A new method for predicting forced vibratory blade response to total pressure distortion has been developed using modal and harmonic analysis. Total pressure distortions occur in gas turbine engines when the incoming airflow is partially blocked or disturbed. Distorted inlet conditions can have varying effects on engine performance and engine life. Short-term effects are often in the form of performance degradation where the distorted airflow causes a loss in pressure rise, and a reduction in mass flow and stall margin. Long-term effects are a result of vibratory blade response that can ultimately lead to high cycle fatigue (HCF), which in turn can quickly cause partial damage to a single blade or complete destruction of an entire compressor blade row, leading to catastrophic failure of the gas turbine engine. A better understanding and prediction of vibratory blade response is critical to extending engine life and reducing HCF-induced engine failures. This work covers the use of finite element modeling coupled with computational fluid dynamics-generated pressure fields to create a generalized forcing function. The first three modes of a low-aspect-ratio, transonic, first stage blade of a two-stage fan were examined. The generalized forcing function was decomposed to the frequency domain to identify the dominant harmonic magnitude present, as well as other contributing harmonics. An attempt to define the relationship between modal force with varying total pressure distortion levels produced a sensitivity factor that describes the relationship in the form of a simple multiplier. A generalized force was applied to the blade and varied harmonically across a frequency range known to contain the first natural frequency. The mean rotor stress variation was recorded and compared to experimental results to validate the accuracy of the model and verify its ability to predict vibratory blade response accurately. / Master of Science

In this thesis novel configurations and operating strategies in the mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystalliser are investigated, aided by integrated process analytical technologies (PAT) and crystallisation informatics system (CryPRINS) tools. The MSMPR is an idealised crystalliser model that assumes: steady-state operation; well mixed suspension with no product classification, such that all volume elements contain a mixture of particles (small and large) and crystal size distribution (CSD) that is independent of location in the crystalliser and is identical of the product withdrawn; and uniform supersaturation thought, leading to constant nucleation and growth rates. Single-stage MSMPR designs with continuous recycle/recirculation and modified heat exchanger were investigated and found to minimise fouling, encrustation and transfer line blockages. In particular, a modified MSMPR with baffled heat exchanger was found to significantly reduce the temperature between incoming feed hot feed solution and the cooled crystalliser, leading to a significant reduction in fouling, encrustation and blockages. In addition, the concept of the periodic mixed suspension mixed product removal (PMSMPR) crystallisation process is demonstrated for the first time viz single- and multi-stage cascaded operations. This method of operation involves the periodic transfer of slurry (addition and withdrawal) at high flow rates from either a single stirred vessel or between a number of stirred vessels arranged in series. The PMSMPR is therefore characterised by periodic withdrawals of product slurry. Similar to the MSMPR, the product withdrawn from a PMSMPR has exactly the same composition as the vessel at the time of removal. The rapid withdrawal of slurry at high flow rates in PMSMPR operation leads to the prevention of particle sedimentation and blockage of transfer lines. The transfer of slurry (to/from) the PMSMPR is followed by a holding (or pause) period when no addition or withdrawal of slurry takes place. The holding period extends the mean residence time of the PMSMPR relative to a typical MSMPR, thereby increasing the yield and productivity of crystallisation as more time is allowed for consumption of available supersaturation viz crystal growth and nucleation. A state of controlled operation (SCO) in the periodic flow process, defined as a state of the system that maintains itself despite regular, but controlled disruptions was characterised using the PAT tools and CryPRINS within an intelligent decision support (IDS) framework. The crystallisation of paracetamol (PCM) from isopropyl alcohol (IPA) using different configurations of a single-stage continuous MSMPR crystalliser that incorporated continuous recycle and recirculation loop, and a novel design with baffled heat exchanger was investigated. Crystallisations of PCM-IPA carried out in the MSMPR without heat exchanger suffered from severe fouling, encrustation and blockage problems due to the high level of supersaturation (S = 1.39) in the crystalliser, which was required for the initial burst of nucleation to generate enough particles for later growth, as well as the large temperature difference between the incoming feed (45 oC) and the crystalliser (10 oC). Using the modified MSMPR design with baffled heat exchanger, the challenges of fouling, encrustation and blockage were significantly reduced due to the rapid lowering of the feed stream temperature prior to entering the crystalliser. In addition, the closed loop system led to conservation of material, which is a great benefit since large amounts of materials would otherwise be required if the MSMPR was operated with continuous product removal. This design is great for research purposes, in particular, to investigate process design and optimisation. Continuous crystallisation of PCM in the presence of hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) additive was investigated in the modified MSMPR design with heat exchanger. HPMC was found to improve the crystallisation performance, leading to complete avoidance of fouling, encrustation and blockages at a concentration of 0.05 wt%. However, the yield of crystallisation was significantly reduced (28.0 %) compared to a control experiment (98.8 %, biased due to fouling/encrustation) performed without additive addition. Regardless, the productivity of crystallisation was more than four times that achieved in batch linear cooling (LC) (0.62 0.86 g/L-min) and batch automated dynamic nucleation control (ADNC) (0.24 0.25 g/L-min) runs. Aspects of the periodic flow crystallisation of single- and multi-component (co-crystals) molecular systems have also been examined to demonstrate the concept of state of controlled operation . The single component systems studied were PCM and glycine (GLY), each representative of compounds with slow and fast growth kinetics, respectively. The co-crystal systems investigated were urea-barbituric acid (UBA) and p Toluenesulfonamide-Triphenylphosphine oxide (p-TSA-TPPO). UBA is a polymorphic co-crystal system with three known forms (I, II and III). Form I UBA was successfully isolated in a three-stage periodic flow PMSMPR crystalliser. This study demonstrates the capability of periodic flow crystallisation for isolation of a desired polymorph from a mixture. p-TSA-TPPO exists in two known stoichiometric co-crystal forms, 1:1 and 3:2 mole ratio p-TSA-TPPO, respectively. The two crystalline forms exhibit solution mediated transformation, which proves to be a difficulty for separation. For this study, the implementation of temperature cycles in batch and flow control in semi-batch and periodic PMSMPR crystallisers were investigated to isolate pure 1:1 and 3:2 p-TSA-TPPO, respectively. Different regions of the ternary diagram of p-TSA, TPPO and acetonitrile (MeCN) were investigated. The desired co-crystal form was isolated all crystallisation platforms investigated. However, greater consistency was observed in the semi-batch and PMSMPR operations respectively. Periodic flow crystallisation in PMSMPR is a promising alternative to conventional continuous MSMPR operation, affording greater degrees of freedom operation, slightly narrower RTD profiles, consistent product crystal quality (size, shape and distribution), longer mean residence times, higher yield and productivity and significant reduction in fouling, encrustation and transfer line blockages over prolonged operating periods. Furthermore, the PMSMPR is a versatile platform that can be used to investigate a range of different molecular systems. Relative to batch operation, the PMSMPR can operate close to equilibrium, however, this is dependent on the system kinetics. In addition, retrofitting of batch crystallisers to operate as PMSMPRS fairly simple and require only subtle changes to the existing design space. The integrated array of PAT sensors consisted of attenuated total reflectance ultra violet/visible spectroscopy (ATR-UV/vis), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM), particle vision microscopy (PVM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results from the studies reported here illustrate very well the use of PAT and information system tools together to determine when the continuous and periodic MSMPR operations reaches a steady-state or state of controlled operation (i.e. periodic steady-state). These tools provided a better understanding of the variables and operating procedures that influence the two types of operations.

In this study, thermocapillary-driven convection around a gas bubble under a horizontal heated wall is experimentally investigated under gravitational conditions. The thermocapillary convective flow under conditions beyond the laminar steady state towards turbulent flow is explored in detail. Generally, Marangoni convection is more critical and important under microgravity conditions rather than on earth. Under low gravity, this surface tension induced flow can dictate both heat and mass transfer processes. Thus, thermocapillary convection should be considered by manufacturers during material production processes in space. Moreover, temperature gradients can be purposefully used to eliminate or move bubbles or drops suspended in liquid materials. In addition to that, thermocapillary convective flow appears in many other applications like manufacturing of single-walled carbon nanotubes and mono crystal production, to mention only few examples. Researchers have always seen Marangoni convection as an interesting topic for both numerical and experimental studies. Regarding the configuration of the injected gas bubble under a horizontal heated wall, this physical problem is mainly characterized by a dimensionless number that represents the ratio of convective heat flow induced by capillary convection to the heat transfer due to conduction which is termed Marangoni number (Mg). The past decade has seen different approaches to describe the flow behaviour at high Marangoni numbers. The thermocapillary flow has been mainly investigated and categorized regarding a stable laminar behaviour and a non-laminar one, which is characterized by periodic or non-periodic oscillations. Through previous studies, the point of the transition of the thermocapillary flow from the periodic oscillatory zone to the non-periodic one has been well investigated. However, there is a lack of information about this non-periodic behaviour at very high temperature gradients. Therefore, in the current study, our experimental investigations focus mainly on exploring different factors affecting the non-periodicity of the Marangoni convection and on explaining how this flow behaves under conditions above the transitional Marangoni number (Mg tran ). The experimental work was launched using a PIV technique and shadowgraphy. In addition to that, temperature measurements at different locations in the matrix fluid around the air bubble were conducted to determine the undisturbed temperature gradients at different boundary conditions. The transient observation of both velocity and temperature measurements at locations near the bubble allowed deeper insight in the behaviour of the thermocapillary bubbleconvection. Moreover, through shadowgraphy, a qualitative evaluation of the fluid flow periodicity around the gas bubble was achieved. The implementation of experiments inside a pressure chamber under gauge pressure conditions formed a novel methodology to enable us conducting experiments under higher temperature gradients in order to reach high Marangoni numbers. The thermocapillary bubble convection was categorized into laminar, periodic oscillatory, and non-periodic oscillatory flow. The periodic fluid flow oscillations were categorized in symmetric and asymmetric ones depending on the different applied boundary conditions. The non-periodic fluid flow oscillations around the gas bubble were also achieved at high temperature gradients for different bubble aspect ratios. We proved that for every bubble size, the non-periodic oscillatory state of the fluid flow around the gas bubble undergoes four different modes (A-D). The last one (phase D) is a developed turbulent state starting at Mg- numbers of 75000 for the smallest bubble aspect ratio of 1.2 up to the maximal measured Mg- number of 140000 for a bubble aspect ratio of 2.3. Hence, turbulent thermocapillary bubble convection was realized and studied in our experimental configuration. Moreover, the thermocapillary flow driving velocities at the bubble periphery were measured at different boundary conditions. This study clearly demonstrates that it is the high magnitude of the driving velocity that initiates the interactions between thermocapillary flow vortices leading finally to a highly developed oscillation mode (turbulent state) and that buoyancy plays a secondary role in the described flow configuration.:1 INTRODUCTION 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 3 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND METHODOLOGY 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS / In dieser Arbeit wird die thermokapillare Konvektion um eine Gasblase unter einer horizontal beheizten Wand unter Gravitationsbedingungen experimentell untersucht. Diese thermokapillare konvektive Strömung jenseits des laminaren stationären Zustands in Richtung turbulenter Strömung steht in dieser Arbeit im Fokus. Im Allgemeinen ist die Marangoni-Konvektion unter Schwerelosigkeitsbedingungen kritischer und wichtiger als auf der Erde. Unter geringen Schwerkraftkräften kann diese durch Oberflächenspannung induzierte Strömung sowohl Wärme- als auch Stoffübergangsprozesse maßgeblich bestimmen. Daher sollte die thermokapillare Konvektion bei Materialproduktionsprozessen im Weltraum berücksichtigt werden. Darüber hinaus können Temperaturgradienten gezielt angewendet werden, um in flüssigen Materialien suspendierte Blasen oder Tropfen zu entfernen oder zu bewegen. Außerdem tritt thermokapillare Strömung in vielen anderen Anwendungen auf, beispielsweise bei der Herstellung von einwandigen Kohlenstoffnanoröhren oder der Herstellung von Einkristallen, um nur einige Beispiele zu nennen. Forscher haben die Marangoni-Konvektion immer als ein wichtiges und interessantes Thema für numerische und experimentelle Studien betrachtet. In Bezug auf die Konfiguration der injizierten Blase unter einer horizontal beheizten Wand wird dieses physikalische Problem hauptsächlich durch eine dimensionslose Kennzahl, die das Verhältnis des durch Kapillarkonvektion induzierten konvektiven Wärmeübertragungs zur Wärmeübertragung durch Leitung darstellt und als Marangoni-Zahl (Mg) bezeichnet wird, definiert. In den letzten Jahrzehnten wurden verschiedene Ansätze zur Beschreibung des Strömungs-Verhaltens bei höheren Marangoni-Zahlen verfolgt. Dabei wurde die Thermokapillarströmung grundsätzlich in ein stabiles laminares und ein nicht laminares (oszillierendes) Verhalten, das durch periodische oder nicht periodische Geschwindigkeit- und Temperatur-Fluktuationen gekennzeichnet ist, eingeteilt. Durch frühere Studien wurde das Regime des Übergangs des thermokapillaren Verhaltens von der periodischen Schwingungszone zur nichtperiodischen gut untersucht. Es fehlen jedoch immer noch detaillierte Informationen über das nichtperiodische Verhalten bei sehr hohen Temperaturgradienten. Daher konzentrieren sich unsere experimentellen Untersuchungen in der vorliegenden Studie hauptsächlich auf die Untersuchung verschiedener Faktoren, die die Nichtperiodizität der konvektiven Thermokapillarströmung beeinflussen, und auf eine Klärung, wie sich diese Strömung unter verschiedenen Randbedingungen über der kritischen Marangoni-Zahl (Mg c ) verhält.Die experimentelle Arbeit wurde sowohl mit einer PIV-Technik als auch mit der Shadowgraph- Technik durchgeführt. Darüber hinaus waren Temperaturmessungen auf Sensorbasis an verschiedenen Stellen in der verwendeten Flüssigkeit um die Luftblase geeignet, um die ungestörten Temperaturgradienten bei verschiedenen Randbedingungen zu bestimmen. Die zeitabhängige Messung sowohl von Geschwindigkeiten als auch von Temperaturen an Orten in der Nähe der Blase lieferte Informationen über das Verhalten der Konvektion der thermokapillaren Strömung. Darüber hinaus wurde durch die Shadowgraph-Technik eine qualitative Bewertung der Fluidströmungsperiodizität um die Blase ermöglicht. Die Durchführung von Experimenten in einer Druckkammer unter Überdruck-Bedingungen bildet eine neuartige Methode, um solche Experimente unter höheren Temperaturgradienten durchzuführen und höhere Marangoni-Zahlen zu erreichen. Die thermokapillare Blasenkonvektion wurde in dieser Arbeit in laminaren stetigen Flüssigkeitsströmungen, periodischen und nichtperiodischen oszillierenden Flüssigkeitsströmungen eingeteilt. Die periodischen Fluidströmungsschwingungen wurden in Abhängigkeit von unterschiedlichen Randbedingungen in symmetrische und asymmetrische eingeteilt. Die nichtperiodischen Strömungsoszillationen um die Gasblase wurden auch bei hohen Temperaturgradienten für verschiedene Blasenaspektverhältnisse erreicht. Wir konnten zeigen, dass für jede Blasengröße der nichtperiodische Schwingungszustand der Strömung um die Gasblase vier verschiedene Modi (A-D) besitzen kann. Die letzte (Phase D) ist ein hoch entwickelter turbulenter Zustand, der bei Mg-Zahlen von 75000 für das kleinste Blasenaspektverhältnis von 1,2 bis zur maximal gemessenen Mg-Zahl von 140000 für das Blasenaspektverhältnis von 2,3 beginnt. Der ausgebildete turbulente Zustand der thermokapillaren Strömung konnte mit unserer experimentellen Konfiguration erstmalig erreicht werden. Darüber hinaus konnten die Antriebsgeschwindigkeiten der thermokapillaren Strömung an der Peripherie der Blase bei verschiedenen Randbedingungen gemessen werden. Diese Studie zeigt deutlich, dass es die Höhe der Antriebsgeschwindigkeit ist, welche die Wechselwirkungen zwischen thermokapillaren Strömungswirbeln unterschiedlicher Größe antreibt, die schließlich zu chaotischen Schwingungen der im Folgenden beschriebenen Grenzlinie führen. Diese Studie zeigt auch, dass die Auftriebskonvektion in der beschriebenen Strömungskonfiguration eine untergeordnete Rolle spielt.:1 INTRODUCTION 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 3 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND METHODOLOGY 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Pulse tube cryocoolers (PTC) are a class of rugged and high-endurance refrigeration systems that operate without moving parts at their low temperature ends, and are capable of reaching temperatures down to and below 123 K. PTCs are particularly suitable for applications in space, guiding systems, cryosurgery, medicine preservation, superconducting electronics, magnetic resonance imaging, weather observation, and liquefaction of gases. Applications of these cryocoolers span across many industries including defense, aerospace, biomedical, energy, and high tech. Among the challenges facing the PTC research community is the improvement of system efficiency, which is a direct function of the regenerator component performance. A PTC implements the theory of oscillatory compression and expansion of the gas within a closed volume to achieve desired refrigeration. An important deficiency with respect to the state of art models dealing with PTCs is the limited understanding of the hydrodynamic and thermal transport parameters associated with periodic flow of a cryogenic fluid in micro-porous structures. In view of the above, the goals of this investigation include: 1) experimentally measuring and correlating the steady and periodic flow Darcy permeability and Forchheimer’s inertial hydrodynamic parameters for available rare-Earth ErPr regenerator filler; 2) employing a CFD-assisted methodology for the unambiguous quantification of the Darcy permeability and Forchheimer’s inertial hydrodynamic parameters, based on experimentally measured steady and periodic flow pressure drops in porous structures representing recently developed regenerator fillers; and 3) performing a direct numerical pore-level investigation for steady and periodic flows in a generic porous medium in order to elucidate the flow and transport processes, and quantify the solid-fluid hydrodynamic and heat transfer parameters. These hydrodynamic resistances parameters were found to be significantly different for steady and oscillatory flows.