Ultrasonic Vortex Detection System

Many direct-connect turbine engine test facilities use a bellmouth for transitioning between the plenum and the engine air supply duct. Under certain test conditions, vorticity can form at the plenum/bellmouth interface which causes errors in air flowmeasurements and affects engine performance. To improve the quality of testing, a system is needed which can detect bellmouth vorticity in near-real-time, and provide facility operators with an indication of its presence. In the preceding Phase Icontract, Nielsen Engineering and Research (NEAR) demonstrated that their ultrasonic vortex detection system is capable of performing these functions. This system uses flush-mounted ultrasonic transducers which are robust, reliable, nonintrusive to theflow, present no FOD danger, and can be easily retrofitted to existing facilities. The intuitive detection algorithm allows single and multiple vortices to be located and quantified in near-real-time with no user intervention. The system incorporates asimple display to provide operators with a clear and unambiguous indication of vorticity, while an auxiliary output port provides engineers with more detailed diagnostic information on the flowfield. In the Phase II contract, NEAR will scale up theirvortex detection system, install the instrument into an AEDC test cell, and demonstrate its capabilities under realistic operating conditions.