Acoustic Pressure Signature Research Articles

On the Interaction of Swirling Flames in a Lean Premixed Combustor

Abstract Premixed or partially premixed swirling flames are widely used in gas turbine applications because of their compactness, high ignition efficiency, low NOx emissions and flame stability. A typical annular combustor consists of about twenty swirling flames, which interact (directly or indirectly) with their immediate neighbors even during stable operation. These interactions significantly alter the flow and flame topologies thereby bringing in some discrepancies between the single nozzle (SN) and multinozzle (MN), ignition, emission, pattern factor and flame transfer function (FTF) characteristics. For example, in MN configurations, application of a model based on SN FTF data could lead to erroneous conclusions. Due to the complexities involved in this problem in terms of size, thermal power, cost, optical accessibility etc., a limited amount of experimental studies has been reported, that too on scaled down models with reduced number of nozzles. Here, we present a detailed experimental study on the behavior of three interacting swirl premixed flames, arranged in-line in an optically accessible hollow cuboid test section, which closely resembles a three-cup sector of an annular gas turbine combustor with very large radius. Multiple configurations with various combinations of swirl levels between the adjacent nozzles and the associated flame and flow topologies have been studied. Spatio-temporal information of the heat release rate obtained from OH* chemiluminescence imaging is used along with the acoustic pressure signatures to compute the Rayleigh index (RI) so as to identify the regions within the flame that pumps energy into the self-excited thermoacoustic instability modes. It is found that the structure of the flame–flame interaction regions plays a dominant role in the resulting thermoacoustic instability. To resolve the flow and reactive species distributions in the interacting flames, two-dimensional (2D), three component stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of hydroxyl radical is applied to all the test conditions. Significant differences in the flow structures among the different configurations were observed. Simultaneous OH-PLIF and SPIV techniques were also utilized to track the flame front, from which the curvature and stretch rates were computed. Flame surface density (FSD) which is defined as the mean surface area of the reaction zone per unit volume, is also computed for all the test cases. These measurements and analyses elucidate the structure of the interaction regions, their unique characteristics, and possible role in thermoacoustic instability.

On the relevance of kinematics for cavitation implosion loads

This study presents a novel physical model to convert the potential energy contained in vaporous cavitation into local surface impact power and an acoustic pressure signature caused by the violent collapse of these cavities in a liquid. The model builds on an analytical representation of the solid angle projection approach by Leclercq et al. [“Numerical cavitation intensity on a hydrofoil for 3D homogeneous unsteady viscous flows,” Int. J. Fluid Mach. Syst. 10, 254–263 (2017)]. It is applied as a runtime post-processing tool in numerical simulations of cavitating flows. In the present study, the model is inspected in light of the time accurate energy balance during the cavity collapse. Analytical considerations show that the potential cavity energy is first converted into kinetic energy in the surrounding liquid [D. Obreschkow et al., “Cavitation bubble dynamics inside liquid drops in microgravity,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 094502 (2006)] and focused in space before the conversion into shock wave energy takes place. To this end, the physical model is complemented by an energy conservative transport function that can focus the potential cavity energy into the collapse center before it is converted into acoustic power. The formulation of the energy focusing equation is based on a Eulerian representation of the flow. The improved model is shown to provide physical results for the acoustic wall pressure obtained from the numerical simulation of a close-wall vapor bubble cloud collapse.

Axis retrieval of a supersonic source in a reverberant space using time reversal

Localizing the axis of the Mach cone created by the supersonic displacement of a bullet in a reverberant environment is a challenging task, not only because of the high velocity of the moving source, but also because of the multiple wave reflections off of the walls. Although time reversal (TR) techniques allow static acoustic source localization in a reverberant space, they have not been explored yet on non stationary waves caused by supersonic displacements in urban canyons. The acoustic wave produced by a supersonic projectile has a conical wavefront and a N-shaped acoustic pressure signature. In this paper, this acoustic wave is reproduced using a line array of point-like sources (simulations) and loudspeakers (experiments). During the propagation of this conical wave in an urban canyon, the resulting pressure signals are measured using a time reversal array flush mounted into the ground. These acoustic signals allow to automatically retrieve with a high accuracy the location of the Mach cone axis using time reversal techniques. This inverse problem is solved using the maximization of a fourth-order statistical criterion of the backpropagated pressures. This criterion allows to estimate the intersections between the Mach cone axis and several vertical planes in the urban canyon. These estimations are then fitted to a 3D trajectory with a robust three dimensional interpolation technique based on the Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm. This method allows to automatically retrieve the axis of the supersonic source with an angular accuracy of less than 0.5° and a misdistance of 0.5cm for both numerical simulations and experimental measurements.

Assessment of Computational Models for the Effect of Aeroelasticity on BVI Noise Prediction

This paper deals with the computational analysis of acoustic fields generated by helicopter rotors when Blade-Vortex Interactions (BVI) occur. The prediction procedure starts from the determination of the steady periodic blade deformations. Then, the BVI-affected, unsteady aerodynamics solution is obtained by a potential-flow boundary integral formulation suited for aeronautical configurations experiencing blade-wake impingements. It is applicable to blades with arbitrary shape and motion and evaluates both wake distortion and blade pressure field. Finally, the noise field radiated by the rotor is computed through an aeroacoustic tool based on the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings equation. The numerical investigation examines the sensitivity of BVI noise prediction on the aeroelastic model applied for the calculation of blade deformations, and assesses the accuracy of the results through correlation with experimental data concerning a helicopter main rotor in descent flight. Noise predicted is examined in terms of both acoustic pressure signatures and noise radiation characteristics.

Validation of a Time Domain Formulation for Propeller Noise Prediction

The present paper is oriented at the definition of a series of validation test cases for the far-field subsonic formulation of Farassat in the time domain, solving the Lighthill analogy for aeroacoustics in the Ffowcs William-Hawkings formulation for far-field noise predictions. The focus will be on the definition, validation and verification of four test cases for far-field acoustic propagation. The test cases are: (i) a rotating rotor with a pre-defined body force, (ii) a translating and rotating small disk case with a moving observer, (iii) a conventional helicopter rotor case, (iv) and the consistency test known as the Isom thickness noise. The acoustic pressure signature, sound pressure level and directivity have been calculated for each test case. Graphical outputs and comparisons of results with those of analytical solutions are presented.

Helicopter Rotor Noise Prediction Using ONERA and DLR Euler/Kirchhoff Methods

Euler/Kirchhoff methods have been developed at ONERA and DLR to predict the High Speed Impulsive (HSI) noise generated by helicopter rotors in hover or in forward flight. The main purpose of this common work is to validate the aeroacoustic computations with delocalized test cases. In hover, the aerodynamic and acoustic results obtained by each partner are in good agreement with experiment. In forward flight, a first set of computations is performed with three different sized classical grids. For both partners, the pressure coefficients on the blade are in better correlation with experiment when the grid is refined. However, the capture of the shock waves propagation beyond the blade is not accurate enough to perform satisfactory Kirchhoff computations. The minimum pressure peak and the recompression slope of the acoustic pressure signatures are not accurately predicted, whatever the grid refinement of the Kirchhoff surface locations may be. An.

SUPERSONIC QUADRUPOLE NOISE THEORY FOR HIGH-SPEED HELICOPTER ROTORS

High-speed helicopter rotor impulsive noise prediction is an important problem of aeroacoustics. The deterministic quadrupoles have been shown to contribute significantly to high-speed impulsive (HSI) noise of rotors, particularly when the phenomenon of delocalization occurs. At high rotor-tip speeds, some of the quadrupole sources lie outside the sonic circle and move at supersonic speed. Brentner has given a formulation suitable for efficient prediction of quadrupole noise inside the sonic circle. In this paper, a simple formulation is presented based on the acoustic analogy that is valid for both subsonic and supersonic quadrupole noise prediction. Like the formulation of Brenter, the model is exact for an observer in the far field and in the rotor plane, and is approximate elsewhere. The full analytic derivation of this formulation is given in this paper. The method of implementation on a computer for supersonic quadrupoles using marching cubes for constructing the influence surface (Σ-surface) of an observer space–time variable (x,t) is presented. Then, several examples of noise prediction are given for both subsonic and supersonic quadrupoles. It is shown that in the case of transonic flow over rotor blades, the inclusion of the supersonic quadrupoles. It is shown that in the case of transonic flow over rotor blades, the inclusion of the supersonic quadrupoles improves the prediction of the acoustic pressure signature. The equivalence is shown of the new formulation to that of Brentner for subsonic quadrupoles. It is shown that the regions of high quadrupole source strength are primarily produced by the shock surface and the flow over the leading edge of the rotor. The primary role of the supersonic quadrupoles is to increase the width of a strong acoustic signal.

SOUND GENERATED BY A VORTEX INTERACTING WITH A RIB-STIFFENED ELASTIC PLATE

An analytical investigation is made of the sound produced when a line vortex translates over a parallel, nominally smooth rib-stiffener on a thin elastic plate. This is a canonical fluid-structure interaction that is believed to be an important source of boundary layer generated aircraft interior noise. To eliminate additional complications introduced by mean flow, the vortex motion is assumed to be controlled by its image in the plate. The arrival of the vortex at the rib is preceded by bending wave forerunners which are excited in the plate at that frequency O at which the flexural wave phase velocity is just equal to the vortex translational velocity v. These waves have a group velocity equal to 2 v, and extend over a length of plate ahead of the vortex determined by the structural damping. The principal acoustic source is the interaction of this forerunner with the stiffener, and the sound is predominantly of frequency O. The amplitude of the radiation progressively increases to a maximum as the vortex approaches the rib, and subsequently decreases rapidly to zero with passage of the vortex over the rib. Numerical results for the efficiency of sound generation, its directivity, and the acoustic pressure signature, are given for clamped and simply supported conditions at the stiffener for aluminium plates in air.

High-speed propeller performance and noise predictions at takeoff/landing conditions

The performance and noise of a high speed SR-7A model propeller under takeoff/landing conditions are considered. The blade loading distributions are obtained by solving the three-dimensional Euler equations and the sound pressure levels are computed using a time domain approach. At the nominal takeoff operating point, the blade sections near the hub are lightly or negatively loaded. The chordwise loading distributions are distinctly different from those of cruise conditions. The noise of the SR-7A model propeller at takeoff is dominated by the loading noise, similar to that at cruise conditions. The waveforms of the acoustic pressure signature are nearly sinusoidal in the plane of the propeller. The computed directivity of the blade passing frequency tone agrees fairly well with the data at nominal takeoff blade angle.

A review of propeller discrete frequency noise prediction technology with emphasis on two current methods for time domain calculations

A review of propeller noise prediction technology is presented which highlights the developments in the field from the successful attempt of Gutin to the current sophisticated techniques. Two methods for the prediction of the discrete frequency noise from conventional and advanced propellers in forward flight are described. These methods developed at MIT and NASA Langley Research Center are based on different time domain formulations. Brief description of the computer algorithms based on these formulations are given. The output of these two programs, which is the acoustic pressure signature, is Fourier analyzed to get the acoustic pressure spectrum. The main difference between the programs as they are coded now is that the Langley program can handle propellers with supersonic tip speed while the MIT program is for subsonic tip speed propellers. Comparisons of the calculated and measured acoustic data for a conventional and an advanced propeller show good agreement in general.