The typical architecture of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) contains a layer called the microporous sublayer (MSL). The MSL is a mixture of carbon black and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is typically applied to the gas diffusion layer (GDL). The composition (wt.% PTFE) and loading (mg/cm2) can be varied to optimize the electrochemical performance of the PEMFC and the overall adhesion of the layers within the PEMFC. This research establishes correlations that characterize the performance and adhesion of the layers within the PEMFC based on composition, loading, fabrication pressure, and fabrication time. MSL loading was varied from 1.5-4 mg/cm2, composition was varied from 10-50 wt.% PTFE, fabrication pressure was varied from 3.45-10.34 MPa, and fabrication time was varied from 2-8 minutes. Using these four factors, correlations were created, and optimal solutions for each response were identified. The adhesion correlation identifies a low MSL loading, mid-range MSL composition, high fabrication pressure, and high fabrication time as desirable factors. The performance correlation suggests that the PEMFC performance is enhanced with low MSL loadings, low MSL PTFE content, and a low fabrication pressure and does not find fabrication time to be a significant factor in the correlation. / Master of Science

<p>Large-scale coherent structures are systematically investigated in terms of their geometric attributes, importance toward describing turbulent exchange of energy, momentum and mass as well as their relationship to landscape features in the context of land-atmosphere interaction. In the first chapter, we present the motivation of this work as well as a background review of large-scale coherent structures in land-atmosphere interaction. In the second chapter, the methodology of large-eddy simulation (LES) and the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is introduced. LES was used to serve as a virtual laboratory to simulate typical scenarios in land-atmosphere interaction and the POD was used as the major technique to educe the coherent structures from turbulent flows in land-atmosphere interaction. In the third chapter, we justify the use of the LES to simulate the realistic coherent structures in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) by comparing results obtained from LES of the ABL and direct numerical simulation (DNS) of channel flow. In the fourth chapter, we investigate the effects of a wide range of vegetation density on the coherent structures within the air space within and just above the canopy (the so-called canopy sublayer, CSL). The fifth chapter presents an analysis of the coherent structures across a periodic forest-clearing-forest transition in the steamwise direction. The sixth chapter focuses on the role of coherent structures in explaining scalar dissimilarity in the CSL. The seventh chapter summarizes this dissertation and provides suggestions for future study.</p> / Dissertation

This dissertation presents results from a thorough study of the tip-gap turbulent flow structure in a low-speed linear compressor cascade wind tunnel at Virginia Tech that includes a moving belt system to simulate the relative motion between the tip and the casing. The endwall pressure measurements and the surface oil flow visualizations were made on a stationary endwall to obtain the flow features and to determine the measurement profiles of interest. A custom-made miniature 3-orthogonal-velocity-component fiber-optic laser-Doppler velocimetry (LDV) system was used to measure all three components of velocity within a 50 mm spherical measurement volume within the gap between the endwall and the blade tip, mainly for the stationary wall with 1.65% and 3.30% tip gaps as well as some initial experiments for the moving wall. Since all of the vorticity in a flow originates from the surfaces under the action of strong pressure gradient, it was very important to measure the nearest-wall flow on the endwall and around the blade tip. The surface skin friction velocity was measured by using viscous sublayer velocity profiles, which verified the presence of an intense lateral shear layer that was observed from surface oil flow visualizations. All second- and third-order turbulence quantities were measured to provide detailed data for any parallel CFD efforts. The most complete data sets were acquired for 1.65% and 3.30% tip gap/chord ratios in a low-speed linear compressor cascade. This study found that tip gap flows are complex pressure-driven, unsteady three-dimensional turbulent flows. The crossflow velocity normal to the blade chord is nearly uniform in the mid tip-gap and changes substantially from the pressure to suction side. The crossflow velocity relies on the local tip pressure loading that is different from the mid-span pressure loading because of tip leakage vortex influence. The tip gap flow is highly skewed three-dimensional flow throughout the full gap. Normalized circulation within the tip gap is independent of the gap size. The tip gap flow interacts with the primary flow, separates from the endwall, and rolls up on the suction side to form the tip leakage vortex. The tip leakage vortex is unsteady from the observation of the TKE transport vector and oil flow visualizations. The reattachment of tip separation vortex on the pressure side strongly depends on the blade thickness-to-gap height ratio after the origin of tip leakage vortex but is weakly related to it before the origin of tip leakage vortex for a moderate tip gap. Other than the nearest endwall and blade tip regions, the TKE does not vary much in tip gap. The tip leakage vortex produces high turbulence intensities. The tip gap flow correlations of streamwise and wall normal velocity fluctuations decrease significantly from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the blade due to flow skewing. The tip gap flow is a strongly anisotropic turbulent flow. Rapid distortion ideas can not apply to it. A turbulence model based on stress transport equations and experimental data is necessary to reflect the tip gap flow physics. For the moving endwall, relative motion skews the inner region flow and is decorrelated with the outer layer flow. Hence, the TKE and correlations of streamwise and wall normal velocity fluctuations decrease. / Ph. D.

This report documents the experimental study for four different three-dimensional turbulent flows. The investigation focuses on near wall measurements in these flows. Several experimental techniques are used in the studies; however, the bulk of the investigation focuses on a three-orthogonal-velocity-component fiber-optic laser Doppler anemometer (3D-LDA) system. The control volume of the 3D-LDA is on the order of 50 micro-meter in size, or a y⁺ distance of around 2.3 units (using average values of U_&#964 and &#957; from the experiment). An auxiliary small boundary layer wind tunnel (auxiliary tunnel) and a low speed linear compressor cascade wind tunnel (cascade tunnel) are utilized in this study. One of four flow experiments is done in the auxiliary tunnel the other three are in the cascade tunnel. The first three-dimensional turbulent flow is a vortical flow created by two half-delta wing vortex generators. Near wall secondary flow features are found. The second flow is an investigation of the first quarter chord tip gap flow in the cascade tunnel. Strong three-dimensional phenomena are found. The third flow investigated is the inflow to the compressor cascade with the moving wall. The experiment records shear layer interaction between the upstream flow and moving wall. Finally the fourth flow investigated is the inflow to the compressor cascade with the moving wall with half-delta wing vortex generators attached. Phase-averaged data reveal asymmetrical vortex structures just downstream of the vortex generators. This is the first time any near wall data has been taken on any of these flows. / Master of Science

L'étude concerne les couches limites turbulentes dans le cas d'écoulements à surface libre sur fond rugueux homogène. Afin de réaliser cette étude, deux dispositifs de mesure PIV par stéréoscopie (PIV 2D-3C) ont été mis en place avec comme double objectif de fournir les lignes directrices au design d'un système stéréoscopique PIV in situ et d'étudier l'influence de la faible submersion des éléments rugueux sur la structure universelle de la couche limite sur fond rugueux, i.e. pour des submersions h/D comprises entre 0,33 et 0,66 (avec h la hauteur des rugosités et D la hauteur d'eau). Pour le premier objectif, le dispositif de mesure a permis un accès optique facilité par un point de vue incliné des caméras à la zone proche des rugosités dans des conditions naturelles d'écoulement (turbidité et éclairement naturels). Les mesures de vitesse ont été faites dans un canal hydraulique de petite dimension (12 m x 0,5 m x 0,25 m) rempli d'hémisphères positionnées en quinconce. Une étude paramétrique de l'influence de l'inclinaison des caméras ainsi que de la turbidité de l'eau sur la qualité des mesures de vitesse a été entreprise suivie par une nouvelle méthodologie basée sur l'analyse de l'intensité lumineuse dans le système. Il a été montré que l'écoulement est correctement résolu jusqu'à une turbidité d'environ 25 NTU avec un angle d'inclinaison par rapport au plan vertical de mesure de 25°. Pour le second objectif, les investigations expérimentales ont été réalisées dans une veine hydraulique de plus grande dimension (26 m x 1,10 m x 0,50 m), dont le fond rugueux est constitué par des cubes en PVC de 2 cm de côté comme dans l'étude de Florens et al. (2013). Les résultats mettent en évidence que l'étendue de la sous-couche rugueuse augmente avec la submersion pour finalement occuper toute la colonne d'eau dans le cas de la plus faible submersion (h/D=0,66). Malgré cela, une loi logarithmique est tout de même observée, et ce, quelle que soit la submersion étudiée. / This work deals with turbulent boundary layers in open-channel flows over rough homogeneous beds. The objectives of this work are, first, to provide some guidance for the design of an efficient in situ stereoscopic PIV measurements system (SPIV), and, second, to assess the effect of the relative submergence on the universal turbulent boundary layer structure for very high relative submergence ratios, i:e: 0.33 < h/D <0.66 (where h is the roughness height and D the water depth). For the first objective, a stereoscopic PIV configuration was set-up with steeply inclined camera viewpoints in order to improve the image quality and the optical access into the bed canopy under naturally occurring turbid conditions. Velocity measurements were undertaken in a 12 m x 0.5 m x 0.25 m open-channel flume filled with staggered hemispheres as surrogates for bed river peebles. A parametric study was then carried out to both analyze how the turbidity and camera angle impact the quality of PIV measurements. An innovative light intensity-based methodology was developed and applied to perform data analysis. The latter shows good PIV results up to 25 NTU with an optimal camera angle with respect to the vertical PIV measurements plane of 25. The SPIV measurements for the second objective were performed in a 26-m-long, 1.10-m-wide and 0.50-m-deep steep open channel filled with 2-cm cubes as in Florens et al. (2013). The results show that the extent of the roughness sublayer increases with the relative submergence to fill the entire water column for the highest relative submergence investigated. Despite this, the logarithmic law is still observed even for the highest relative submergence studied (h/D=0.66).