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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Vortex cloud model for body vortex shedding and tracking

The discrete vortex cloud approach models a missile airframe's vortex wake by means that are capable of treating a variety of configurations over a range of flow conditions. Attention is given to the sheets of vorticity formed on the lee side of a missile at moderate angles-of-attack. While three-dimensional attached flow models are used to represent the missile body, two-dimensional, incompressible, separated flow models are used to represent the separated vortex wake. The predicted pressure distribution of the body under the influence of the freestream and the separation vortex wake are used to calculate aerodynamic loads on the body. The separation vortex wake is represented by clouds of discrete vortices in cross flow planes normal to the body axis.

Mendenhall, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Microgravity combustion science: A program overview

The promise of microgravity combustion research is introduced by way of a brief survey of results, the available set of reduced gravity facilities, and plans for experimental capabilities in the Space Station era. The study of fundamental combustion processes in a microgravity environment is a relatively new scientific endeavor. A few simple, precursor experiments were conducted in the early 1970's. Today the advent of the U.S. space shuttle and the anticipation of the Space Station Freedom provide for scientists and engineers a special opportunity, in the form of long duration microgravity laboratories, and need, in the form of spacecraft fire safety and a variety of terrestrial applications, to pursue fresh insight into the basic physics of combustion. The microgravity environment enables a new range of experiments to be performed since buoyancy-induced flows are nearly eliminated, normally obscured forces and flows may be isolated, gravitational settling or sedimentation is nearly eliminated, and larger time or length scales in experiments become permissible. The range of experiments completed to date was not broad, but is growing. Unexpected phenomena have been observed often in microgravity combustion experiments, raising questions about the degree of accuracy and completion of our classical understanding and our ability to estimate spacecraft fire hazards. Because of the field's relative immaturity, instrumentation has been restricted primarily to high-speed photography. To better explain these findings, more sophisticated diagnostic instrumentation, similar to that evolving in terrestrial laboratories, is being developed for use on Space Station Freedom and, along the way, in existing microgravity facilities.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Optical techniques for determination of normal shock position in supersonic flows for aerospace applications

Techniques for the quantitative determination of shock position in supersonic flows using direct and indirect methods is presented. A description of an experimental setup is also presented, different configurations of shock position sensing systems are explained, and some experimental results are given. All of the methods discussed are analyzed to determine the ease of technology transfer from the laboratory to in-flight operation.

Adamovsky, Grigory↗
NASA NTRS1990

New findings and instrumentation from the NASA Lewis microgravity facilities

The study of fundamental combustion and fluid physics in a microgravity environment is a relatively new scientific endeavor. The microgravity environment enables a new range of experiments to be performed since: buoyancy-induced flows are nearly eliminated; normally obscured forces and flows may be isolated; gravitational settling or sedimentation is nearly eliminated; and larger time or length scales in experiments become permissible. Unexpected phenomena have been observed, with surprising frequency, in microgravity experiments, raising questions about the degree of accuracy and completeness of the classical understanding. An overview is provided of some new phenomena found through ground-based, microgravity research, the instrumentation used in this research, and plans for new instrumentation.

Ross, Howard D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A study of turbulence on compression ramps with k-epsilon and Reynolds stress models

A theoretical study was conducted to determine the effects of adverse pressure gradient and compressibility in modeling turbulent compressible flows. The kinetic energy/dissipation and Reynolds stress model predictions are presented and compared with experimental data. The effects of compressibility, which include the mass averaged fluctuation term, the pressure dilatation term, and the dilatation dissipation, are important in modeling the turbulent compressible flows. The normal stresses and longitudinal strain rates also have an effect in the prediction of turbulent energy productions on the curved surfaces. A new compressible formulation of the pressure strain term, which includes the dilatation effects, in the Reynolds stress equation is presented.

Lee, J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Application of CFD codes for the simulation of scramjet combustor flowfields

An overview of CFD activities in the Hypersonic Propulsion Branch is given. Elliptic and PNS codes that are being used for the simulation of hydrogen-air combusting flowfields for scramjet applications are discussed. Results of the computer codes are shown in comparison with those of the experiments where applicable. Two classes of experiments will be presented: parallel injection of hydrogen into vitiated supersonic air flow; and normal injection of hydrogen into supersonic crossflow of vitiated air.

Chitsomboom, Tawit↗
NASA NTRS1987

Cryogenic wind tunnels. I

The basic principles of cryogenic wind-tunnel operation are presented, and a typical cryogenic wind tunnel is described. Low-speed cryogenic wind tunnels are considered, along with some experiments conducted in these tunnels. Focus is placed on real-gas effects including condensation and thermal and caloric imperfections. The operating limits set by the saturation boundaries of nitrogen and air are analyzed, and the consequences of thermal and caloric imperfections on both isentropic and normal-shock flow in nitrogen are considered. The extension of analytical real-gas studies, including both laminar and turbulent boundary layers is covered. It is concluded that the deviation of the nitrogen boundary-layer parameters from their ideal-gas values are small, and that large real-gas effects will not be a factor in cryogenic tunnel simulation of the complex flows met in flight.

Kilgore, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Optical techniques for determination of normal shock position in supersonic flows for aerospace applications

Techniques for the quantitative determination of shock position in supersonic flows using direct and indirect methods is presented. A description of an experimental setup is also presented, different configurations of shock position sensing systems are explained, and some experimental results are given. All of the methods discussed are analyzed to determine the ease of technology transfer from the laboratory to in-flight operation.

Adamovsky, Grigory↗
NASA NTRS1992

Microgravity combustion science: Progress, plans, and opportunities

An earlier overview is updated which introduced the promise of microgravity combustion research and provided a brief survey of results and then current research participants, the available set of reduced gravity facilities, and plans for experimental capabilities in the space station era. Since that time, several research studies have been completed in drop towers and aircraft, and the first space based combustion experiments since Skylab have been conducted on the Shuttle. The microgravity environment enables a new range of experiments to be performed since buoyancy induced flows are nearly eliminated, normally obscured forces and flows may be isolated, gravitational settling or sedimentation is nearly eliminated, and larger time or length scales in experiments are feasible. In addition to new examinations of classical problems, (e.g., droplet burning), current areas of interest include soot formation and weak turbulence, as influenced by gravity.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

User's Manual for Aerofcn: a FORTRAN Program to Compute Aerodynamic Parameters

The computer program AeroFcn is discussed. AeroFcn is a utility program that computes the following aerodynamic parameters: geopotential altitude, Mach number, true velocity, dynamic pressure, calibrated airspeed, equivalent airspeed, impact pressure, total pressure, total temperature, Reynolds number, speed of sound, static density, static pressure, static temperature, coefficient of dynamic viscosity, kinematic viscosity, geometric altitude, and specific energy for a standard- or a modified standard-day atmosphere using compressible flow and normal shock relations. Any two parameters that define a unique flight condition are selected, and their values are entered interactively. The remaining parameters are computed, and the solutions are stored in an output file. Multiple cases can be run, and the multiple case solutions can be stored in another output file for plotting. Parameter units, the output format, and primary constants in the atmospheric and aerodynamic equations can also be changed.

Conley, Joseph L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Numerical prediction of transition of the F-16 wing at supersonic speeds

This work is part of the high speed research program currently underway at NASA. This project has the goal of gaining understanding of the technical requirements for supersonic-hypersonic flight. Specifically, this research is part of a continuing project to study the laminar flow over swept wings at high speeds and involves the numerical prediction of the flow about the F-16XL wing. The research uses the CNS/ARC3D codes and the resulting crossflow velocity components in order to estimate transition locations on the wing. Effects of angle of attack on the extent of laminar flows was found to be minimal. This result can be attributed to the fact that a laminar flow airfoil was used in this study, which has a continuous favorable pressure gradient over approximately the first 20 percent of the chord for angles of attacks up to 10 degrees. It should also be noted that even after 20 percent chord the pressure gradient either slowly continued to increase, but never decreased before 90 percent chord, except for the higher swept cases when separation occurs. Angles of attack greater than 10 degrees were not considered since this study assumes natural laminar flow for normal supersonic cruise flight conditions.

Cummings, Russell M.↗
NASA NTRS1947

Investigation of Thrust Augmentation of a 1600-pound Thrust Centrifugal-flow-type Turbojet Engine by Injection of Refrigerants at Compressor Inlets

Investigations were conducted to determine effectiveness of refrigerants in increasing thrust of turbojet engines. Mixtures of water an alcohol were injected for a range of total flows up to 2.2 lb/sec. Kerosene was injected into inlets covering a range of injected flows up to approximately 30% of normal engine fuel flow. Injection of 2.0 lb/sec of water alone produced an increase in thrust of 35.8% of rate engine conditions and kerosene produced a negligible increase in thrust. Carbon dioxide increased thrust 23.5 percent.

Jones, William L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Strategies and methodologies to develop techniques for computer-assisted analysis of gas phase formation during altitude decompression

It would be of operational significance if one possessed a device that would indicate the presence of gas phase formation in the body during hypobaric decompression. Automated analysis of Doppler gas bubble signals has been attempted for 2 decades but with generally unfavorable results, except with surgically implanted transducers. Recently, efforts have intensified with the introduction of low-cost computer programs. Current NASA work is directed towards the development of a computer-assisted method specifically targeted to EVA, and we are most interested in Spencer Grade 4. We note that Spencer Doppler Grades 1 to 3 have increased in the FFT sonogram and spectrogram in the amplitude domain, and the frequency domain is sometimes increased over that created by the normal blood flow envelope. The amplitude perturbations are of very short duration, in both systole and diastole and at random temporal positions. Grade 4 is characteristic in the amplitude domain but with modest increases in the FFT sonogram and spectral frequency power from 2K to 4K over all of the cardiac cycle. Heart valve motion appears to characteristic display signals: (1) the demodulated Doppler signal amplitude is considerably above the Doppler-shifted blow flow signal (even Grade 4); and (2) demodulated Doppler frequency shifts are considerably greater (often several kHz) than the upper edge of the blood flow envelope. Knowledge of these facts will aid in the construction of a real-time, computer-assisted discriminator to eliminate cardiac motion artifacts. There could also exist perturbations in the following: (1) modifications of the pattern of blood flow in accordance with Poiseuille's Law, (2) flow changes with a change in the Reynolds number, (3) an increase in the pulsatility index, and/or (4) diminished diastolic flow or 'runoff.' Doppler ultrasound devices have been constructed with a three-transducer array and a pulsed frequency generator.

Powell, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

New findings and instrumentation from the NASA Lewis Microgravity Facility

The study of fundamental combustion and fluid physics phenomena in microgravity enables a new range of experiments to be performed since buoyancy-type flows are nearly eliminated, normally obscured forces and flows may be isolated, gravitational settling or sedimentation is nearly eliminated, and larger time or length scales in experiments become permissible. Some new phenomena found through ground-based microgravity research at NASA facilities is reviewed along with the instrumentation and drop tower facilities used in the research. Experiments are described in the areas of premixed gas combustion, droplet combustion, particle cloud combustion, liquid reorientation, and two-phase flow patterns. Future plans for instrumentation development are also outlined.

Ross, Howard D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Nonequilibrium radiation and chemistry models for aerocapture vehicle flowfields

The primary accomplishments of the project were as follows: (1) From an overall standpoint, the primary accomplishment of this research was the development of a complete gasdynamic-radiatively coupled nonequilibrium viscous shock layer solution method for axisymmetric blunt bodies. This method can be used for rapid engineering modeling of nonequilibrium re-entry flowfields over a wide range of conditions. (2) Another significant accomplishment was the development of an air radiation model that included local thermodynamic nonequilibrium (LTNE) phenomena. (3) As part of this research, three electron-electronic energy models were developed. The first was a quasi-equilibrium electron (QEE) model which determined an effective free electron temperature and assumed that the electronic states were in equilibrium with the free electrons. The second was a quasi-equilibrium electron-electronic (QEEE) model which computed an effective electron-electronic temperature. The third model was a full electron-electronic (FEE) differential equation model which included convective, collisional, viscous, conductive, vibrational coupling, and chemical effects on electron-electronic energy. (4) Since vibration-dissociation coupling phenomena as well as vibrational thermal nonequilibrium phenomena are important in the nonequilibrium zone behind a shock front, a vibrational energy and vibration-dissociation coupling model was developed and included in the flowfield model. This model was a modified coupled vibrational dissociation vibrational (MCVDV) model and also included electron-vibrational coupling. (5) Another accomplishment of the project was the usage of the developed models to investigate radiative heating. (6) A multi-component diffusion model which properly models the multi-component nature of diffusion in complex gas mixtures such as air, was developed and incorporated into the blunt body model. (7) A model was developed to predict the magnitude and characteristics of the shock wave precursor ahead of vehicles entering the Earth's atmosphere. (8) Since considerable data exists for radiating nonequilibrium flow behind normal shock waves, a normal shock wave version of the blunt body code was developed. (9) By comparing predictions from the models and codes with available normal shock data and the flight data of Fire II, it is believed that the developed flowfield and nonequilibrium radiation models have been essentially validated for engineering applications.

Carlson, Leland A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Imaging spectroscopy of the solar CO lines at 4.67 microns

We analyze spatially and temporally resolved spectra of the fundamental vibration-rotation transitions of carbon monoxide (CO) in the solar spectrum at 4.67 micrometers. Our observations imply that, in the quiet Sun, spatial variations in CO intensity are largely dynamical in nature, reinforcing the suggestion that dynamical effects play a key role in the formation of the dark CO cores. Time sequences of resolved spectra exhibit mainly 3 minute power in line-core intensity but mainly a 5 minute period in Doppler shift. The weak 7-6 R68 line shows normal Evershed flow in the penumbra of a sunspot; we find evidence for the onset of inverse Evershed flow in the strong 3-2 R14 line. Spectra at the limb indicate that 3-2 R14 emission extends approximately 360 km beyond the continuum limb.

Uitenbroek, Han↗
NASA NTRS1998

Transmission and Incidence Losses for a Slotted Plate

The objective of this work is to find a model of the stagnation pressure loss resulting from flow through a slotted plate, which is effectively a cascade of flat plate airfoils, particularly at very large angles of incidence. Data from a published experiment is examined, and compared with control volume analysis, and CFD code calculations. An assumption that the loss can be separated into a transmission loss and an incidence loss seems to be justified by the data. Both the data and the CFD code results are consistent with an incidence loss model in which the flow component normal to the slot axis is lost. However, the experimental transmission loss is much larger than calculated values.

Wilson, Jack↗