Arnold team among those honored with NASA group achievement award

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn --  An AEDC team comprised of engineers, instrument technicians, outside machinists, test program planners and administrative professionals were among a larger group recently recognized with a NASA Group Achievement Award.

The team from AEDC participated on an Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment (AAFEX) conducted at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., in early 2009. Others contributing to the AAFEX project included NASA Langley and Glenn Research Centers, Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Aerodyne Research Inc., Carnegie-Mellon, EPA, Harvard, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Montana State University, University of California, San Diego, and United Technologies Research Center. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Subsonics Fixed Wing Research Project funded the AAFEX activity.

"The AAFEX experiment was very successful in enhancing our knowledge of the effects of alternative fuels on emissions from aircraft engines," said Dan Bulzan, NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Subsonics Fixed Wing Project associate principle investigator.

"This is the project that supports the alternative fuels research that we are currently doing. Two fuels, produced using the Fischer-Tropsch process, were used in the testing along with a standard JP-8. Emissions were sampled directly behind the engines as well as at several locations downstream.

"The AEDC team was responsible for setting up and operating the sampling system and probes and also taking smoke number measurements. The testing could not have been performed without the work of the AEDC people."

The collective team of AAFEX investigators used a NASA DC-8, which has CFM-56 turbofan engines, as the test platform for the experiment.

According to Dr. Robert Howard, a member of the Technology and Analysis Branch within ATA's Integrated Test and Evaluation Department, AEDC's lead investigator on the experiment, the aircraft was parked during AAFEX in an open-air run-up facility and complete sets of gas and particle emission measurements were made as a function of engine thrust. The primary purpose of the testing was to help evaluate the emissions for their environmental impact both at airports and beyond. The data is also being used to evaluate engine performance and further characterize the chemical composition of the emissions.

Dr. Howard coordinated the exhaust sampling system design, layout, installation, operation and needs of the several investigators from multiple agencies and companies participating in the test program. He said being recognized with the NASA group award was a humbling experience and emphasized that "this was truly a team effort in every way."
"Capt. Charles McNeil, who was our Air Force project manager at the time, was instrumental in overseeing the effort," he said. "Katie Stephens was the engineer who helped to coordinate our crew's activities, data acquisition and data processing.

"Our crafts guys were also critical to the success of this experiment," he continued. "Brad Besheres, an ATA outside machinist, was responsible, along with Roy Carroll and Gary Storey, ATA instrument technicians, for installing and operating our test instrumentation, including thermocouples, pressure transducers and sample-line heating controllers. They also were essential in acquiring data during the test.

Dr. Howard said Steve Lepley, another ATA outside machinist, helped with the pre-test preparations and traveled to the site late in the test to support Besheres with the final work and disassembling AEDC's equipment afterwards.

"Brad Winkleman is our ATA engineer who wrote many of the data acquisition programs for AEDC instrumentation and the motorized table for traversing the probe rake system" Dr. Howard explained. "And Terry Hand is our ATA engineer who designed the tall probe-rake system referred to as the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) rake. This probe rake system was developed for another program, but was used for engine exit-exhaust sampling for the 'right-side' engine on the AAFEX test program."

Dr. Howard said the "behind the scenes" effort that went into preparing for the test was substantial.

"ATA's Becky Combs, helped to organize the AEDC emissions trailer, equipment, supplies and shipping document for transport to NASA Dryden," he said. "And Jennifer Harvey did all our purchasing after she had researched vendors and submitted procurement requests. She then tracked procurements during the pre-test planning and readiness process and also submitted emergency procurement orders during the test program."

Dr. Howard credited Danny Catalano, an ATA engineer's aide, with designing the NASA rake used on the aircraft's left engine. "Danny is a valuable resource regarding the design, fabrication and operational parameters of our probe-rake systems. [He also] provided support during pre-test system engineering and consultation during test operations," Dr. Howard said.

Dr. Howard cited the value of Catalano's ability to work well with AEDC's machine shop on fabricating rakes that are not cost prohibitive, function properly and are robust and survive the extreme environment of testing.

Dr. Howard also had praise for another member of their team, Russ Groff.

"He [Groff]) is the ATA mechanical engineer who helped design the 'box' that was mounted within the exhaust flow-field about 30 meters downstream of the engine to house particle measurement instrumentation," he explained. "We're seeing how the emissions change with distance - there are some [changes in] chemistry, kinetics and microphysics on particles. If you're at the absolute exit of the engine core, the exhaust is up around 800-1100 degrees Fahrenheit. If you look at the particles at that point, they're all carbonaceous particles, what you call "soot", little balls of carbon.

"If you go way on downstream, it [the emissions gases] cool down - the exhaust cools down and you have sulfur and nitrogen compounds and unburned hydrocarbons that will condense and form what we call volatile particles."

Also, Dr. Howard said there were individuals at AEDC who, although they were not mentioned in the award, deserve credit for their contribution to AAFEX.
"The AEDC model shop was instrumental to the success of this effort," he said. "They fabricated both probe rake systems, the traverse stand and many of the customized sample system splitters, manifolds and etc. Larry Stanford, Bob Boswell and the entire model-shop crew are a valuable AEDC asset that we often take for granted."

Dr. Howard and the other members of the team have worked with NASA in past years on similar testing and he said more work on AAFEX is coming in 2011.