Study of the aerodynamic stability of a blunt cone with a side flap in a hypersonic flow

The stationary and time-dependent aerodynamic coefficients of a slender blunt cone with a flap located near the base section of the model are experimentally investigated. The freestream parameters (M_∞ = 6, Re _L = 0.88 × 10⁷, and γ = 1.4) ensured a turbulent regime of flow over the conical surface and the flap. At high angles of attack (α ～ 10°) laminar-turbulent transition is observable in the separation zone on the leeward side of the body. Emphasis is placed on the determination of the trimming angles of attack for different positions of the center of rotation and the static and dynamic stability coefficients (the model oscillation damping coefficient).     

A two-scale second-moment turbulence closure based on weighted spectrum integration

A two-scale second-moment turbulence closure has been derived based on the weighted integration of the dynamic equation for the covariance spectrum. The goal is to close the Reynolds stress equations with two additional scalar equations that provide separately the scales of the spectral energy transfer and of the turbulence energy dissipation rate. Such a model should provide better prediction of nonequilibrium turbulent flows. The derivation consists of analytical integration of the wave-number-weighted covariance spectrum using a model of the spectral equations with an assumed simple representation of the shape of the energy spectrum. The resulting closure consists of a set of three tensorial equations, one for the Reynolds stress and two for length scale tensors, the latter representing the energy containing- and dissipative eddies respectively. The trace of the two tensor-scale equations leads to a set of two scalar scale parameters. In the equilibrium limit, the model reduces to the standard second-moment single-scale closure. The approach makes it also possible to derive the scale equations in a more systematic manner as compared with the common single-scale and other multi-scale models. The performance of the model in capturing the scale dynamics is illustrated by predictions of several generic homogeneous and inhomogeneous unsteady flows, demonstrating the expected response of the two scale equations. PACS 03.50.De, 04.20-q, 42.65-k     

A minimal composite theory for stability of non-parallel compressible boundary-layer flow

A new minimal composite theory that extends the approach of Govindarajan and Narasimha [1] is proposed here for 2D non-parallel compressible boundary-layer stability subject to 3D disturbances. The mean profiles are obtained from Hortons analysis, which provides a good approximation for a large range of Prandtl numbers at non-zero pressure gradients. In the lowest order, all effects of order lower than O(R^-2/3) anywhere in the boundary-layer are included, R being the local boundary-layer Reynolds number; the resulting non-parallel formulation yields a set of four ordinary differential equations, as compared to the five coupled equations of classical parallel flow theory of Mack [2]. The largest effect on stability of flow non-parallelism is found to be due to the wall-normal advection of velocity and temperature disturbance quantities by the mean flow. The present theory shows that the bulk viscosity, invariably included in compressible stability theories, is irrelevant at the lowest order. In comparison with the full [O(R^-1)] non-parallel theory, the present theory is marginally better than the parallel flow theory. PACS 03.50.De, 04.20-q, 42.65-k     

Solutions of the kinetic theory for bounded collisional granular flows

We consider collisional granular flows of nearly elastic spheres featuring a single constituent or binary mixtures in various bounded geometries. We review the equations of the kinetic theory for the conservation of mass, momentum, fluctuation energy and species concentration. We illustrate their solutions for shear flows in rectilinear or axisymmetric rectangular channels with or without a body force. We show that proper boundary conditions yield numerical solutions in good agreement with molecular dynamical simulations and with data from physical experiments carried out in microgravity.Received: 3 December 2002, Accepted: 3 February 2003, Published online: 27 June 2003PACS: 45.70.Mg, 45.70.-n, 05.20.Dd, 83.10.Rs     

Flow due to parallel disks rotating about non-coincident axis with one of them oscillating in its plane

An exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations is obtained for the flow between two eccentric disks rotating with the same angular velocity and one of them executing non-torsional oscillations. An analytical solution describing the flow at large and small times after the start is given. The solutions depend on the ratio of the frequency of oscillation to the angular velocity of the disks and the ratio of the amplitude of oscillation to the angular velocity of the disks and to the distance between the axes of rotation, and the Reynolds number based on the distance between the disks and the angular velocity of the disks. The solutions for three cases when the angular velocity is greater than the frequency of oscillation or it is smaller than the frequency or it is equal to the frequency are discussed.     

Averaging methods for numerical simulations of flows through heterogeneous porous media

Many natural rock systems contain small patches of different permeability which affect the flow of fluids through them. As these heterogeneities become smaller and more numerous, they become harder to model numerically. We consider how to reduce the computational effort required in simulations by incorporating their effects in the boundary conditions at the edges of each grid block. This is in contrast with current methods which involve often arbitrary changes in the fluid properties. The method is restricted to the case of widely-spaced patches, which simplifies interaction effects. The system then reduces to an array of dipoles, and two averaging methods are proposed for finite grid blocks. Several infinite systems, including vertical and horizontal bands, are also considered as further approximations. There is a great wealth of existing results from different fields which lead to identical mathematical problems and which can be used in these cases. Finally, we consider how to use these techniques when the precise configuration of the grid block is not known, but only its statistical properties. This can lead to results which are very different from the deterministic case.     

Weak Nonlinear Analysis of Moderate Stefan Number Oscillatory Convection in Rotating Mushy Layers

We consider the solidification of a binary alloy in a mushy layer subject to Coriolis effects. A near-eutectic approximation and large far-field temperature is employed in order to study the dynamics of the mushy layer with a Stefan number of unit order of magnitude. The weak nonlinear theory is used to investigate analytically the Coriolis effect in a rotating mushy layer for a new moderate time scale proposed by the author. It is found that increasing the Taylor number favoured the forward bifurcation.     

Dual-modality and dual-energy gamma ray densitometry of petroleum products using an artificial neural network

The prediction of volume fractions in order to measure the multiphase flow rate is a very important issue and is the key parameter of multi-phase flow meters (MPFMs). Currently, the gamma ray attenuation technique is known as one of the most precise methods for obtaining volume fractions. The gamma ray attenuation technique is based on the mass attenuation coefficient, which is sensitive to density changes; density is sensitive in turn to temperature and pressure fluctuations. Therefore, MPFM efficiency depends strongly on environmental conditions. The conventional solution to this problem is the periodical recalibration of MPFMs, which is a demanding task. In this study, a method based on dual-modality densitometry and artificial intelligence (AI) is presented, which offers the advantage of the measurement of the oil–gas–water volume fractions independent of density changes. For this purpose, several experiments were carried out and used to validate simulated dual modality densitometry results. The reference density point was established at a temperature of 20 °C and pressure of 1 bar. To cover the full range of likely density fluctuations, four additional density sets were defined (at changes of ±4% and ±8% from the reference point). An annular regime with different percentages of oil, gas and water at different densities was simulated. Four features were extracted from the transmission and scattered detectors and were applied to the artificial neural network (ANN) as inputs. The input parameters included the ²⁴¹Am full energy peak, ¹³⁷Cs Compton edge, ¹³⁷Cs full energy peak and total scattered count, and the outputs were the oil and air percentages. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network was used to predict the volume fraction independent of the oil and water density changes. The obtained results show that the proposed ANN model achieved good agreement with the real data, with an estimated root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 3.     

A blow‐up criterion to the 2D full compressible magnetohydrodynamic equations

We establish a new regularity criterion for the 2D full compressible magnetohydrodynamic system in a bounded domain. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonlocal Interaction Equations in Environments with Heterogeneities and Boundaries

We study well-posedness of a class of nonlocal interaction equations with spatially dependent mobility. We also allow for the presence of boundaries and external potentials. Such systems lead to the study of nonlocal interaction equations on subsets ? of ? ^d endowed with a Riemannian metric g. We obtain conditions, relating the interaction potential and the geometry, which imply existence, uniqueness and stability of solutions. We study the equations in the setting of gradient flows in the space of probability measures on ? endowed with Riemannian 2-Wasserstein metric.