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Serpentine diffusers have become a common feature in modern aircraft as they allow for certain benefits that are impossible with a traditional linear configuration. With the benefits, however, come certain disadvantages, namely flow distortions that reduce engine efficiency and decrease engine surge stability margins. These distortions are now being researched comprehensively to determine solutions for mitigating the adverse effects associated with them. This study investigates how varying the freestream turbulence intensity of the flow entering a serpentine diffuser affects the distortion patterns that are produced by the diffuser. Experiments were performed with a model serpentine diffuser on the Annular Cascade Facility of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Hot wire anemometry was used to measure inlet turbulence, while static pressure probes located axially along the upper and lower surface of the model diffuser and total pressure probes located across the aerodynamic interface plane (AIP) were used to measure the distortion patterns of the flow passing through the diffuser. Varying levels of inlet freestream turbulence, ranging from 0 to 4%, were generated using square and round bar turbulence screens in three distinct test configurations. Axial static pressure measurements indicate that increasing turbulence slightly affects flow separation development downstream of the second turn. This effect is also seen at the AIP where the total pressure recovery increases with increasing level of inlet turbulence in the region of flow separation at the upper surface. The total pressure recovery along the lower surface is also seen to be increased with higher inlet turbulence. However, total pressure recovery increase across the entire AIP is almost negligible. Overall, the inlet freestream turbulence has a minor effect on the distortion patterns caused by the serpentine diffuser when compared with proven active inlet flow control methods.

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The unsteady interaction between trailing edge aerodynamic flow control and airfoil motion in pitch and plunge is investigated in wind tunnel experiments using a two degree-of-freedom traverse which enables application of time-dependent external torque and forces by servo motors. The global aerodynamic forces and moments are regulated by controlling vorticity generation and accumulation near the trailing edge of the airfoil using hybrid synthetic jet actuators. The dynamic coupling between the actuation and the time-dependent flow field is characterized using simultaneous force and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements that are taken phase-locked to the commanded actuation waveform. The effect of the unsteady motion on the model-embedded flow control is assessed in both trajectory tracking and disturbance rejection maneuvers. The time-varying aerodynamic lift and pitching moment are estimated from a PIV wake survey using a reduced order model based on classical unsteady aerodynamic theory. These measurements suggest that the entire flow over the airfoil readjusts within 2-3 convective time scales, which is about two orders of magnitude shorter than the characteristic time associated with the controlled maneuver of the wind tunnel model. This illustrates that flow-control actuation can be typically effected on time scales that are commensurate with the flow's convective time scale, and that the maneuver response is primarily limited by the inertia of the platform.

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The production from an oil reservoir is a mixture of liquids (oil and water) and gas, and is often maintained by using a pump placed in the well to ensure a continuous flow to the surface. Electrical Submersible Pumps consist of stacked centrifugal pump stages, each comprising a bladed impeller (rotating part) and diffuser (stationary part). In multiphase conditions, the gas tends to accumulate in the impeller, severely reducing the pressure produced by the pump. Radial-flow pumps operate in a plane perpendicular to their rotation axis, while mixed-flow pumps are characterised by a lower meridional angle (generally 40 to 80 degrees), and are generally better at handling gas-liquid mixtures. We first describe the impact of gas on the whole pumping system, from the reservoir to the storage facility, and give context to the subject. The available literature shows that the size of the gas bubbles present in the fluid is critical to the pump performance. A transparent, full-scale pump was built in order to explore the flow features in single and multiphase flows. Laser Doppler Velocimetry and high speed imaging in single phase flow showed a high turbulence level in the wake of the impeller blades, and recirculation cells at low flow rates. In gas-liquid conditions, we demonstrated that the bubble size varies within a pump stage, as break-up occurs at the impeller tip, and coalescence is dominant in the diffuser, especially because of recirculation. The first impeller acted as a mixer, and at moderate to high gas fractions (10 to 30%), the flow patterns at the stage level alternated between bubbly and radially separated flows. Finally, a dispersed-gas model was developed to predict the pressure rise in a mixed-flow pump impeller under gas-liquid conditions. This model based on the forces acting on a single spherical gas bubble, was implemented with a simplified, parametric representation of the flow field in a mixed-flow impeller. In the meridional direction, the Coriolis force opposes the centrifugal force and the adverse pressure gradient. Both forces tend to retain the gas bubble within the impeller. The relative magnitude of the drag force strongly depends on the maximal bubble diameter, which was determined as a function of the flow conditions and used to calculate the gas velocity through the impeller. This method resulted in a better agreement with the experimental data than a one-dimensional two-fluid model where the gas phase follows the same path as the liquid. We used the dispersed-gas model to give quantitative evidence that low blade and meridional angles reduce the gas accumulation and the associated performance degradation.

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<p>  </p> <p>Acoustic streaming is a phenomenon which occurs when acoustic excitations interact with a fluid (stationary or non-stationary). Exploitation of this phenomenon has the potential to open doors to new methods of flow control through the enhancement or diminishment of the present flow instabilities. A particular use of acoustic streaming shown by previous numerical studies is the enhancement of heat transfer in violation of the Reynold’s Analogy within a small range of Mach numbers and frequencies of periodic excitation. The focus of this thesis is to experimentally assess the usage of a Rossiter cavity in generating periodic acoustic excitations and its effects on the shear stress and heat transfer. </p> <p>In the present research, two large models are tested using a blow-down facility. The models are made of aluminum and Teflon and were developed to ensure optical access for infrared thermography. The geometries are tested at Mach number ranging from 0.373 to 0. 866. The target Mach number-frequency pair where significant heat transfer enhancement is a free stream Mach number at the cavity, Mc, of 0.75 and the frequency, fc, of 7.5 kHz. The cavity is tuned using the Rossiter equation with Rossiter constants k = 0.66 and y = 0.25. The heat transfer and skin friction enhancement are measured immediately upstream and downstream of the cavity and compared to the previous numerical studies.</p> <p>When testing the Teflon model with an ambient back pressure and 11 lb/s mass flow, a frequency of 7.8 kHz was generated by the cavity. For the aluminum model tested at a high vacuum and 3 lb/s mass flow, frequencies near 7, 10, and 20 kHz were generated by the cavity with 10 and 20 kHz appearing most often. High speed schlieren imaging was used to confirm the flow structures being generated in the flow. There was good agreement with the Rossiter modes at lower Mach numbers and moderate agreement at transonic Mach numbers. A correlation is presented which defines a band of Mach number-Reynolds number pairs which present with a discontinuous frequency behavior during operation of the wind tunnel. Measurable effects on both skin friction and heat transfer between tests with comparable operating conditions to a reference were observed and are presented.</p>

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