Results for “CFD Modeling” — Page 86

NASA NTRS2011

Modeling of Supersonic Film Cooling on the J-2X Nozzle Extension

Supersonic film cooling (SSFC) of nozzles has been used in several liquid rocket engine designs, and is being applied to the nozzle extension (NE) of the J-2X upper stage engine currently under development. Turbine exhaust gas (TEG) is injected tangentially from a manifold along the NE, and provides a thermal barrier from the core nozzle flow for the NE. As the TEG stream mixes with the nozzle flow, the effectiveness of the thermal barrier is reduced. This paper documents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis work performed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to model the flow of the TEG through the manifold, into the nozzle, and the subsequent mixing of the TEG stream with the core flow. The geometry and grid of the TEG manifold, structural support ribs, and the NE wall will be shown, and the CFD boundary conditions described. The Loci-CHEM CFD code used in this work will also be briefly described. A unique approach to modeling the combined TEG manifold/thrust chamber assembly (TCA) was employed, as it was not practical to model the entire 360 circumferential range in one simulation. Prior CFD validation work modeling Calspan SSFC experiments in the early 1990s, documented in a previous AIAA paper, will also be briefly discussed. The fluid dynamics of the TEG flow through the manifold, into and between the structural support ribs, and into the nozzlette that feeds the TCA will be described. Significant swirl and non-uniformities are present, which along with the wakes from the ribs, act to degrade the film cooling effectiveness compared to idealized injection of TEG gas. The effect of these flow characteristics on the adiabatic wall temperature profile on the NE will be discussed.

Ruf, Joseph H.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flow Characterization of the NASA Langley Unitary Plan WindTunnel, Test Section 2: Computational Results

Flow in the empty Unitary Planform Wind Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center issimulated with computational fluid dynamics methods. The objectives are to assess CFD’s truepredictive capability and to generate flow-field maps upstream of the tunnel’s test section foruse in associated vehicle tests. Multiple CFD solvers, grid adaption methods, and turbulencemodels are used by five teams doing the simulations. The simulation domain is as large aspractical: from the start of the settling chamber, just downstream of the last set of turningvanes, to well downstream of the test section. Simulations are done at three Mach numbers andseveral Reynolds numbers that cover most of the tunnel’s operating range. The sensitivity ofthe CFD solutions to simulation process details, including turbulence model, spatial resolutionand settling-chamber inflow velocity profile, is characterized. Significant sensitivities in somedetails of the predicted test section flow are described. CFD predicts that details of flow inthe settling chamber can affect the flow in the test section. Turning of the flow through thetunnel contraction and past nozzle-block hardware generates streamwise vortices, some ofwhich survive into the core of the test section, principally at low Mach number. Preliminarycomparisons to experimental measurements are given. The major flow characteristics andthe dynamical vortices predicted by CFD exist in the experiment. Several details in CFD andexperiment are observed to differ, including the effects of the vortices and features that appearto be Mach waves in the test section. Sensitivity to grid resolution and turbulence modelingis noted in the vortices; no potential cause for the differences in Mach waves has yet beenidentified in the CFD sensitivity studies.

wind tunnel↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Numerical Simulations of an Axisymmetric Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interaction

A series of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were performed of two Mach 2.5 axisymmetric shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions (SWBLIs) based off of the NASA Turbulent Computational Fluid Dynamics Validation Experiment (TCFDVE). The goals of the simulations were to (1) determine how well RANS can predict the flow physics of an axisymmetric SWBLI and (2) generate a new validation case for the NASA Turbulence Modeling Resource (TMR). The simulations were run with two different turbulence models and three different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes while looking at two different conical shock generator angles, one of which was shown to cause flow separation in the experiment. The results in this paper show that, as expected, the CFD simulations agreed well with each other and the experiment when SWBLI-induced separation was not present. When separation was present, differences in the predicted separation characteristics were noted. These included a stronger interaction and subsequently longer separation extent for the Menter Shear-Stress Transport k-ω (SST) turbulence model simulations compared to both the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) turbulence model simulations and the experiment.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparing Unstructured Adaptive Mesh Solutions for the High Lift Common Research Model Airfoil

Discretization error is a common source of uncertainty in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses. Traditional means of controlling discretization error through fixed-mesh refinement studies has proven to be difficult particularly when modeling complex geometries and flow fields. One reason for this is that mesh generation in today’s production CFD workflow is often a labor intensive process that is heavily dependent on user judgment. Unstructured mesh adaptation is known to be an efficient way to control discretization errors in CFD. Adaptive methods replace user based decision making with automated processes that optimize a mesh to reduce discretization error. This paper compares the application of multiple solution adaptive techniques in combination with multiple flow solvers to solve for the flow field about a 2D airfoil section of the NASA High-Lift Common Research Model (HL-CRM). By driving the adaptive mesh processes to a similar level of mesh convergence, the ability to achieve consistent results between multiple adaptive techniques and flow solvers is demonstrated. Mesh convergence for the various adaptive mesh approaches is compared identifying potential areas for improvement and providing mesh generation guidance for future workshops.

mesh adaptation high-lift 2D airfoil↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparing Unstructured Adaptive Mesh Solutions for the High Lift Common Research Model Airfoil

Discretization error is a common source of uncertainty in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses. Traditional means of controlling discretization error through fixed-mesh refinement studies has proven to be difficult particularly when modeling complex geometries and flow fields. One reason for this is that mesh generation in today’s production CFD workflow is often a labor intensive process that is heavily dependent on user judgment. Unstructured mesh adaptation is known to be an efficient way to control discretization errors in CFD. Adaptive methods replace user based decision making with automated processes that optimize a mesh to reduce discretization error. This paper compares the application of multiple solution adaptive techniques in combination with multiple flow solvers to solve for the flow field about a 2D airfoil section of the NASA High-Lift Common Research Model (HL-CRM). By driving the adaptive mesh processes to a similar level of mesh convergence, the ability to achieve consistent results between multiple adaptive techniques and flow solvers is demonstrated. Mesh convergence for the various adaptive mesh approaches is compared identifying potential areas for improvement and providing mesh generation guidance for future workshops.

mesh adaptation↗

NASA NTRS1998

Workload Characterization of CFD Applications Using Partial Differential Equation Solvers

Workload characterization is used for modeling and evaluating of computing systems at different levels of detail. We present workload characterization for a class of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications that solve Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). This workload characterization focuses on three high performance computing platforms: SGI Origin2000, EBM SP-2, a cluster of Intel Pentium Pro bases PCs. We execute extensive measurement-based experiments on these platforms to gather statistics of system resource usage, which results in workload characterization. Our workload characterization approach yields a coarse-grain resource utilization behavior that is being applied for performance modeling and evaluation of distributed high performance metacomputing systems. In addition, this study enhances our understanding of interactions between PDE solver workloads and high performance computing platforms and is useful for tuning these applications.

Waheed, Abdul↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Instability of Liquid Propellants in Microgravity During Pulsed Settling Operations

Pulsing reaction control system (RCS) thrusters, vent valves, or other propulsion devices can preserve propellant resources in space, but this operation also effectively introduces a vibration to the vehicle. When the vibration is perpendicular to the liquid propellant surface, Faraday waves may be generated at the liquid-vapor interface. These Faraday instabilities can perturb or break up the liquid surface of cryogenic tanks, leading to inefficiencies in thermal management or even ullage collapse. Drawing from theory and experiments, an engineering model defining the allowable design regions for pulsed settling in microgravity was assembled and verified with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A traditional settling metric, the Bond number, was also overlaid in the model to indicate which duty cycles were insufficient to overcome surface tension and aggregate propellant. Mission planners and engineers can consult the tool to rapidly evaluate the stability of a liquid-vapor interface given the pulse frequency and the excitation acceleration. Expressions developed for Faraday waves induced by a sinusoidal forcing input at standard gravity were found to provide excellent predictive capabilities for pulsed, or rectangular, waveforms in the absence of a consistent gravitational acceleration. This study extends the usage of these equations to an alternative forcing function and microgravity environments for the purpose of estimating natural frequencies, surface mode shapes, surface wave amplitudes, and the onset of droplet ejection. CFD simulations with the Loci/STREAM-VoF (Volume of Fluid) solver were initially validated against experimental results in standard gravity. Discrete points on the design map were then investigated with CFD and confirmed that the engineering model reliably indicates surface stability and most Faraday wave characteristics without requiring higher-fidelity tools. The engineering model is highly extensible and can be adapted for various propellant fill fractions, fluid properties, and tank sizes.

Faraday Waves↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Instability of Liquid Propellants in Microgravity During Pulsed Settling Operations

Pulsing reaction control system (RCS) thrusters, vent valves, or other propulsion devices can preserve propellant resources in space, but this operation also effectively introduces a vibration to the vehicle. When the vibration is perpendicular to the liquid propellant surface, Faraday waves may be generated at the liquid-vapor interface. These Faraday instabilities can perturb or break up the liquid surface of cryogenic tanks, leading to inefficiencies in thermal management or even ullage collapse. Drawing from theory and experiments, an engineering model defining the allowable design regions for pulsed settling in microgravity was assembled and verified with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A traditional settling metric, the Bond number, was also overlaid in the model to indicate which duty cycles were insufficient to overcome surface tension and aggregate propellant. Mission planners and engineers can consult the tool to rapidly evaluate the stability of a liquid-vapor interface given the pulse frequency and the excitation acceleration. Expressions developed for Faraday waves induced by a sinusoidal forcing input at standard gravity were found to provide excellent predictive capabilities for pulsed, or rectangular, waveforms in the absence of a consistent gravitational acceleration. This study extends the usage of these equations to an alternative forcing function and microgravity environments for the purpose of estimating natural frequencies, surface mode shapes, surface wave amplitudes, and the onset of droplet ejection. CFD simulations with the Loci/STREAM-VoF (Volume of Fluid) solver were initially validated against experimental results in standard gravity. Discrete points on the design map were then investigated with CFD and confirmed that the engineering model reliably indicates surface stability and most Faraday wave characteristics without requiring higher-fidelity tools. The engineering model is highly extensible and can be adapted for various propellant fill fractions, fluid properties, and tank sizes.

Faraday Waves↗

DOE OSTI2026

Machine learning based prediction of airflow maldistribution in air-to-refrigerant heat exchangers

Flow maldistribution is a common challenge in heat exchanger (HX) design and particularly important for air-to-refrigerant geometries where capacity losses can approach 65%. This has a major impact on central air conditioning systems, as compact duct design motivates the use of A-type HXs which are known to be affected by airflow maldistribution. Because velocity profiles are difficult to predict, components are often oversized leading to increased material cost, system footprint, and refrigerant charge. Several studies detail airflow maldistribution for individual HXs and packages, but findings cannot always be extrapolated to new designs. In this work, a machine learning (ML) based flow profile prediction framework is developed and applied to two common package configurations: (i) A-type and (ii) U-type HXs, across a broad range of HX geometries and flow rates. Porous media CFD simulations are validated against independent data for both package types as well as comprehensive in house measurements for a finless geometry with shape optimized non-round tubes, which validates the framework for new heat transfer surfaces. The ML models are trained on the porous media CFD simulations, predicting volumetric flow rate (VFR) within 1.1% and 1.9% with maximum relative L 2 norm errors of 0.48 and 0.65, respectively, while also delivering 10 5 speed up factor compared to full porous media CFD. HX level simulations show an up to 9% reduction in heat transfer from flow maldistribution, with greater losses occurring at smaller half apex angles. This framework enables rapid and highly accurate prediction of airflow maldistribution induced capacity degradation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS2005

Numerical Simulation of Liquid Jet Atomization Including Turbulence Effects

This paper describes numerical implementation of a newly developed hybrid model, T-blob/T-TAB, into an existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program for primary and secondary breakup simulation of liquid jet atomization. This model extend two widely used models, the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability of Reitz (blob model) and the Taylor-Analogy-Breakup (TAB) secondary droplet breakup by O'Rourke and Amsden to include turbulence effects. In the primary breakup model, the level of the turbulence effect on the liquid breakup depends on the characteristic scales and the initial flow conditions. For the secondary breakup, an additional turbulence force acted on parent drops is modeled and integrated into the TAB governing equation. Several assessment studies are presented and the results indicate that the existing KH and TAB models tend to under-predict the product drop size and spray angle, while the current model provides superior results when compared with the measured data.

Trinh, Huu P.↗

NASA NTRS1989

An integrated CFD/experimental analysis of aerodynamic forces and moments

Aerodynamic analysis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is most fruitful when it is combined with a thorough program of wind tunnel testing. The understanding of aerodynamic phenomena is enhanced by the synergistic use of both analysis methods. A technique is described for an integrated approach to determining the forces and moments acting on a wind tunnel model by using a combination of experimentally measured pressures and CFD predictions. The CFD code used was FLO57 (an Euler solver) and the wind tunnel model was a heavily instrumented delta wing with 62.5 deg of leading-edge sweep. A thorough comparison of the CFD results and the experimental data is presented for surface pressure distributions and longitudinal forces and moments. The experimental pressures were also integrated over the surface of the model and the resulting forces and moments are compared to the CFD and wind tunnel results. The accurate determination of various drag increments via the combined use of the CFD and experimental pressures is presented in detail.

Melton, John E.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Implicit Large-Eddy Simulations of Hot and Cold Supersonic Jets in Loci-CHEM

Turbulence is a critical factor in most aero- and propulsion-related flows. For many years, the industry-standard approach to incorporating the effect of turbulence in computational fluid dynamics (CFD)calculations has been the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) modeling approach. RANS implicitly time-averages turbulent motion, and models its effect on the mixing of species, momentum, and energy in a flow field. The approach is economical and often allows a CFD calculation to proceed to steady-state. However, it makes several simplifying assumptions, and the results will only be as good as the RANS turbulence model. Meanwhile, the last two decades have witnessed rapid and explosive growth in computational power, the development of CFD codes which scale well over thousands of processors, and the refinement of unstructured grid-generation tools which facilitate rapid surface and volume gridding of complex geometries. CFD engineering calculations of 108– 109 finite-volume cells have become routine. Thus, large eddy simulation (LES), which attempts to directly resolve the unsteady motion of the largest scales of turbulence, is increasingly of interest for many fluids engineering problems. Additionally, hybrid RANS-LES approaches such as Spalart’s Detached Eddy Simulation (DES), which attempt to marry the best strengths of both methods, are in active use and development. Because it seeks to accurately resolve the unsteady motion of the largest scales of turbulence, LES places certain requirements on the numerical method used to discretize and advance the Navier Stokes equations. In particular, LES requires high time accuracy and minimal intrinsic numerical dispersion and dissipation over a wide range of length scales.

C I Morris↗

NASA NTRS2020

PIV and Rotational Raman-Based Temperature Measurements for CFD Validation of a Perforated Plate Cooling Flow Part I

Film cooling is used in a wide variety of engineering applications for protection of surfaces from hotor combusting gases. The design of more efficient film cooling geometries/configurations could be facilitated by an ability to accurately model and predict the effectiveness of current designs using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code predictions. Hence, a benchmark set of flow field property data were obtained to assess current CFD capabilities and develop better modeling approaches for these turbulent flow fields where accurate calculation of turbulent heat flux is important. Both Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and spontaneous rotational Raman scattering (SRS) spectroscopy were used to acquire high quality, spatially-resolved measurements of the mean and root mean square (rms) velocities as well as the mean and rms temperatures in a film cooling flow field. In addition to off-body flow field measurements, infrared thermography (IR) and thermocouple measurements on the plate surface enabled estimates of the film effectiveness. Raman spectra in air were obtained across a matrix of axial locations downstream from a 68.07 mm square nozzle blowing heated air over a range of temperatures (up to TR =2.7) and Mach numbers (up to Mach 0.9), across a 30.48 cm long plate equipped with three patches of 45 small (~1 mm) diameter cooling holes arranged in a staggered configuration. In addition, both streamwise 2-component PIV (along the plate centerline) and cross-stream 3-component Stereo PIV data at 14 axial stations were collected in the same flows. Only a subset of the data collected in the test program is included in this Part 1 report. The rest of the data will be published in a future report, Part 2, along with planned CFD predictions of the complex cooling film flow.The entire data set of Raman temperature data, PIV velocity data and IR camera data covering the Set Points 23 and 49 in the test matrix in Table 1 is available in an accompanying DVD (available online from www.sti.nasa.gov) for those interested in further analysis.

Mark P Wernet↗

NASA NTRS2002

Propulsion Simulations with the Unstructured-Grid CFD Tool TetrUSS

A computational investigation has been completed to assess the capability of the NASA Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System (TetrUSS) for simulation of exhaust nozzle flows. Three configurations were chosen for this study: (1) a fluidic jet effects model, (2) an isolated nacelle with a supersonic cruise nozzle, and (3) a fluidic pitchthrust- vectoring nozzle. These configurations were chosen because existing data provided a means for measuring the ability of the TetrUSS flow solver USM3D for simulating complex nozzle flows. Fluidic jet effects model simulations were compared with structured-grid CFD (computational fluid dynamics) data at Mach numbers from 0.3 to 1.2 at nozzle pressure ratios up to 7.2. Simulations of an isolated nacelle with a supersonic cruise nozzle were compared with wind tunnel experimental data and structured-grid CFD data at Mach numbers of 0.9 and 1.2, with a nozzle pressure ratio of 5. Fluidic pitch-thrust-vectoring nozzle simulations were compared with static experimental data and structured-grid CFD data at static freestream conditions and nozzle pressure ratios from 3 to 10. A fluidic injection case was computed with the third configuration at a nozzle pressure ratio of 4.6 and a secondary pressure ratio of 0.7. Results indicate that USM3D with the S-A turbulence model provides accurate exhaust nozzle simulations at on-design conditions, but does not predict internal shock location at overexpanded conditions or pressure recovery along a boattail at transonic conditions.

Deere, Karen A.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Development of a conduction-based model for analyzing frozen startup of alkali-metal heat pipes

One key area of interest in heat pipe modeling/simulation is to analyze the startup behavior of the liquid-metal heat pipes (LMHPs) from a frozen state. This so-called ‘frozen startup’ process involves a complex set of nonlinear mass and heat transport phenomena, including phase transitions from solid to liquid and vapor, multiphase interactions, microporous wick flow, and compressible vapor dynamics. The complexity of these processes makes it challenging to simulate LMHP’s frozen startup using conventional numerical methods or commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. This paper presents a simplified conduction-based modeling approach that can provide practical insights into the entire LMHP frozen startup process, while alleviating the challenges of modeling its complex physics. The theoretical foundation and physical assumptions of the proposed model are based solely on heat-conduction equation, allowing for a more tractable simulation without sacrificing essential physical accuracy. The proposed model was implemented in a commercial CFD software, and its prediction was compared with the experimental data obtained from sodium heat-pipe startup experiments. The comparison highlights the proposed model's ability to capture the transient thermal behavior of LMHP during frozen startup. This study not only validates the conduction-based frozen startup modeling method but also shows its potential as a practical and efficient tool for understanding the startup performance of the LMHP systems.

Microreactor↗

DOE OSTI2020

ROM-Based Surrogate Systems Modeling of EBR-II

We report the System Analysis Module (SAM), developed and maintained by Argonne National Laboratory, is designed to provide whole-plant transient safety analysis capabilities for a number of advanced non-light water reactors, including sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), and molten salt reactor (MSR)/fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) designs. SAM is primarily constructed as a systems-level analysis tool, with the potential to incorporate reduced order models from three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to improve characterization of complex, multidimensional physics. It is recognized that the computational expense associated with CFD can be intractable for various engineering analyses, such as uncertainty quantification, inference, and design optimization. This paper explores the reducibility of a SAM model using recent advances in randomized linear algebra techniques, which attempt to find recurring patterns in the various realizations generated by a model after randomly perturbing all its input parameters. The reduction is described in terms of fewer degrees of freedom (DOFs), referred to as the active DOFs, for the model variables such as input model parameters and model responses. The results indicate that there is significant room for additional reduction that may be leveraged for additional computational gains when employing SAM for engineering-intensive analyses that require repeated model executions. Different from physics-based reduction approaches, the proposed approach allows one to estimate upper bounds on the reduction errors, which are rigorously developed in this work. Finally, different methods for surrogate model construction, such as regression and neural network-based training, are employed to correlate the input and output active DOFs, which are related back to the original variables using matrix-based linear transformations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2022

Validation of Thermohydraulic Simulations using RELAP for Critical Dual Purpose Canisters

Simulations using the RELAP5-3D systems analysis code and STAR-CCM+, a high-fidelity CFD code, were performed on a model of a real-scale MPC-32 dual purpose canister undergoing a criticality event. These simulations were performed to provide code-to-code verification of the natural convection capabilities in RELAP5. The STAR-CCM+ simulations revealed various natural convection flow patterns that aided in the cooling of fission heat produced in the fuel rods in the canister. Negligible spatial temperature variations were observed across the canister in the STAR-CCM+ results, supporting the use of RELAP5 in predicting the sub-cooled regime. The surface-averaged rod temperature predicted by RELAP5 compared well with STAR-CCM+, verifying the predictive capability of RELAP5 for sub-cooled conditions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Effect of Surface Roughness on Dynamic Stall in Pitching Motion

Dynamic stall plays a critical role in determining the performance and stability of a wide range of fluid-dynamics systems in various engineering applications. This unsteady aerodynamic phenomenon is particularly significant for maneuvering aircraft wings, jet aircraft subjected to gust encounters, helicopter rotor blades, and wind turbine blades [1–3]. The prediction of the dynamic stall vortex (DSV) is challenging due to factors such as unsteady aerodynamics, three-dimensional (3-D) effects, turbulence and flow separation, incoming gust, and surface impact effects [4–6]. Hence, advanced computational techniques and modeling approaches in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) would be required to enhance the accuracy and reliability of DSV predictions in dynamic stall scenarios. In the past, Batther and Lee [7] employed delayed detached eddy simulations (DDES) to understand the flow physics associated with the onset of dynamic stall. Their approach demonstrated that DDES achieves results comparable to those obtained from large-eddy simulations at a reduced computational cost. In another study, Khalifa et al. [8] examined the 3-D aspects of dynamic stall on a NACA 0012 airfoil using DES solvers. In conclusion, the findings underlined the superiority of 3-D simulations over two-dimensional approaches, particularly in predicting the lift coefficient values and capturing dynamic stall stages more precisely.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗