Noise simulation of aircraft engine fans by the boundary element method

Numerical simulation results of the civil aircraft engine fan stage noise in the far field are presented. Non-steady-state rotor–stator interaction is calculated the commercial software that solves the Navier–Stokes equations using differentturbulence models. Noise propagation to the far acoustic field is calculated by the boundary element method using acoustic Lighthill analogies without taking into account the mean current in the air inlet duct. The calculated sound pressure levels at points 50 m from the engine are presented, and the directional patterns of the acoustic radiation are shown. The use of the eddy resolving turbulence model to calculate rotor–stator interaction increases the accuracy in predicting fan stage noise.     

Direct computation and aeroacoustic modelling of a subsonic axisymmetric jet

A numerical algorithm for acoustic noise predictions based on solving Lilley's third order wave equation in the time-space domain is developed for a subsonic axisymmetric jet. The sound field is simulated simultaneously with the source field calculation, which is based on a direct solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. The computational domain includes both the nearfield and a portion of the acoustic farfield. In the simulation, the detailed sound source structure is provided by the nearfield direct numerical simulation (DNS), while the sound field is obtained from both the DNS and the numerical solution to the non-linear Lilley's equation. The source terms of Lilley's equation are used to identify the apparent sound source locations in the idealized axisymmetric low-Reynolds number jet. The sound field is mainly discussed in terms of instantaneous pressure fluctuations, frequency spectra, acoustic intensity and directivity. A good agreement is found between the predictions from the axisymmetric Lilley's equation and the DNS results for the sound field. Limitations and perspectives of the simulation are also discussed.     

Random particle methods applied to broadband fan interaction noise

Predicting broadband fan noise is key to reduce noise emissions from aircraft and wind turbines. Complete CFD simulations of broadband fan noise generation remain too expensive to be used routinely for engineering design. A more efficient approach consists in synthesizing a turbulent velocity field that captures the main features of the exact solution. This synthetic turbulence is then used in a noise source model. This paper concentrates on predicting broadband fan noise interaction (also called leading edge noise) and demonstrates that a random particle mesh method (RPM) is well suited for simulating this source mechanism. The linearized Euler equations are used to describe sound generation and propagation. In this work, the definition of the filter kernel is generalized to include non-Gaussian filters that can directly follow more realistic energy spectra such as the ones developed by Liepmann and von Kármán. The velocity correlation and energy spectrum of the turbulence are found to be well captured by the RPM. The acoustic predictions are successfully validated against Amiet’s analytical solution for a flat plate in a turbulent stream. A standard Langevin equation is used to model temporal decorrelation, but the presence of numerical issues leads to the introduction and validation of a second-order Langevin model.     

冷却用弯掠轴流风机气动噪声预测与试验分析

采用Navier-Stokes方程和标准k-ε湍流模型,对五种不同结构的弯掠轴流风机A/B/C/D/E进行稳态数值模拟,结合给定的性能要求筛选出B/E风机。以稳态流场为基础,采用大涡模拟(LES)与基于Lighthill声类比的FW-H模型相结合的方法对B/E风机进行非定常计算和气动噪声预测,并将预测结果与试验数据进行了对比验证。分析了以叶轮表面作为噪声源时B/E风机的涡流噪声频谱特性,研究了风机三维非定常内部流场中旋涡分布特性,并探讨了风机旋转区域内部声压级的分布规律。     

On the use of a uniformly valid analytical cascade response function for fan broadband noise predictions

The present paper extends an existing analytical model of the aeroacoustic response of a rectilinear cascade of flat-plate blades to three-dimensional incident vortical gusts, to the prediction of the noise generated by a three-dimensional annular blade-row. The extended formulation is meant to be implemented in a fan broadband noise prediction tool. The intended applications include the modern turbofan engines, for which analytical modelling is believed to be a good alternative to more expensive numerical techniques. The prediction noise model resorts to a strip theory approach based on a three-dimensional rectilinear cascade model. The latter is based on the Wiener-Hopf technique, and yields the pressure field in the blade passage and the unsteady blade loading. The analytical pressure solution is derived by making an extensive use of the residue theorem. The obtained unsteady blade loading distribution over the blades is then used as a dipole source distribution in an acoustic analogy applied in the annular rigid duct with uniform mean flow. The new achievements are then tested on three-dimensional annular-benchmark configurations and compared with three-dimensional lifting-surface models and three-dimensional Euler linearized codes available in the literature. The accuracy of the model is shown for high hub-to-tip ratio cases. When used as such in a true rectilinear-cascade configuration, it also reproduces the exact radiated field that can be derived directly. For low hub-to-tip ratio configurations, the model departs from three-dimensional computations, both regarding the blade loading and the acoustic radiation. A correction is proposed to account for the actual annular dispersion relation in the rectilinear-cascade response function. The results suggest that the proposed correction is necessary to get closer to the underlying physics of the annular-space wave equation, but that it is yet not sufficient to fully reproduce three-dimensional results.     

Flow-induced noise analysis for 3D trash rack based on LES/Lighthill hybrid method

A trash rack is used to obstruct dirt in a flow. As it is on the outside of the hull of a ship, such flow-induced noise cannot be ignored. This paper focuses on a hydrodynamic noise study of the trash rack installed on the inlet of pipelines to estimate the noise produced by the turbulent flow. A hybrid method of combining Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) and the Lighthill’s acoustic analogy theory simulate the flow-induced noise for a three-dimensional pipeline. The results of the simulation agree well with the experimental results available in the open literature. Following this, the hydrodynamic noise of flow through a three-dimensional pipeline with different types of trash racks is studied in order to determine the best form. For this objective, the flow and sound properties in different simulation models are analyzed and a low noise type of trash rack is proposed based on some general indexes.     

Regularization for improving the deconvolution in real-time near-field acoustic holography

Near-field acoustic holography is a measuring process for locating and characterizing stationary sound sources from measurements made by a microphone array in the near-field of the acoustic source plane. A technique called real-time near-field acoustic holography (RT-NAH) has been introduced to extend this method in the case of nonstationary sources. This technique is based on a formulation which describes the propagation of time-dependent sound pressure signals on a forward plane using a convolution product with an impulse response in the time-wavenumber domain. Thus the backward propagation of the pressure field is obtained by deconvolution. Taking the evanescent waves into account in RT-NAH improves the spatial resolution of the solution but makes the deconvolution problem "ill-posed" and often yields inappropriate solutions. The purpose of this paper is to focus on solving this deconvolution problem. Two deconvolution methods are compared: one uses a singular value decomposition and a standard Tikhonov regularization and the other one is based on optimum Wiener filtering. A simulation involving monopoles driven by nonstationary signals demonstrates, by means of objective indicators, the accuracy of the time-dependent reconstructed sound field. The results highlight the advantage of using regularization and particularly in the presence of measurement noise.     

船用三通调节阀流-固耦合噪声数值模拟

针对船用PN10DN32三通调节阀噪声声压频谱、声指向性等声学特性规律不明确,噪声声压级是否满足使用要求的问题,基于流-固耦合理论,同时考虑流-固耦合面及流体域内的脉动声学激励源,开展阀门噪声数值模拟研究。分别对三通调节阀在80%及60%开度阀外1 m处的噪声进行数值模拟,分析研究噪声声压频谱特性及声指向性规律。结果表明：80%及60%开度下的噪声声压级分别为49.14 dB(A)、50.79 dB(A),均小于60 d B(A)的噪声限制,满足使用要求。该文为船用三通调节阀噪声数值模拟提供了理论及方法参考。     

A numerical study on the flow and sound fields of centrifugal impeller located near a wedge

Centrifugal fans are widely used and the noise generated by these machines causes one of the serious problems. In general, the centrifugal fan noise is often dominated by tones at blade passage frequency and its higher harmonics. This is a consequence of the strong interaction between the flow discharged from the impeller and the cut-off in the casing. However, only a few researches have been carried out on predicting the noise because of the difficulty in obtaining detailed information about the flow field and considering the scattering effect of the casing. The objective of this study is to understand the generation mechanism of sound and to develop a prediction method for the unsteady flow field and the acoustic pressure field of the centrifugal impeller. A discrete vortex method is used to model the centrifugal impeller and a wedge and to calculate the flow field. The force of each element on the blade is calculated by the unsteady Bernoulli equation. Lowson's method is used to predict the acoustic source. In order to consider the scattering and diffraction effects of the casing, Kirchhoff-Helmholtz boundary element method (BEM) is developed. The source of Kirchhoff-Helmholtz BEM is newly developed, so the sound field of the centrifugal fan can be obtained. A centrifugal impeller and wedge are used in the numerical calculation and the results are compared with the experimental data. Reasonable results are obtained not only for the peak frequencies but also for the amplitudes of the tonal sound. The radiated acoustic field shows the diffraction and scattering effect of the wedge.     

Vorticity dynamics and sound generation in two-dimensional fluid flow

An approximate solution to the two-dimensional incompressible fluid equations is constructed by expanding the vorticity field in a series of derivatives of a Gaussian vortex. The expansion is used to analyze the motion of a corotating Gaussian vortex pair, and the spatial rotation frequency of the vortex pair is derived directly from the fluid vorticity equation. The resulting rotation frequency includes the effects of finite vortex core size and viscosity and reduces, in the appropriate limit, to the rotation frequency of the Kirchhoff point vortex theory. The expansion is then used in the low Mach number Lighthill equation to derive the far-field acoustic pressure generated by the Gaussian vortex pair. This pressure amplitude is compared with that of a previous fully numerical simulation in which the Reynolds number is large and the vortex core size is significant compared to the vortex separation. The present analytic result for the far-field acoustic pressure is shown to be substantially more accurate than previous theoretical predictions. The given example suggests that the vorticity expansion is a useful tool for the prediction of sound generated by a general distributed vorticity field.     

Multiple pure tone noise prediction

This paper presents a fully numerical method for predicting multiple pure tones, also known as “Buzzsaw” noise. It consists of three steps that account for noise source generation, nonlinear acoustic propagation with hard as well as lined walls inside the nacelle, and linear acoustic propagation outside the engine. Noise generation is modeled by steady, part-annulus computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A linear superposition algorithm is used to construct full-annulus shock/pressure pattern just upstream of the fan from part-annulus CFD results. Nonlinear wave propagation is carried out inside the duct using a pseudo-two-dimensional solution of Burgers? equation. Scattering from nacelle lip as well as radiation to farfield is performed using the commercial solver ACTRAN/TM. The proposed prediction process is verified by comparing against full-annulus CFD simulations as well as against static engine test data for a typical high bypass ratio aircraft engine with hardwall as well as lined inlets. Comparisons are drawn against nacelle unsteady pressure transducer measurements at two axial locations as well as against near- and far-field microphone array measurements outside the duct.     

An iterative algorithm for computing aeroacoustic integrals with application to the analysis of free shear flow noise

An iterative algorithm is developed for the computation of aeroacoustic integrals in the time domain. It is specially designed for the generation of acoustic images, thus giving access to the wavefront pattern radiated by an unsteady flow when large size source fields are considered. It is based on an iterative selection of source-observer pairs involved in the radiation process at a given time-step. It is written as an advanced-time approach, allowing easy connection with flow simulation tools. Its efficiency is related to the fraction of an observer grid step that a sound-wave covers during one time step. Test computations were performed, showing the CPU-time to be 30 to 50 times smaller than with a classical non-iterative procedure. The algorithm is applied to compute the sound radiated by a spatially evolving mixing-layer flow: it is used to compute and visualize contributions to the acoustic field from the different terms obtained by a decomposition of the Lighthill source term.     

Hybrid active and passive control of fan noise

This paper deals with the global reduction of axial flow fan noise in ducts in a building using a hybrid passive-active noise control method. The effectiveness of using an infra-red device as a reference signal source is also investigated. It is shown that using such a hybrid noise control system over an axial-flow fan reduces the overall sound pressure level by 5 dB(A) in the surrounding environment and global control of the blade passing frequency can also be achieved. This paper also shows that using an infra-red device as a reference signal source produces marginally better control as compared with using a microphone reference sensor. Moreover, long term stability is guaranteed and the possibility of acoustic feedback is eliminated.     

上下并联轴流风机室外机气动声学预测模型

本文基于CFD模拟方法,分析了空调器室外机上下并联轴流风机系统噪声源分布,建立了室外机气动声学预测方法.研究发现,上下并联轴流风机系统由宽频和离散频率噪声组成,宽频噪声是影响室外机噪声总声压级的重要因素.涡声分析表明,涡脱落噪声是宽频噪声的主要影响因素.基于CFD的叶片尾缘涡脱落噪声预测方法计算得到宽频声压误差为2 dB,考虑离散频率影响时,室外机A计权总声压级预测误差小于2 dBA.基于CFD的点源时域预测模型,捕捉到了上下并联轴流风机系统的离散频率噪声峰值,且在上下叶轮前二阶谐波处预测值与实验值吻合较好.     

Application of frequency-domain linearized Euler solutions to the prediction of aft fan tones and comparison with experimental measurements on model scale turbofan exhaust nozzles

Although it is widely accepted that aircraft noise needs to be further reduced, there is an equally important, on-going requirement to accurately predict the strengths of all the different aircraft noise sources, not only to ensure that a new aircraft is certifiable and can meet the ever more stringent local airport noise rules but also to prioritize and apply appropriate noise source reduction technologies at the design stage. As the bypass ratio of aircraft engines is increased - in order to reduce fuel consumption, emissions and jet mixing noise - the fan noise that radiates from the bypass exhaust nozzle is becoming one of the loudest engine sources, despite the large areas of acoustically absorptive treatment in the bypass duct. This paper addresses this ‘aft fan’ noise source, in particular the prediction of the propagation of fan noise through the bypass exhaust nozzle/jet exhaust flow and radiation out to the far-field observer. The proposed prediction method is equally applicable to fan tone and fan broadband noise (and also turbine and core noise) but here the method is validated with measured test data using simulated fan tones. The measured data had been previously acquired on two model scale turbofan engine exhausts with bypass and heated core flows typical of those found in a modern high bypass engine, but under static conditions (i.e. no flight simulation). The prediction method is based on frequency-domain solutions of the linearized Euler equations in conjunction with perfectly matched layer equations at the inlet and far-field boundaries using high-order finite differences. The discrete system of equations is inverted by the parallel sparse solver MUMPS. Far-field predictions are carried out by integrating Kirchhoff's formula in frequency domain. In addition to the acoustic modes excited and radiated, some non-acoustic waves within the cold stream-ambient shear layer are also captured by the computations at some flow and excitation frequencies. By extracting phase speed information from the near-field pressure solution, these non-acoustic waves are shown to be convective Kelvin-Helmholtz instability waves. Strouhal numbers computed along the shear layer, based on the local momentum thickness also confirm this in accordance with Michalke's instability criterion for incompressible round jets with a similar shear layer profile. Comparisons of the computed far-field results with the measured acoustic data reveal that, in general, the solver predicts the peak sound levels well when the farfield is dominated by the in-duct target mode (the target mode being the one specified to the in-duct mode generator). Calculations also show that the agreement can be considerably improved when the non-target modes are also included, despite their low in-duct levels. This is due to the fact that each duct mode has its own distinct directionality and a non-target low level mode may become dominant at angles where the higher-level target mode is directionally weak. The overall agreement between the computations and experiment strongly suggests that, at least for the range of mean flows and acoustic conditions considered, the physical aeroacoustic radiation processes are fully captured through the frequency-domain solutions to the linearized Euler equations and hence this could form the basis of a reliable aircraft noise prediction method.     

一种基于声相似律的旋转流体机械噪声声源分离方法

针对管道系统中的流体机械发声问题,提出了一种声源函数与声响应函数的频谱分离方法。该方法以声相似律为基础,分别采用最小均方值多重线性回归方法和高斯滤波获得声源函数和声响应函数。通过算例验证了该方法的有效性,辨识得到的声源函数和声响应函数的相对误差均远小于现有方法。利用该方法分析了自由空间和带管道两种安装条件下轴流风扇的辐射噪声,辨识得到了相应的声源函数、声响应函数和叶尖速度律指数,并对风扇的主要噪声成分进行了分析。      

平面叶栅气动噪声的高精度谱元方法求解

本文建立了一种用于气动噪声预测的高精度三角谱元方法。结合CBS法(Characteristic-based split method)求解Navier-Stokes方程获取伪声压声源后,基于波动方程求解声传播问题。谱元法的谱收敛特性满足了气动声学问题的高精度需求,而CBS法的引入保证了高雷诺数问题的计算稳定性。通过两组基准解问题求解验证了本文方法的正确性。将本文方法应用于平面叶栅气动噪声计算,并考察了不同攻角下噪声的变化规律。研究内容为进一步探究各类流体机械的气动噪声提供了一种新的途径。     

“Buzz-saw” noise: Prediction of the rotor-alone pressure field

Public expectations of lower environmental noise levels, and increasingly stringent legislative limits on aircraft noise, result in noise being a critical technical issue in the development of jet engines. Noise at take-off, when the engines are at high-power operating conditions, is a key reference level for engine noise certification. “Buzz-saw” noise is the dominant fan tone noise from modern high-bypass-ratio turbofan aircraft engines during take-off. Rotor-alone tones are the key component of buzz-saw noise. The rotor-alone pressure field is cut-off at subsonic fan tip speeds; buzz-saw noise is associated with supersonic fan tip speeds, or equivalently, high power engine operating conditions. A recent series of papers has described new work concerning the prediction of buzz-saw noise. The prediction method is based on modelling the nonlinear propagation of one-dimensional sawtooth waveforms. A sawtooth waveform is a simplified representation of the rotor-alone pressure field. Previous validation of the prediction method focussed entirely on reproducing the spectral characteristics of buzz-saw noise; this was dictated at that time by the availability of spectral data only for comparison between measurement and prediction. In this paper, full validation of the method by comparing measurement and prediction of the rotor-alone pressure field is published for the first time. It is shown that results from the modelling based on a one-dimensional sawtooth waveform capture the essential features of the rotor-alone pressure field as it propagates upstream inside a hard-walled inlet duct. This verifies that predictions of the buzz-saw noise spectrum, which are in good agreement with the measured data, are based on a model which reproduces the key physics of the noise generation process. Validation results for the rotor-alone pressure field in an acoustically lined inlet duct are also shown. Comparisons of the measured and predicted rotor-alone pressure field are more difficult to interpret because the acoustic lining significantly modifies the sawtooth waveform, but there remains good agreement with the measured spectral data. The buzz-saw noise prediction code used to generate the simulations in this paper has been used by the Rolls–Royce Noise Department since 2004.     

非紧凑低马赫数运动边界散射流动噪声的预测

提出了一种求解非紧凑低马赫数运动边界散射流动诱发噪声的预测方法。该方法首先基于运动坐标系下的连续性方程和动量方程推导得到该坐标系下的波动方程及其积分解,然后在该坐标系下采用边界元方法求解得到非紧凑运动边界表面的声压,最后将求解得到的壁面声压回代到静止或运动坐标系下的积分方程中实现对远场噪声的预测。推导得到的积分方程适用于流体与飞机机身、高速列车车身及旋转叶片等非紧凑结构边界作用诱发噪声的预测。