Leading Edge Stagnation Point Research Articles

Lattice boltzmann simulation of power-law fluids flow around a forced-oscillation circular cylinder

Direct numerical simulations of power-law non-Newtonian fluids flow around a circular cylinder are performed by lattice Boltzmann method coupled with immersed moving boundary scheme. Obvious differences in macroscopic hydrodynamics and wake vortex dynamics between shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids are resolved. Results show that shear-thickening effect increased drag coefficient but decreased lift coefficient, and delayed separation of boundary layer leading to lower vortex shedding frequency. The position with lowest viscosity on surface of cylinder in shear-thinning fluid is closer to leading edge stagnation point than the position in shear-thickening fluid. Wake vortex appears from surface of cylinder in shear-thinning fluid, however appears after some distance away from rear end of cylinder in Newtonian and shear-thickening fluid through dynamic mode decomposition. Vortex shedding modes in shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids are very different at high oscillation amplitudes and transited from Chaos to 2S mode (two single vortexes with opposite directions but same energy shed) or P + S mode (a pair of vortexes with opposite rotation direction shed on one side of the cylinder and a single vortex shed on the other side) when increasing power-law index.

Flight control of a flying wing aircraft based on circulation control using synthetic jet actuators

To achieve the nice stealth performance and aerodynamic maneuverability of a Flying Wing Aircraft (FWA), a longitudinal aerodynamic control technology based on circulation control using trailing-edge synthetic jet actuators was proposed without the movement of rudders. Effects on the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a small-sweep FWA were investigated. Then, flight tests were carried out to verify the control abilities, providing a novel technology for the design of a future rudderless FWA. Results show that synthetic jets could narrow the dead zone area, improve the flow velocity near the trailing edge, and then move the trailing-edge separation point and the leading-edge stagnation point downwards, which make the effective Attack of Angle (AOA) increase, thereby enhancing the pressure envelope area. Circulation control based on synthetic jets could improve the lift, drag and nose-down moment. The variations of lift and nose-down moment decrease with the growth of AOA caused by the improved reverse pressure gradient and the weakened circulation control efficiency. Finally, synthetic jet actuators were integrated into the trailing edge of a small-sweep FWA, which could realize the roll and pitch control without deflections of rudders during the cruise stage, and the maximum roll and pitch angular velocity are 12.64 (°)/s and 8.51 (°)/s, respectively.

Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry of a Turbine Blade With Engine-Representative Internal and Film Cooling Structures

Abstract As a key technology to ensure turbine survival, blade cooling encompasses a whole range of strategies with ever-increasing geometric complexities. Flow measurement for turbine blades with such intricate internal and external cooling structures is very challenging and calls for non-intrusive, three-dimensional measuring techniques. As a response, this work utilizes magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) to measure the velocity field in a scaled turbine blade with engine-representative internal and film cooling structures. Internal cooling structures include leading edge impingement cooling, U-shaped serpentine passage with/without turbulence ribs at blade mid-chord, and trailing edge pin fins. External cooling structures include film holes near the leading edge stagnation point, at the blade tip, and on the trailing edge. Experiments were performed in water and the Reynolds number local to the leading edge, mid-chord, and trailing edge cooling channels falls within the range typically reported in the literature. This is the first time that MRV is used to measure the flow field of a turbine blade with all the typical internal and external cooling geometries combined. The results show that MRV has great capacity in measuring the complex fluid flow associated with blade cooling designs. Vortical flow features in leading edge impingement cooling, and at the U-bends of mid-chord serpentine channel are captured. Interestingly, internal flow around pin fins redistributes the velocity of external flow ejected from trailing edge slots and film holes, indicating strong coupling between the internal and film cooling flow of the turbine blade.

Heat Pipe Thermal Management at Hypersonic Vehicle Leading Edges: A Low-Temperature Model Study

The intense thermal fluxes and aero-thermomechanical loads generated at sharp leading edges of atmospheric hypersonic vehicles traveling above Mach 5 have motivated an interest in novel thermal management strategies. Here, we use a low-temperature stainless steel-water system to experimentally investigate the feasibility of metallic leading edge heat pipe concepts for thermal management in an efficient load supporting structure. The concept is based upon a two-phase, high thermal conductance “heat pipe” which redistributes the localized thermal flux created at the leading edge stagnation point over a larger surface for effective removal. Structural efficiency is achieved by configuring the system as a wedge-shaped sandwich panel with an I-cell core that simultaneously permits axial vapor and returns liquid flow. The measured axial temperature profiles resulting from a localized thermal flux applied to the tip are consistent with effective thermal spreading that lowered the peak leading edge temperature and reduced the temperature gradients when compared with an equivalent structure containing no working fluid. A simple finite element model that treated the vapor as an equivalent, high thermal conductivity material was in good agreement with these experiments. The model is then used to design a niobium alloy-lithium system that is shown to be suitable for enthalpy conditions representative of Mach 7 scramjet-powered flight. The study indicates that the surface temperature reductions of heat pipe-based leading edges may be sufficient to permit the use of nonablative, refractory metal leading edges with oxidation protection in hypersonic environments.

The suppression of hydrodynamic noise from underwater sonar domes by flow control

Hydrodynamic noise is one of the three major noise sources of underwater vehicles. The sonar dome is a device placed in front of the ship and the submarine to absorb the flow fluctuation and to reduce the hydrodynamic noise, so that the sonar inside the dome is not affected by the external fluid. However, with the increase of the velocity of ships and submarines, cavitation can usually form in the bulge of the sonar domes, which will bring high level of noise to the sonar. The internal self-noise of the sonar dome mainly comes from two areas: the leading-edge stagnation point and the transition zone of boundary layer. In the paper, we designed the leading-edge serrations and dimples in the leading-edge and transition areas of the sonar dome respectively to reduce the movement resistance and prevent the separation of the boundary layer. The research on leading-edge serrations and dimple technology is carried out by using theoretical analysis, numerical calculations. The results show that the leading-edge serrations and dimples can add energy from the outer flow into the boundary layer; the cavitation phenomenon can be delayed. The hydrodynamic noise has been suppressed by about 20dB.

Adiabatic Effectiveness on High-Pressure Turbine Nozzle Guide Vanes Under Realistic Swirling Conditions

In modern lean-burn aero-engine combustors, highly swirling flow structures are adopted to control the fuel-air mixing and to provide the correct flame stabilization mechanisms. Aggressive swirl fields and high turbulence intensities are hence expected in the combustor-turbine interface. Moreover, to maximize the engine cycle efficiency, an accurate design of the high-pressure nozzle cooling system must be pursued: in a film-cooled nozzle, the air taken from last compressor stages is ejected through discrete holes drilled on vane surfaces to provide a cold layer between hot gases and turbine components. In this context, the interactions between the swirling combustor outflow and the vane film cooling flows play a major role in the definition of a well-performing cooling scheme, demanding for experimental campaigns at representative flow conditions. An annular three-sector combustor simulator with fully cooled high-pressure vanes has been designed and installed at THT Lab of University of Florence. The test rig is equipped with three axial swirlers, effusion-cooled liners, and six film-cooled high-pressure vanes passages, for a vortex-to-vane count ratio of 1:2. The relative clocking position between swirlers and vanes has been chosen in order to have the leading edge of the central airfoil aligned with the central swirler. In this experimental work, adiabatic film effectiveness measurements have been carried out in the central sector vanes, in order to characterize the film-cooling performance under swirling inflow conditions. The pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique, based on heat and mass transfer analogy, has been exploited to catch highly detailed 2D distributions. Carbon dioxide has been used as coolant in order to reach a coolant-to-mainstream density ratio of 1.5. Turbulence and five-hole probe measurements at inlet/outlet of the cascade have been carried out as well, in order to highlight the characteristics of the flow field passing through the cascade and to provide precise boundary conditions. Results have shown a relevant effect of the swirling mainflow on the film cooling behavior. Differences have been found between the central airfoil and the adjacent ones, both in terms of leading edge stagnation point position and of pressure and suction side film coverage characteristics.

Lift on a steady 2-D symmetric airfoil in viscous uniform shear flow

We present an investigation into the influence of upstream shear on the viscous flow around a steady two-dimensional (2-D) symmetric airfoil at zero angle of attack, and the corresponding loads. In this computational study, we consider the NACA 0012 airfoil at a chord Reynolds number $1.2\times 10^{4}$ in an approach flow with uniform positive shear with non-dimensional shear rate varying in the range 0.0–1.0. Results show that the lift force is negative, in the opposite direction to the prediction from Tsien’s inviscid theory for lift generation in the presence of positive shear. A hypothesis is presented to explain the observed sign of the lift force on the basis of the asymmetry in boundary layer development on the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil, which creates an effective airfoil shape with negative camber. The resulting scaling of the viscous effect with shear rate and Reynolds number is provided. The location of the leading edge stagnation point moves increasingly farther back along the airfoil’s upper surface with increased shear rate, a behaviour consistent with a negatively cambered airfoil. Furthermore, the symmetry in the location of the boundary layer separation point on the airfoil’s upper and lower surfaces in uniform flow is broken under the imposed shear, and the wake vortical structures exhibit more asymmetry with increasing shear rate.

Mechanism of three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity

Boundary-layer receptivity is always a hot issue in laminar-turbulent transition. Most actual laminar-turbulent transitions belong to three-dimensional flows. An infinite back-swept flat-plate boundary layer is a typical three-dimensional flow. Study of its receptivity is important both in theory and applications. In this paper, a freestream turbulence model is established. A modified fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme is used for time marching, and compact finite difference schemes are used for space discretization. On these bases, whether unsteady cross-flow vortices can be excited in the three-dimensional boundary layer (the infinite back-swept flat-plate boundary layer) by free-stream turbulence is studied numerically. If so, effects of the level and the direction of free-stream turbulence on the three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity are further studied. Differences of the three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity are then discussed by considering the non-parallel effect, influence of the leading-edge stagnation point of the flat plate, and variation of the back-swept angle separately. Intensive studies on the three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity will benefit the development of the hydrodynamic stability theory, and provide a theoretical basis for prediction and control of laminar-turbulent transition.

Unsteady Aerodynamic Model Based on the Leading-Edge Stagnation Point

The significance of the leading-edge stagnation point as an unsteady aerodynamic observable is investigated. Using first-order unsteady potential flow theory, a simple model relating the stagnation point to the unsteady lift is derived for an airfoil undergoing arbitrary unsteady maneuvers. In particular, the dynamic circulatory effects are shown to be accounted for by tracking the stagnation point. Linearization permits the superposition of solutions for thickness and camber. The model is validated using numerical simulations, employing both steady and unsteady panel methods. In addition, its validity is investigated experimentally through steady and unsteady wind-tunnel tests of a wing section. The stagnation point is estimated in real time from the convective heat transfer distribution measured using a hot-film sensor array instrumented around the wing’s leading edge. Applications of these findings to flutter suppression and gust-load alleviation are experimentally demonstrated.

Interaction of turbulence with the leading-edge stagnation point of a thin aerofoil

An asymptotic model is constructed to analyse the interaction of turbulence generated far upstream with a thin elliptic-nosed solid body in uniform flow. The leading-edge stagnation point causes significant deformation of incident vorticity, and hence our analysis focuses on the region of size scaling with the nose radius close to the stagnation point. Rapid distortion theory is used to separate the flow field generated by a single unsteady gust perturbation into a convective non-acoustic part, containing the evolution of the upstream vortical disturbance, and an acoustic part generated by the interaction of the vorticity with the solid surface, as is typical in gust–aerofoil interaction theory. Using single-frequency gust response solutions, along with a von Kármán energy spectrum, we find the turbulent pressure spectrum generated by homogeneous isotropic turbulence incident from far upstream. Both high- and low-frequency gusts are considered to allow approximations to be found for the turbulent pressure spectra close to the leading edge, and far from the body close to the incident stagnation streamline. Good agreement is shown between the asymptotic results for the near- and far-field leading-edge turbulent pressure spectra and recent experimental findings.

Vorticity reconnection during vortex cutting by a blade

A computational study of vorticity reconnection, associated with the breaking and reconnection of vortex lines, during vortex cutting by a blade is reported. A series of Navier–Stokes simulations of vortex cutting with different values of the vortex strength are described, and the different phases in the vortex cutting process are compared to those of the more traditional vortex tube reconnection process. Each of the three phases of vortex tube reconnection described by Melander & Hussain (Phys. Fluids A, vol. 1(4), 1989, pp. 633–635) are found to have counterparts in the vortex cutting problem, although we also point out numerous differences in the detailed mechanics by which these phases are achieved. Of particular importance in the vortex cutting process is the presence of vorticity generation from the blade surface within the reconnection region and the presence of strong vortex stretching due to the ambient flow about the blade leading edge. A simple exact Navier–Stokes solution is presented that describes the process by which incident vorticity is stretched and carried towards the surface by the ambient flow, and then interacts with and is eventually annihilated by diffusive interaction with vorticity generated at the surface. The model combines a Hiemenz straining flow, a Burgers vortex sheet and a Stokes first problem boundary layer, resulting in a nonlinear ordinary differential equation and a partial differential equation in two scaled time and distance variables that must be solved numerically. The simple model predictions exhibit qualitative agreement with the full numerical simulation results for vorticity annihilation near the leading-edge stagnation point during vortex cutting.

Aerodynamic Improvements of Wind-Turbine Airfoil Geometries With the Prescribed Surface Curvature Distribution Blade Design (CIRCLE) Method

The prescribed surface curvature distribution blade design (CIRCLE) method can be used for the design of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) turbomachinery blade rows with continuous curvature and slope of curvature from leading edge (LE) stagnation point to trailing edge (TE) stagnation point and back to the LE stagnation point. This feature results in smooth surface pressure distribution airfoils with inherently good aerodynamic performance. In this paper the CIRCLE blade design method is modified for the design of 2D isolated airfoils. As an illustration of the capabilities of the method, it is applied to the redesign of two representative airfoils used in wind turbine blades: the Eppler 387 airfoil and the NREL S814 airfoil. Computational fluid dynamic analysis is used to investigate the design point and off-design performance of the original and modified airfoils, and compare with experiments on the original ones. The computed aerodynamic advantages of the modified airfoils are discussed. The surface pressure distributions, drag coefficients, and lift-to-drag coefficients of the original and redesigned airfoils are examined. It is concluded that the method can be used for the design of wind turbine blade geometries of superior aerodynamic performance.

Relationship of roll and pitch oscillations in a fin flapping at transitional to high Reynolds numbers

AbstractHydrodynamic effects of the relationship between the roll and pitch oscillations in low-aspect-ratio fins, with a laminar section and a rounded leading edge, flapping at transitional to moderately high Reynolds numbers, are considered. The fin is hinged at one end and its roll amplitude is large. Also examined is how this relationship is affected by spanwise twist, which alters the pitch oscillation amplitude and its phase relative to the roll motion. Force, efficiency and surface hot-film-anemometry measurements, and flow visualization are carried out in a tow tank. A fin of an abstracted penguin-wing planform and a NACA 0012 cross-section is used, and the chord Reynolds number varies from 3558 to 150 000 based on total speed. The fin is forced near the natural shedding frequency. Strouhal number and pitch amplitude are directly related when thrust is produced, and efficiency is maximized in narrow combinations of Strouhal number and pitch amplitude when oscillation of the leading-edge stagnation point is minimal. Twist makes the angle of attack uniform along the span and enhances thrust by up to 24 %, while maintaining high efficiency. Only 5 % of the power required to roll is spent to pitch, and yet roll and pitch are directly related. During hovering, dye visualization shows that a diffused leading-edge vortex is produced in rigid fins, which enlarges along the span; however, twist makes the vortex more uniform and the fin in turn requires less power to roll. Low-order phase maps of the measurements of force oscillation versus its derivative are modelled as due to van der Pol oscillators; the higher-order maps show trends in the sub-regimes of the transitional Reynolds number. Fin oscillation imparts a chordwise fluid motion, yielding a Stokes wave in the near-wall vorticity layer. When the roll and pitch oscillations are directly related, the wave is optimized: causing vorticity lift-up as the fin is decelerated at the roll extremity; the potential energy at the stagnation point is converted into kinetic energy; a vortex is produced as the lifted vorticity is wrapped around the leading edge; and free-stream reattachment keeps the vortex trapped. When the twist oscillation is phased along the span, this vortex becomes self-preserving at all amplitudes of twist, indicating the most stable (low-bandwidth) tuned nature.

Real-Time Extraction of Hydrodynamic Flow Characteristics Using Surface Signatures

This work describes a simple and robust engineering approach for the real-time sensing and monitoring of unsteady hydrodynamic loads and moments. Innovative flow diagnostics techniques are used to extract critical flow phenomena such as the state of the boundary layer (laminar, transitional, or turbulent), leading-edge stagnation point (or attachment line), flow separation and reattachment, and vortex pattern and their dynamic characteristics from surface hot-film signatures obtained with multielement, micron-thin surface hot-film sensors operated by a bank of constant voltage anemometers. Unsteady hydrodynamic loads and moments are then obtained as a function of the instantaneous locations of the critical surface signatures. Test results from a few recent experiments are described. The heuristics approach presented here will be useful for the development of closed-loop active control system for advanced autonomous underwater vehicle designs with biologically inspired smart actuators.

One- and two-equation turbulence models for the prediction of complex cascade flows using unstructured grids

One- and two-equation, low-Reynolds eddy-viscosity turbulence models are employed in the context of a primitive variable, finite volume, Navier–Stokes solver for unstructured grids. Through the study of the complex flow in a controlled-diffusion compressor cascade at off-design conditions, the ability of the models under consideration to predict the laminar separation bubble close to the leading edge and the boundary layer development is investigated. In order to control the unphysical growth of turbulent kinetic energy near the leading edge stagnation point, appropriate modifications to the conventional models are employed and tested. All of them improve the leading edge flow patterns and significantly affect the size of the predicted laminar separation bubble. The use of an adequately refined mesh around the airfoil, that is formed by triangles placed in a quasi-structured way, allows for the generation of grid elements of moderate aspect ratios. This helps to readily overcome any relevant problems of accuracy; a second-order upwind scheme without flux limiters or least squares approximations is successfully employed for the gradients. The test case includes quasi-3D effects by considering the streamtube thickness variation in the governing equations.