NASA NTRS2000
A methodology for efficiently including three-dimensional effects on aircraft plume signature is presented. First, exploratory work on the use of passive mixing enhancement devices, namely chevrons and tabs, in IR signature reduction for external turbofan plumes is demonstrated numerically and experimentally. Such small attachments, when properly designed, cause an otherwise axisymmetric plume to have significant 3D structures, affecting signature prediction. Second, an approach for including non-axisymmetric and installation effects in plume signature prediction is discussed using unstructured methodology. Unstructured flow solvers, using advanced turbulence modeling and plume thermochemistry, facilitate the modeling of aircraft effects on plume structure that previously have been neglected due to gridding complexities. The capabilities of the CRUNCH unstructured Navier-Stokes solver for plume modeling is demonstrated for a passively mixed turbofan nozzle, a generic fighter nozzle, and a complete aircraft.