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- All Subjects: Mechanical Engineering
- All Subjects: Aerospace Engineering
- All Subjects: Heat Transfer
- Creators: Herrmann, Marcus
- Creators: Rykaczewski, Konrad
Description
The Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster is an electromagnetic thruster that produces a higher specific impulse than conventional chemical rockets and greater thrust densities than electrostatic thrusters, but the well-known operational limit---referred to as ``onset"---imposes a severe limitation efficiency and lifetime. This phenomenon is associated with large fluctuations in operating voltage, high rates of electrode erosion, and three-dimensional instabilities in the plasma flow-field which cannot be adequately represented by two-dimensional, axisymmetric models. Simulations of the Princeton Benchmark Thruster (PBT) were conducted using the three-dimensional version of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code, MACH. Validation of the numerical model is partially achieved by comparison to equivalent simulations conducted using the well-established two-dimensional, axisymmetric version of MACH. Comparisons with available experimental data was subsequently performed to further validate the model and gain insights into the physical processes of MPD acceleration. Thrust, plasma voltage, and plasma flow-field predictions were calculated for the PBT operating with applied currents in the range $6.5kA < J < 23.25kA$ and mass-flow rates of $1g/s$, $3g/s$, and $6g/s$. Comparisons of performance characteristics between the two versions of the code show excellent agreement, indicating that MACH3 can be expected to be as predictive as MACH2 has demonstrated over multiple applications to MPD thrusters. Predicted thrust for operating conditions within the range which exhibited no symptoms of the onset phenomenon experimentally also showed agreement between MACH3 and experiment well within the experimental uncertainty. At operating conditions beyond such values , however, there is a discrepancy---up to $\sim20\%$---which implies that certain significant physical processes associated with onset are not currently being modeled. Such processes are also evident in the experimental total voltage data, as is evident by the characteristic ``voltage hash", but not present in predicted plasma voltage. Additionally, analysis of the predicted plasma flow-field shows no breakdown in azimuthal symmetry, which is expected to be associated with onset. This implies that perhaps certain physical processes are modeled by neither MACH2 nor MACH3; the latter indicating that such phenomenon may not be inherently three dimensional and related to the plasma---as suggested by other efforts---but rather a consequence of electrode material processes which have not been incorporated into the current models.
ContributorsParma, Brian (Author) / Mikellides, Pavlos G (Thesis advisor) / Squires, Kyle (Committee member) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Microchannel heat sinks can possess heat transfer characteristics unavailable in conventional heat exchangers; such sinks offer compact solutions to otherwise intractable thermal management problems, notably in small-scale electronics cooling. Flow boiling in microchannels allows a very high heat transfer rate, but is bounded by the critical heat flux (CHF). This thesis presents a theoretical-numerical study of a method to improve the heat rejection capability of a microchannel heat sink via expansion of the channel cross-section along the flow direction. The thermodynamic quality of the refrigerant increases during flow boiling, decreasing the density of the bulk coolant as it flows. This may effect pressure fluctuations in the channels, leading to nonuniform heat transfer and local dryout in regions exceeding CHF. This undesirable phenomenon is counteracted by permitting the cross-section of the microchannel to increase along the direction of flow, allowing more volume for the vapor. Governing equations are derived from a control-volume analysis of a single heated rectangular microchannel; the cross-section is allowed to expand in width and height. The resulting differential equations are solved numerically for a variety of channel expansion profiles and numbers of channels. The refrigerant is R-134a and channel parameters are based on a physical test bed in a related experiment. Significant improvement in CHF is possible with moderate area expansion. Minimal additional manufacturing costs could yield major gains in the utility of microchannel heat sinks. An optimum expansion rate occurred in certain cases, and alterations in the channel width are, in general, more effective at improving CHF than alterations in the channel height. Modest expansion in height enables small width expansions to be very effective.
ContributorsMiner, Mark (Author) / Phelan, Patrick E (Thesis advisor) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Chen, Kangping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
A design methodology for a new breed of launch vehicle capable of lofting small satellites to orbit is discussed. The growing need for such a rocket is great: the United States has no capabilities in place to quickly launch and reconstitute satellite constellations. A loss of just one satellite, natural or induced, could significantly degrade or entirely eliminate critical space-based assets which would need to be quickly replaced. Furthermore a rocket capable of meeting the requirements for operationally responsive space missions would be an ideal launch platform for small commercial satellites. The proposed architecture to alleviate this lack of an affordable dedicated small-satellite launch vehicle relies upon a combination of expendable medium-range military surplus solid rocket motor assets. The dissertation discusses in detail the current operational capabilities of these military boosters and provides an outline for necessary refurbishments required to successfully place a small payload in orbit. A custom 3DOF trajectory script is used to evaluate the performance of these designs. Concurrently, a parametric cost-mass-performance response surface methodology is employed as an optimization tool to minimize life cycle costs of the proposed vehicles. This optimization scheme is centered on reducing life cycle costs per payload mass delivered rather than raw performance increases. Lastly, a novel upper-stage engine configuration using Hydroxlammonium Nitrate (HAN) is introduced and experimentally static test fired to illustrate the inherent simplicity and high performance of this high density, nontoxic propellant. The motor was operated in both pulse and small duration tests using a newly developed proprietary mixture that is hypergolic with HAN upon contact. This new propellant is demonstrated as a favorable replacement for current space vehicles relying on the heritage use of hydrazine. The end result is a preliminary design of a vehicle built from demilitarized booster assets that complements, rather than replaces, traditional space launch vehicles. This dissertation proves that such capabilities exist and more importantly that the resulting architecture can serve as a viable platform for immediate and affordable access to low Earth orbit.
ContributorsVillarreal, James Kendall (Author) / Squires, Kyle (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Taewoo (Committee member) / Shankar, Praveen (Committee member) / Sharp, Thomas (Committee member) / Wells, Valana (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
A numerical study of incremental spin-up and spin-up from rest of a thermally- stratified fluid enclosed within a right circular cylinder with rigid bottom and side walls and stress-free upper surface is presented. Thermally stratified spin-up is a typical example of baroclinity, which is initiated by a sudden increase in rotation rate and the tilting of isotherms gives rise to baroclinic source of vorticity. Research by (Smirnov et al. [2010a]) showed the differences in evolution of instabilities when Dirichlet and Neumann thermal boundary conditions were applied at top and bottom walls. Study of parametric variations carried out in this dissertation confirmed the instability patterns observed by them for given aspect ratio and Rossby number values greater than 0.5. Also results reveal that flow maintained axisymmetry and stability for short aspect ratio containers independent of amount of rotational increment imparted. Investigation on vorticity components provides framework for baroclinic vorticity feedback mechanism which plays important role in delayed rise of instabilities when Dirichlet thermal Boundary Conditions are applied.
ContributorsKher, Aditya Deepak (Author) / Chen, Kangping (Thesis advisor) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Multiphase flows are an important part of many natural and technological phe- nomena such as ocean-air coupling (which is important for climate modeling) and the atomization of liquid fuel jets in combustion engines. The unique challenges of multiphase flow often make analytical solutions to the governing equations impos- sible and experimental investigations very difficult. Thus, high-fidelity numerical simulations can play a pivotal role in understanding these systems. This disserta- tion describes numerical methods developed for complex multiphase flows and the simulations performed using these methods. First, the issue of multiphase code verification is addressed. Code verification answers the question "Is this code solving the equations correctly?" The method of manufactured solutions (MMS) is a procedure for generating exact benchmark solutions which can test the most general capabilities of a code. The chief obstacle to applying MMS to multiphase flow lies in the discontinuous nature of the material properties at the interface. An extension of the MMS procedure to multiphase flow is presented, using an adaptive marching tetrahedron style algorithm to compute the source terms near the interface. Guidelines for the use of the MMS to help locate coding mistakes are also detailed. Three multiphase systems are then investigated: (1) the thermocapillary motion of three-dimensional and axisymmetric drops in a confined apparatus, (2) the flow of two immiscible fluids completely filling an enclosed cylinder and driven by the rotation of the bottom endwall, and (3) the atomization of a single drop subjected to a high shear turbulent flow. The systems are simulated numerically by solving the full multiphase Navier- Stokes equations coupled to the various equations of state and a level set interface tracking scheme based on the refined level set grid method. The codes have been parallelized using MPI in order to take advantage of today's very large parallel computational architectures. In the first system, the code's ability to handle surface tension and large tem- perature gradients is established. In the second system, the code's ability to sim- ulate simple interface geometries with strong shear is demonstrated. In the third system, the ability to handle extremely complex geometries and topology changes with strong shear is shown.
ContributorsBrady, Peter, Ph.D (Author) / Herrmann, Marcus (Thesis advisor) / Lopez, Juan (Thesis advisor) / Adrian, Ronald (Committee member) / Calhoun, Ronald (Committee member) / Chen, Kangping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
A new method of adaptive mesh generation for the computation of fluid flows is investigated. The method utilizes gradients of the flow solution to adapt the size and stretching of elements or volumes in the computational mesh as is commonly done in the conventional Hessian approach. However, in the new method, higher-order gradients are used in place of the Hessian. The method is applied to the finite element solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on model problems. Results indicate that a significant efficiency benefit is realized.
ContributorsShortridge, Randall (Author) / Chen, Kang Ping (Thesis advisor) / Herrmann, Marcus (Thesis advisor) / Wells, Valana (Committee member) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Mittelmann, Hans (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The flow around a golf ball is studied using direct numerical simulation (DNS). An immersed boundary approach is adopted in which the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a fractional step method on a structured, staggered grid in cylindrical coordinates. The boundary conditions on the surface are imposed using momentum forcing in the vicinity of the boundary. The flow solver is parallelized using a domain decomposition strategy and message passing interface (MPI), and exhibits linear scaling on as many as 500 processors. A laminar flow case is presented to verify the formal accuracy of the method. The immersed boundary approach is validated by comparison with computations of the flow over a smooth sphere. Simulations are performed at Reynolds numbers of 2.5 × 104 and 1.1 × 105 based on the diameter of the ball and the freestream speed and using grids comprised of more than 1.14 × 109 points. Flow visualizations reveal the location of separation, as well as the delay of complete detachment. Predictions of the aerodynamic forces at both Reynolds numbers are in reasonable agreement with measurements. Energy spectra of the velocity quantify the dominant frequencies of the flow near separation and in the wake. Time-averaged statistics reveal characteristic physical patterns in the flow as well as local trends within dimples. A mechanism of drag reduction due to the dimples is confirmed, and metrics for dimple optimization are proposed.
ContributorsSmith, Clinton E (Author) / Squires, Kyle D (Thesis advisor) / Balaras, Elias (Committee member) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Adrian, Ronald (Committee member) / Stanzione, Daniel C (Committee member) / Calhoun, Ronald (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The evolution of single hairpin vortices and multiple interacting hairpin vortices are studied in direct numerical simulations of channel flow at Re-tau=395. The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of increased Reynolds number and varying initial conditions on the growth of hairpins and the conditions under which single hairpins autogenerate hairpin packets. The hairpin vortices are believed to provide a unified picture of wall turbulence and play an important role in the production of Reynolds shear stress which is directly related to turbulent drag. The structures of the initial three-dimensional vortices are extracted from the two-point spatial correlation of the fully turbulent direct numerical simulation of the velocity field by linear stochastic estimation and embedded in a mean flow having the profile of the fully turbulent flow. The Reynolds number of the present simulation is more than twice that of the Re-tau=180 flow from earlier literature and the conditional events used to define the stochastically estimated single vortex initial conditions include a number of new types of events such as quasi-streamwise vorticity and Q4 events. The effects of parameters like strength, asymmetry and position are evaluated and compared with existing results in the literature. This study then attempts to answer questions concerning how vortex mergers produce larger scale structures, a process that may contribute to the growth of length scale with increasing distance from the wall in turbulent wall flows. Multiple vortex interactions are studied in detail.
ContributorsParthasarathy, Praveen Kumar (Author) / Adrian, Ronald (Thesis advisor) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The objective of this research is to develop methods for generating the Tolerance-Map for a line-profile that is specified by a designer to control the geometric profile shape of a surface. After development, the aim is to find one that can be easily implemented in computer software using existing libraries. Two methods were explored: the parametric modeling method and the decomposed modeling method. The Tolerance-Map (T-Map) is a hypothetical point-space, each point of which represents one geometric variation of a feature in its tolerance-zone. T-Maps have been produced for most of the tolerance classes that are used by designers, but, prior to the work of this project, the method of construction required considerable intuitive input, rather than being based primarily on automated computer tools. Tolerances on line-profiles are used to control cross-sectional shapes of parts, such as every cross-section of a mildly twisted compressor blade. Such tolerances constrain geometric manufacturing variations within a specified two-dimensional tolerance-zone. A single profile tolerance may be used to control position, orientation, and form of the cross-section. Four independent variables capture all of the profile deviations: two independent translations in the plane of the profile, one rotation in that plane, and the size-increment necessary to identify one of the allowable parallel profiles. For the selected method of generation, the line profile is decomposed into three types of segments, a primitive T-Map is produced for each segment, and finally the T-Maps from all the segments are combined to obtain the T-Map for the given profile. The types of segments are the (straight) line-segment, circular arc-segment, and the freeform-curve segment. The primitive T-Maps are generated analytically, and, for freeform-curves, they are built approximately with the aid of the computer. A deformation matrix is used to transform the primitive T-Maps to a single coordinate system for the whole profile. The T-Map for the whole line profile is generated by the Boolean intersection of the primitive T-Maps for the individual profile segments. This computer-implemented method can generate T-Maps for open profiles, closed ones, and those containing concave shapes.
ContributorsHe, Yifei (Author) / Davidson, Joseph (Thesis advisor) / Shah, Jami (Committee member) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Derived from the necessity to increase testing capabilities of hybrid rocket motor (HRM) propulsion systems for Daedalus Astronautics at Arizona State University, a small-scale motor and test stand were designed and developed to characterize all components of the system. The motor is designed for simple integration and setup, such that both the forward-end enclosure and end cap can be easily removed for rapid integration of components during testing. Each of the components of the motor is removable allowing for a broad range of testing capabilities. While examining injectors and their potential it is thought ideal to obtain the highest regression rates and overall motor performance possible. The oxidizer and fuel are N2O and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), respectively, due to previous experience and simplicity. The injector designs, selected for the same reasons, are designed such that they vary only in the swirl angle. This system provides the platform for characterizing the effects of varying said swirl angle on HRM performance.
ContributorsSummers, Matt H (Author) / Lee, Taewoo (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Kangping (Committee member) / Wells, Valana (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013