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Finite-difference computer program has been developed for treating mixing of two parallel and compressible air streams; one of them may be supersonic. This development is restricted to symmetric jet mixing in which high-speed jet is located on axis of channel and no provision is made for blowing or suction along channel walls.
Vehicle motions resulting from a supersonic mixed-compression inlet unstart were examined to determine if the unstart constituted a hazard severe enough to warrant rejection of mixed-compression inlets on high-speed civil transport (HSCT) concepts. A simple kinematic analysis of an inlet unstart during cruise was performed for a Mach 2, 4, 250-passenger HSCT concept using data from a wind-tunnel test of a representative configuration with unstarted inlets simulated. A survey of previously published research on inlet unstart effects, including simulation and flight test data for the YF-12, XB-70, and Concorde aircraft, was conducted to validate the calculated results. It was concluded that, when countered by suitable automatic propulsion and flight control systems, the vehicle dynamics induced by an inlet unstart are not severe enough to preclude the use of mixed-compression inlets on an HSCT from a passenger safety standpoint. The ability to provide suitable automatic controls appears to be within the current state of the art. However, the passenger startle and discomfort caused by the noise, vibration, and cabin motions associated with an inlet unstart remain a concern.
The aircraft design engineer of today is tasked with satisfying an increasing number of conflicting requirements. The fact that conflict in these requirements may be technically, economically, or politically motivated usually compounds the difficulty of determining the best solution to a design issue. In this regard, propulsion/airframe integration for supersonic airplanes must rank as one of the most challenging aspects of airplane design. For the cruise Mach numbers currently being considered for High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) airplanes, the inlet requirements of low drag, low bleed flow, and high pressure recovery appear to be best met with a mixed-compression design. Unfortunately, these desirable attributes come with a highly undesirable companion: the inlet unstart phenomenon. Concern over the effects of a mixed-compression inlet unstart on the vehicle dynamics of large, high-speed aircraft is not new; a comprehensive wind-tunnel study addressing the problem was published in 1962. Additional investigations of the problem were made throughout the United States SST program and the follow-on NASA program into the late 1970's. The current study sought to examine the magnitude of the problem in order to determine if an inlet unstart posed a potential hazard severe enough to preclude the use of mixed-compression inlets on proposed HSCT concepts.
This paper investigates the linear stability of confined mixing layers with special emphasis on the effects of heat release and compressibility. The results show that reflection of supersonic disturbances by the walls makes the confined supersonic mixing layer more unstable than the unconfined free shear layer. Decreasing the distance between the walls makes the flow more unstable. However, subsonic disturbances are relatively unaffected by the walls. Heat release and Mach number hardly change the growth rates of supersonic disturbances. The most unstable supersonic disturbances are two-dimensional in rectangular channel flows, but three-dimensional in partially confined flows. Finally, the reactants are not strongly mixed by supersonic instabilities, which mainly disturb one side of the layer.
Analysis of compressible turbulent mixing of parallel coaxial hydrogen-air jets at supersonic speed for outer jet and subsonic speed for inner jet
Reacting free shear layers are of fundamental importance in many industrial systems including gas turbine combustors and rockets. Efficient propulsion systems are essential for air breathing supersonic ramjets in the high Mach number range. A limiting factor in these engines is the time for fuel and oxidizer to mix in the combustion chamber; for fast mixing, the flow must be vigorously turbulent which requires the laminar flow to be unstable. Understanding the stability characteristics of compressible reacting free shear layers is, therefore, very important and may allow one to control the flow. Low speed shear layers are highly unstable but, as chemical reaction and compressibility effects tend to stabilize them, it is important to investigate the stability of high speed reacting mixing layers. The latter consists of two fluid streams containing fuel and oxidizer respectively, and the conclusions are expected to apply, with quantitative modifications, to other shear flows, e.g., jets. Since low speed reacting cases have been studied earlier, we concentrate on the effects of Mach number and heat release. We are primarily interested in solving the stability problem over a large range of Mach number and heat release. In order to understand the effect of the heat release on the stability of this flow, one must first study the characteristics of the non-reacting flow. Inviscid theory is a reliable guide for understanding stability of compressible shear flows at moderate and large Reynolds numbers and is the basis for this work.
It is shown that the dilatational terms that need to be modeled in compressible turbulence include not only the pressure-dilatation term but also another term - the compressible dissipation. The nature of these dilatational terms in homogeneous turbulence is explored by asymptotic analysis of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. A non-dimensional parameter which characterizes some compressible effects in moderate Mach number, homogeneous turbulence is identified. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of isotropic, compressible turbulence are performed, and their results are found to be in agreement with the theoretical analysis. A model for the compressible dissipation is proposed; the model is based on the asymptotic analysis and the direct numerical simulations. This model is calibrated with reference to the DNS results regarding the influence of compressibility on the decay rate of isotropic turbulence. An application of the proposed model to the compressible mixing layer has shown that the model is able to predict the dramatically reduced growth rate of the compressible mixing layer.
It is shown that the dilatational terms that need to be modeled in compressible turbulence include not only the pressure-dilatation term but also another term - the compressible dissipation. The nature of these dilatational terms in homogeneous turbulence is explored by asymptotic analysis of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. A non-dimensional parameter which characterizes some compressible effects in moderate Mach number, homogeneous turbulence is identified. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of isotropic, compressible turbulence are performed, and their results are found to be in agreement with the theoretical analysis. A model for the compressible dissipation is proposed; the model is based on the asymptotic analysis and the direct numerical simulations. This model is calibrated with reference to the DNS results regarding the influence of compressibility on the decay rate of isotropic turbulence. An application of the proposed model to the compressible mixing layer has shown that the model is able to predict the dramatically reduced growth rate of the compressible mixing layer.
Various inlet-engine combinations have been studied to find a preferred inlet concept for integration with an advanced technology Mach 2.2 cruise vehicle having a cruise lift-to-drag ratio of 9.6. For the purposes of this study, the range capability for a fixed takeoff gross weight was used to assess the various inlet-engine combinations. Inlet concept selection studies are described which indicated that an axisymmetric, mixed compression inlet was preferred. This study considered four inlet and three engine cycle combinations where the engine airflow was tailored to the inlet airflow delivery capability. Detailed design studies of two mixed compression inlet types are discussed. These were a translating centerbody inlet and a collapsing centerbody bicone inlet. The aerodynamic and mechanical design of each inlet is described. These inlets were also matched to different engine cycles tailored to the inlet airflow capability. The range increments favored the bicone inlet concept primarily because of lighter weight, reduced bleed air, and greater transonic airflow/thrust capability.
Recently, relatively new analytical procedures have been successfully used to design bleed systems for mixed-compression inlets designed to operate efficiently up to Mach number 2.65. The procedures used constitute a major advance in inlet technology by offering a promising approach to attain high internal and external performance for mixed-compression inlets that operate over a large supersonic Mach number range. Unfortunately, there is a lack of data describing bleed hole performance characteristics to verify these procedures at high Mach numbers. This paper briefly discusses the analytical procedures for designing advanced inlet systems and suggests facility modifications wherein the procedures can be verified on large-scale inlet models up to approximately Mach number 4.5.
The effects of grid resolution and specification of turbulent inflow boundary conditions were examined using the NPARC code with the Baldwin-Lomax and Chien k-e turbulence models. Three benchmark turbulent test cases were calculated: two were wall bounded flows and the third was a compressible mixing layer. The wall bounded flows were essentially insensitive to axial grid density; however, the location of the first point off the wall had a substantial effect on flow solutions. It was determined that the first point off the wall must be in the laminar sublayer (y+ less than or equal to 5) for the entire boundary layer. For the compressible mixing layer cases, the axial grid density affected the capturing of oblique shock waves in the mixing region, but the overall mixing rate was not strongly dependent on grid resolution. In specifying the inflow turbulent boundary conditions, it was very important to match the boundary layer and momentum thicknesses of the two flows entering the mixing region; calculations obtained with smaller or no boundary layers resulted in substantially reduced mixing. The solutions were relatively insensitive to freestream turbulence level.
An analysis is presented for calculating the flow field in supersonic mixed-compression aircraft inlets operating at angle of attack. The flow field is computed by a steady three-dimensional bicharacteristic method. The bow shock wave and the reflected internal shock wave system are computed by a three-dimensional discrete shock wave fitting procedure. Viscous and thermal diffusion may be included as source terms in the bicharacteristic method. A production type computer program capable of determining the flow field in a variety of axisymmetric mixed-compression supersonic inlets is available. The results of the present analysis agree well with those produced by the two-dimensional method of characteristics when axisymmetric flow fields are computed. For three-dimensional flow fields, the results of the present analysis agree well with experimental data except in regions of high viscous interaction and boundary layer removal. The present analysis does not compute the boundary layer, nor does it account for boundary layer bleed.
An analysis is presented for calculating the steady three-dimensional flow field in supersonic mixed-compression inlets at incidence. A zonal modeling approach is employed to obtain the solution. The supersonic core flow is computed using a second-order pentahedral bicharacteristic algorithm. The bow shock wave and the reflected internal shock train are determined using a three-dimensional discrete shock fitting procedure. The boundary layer flow adjacent to both the centerbody and the cowl is computed using a second-order implicit finite difference method. The flow in a shock wave-boundary layer interaction region is computed using an integral formulation. The culmination of the present research effort is the development of a production-type computer program capable of analyzing flow in a variety of mixed-compression aircraft inlets. Numerical results and experimental correlations are presented to illustrate application of the analysis.
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The impact of cruise speed on technology level for certain aircraft components is examined. External-compression inlets were compared with mixed compression, self starting inlets at cruise Mach numbers of 2.0 and 2.3. Inlet engine combinations that provided the greatest aircraft range were identified. Results show that increased transonic to cruise corrected air flow ratio gives decreased range for missions dominated by supersonic cruise. It is also found important that inlets be designed to minimize spillage drag at subsonic cruise, because of the need for efficient performance for overland operations. The external compression inlet emerged as the probable first choice at Mach 2.0, while the self starting inlet was the probable first choice at Mach 2.3. Airframe propulsion system interference effects were significant, and further study is needed to assess the existing design methods and to develop improvements.
Flow pattern within constant pressure compressible turbulent jet mixing region
A numerical study of the stability of compressible mixing layers in which a diffusion flame is embedded is described. The mean velocity profile has been approximated by a hyperbolic tangent profile and the limit of infinite activation energy taken, which reduces the diffusion flame to a flame sheet. The addition of combustion in the form of a flame sheet was found to have important, and complex, effects on the flow stability.