Simulation of Runway Operations with Application of Dynamic Wake Separations to Study Runway Limitations

This paper presents an evaluation of runway operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport to estimate the impact of proposed wake vortex separation including Recategorization Phase II and III dynamic separations. The evaluation uses a Monte Carlo simulation model that considers arrival and departure operations. The simulation accounts for static and dynamic wake vortex separations, aircraft fleet mix, runway occupancy times, aircraft approach speeds, aircraft wake circulation capacity, environmental conditions, and operational error buffers. Airport data considered for this analysis are based on Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X records from Chicago O’Hare International Airport from January to November 2016. Dynamic wake separations are tailored to each unique set of conditions by using environmental and aircraft performance parameters as input and allowing aircraft to be exposed to the same wake vortex strength as in Recategorization Phase II (RECAT II). The analysis shows that further reductions beyond RECAT II for aircraft pairs separated by 2 nautical miles or less is not operationally feasible. These wake separations already result in little to no wake dependency. When this is the case, the challenges in wake separation are to meet runway occupancy times and to make sure aircraft separations allow for human operational variations without resulting in aircraft turnarounds or double-aircraft-occupancy runway violations.

DEVELOPED CRITERIA TO IMPROVE PILOT REPORTING OF AIRPLANE VORTEX ENCOUNTERS

Leading airplane vortices can be hazardous to following airplanes. The regulated minimum separations between following and leading airplanes are sometimes overjudged, hence causing reduction in the capacity of airports. In other instances, they are underjudged and subsequently causing airplane incidences. A vital contribution to the establishment and adjustment of vortex-related minimum airplane separations rely on the identification of vortex encounters through pilot reporting with a manual analysis of flight data from FDRs (flight data recorders). This current process relies on judgment of both the pilot and the airline analysist. Hence, it is subjective and sometimes lacks the required accuracy. Therefore, it is desirable to set a number of criteria, which can be utilized to evaluate the accuracy of wake vortex encounter identification. These criteria can save time, and are both accurate and simple. This study investigates 54 pilot reports of flight events to establish a set of criteria that enable concerned aviation organizations to confirm airplane vortex encounters with higher accuracy. This also helps airlines and aviation stakeholders to introduce new regulations and enhancements such as pilots and FDR analysts training on vortex identification. Such measures will enhance safety, improve aviation operation efficiency and allow revision of vortex-separation regulations.

Heat transfer and flow structure through a backward-and forward-facing step micro-channels equipped with obstacles

This study presents two-dimensional simulations of a flow-through a sudden expansion/contraction micro-channel with the existence of obstacles. The bottom wall is maintained at constant flux, while the other walls are adiabatic. Rectangular adiabatic obstacles are mounted before the expansion region on the upper and lower wall of the channel used. The finite element method was used to discretize the equations that govern the physical model. Results indicate the apparition of a separate vortex, situated in the corner after the sudden expansion of the microchannel for low Reynolds numbers. For higher values and expansion ratios, the vortex separation length increases. The obtained results show that the obstacles have a considerable effect on the dynamics of the flow and enhancement of heat transfer.

Leading-Edge Roughness Affecting Diamond-Wing Aerodynamic Characteristics

Diamond wing configurations for low signature vehicles have been studied in recent years. Yet, despite numerous research on highly swept, sharp edged wings, little research on aerodynamics of semi-slender wings with blunt leading-edges exists. This paper reports on the stall characteristics of the AVT-183 diamond wing configuration with variation of leading-edge roughness size and Reynolds number. Wind tunnel testing applying force and surface pressure measurements are conducted and the results presented and analysed. For the investigated Reynolds number range of 2.1 × 10 6 ≤ R e ≤ 2.7 × 10 6 there is no significant influence on the aerodynamic coefficients. However, leading-edge roughness height influences the vortex separation location. Trip dots produced the most downstream located vortex separation onset. Increasing the roughness size shifts the separation onset upstream. Prior to stall, global aerodynamic coefficients are little influenced by leading-edge roughness. In contrast, maximum lift and maximum angle of attack is reduced with increasing disturbance height. Surface pressure fluctuations show dominant broadband frequency peaks, distinctive for moderate sweep vortex breakdown. The experimental work presented here provides insights into the aerodynamic characteristics of diamond wings in a wide parameter space including a relevant angle of attack range up to post-stall.

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF GEOMETRICAL PARAMETERS ON THE VORTEX SEPARATION PHENOMENON INSIDE A RANQUE-HILSCH VORTEX TUBE USED AS AN AIR SEPARATOR IN A HELICOPTER’S ENGINE

Air separators are fitted to helicopter engine intakes to remove potentially harmful dust from the influent air. Their use is necessary in desert environments to eliminate the risk of rapid engine wear and subsequent power deterioration. However, their employment is concomitant with an inherent loss in inlet pressure and, in some cases, auxiliary power. There are three main technologies: vortex tubes, barrier filters, and integrated inlet particle separators. In this work, a vortex tube is investigated numerically. The study was conducted on the number and axial angle of inlet nozzles. Two and three-dimensional models are investigated at a steady state condition then the standard k-ε turbulence model is utilised for determining the flow and temperature fields. The finite volume method base on a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model is verified through the comparison with experimental data and numerical results of a vortex tube, reported in literature sources. Increasing the number of inlet nozzles, increases the sensitivity of the temperature reduction and the highest possible temperature reduction can be obtained. A vortex tube with an axial angle inlet nozzle of yields better performance. The numerical simulation results indicated that the CFD model is capable of predicting the vortex separation phenomenon inside a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube with different geometrical parameters.

A Dynamical Initialization Scheme for Tropical Cyclones under the Influence of Terrain

This study extends an earlier dynamical initialization (DI) scheme for tropical cyclones (TCs) to situations under the influence of terrain. When any terrain lower than 1 km exists between 150 and 450 km from the TC center, topographic variables are defined and a filtering algorithm is used to remove noise due to the presence of terrain before the vortex separation is conducted. When any terrain higher than 1 km exists between 150 and 300 km from the TC center, or the TC center is within 150 km of land, a semi-idealized integration without the terrain is conducted to spin up an axisymmetric TC vortex before the inclusion of the terrain and the merging of the TC vortex with the large-scale analysis field. In addition, a procedure for the vortex size/intensity adjustment is introduced to reduce the initial errors before the forecast run. Two sets of hindcasts, one without (CTRL run) and one with the new DI scheme (DI run), are conducted for nine TCs affected by terrain over the western North Pacific in 2015. Results show that the new DI scheme largely reduces the initial position and intensity errors. The 72-h position errors and the intensity errors up to the 36-h forecasts are smaller in DI runs than in CTRL runs and smaller than those from the HWRF forecasts for the same TCs as well. The new DI scheme is also shown to produce the TC inner-core structure and rainbands more consistent with satellite and radar observations.

On an analytical model of wake vortex separation of aircraft

ABSTRACTA theory is presented on the effect of wake turbulence of a leading aircraft on the roll stability of a following aircraft, leading to a simple formula for the safe separation distance between the two aircraft that provides estimates of aircraft separation distances comparable to existing empirical regulations, based on experience. The formula includes the effects of flight and atmospheric conditions, and the characteristics of the leading and following aircraft; it applies to similar or dissimilar aircraft, and it indicates the parameters and conditions leading to increasing or decreasing separation. The formula is applied not only to the three International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) categories of aircraft (light, medium and heavy, respectively, Cessna Citation, B737 and B747) but also to ‘special’ aircraft requiring larger separation distance (Boeing 757) and to the world’s largest airliner (Airbus A380).

THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPUTATIONAL PREDICTION OF VORTEX SEPARATION PHENOMENON INSIDE THE RANQUE-HILSCH VORTEX TUBE

The air separators are used to provide safe, clean and appropriate air to the helicopter’s engine. In this operational study, the separation process inside a Ranque-Hilsch air separator cleaning system has been investigated to analyze the impact of choosing the appropriate turbulence model for predicting the separation process inside the air separator. This research is directed towards presenting a computational fluid dynamic explanation performed on a counter-flow air separator using air at different magnitudes of air flow fraction and applying different turbulence models. In a numerical investigation of counter-flow air separator, air has been chosen and its vortex separation phe- nomenon has been analyzed as a function of flow fraction. Furthermore, a numerical analysis to compare the outputs of a seven equation RSM turbulence model applied for the study of vortex separation of a counter-flow air separator with some two-equation turbulence methods, namely, k-ε and k-ω model as well as LES has been presented. All of the turbulence numerical methods are seen to present and predict the same flow pattern inside an air separator, but, with various details. The results show that among the tested methods the RSM creates the most accurate separation pattern. The numerical results are validated by some available experimental data with good agreement.

Development and Nondevelopment of Binary Mesoscale Vortices into Tropical Cyclones in Idealized Numerical Experiments

The evolution of two symmetric midlevel mesoscale vortices situated above a warm ocean is examined with a basic cloud-resolving model. Idealized numerical experiments provide insight into how the evolution may vary with the initial vortex separation distance D and other parameters that influence the time scale for an isolated vortex to begin rapid intensification. The latter parameters include the ambient middle-tropospheric relative humidity (RH) and the initial midlevel wind speed of each vortex. At relatively low RH, there exists an interval of D where binary midlevel vortex interaction prevents tropical cyclone formation. While tropical cyclones generally develop at high RH, similar values of D can delay the process if the vortices are initially weak. Prevention or inhibition of tropical cyclone formation occurs in association with the outward expulsion of lower-tropospheric potential vorticity anomalies as the two vortices merge in the middle troposphere. It is proposed that the primary mechanism for midlevel merger and low-level potential vorticity expulsion involves the excitation of rotating misalignments in each vortex. An analog model based on this premise provides a good approximation for the range of D in which the merger–expulsion scenario occurs. Relatively strong vortices in high-RH environments promptly develop vigorous convection and begin rapid intensification. Differences between the interaction of such diabatic vortices and their adiabatic counterparts are briefly illustrated. In systems that generate tropical cyclones, the mature vortex properties (size and strength) are found to vary significantly with D.