Multimode radiation from an unflanged, semi-infinite circular duct with uniform flow.

Multimode sound radiation from an unflanged, semi-infinite, rigid-walled circular duct with uniform subsonic mean flow everywhere is investigated theoretically. The multimode directivity depends on the amplitude and directivity function of each individual cut-on mode. The amplitude of each mode is expressed as a function of cut-on ratio for a uniform distribution of incoherent monopoles, a uniform distribution of incoherent axial dipoles, and for equal power per mode. The directivity function of each mode is obtained by applying a Lorentz transformation to the zero-flow directivity function, which is given by a Wiener-Hopf solution. This exact numerical result is compared to an analytic solution, valid in the high-frequency limit, for multimode directivity with uniform flow. The high-frequency asymptotic solution is derived assuming total transmission of power at the open end of the duct, and gives the multimode directivity function with flow in the forward arc for a general family of mode amplitude distribution functions. At high frequencies the agreement between the exact and asymptotic solutions is shown to be excellent.

The development of turbine exit flow in a swan-necked inter-stage diffuser

This paper describes both the migration and dissipation of flow phenomena downstream of a transonic high-pressure turbine stage. The geometry of the HP stage exit duct considered is a swan-necked diffuser similar to those likely to be used in future engine designs. The paper contains results both from an experimental programme in a turbine test facility and from numerical predictions. Experimental data was acquired using three fast-response aerodynamic probes capable of measuring Mach number, whirl angle, pitch angle, total pressure and static pressure. The probes were used to make time-resolved area traverses at two axial locations downstream of the rotor trailing edge. A 3D time-unsteady viscous Navier-Stokes solver was used for the numerical predictions. The unsteady exit flow from a turbine stage is formed from rotordependent phenomena (such as the rotor wake, the rotor trailing edge recompression shock, the tip-leakage flow and the hub secondary flow) and vane-rotor interaction dependant phenomena. This paper describes the time-resolved behaviour and three-dimensional migration paths of both of these phenomena as they convect downstream. It is shown that the inlet flow to a downstream vane is dominated by two corotating vortices, the first caused by the rotor tip-leakage flow and the second by the rotor hub secondary flow. At the inlet plane of the downstream vane the wake is extremely weak and the radial pressure gradient is shown to have caused the majority of the high loss wake fluid to be located between the mid-height of the passage and the casing wall. The structure of the flow indicates that between a high pressure stage and a downstream vane simple two-dimensional blade row interaction does not occur. The results presented in this paper indicate that the presence of an upstream stage is likely to significantly alter the structure of the secondary flow within a downstream vane. The paper also shows that vane-rotor interaction within the upstream stage causes a 10° circumferential variation in the inlet flow angle of the 2nd stage vane.

High frequency multimode radiation from ducts with flow

Multimode sound radiation from hard-walled semi-infinite ducts with uniform subsonic flow is investigated theoretically. An analytic expression, valid in the high frequency limit, is derived for the multimode directivity function in the forward arc for a general family of mode distribution functions. The multimode directivity depends on the amplitude and directivity function of each individual mode. The amplitude of each mode is expressed as a function of cut-off ratio for a uniform distribution of incoherent monopoles, a uniform distribution of incoherent axial dipoles and for equal power per mode. The modes' directivity functions are obtained analytically by applying a Lorentz transformation to the zero flow solution. The analytic formula for the multimode directivity with flow is derived assuming total transmission of power at the open-end of the duct. This formula is compared to the exact numerical result for an unflanged duct, computed utilizing a Wiener-Hopf solution. The agreement is shown to be excellent. Copyright © 2008 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Total acquisition cost of overseas outsourcing/sourcing: A framework and a case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework of total acquisition cost of overseas outsourcing/sourcing in manufacturing industry. This framework contains categorized cost items that may occur during the overseas outsourcing/sourcing process. The framework was tested by a case study to establish both its feasibility and usability. Design/methodology/approach - First, interviews were carried out with practitioners who have the experience of overseas outsourcing/sourcing in order to obtain inputs from industry. The framework was then built up based on combined inputs from literature and from practitioners. Finally, the framework was tested by a case study in a multinational high-tech manufacturer to establish both its feasibility and usability. Findings - A practical barrier for implementing this framework is shortage of information. The predictability of the cost items in the framework varies. How to deal with the trade off between accuracy and applicability is a problem needed to be solved in the future research. Originality/value - There are always limitations to the generalizations that can be made from just one case. However, despite these limitations, this case study is believed to have shown the general requirement of modeling the uncertainty and dealing with the dilemma between accuracy and applicability in practice. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Managing Information Risks in asset management - Experiences from an in-depth case study in the utility industry

Information is one of the most important resources in our globalized economy. The value of information often exceeds the value of physical assets. Information quality has, in many ways, an impact on asset management organisations and asset managers struggle to understand and to quantify it, which is a prerequisite for effective information quality improvement. Over the past few years, we have developed an innovative management concept that addresses these new asset management challenges: a process for Total Information Risk Management (TIRM), which has been already tested in a number of asset management industries. The TIRM process enables to manage information quality more effectively in asset management organisations as it focuses specifically on the risks that are imposed by information quality. In this paper, we show how we have applied the TIRM process in an in-depth study at a medium-sized European utility provider, the Manx Electricity Authority (MEA), at the Isle of Man.

The deposition of small particles from a turbulent air flow in a curved duct

The paper describes an experimental and theoretical study of the deposition of small spherical particles from a turbulent air flow in a curved duct. The objective was to investigate the interaction between the streamline curvature of the primary flow and the turbulent deposition mechanisms of diffusion and turbophoresis. The experiments were conducted with particles of uranine (used as a fluorescent tracer) produced by an aerosol generator. The particles were entrained in an air flow which passed vertically downwards through a long straight channel of rectangular cross-section leading to a 90° bend. The inside surfaces of the channel and bend were covered with tape to collect the deposited particles. Following a test run the tape was removed in sections, the uranine was dissolved in sodium hydroxide solution and the deposition rates established by measuring the uranine concentration with a luminescence spectrometer. The experimental results were compared with calculations of particle deposition in a curved duct using a computer program that solved the ensemble-averaged particle mass and momentum conservation equations. A particle density-weighted averaging procedure was used and the equations were expressed in terms of the particle convective, rather than total, velocity. This approach provided a simpler formulation of the particle turbulence correlations generated by the averaging process. The computer program was used to investigate the distance required to achieve a fully-developed particle flow in the straight entry channel as well as the variation of the deposition rate around the bend. The simulations showed good agreement with the experimental results. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Flow field measurements of a series of turbulent premixed and stratified methane/air flames

This paper presents flow field measurements for the turbulent stratified burner introduced in two previous publications in which high resolution scalar measurements were made by Sweeney et al. [1,2] for model validation. The flow fields of the series of premixed and stratified methane/air flames are investigated under turbulent, globally lean conditions (φg=0.75). Velocity data acquired with laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) are presented and discussed. Pairwise 2-component LDA measurements provide profiles of axial velocity, radial velocity, tangential velocity and corresponding fluctuating velocities. The LDA measurements of axial and tangential velocities enable the swirl number to be evaluated and the degree of swirl characterized. Power spectral density and autocorrelation functions derived from the LDA data acquired at 10kHz are optimized to calculate the integral time scales. Flow patterns are obtained using a 2-component PIV system operated at 7Hz. Velocity profiles and spatial correlations derived from the PIV and LDA measurements are shown to be in very good agreement, thus offering 3D mapping of the velocities. A strong correlation was observed between the shape of the recirculation zones above the central bluff body and the effects of heat release, stoichiometry and swirl. Detailed analyses of the LDA data further demonstrate that the flow behavior changes significantly with the levels of swirl and stratification, which combines the contributions of dilatation, recirculation and swirl. Key turbulence parameters are derived from the total velocity components, combining axial, radial and tangential velocities. © 2013 The Combustion Institute.

Non-equilibirum condensation effects on the flow field and the performance of a low pressure steam turbine

The influence of non-equilibrium condensation on the flow field and performance of a three stage low pressure model steam turbine is examined using modern three dimensional CFD techniques. An equilibrium steam model and a non-equilibrium steam model, which accounts for both subcooling and condensation effects, are used, and have been verified by comparison with test data in an earlier publication [1]. The differences in the calculated flow field and turbine performance with these models show that the latent heat released during condensation influences both the thermodynamic and the aerodynamic performance of the turbine, leading to a change in inlet flow angles of about 5°. The calculated three dimensional flowfield is used to investigate the magnitude and distribution of the additional thermo-dynamic wetness loss arising from steam condensation under non-equilibrium flow conditions. Three simple methods are described to calculate this, and all show that this amounts to around 6.5% of the total losses at the design condition. At other load conditions the wetness losses change in magnitude and axial distribution in the turbine. © 2010 by ASME.

On the laminar-turbulent transition of the rotating-disk flow: The role of absolute instability

© 2014 Cambridge University Press. This paper describes a detailed experimental study using hot-wire anemometry of the laminar-turbulent transition region of a rotating-disk boundary-layer flow without any imposed excitation of the boundary layer. The measured data are separated into stationary and unsteady disturbance fields in order to elaborate on the roles that the stationary and the travelling modes have in the transition process. We show the onset of nonlinearity consistently at Reynolds numbers, R, of ∼ 510, i.e. at the onset of Lingwood's (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 299, 1995, pp. 17-33) local absolute instability, and the growth of stationary vortices saturates at a Reynolds number of ∼ 550. The nonlinear saturation and subsequent turbulent breakdown of individual stationary vortices independently of their amplitudes, which vary azimuthally, seem to be determined by well-defined Reynolds numbers. We identify unstable travelling disturbances in our power spectra, which continue to grow, saturating at around R=585, whereupon turbulent breakdown of the boundary layer ensues. The nonlinear saturation amplitude of the total disturbance field is approximately constant for all considered cases, i.e. different rotation rates and edge Reynolds numbers. We also identify a travelling secondary instability. Our results suggest that it is the travelling disturbances that are fundamentally important to the transition to turbulence for a clean disk, rather than the stationary vortices. Here, the results appear to show a primary nonlinear steep-fronted (travelling) global mode at the boundary between the local convectively and absolutely unstable regions, which develops nonlinearly interacting with the stationary vortices and which saturates and is unstable to a secondary instability. This leads to a rapid transition to turbulence outward of the primary front from approximately R=565 to 590 and to a fully turbulent boundary layer above 650.