Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Inlets”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,495 records · Page 83

Experimental investigation at Mach numbers 1.88, 3.16, and 3.83 of pressure drag of wedge diverters simulating boundary-layer-removal systems for side inlets

The pressure drag coefficients for a number of simulated wedge diverter boundary-layer-removal systems for side inlets were obtained at Mach numbers of 1.88m 3.16, and 3.83. Wedge included angle, wedge height, and wedge axial position relative to the splitter plate were independently varied for unswept and swept splitter plate configurations immersed in the turbulent boundary layer of a flat plate. Friction and total drag coefficients for several configurations were also obtained at Mach number 3.16

Piercy, Thomas G↗

Performance Characteristics of an Axial-flow Transonic Compressor Operating up to Tip Relative Inlet Mach Number of 1.34

Performance data are presented for a transonic axial-flow compressor rotor designed to operate at a tip speed of 1300 ft/sec with maximum relative tip Mach number of 1.37. The compressor had an inlet diameter of 16 inches, a hub-tip diameter ratio of 0.5 and design specific weight flow of 31.1 (lb/sec/(sq ft frontal area). Experimental values of relative total-pressure-loss coefficient were considerably higher than the assumed values. This disparity, hub choking, and application of the simple radial-equilibrium concept are discussed. The data of this report are used to extend previously presented correlation plots of compressor design parameters to higher Mach numbers.

Creagh, John W R↗

Experimental evaluation of methods for improving diffuser-exit total-pressure profiles for a side-inlet model at Mach number 1.91

Distortion effects of the following model additions or changes were studied: (1) constant-area mixing lengths at the end of the subsonic diffuser, (2) screens with systematic variations in mesh and flow-area blockage, (3) bleeds slots on the inlet cowl, and (4) a simulated compressor hub. Data at a diffuser-exit Mach number of 0.36 are compared with data of a similar study at Mach 0.20. At the higher Mach number, the same length of constant-area mixing was less effective in reducing total-pressure distortions, while the use of screens was more effective.

Klann, John L↗

The comparative performance of an aviation engine at normal and high inlet air temperatures

This report presents some results obtained during an investigation to determine the effect of high inlet air temperature on the performance of a Liberty 12 aviation engine. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain, for normal service carburetor adjustments and a fixed ignition advance, the relation between power and temperature for the range of carburetor air temperatures that may be encountered when supercharging to sea level pressure at altitudes of over 20,000 feet and without intercooling when using plain aviation gasoline and mixtures of benzol and gasoline. The results show that for the conditions of test, both the brake and indicated power decrease with increase in air temperature at a faster rate than given by the theoretical assumption that power varies inversely as the square root of the absolute temperature. On a brake basis, the order of the difference in power for a temperature difference of 120 degrees F. Is 3 to 5 per cent. The observed relation between power and temperature when using the 30-70 blend was found to be linear. But, although these differences are noted, the above theoretical assumption may be considered as generally applicable except where greater precision over a wide range of temperatures is desired, in which case it appears necessary to test the particular engine under the given conditions. (author)

Gardiner, Arthur W↗

Effect of Fuel-Air Ratio, Inlet Temperature, and Exhaust Pressure on Detonation

An accurate determination of the end-gas condition was attempted by applying a refined method of analysis to experimental results. The results are compared with those obtained in Technical Report no. 655. The experimental technique employed afforded excellent control over the engine variables and unusual cyclic reproducibility. This, in conjunction with the new analysis, made possible the determination of the state of the end-gas at any instant to a fair degree of precision. Results showed that for any given maximum pressure the maximum permissible end-gas temperature increased as the fuel-air ratio was increased. The tendency to detonate was slightly reduced by an increase in residual gas content resulting from an increase in exhaust backpressure with inlet pressure constant.

Taylor, E S↗

The induction of water to the inlet air as a means of internal cooling in aircraft-engine cylinders

Report presents the results of investigations conducted on a full-scale air-cooled aircraft-engine cylinder of 202-cubic inch displacement to determine the effects of internal cooling by water induction on the maximum permissible power and output of an internal-combustion engine. For a range of fuel-air and water-fuel ratios, the engine inlet pressure was increased until knock was detected aurally, the power was then decreased 7 percent holding the ratios constant. The data indicated that water was a very effective internal coolant, permitting large increases in engine power as limited by either knock or by cylinder temperatures.

Rothrock, Addison M↗

Theoretical analysis of incompressible flow through a radial-inlet centrifugal impeller at various weight flows

A method for the solution of the incompressible nonviscous flow through a centrifugal impeller, including the inlet region, is presented. Several numerical solutions are obtained for four weight flows through an impeller at one operating speed. These solutions are refined in the leading-edge region. The results are presented in a series of figures showing streamlines and relative velocity contours. A comparison is made with the results obtained by using a rapid approximate method of analysis.

Kramer, James J↗

Effect of Modifications to Induction System on Altitude Performance of V-1710-93 Engine III : Use of Parabolic Rotating Guide Vanes and NACA Designed Auxiliary-stage Inlet Elbow and Interstage Duct

Bench runs of a modified V-1710-93 engine equipped with a two-stage supercharger, interstage carburetor, aftercooler assembly, and backfire screens have been made at a simulated altitude of 29,000 feet to determine the effect of several induction-system modifications on the engine and supercharger performance. The standard guide vanes on the auxiliary- and engine-stage superchargers were replaced by rotating guide vanes with a parabolic blade profile. The auxiliary-stage inlet elbow and interstage duct were replaced with new units of NACA design. These modifications were made one at a time and data were obtained after each change to determine the effect of each modification. All runs were made at a constant engine speed of 3000 rpm at a simulated altitude of 29,000 feet and all changes in engine power were made by varying the speed of the auxiliary-stage supercharger.

Standahar, Ray M↗

Schlieren photographs and internal pressure distributions for three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlets at a Mach number of 6 in CF4

Three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlets with leading-edge sweeps of 30 deg and 70 deg were tested in the Langley Hypersonic CF4 Tunnel at a Mach number of 6 and a free-stream ratio of specific heats of 1.2. The parametric effects of leading-edge sweep, cowl position, contraction ratio, and Reynolds number were investigated. The models were instrumented with static pressure orifices distributed on the sidewalls, baseplate, and cowl. Schlieren movies were made of selected tunnel runs for flow visualization of the entrance plane and cowl region. Although these movies could not show the internal flow, the effect of the internal flow on the external flow was evident by way of spillage. The purpose is to provide a preliminary data release for the investigation. The models, facility, and testing methods are described, and the test matrix and a tabulation of tunnel runs are provided. Line plots highlighting the stated parametric effects and a representative set of schlieren photographs are presented without analysis.

Holland, Scott D.↗

A comparative study of full Navier-Stokes and Reduced Navier-Stokes analyses for separating flows within a diffusing inlet S-duct

A three-dimensional implicit Full Navier-Stokes (FNS) analysis and a 3D Reduced Navier-Stokes (RNS) initial value space marching solution technique has been applied to a class of separate flow problems within a diffusing S-duct configuration characterized as vortex-liftoff. Both Full Navier-Stokes and Reduced Navier-Stokes solution techniques were able to capture the overall flow physics of vortex lift-off, however more consideration must be given to the development of turbulence models for the prediction of the locations of separation and reattachment. This accounts for some of the discrepancies in the prediction of the relevant inlet distortion descriptors, particularly circumferential distortion. The 3D RNS solution technique adequately described the topological structure of flow separation associated with vortex lift-off.

Anderson, B. H.↗

A comparative study of turbulence models in predicting hypersonic inlet flows

A computational study has been conducted to evaluate the performance of various turbulence models. The NASA P8 inlet, which represents cruise condition of a typical hypersonic air-breathing vehicle, was selected as a test case for the study; the PARC2D code, which solves the full two dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, was used. Results are presented for a total of six versions of zero- and two-equation turbulence models. Zero-equation models tested are the Baldwin-Lomax model, the Thomas model, and a combination of the two. Two-equation models tested are low-Reynolds number models (the Chien model and the Speziale model) and a high-Reynolds number model (the Launder and Spalding model).

Kapoor, Kamlesh↗

Experimental investigation of generic three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlets at Mach 6 in tetrafluoromethane

Three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlets with leading-edge sweeps of 30 deg and 70 deg were tested in the Langley Hypersonic CF4 Tunnel at Mach 6 and with a ratio of specific heats of 1.2. The parametric effects of leading-edge sweep, cowl position, contraction ratio, and Reynolds number were investigated. The models were instrumented with 42 static pressure orifices that were distributed on the sidewalls, base plate, and cowl. Schlieren movies were made of each test for flow visualization of the effects of the internal flow spillage on the external flow field. To obtain an approximate characterization of the flow field, a modification to two-dimensional, inviscid, oblique shock theory was derived to accommodate the three-dimensional effects of leading-edge sweep. This theory qualitatively predicted the reflected shock structure (i.e., sidewall impingement locations) and the observed increase in spillage with increasing leading-edge sweep. The primary effect of moving the cowl forward was capturing the flow that would have otherwise spilled out ahead of the cowl. Increasing the contraction ratio increases the number of internal shock reflections and hence incrementally increases the sidewall pressure distribution. Significant Reynolds number effects were noted over a small range of Reynolds number.

Holland, Scott D.↗

Inlet distortion in engines on VSTOL aircraft

This report presents the results of a research program on inlet distortion in engines on VSTOL aircraft carried out at the MIT Gas Turbine Laboratory during the period Oct. 1989 - Dec. 1993. The program focused on the development of three dimensional flow computational methodology for predicting the effects of nonuniform flow on the performance of aircraft engines in VSTOL aircraft, the development of a three dimensional instability analysis of flow in multistage axial compressors, and the preliminary applications of these newly developed methodologies for elucidating the effects of flow three dimensionality. The accomplishments of the program are brought out when the current status of predictive capabilities for three dimensional flow instabilities in compressors is assessed against that in 1989.

Tan, Choon S.↗

A Full Navier-Stokes Analysis of Subsonic Diffuser of a Bifurcated 70/30 Supersonic Inlet for High Speed Civil Transport Application

A full Navier-Stokes analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of the subsonic diffuser of a NASA Lewis Research Center 70/30 mixed-compression bifurcated supersonic inlet for high speed civil transport application. The PARC3D code was used in the present study. The computations were also performed when approximately 2.5 percent of the engine mass flow was allowed to bypass through the engine bypass doors. The computational results were compared with the available experimental data which consisted of detailed Mach number and total pressure distribution along the entire length of the subsonic diffuser. The total pressure recovery, flow distortion, and crossflow velocity at the engine face were also calculated. The computed surface ramp and cowl pressure distributions were compared with experiments. Overall, the computational results compared well with experimental data. The present CFD analysis demonstrated that the bypass flow improves the total pressure recovery and lessens flow distortions at the engine face.

Kapoor, Kamlesh↗

Analytical investigation of adaptive control of radiated inlet noise from turbofan engines

An analytical model has been developed to predict the resulting far field radiation from a turbofan engine inlet. A feedforward control algorithm was simulated to predict the controlled far field radiation from the destructive combination of fan noise and secondary control sources. Numerical results were developed for two system configurations, with the resulting controlled far field radiation patterns showing varying degrees of attenuation and spillover. With one axial station of twelve control sources and error sensors with equal relative angular positions, nearly global attenuation is achieved. Shifting the angular position of one error sensor resulted in an increase of spillover to the extreme sidelines. The complex control inputs for each configuration was investigated to identify the structure of the wave pattern created by the control sources, giving an indication of performance of the system configuration. It is deduced that the locations of the error sensors and the control source configuration are equally critical to the operation of the active noise control system.

Risi, John D.↗

Neural net controller for inlet pressure control of rocket engine testing

Many dynamic systems operate in select operating regions, each exhibiting characteristic modes of behavior. It is traditional to employ standard adjustable gain proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loops in such systems where no apriori model information is available. However, for controlling inlet pressure for rocket engine testing, problems in fine tuning, disturbance accommodation, and control gains for new profile operating regions (for research and development) are typically encountered. Because of the capability of capturing I/O peculiarities, using NETS, a back propagation trained neural network is specified. For select operating regions, the neural network controller is simulated to be as robust as the PID controller. For a comparative analysis, the higher order moment neural array (HOMNA) method is used to specify a second neural controller by extracting critical exemplars from the I/O data set. Furthermore, using the critical exemplars from the HOMNA method, a third neural controller is developed using NETS back propagation algorithm. All controllers are benchmarked against each other.

Trevino, Luis C.↗

Mach 10 computational study of a three-dimensional scramjet inlet flow field

The present work documents the computational results for a combined computational and experimental parametric study of the internal aerodynamics of a generic three-dimensional sidewall-compression scramjet inlet configuration at Mach 10. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code SCRAMIN was chosen for the computational portion of the study because it uses a well-known and well-proven numerical scheme and has shown favorable comparison with experiment at Mach numbers between 2 and 6. One advantage of CFD was that it provided flow field data for a detailed examination of the internal flow characteristics in addition to the surface properties. The experimental test matrix at mach 10 included three geometric contraction ratios (3, 5, and 9), three Reynolds numbers (0.55 x 10(exp 6) per foot, 1.14 x 10(exp 6) per foot, and 2.15 x 10(exp 6) per foot), and three cowl positions (at the throat and two forward positions). Computational data for two of these configurations (the contraction ratio of 3, Re = 2.15 x 10 (exp 6) per foot, at two cowl positions) are presented along with a detailed analysis of the flow interactions in successive computational planes.

Holland, Scott D.↗