Three-Dimensional Simulations of Jets from Keplerian Disks: Self--Regulatory Stability

We present the extension of previous two-dimensional simulations of the time-dependent evolution of non-relativistic outflows from the surface of Keplerian accretion disks, to three dimensions. The accretion disk itself is taken to provide a set of fixed boundary conditions for the problem. The 3-D results are consistent with the theory of steady, axisymmetric, centrifugally driven disk winds up to the Alfv\'en surface of the outflow. Beyond the Alfv\'en surface however, the jet in 3-D becomes unstable to non-axisymmetric, Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. We show that jets maintain their long-term stability through a self-limiting process wherein the average Alfv\'enic Mach number within the jet is maintained to order unity. This is accomplished in at least two ways. First, poloidal magnetic field is concentrated along the central axis of the jet forming a ``backbone'' in which the Alfv\'en speed is sufficiently high to reduce the average jet Alfv\'enic Mach number to unity. Second, the onset of higher order Kelvin-Helmholtz ``flute'' modes (m \ge 2) reduce the efficiency with which the jet material is accelerated, and transfer kinetic energy of the outflow into the stretched, poloidal field lines of the distorted jet. This too has the effect of increasing the Alfv\'en speed, and thus reducing the Alfv\'enic Mach number. The jet is able to survive the onset of the more destructive m=1 mode in this way. Our simulations also show that jets can acquire corkscrew, or wobbling types of geometries in this relatively stable end-state, depending on the nature of the perturbations upon them. Finally, we suggest that jets go into alternating periods of low and high activity as the disappearance of unstable modes in the sub-Alfv\'enic regime enables another cycle of acceleration to super-Alfv\'enic speeds.Comment: 57 pages, 22 figures, submitted to Ap

Unsteady flow physics of airfoil dynamic stall

A series of wind tunnel experiments were conducted on an NACA 0012 airfoil undergoing a linear pitch ramp maneuver at a fixed dimensionless pitch rate of 0.05 and across three transitional Reynolds numbers, Re = 200,000, 500,000, and 1,000,000. The primary objectives of these experiments were to perform a detailed analysis of the flow evolution, with particular emphasis on the underlying physical mechanisms, and to extract the dominant scales associated with the flow perturbations, for a canonical dynamic stall process. A series of unsteady surface pressure measurements, with a high sampling frequency, were acquired in order to investigate the time-dependent behavior of the flow in the immediate vicinity of the airfoil. These surface pressure measurements were used to identify the region of boundary layer transition during the initial stages of the dynamic stall process. A spatially-contracting laminar separation bubble was also identified near the airfoil leading edge from the characteristic pressure plateau in the surface pressure distribution. The dominant frequencies associated with the laminar separation bubble were extracted using a continuous wavelet transform technique. These frequencies were observed to span a wide range of chord-based Strouhal numbers between St = 50 and St = 105, at Re = 500,000. The off-body flow evolution was inferred and described using a combination of surface pressure measurements and time-resolved particle image velocimetry. For Re = 200,000 and Re = 500,000, the dynamic stall vortex was observed to emerge from a collective interaction of the discrete vortices that were ejected from the leading edge of the airfoil. At Re = 1,000,000, however, the near-wall vortices were observed to amalgamate into two regions, forming a distinct primary and a secondary coherent structure. After formation, these two structures were observed to interact with each other, following a co-rotating vortex merging process and resulting in the emergence of a single, coherent dynamic stall vortex. The process of emergence of the dynamic stall vortex at Re = 1,000,000, observed from the present experiments, is therefore quite distinct from the classical understanding of the dynamic stall vortex formation, which was observed at the lower Reynolds numbers. The time-dependent spectra of the velocity field were calculated using a combination of empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert transformation. From the velocity spectra, the fluctuations in the flow were observed to attain an amplified state during the initial ejection of vorticity from the leading-edge region of the airfoil. During this amplified phase, the most dominant velocity fluctuations were found to conform to a range of displacement-thickness based Strouhal scales between 0.09 and 0.14. Finally, a numerical implementation of the Orr-Sommerfeld equation was used to extract the spatially-unstable modes associated with the phase-averaged velocity measurements near the airfoil leading edge. The most unstable frequencies from linear stability analysis were found to be consistent with those determined directly from the velocity acquisition during the amplified shedding phase of the dynamic stall process

Flight experiments using the front-side control technique during piloted approach and landing in a powered lift STOL aircraft

The essential features of using pitch attitude for glidepath control in conjunction with longitudinal thrust modulation for speed control are described, using a simple linearized model for a powered-lift STOL aircraft operating on the backside of the drag curve and at a fixed setting of propulsive lift. It is shown that an automatic speed-hold system incorporating heave-damping augmentation can allow use of the front-side control technique with satisfactory handling qualities, and the results of previous flight investigations are reviewed. Manual control considerations, as they might be involved following failure of the automatic system, are emphasized. The influence of alternative cockpit controller configurations and flight-director display features were assessed for their effect on the control task, which consisted of a straight-in steep approach flown at constant speed in simulated instrument conditions

Aspiration noise during phonation : synthesis, analysis, and pitch-scale modification

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-145).The current study investigates the synthesis and analysis of aspiration noise in synthesized and spoken vowels. Based on the linear source-filter model of speech production, we implement a vowel synthesizer in which the aspiration noise source is temporally modulated by the periodic source waveform. Modulations in the noise source waveform and their synchrony with the periodic source are shown to be salient for natural-sounding vowel synthesis. After developing the synthesis framework, we research past approaches to separate the two additive components of the model. A challenge for analysis based on this model is the accurate estimation of the aspiration noise component that contains energy across the frequency spectrum and temporal characteristics due to modulations in the noise source. Spectral harmonic/noise component analysis of spoken vowels shows evidence of noise modulations with peaks in the estimated noise source component synchronous with both the open phase of the periodic source and with time instants of glottal closure. Inspired by this observation of natural modulations in the aspiration noise source, we develop an alternate approach to the speech signal processing aim of accurate pitch-scale modification. The proposed strategy takes a dual processing approach, in which the periodic and noise components of the speech signal are separately analyzed, modified, and re-synthesized. The periodic component is modified using our implementation of time-domain pitch-synchronous overlap-add, and the noise component is handled by modifying characteristics of its source waveform.(cont.) Since we have modeled an inherent coupling between the original periodic and aspiration noise sources, the modification algorithm is designed to preserve the synchrony between temporal modulations of the two sources. The reconstructed modified signal is perceived to be natural-sounding and generally reduces artifacts that are typically heard in current modification techniques.by Daryush Mehta.S.M

Optimizing the power-generation performance of flapping-foil turbines while simplifying their mechanical design with the use of elastic supports

Due à la complexité des mécanismes typiquement requis pour contraindre l’aile d’une turbine à aile oscillante à suivre des mouvements spécifiques, cette thèse étudie la possibilité de bénéficier de mouvements non contraints, dits passifs. En pratique, cela implique que l’aile est attachée à la structure de la turbine à l’aide de supports élastiques indépendants en pilonnement et en tangage, formés de ressorts et d’amortisseurs. Par conséquent, seul un contrôle indirect des mouvements est possible en ajustant adéquatement les paramètres structuraux affectant la dynamique de l’aile, tels que les paramètres d’inertie, d’amortissement et de raideur de l’aile et de ses supports élastiques. En premier lieu, un prototype ayant des mouvements passifs autant en pilonnement qu’en tangage, et donc étant complètement passif, a été conçu et testé dans un canal à surface libre. Cette première phase du présent travail de recherche a confirmé la faisabilité et le potentiel de ce concept en permettant d’extraire une quantité significative d’énergie de l’écoulement d’eau. Cependant, l’efficacité maximale atteinte est demeurée inférieure à ce qui peut être obtenu en contraignant l’aile à suivre des mouvements précis. Suite à ces expériences, un algorithme résolvant la dynamique du solide a été implémenté et couplé au logiciel résolvant la dynamique du fluide gouverné par les équations de Navier-Stokes. Des simulations numériques ont été réalisées afin d’analyser plus en détail la dynamique de chacun des deux degrés de liberté de l’aile. Plutôt que de poursuivre notre étude du concept complètement passif immédiatement, un concept de turbine semi-passive caractérisée par un mouvement de tangage passif et un mouvement de pilonnement contraint a été considéré. Des efficacités de l’ordre de 45% ont été atteintes, se comparant ainsi aux meilleures performances rapportées dans la littérature concernant les turbines à ailes oscillantes complètement contraintes. En plus de révéler le fort potentiel de ce concept de turbine semi-passive, cette étude nous a permis de nous concentrer sur certains aspects spécifiques concernant la dynamique d’une aile attachée par des ressorts en tangage. Cette analyse plus détaillée de la physique en jeu a été facilitée par le nombre réduit de paramètres structuraux en jeu par rapport à une turbine pour laquelle le mouvement de pilonnement est lui aussi passif. L’une des découvertes importantes est que le centre de masse doit être situé en aval du point de pivot afin de générer un transfert d’énergie du mouvement de pilonnement vers le mouvement de tangage par l’entremise du couplage inertiel entre les deux degrés de liberté. Ce transfert d’énergie est crucial puisque les mouvements de tangage optimaux nécessitent de l’énergie en moyenne pour être soutenus. De plus, un paramètre combinant les effets liés au moment d’inertie de l’aile par rapport à son point de pivot et à la raideur en tangage a été proposé. Ce paramètre permet de bien caractériser la dynamique du mouvement de tangage passif de la turbine semi-passive. Il permet aussi de déterminer la raideur requise pour différentes valeurs du moment d’inertie afin de maintenir une performance optimale de la turbine. Utilisant les connaissances acquises concernant la dynamique des mouvements de tangage passifs, le concept de turbine à aile oscillante complètement passive a été revisité. Les meilleures efficacités obtenues avec la turbine semi-passive ont été égalées et ont même été surpassées puisque qu’une efficacité de 53.8% a été atteinte. Les résultats ont aussi démontré qu’une performance optimale pouvait être maintenue sur de larges plages de valeurs en ce qui concerne la masse en pilonnement ainsi que le moment d’inertie par rapport au point de pivot, pourvu que les raideurs en pilonnement et en tangage soient ajustées correctement.Due to the complexity of the mechanisms typically required when designing a flapping-foil turbine to prescribe specific heave and pitch motions, this thesis investigates the possibility of benefiting from unconstrained motions. In practice, this means that the foil is attached to the turbine structure with independent elastic supports in heave and in pitch, which consist in springs and dampers. Consequently, only an indirect control over the foil motions is possible through an adequate adjustment of the structural parameters affecting the foil dynamics, namely the inertial, damping and stiffness characteristics of the elastically-supported foil. Such motions are referred to as passive motions. As a first step, a turbine prototype with passive heave and pitch motions, thus being fully-passive, has been designed and tested in a water channel. This first phase of the present research work has confirmed the feasibility and the potential of this concept to extract a significant amount of energy from a fluid flow. However, the maximum efficiency that has been obtained is smaller than what can be achieved when prescribing specific foil motions. Following these experiments, a solid solver has been implemented and coupled with a Navier-Stokes fluid solver. Numerical simulations have been carried out to analyze the dynamics of both degrees of freedom in more details. Instead of immediately pursuing our study of the fully-passive flappingfoil turbine, a semi-passive concept, with a passive pitch motion and a prescribed heave motion, has been considered. Efficiencies of the order of 45% have been achieved, hence competing with the best performance reported in the literature for flapping-foil turbines with prescribed motions. In addition to revealing the great potential of this semi-passive turbine concept, this study has allowed us to focus on some specific aspects of the dynamics of passive pitch motions. This more detailed analysis of the physics at play has been facilitated by the reduced number of structural parameters affecting the foil dynamics compared to a turbine for which the foil is also elastically-supported in heave. One of the main findings is that the center of mass must be positioned downstream of the pitch axis in order to generate a net transfer of energy from the heave motion to the pitch motion via the inertial coupling between the two degrees of freedom. This energy transfer is crucial because optimal pitch motions require energy on average to be sustained. Moreover, a parameter combining the effects of the moment of inertia of the foil about the pitch axis and the pitch stiffness has been proposed. This parameter effectively characterizes the pitch dynamics of the semi-passive turbine. It also allows properly scaling the pitch stiffness when different moments of inertia are considered with the objective of maintaining an optimal turbine performance. Having improved our knowledge about the dynamics of passive pitch motions, the fully-passive flapping-foil turbine concept has been revisited. The best efficiencies obtained with the semi-passive concept have been matched, and even exceeded since an efficiency of 53.8% has been reached. The results have also demonstrated that an optimal performance can be maintained over large ranges of values regarding the heaving mass and the moment of inertia when the heave and pitch stiffness coefficients are adjusted adequately

A computational study of helicopter coaxial rotor aerodynamics and performance.

Imperial Users onl

Towards Predictive Eddy Resolving Simulations for Gas Turbine Compressors

This thesis aims to explore the potential for using large eddy simulation (LES) as a predictive tool for gas-turbine compressor flows. Compressors present a significant challenge for the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based CFD methods commonly used in industry. RANS models require extensive calibration to experimental data, and thus cannot be used predictively. This thesis explores how LES can offer a more predictive alternative, by exploring the sensitivity of LES to sources of uncertainty. Specifically, the importance of the numerical scheme, the Sub-Grid Scale (SGS) model, and the correct specification of inflow turbulence is examined. The sensitivity of LES to the numerical scheme is explored using the Taylor-Green vortex test case. The numerical smoothing, controlled by a user defined smoothing constant, is found to be important. To avoid tuning the numerical scheme, a locally adaptive smoothing (LAS) scheme is implemented. But, this is found to perform poorly in a forced isotropic turbulence test case, due to the intermittency of the dispersive error. A novel scheme, the LAS with windowing (LASW) scheme, is thus introduced. The LASW scheme is shown to be more suitable for predictive LES, as it does not require tuning to a known solution. The LASW scheme is used to perform LES on a compressor cascade, and results are found to be in close agreement with direct numerical simulations. Complex transition mechanisms, combining characteristics of both natural and bypass modes, are observed on the pressure surface. These mechanisms are found to be sensitive to numerical smoothing, emphasising the importance of the LASW scheme, which returns only the minimum smoothing required to prevent dispersion. On the suction surface, separation induced transition occurs. The flow here is seen to be relatively insensitive to numerical smoothing and the choice of SGS model, as long as the Smagorinsky-Lilly SGS model is not used. These findings are encouraging, as they show that, with the LASW scheme and a suitable SGS model, LES can be used predictively in compressor flows. In order to be predictive, the accurate specification of inflow conditions was shown to be just as important as the numerics. RANS models are shown to over-predict the extent of the three dimensional separation in the endwall - suction surface corner. LES is used to examine the challenges for RANS in this region. The LES shows that it is important to accurately capture the suction surface transition location, with early transition leading to a larger endwall separation. Large scale aperiodic unsteadiness is also observed in the endwall region. Additionally, turbulent anisotropy in the endwall - suction surface corner is found to be important. Adding a non-linear term to the RANS model leads to turbulent stresses that are in better agreement with the LES. This results in a stronger corner vortex which is thought to delay the corner separation. The addition of a corner fillet reduces the importance of anisotropy, thereby reducing the uncertainty in the RANS prediction.This work was supported by the EPSRC through an iCASE award sponsored by Rolls-Royce plc. Rolls-Royce plc are gratefully acknowledged for allowing the use and modification of their CFD solver HYDRA. The work used the ARCHER UK National Supercomputing Service (http://www.archer.ac.uk) under EPSRC grant EP/L000261/1, and thanks go to both for their support