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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Off-Design Analysis of Axisymmetric External-Compression Supersonic Inlets for Mach 1.4 to 2.0

Supersonic axisymmetric, external-compression inlets designed for freestream Mach numbers of Mach 1.4, 1.7, and 2.0 were evaluated to characterize their off-design performance. The inlets were characterized as isolated from the airframe with freestream conditions, engine-face geometry, and flow rates established from a reference NASA commercial aircraft concept. The off-design performance was characterized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The study characterized the off-design performance at the cruise condition for variations in the inlet flow rate, angle-of-attack, and freestream Mach number. Also characterized was the inlet performance at take-off and approach-to-landing conditions for which the use of auxiliary intakes was included. The inlet performance was characterized by the flow rates, total pressure recovery and distortion, and drag. An understanding of the off-design performance of the axisymmetric inlets provides information for the selection of inlets for commercial supersonic aircraft.

Supersonic Inlets↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Off-Design Analysis of Axisymmetric External-Compression Supersonic Inlets for Mach 1.4 to 2.0

Supersonic axisymmetric, external-compression inlets designed for freestream Mach numbers of Mach 1.4, 1.7, and 2.0 were evaluated to characterize their off-design performance. The inlets were characterized as isolated from the airframe with freestream conditions, engine-face geometry, and flow rates established from a reference NASA commercial aircraft concept. The off-design performance was characterized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The study characterized the off-design performance at the cruise condition for variations in the inlet flow rate, angle-of-attack, and freestream Mach number. Also characterized was the inlet performance at take-off and approach-to-landing conditions for which the use of auxiliary intakes was included. The inlet performance was characterized by the flow rates, total pressure recovery and distortion, and drag. An understanding of the off-design performance of the axisymmetric inlets provides information for the selection of inlets for commercial supersonic aircraft.

Supersonic Inlets↗
NASA NTRS1980

Numerical simulation of supersonic inlets using a three-dimensional viscous flow analysis

A three dimensional fully viscous computer analysis was evaluated to determine its usefulness in the design of supersonic inlets. This procedure takes advantage of physical approximations to limit the high computer time and storage associated with complete Navier-Stokes solutions. Computed results are presented for a Mach 3.0 supersonic inlet with bleed and a Mach 7.4 hypersonic inlet. Good agreement was obtained between theory and data for both inlets. Results of a mesh sensitivity study are also shown.

Anderson, B. H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

CFD Simulation of an Inward-Turning Supersonic Inlet Unstart at Flight Mach Number 1.7

Interest in inward-turning supersonic inlets renewed during NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology Project, as a means of reducing disturbances caused by propulsion integration. Inward-turning designs have the potential to greatly reduce the strength of shock waves emanating outward from the nacelle, and therefore their contribution to the overall sonic boom signature. For top-mounted, or over-wing installations, disturbances to aircraft aerodynamics are reduced. The nature of the inward-turning geometry results in a boundary-layer thickening effect, opposite that of the familiar thinning of an outward-turning cone boundary-layer. The application of a small amount of boundary-layer bleed at the throat has been shown to alleviate the negative effects of the boundary-layer on subsonic diffuser performance. Boundary-layer bleed, however, comes at the expense of increased complexity, and external disturbances at bleed exits that would partially defeat the purpose of the inward-turning scheme. Vortex generators were proposed as an alternative to bleed, and an initial CFD study of their effectiveness in this application forms the basis of the present work. A source-term model in the Wind-US CFD code was used to model the effects of an array of vortex generators placed at the entrance to the subsonic diffuser. Baseline results with no vortex generators compared favorably to previously reported results with no bleed at back-pressures near the design point, but stability margin in the present case was limited by a curious non-linear phenomena similar to unstart in mixed-compression inlets. While some improvement was noted with vortex generators, their effectiveness was diminished by the limited stability margin. A time-accurate calculation was subsequently performed to better understand this process. Results of this calculation are presented and instantaneous solutions compared with steady-state, subcritical results previously reported. The stability margin limitation is attributed to the use of a constant-pressure outflow boundary condition, which differed from that used in the prior simulations.

Pre-Compressor Cooling, Water Injection, Hypersoni↗
NASA NTRS1972

Bleed system design technology for supersonic inlets.

A boundary layer bleed system design procedure for supersonic inlets, with emphasis on the selection of bleed hole geometry, is described. Available experimental bleed hole performance data, coupled with bleed drag calculations, show that holes with shallow inclination are superior to holes normal to the surface in terms of overall inlet performance. Recent test results from large-scale inlet models indicate that bleed hole size, bleed hole length, and boundary layer velocity profile upstream of the bleed region are important parameters in the design of an effective and efficient bleed system.

Syberg, J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analytical and experimental studies of a short compact subsonic diffuser for a two-dimensional supersonic inlet

An experimental study of a two-dimensional supersonic inlet with a short compact subsonic diffuser, length to exit diameter (dl/d) ratio of 1.25, was conducted to investigate the impact of the short diffuser on inlet performance at low speeds and to assess the diffuser subsonic performance for a simulated diffuser flow corresponding to high-speed inlet conditions near the design flight Mach number of 2.2. For the low-speed testing, a drooped lip was employed to improve the inlet performance at a high angle of attack. For the simulated high-speed testing, air was blown through slots or discrete nozzles as an active boundary-layer control. The results from the low-speed performance test were compared with the results from a previous test program on the same inlet with a long subsonic diffuser (dl/d = 4.5). The comparison indicates that inlet recovery was not affected by the use of the short diffuser for either the baseline (no droop) or the drooped cowl lip configuration. However, the inlet baseline distortion for the short diffuser configuration was substantially higher than for the long diffuser. A comparison of the two configurations with a 70 deg drooped lip showed no significant difference in distortion. For the portion of the experimental program in which diffuser conditions for high-speed flight were simulated, diffuser-induced flow separation occurred. This separation was predicted from an analytical study that used the Hess potential flow panel method and the Herring two-dimensional boundary-layer analysis computer codes. The flow separated mainly on the diffuser ramp. Subsequent tests in which boundary-control systems were utilized showed that blowing with either slots or discrete nozzles could suppress the flow separation in the short subsonic diffuser, thereby substantially improving the diffuser performance.

Iek, Chanthy↗
NASA NTRS1980

Numerical simulation of supersonic inlets using a three-dimensional viscous flow analysis

A three-dimensional fully viscous computer analysis, which retains the viscous nature of the Navier-Stokes equations, was evaluated to determine its usefulness in the design of supersonic inlets. This procedure takes advantage of physical approximations to limit the high computer time and storage associated with complete Navier-Stokes solutions. Computed results are presented for a Mach 3.0 supersonic inlet with bleed and a Mach 7.4 hypersonic inlet. Good agreement was obtained between theory and data for both inlets. Results of a mesh sensitivity study are also shown.

Anderson, B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Control system design using frequency domain models and parameter optimization, with application to supersonic inlet controls

A technique is described for designing feedback control systems using frequency domain models, a quadratic cost function, and a parameter optimization computer program. FORTRAN listings for the computer program are included. The approach is applied to the design of shock position controllers for a supersonic inlet. Deterministic or random system disturbances, and the presence of random measurement noise are considered. The cost function minimization is formulated in the time domain, but the problem solution is obtained using a frequency domain system description. A scaled and constrained conjugate gradient algorithm is used for the minimization. The approach to a supersonic inlet included the calculations of the optimal proportional-plus integral (PI) and proportional-plus-integral-plus-derivative controllers. A single-loop PI controller was the most desirable of the designs considered.

Seidel, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

SUPIN: A Computational Tool for Supersonic Inlet Design

A computational tool named SUPIN is being developed to design and analyze the aerodynamic performance of supersonic inlets. The inlet types available include the axisymmetric pitot, three-dimensional pitot, axisymmetric outward-turning, two-dimensional single-duct, two-dimensional bifurcated-duct, and streamline-traced inlets. The aerodynamic performance is characterized by the flow rates, total pressure recovery, and drag. The inlet flow-field is divided into parts to provide a framework for the geometry and aerodynamic modeling. Each part of the inlet is defined in terms of geometric factors. The low-fidelity aerodynamic analysis and design methods are based on analytic, empirical, and numerical methods which provide for quick design and analysis. SUPIN provides inlet geometry in the form of coordinates, surface angles, and cross-sectional areas. SUPIN can generate inlet surface grids and three-dimensional, structured volume grids for use with higher-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. Capabilities highlighted in this paper include the design and analysis of streamline-traced external-compression inlets, modeling of porous bleed, and the design and analysis of mixed-compression inlets. CFD analyses are used to verify the SUPIN results.

computational fluid dynamics↗
NASA NTRS1974

Airflow control system for supersonic inlets

In addition to fixed and variable bleed devices provided for controlling the position of a terminal shock wave in a supersonic inlet, a plurality of free piston valves are disposed around the periphery of a cowling of a supersonic engine inlet. The free piston valves are disposed in dump passageways, each of which begin at a bleed port in the cowling that is located in the throat region of the inlet, where the diameter of the centerbody is near maximum, and terminates at an opening in the cowling adjacent a free piston valve. Each valve is controlled by reference pressure.

Mitchell, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Numerical Simulation For Supersonic Inlets

Flows calculated for realistic engine-inlet conditions. Computer code LAPIN, large-perturbation inlet, developed to analyze large-perturbation, transient-flow fields in supersonic inlets. Robust, quick-running code capable of solving unsteady quasi-one-dimensional, inviscid-flow problems in mixed subsonic and supersonic regimes for inlets. Approach based upon quasi-one-dimensional, inviscid, unsteady formulation including engineering models of unstart/restart, bleed, bypass, and geometrical effects. Numerical solution of governing time-dependent equations of motion accomplished through shock-capturing, finite-difference algorithm. Program written in FORTRAN IV.

Varner, M. O.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Development of a three-dimensional supersonic inlet flow analysis

A method for computing three dimensional flow in supersonic inlets is described. An approximate set of governing equations is given for viscous flows which have a primary flow direction. The governing equations are written in general orthogonal coordinates. These equations are modified in the subsonic region of the flow to prevent the phenomenon of branching. Results are presented for the two sample cases: a Mach number equals 2.5 flow in a square duct, and a Mach number equals 3.0 flow in a research jet engine inlet. In the latter case the computed results are compared with the experimental data. A users' manual is included.

Buggeln, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Validation of a three-dimensional viscous analysis of axisymmetric supersonic inlet flow fields

A three-dimensional viscous marching analysis for supersonic inlets was developed. To verify this analysis several benchmark axisymmetric test configurations were studied and are compared to experimental data. Detailed two-dimensional results for shock-boundary layer interactions are presented for flows with and without boundary layer bleed. Three dimensional calculations of a cone at angle of attack and a full inlet at attack are also discussed and evaluated. Results of the calculations demonstrate the code's ability to predict complex flow fields and establish guidelines for future calculations using similar codes.

Benson, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

On Supersonic-Inlet Boundary-Layer Bleed Flow

Boundary-layer bleed in supersonic inlets is typically used to avoid separation from adverse shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions and subsequent total pressure losses in the subsonic diffuser and to improve normal shock stability. Methodologies used to determine bleed requirements are reviewed. Empirical sonic flow coefficients are currently used to determine the bleed hole pattern. These coefficients depend on local Mach number, pressure ratio, hole geometry, etc. A new analytical bleed method is presented to compute sonic flow coefficients for holes and narrow slots and predictions are compared with published data to illustrate the accuracy of the model. The model can be used by inlet designers and as a bleed boundary condition for computational fluid dynamic studies.

Harloff, Gary J.↗