combustion. This study focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of the hydrogen DI process in a hydrogen optical research engine. Under the conditions studied, gaseous hydrogen is injected into the combustion chamber via a centrally located single-hole injector at a pressure of 100 bar. Two configurations, namely low-and high-tumble, are investigated to understand the impact of different in-cylinder flow patterns on the fuel-air mixture preparation. Simulations are carried out using the commercial CFD software CONVERGE. Here, the in-cylinder turbulence is modeled with an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) formulation closed by the renormalization group (RNG) k-ε model. Several numerical methods and model constants, including but not limited to turbulent Schmidt number, are evaluated. The numerical results are systematically compared against experimental measurements of velocity and hydrogen concentration fields on the vertical center plane to assess the performance of the CFD model, unveil the physics of hydrogen mixing, and establish best practices for modeling hydrogen DI under relatively high injection pressure conditions.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Filamentary surface plasma discharge flow length and time scales
Nanosecond surface dielectric barrier discharges (ns-SDBDs) are a class of plasma actuators that utilize a high-voltage pulse of nanosecond duration between two surface-mounted electrodes to create an electrical breakdown of air, along with rapid heating. These actuators usually produce multiple filaments when operated at high pulse frequencies, and the rapid heating leads to the formation of shock waves and complex flow fields. In this work we replicate a single filament of the ns-SDBDs and characterize the induced flow using velocity measurements from particle image velocimetry and density measurements from background-oriented schlieren. The discharge is produced by a high voltage electrical pulse between two copper electrodes on an acrylic base. A hot gas kernel characterizes the flow field formed close to the electrodes that expands and cools over time and a vortex ring that propagates away from the surface while entraining cold ambient fluid. The gas density deficit inside the kernel displays a power-law decay over time. Based on the observations, we develop a simplified theoretical model based on vortex-driven cooling and perform a scaling analysis to obtain the induced flow length and time scales. The results show that the cooling process's time scales correspond to a circulation-based time scale of the vortex ring, and the length scale of the kernel corresponds to the vortex ring radius. Furthermore, these findings can guide the choice of optimal filament spacing and pulse frequencies in the design, deployment, and operation of ns-SDBDs for flow control.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Evaluation of a Process to Separate Ensiled Corn Grain and Stover for Improved Utilization as a Biomass Feedstock
Corn grain and chopped stover were stored anaerobically at 37% to 50% (w.b.) aggregate moisture content to create a unique biomass feedstock. However, after storage, the two fractions must be separated to accommodate different conversion pathways. In this work, a modified cleaning system from a grain combine harvester was evaluated to investigate its effectiveness in separating the grain from the stover. While this system has been purposefully built for this task, there is no previous literature on separating grain at high material other than grain (MOG) to grain ratios. Using this system, material was separated into four fractions: Grain, Tailings, Heavy MOG, and Light MOG. Subsamples were collected, oven dried, and then hydrodynamically separated to quantify the grain content in the four fractions. Several different configurations of air velocities, mass flow rate, material MOG: grain ratios, and sieve types and openings were investigated. Grain capture was defined as the fraction of the total grain dry mass collected in the grain and tailings fractions. In five experiments, the grain capture effectiveness varied from 89.2% to 99.4% on a dry basis. The dry basis foreign matter (FM) in the clean grain was 0.6% to 10.8%. As a result, the use of a modified combine cleaning system has the potential to be one step in a system to fractionate corn grain from stover (i.e., MOG) in a biorefinery that uses both starch and cellulose as biomass feedstocks.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Experimental Verification of Material Flammability in Space
The flammability in microgravity of three US-furnished materials, Delrin, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and high-density polyethylene, was determined using a Russian-developed combustion tunnel on Mir. Four 4.5-mm-diameter cylindrical samples of each plastic were ignited under concurrent airflow (in the direction of flame spread) with velocities from no flow to 8.5 cm/s. The test results identify a limiting air-flow velocity V(sub lim) for each material, below which combustion ceases. Nominal values are V(sub lim) < 0.3 cm/s for Delrin, 0.5 cm/s for PMMA, and 0.3 to 0.5 cm/s for polyethylene. These values are lower than those obtained in prior ground testing. Nevertheless, they demonstrate that flow shutoff is effective for extinguishment in the microgravity environment of spacecraft. Microgravity test results also show that the plastic materials maintain a stable melt ball within the spreading flame zone. In general, as the concurrent flow velocity V decreases, the flame-spread rate V(sub F) decreases, from an average (for all three materials) of V(sub F)= 0.5-0.75 mm/s at V = 8.5 cm/s to V(sub F)= 0.05-0.01 mm/s at V = 0.3-0.5 cm/s. Also, as V decreases, the flames become less visible but expand, increasing the probability of igniting an adjacent surface.
Ivanov, A. V.↗
A Preliminary Theoretical Study of the Expansion Tube, a New Device for Producing High-Enthalpy Short-Duration Hypersonic Gas Flows
The device considered utilizes an unsteady expansion process for the purpose of total-enthalpy multiplication. Analyses were conducted for both perfect and real air in equilibrium, assuming idealized diaphragm bursts, centered expansion waves, and continuum flow. Results of the study showed the expansion tube capable of outperforming the conventional shock tunnel by a factor of approximately 2 in velocity for the same test-section ambient density and pressure. The degree of dissociation is low at all phases of the thermodynamic cycle in the expansion tube; thus the test-section air has a good possibility of being in equilibrium. Maximum pressures involved in the cycle for duplicating a typical reentry from a lunar mission are low enough for existing pressure-vessel techniques. Both the known and anticipated advantages and disadvantages of this new concept are also discussed.
Trimpi, Robert L.↗