An experimental study of loss sources in a fan operating with continuous inlet stagnation pressure distortion

The viability of boundary layer ingesting (BLI) engines for future aircraft propulsion is dependent on the ability to design robust, efficient engine fan systems for operation with continuously distorted inlet flow. A key step in this process is to develop an understanding of the specific mechanisms by which an inlet distortion affects the performance of a fan stage. In this paper, detailed full-annulus experimental measurements of the flow field within a low-speed fan stage operating with a continuous 60 deg inlet stagnation pressure distortion are presented. These results are used to describe the three-dimensional fluid mechanics governing the interaction between the fan and the distortion and to make a quantitative assessment of the impact on loss generation within the fan. A 5.3 percentage point reduction in stage total-to-total efficiency is observed as a result of the inlet distortion. The reduction in performance is shown to be dominated by increased loss generation in the rotor due to off-design incidence values at its leading edge, an effect that occurs throughout the annulus despite the localized nature of the inlet distortion. Increased loss in the stator row is also observed due to flow separations that are shown to be caused by whirl angle distortion at rotor exit. By addressing these losses, it should be possible to achieve improved efficiency in BLI fan systems. © 2013 by ASME.

Numerical modelling of chirality-Induced bi-Directional swimming of artificial flagella

Biomimetic micro-swimmers can be used for various medical applications, such as targeted drug delivery and micro-object (e.g. biological cells) manipulation, in lab-on-a-chip devices. Bacteria swim using a bundle of flagella (flexible hair-like structures) that form a rotating cork-screw of chiral shape. To mimic bacterial swimming, we employ a computational approach to design a bacterial (chirality-induced) swimmer whose chiral shape and rotational velocity can be controlled by an external magnetic field. In our model, we numerically solve the coupled governing equations that describe the system dynamics (i.e. solid mechanics, fluid dynamics and magnetostatics). We explore the swimming response as a function of the characteristic dimensionless parameters and put special emphasis on controlling the swimming direction. Our results provide fundamental physical insight on the chirality-induced propulsion, and it provides guidelines for the design of magnetic bi-directional micro-swimmers. © 2013 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Prediction of combustion noise for an aeroengine combustor

Combustion noise may become an important noise source for lean-burn gas turbine engines, and this noise is usually associated with highly unsteady flames. This work aims to compute the broadband combustion noise spectrum for a realistic aeroengine combustor and to compare with available measured noise data on a demonstrator aeroengine. A low-order linear network model is applied to a demonstrator engine combustor to obtain the transfer function that relates to unsteadiness in the rate of heat release, acoustic, entropic, and vortical fluctuations. A spectral model is used for the heat release rate fluctuation, which is the source of the noise. The mean flow of the aeroengine combustor required as input data to this spectral model is obtained from Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. The computed acoustic field for a low-to-medium power setting indicates that the models used in this study capture the main characteristics of the broadband spectral shape of combustion noise. Reasonable agreement with the measured spectral level is achieved. © 2012 AIAA.

Adaptive combustion instability control with saturation

The control of a class of combustion systems, suceptible to damage from self-excited combustion oscillations, is considered. An adaptive stable controller, called Self-Tuning Regulator (STR), has recently been developed, which meets the apparently contradictory challenge of relying as little as possible on a particular combustion model while providing some guarantee that the controller will cause no harm. The controller injects some fuel unsteadily into the burning region, thereby altering the heat release, in response to an input signal detecting the oscillation. This paper focuses on an extension of the STR design, when, due to stringent emission requirements and to the danger of flame extension, the amount of fuel used for control is limited in amplitude. A Lyapunov stability analysis is used to prove the stability of the modified STR when the saturation constraint is imposed. The practical implementation of the modified STR remains straightforward, and simulation results, based on the nonlinear premixed flame model developed by Dowling, show that in the presence of a saturation constraint, the self-excited oscillations are damped more rapidly with the modified STR than with the original STR. © 2001 by S. Evesque. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

Air quality and climate impacts of alternative bus technologies in Greater London.

The environmental impact of diesel-fueled buses can potentially be reduced by the adoption of alternative propulsion technologies such as lean-burn compressed natural gas (LB-CNG) or hybrid electric buses (HEB), and emissions control strategies such as a continuously regenerating trap (CRT), exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), or selective catalytic reduction with trap (SCRT). This study assessed the environmental costs and benefits of these bus technologies in Greater London relative to the existing fleet and characterized emissions changes due to alternative technologies. We found a >30% increase in CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions for CNG buses, a <5% change for exhaust treatment scenarios, and a 13% (90% confidence interval 3.8-20.9%) reduction for HEB relative to baseline CO2e emissions. A multiscale regional chemistry-transport model quantified the impact of alternative bus technologies on air quality, which was then related to premature mortality risk. We found the largest decrease in population exposure (about 83%) to particulate matter (PM2.5) occurred with LB-CNG buses. Monetized environmental and investment costs relative to the baseline gave estimated net present cost of LB-CNG or HEB conversion to be $187 million ($73 million to $301 million) or $36 million ($-25 million to $102 million), respectively, while EGR or SCRT estimated net present costs were $19 million ($7 million to $32 million) or $15 million ($8 million to $23 million), respectively.

Measurements of intake separation hysteresis in a model fan and nacelle RIG

A 1/20-scale, low speed model rig representing the fan and nacelle of a high bypass ratio jet engine has been tested under crosswind conditions. The flow conditions under which the intake flow separates and reattaches have been found to exhibit considerable hysteresis. This phenomenon has been examined by a careful test procedure in which the crosswind angle has been slowly increased and then decreased. Measurements of the hysteresis associated with separation and reattachment are presented for independent variations in stream-tube contraction ratio, ground clearance, fan operating point and Reynolds number. The results reveal that particular care must be taken to allow for any hysteresis when testing intakes under crosswind conditions. They also indicate that separation hysteresis is particularly sensitive to fan operating point and the position of the ground plane. These findings suggest that it is important for high Reynolds number intake tests and calculations to include a ground plane and a model of the downstream turbomachinery. © 2002 by the author(s).

A new prototype of self-pressurizing fuel tank for micro and nano-satellites

To increase effective load, light-weight micro-propulsion system is necessary for micro-satellites. Traditional propulsion systems including large and heavy high-pressure vessels are difficult to be scaled down to fulfill the demand of micro-satellites. In this article, a novel self-pressurizing fuel tank without high-pressure gas vessel is proposed. When some liquid propellant is consumed, pressure is compensated with CO2 released by heating NH4HCO3 powder in the fuel tank. Comparing with other types of self-pressurizing liquid fuel tank, a gas generator with special and simple structure was designed to stop or continue the NH4HCO3 decomposition reaction easily, and consumed a small amount of energy to heat the powder effectively. Performance tests showed that this new prototype is very suitable for micro-thrusters.

Effects of Magnetohydrodynamic Interaction-Zone Position on Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interaction

A third-order weighted essentially nonoscillatory and non-free-parameter difference scheme magnetohydrodynamic solver has been established to investigate the mechanisms of magnetohydrodynamics controlling separation induced by an oblique shock wave impinging on a flat plate. The effects of magnetohydrodynamic interaction-zone location on the separation point, reattachment point, separation-bubble size, and boundary-layer velocity profiles are analyzed. The results show that there exists a best location for the magnetohydrodynamic zone to be applied, where the separation point is delayed the farthest, and the separation bubble is decreased up to about 50% in size compared to the case without magnetohydrodynamic control, which demonstrated the promising of magnetohydrodynamics suppressing the separation induced by shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions.

用双流体模型模拟超声速气固两相流动

采用了双流体模型对JPL(Jet Propulsion Laboratory)喷管中气固两相流动以及超声速射流两相流动进行了数值模拟,并研究了可压缩两相流动中气相与颗粒的相互作用规律.自主开发的一般曲线坐标系下二维轴对称可压缩双流体程序Solve2D,对气相求解Navier-Stokes(N-S)方程组,采用k-ε湍流模型,颗粒相求解Euler方程组.对JPL喷管内的两相流场和湍流两相射流流场进行了数值模拟,研究了不同颗粒质量百分数以及不同颗粒直径时的气固两相流场的流动规律.

Experimental study on energy dissipation in a 1 kW arcjet thruster

As a simple and reliable propulsion system, arcjet thrusters have been used in multiple satellite missions. In order to improve the efficiency of arcjet thrusters, energy dissipation study was carried out in a 1 kW arcjet thruster with pure N2, H2-N2 and H2 as the propellant. Using a 698 nm interference filter, thermal radiation was isolated from arc and plume emissions and the internal nozzle temperature was obtained by converting the thermal radiation signals. Results show that the addition of hydrogen leads to higher nozzle temperature, which is the determining factor for the mode of arc root attachment. At lower nozzle temperatures, constricted type attachment with unstable motions of the arc root was observed, while a fully diffused and stable arc root was observed at elevated nozzle temperatures. Output energy distribution analysis shows that losses from frozen flow and exhaust thermal losses are the main parts in limiting the efficiency of arcjet thrusters.

Experimental study on energy dissipation in a 1 kW arcjet thruster

As a simple and reliable propulsion system, arcjet thrusters have been used in multiple satellite missions. In order to improve the efficiency of arcjet thrusters, energy dissipation study was carried out in a 1 kW arcjet thruster with pure N2, H2-N2 and H2 as the propellant. Using a 698 nm interference filter, thermal radiation was isolated from arc and plume emissions and the internal nozzle temperature was obtained by converting the thermal radiation signals. Results show that the addition of hydrogen leads to higher nozzle temperature, which is the determining factor for the mode of arc root attachment. At lower nozzle temperatures, constricted type attachment with unstable motions of the arc root was observed, while a fully diffused and stable arc root was observed at elevated nozzle temperatures. Output energy distribution analysis shows that losses from frozen flow and exhaust thermal losses are the main parts in limiting the efficiency of arcjet thrusters.

Propulsive performance of a hypergolic H2O2/kerosene bipropellant

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)/kerosene is a prospective bipropellant due to its high-energy content, high storage density, and environmentally benign properties. The possibility of making it hypergolic renders this option even more attracting. Self-ignitable H2O2/kerosene bipropellants were prepared by combining different candidate catalysts and promoters. Preliminary screening evaluations were conducted by using a dropping-test method. Propulsive performances of the combinations having passed satisfying dropping-test requirements were then investigated on a specially designed thrust engine. The results revealed that short ignition delay and reliable propulsion performances could be acquired in both steady-state and pulse-mode operations, and the combination of kerosene with additives and H2O2 of 90% concentration could still have good performances after 3 months storage time. It is expected that the combination of H2O2 and kerosene can be an efficacious alternative for storable toxic propellants used currently.

Remote sensing of ocean waves by polarimetric SAR

A new method to measure ocean wave slope spectra using fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) data was developed without the need for a complex hydrodynamic modulation transform function. There is no explicit use of a hydrodynamic modulation transfer function. This function is not clearly known and is based on hydrodynamic assumptions. The method is different from those developed by Schuler and colleagues or Pottier but complements their methods. The results estimated from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) C-band polarimetric SAR data show that the ocean wavelength, wave direction, and significant wave height are in agreement with buoy measurements. The proposed method can be employed by future satellite missions such as RADARSAT-2.

三维蛇形机器人巡视者Ⅱ的开发

蛇形机器人具有比传统移动机器人更强的运动能力,为实现机器人的三维运动而开发的蛇形机器人巡视者II是一个具有强驱动力和高机动性的三维蛇形机器人。它由具有3自由度的模块化单元组成,该单元具有俯仰、偏航和回转3自由度,单元的俯仰和偏航运动是通过由3个伞齿轮组成的差速机构耦合驱动。该单元的圆柱形外壳周围安装有一系列的被动轮来增加机器人运动灵活性。对蛇形机器人模块单元的自由度作了详细分析,并基于机器人的运动机动性设计三维蛇形机器人的单元结构。给出蛇形机器人的控制系统结构,并对耦合变量进行解耦。将蛇形机器人的蜿蜒运动和扭转运动两种基本步伐应用到巡视者II上,试验结果证明了该三维蛇形机器人具有很强的机动性和运动能力。

UUV推进系统容错控制分配算法研究

针对水下机器人(UUV)推进系统容错控制分配问题,本文提出了基于SVD分解(奇异值分解)与定点分配的混合算法。与传统的方法相比,它回避了求伪逆矩阵的问题,降低了计算量;能够满足推进器饱和约束限制。利用水下实验平台推进系统模型进行了仿真实验,验证了算法的正确性和有效性。