Mach Number (mach + number)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Engineering

Kinds of Mach Number

  • low mach number


  • Selected Abstracts


    First experience of compressible gas dynamics simulation on the Los Alamos roadrunner machine

    CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 17 2009
    Paul R. Woodward
    Abstract We report initial experience with gas dynamics simulation on the Los Alamos Roadrunner machine. In this initial work, we have restricted our attention to flows in which the flow Mach number is less than 2. This permits us to use a simplified version of the PPM gas dynamics algorithm that has been described in detail by Woodward (2006). We follow a multifluid volume fraction using the PPB moment-conserving advection scheme, enforcing both pressure and temperature equilibrium between two monatomic ideal gases within each grid cell. The resulting gas dynamics code has been extensively restructured for efficient multicore processing and implemented for scalable parallel execution on the Roadrunner system. The code restructuring and parallel implementation are described and performance results are discussed. For a modest grid size, sustained performance of 3.89 Gflops,1 CPU-core,1 is delivered by this code on 36 Cell processors in 9 triblade nodes of a single rack of Roadrunner hardware. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Measurements of Directional Flow Using a Directional Langmuir Probe in Weakly Magnetized Plasmas

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 5-6 2006
    T. Shikama
    Abstract Measurement of flow directed with respect to the magnetic field is performed using a directional Langmuir probe (DLP). A previously proposed practical formula for measurement of the Mach number under a weakly magnetized condition is modified for application to the directional flow field which consists of parallel and azimuthal flow components. The effect of density gradient caused by the rotational DLP measurement in the measurement of the radial profile of ion current angular distribution is modified. For the verification of the DLP measurement, parallel flow velocity is measured from the Doppler shift of HeII emission, while azimuthal flow velocity is calculated from E × B and diamagnetic drifts. It is revealed that this method provides plausible Mach numbers in the parallel and azimuthal directions with inclusion of the effect of density gradient. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Numerical simulation on operation of closed-loop experimental facility with subsonic MHD generator

    ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING IN JAPAN, Issue 1 2008
    Hidemasa Takana
    Abstract The operating characteristics and operation procedure of the closed-loop experimental facility under subsonic power generation have been investigated by means of time-dependent quasi-one-dimensional numerical simulations. Two ways of operation for subsonic power generation were found: (1) subsonic operation both under nonpower and power generation and (2) supersonic operation under nonpower generation and subsonic operation under power generation. For operation (1), Mach number at channel inlet decreases to ,0.6, therefore it is required to generate plasma under this Mach number. On the other hand, if the plasma cannot be generated, operation (2) needs to be carried out. In this case, a shock wave appears in the generator channel, then the influence of a large pressure change and a vibration caused by a shock wave in the generator channel needs to be considered. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 163(1): 25,33, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20399 [source]


    Flow characteristics of a cold helium arc-jet plasma along open field lines

    IEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009
    Kazuyuki Yoshida Member
    Abstract We experimentally study plasma parameters including ion acoustic Mach number of expanding cold helium plasma jet with an electron temperature of less than 1 eV flowing along open field lines. It is experimentally found that the ion Mach number increases from 1 to 3, and that the plasma potential decreases by about 1 V. We discuss the experimental results based on a quasi one-dimensional flow model in which the plasma is assumed to be quasi-neutral and in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium. Our model describes the ion acceleration, the axial profiles of the potential drop, and the electron temperature/density. The model also shows that the helium ions are accelerated both by the electric field and by the increasing cross-sectional area of the transonic flow. After the ion acceleration, the ion Mach number decreases and the electron temperature increases. These phenomena are discussed in terms of a shock wave. It is noted that the electron density decreases even in the shock wave. This is discussed in terms of rapid recombination because of the low electron temperature. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]


    Split time-integration for low Mach number compressible flows

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2004
    H. C. de Lange
    Abstract In low-Mach number flows the time-integration is usually bounded by the stability of the acoustic fluxes. This poses a restriction to the maximum timestep. Integration of all fluxes on this time-scale, leads to huge cpu times. To decrease this problem a timestep splitting technique has been developed by which the acoustic, convective and diffusive fluxes are treated separately. The integration of each of the fluxes is bounded by their separate stability criteria. As an example, the time-integration technique will be applied to a temporally developing mixing layer. The results show that the proposed splitted integration technique, applied at a Mach number of 0.2, reduces the cpu time by about a factor three. Furthermore, it will be shown that the technique may also be applied at low (0.05) Mach number flows. Here, the cpu-reduction reaches its maximum of about a factor of four. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Permeable and non-reflecting boundary conditions in SPH

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 7 2009
    Martin Lastiwka
    Abstract Inflow and outflow boundary conditions are essential for the application of computational fluid dynamics to many engineering scenarios. In this paper we present a new boundary condition implementation that enables the simulation of flow through permeable boundaries in the Lagrangian mesh-free method, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). Each permeable boundary is associated with an inflow or outflow zone outside the domain, in which particles are created or removed as required. The analytic boundary condition is applied by prescribing the appropriate variables for particles in an inflow or outflow zone, and extrapolating other variables from within the domain. Characteristic-based non-reflecting boundary conditions, described in the literature for mesh-based methods, can be implemented within this framework. Results are presented for simple one-dimensional flows, quasi-one-dimensional compressible nozzle flow, and two-dimensional flow around a cylinder at Reynolds numbers of 40 and 100 and a Mach number of 0.1. These results establish the capability of SPH to model flows through open domains, opening a broad new class of applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Acoustic upwinding for sub- and super-sonic turbulent channel flow at low Reynolds number

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 3 2007
    H. C. de LangeArticle first published online: 13 FEB 200
    Abstract A recently developed asymmetric implicit fifth-order scheme with acoustic upwinding for the spatial discretization for the characteristic waves is applied to the fully compressible, viscous and non-stationary Navier,Stokes equations for sub- and super-sonic, mildly turbulent, channel flow (Re,=360). For a Mach number of 0.1, results are presented for uniform (323, 643 and 1283) and non-uniform (expanding wall-normal, 323 and 643) grids and compared to the (incompressible) reference solution found in (J. Fluid. Mech. 1987; 177:133,166). The results for uniform grids on 1283 and 643 nodes show high resemblance with the reference solution. Expanding grids are applied on 643 - and 323 -node grids. The capability of the proposed technique to solve compressible flow is first demonstrated by increasing the Mach number to 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 for isentropic flow on the uniform 643 -grid. Next, the flow speed is increased to Ma=2. The results for the isothermal-wall supersonic flows give very good agreement with known literature results. The velocity field, the temperature and their fluctuations are well resolved. This means that in all presented (sub- and super-sonic) cases, the combination of acoustic upwinding and the asymmetric high-order scheme provides sufficient high wave-number damping and low wave-number accuracy to give numerically stable and accurate results. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Buffeting in transonic flow prediction using time-dependent turbulence model

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 2 2005
    A. Kourta
    Abstract In transonic flow conditions, the shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction and flow separations on wing upper surface induce flow instabilities, ,buffet', and then the buffeting (structure vibrations). This phenomenon can greatly influence the aerodynamic performance. These flow excitations are self-sustained and lead to a surface effort due to pressure fluctuations. They can produce enough energy to excite the structure. The objective of the present work is to predict this unsteady phenomenon correctly by using unsteady Navier,Stokes-averaged equations with a time-dependent turbulence model based on the suitable (k,,) turbulent eddy viscosity model. The model used is based on the turbulent viscosity concept where the turbulent viscosity coefficient (C,) is related to local deformation and rotation rates. To validate this model, flow over a flat plate at Mach number of 0.6 is first computed, then the flow around a NACA0012 airfoil. The comparison with the analytical and experimental results shows a good agreement. The ONERA OAT15A transonic airfoil was chosen to describe buffeting phenomena. Numerical simulations are done by using a Navier,Stokes SUPG (streamline upwind Petrov,Galerkin) finite-element solver. Computational results show the ability of the present model to predict physical phenomena of the flow oscillations. The unsteady shock wave/boundary layer interaction is described. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Numerical simulation of cavitating flow in 2D and 3D inducer geometries

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 2 2005
    O. Coutier-Delgosha
    Abstract A computational method is proposed to simulate 3D unsteady cavitating flows in spatial turbopump inducers. It is based on the code FineTurbo, adapted to take into account two-phase flow phenomena. The initial model is a time-marching algorithm devoted to compressible flow, associated with a low-speed preconditioner to treat low Mach number flows. The presented work covers the 3D implementation of a physical model developed in LEGI for several years to simulate 2D unsteady cavitating flows. It is based on a barotropic state law that relates the fluid density to the pressure variations. A modification of the preconditioner is proposed to treat efficiently as well highly compressible two-phase flow areas as weakly compressible single-phase flow conditions. The numerical model is applied to time-accurate simulations of cavitating flow in spatial turbopump inducers. The first geometry is a 2D Venturi type section designed to simulate an inducer blade suction side. Results obtained with this simple test case, including the study of its general cavitating behaviour, numerical tests, and precise comparisons with previous experimental measurements inside the cavity, lead to a satisfactory validation of the model. A complete three-dimensional rotating inducer geometry is then considered, and its quasi-static behaviour in cavitating conditions is investigated. Numerical results are compared to experimental measurements and visualizations, and a promising agreement is obtained. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Linearized and non-linear acoustic/viscous splitting techniques for low Mach number flows

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 10 2003
    Mohammad Farshchi
    Abstract Computation of the acoustic disturbances generated by unsteady low-speed flow fields including vortices and shear layers is considered. The equations governing the generation and propagation of acoustic fluctuations are derived from a two-step acoustic/viscous splitting technique. An optimized high order dispersion,relation,preserving scheme is used for the solution of the acoustic field. The acoustic field generated by a corotating vortex pair is obtained using the above technique. The computed sound field is compared with the existing analytic solution. Results are in good agreement with the analytic solution except near the centre of the vortices where the acoustic pressure becomes singular. The governing equations for acoustic fluctuations are then linearized and solved for the same model problem. The difference between non-linear and linearized solutions falls below the numerical error of the simulation. However, a considerable saving in CPU time usage is achieved in solving the linearized equations. The results indicate that the linearized acoustic/viscous splitting technique for the simulation of acoustic fluctuations generation and propagation by low Mach number flow fields seems to be very promising for three-dimensional problems involving complex geometries. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Steady/unsteady aerodynamic analysis of wings at subsonic, sonic and supersonic Mach numbers using a 3D panel method

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 10 2003
    Jeonghyun Cho
    Abstract This paper treats the kernel function of an integral equation that relates a known or prescribed upwash distribution to an unknown lift distribution for a finite wing. The pressure kernel functions of the singular integral equation are summarized for all speed range in the Laplace transform domain. The sonic kernel function has been reduced to a form, which can be conveniently evaluated as a finite limit from both the subsonic and supersonic sides when the Mach number tends to one. Several examples are solved including rectangular wings, swept wings, a supersonic transport wing and a harmonically oscillating wing. Present results are given with other numerical data, showing continuous results through the unit Mach number. Computed results are in good agreement with other numerical results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A parallel adaptive projection method for low Mach number flows

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 1-2 2002
    J. B. Bell
    We describe an adaptive projection method for numerically simulating low Mach number flows. The projection method formulation enforces the velocity divergence constraint resulting from the low Mach number approximation. It is implemented on an adaptive hierarchy of logically rectangular grids, where each finer level is refined in space and in time. The adaptive algorithm has been shown in previous papers to be robust and second-order accurate, and to satisfy the principles of conservation and free-stream preservation as applicable. Here, the parallelization is described in some detail, and the methodology is demonstrated on two examples from premixed, low Mach number combustion. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Optimal regenerator performance in Stirling engines

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2009
    P. C. T. de Boer
    Abstract The key component of a Stirling engine is its regenerative heat exchanger. This device is subject to losses due to dissipation arising from the flow through the regenerator as well as due to imperfect heat transfer between the regenerator material and the gas. The magnitudes of these losses are characterized by the Stanton number St and the Fanning friction factor f, respectively. Using available data for the ratio St/f, results are found for the Carnot efficiency and the power output of the regenerator. They depend on the conductance and on the ratio of pressures at the two sides of the regenerator. Optimum results for efficiency and power output of the regenerator are derived in the limit of zero Mach number. The results are applied to the Stirling engine. The efficiency and the power output of the engine are found for given amplitude of the compression piston. Optimization with respect to regenerator conductance and piston phase angle leads to a maximum possible value of the power output. Under optimal conditions, the Carnot efficiency just below this maximum is close to 100%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    On compactness of the velocity field in the incompressible limit of the full Navier,Stokes,Fourier system on large domains

    MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 10 2009
    Eduard Feireisl
    Abstract The incompressible limit for the full Navier,Stokes,Fourier system is studied on a family of domains containing balls of the radius growing with a speed that dominates the inverse of the Mach number. It is shown that the velocity field converges strongly to its limit locally in space, in particular, the effect of the sound waves is eliminated by means of the local decay estimates for the acoustic wave equation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A method for reconstructing the variance of a 3D physical field from 2D observations: application to turbulence in the interstellar medium

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2010
    C. M. Brunt
    ABSTRACT We introduce and test an expression for calculating the variance of a physical field in three dimensions using only information contained in the two-dimensional projection of the field. The method is general but assumes statistical isotropy. To test the method we apply it to numerical simulations of hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in molecular clouds, and demonstrate that it can recover the three-dimensional (3D) normalized density variance with ,10 per cent accuracy if the assumption of isotropy is valid. We show that the assumption of isotropy breaks down at low sonic Mach number if the turbulence is sub-Alfvénic. Theoretical predictions suggest that the 3D density variance should increase proportionally to the square of the Mach number of the turbulence. Application of our method will allow this prediction to be tested observationally and therefore constrain a large body of analytic models of star formation that rely on it. [source]


    Shock heating in the group atmosphere of the radio galaxy B2 0838+32A

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2008
    Nazirah N. Jetha
    ABSTRACT We present Chandra and radio observations, and analysis of Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, of the radio galaxy B2 0838+32A (4C 32.26) and its environment. The radio galaxy is at the centre of a nearby group that has often been identified with the cluster Abell 695, but we argue that the original Abell cluster is likely to be an unrelated and considerably more distant system. The radio source is a restarting radio galaxy and, using our Chandra data, we argue that the currently active lobes are expanding supersonically, driving a shock with Mach number 2.4+1.0,0.5 into the interstellar medium. This would be only the third strong shock round a young radio source to be discovered, after Centaurus A and NGC 3801. However, in contrast to both these systems, the host galaxy of B2 0838+32A shows no evidence for a recent merger, while the active galactic nuclei (AGN) spectrum shows no evidence for the dusty torus that would imply a large reservoir of cold gas close to the central black hole. On the contrary, the AGN spectrum is of a type that has been associated with the presence of a radiatively inefficient accretion flow that could be controlled by an AGN heating and subsequent cooling of the hot, X-ray emitting gas. If correct, this means that B2 0838+32A is the first source in which we can directly see entropy-increasing processes (shocks) driven by accretion from the hot phase of the interstellar medium. [source]


    Clumpy shocks and the clump mass function

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
    Paul C. Clark
    ABSTRACT One possible mechanism for the formation of molecular clouds is large-scale colliding flows. In this paper, we examine whether clumpy, colliding, flows could be responsible for the clump mass functions that have been observed in several regions of embedded star formation, which have been shown to be described by a Salpeter-type slope. The flows presented here, which comprise a population of initially identical clumps, are modelled using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and calculations are performed with and without the inclusion of self-gravity. When the shock region is at its densest, we find that the clump mass spectrum is always well modelled by a Salpeter-type slope. This is true regardless of whether the self-gravity is included in the simulations or not, and for our choice of filling factors for the clumpy flows (10, 20 and 40 per cent), and Mach number (5, 10 and 20). In the non-self-gravitating simulations, this slope is retained at lower Mach numbers as the simulations progress past the densest phase. In the simulations which include self-gravity, we find that low Mach number runs yield a flatter mass function after the densest phase. This is simply a result of increased coagulation due to gravitational collapse of the flows. In the high Mach number runs the Salpeter slope is always lost. The self-gravitating calculations also show that the subgroup of gravitationally bound clumps in which star formation occurs, always contain the most massive clumps in the population. Typically these clumps have a mass of order of the Jeans mass of the initial clumps. The mass function of these bound star-forming clumps is not at all similar to the Salpeter-type mass function observed for stars in the field. We conclude that the clump mass function may not only have nothing to do with gravity, but also nothing to do with the star formation process and the resulting mass distribution of stars. This raises doubt over the claims that the clump mass function is the origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF), for regions such as , Oph, Serpens and the Orion B cloud. [source]


    Hydrodynamical simulations of the decay of high-speed molecular turbulence , I. Dense molecular regions

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2002
    Georgi Pavlovski
    ABSTRACT We present the results from three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of decaying high-speed turbulence in dense molecular clouds. We compare our results, which include a detailed cooling function, molecular hydrogen chemistry and a limited C and O chemistry, with those previously obtained for decaying isothermal turbulence. After an initial phase of shock formation, power-law decay regimes are uncovered, as in the isothermal case. We find that the turbulence decays faster than in the isothermal case because the average Mach number remains higher, owing to the radiative cooling. The total thermal energy, initially raised by the introduction of turbulence, decays only a little more slowly than the kinetic energy. We discover that molecule reformation, as the fast turbulence decays, is several times faster than that predicted for a non-turbulent medium. This is caused by moderate speed shocks which sweep through a large fraction of the volume, compressing the gas and dust. Through reformation, the molecular density and molecular column appear as complex patterns of filaments, clumps and some diffuse structure. In contrast, the molecular fraction has a wider distribution of highly distorted clumps and copious diffuse structure, so that density and molecular density are almost identically distributed during the reformation phase. We conclude that molecules form in swept-up clumps but effectively mix throughout via subsequent expansions and compressions. [source]


    Isothermal shocks in Abell 2199 and 2A 0335+096?

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2006
    J. S. Sanders
    ABSTRACT We report on a partially circular X-ray surface brightness discontinuity found at about 55 kpc from the centre of Abell 2199 with Chandra X-ray Observatory observations. Unlike cold fronts found in other clusters, the feature shows no significant temperature change across it but has an apparent density jump. We therefore identify it as a weak isothermal shock associated with the central active galactic nucleus and the inflation of its radio bubbles, as found in the Perseus cluster. We examine a similar feature at 40 kpc radius found by Mazzotta et al. in 2A 0335+096, and conclude that it too may be an isothermal shock. The change in density if these are shocks implies a Mach number of ,1.5. If the isothermal nature of these features is confirmed by deeper observations, the implication is that such shocks are common in clusters of galaxies, and are an important mechanism for the transport of energy from a central supermassive black hole into the cluster core. [source]


    A multi-wavelength view of the archetypical CSS radio galaxy 3C303.1: Evidence for shocks and induced star formation

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 2-3 2009
    C.P. O'Dea
    Abstract I discuss multi-wavelength data on the archetypal CSS radio galaxy 3C303.1. The radio source is sub-galactic in scale where it can directly affect the ISM of the host galaxy. The emission line kinematics and ionization diagnostics are consistent with energy input from shocks driven by the radio source. The Spitzer IRS spectrum indicates that star formation is occurring in the host galaxy. The HST/ACS/HRC UV image shows UV light which is aligned with the radio source axis. I suggest that the UV light is from young stars which have been triggered by the radio lobes. XMM observations detect the ISM of the host galaxy with a temperature of 0.8 keV plus an additional component whose properties are not well defined. I suggest the second component is a hot shocked gas (T = 45 keV) consistent with a Mach number of 13 for the expanding bow shock. Thus, the multi-wavelength data give a consistent picture in which the radio source drives shocks into the ISM which ionize dense clouds, trigger star formation, and shock heat the hot component of the ISM to very high temperature. These observations demonstrate that radio sources can provide significant feedback to their host galaxy (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Numerical Analysis of Isothermal Gaseous Flows in Microchannel

    CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 1 2006
    B. Cao
    Abstract Two-dimensional compressible momentum equations were solved by a perturbation analysis and the PISO algorithm to investigate the effects of compressibility and rarefaction on the local flow resistance of isothermal gas flow in circular microchannels. The computations were performed for a wide range of Reynolds numbers and inlet Mach numbers. The explicit expression of the normalized local Fanning friction factor along the microchannel was derived in the present paper. The results reveal that the local Fanning friction factor is a function of the inlet Mach number, the Reynolds number and the length-diameter ratio of the channel. For larger Reynolds and inlet Mach numbers, the friction coefficient in the microchannel is higher than the value in a macrotube, and the gas flow in the microchannel is dominated only by compressibility. For smaller Reynolds and inlet Mach numbers, the Fanning friction factor of gas flow in the microchannel is lower than that in a circular tube of conventional size due to slip flow at the wall and thus, rarefaction has a significant effect on the fluid flow characteristics in a microchannel. [source]


    Collisionless Plasma Expansion in the Presence of a Dipole Magnetic Field

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 6 2009
    H. B. Nersisyan
    Abstract The collisionless interaction of an expanding high,energy plasma cloud with a magnetized background plasma in the presence of a dipole magnetic field is examined in the framework of a 2D3V hybrid (kinetic ions and massless fluid electrons) model. The retardation of the plasma cloud and the dynamics of the perturbed electromagnetic fields and the background plasma are studied for high Alfvén,Mach numbers using the particle,in,cellmethod. It is shown that the plasma cloud expands excluding the ambient magnetic field and the background plasma to form a diamagnetic cavity which is accompanied by the generation of a collisionless shock wave. The energy exchange between the plasma cloud and the background plasma is also studied and qualitative agreement with the analytical model suggested previously is obtained (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Comparative Study of Flat and Round Collectors Using a Validated 1D Fluid Probe Model

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 5-6 2006
    P. Peleman
    Abstract In the literature two different types of Gundestrup-like probe designs are proposed: design with flat and with round collectors. In this paper we study the influence of different collector shapes of Gundestrup-like probes on the accuracy of the measurement of the parallel and perpendicular flows. A one dimensional fluid probe model is used for deducing both Mach numbers of the unperturbed flow from the probe data. An analytical expression relates the plasma flow to the measured ion saturation currents collected at the upstream and downstream collecting surfaces of the probe. For flat collectors, the analytical model is validated by comparing it to a two dimensional quasi-neutral Particle In Cell (PIC) simulation code. An extension of the theoretical model then allows us to study round collectors. We performed an accuracy study which showed that systematic errors are introduced when round collectors are employed for determination of the perpendicular flow which is systematically overestimated. The error can reach more than 70% when the perpendicular flow increases and when the angle of the collecting surface with respect to the magnetic field (, , 0)is small. The correct analytical expression is applied to experimental data from Gundestrup probe measurements with round collectors on the CASTOR tokamak. The analysis shows that for these measurements the error introduced by using the expression for flat collectors remains negligible, supporting our former use of the model for flat collectors. A new advanced Gundestrup-like probe design and the motivation for the choice of flat collectors are presented. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Measurements of Directional Flow Using a Directional Langmuir Probe in Weakly Magnetized Plasmas

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 5-6 2006
    T. Shikama
    Abstract Measurement of flow directed with respect to the magnetic field is performed using a directional Langmuir probe (DLP). A previously proposed practical formula for measurement of the Mach number under a weakly magnetized condition is modified for application to the directional flow field which consists of parallel and azimuthal flow components. The effect of density gradient caused by the rotational DLP measurement in the measurement of the radial profile of ion current angular distribution is modified. For the verification of the DLP measurement, parallel flow velocity is measured from the Doppler shift of HeII emission, while azimuthal flow velocity is calculated from E × B and diamagnetic drifts. It is revealed that this method provides plausible Mach numbers in the parallel and azimuthal directions with inclusion of the effect of density gradient. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Numerical simulations of a transient injection flow at low Mach number regime

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2008
    A. Beccantini
    Abstract In this paper, a transient injection flow at low Mach number regime is investigated. Three different methods are used and analyzed. Two of them are based on asymptotic models of the Navier,Stokes equations valid for small Mach numbers, whereas the other is based on the full compressible Navier,Stokes equations, with particular care given to the discretization at low Mach numbers. Numerical solutions are computed both with or without the gravity force. Finally, the performance of the solvers in terms of CPU-time consumption is investigated, and the sensitivity of the solution to some parameters, which affect CPU time is also performed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Influence of reaction mechanisms, grid spacing, and inflow conditions on the numerical simulation of lifted supersonic flames

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 12 2010
    P. Gerlinger
    Abstract The simulation of supersonic combustion requires finite-rate chemistry because chemical and fluid mechanical time scales may be of the same order of magnitude. The size of the chosen reaction mechanism (number of species and reactions involved) has a strong influence on the computational time and thus should be chosen carefully. This paper investigates several hydrogen/air reaction mechanisms frequently used in supersonic combustion. It is shown that at low flight Mach numbers of a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet), some kinetic schemes can cause highly erroneous results. Moreover, extremely fine computational grids are required in the lift-off region of supersonic flames to obtain grid-independent solutions. The fully turbulent Mach 2 combustion experiment of Cheng et al. (Comb. Flame 1994; 99: 157,173) is chosen to investigate the influences of different reaction mechanisms, grid spacing, and inflow conditions (contaminations caused by precombustion). A detailed analysis of the experiment will be given and errors of previous simulations are identified. Thus, the paper provides important information for an accurate simulation of the Cheng et al. experiment. The importance of this experiment results from the fact that it is the only supersonic combustion test case where temperature and species fluctuations have been measured simultaneously. Such data are needed for the validation of probability density function methods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Generalized lattice-BGK concept for thermal and chemically reacting flows at low Mach numbers

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 4 2006
    D. Hänel
    Abstract The lattice-BGK method has been extended by introducing additional, free parameters in the original formulation of the lattice-BGK methods. The relationship between these parameters and the macroscopic moment equations is analysed by Taylor series and Chapman,Enskog expansion. The parameters are determined from the macroscopic moment equations by comparisons with the governing equations to be modelled. Extensions are presented for the Navier,Stokes equations at low Mach numbers in Cartesian or axisymmetric coordinates with constant or variable density, for scalar convection,diffusion equations and for equations of Poisson type. The generalized lattice-BGK concept is demonstrated by two applications of chemical engineering. These are the computation of chemically reacting flow through an axisymmetric reactor and of the transport and deposition of particles to filters under the action of different forces. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Direct computation of thermodynamic properties of chemically reacting air with consideration to CFD

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 4 2003
    Joe IannelliArticle first published online: 2 SEP 200
    Abstract This paper details a two-equation procedure to calculate exactly mass and mole fractions, pressure, temperature, specific heats, speed of sound and the thermodynamic and jacobian partial derivatives of pressure and temperature for a five-species chemically reacting equilibrium air. The procedure generates these thermodynamic properties using as independent variables either pressure and temperature or density and internal energy, for CFD applications. An original element in this procedure consists in the exact physically meaningful solution of the mass-fraction and mass-action equations. Air-equivalent molecular masses for oxygen and nitrogen are then developed to account, within a mixture of only oxygen and nitrogen, for the presence of carbon dioxide, argon and the other noble gases within atmospheric air. The mathematical formulation also introduces a versatile system non-dimensionalization that makes the procedure uniformly applicable to flows ranging from shock-tube flows with zero initial velocity to aerothermodynamic flows with supersonic/hypersonic free-stream Mach numbers. Over a temperature range of more than 10000 K and pressure and density ranges corresponding to an increase in altitude in standard atmosphere of 30000 m above sea level, the predicted distributions of mole fractions, constant-volume specific heat, and speed of sound for the model five species agree with independently published results, and all the calculated thermodynamic properties, including their partial derivatives, remain continuous, smooth, and physically meaningful. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Steady/unsteady aerodynamic analysis of wings at subsonic, sonic and supersonic Mach numbers using a 3D panel method

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 10 2003
    Jeonghyun Cho
    Abstract This paper treats the kernel function of an integral equation that relates a known or prescribed upwash distribution to an unknown lift distribution for a finite wing. The pressure kernel functions of the singular integral equation are summarized for all speed range in the Laplace transform domain. The sonic kernel function has been reduced to a form, which can be conveniently evaluated as a finite limit from both the subsonic and supersonic sides when the Mach number tends to one. Several examples are solved including rectangular wings, swept wings, a supersonic transport wing and a harmonically oscillating wing. Present results are given with other numerical data, showing continuous results through the unit Mach number. Computed results are in good agreement with other numerical results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Clumpy shocks and the clump mass function

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
    Paul C. Clark
    ABSTRACT One possible mechanism for the formation of molecular clouds is large-scale colliding flows. In this paper, we examine whether clumpy, colliding, flows could be responsible for the clump mass functions that have been observed in several regions of embedded star formation, which have been shown to be described by a Salpeter-type slope. The flows presented here, which comprise a population of initially identical clumps, are modelled using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and calculations are performed with and without the inclusion of self-gravity. When the shock region is at its densest, we find that the clump mass spectrum is always well modelled by a Salpeter-type slope. This is true regardless of whether the self-gravity is included in the simulations or not, and for our choice of filling factors for the clumpy flows (10, 20 and 40 per cent), and Mach number (5, 10 and 20). In the non-self-gravitating simulations, this slope is retained at lower Mach numbers as the simulations progress past the densest phase. In the simulations which include self-gravity, we find that low Mach number runs yield a flatter mass function after the densest phase. This is simply a result of increased coagulation due to gravitational collapse of the flows. In the high Mach number runs the Salpeter slope is always lost. The self-gravitating calculations also show that the subgroup of gravitationally bound clumps in which star formation occurs, always contain the most massive clumps in the population. Typically these clumps have a mass of order of the Jeans mass of the initial clumps. The mass function of these bound star-forming clumps is not at all similar to the Salpeter-type mass function observed for stars in the field. We conclude that the clump mass function may not only have nothing to do with gravity, but also nothing to do with the star formation process and the resulting mass distribution of stars. This raises doubt over the claims that the clump mass function is the origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF), for regions such as , Oph, Serpens and the Orion B cloud. [source]