Engineering Commons^™

Numerical Study Of Owls’ Leading-Edge Serrations, Asif Shahriar Nafi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The silent flight ability of owls is often attributed to their unique wing morphology and its interaction with their wingbeat kinematics. Among these distinctive morphological features, leading-edge serrations stand out – these are rigid, miniature, hook-like patterns located at the leading edge of the primary feathers of their wings. It had been hypothesized that these leading-edge serrations serve as a passive flow control mechanism, influencing the aerodynamic performance and potentially affecting the boundary layer development over the wing, subsequently influencing wake flow dynamics. Despite being the subject of research spanning multiple decades, a consensus regarding the aerodynamic mechanisms underpinning owls’ …

On The Simulation Of Supersonic Flame Holder Cavities With Openfoam, Zachary Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the next major advancements in the aerospace industry will be hypersonic flight. However, to achieve hypersonic flight, propulsion systems capable of reaching hypersonic speeds need to be developed. One of the more promising hypersonic propulsion systems is the scramjet engine, however, several problems still need to be explored before reliable scramjet engines can be produced, the biggest being keeping the engine ignited. This has led to the use of flame holder cavities to create a region of subsonic flow within the engine to allow combustion to occur. High experimental costs make the use of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) …

Mitigation Of Aeroacoustic Noise Of A Fixed Wing Using Passive Flow Control, Cameron L. Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, noise pollution is of increasing concern. In this study, shallow dimples are applied to a NACA 0012 airfoil at multiple angles of attack (AoA) with the intent of reducing aeroacoustic noise emissions. Both Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models are used for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic investigations, respectively, at a fixed Reynolds number of 4.8 x 10⁵. Altering the dimple depth to diameter ratio (d/D) from 2.5% to 15% is first investigated, with a d/D of 5% or lower resulting in the least aerodynamic impact. The transition from …

Aerodynamics And Turbulent Wake-Flow Characteristics Of Owls During Flapping Flight, Krishnamoorthy Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Owls exhibit unique flight capabilities in the low Reynolds number flow regime which is prone to complex viscous flow phenomena. They possess unique feather features and flexible wing structures which are postulated to help them fly nearly silently and stably at low speeds in a complex flow setting. Understanding the aerodynamics of owls could pave the way to enhance the future designs of small flying vehicles. Though it has been a focus of research over multiple decades, no conclusive agreement has been attained on the aerodynamic mechanisms associated with owl flight. Particularly, the aerodynamics of flapping owl flight is severely …

Development And Testing Of A 1:70 Scale Model Wind Turbine Of The Iea Reference 15 Mw Floating Offshore System, Amber Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a 1/70th scale performance-matched wind turbine intended for wind and wave basin model testing of commercially viable floating wind turbine structures based off of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind 15 MW design. The focus of this demonstration is to test active blade pitch response controls and to provide an experimental dataset for use by modelers and industry for future turbine improvements. Future research is planned to test the turbine in conjunction with an actively damping hull to test the interactions between the two control systems.

Outlined in this thesis are the methods of …

A Non-Reacting Passive Scalar Comparison Of Starccm And Openfoam In A Supersonic Cavity Flame Holder, Thomas Nuese

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scramjet engine equipped with a modern-day airliner would allow for very quick travel across the United States. The major problem is that designing such an engine and testing it to make sure it is safe would cost millions if not billions of dollars. Computational fluid dynamics allows for complex designs to be tested but can still take many days, weeks, or even months to complete. With the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the scramjet engine can be analyzed to determine a quicker way to test and develop a reliable configuration in addition to analyzing the effects of different …

Cfd And Heat Transfer Analysis Of Rocket Cooling Techniques On An Aerospike Nozzle, Geoffrey Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the development of rocket engines has been mainly focused on improving the engine cycle and creating new fuels. Rocket nozzle design has not been changed since the late 1960s. Recent needs for reliable and reusable rockets, as well as advancements in additive manufacturing, have brought new interest into the aerospike nozzle concept. This nozzle is a type of altitude adjusting nozzle that is up to 90% more efficient than bell nozzles at low altitudes and spends up to 30% less fuel. Since the nozzle body is submerged in the hot exhaust gasses it is difficult to keep …

Comparative Analysis Of Winglet Efficiency On Supercritical Versus Traditionally Cambered Airfoils, Evan Cathers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study serves to define the performance of several industry-recognized and exploratory wing tip devices on aircraft wings utilizing contemporary supercritical airfoil geometry. For comparison, the same examination is performed on a wing comprised of traditionally cambered airfoils, the platform upon which winglets were initially developed. The supercritical wing design is based on that of the Airbus A320, while the conventional airfoil is based upon the Boeing 737-800 platform. Tip devices selected for analysis include blended, raked, split scimitar, fence, and spiroid winglets, as well as tip sails, characterized by the spreading of a bird’s primary flight feathers. Methodology for …

Investigation Of The Flow Field And Associated Heat Transfer Within An Asymmetrical Leading Edge Jet Impingement Array, Jorge Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the turbulent flow features present in asymmetrical leading edge jet impingement and their effects from a fluid and heat transfer prospective using both numerical and experimental techniques. The jet-centerline plane flow field was quantified experimentally through the non-intrusive experimental method of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), while an area average heat transfer was acquired via a traditional copper block method. The numerical element served to investigate how well the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) k-? SST turbulence model predicts the flow field and heat transfer within the leading edge and further investigate the results outside of the experimental scope. …

Hybrid Multi-Objective Optimization Of Left Ventricular Assist Device Outflow Graft Anastomosis Orientation To Minimize Stroke Rate, Blake Lozinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a mechanical pump that is utilized as a bridge to transplantation for patients with a Heart Failure (HF) condition. More recently, LVADs have been also used as destination therapy and have provided an increase in the quality of life for patients with HF. However, despite improvements in VAD design and anticoagulation treatment, there remains a significant problem with VAD therapy, namely drive line infection and thromboembolic events leading to stroke. This thesis focuses on a surgical maneuver to address the second of these issues, guided by previous steady flow hemodynamic studies that have …

A Multi-Species Single-Led Hazardous Gas Sensor For Commercial Space Applications, Akshita Parupalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the interest of furthering both commercial and government-funded opportunities for deep space exploration, the safety of life and equipment onboard must be absolutely certain. In this regard, the presence of any hazardous gases or combustion events onboard space vehicles must be quickly characterized and detected. Several hazardous gases of interest have absorption features in the mid-infrared range and can be detected with an infrared light source, via the principles of absorption spectroscopy. A non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor that follows these principles has been developed to utilize light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for gas detection and quantification. LEDs contain a particular advantage …

Numerical Simulation Of Non-Premixed And Premixed Axial Stage Combustor At High Pressure, Tyler Worbington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Axial-staged combustors represent an important concept that can be applied to reduce NOx emissions throughout a gas turbine engine. There are four main CFD models presented in this study that describe a highly turbulent jet-in-crossflow (JIC) simulation of partially premixed and non-premixed jets with a constant chamber pressure of 5 atm absolute. The equivalence ratio of the partially premixed jet was held constant at rich conditions with a �������� of 4 while the main stage varied from ��1 and ��2 of 0.575 and 0.73 with an average headend temperature of 1415K and 1545K, respectively. Chemistry was reduced by tabulation of …

Characterization Of A Turbulent Boundary Layer In Open Channel Flow Using Particle Image Velocimetry, Mathew James Stanek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Turbulent boundary layers are influential in numerous applications (e.g. naval architecture, ocean engineering, sediment transport, etc.), yet considerable knowledge gaps still exist. Boundary layers are regions where transfer of mass, momentum, energy, and heat occur within the interface between a fluid and a solid, or between two fluids. Utilization of optical flow measurement techniques to measure the velocity field with high spatial resolution enables non-intrusive investigation of the complex fluid dynamics of boundary layers. In this study two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry was employed to investigate, primarily, the overlap layer of a turbulent boundary layer developed in the recirculating flume facility …

Influence Of Transverse Slot Jet On Premixed Flame Acceleration, Dylan Tarrant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work aims to identify the key flow parameters that influence flame acceleration in a semi-confined square channel. A transverse fluidic jet was used as an active flow blockage mechanism and to introduce turbulence into the propagating flame. Three experimental parameters were used to examine the relative influence of (1) mixture reactivity defined here as system equivalence ratio (SER), (2) jet mixture composition (JMC), and the momentum ratio (MR) on the acceleration of laminar premixed methane flame. High-speed PIV and schlieren photography were utilized to characterize the instantaneous flow-field conditions throughout the flame-jet interaction. Using these diagnostic techniques, flame front …

Compressible Turbulent Flame Speed Of Highly Turbulent Standing Flames, Jonathan Sosa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work presents the first measurement of turbulent burning velocities of a highly-turbulent compressible standing flame induced by shock-driven turbulence in a Turbulent Shock Tube. High-speed schlieren, chemiluminescence, PIV, and dynamic pressure measurements are made to quantify flame-turbulence interaction for high levels of turbulence at elevated temperatures and pressure. Distributions of turbulent velocities, vorticity and turbulent strain are provided for regions ahead and behind the standing flame. The turbulent flame speed is directly measured for the high-Mach standing turbulent flame. From measurements of the flame turbulent speed and turbulent Mach number, transition into a non-linear compressibility regime at turbulent Mach …

Structured Light-Field Focusing 3d Density Measurements Of A Supersonic Cone, Ryonosuke Ozawa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study describes three-dimensional (3D) quantitative visualization of density field in a supersonic flow around a cone spike. A measurement of the density gradient is conducted within a supersonic wind tunnel facility at the Propulsion and Energy Research Laboratory at the University of Central Florida utilizing Structured Light-Field Focusing Schlieren (SLLF). In conventional schlieren and Shadowgraph techniques, it is widely known that a complicated optical system is needed and yet visualizable area depends on an effective diameter of lenses and mirrors. Unlike these techniques, SLLF is yet one of the same family as schlieren photography, it is capable of non-intrusive …

Characterization Of Acoustic Modes In Aeroengines, Michelle Otero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acoustic instabilities remain a key design concern faced in the development of liquid rocket engines. The interaction between the acoustic modes and the occurring combustion reactions can be detrimental to the engine. The fluctuating pressure waves resulting from the flame oscillations in the system can potentially lead to engine failure. For this reason, research in acoustic instabilities and methods to minimize the influences on the engine, has maintain interest in the aerospace community. The scope of this study was to design, optimize and characterize acoustic behaviors of a scaled rocket combustion chamber simulating acoustic pressure waves. Tangential and longitudinal acoustic …

Theoretical Paschen's Law Model For Aerospace Vehicles: Validation Experiment, Jaysen Mulligan Aroche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aerospace vehicles often experience triboelectric charging while traversing the atmosphere. Triboelectric charging occurs when a material come into frictional contact with a different material. Aerospace vehicles triboelectrically charge due to frictional contact with dust and ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. Launch vehicles traversing ice clouds in low-pressure atmosphere are especially prone to electrostatic discharge events (i.e. sparks). These conditions are hazardous and affect the vehicle's launch commit criteria. In 2010, engineers from an ARES-I rocket launch reported concerns with triboelectric charging over their self-destruct system antenna. This concern was addressed by putting the antenna through harsh conditions in a …

Analysis Of Heat Transfer On Turbulence Generating Ribs Using Dynamic Mode Decomposition, Michael Elmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ducts with turbulence-promoting ribs are common in heat transfer applications. This study uses a recent modal extraction technique called Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) to determine mode shapes of the spatially and temporally complex flowfield inside a ribbed duct. One subject missing from current literature is a method of directly linking a mode to a certain engineering quantity of interest. Presented is a generalized methodology for producing such a link utilizing the data from the DMD analysis. Theory suggests exciting the modes which are identified may cause the flow to change in such a way to promote the quantity of interest, …

Modeling Of Flow Generated Sound In A Constricted Duct At Low Mach Number Flow, Peshala Thibbotuwawa Gamage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modelling flow and acoustics in a constricted duct at low Mach numbers is important for investigating many physiological phenomena such as phonation, generation of arterial murmurs, and pulmonary conditions involving airway obstruction. The objective of this study is to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational aero-acoustics (CAA) simulations in a constricted tube at low Mach numbers. Different turbulence models were employed to simulate the flow field. Models included Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS), Detached eddy simulation (DES) and Large eddy simulation (LES). The models were validated by comparing study results with laser doppler anemometry (LDA) velocity measurements. The comparison showed …

Simultaneous Imaging Of The Diatomic Carbon And Methylidyne Species Radicals For The Quantification Of The Fuel To Air Ratio From Low To High Pressure Combustion, Jonathan Reyes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The radical intensity ratio of the diatomic carbon to methylidyne was characterized at initial pressures up to 10 bar using certified gasoline of 93% octane. This gasoline was selected due to its availability as a common fuel. The characterization of the radical intensity ratio of gasoline at elevated pressures enabled the creation of a calibration map of the equivalence ratio at engine relevant conditions. The proposed calibration map acts as a feedback loop for a combustor. It allows for the location of local rich and lean zones. The local information acquired can be used as an optimization parameter for injection …

Combustion Of 1,3-Butadiene Behind Reflected Shocks, Joseph Lopez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The chemical kinetics of 1,3-butadiene (1,3-C4H6) are important because 1,3-butadiene is a major intermediate during the combustion of real fuels. However, there is only limited information on the chemical kinetics of 1,3-butadiene combustion, which has applications in several combustion schemes that are currently being developed, including spark-assisted homogeneous charge compression ignition and fuel reformate exhaust gas recirculation. In the present work, the ignition delay times of 1,3-butadiene mixtures has been investigated using pressure data. Oxidation of 1,3-butadiene/oxygen mixtures diluted in argon or nitrogen at equivalence ratios (Φ) of 0.3 behind reflected shock waves has been studied at temperatures ranging from …

Characteristics Of Hydrogel-Wetted Thin Films, James Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The meniscus region of a thin film is known to have high heat transfer properties due to high evaporation rates and activation of latent heat. The region known as the thin film meniscus (δfilm lt& 2 µm ) can account for more than half of the total heat transfer of a droplet or film. This study focuses on the potential elongation and curvature amplification of the thin film meniscus region by the implementation of a layer of high hydrogen bonding (hydrogel) film on which the liquid meniscus is built. Forced wetting via liquid propagation though this hydrogel layer in the …

Design And Modeling Of A Heat Exchanger For Porous Combustor Powered Steam Generators In Automotive Industry, Apratim Dasgupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major challenge faced by automobile manufacturers is to achieve reduction of particulate emission to acceptable standards, as the emission standards become more and more stringent. One of the ecologically friendly options to reduce emissions is to develop external combustion in a steam engine as a replacement of the internal combustion engine. There are multiple factors, other than pollution that need to be considered for developing a substitute for Internal Combustion Engine, like specific power, throttle response, torque speed curve, fuel consumption and refueling infrastructure. External combustion in a steam engine seems to be a bright idea, for a cleaner …

Mid-Infrared Absorption Spectrometer For Multi-Species Detection Using Leds For Space Applications: Development And Flight Testing, Michael Villar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As commercial space travel expands, the need for specialized instrumentation to ensure the safety of crew and cargo becomes increasingly necessary. Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and pioneers in the space tourism industry have expressed an interest in a robust, low cost, and low power consumption sensor to measure atmospheric composition aboard spacecraft. To achieve this goal a time-resolved NDIR absorption sensor that measures transient levels of gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) was developed. The developed sensor has a wide range of applications applicable to the growing needs of industry, from monitoring CO and CO2 levels …

A Flexible Physics-Based Lifing Method For Metals Under Creep And Thermomechanical Fatigue, Firat Irmak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the development of a flexible, physics-based life prediction approach for steels under complex conditions. Low alloy steels continue to be the materials of choice for large turbomachinery structures experiencing high temperatures for long durations. There has been significant advancement in the research of modern alloys; furthermore, these materials are continue to be utilized in boilers, heat exchanger tubes, and throttle valve bodies in both turbomachinery and pressure-vessel/piping applications. The material 2.25Cr-1Mo is studied in the present work. The resistance of this alloy to deformation and damage under creep and/or fatigue at elevated temperatures make it appropriate …

Implementation Of Optical Interferometry And Spectral Reflectometry For High Fidelity Thin Film Measurements, Armando Arends-Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An in-house reflectometer/interferometer has been built to investigate the varying curvature and thickness profiles in the contact line region of air, acetone, iso-octane, ethanol, and water on various types of substrates. Light intensity measurements were obtained using our reflectometer/interferomter and then analyzed in MATLAB to produce thickness and curvature profiles. The apparatus is based on the principle of a reflectometer, consisting of different optical elements, probe, light source, and spectrometer. Our reflectometer/interferomter takes measurements in the UV-Vis-IR range (200nm-1000nm). This range is achieved by using a light source that has both a deuterium light (190nm-800nm), a tungsten halogen light (400nm-1100nm), …

High Temperature Shock Tube Ignition Studies Of Co2 Diluted Mixtures, Owen Pryor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Energy demand is expected to grow by 20% over the next 10 years. In order to account for this increase in energy consumption new and novel combustion techniques are required to mitigate the effects of pollution and fossil fuel dependency. Oxy-fuel combustion in supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) cycles can increase plant efficiencies up to 52% and reduce pollutants such as NOX and CO2 by 99%. Supercritical engine cycles have demonstrated electricity costs of $121/MWh, which is competitive in comparison to conventional coal ($95.60/MWh) and natural gas power plants ($128.4/MWe). This increase in efficiency is mainly driven by the near-liquid density …

Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence Experiments And Modeling Study Of Jets In Crossflow At Various Injection Angles, Luke Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) with acetone seeding was applied to measure the scalar fields of an axisymmetric freejet and an inclined jet-in-crossflow as applicable to film cooling. From the scalar fields, jet-mixing and trajectory characteristics were obtained. In order to validate the technique, the canonical example of a nonreacting freejet of Reynolds Numbers 900-9000 was investigated. Desired structural characteristics were observed and showed strong agreement with computational modeling. After validating the technique with the axisymmetric jet, the jet-in-crossflow was tested with various velocity ratios and jet injection angles. Results indicated the degree of wall separation for different injection angles …

Evaporative Vapor Deposition For Depositing 2d Materials, Kevin Gleason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of a new deposition technique called evaporative vapor deposition (EVD) is reported, allowing deposition and formation of atomically-thin, large area materials on arbitrary substrates. This work focuses on the highly popular monolayer material – graphene oxide (GO). A droplet of a GO solution is formed on a heated polymer substrate, and maintained at steady-state evaporation (all droplet parameters are held constant over time). The polymer substrate is laser patterned to control the droplet's contact line dynamics and the droplet's contact angle is maintained using a computer controlled syringe pump. A room temperature silicon wafer is translated through the …