Visualization and numerical simulation of supersonic microjets

Very narrow supersonic jets expanding from a small size convergent-divergent nozzle are visualized by the laser induced fluorescence method and simulated numerically using the piecewise linear method. Good agreement between the experiment and the numerical result is obtained in the jet structure, i.e. the shape of the barrel shock, the location of its reflection point on the axis, and the shape of the jet boundary.     

Active control of supersonic impingement tones using steady and pulsed microjets

In recent years, it has been demonstrated that direct microjet injection into the shear layer of the main jet disrupts the feedback loop inherent in high speed impinging jet flows, thereby significantly reducing the adverse effects. The amount of noise reduced by microjet actuation is known to be dependent on nozzle operating conditions. In this paper, two active control strategies using microjets are suggested to maintain a uniform, reliable, and optimal reduction of these tones over the entire range of operating conditions. In the first method, a quasi-closed loop control strategy is proposed using steady microjet injection and the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) algorithm. The most energetic spatial mode of the unsteady pressure along the nozzle diameter is captured using the POD, which in turn is used to determine the distribution of microjet intensity along the nozzle exit. Preliminary experimental results from a STOVL supersonic jet facility at Mach 1.5 show that the quasi-closed loop control strategy, in some cases, provides an additional 8–10 dB reduction compared to axisymmetric injection at the desired operating conditions. The second method consists of a pulsed microjet injection, motivated by the need to further improve the noise suppression. It was observed that the pulsed microjet was able to bring about the same noise reduction as steady injection using approximately 40% of the corresponding mass flow rate of the steady microjet case. Moreover, as the duty cycle increased, the performance of pulsed injection was further enhanced and was observed to completely eliminate the impinging tones at all operating conditions.     

Oscillatory behavior of supersonic impinging jet flows

Oscillatory flows of a choked underexpanded supersonic impinging jet issuing from a convergent nozzle have been computed using the axisymmetric unsteady Navier--Stokes system. This paper focuses on the oscillatory flow features associated with the variation of the nozzle-to-plate distance and nozzle pressure ratio. Frequencies of the surface pressure oscillation and flow structural changes from computational results have been analyzed. Staging behavior of the oscillation frequency has been observed for both cases of nozzle-to-plate distance variation and pressure ratio variation. However, the staging behavior for each case exhibits different features. These two distinct staging behaviors of the oscillation frequency are found to correlate well if the frequency and the distance are normalized by the length of the shock cell. It is further found that the staging behavior is strongly correlated with the change of the pressure wave pattern in the jet shear layer, but not with the shock cell structure. Communicated by K. Takayama PACS 02.60.Cb; 47.40.−x; 47.40.Nm; 47.35.+I; 47.15.−x     

Measurements on supersonic free jets

Summary An experimental study of round supersonic air jets discharging into quiescent air is described. The initial stagnation enthalpy of the jets was equal to that of the atmosphere. Most of the experiments concerned a fully expanded jet with initial Mach number M _I =1.74. From the experimental results the turbulent Prandtl number and the turbulent coefficient of momentum transfer could be calculated in a large part of the mixing zone of the jets. A mixing parameter K has been introduced and calculated for the jets. The results of this investigation are compared with those obtained for low-speed jets.     

Relationship between vortex and sound in under‐expanded supersonic impinging jets

The study of an under‐expanded supersonic jet impinging on a flat plate by using large‐eddy simulation is reported. A third‐order upwind compact difference and a fourth‐order symmetric compact scheme are employed to discretize the nondimensional axisymmetric compressible Favre‐filtered Navier–Stokes equations in space, whereas the third‐order Runge–Kutta method with the total variation diminishing property is adopted to deal with the temporal discretization. The numerical simulation successfully captures the shock wave and vortex structures with different scales in the flow field. Waves with high and low frequencies traveling forward and reflecting back, and sound sources in different locations can be observed. By comparison with the frequency of the impinging tone from the experiment, it can be deduced that the change of pressure and swirling strength in the shear layer, pressure change on the impinging plate, and vortex merging in the jet shear layer are interdependent with the impinging tone. The effects of nozzle lip thickness on the impinging jet flow field have been investigated. The results show that the values of pressure fluctuation and vortex swirling strength in the shear layer near the nozzle have an extremum with the variation of the nozzle lip thickness. The results provide a theoretical foundation for the design of supersonic nozzles. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The entrainment of air by water jet impinging on a free surface

High-speed cine and video photographs were used to capture the flow patterns of a column of water jet impinging into a pool of water. The impact results in air entrainment into water in the form of a void with no mixing between the water in the jet and the surrounding water. Conservation of fluid momentum shows that the rate of increase of the height of the air void depends on the drag coefficient of the jet front. By neglecting the frictional losses, the application of energy conservation yields an expression that relates the maximum height of the air void with the properties of the water jet.     

Heat transfer characteristics from in-line arrays of free impinging jets

An experimental investigation of the convective heat transfer on a flat surface in a multiple-jet system is described. A thin metal sheet was heated electrically and cooled from one side. On the other black coated side the temperature field was measured using an IR camera. Varied parameters were the jet Reynolds number in the range from 1,400 to 41,400, the normalized distance nozzle to sheet H/d from 1 to 10, and the normalized nozzle spacing S/d from 2 to 10. A geometrical arrangement of nine nozzle in-line arrays was tested. The results show that the multiple-jet system enhances the local and average heat transfer in comparison with that of a single nozzle. A maximum of the heat transfer was found for the normalized spacing S/d = 6.0. The normalized distance H/d has nearly no effect on the heat transfer in the range 2 ≤ H/d ≤ 4. The maximum average Nusselt number was correlated as a function of the jet Reynolds number      

Special features of self-sustained oscillations in a supersonic underexpanded jet impinging on an obstacle with a restricted cross-section

Effect of the obstacle size on the flow structure and the transient conditions arising in a supersonic underexpanded jet normally impinging on a flat restricted obstacle is studied. Baltic State Technical University, St. Petersburg 198005. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 143–149, July–August, 1999.     

Study on the dynamical characteristics of a supersonic high pressure ratio underexpanded impinging ideal gas jet through numerical simulations

The impingement of an axisymmetric underexpanded ideal gas jet on a flat surface is investigated through numerical simulations. Different injection conditions, characterized by the nozzle pressure ratio (NPR), have been considered and for each, several standoff distances were studied. The study was conducted using the commercial finite volume general purpose code Fluent^®. The numerical results are presented in terms of Mach number and static pressure to characterize the structure of the flow. Furthermore, the influence of the standoff distance upon the position and diameter of Mach disk is analysed. Some results are compared with literature data and good agreement is obtained.     

Pitot pressures of correctly-expanded and underexpanded free jets from axisymmetric supersonic nozzles

The structures of the axisymmetric free jets from supersonic nozzles with the exit Mach numbers of 1.5 and 2.0 are studied with special attention to the decay of the Pitot pressures downstream of the Mach disk. The Pitot pressure probe and schlieren method are used in the experiments to diagnose the flowfield. A TVD numerical method is also applied to the Euler equations, and the computed jet structures are compared with experiments. In the underexpanded jet, the experimentally obtained Pitot pressure near the jet centerline is found to substantially recover downstream of the Mach disk. By comparing the numerical computation, this phenomenon is thought to be caused by the turbulent momentum transfer to the central region from the region outside the slip line where the stagnation pressure loss is small.     

Experiments of free vibration of shells of revolution

This paper presents experimental techniques used in and results obtained during a series of experiments performed to investigate the free-vibration behavior of 15-in. base-diameter spherical and paraboloidal shell models of various geometric parameters and boundary conditions. The models were manufactured from polyvinyl-chloride (P.V.C.) sheets by a thermo-vacuum process using special molds and templates. To provide the necessary excitation power, a variable control amplitude/frequency audio oscillator was used to drive a loudspeaker which was mounted underneath the models. A recently developed noncontact fiber-optics instrument, referred to as the “Fotonic Sensor”, was employed in determining the motion of the models. Thirty-two models of different configurations and boundary conditions were tested in the series. The natural frequencies were observed for all models, while the mode shapes associated with the first four-to-six resonant frequencies were mapped only for some of the models, using special scanning devices.     

Effect of impinging plate geometry on the self-excitation of subsonic impinging jets

In the generation of discrete tones by subsonic impinging jets, there exists a difference of opinion as how the feedback is achieved, i.e., the path of the feedback acoustic waves is whether inside the jet or outside the jet? The only available model (Tam and Ahuja model) for the prediction of an average subsonic jet impingement tone frequency assumes that the upstream part of the feedback loop is closed by an upstream propagating neutral wave of the jet. But, there is no information about the plate geometry in the model. The present study aims at understanding the effect of the plate geometry (size and co-axial hole in the plate) on the self-excitation process of subsonic impinging jets and the path of the acoustic feedback to the nozzle exit. The present results show that there is no effect of plate diameter on the frequency of the self-excitation. A new type of tones is generated for plates with co-axial hole (hole diameter is equal to nozzle exit diameter) for Mach numbers 0.9 and 0.95, in addition to the axisymmetric and helical mode tones observed for plates without co-axial hole. The stability results show that the Strouhal number of the least dispersive upstream propagating neutral waves match with the average Strouhal number of the new tones observed in the present experiments. The present study extends the validity of the model of Tam and Ahuja to a plate with co-axial hole (annular plate) and by doing so, we indirectly confirmed that the major acoustic feedback path to the nozzle exit is inside the jet.     

Numerical simulation of convective heat transfer to a radial free surface jet impinging on a hot solid

The convective heat transfer between a circular free surface impinging jet and a solid surface has been studied numerically. The thin liquid film formed on the surface has been assumed to be in non-turbulent free surface flow. The effects of surface tension, viscosity, gravity and heat transfer between the film flow and the solid surface have been taken into account. The flow structure on a non-heated surface has been investigated first. Next, the steady-state flow structure in the liquid film as well as the heat transfer has been examined. The predicted results have been compared with experimental data for the purpose of validating the analysis. The hydrodynamics of the liquid film and the heat transfer processes have been investigated numerically to understand the physics of the phenomena. Received on 5 October 1998     

Flow properties of a dusty-gas point source in a supersonic free stream

By using Lagrangian method, the flow properties of a dusty-gas point source in a supersonic free stream were studied and the particle parameters in the near-symmetry-axis region were obtained . It is demonstrated that fairly inertial particles travel along oscillating and intersecting trajectories between the bow and termination shock waves . In this region, formation of " mufti- layer structure" in panicle distribution with alternating low- and high density layers is revealed. Moreover, sharp accumulation of particles occurs near the envelopes of particle trajectories .     

Computational study of a supersonic free jet rotating perpendicular to the streamwise direction

We study the flow structure of supersonic jets rotating perpendicular to the streamwise direction using RANS simulations, and we assess the performance of different turbulence model rotation corrections. The Coriolis and centrifugal terms were added to the equations of motion to perform calculations in this non-inertial (rotating) frame of reference. An explicit, cell-centred, finite-volume numerical method, coupled to a k?ε turbulence model, was used for the computations. The turbulence model rotation corrections of Howard et al. (1980), Park and Chung (1999), and Cazalbou et al. (2005) were attempted. In the absence of experimental data for jets rotating perpendicular to the streamwise direction, the rotation corrections were examined against the available measurements of a swirling jet; the comparison of the numerical and experimental data indicates that the Cazalbou et al. (2005 Cazalbou, J.B. 2005. Two-equation modeling of turbulent rotating flows. Physics of Fluids, 17(5): 1–14. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and Park and Chung (1999 Park, J.Y. and Chung, M.K. 1999. A model for the decay of rotating homogeneous turbulence. Physics of Fluids, 11(6): 1544–1549. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) corrections improve the performace of the turbulence model. Simulations were then run of a supersonic jet rotating perpendicular to the stream direction at 0, 50, 100 and 150 rad/s, using no turbulence model rotation correction, and using the three rotation corrections. The results indicate that the Cazalbou et al. (2005 Cazalbou, J.B. 2005. Two-equation modeling of turbulent rotating flows. Physics of Fluids, 17(5): 1–14. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) correction is more physical than the other two, as it yields results that are qualitatively consistent with the known effects of rotation: that turbulence is enhanced and suppressed on the concave and convex sides of a rotating jet centreline, respectively, and that the effect of rotation saturates as the rotation rate increases. The findings are in qualitative agreement with the available literature.     

Wall pressure fluctuations in the reattachment region of a supersonic free shear layer

A study was made of the wall pressure fluctuations in the reattachment region of a supersonic free shear layer. The free shear layer was formed by the separation of a Mach 2.9 turbulent boundary layer from a backward facing step. Reattachment occurred on a 20° ramp. By adjusting the position of the ramp, the base pressure at the step was set equal to the freestream pressure, and the free shear layer formed in the absence of any turning. An array of flush-mounted, miniature, high-frequency pressure transducers was used in the vicinity of the reattachment region to make multichannel measurements of the fluctuating wall pressure. Contrary to previous observations of this flow, the reattachment region was found to be highly unsteady, and the pressure fluctuations were found to be large. The overall behavior of the wall pressure loading is similar in scale and magnitude to the unsteadiness of the wall pressure field in compression ramp flows at the same Mach number. Rayleigh scattering was used to visualize the instantaneous shock structure in the streamwise and spanwise direction. Spanwise wrinkles on the order of half the boundary layer thickness were observed on the shock sheet.     

Plane jets impinging on porous walls

The flow of a two-dimensional plane turbulent jet impinging on a porous screen has been studied experimentally. It is shown how the overall flow structure depends on the porosity of the surface. For low screen porosity (β < 0.41, say), transverse wall jets can be formed on both sides of the screen and in extreme cases the axial momentum flux some way downstream of the screen falls to zero, so that the screen has the same drag as would a solid wall. For high screen porosity (β > 0.57, say) the axial volume flux is largely preserved through the screen, but the dominant eddy structures present in the upstream jet are largely destroyed, so that entrainment rates downstream of the screen can be very low. The relatively small, intermediate range of porosities (0.41 < β < 0.57, where β is the screen open area ratio) is associated with dramatic changes in flow pattern and recirculating regions can exist on the upstream side of the screen. These flows, although all geometrically very simple, provide a serious challenge for computational modelling. Received: 25 May 2000 / Accepted: 22 February 2001