NASA Glenn Research Center
21000 Brookpark Road, MS 77-1
Cleveland, Ohio 44135

phone: 216.433.8334
fax: 216.433.8643
email: dpaxson@grc.nasa.gov

Current Work

Wave Rotor Topping Cycles for Gas Turbine Engines (1991-present):

• Dynamic and Steady-State Modeling
• Integrated Operability Assessment.

Modeling of Combustion Instabilities (1998-present):

• Pulse Detonation Engines (1999-present):
• Dynamic and Limit-Cycle Modeling
• Integrated Operability Assessment

Past Work/Accomplishments

Previous Research Areas:

• Trailing Edge Film Cooling on Gas Turbine Blades (1984-86)
• Near Wake Turbulence Structures (1986-89)
• Rotor/Stator Wake Interactions in Gas Turbines (1986-89)
• Space Shuttle Main Engine Turbopump Shaft Seal System Fluid Flows (1990-92)

Awards:

• Cleveland Federal Executive Board Wings of Excellence Award for Outstanding Public Service, 2001
• NASA Superior Accomplishment Award, Simulation and Modeling Contributions to Pulse Detonation Engine Technology Project, 2000
• NASA Team Achievement Award, Technical Contributions to Active Combustion Control Rig Development, 2000
• NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Development and Application of Wave Rotor Technology, 1999
• NASA Superior Accomplishment Award, Investigation of Wave Rotor Dynamics and Support of the Wave Rotor Program, 1997
• NASA Superior Accomplishment Award, Investigation of Area Variation in Wave Rotors in Support of the Wave Rotor Program, 1997
• NASA Lewis Awareness Team Achievement Award-Wave Rotor Phase IIa Team, 1996
• SAE Manly Memorial Award for Distinguished Publication, with Jack Wilson , 1996
• NASA Lewis Awareness Team Achievement Award-Wave Rotor Phase I Team, 1995
• NASA Tech Brief, 1995
• NASA Lewis Distinguished Publication Award, 1993
• 4 Patents: Wave Rotor Wave Cancellation Method 1993, Wave Rotor Wave Cancellation System 1993, Wave Diffuser, 1999, Wave Rotor Cold Gas Reinjection Method, 1999.

Invited Lectures on Wave Rotor Technology:

• Advanced Gas Turbine Systems Research Combustion Workshop, 1996
• Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996
• Texas A & M University, 1995

Publications

Paxson, D. E., "A Model for the Space Shuttle Main Engine High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump Shaft Seal System,", NASA TM 103697, November, 1990.

Paxson, D. E., "A General Numerical Model for Wave Rotor Analysis," NASA TM 105740, July,1992.

Paxson, D. E., "An Improved Numerical Model for Wave Rotor Design and Analysis," AIAA Paper 93-0482, January, 1993, (also NASA TM 105915).

Paxson, D. E., "A Comparison Between Numerically Modeled and Experimentally Measured Loss Mechanisms in Wave Rotors," AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 11, No. 5, 1995, pp. 908-914, (also NASA TM 106279).

Paxson, D. E., "Numerical Simulation of Dynamic Wave Rotor Performance," AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 12, No. 5, 1996, pp. 949-957, (also, NASA TM 106997).

Paxson, D. E., "A Numerical Investigation of the Startup Transient in a Wave Rotor," ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 119, No. 3, 1997, pp. 676-682, also ASME Paper 96-GT-115, June, 1996, (also, NASA TM 107196).

Paxson, D. E., "An Incidence Loss Model for Wave Rotors With Axially Aligned Passages, " AIAA-98-3251, July, 1998; also NASA TM-1998-207923.

Paxson, D. E., "A Sectored-One-Dimensional Model For Simulating Combustion Instabilities in Premix Combustors," AIAA paper 2000-0313, January, 2000.

Paxson, D. E., "A Performance Map for Ideal Air Breathing Pulse Detonation Engines," AIAA paper 2001-3465, July, 2001.

Paxson, D. E., "Optimal Area Profiles for Ideal Single Nozzle Air-Breathing Pulse Detonation Engines," AIAA paper 2003-4512, July, 2003.

Paxson, D. E., "An Experimental Investigation of Unsteady Thrust Augmentation Using a Speaker-Driven Jet," AIAA paper 2004-0092, January, 2004.

Paxson, D. E., and Mayle, R. E., "The Influence of a Mainstream Thermal Boundary Layer on Film Effectiveness", ASME Journal Turbomachinery, Vol. 3, No. 4, October, 1989.

Paxson, D. E., and Mayle, R. E., "Velocity Measurements on the Forward Portion of a Cylinder", ASME Journal of Fluids Engineering, Vol. 112, No. 2, June, 1990, pp. 243-245.

Paxson, D. E., and Mayle, R. E., "Laminar Boundary Layer Interaction With an Unsteady Passing Wake", ASME Journal Turbomachinery, Vol. 113, No. 3, July, 1991, pp. 419-427.

Paxson, D. E. And Wilson, J., "Recent Improvements to and Validation of the One Dimensional NASA Wave Rotor Model," NASA TM 106913, May, 1995.

Paxson, D. E. and Lindau, J. W., "Numerical Assessment of Four-Port, Through-Flow Wave Rotor Cycles With Passage Height Variation," AIAA paper 97-3143, July, 1997, also NASA TM 107490.

Paxson, D. E., and Skoch, G. J, "Wave Augmented Diffusers for Centrifugal Compressors, " AIAA-98-3401, July, 1998; also NASA TM-1998-208480.

Paxson, D. E. and Nalim M. R., "A Modified Through-Flow Wave Rotor Cycle With Combustor Bypass Ducts," AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 15, No. 3, 1999, pp. 462-467.

Paxson, D. E., Wilson, J., Dougherty, K. T., "Unsteady Ejector Performance: An Experimental Investigation Using A Pulsejet Driver," AIAA paper 2002-3915, July, 2002.

Musgrave, J.L., Paxson, D.E., Litt, J.S., Merrill, W.C., "A Demonstration of an Intelligent Control System for a Reusable Rocket Engine," Proceedings of the Advanced Earth-to-Orbit Propulsion Technology Conference, Huntsville AL, May, 19-21, 1992, (NASA TM 105794, May, 1992).

Wilson, J., and Paxson, D. E., "Jet Engine Perfomance Enhancement Through The Use of a Wave-Rotor Topping Cycle," NASA TM 4486, October, 1993.

Litt, J. S., Paxson, D.E., Musgrave, J.L., Guo, T.H., "An Object-Oriented Graphical User Interface for a Reusable Rocket Engine Intelligent Control System," NASA TM 106750, October, 1994.

Welch, G. E., Jones, S. M., and Paxson, D. E., "Wave Rotor Enhanced Gas-Turbine Engines," AIAA-95-2799, July, 1995, (also NASA TM 106998).

Nalim, R. M., and Paxson, D. E., "A Numerical Investigation of Premixed Combustion in Wave Rotors," ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 119, No. 3, 1997, pp. 668-675, also ASME Paper 96-GT-116, June, 1996, also, NASA TM 107242.

Wilson, J. and Paxson, D. E., "Optimization of Wave Rotors for use as Gas Turbine Engine Topping Cycles," AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 12, No. 4, 1996, pp. 778-785, (also NASA TM 106951).

Greendyke, R. B., Paxson, D. E., and Schobeiri, M. T., "Dynamic Simulation of a Wave Rotor Topped Turboshaft Engine," AIAA paper 97-3143, July, 1997, also NASA TM 107514.

Quinn, D. D., and Paxson, D. E., "A Simplified Model for the Investigation of Acoustically Driven combustion Instabilities," AIAA-98-3764, July, 1998.

Welch, G. E., and Paxson, D. E., "Wave Turbine Analysis Tool Development," AIAA-98-3402, July, 1998; also NASA TM-1998-208485 and ARL-TR-174.

Welch, G. E., Paxson, D. E.., Wilson, J., and Snyder, P. H., "Wave-Rotor-Enhanced Gas Turbine Engine Demonstrator," prepared for the Gas Turbine Operation and Technology for Land, Sea, and Air Propulsion and Power System Symposium, paper ARL-TR-2113, October, 1999, also NASA TM-1999-209459.

DeLaat, John C., Breisacher, Kevin J., Saus, Joseph R., Paxson, Daniel E., "Active Combustion Control for Aircraft Gas Turbine Engines, " AIAA Paper 2000-3500, July, 2000.

Wilson, J. and Paxson, D. E., "On the Exit Boundary Conditions for One-dimensional Calculations of Pulsed Detonation Engine Performance, " presented at the 18th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Seattle, WA, July, 2001.

Wilson, J. and Paxson, D. E., "Unsteady Ejector Performance: An Experimental Investigation Using A Resonance Tube Driver, " AIAA paper 2002-3632, July, 2002.

John, W. T., Paxson, D. E., Wernet, M. P., "Conditionally Sampled Pulsejet Driven Ejector Flow Field Using DPIV," AIAA paper 2002-3231, June 2002.

Biography

Education

• Doctorate: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., 1990, Mechanical Engineering
• Masters: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., 1987, Mechanical Engineering
• Bachelor of Engineering: Vanderbilt University, Nashville Tennessee, 1984, Mechanical Engineering

Work Experience

• General Motors Research Center, Warren Michigan, 1982-84
• Gas Turbine Laboratory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, 1984-90
• NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, 1990-present

Interests

Practically everything, but in particular my family, cycling, furniture building, wave rotors.

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