Award Data

The overall objective of this effort is to design, develop and demonstrate an integrated “Virtual Numerical Laboratory” for evaluation of biological agent defeat strategies. The simulation framework will integrate a novel, stochastic description of agent-neutralizer interactions/distribution with an incompressible CFD code with advanced turbulence, moving body and free surface models. In Phas ...

Phase I research successfully: 1) demonstrated a prototype fiber-optic coupled laser initiator, 2) analytically and experimentally characterized a single element GOx/CH4 laser ignition process and 3) assessed commercial grade optics/windows, including structural/thermal evaluation of an in-chamber window installation assembly. Phase II will focus on replacing existing squib ignition technology cul ...

Fuel injectors play a vital role in the performance of high performance gas turbine combustion systems. However, current combustion CFD codes cannot accurately predict spray/atomization and turbulent-combustion processes. In this SBIR project, CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) proposes to develop and validate a CFD fuel injector design tool that will accurately predict spray-combustion in gas turbi ...

The project objective is to develop an integrated software environment for hierarchical prototyping/analysis of hardware for DNA computers and DNA self-assembly. Emerging interdisciplinary field of biomolecular computing explores new paradigms to perform calculations and to design computing architectures at the molecular level. The use of biomaterials in the fabrication and operation of high perfo ...

Combustion Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is a very promising approach for resolving acoustics in turbulent-reacting flows. CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) has successfully developed and validated state-of-the-art Combustion LES software (CFD-ACE+) to analyze gas turbine acoustics, using unstructured grids with second-order temporal and spatial differencing. Still, unstructured LES has not yet matur ...

CFDRC proposes to develop a comprehensive, high fidelity commercial quality simulation tool for modeling the Cold Hearth Melting (CHM) processing of Titanium alloys. The code will accurately predict the transient temperature distribution, flow patterns, skull shape, species evaporation, and particle fates in the hearth region for a given set of dynamic operating conditions. The foundation for this ...

CFD Research has demonstrated improved atomization, mixing control and lower emissions using an electrostatic charged air-blast fuel injector retrofitable within the RR501-K U.S. Navy Shipboard gas turbine engine. Without altering current configurations electrostatic fuel injection and combustion charging could further reduce emissions, improve stability, enhance ignition and/or tailor thermal pr ...

Hydrocarbon combustion chemical kinetics are extremely complex, with detailed reaction mechanisms typically consist of thousands of reaction steps and hundreds of species. However, most reacting flow CFD simulations can only afford reduced global mechanisms with standard Arrhenius rates. Unfortunately, global mechanisms are typically only valid over limited operating ranges and cannot account fo ...

Modern aerospace vehicles operate at high angles of attack and perform aggressive maneuvers, which lead to flow separation, turbulence, high dynamic loads problems such as buffet and flutter. Accurate CFD model-based simulation of these problems requires careful attention to fluid-grid movement, fluid-structure interfacing and turbulence. CFDRC proposes to develop and validate a novel structural-b ...

Using influence region technique in CFD has the advantage of simpler grid generation, fast computing time, and the facility of multiple equation sets or multiple flow solvers. We propose to develop a first principal based, graphic interactive method for the determination of influence boundaries. We will use combined a) theoretical, b) numerical solution to acoustic equation, c) correlation func ...